Welcome to the Media Round Up! Each week we’re collecting and sharing our favorite gender + politics stories.

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Liberal Wins Wisconsin Court Race, Despite Musk’s Millions
New York Times, Reid J. Epstein

On Tuesday, liberal candidate Susan Crawford defeated conservative opponent Brad Schimel for a pivotal seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. With turnout “extraordinarily high” for an election in an off year, Crawford overcame $25 million in spending from Elon Musk, who backed Schimel and also campaigned personally in the state. Musk’s central role in the race only seemed to aggravate “Democratic anger” against him more than it helped Schimel; Crawford beat Schimel “handily” in the contest. Crawford’s victory, which helps to maintain a liberal majority on the court, puts the Democratic Party on its “front foot” for the first time since last November.

Mallory McMorrow Enters Michigan Senate Race
The New York Times, Katie Glueck

Mallory McMorrow, a Democratic state senator from Michigan, has entered the race for Michigan’s U.S. Senate race. She first rose to prominence in 2018 when she flipped a long-held Republican district. McMorrow is the first woman in Michigan’s history to be the State Senate majority whip. The seat is opening after Sen. Gary Peters (D) announced he is retiring and it is expected to be a tight race. Speaking of her ambitions to run, McMorrow said “We need new leaders.”

McBath Pauses 2026 Bid for Georgia Governor
Politico, Amanda Friedman

Rep. Lucy McBath (D-GA) has suspended her campaign for Georgia’s governor because of her husband’s cancer diagnosis. She has served as a U.S. House Representative for four terms and will continue to serve. McBath has not ruled out a 2026 bid for governor where, if elected, she would be the country’s first Black woman governor and Georgia’s first Democratic governor in over 20 years.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor Calls For ‘Fearlessly Independent’ Judges
Washington Post, Justin Jouvenal

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor spoke about the dangers of the law being challenged, saying the U.S. needs “fearlessly independent” judges. This comes in the wake of the Trump administration’s efforts to defy federal court rulings that go against their agenda, while calling for the impeachment of multiple federal judges. Justice Sotomayor, the court’s longest-serving liberal, said many foundational norms and standards are being changed but did not directly mention President Trump. She went on to say that “fearlessly independent” courts are needed to protect rights given under the Constitution.

Pentagon Eliminates Lower Fitness Standards for Women in Combat Roles
The New York Times, Chris Cameron

This week, the Pentagon ordered the elimination of lower physical fitness standards for women in combat units. An order by defense secretary Pete Hegseth, announced on Monday, mandates that all physical fitness requirements for combat arms positions be “sex-neutral,” which is likely to “significantly reduce” the number of women who meet the requirements. Some gender-specific standards will remain in place for certain military jobs, but Hegseth argued that women should not be allowed in combat units if they cannot meet the same physical fitness standards as men. The move is likely to inhibit the recruitment and retention of women in “particularly dangerous military jobs.”

How Trump’s New Tariffs Will Impact Women’s Wallets
Forbes, Erin Spencer Sairam

President Donald Trump’s announcement of “Liberation Day” tariffs on Wednesday are likely to disproportionately impact American women. Research shows that the effects of tariffs do not fall equally on households, as “pink tariffs” result in women spending more money on men for the same products; a study conducted by the Progressive Policy Institute found that in 2022, average tariff rates for women’s clothing were 16.7%, compared to 13.6% for men. These pink tariffs are likely to compound the economic strain already felt by American women, who are 35% more likely to be poor. In response to Trump’s tariffs and the unknown impact that they will have on women in the U.S. Representatives Lizzie Fletcher (D-TX) and Brittany Pettersen (D-CO) have introduced legislation that, if passed, would direct the Treasury to study pink tariffs and report their effects to Congress.

Reproductive Care Access

Nearly 50 million women are losing access to contraceptives after the Trump administration dismantled nearly all of USAID. The United States was providing 40% of funding to governments in 31 countries for their family planning programs, around $600 million in 2023. The care reached 47 million women and saved 5.2 million from unsafe abortions and averted 17.1 million unwanted pregnancies. An estimated 34,000 women could die from the aid being cut off. On Monday, a federal judge ruled Alabama cannot prosecute doctors or reproductive health organizations who help patients obtain out-of-state abortions. Alabama’s attorney general, Steve Marshall (R), maintained his position that the state should be able to charge those who help someone get an out-of-state abortion with conspiracy, regardless of other states’ abortion protections. The judge, Myron H. Thompson, said Marshall’s plea was a violation of first amendment freedoms and the right to travel. The Supreme Court heard arguments on Wednesday from Planned Parenthood and the state of South Carolina about Medicaid funding for non-abortion health services. South Carolina removed all Medicaid funding from Planned Parenthood South Atlantic because they provide abortions, but patients and the organization are suing because they want access to doctors for non-abortion healthcare. The Supreme Court is seemingly siding with Planned Parenthood as they expressed concerns about patients not having the right to see a qualified and preferred provider, something guaranteed under Medicaid.

American Women Are Giving Up on Marriage
Wall Street Journal, Rachel Wolfe

American women are responding to major demographic shifts – including growing gender gaps in economic and educational attainment, political affiliation, and beliefs about what a family should look like – and are giving up on marriage. A 2022 Pew Research study of single adults found that only 34% of single women were looking for romance, compared to 54% for their male counterparts. A growing divide in education and career has made matchmaking more complicated: women are doing “comparatively well” in this area, creating a mismatch because people prefer to date in terms of comparable income or education. Men and women aged 18 to 29 also have “increasingly dividing political views,” compounding the difficulties of finding love. For many young women, their focus has now shifted from dating and marriage toward self-improvement, friendship, and finding happiness on their own.

Cars Aren’t Tested Properly for Women’s Safety. Congress is Trying to Fix That.
NBC News, Julie Tsirkin and Emma Dion

According to multiple studies conducted over the last five years, women are 73% more likely to be seriously injured in a head-on car crash compared with men in the same crash; additionally, female drivers and front-seat passengers are also 17% more likely to be killed in a car crash than a male passenger of the same age. Safety standards from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) still allow car companies in the United States to test for safety using 40- to 50-year-old dummies that are not “anatomically representative” of the average woman, despite newer, more advanced dummies being available. In response to this, a new bipartisan bill would require the NHTSA to update federal motor vehicle safety standards and use the “most advanced testing devices available.” The Senate Commerce Committee voted unanimously to advance the bill to the full Senate earlier this year.

This Week’s Question: Examples of women legislators conducting filibusters include: 2013: Texas State Senator Wendy Davis (D), nearly 12 hours re: abortion rights; 2022: “The Eleven” bipartisan Missouri State Senators, 31 hours re: congressional redistricting; 2023: 5 bipartisan South Carolina State Senators re: abortion rights. Do you know of others?