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

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Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s ‘Far From Home,’ A ‘Fervent’ Call For Bipartisanship, To Be Published In June
AP

Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) is releasing a new book called “Far From Home: An Alaskan Senator Faces the Extreme Climate of Washington, D.C.” She tells stories of being a moderate Republican who crosses party lines and is an outspoken critic of President Trump. She makes a “fervent” call for bipartisanship and restoring faith in our democratic system, saying change comes from “the everyday dedication of ordinary people with shared values.” Murkowski first took office in 2002 when her father, governor at the time, appointed her to the vacant seat. She has since won every election after, even winning with a write-in campaign after losing the state’s Republican primary. The book will be published in June.

A Congresswoman Brought Her Newborn to Vote Against the GOP Budget Bill
The Cut, Erica Schwiegershausen

On Tuesday, while the House of Representatives voted to advance a GOP budget proposal calling for reductions in federal spending and trillions of dollars in tax cuts, Colorado Rep. Brittany Pettersen (D) denounced the legislation on the House floor while holding her 4-week-old son. Petterson flew across the country with her newborn to cast her crucial vote against the bill because Congress does not allow remote voting for new parents. “Unfortunately, I wasn’t given the opportunity to vote remotely after giving birth,” Petterson said, adding that this caveat wasn’t going to stop her from voting against the “disastrous” budget proposal. Now, Petterson and a bipartisan group of lawmakers are pushing to reform the rules for future generations of politicians who are looking to balance parenting and lawmaking.

A Mystery Solved: Amy Gleason, a Former Health Care Executive, Is Running DOGE
The New York Times, Nicholas Nehamas, Kate Conger, and Ryan Mac

Amy Gleason, a former healthcare investment executive, has been publicly named as the acting administrator of the new Department of Government Efficiency. The agency was previously thought to be run by Elon Musk, but the White House clarified on Tuesday that Gleason is the head. She worked in President Trump’s first administration under a digital service unit that helped create their COVID-19 response with the Health and Human Services Department. She went on to advocate for healthcare reform and served as chief product officer for a healthcare focused investment firm. Gleason told internal DOGE employees she is “excited to meet new colleagues and dive into impactful projects once again.”

Which Trump Cabinet Picks Haven’t Been Confirmed Yet? 
MSN, Laura Mannweiler

A number of President Donald Trump’s cabinet picks have yet to be confirmed. Most of the confirmation delays are not signs of trouble for Trump, but are largely due to procedural delays. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), Trump’s pick to serve as Ambassador to the United Nations, still has not had a Senate confirmation vote because of her “day job” as a congresswoman – Speaker of the House Mike Johnson said that Stefanik has not had a vote yet because he needs her in the House, where he is working with an incredibly slim Republican majority to advance GOP legislation. Lori Chaves-DeRemer, Trump’s nominee for Labor Secretary, has had a hearing but no vote, as her “previous pro-union stances” appear to be muddling her confirmation. A former congresswoman from Oregon who lost her reelection bid in November, Chaves-DeRemer faced tough questions from both sides of the aisle on her support for union legislation. Additionally, Education Secretary nominee Linda McMahon has had a “comparatively slow” confirmation process, with lawmakers hinting that they were still working to collect required paperwork for the confirmation.

More Career Working Women Fired by New Administration

Peggy Carr, leader of the agency that oversees national student testing, has been placed on administrative leave by the Trump Administration. Carr is Commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics after being appointed by President Biden in 2021. She leads the nation’s student testing assessment program, known as The Nation’s Report Card. Students are reporting record lows in their education assessments. Carr worked at the Education Department for over 20 years. Admiral Lisa Franchetti was fired by Defense Secretary Hegseth last Friday. She made historic gains during her service as the first woman to be Navy’s chief of naval operations and part of Joint Chiefs of Staff. Franchetti has spent 40 years in the Navy and was among the first women to serve at sea once the Navy lifted their ban in 1978. She became a surface warfare officer and pushed back on systemic barriers for women in combat roles. This is the second firing of a female high-ranking admiral by the Trump administration, the first being Admiral Linda Fagan less than a day after his inauguration.

Trump is Winning for Women and Girls by Preserving Title IX’s Original Intent 
USA Today, Ingrid Jacques

In an opinion piece for USA Today, Ingrid Jacques argues that President Donald Trump’s executive order to prevent transgender athletes from competing on female teams has had an “immediate impact” for women athletes. Lauding young women who have been “brave enough to stand against this injustice and bring it to the public’s attention,” Jacques contends that Trump has fulfilled his campaign promise to women and girls by preserving the original intent of Title IX. Jacques claims that more work must be done to secure women’s rights, noting that the president must continue to work with Congress to ensure that protections for female sports are “crystalized into law.”

Future of Cancer Coverage for Women Federal Firefighters Uncertain Under Trump
The 19th, Kylie Mohr

Just weeks after the Labor Department added coverage for breast, cervical, and other cancers that firefighters who work for federal agencies may develop because of “hazardous exposures” on the job, female firefighters worry that these gains may be in jeopardy. The Trump administration recently deleted information about the expansion of coverage for cancers that primarily affect women and transgender firefighters from a federal webpage, avoiding questions about whether it will uphold the policy change that was implemented in the final days of the Biden administration. When asked whether claims were still being processed for the recently added cancers, a spokesperson for the workers’ compensation office said that “we do not have any additional updates regarding your inquiry.”

Wins and Losses for Reproductive Health Care

On Monday, the Supreme Court refused to hear a pair of cases from abortion opponents who claim that laws limiting anti-abortion demonstrations near clinics violate their First Amendment rights. The cities that passed these laws said that they did so to address “disturbing behavior” from protestors outside of health care clinics, but anti-abortion activists argued that the measures violated their free speech rights; furthermore, they held that these laws should be on their “deathbed” since the Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. While this decision may be a win for women and reproductive health care activists, a growing number of state legislatures are considering bills authorizing the punishment of abortion seekers. Lawsuits in several red states are seeking to allow employers to penalize women who take time off of work to obtain an abortion or handle related medical complications, leading to discipline or even termination.

She Interrupted a Town-Hall Meeting and Was Dragged Out by Private Security
The New York Times, Alexandra E. Petri

Teresa Borrenpohl, a former Democratic House of Representatives candidate, was forcibly dragged out of a local town-hall meeting in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. The town-hall was hosted by local Republicans to discuss current events. According to videos and reports, Borrenpohl was “heckling” the speakers and refused to leave after the town’s Sheriff Robert Norris demanded she do so. Sheriff Norris then threatened to arrest and pepper spray her before gesturing for three private security guards to remove her. They then grabbed her arms and forced her onto the ground before zip tying her hands and removing her from the room. The local police force is investigating the incident, but the Sheriff insists he did nothing wrong. Borrenpohl released a statement on her Instagram, saying “I could have never imagined my right to free speech and my right to assemble could be stripped in such a violent way.”

Financial Freedom and Transforming Business

In an essay for Glamour, Tori Dunlap of Her First $100k explains that women can survive the next four years of another Trump administration by “finding empowerment through financial freedom.” Her First $100k, Dunlap’s financial education platform, helps women fight financial inequality and gives them actionable resources to grow their wealth. By attaining financial freedom, Dunlap contends, women can live a life where they have the “power and freedom to work to change the system.” Relatedly, the second annual CNBC Changemakers list of women who are transforming business and philanthropy has been published, with this year’s installment featuring women who have spearheaded AI advances, consumer and social innovations, and biotech breakthroughs. From leaders in financial services, defense, and real estate to billion-dollar startups and multinationals, these women are “breaking down barriers” and inspiring the world. See the full list of Changemakers here.

The Bravest Woman in Latin America? Diana Salazar is Fighting to Halt Ecuador’s Slide into Chaos
The Economist

It is not unusual for Diana Salazar, Ecuador’s attorney-general, to be followed by unfriendly compatriots. Her security retinue—a squad of soldiers armed to the teeth and encased in Kevlar—recently spotted a motorbike tailing her car. Its driver was the sister of a drug lord whom Ms Salazar is investigating. She discusses the incident as you might speak of missing the bus. Such irritations are now routine. Drug gangs have overwhelmed Ecuador over the past five years, turning it from a peaceful oasis into mainland Latin America’s most violent country. Ms Salazar is a target because she is investigating links between Ecuador’s politicians, its judges and the transnational crime groups that have caused that change. Her activity has made her several powerful enemies, but has also earned her respect. “She is a national treasure, almost more important than whoever is in power,” says a businessman in Quito. But she bats away the idea of running for political office: “The judiciary should not be in politics. And politicians should keep their hands out of judicial matters.”