Welcome to the Media Round Up! We’ve collected and shared our favorite gender + politics stories from this week.

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Women are Disappearing From the Cabinet

A White House shakeup has resulted in several Trump administration officials leaving the Cabinet this spring. In the past two months alone, three women have been fired or resigned from their positions. On March 5th, President Trump fired ex-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who became the de-facto face of the administration’s mass deportation efforts and consequently encountered criticism for her approach to immigration enforcement in major U.S. cities. Less than a month later, Trump ousted former Attorney General Pam Bondi, who now faces subpoena threats from Democrats due to her involvement in the administration’s handling of the Epstein files. And on Monday, Labor Secretary Lori Chavez DeRemer announced her resignation amid accusations of misconduct; allegations suggest that Chavez-DeRemer had an extramarital affair with a member of her security detail, that top aides fabricated official events to facilitate her personal travel plans, and that she drank on the job.

Cherfilus-McCormick Resigns Amid Ethics Investigation
POLITICO, Hailey Fuchs, Meredith Lee Hill and Cheyanne M. Daniels

Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL) has officially resigned in the face of corruption charges at home and calls for her ouster in Washington. News broke minutes before the House Ethics Committee was about to meet for a public hearing Tuesday afternoon to determine a punishment for the third-term Democrat, who was charged with stealing $5 million in COVID relief funds. In a statement, Cherfilus-McCormick said the congressional proceedings did not constitute a “fair process” and that she was “choos[ing] to step aside” rather than “play these political games.” “I will not stand by and pretend that this has been anything other than a witch hunt,” she said. “I simply cannot stand by and allow my due process rights to be trampled on, and my good name to be tarnished.” Cherfilus-McCormick is facing a federal criminal trial in Florida over allegations that she stole millions from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. She has pleaded not guilty and that case is expected to go to trial next year.

Women in Congress Fight Abuse

Two members of Congress, Eric Swalwell (D-CA)  and Tony Gonzales (R-TX), resigned this week after being accused of sexual misconduct. While House Leaders would not ask for their resignations, women in Congress weren’t having it. In a matter of days, rank-and-file female lawmakers banded together across party lines to oust both Swalwell and Gonzales. Ultimately, the California Democrat and Texas Republican, respectively, resigned within an hour of each other. It was a striking demonstration of bipartisan resolve on Capitol Hill. On the heels of the overwhelming approval of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, it was just the latest example of female legislators teaming up, at odds with the men in charge of Congress, to force accountability for prominent figures accused of hurting women.

The Doctor Will Seek Your Vote Now
The New York Times, Nina Agrawal

Dr. Annie Andrews (D-SC), a longtime pediatrician, is running for U.S. Senate against incumbent Lindsey Graham (R-SC). Dr. Andrews is among more than three dozen Democratic doctors, nurses, and other health care professionals who have jumped into this year’s races for Congress, in an effort to push back against the health policies of the Trump administration and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. While these candidates have placed health care at the forefront of their campaigns, they often link it to concerns about affordability, an issue that dominates voters’ priorities. The Democratic candidates seeking office this cycle include family physicians, pediatricians, emergency room doctors and nurses. Health care providers have certain advantages in campaigns, as they are generally trusted and are able to run as “outsiders” who have particular expertise, rather than running as a career politician. Though it will be an uphill battle, Dr. Andrews has raised $6.5 million, while Graham has raised more than $20 million and remains well-known across the state.

Native women shaping North Dakota’s political future
Public News Service, Judith Ruiz-Branch

As North Dakota makes strides in electing Native women to office, Indigenous leaders say they’re working to build upon the momentum to create a stronger foundation for representation in rural and tribal communities. The state currently has two Native women serving as legislators. Rep. Jayme Davis, D-Rolette, has her eyes set on a Senate seat in 2027. She said her motivation comes from a desire to address community needs and pave the way for the next generation of Indigenous leaders. Looking ahead, Davis aims to support and prepare future Indigenous candidates by addressing challenges such as fundraising. She said she’s particularly interested in encouraging more Indigenous women to run for office and ensuring they have the tools they need to succeed, especially given North Dakota’s term limits.

Reproductive Care, Including Abortion, Contraception & Doula Care are in the News 

Across the country, conversations surrounding reproductive and maternal choices continue, and policies surrounding these issues capture public attention. In the wake of restrictive abortion bans, Illinois provides abortion access to individuals living in surrounding states. According to a report from the Guttmacher Institute, Illinois is the destination for nearly 1 in 4 people traveling to another state for abortion care, because in five of Illinois’ six border states, abortion is either banned or largely inaccessible. On Monday, a Pennsylvania appellate-level Commonwealth Court delivered a major victory for Planned Parenthood and abortion clinic operators. The court ruled that the state’s constitution guarantees a right to abortion, while also striking down a decades-long law banning the use of state Medicaid funds to cover abortion costs. The court’s finding marks the first time that the right to abortion is protected by the Pennsylvania constitution. Social media myths surrounding hormonal contraception are fueling fear and reshaping young women’s health decisions. The trend away from hormonal birth control has become pervasive in recent years among patients between 14 and 32 years old, an age group most likely to say that they get their health information from social media. Influencers advocating for natural birth control methods and spreading serious misinformation surrounding hormonal birth control use is leading doctors to be concerned that young women are being robbed of their ability to make informed decisions. Recently, doula care has gone from a niche birth option to a Medicaid-covered benefit in more than half of U.S. states, and UnitedHealthCare recently announced that it would allow for coverage of doula care in employer-sponsored programs nationwide. Doulas are professionals, educated in childbirth, who provide emotional, physical, and educational support for women who are pregnant, in labor, and in the postpartum period.  Doula care has been proven to improve outcomes for birthing people and infants, however, some are worried that it’s becoming a “band-aid,” in place of deeper reform of the overall obstetric system.

Are You a Woman Who Makes Life Easier for Everyone Else? Beware – You Could Endanger Your Health
The Guardian, Emma Beddington

Recent claims that women who are too nice risk developing autoimmune diseases have been circulating on the internet. Though this scientifically dubious statement is not empirically backed by much evidenced, studies do show that women have far higher rates of autoimmune conditions than men: in the United States, four out of every five people diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder are female. The idea that women are physically making themselves sick from being too nice is gaining traction across the country. A growing “wave of fed-upness” – from events like the pink hat marches, the #MeToo movement, and the deepening inequities observed during the pandemic – may actually help women’s health in the long run, as pent-up stress is finally being released. “Bodies probably keep the score,” and “women have probably been pissed off at playing nice since Eve.”