Happy Friday! Welcome to our first 2025 Media Round Up. Each week we’re collecting and sharing our favorite gender + politics stories. There is plenty of news, plus you can find articles you may have missed over the holidays in our “In Case You Missed It” section.

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Kamala Harris Was Poised to Crush the Women’s Vote. What Went Wrong?
The Nation, Joan Walsh

As the dust settles from the 2024 presidential election, journalists and experts are considering the factors that led to Vice President Kamala Harris’ electoral defeat. Pre-election polling forecasted a never-before-seen gender voting gap, with Harris repeatedly “crushing the women’s vote.” In actuality, exit polls showed a shift of women away from Harris: though Black women voters remained a steadfast and reliable voting bloc for Democrats, support among Latina and white women dropped. Among a number of reasons that these women did not break for Harris, many working-class and middle-class women reported that they struggled when COVID-era relief policies went away during the Biden administration; when Democrats tried to restore some of those programs through the Build Back Better Act, they were thwarted. Additionally, though abortion “won big” across several states on election night, Trump – perhaps successfully – “sought to neutralize” Harris’ significant advantage on the issue, characterizing himself as “softened” on women’s reproductive rights.

DeSantis Picks Ashley Moody, Florida’s Attorney General, to Replace Rubio in the Senate
CBS, Kaia Hubbard

On Thursday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) announced that Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody will replace Marco Rubio, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of state, in the Senate. Moody, who has served as Florida’s attorney general since 2019, worked as a commercial litigator and federal prosecutor; DeSantis touted her “impressive resume” at a news conference while highlighting her track record of supporting the president-elect. Speaking after DeSantis, Moody said that she would “bring the same persistence and passion and tenacity as a United States senator that I have brought as Florida’s attorney general.”

Scoop: Blackburn Eyeing Run for Tennessee Governor
Axios, Nate Rau and Stef W. Kight

Sources have told Axios that Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) is likely to run for governor. Blackburn, who would be running to be the first female governor in Tennessee’s state history, would be a “formidable contender” in the 2026 gubernatorial race; sources claim that state and federal elected officials have been making calls in support of her possible candidacy in recent days. Since Tennessee voters typically lean to the right, the GOP primary will “likely determine” the state’s next governor.

MSNBC Chief Rashida Jones Steps Down as Network Prepares for Spinoff
CNN, Brian Stelter

Rashida Jones, the first Black person to run a major television news network, is stepping down as president of MSNBC. Jones recruited news hosts such as Jen Psaki and prioritized digital expansions of the MSNBC board during her time with the company. One of Jones’ top lieutenants, Rebecca Kutler, will be taking over as interim network president; Kutler spent twenty years at CNN, later becoming a producer and launching several shows for the network. The change comes as the network’s corporate parent, Comcast, prepares to “spin off” MSNBC and other cable channels into a separate publicly traded company.

She Helped Launch the Women’s March. This Year She’s Sitting Out The Fight.

BBC, Holly Honderich

Eight years ago, resistance to President Donald Trump’s presidency culminated in the Women’s March, the largest single-day protest in U.S. history. The movement, which brought about 500,000 people to Washington, D.C., consisted of a loose coalition of “grassroots progressive groups,” including never-Trump Republicans and Democrats who opposed his agenda. Now, in the wake of Trump’s win against Kamala Harris, much of the energy that inspired the first Women’s March has “dwindled,” igniting questions about the group’s failures and its future. In fact, Women’s March co-founder Vanessa Wruble isn’t attending this year’s march, stating that she “didn’t even know it was a thing.”

Confirmation Hearings with and About Women

President-elect Donald Trump is to be inaugurated on Monday as the 46th President, and along with that comes the Senate confirmation hearings for his cabinet picks. Pam Bondi, former Florida Attorney General, is Trump’s pick for Attorney General and faced a Senate confirmation hearing beginning on Wednesday, January 15th. She faced questions from Democrats about her ability to separate her policies from Trump’s, and if she could act independently from him. Bondi wants to take politics out of the Justice Department, citing that it’s been entwined with the system for too long. Pete Hegseth, veteran and Fox News host, is also facing a Senate confirmation hearing to be Secretary of Defense. His hearing follows Hegseth’s previous comments that women should not be in combat roles in the military. This caused tense exchanges between female Senators and Hegseth, namely Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY). They questioned him over his commitment to female soldiers and his ability to put his personal feelings aside as defense secretary, as did Jodi Ernst (R-IA), who served in the Iowa Army National Guard. Hegseth stated women would have access to combat roles, given the standards remain high. Similarly, Hegseth was grilled over comments about DEI and transgender military members after previously saying any general involved with “DEI woke” policies has “got to go.” Many worry that Hegseth’s discriminatory views on LGBTQ+ people would negatively affect those serving.

White House Roles 

The White House is the highest office in the country and features an array of functions and people surrounding the President. This week, incoming First Lady Melania Trump has announced she plans to live in the White House full time, traveling between New York City and Palm Beach, both homes of her and her husband, when necessary. She plans to continue her “Be Best” program from Trump’s first term. It focuses on mental health among youth and harmful social media use. The First Lady is prepared for transition, saying, “I already packed.” An important White House role in the outgoing administration is Jennifer Klein, Director of the White House Gender Policy Council. This was the first office of its kind; it focused on reproductive healthcare access, gender-based violence, and gender equity for women at home and abroad. Created by President Biden in 2021, Klein has led the council through tough setbacks, namely the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Before her time as director, she worked for the Obama administration as a senior advisor for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s Office of Global Women’s Issues. Klein also worked for Bill Clinton’s administration as senior advisor on the Domestic Policy Council. She hopes that the incoming administration will continue her work, saying it is “not on the fringe.”

First Black Woman to Serve in the U.S. Army Nurse Corps After Desegregation Dies
NPR, Cheryl W. Thompson

Nancy Leftenant-Colon, the first Black woman to serve in the U.S. Army Nurse Corps, has died at the age of 104. Leftenant-Colon joined the Corps in 1945 as a reservist until President Truman desegregated the military via executive order in 1948, elevating her to regular status. Her achievement serves as a stark reminder that presidential action often paves the way for progress. Leftenant-Colon “dreamed” of being a nurse since high school, and during her time in the Nurse Corps, she and a Tuskegee Airman helped a Black woman give birth to a premature baby after the hospital only accepted white patients. This amazing achievement sums up the person that Leftenant-Colon was: a trailblazer. After her time in the Nurse Corps, she was a flight nurse with the Air Force and retired as a Major before returning to be the school nurse at Amityville Memorial High School. Leftenant-Colon passed on January 8 in Amityville, NY.

Is the Criticism of L.A.’s Mayor Unfair? Black Women Rise to Defend Her.
The New York Times, Gina Cherelus

Los Angeles has been engulfed in horrific wildfires for over a week that have destroyed tens of thousands of acres and killed at least 25 people. As a result, many have placed the blame for the lack of fire control and “incompetence” on the city’s mayor, Karen Bass (D). Mayor Bass was in Ghana when the first fire broke out on January 7, leading many to launch misogynistic and racist tirades on her. Celebrities, politicians, and citizens alike have criticized Bass, but many Black women are coming to her defense. Areva Martin, an LA civil rights lawyer, said the attacks on Bass are another example of the far-right’s attempt to discredit the leadership of Democrats, specifically Black leaders. Actress Yvette Nicole Brown came to Mayor Bass’ defense, saying she was going to “fight” for Bass after seeing misinformation flourish about Vice President Kamala Harris for too long. Both women are a part of a larger group of Black women remarking on the double standards that Black women face as leaders.

House Votes to Ban Trans Girls From Women’s Sports in Schools
The 19th, Orion Rummler

On Tuesday, the House voted 218-206 to ban transgender girls and women from girls’ sports in federally-funded schools. If passed into law, the legislation would change Title IX and revoke federal funding for schools that allow trans women in sports teams that “align with their gender identity.”  It also calls for the Government Accountability Office to conduct a study on any “adverse psychological or developmental effects” felt by cisgender girls who play sports with transgender girls. The legislation, which would impact both public K-12 schools and universities, is Democrats’ first test as to whether they will fight a possible wave of anti-trans laws in the 119th Congress.

Women to Watch

WPI is monitoring new faces in new places in Washington, and here are women recently announced or appointed by President-elect Trump.

2025.1.16 Appointments

In Case You Missed It

A lot has happened over the winter break. In case you weren’t able to follow the news about women and politics, below are links to some of our favorite updates. In addition, check out our full overview of 2024 WPI programs and publications here.

President Biden Signs Bill Placing First Women’s Monument on the National Mall, 1/5/25, Women’s Suffrage National Monument Foundation

Karoline Leavitt Set to Take Reins as Youngest Ever White House Press Secretary, 12/29/24, The Hill, Dominick Mastrangelo

Marianne Williams Thursday Launched a Bid for Chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), 12/26/24 The Hill, Julia Mueller

Missing Congresswoman’s Case Shows Congress Needs New Rules on Attendance, 12/25/24, The Hill, Derek Hunter

Trump Announces Somers Farkas as his choice for the next United States Ambassador to the Republic of Malta, 12/24/24, Truth Social, Donald Trump.

The Incredible Story of Afghanistan’s Exiled Women’s Cricket Team, 12/19/24, The Economist