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

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Trump Asks Stefanik to Withdraw Bid to Be U.N. Ambassador
The New York Times, Annie Karni and Maggie Haberman

On Thursday, President Trump asked Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) to remain in Congress instead of serving as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Noting how crucial it is for Republicans to hold onto their razor-thin voting margin in the House, Trump wrote on his website, Truth Social, that “there are others that can do a good job at the United Nations.” Stefanik had already given up her leadership position in the House and let many longtime staff members go, privately expressing frustration that her Senate confirmation hearing for the position had been delayed. In exchange for asking her to withdraw her bid, Trump hinted that he may consider Stefanik, who had reportedly been eager to join the cabinet, for another position in his administration in the future.

Trump Nominates Susan Monarez to Lead C.D.C.
The New York Times, Apoorva Mandavilli and Sheryl Gay Stolberg

Susan Monarez, acting director of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, has officially been nominated by President Trump to lead the agency. She is an infectious disease researcher and has been serving as deputy director to a biomedical research agency created under President Biden. Dr. Monarez has served as the CDC’s head since January, when President Trump withdrew his initial nomination before confirmation hearings began. If confirmed, Dr. Monarez will be the first nonphysician to lead the CDC in over 50 years.

Trump Joins Launch of Congressional Women’s Caucus at White House
Fox News, Elizabeth Elkind

On Wednesday, President Donald Trump joined female members of Congress at the White House for the launch of a Republican Women’s Caucus. According to an invitation for the event, the caucus’ goal will be to “champion GOP women members’ legislative priorities, support GOP women in a variety of endeavors on the national stage, and push for representation in leadership positions.” The initiative is being led by Rep. Kat Cammack (R-FL), who said that the caucus “solidifies the president and Republicans’ commitment to all Americans from all walks of life.” The invitation also encouraged GOP lawmakers to send their top three legislative priorities to the caucus for their consideration.

Gender Impact of Federal and National Policy
The Trump administration’s enactment of several policies has adversely impacted many women and girls. The Department of Government Efficiency’s layoff of thousands of federal workers has been presented as a way to trim the federal budget, but it will likely shift the burden to America’s “mothers, sisters, and daughters” who will have to “help their families cover the gap.” Meanwhile, as the Trump administration works to deliver on the president’s promise for tougher immigration enforcement, immigrant women say they have been held “like animals” in ICE detention centers, subjected to conditions “so extreme they feared for their lives.” Additionally, Trump’s efforts to withhold federal funding to institutions that do not conform to the administration’s notions of anti-discrimination led Ohio University to cancel its annual Celebrate Women conference, which featured panels on business and vivid engagement, awards honoring women in leadership and promoting and advancing gender equity.

Judicial Challenges and Elections
Federal Judge Beryl A. Howell is speaking out against the Justice Department’s attempts to remove her from a federal case involving a law firm suing the Trump administration. The Justice Department labeled Judge Howell as “unfit” for the case because of her “partiality” against President Trump. Judge Howell responded decisively, saying the DOJ wanted to “impugn the integrity of the federal judicial system.” Judge Howell was appointed by President Obama but has previously sided with the Trump administration on other legal battles. In Wisconsin, Judge Susan Crawford has raised $24 million for her Wisconsin Supreme Court candidacy. The Wisconsin Supreme Court currently has a 4-3 liberal majority, with current liberal Justice Ann Walsh Bradley leaving. Judge Crawford is running against conservative Judge Brad Schimel, who has received endorsements from President Trump and funding from Elon Musk. From February 4 to March 17, she raised $17 million alone. Musk’s America PAC has donated $6.6 million to Schimel’s campaign, spending another several million on television ads backed by another Musk-affiliated PAC. Judge Crawford thanked her grassroots supporters ahead of the April 1 election.

Enough States Have Ratified The ERA. Does That Mean It’s Part Of The Constitution?
USA Today, Phaedra Trethan

The Equal Rights Amendment has enough states that voted to ratify it, but it is still not part of the Constitution. The ERA prohibits sex-based discrimination and ensures equal protections for women. It was first proposed by women’s rights activist Alice Paul in 1923.

It passed the Senate in 1972, and 35 states had ratified it by the 1979 deadline, but it fell three states short despite an extended deadline to 1982. Three more states have ratified in the last eight years, but it is not enshrined in the Constitution. A Department of Justice memo from 2020 said that the amendment did not meet Congress 1982 deadline and did not count as part of the Constitution.

The Pay Gap Persists
Although women are achieving increasing levels of education and representation in senior leadership positions at work, a stubborn pay and promotion gap still exists. Equal Pay day – which just occurred on Tuesday – is a stark reminder of the pervasive income inequality between men and women; the date marks how far into the new year full-time women workers have to work to match what their male counterparts earned in the previous calendar year. Women in the United States who work full time are typically paid eighty-three cents for every dollar paid to men, a gap that only continues to widen when considering race and gender intersections. According to estimates by the World Economic Forum, it could take 134 years to close the global gender pay gap at this rate. By next year’s Equal Pay Day, progress on equity could “drop dramatically.” President Donald Trump’s reshaping of labor boards, mass layoffs in the federal government, and backlash to diversity advancements could make many gains made within the federal workforce “disappear.” The administration’s move to terminate diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts has led to firings of high-profile women and people of color, potentially ending future conversations about pay equity under this administration.

Concluding Session, Commission on Status of Women Adopts Declaration Urging Full, Accelerated Implementation of Beijing Declaration, Platform for Action
United Nations

This week, the United Nations’ Commission on the Status of Women adopted a political declaration recognizing that 2025 is a “momentous chance” to bring its member states together to increase efforts to implement the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action to achieve gender equality and the empowerment of women. The Commission – which just concluded its sixty-ninth session – emphasized that the “full and accelerated” implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action is essential to achieve gender equality, expressing concerns that progress in this area has been “slow and uneven.” The delegations stressed the need to defend women and girls, though individual member states vocalized different concerns; Mexico’s representative, for example, lamented that some countries have forgotten that women’s rights are human rights, while Brazil’s delegate said that it is unfortunate that the text does not mention sexual and reproductive health rights. In addition, the Commission opened its seventieth session, electing Maritza Chan Valverde (Costa Rica) as its Chair. Valverde concluded by stating, “Choosing a woman as the tenth Secretary-General would create a powerful opportunity to forge ahead.  Every woman and girl must have the opportunity to reach her potential.”

The Conservative Women’s Magazine With Big Ambitions, and Sex Tips for Wives
The New York Times, Katie J.M. Baker

Evie is described as “conservative Cosmo” and aims to provide conservative women with content about modern motherhood, faith, and family. Brittany Hugoboom and her husband Gabriel have created the magazine in 2019 as an outlet focused on conservative values and traditional lifestyles. Mrs. Hugoboom rejects feminism in all forms and calls the magazine “feminine” instead. It features pop culture and fashion content, but also articles against IVF, no-fault divorce, and transgender rights. Mr. and Mrs. Hugoboom also created 28, a fitness and wellness app based on menstrual cycles.

Track and Field to be First Olympic Sport Requiring DNA Sex Tests for Women
The New York Times, Tariq Panja

Track and field will become the first Olympic sport to introduce mandatory DNA sex testing for athletes entering female competitions. The new policy, which comes amid an “increasingly vexed debate” over eligibility rules in female sports, will subject competitors to a noninvasive cheek swab or dry blood DNA test. Sebastian Coe, head of track’s governing body, World Athletics, said that the new rule is part of his vow to “doggedly protect the female category and do whatever it takes to protect it.” World Athletics claims that these new tests could be implemented in time for its next world championships in Tokyo this September.

Mia Love, First Black Republican Congresswoman, Dies At 49
The New York Times, Adam Bernstein and Annabelle Timsit

Rep. Mia Love (R-UT) died at 49 from glioblastoma on March 23. Love was a two-term Congresswoman serving a majority white and Republican county in Utah. She was the daughter of two Haitian immigrants and spoke about her upbringing at the 2012 Republican National Convention. Later, Love would go against President Trump and other Republicans for their anti-Haitian and anti-immigrant stances. She was the first Black Republican Congresswoman and served in the House from 2015 to 2019.