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

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Jasmine Crockett Is Not Running a Traditional Campaign. It’s Making Allies Anxious
NOTUS, Alex Roarty

Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) is “not running a traditional campaign” in the race for the Democratic nomination for Senate in Texas. She is eschewing many of the traditional aspects of a major Senate bid, focusing on local events and in-person politicking that supporters claim “energize” rank-and-file liberal voters. The campaign’s choices have left some Democrats anxious that the unconventional approach could squander Crockett’s “significant edge” in name recognition, especially in a large market where mass media is usually seen as a necessity to win. With three weeks until next month’s primary, Crockett is locked in an intense fight with state Rep. James Talarico, both battling for the Democratic nomination.

GOP Senator on Jeffrey Epstein Files: I Now Understand ‘What the Big Deal Is’
The Hill, Ashleigh Fields

The Department of Justice put out a big release of files late last month and gave some lawmakers the opportunity to view them unredacted. Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) said Monday she now understands “what the big deal is” after reviewing unredacted files tied to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. “I’ve not been one of the members who has glommed on to this as an issue,” Lummis said in an interview with journalist Pablo Manríquez. “I’ve sort of intentionally deferred to others to find out about it. But 9-year-old victims … wow.” “And the members of Congress that have been pushing this were not wrong.”

GOP Senator Calls for Probe into Ketanji Brown Jackson Attending Grammys
The Hill, Ryan Mancini

Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) called for an investigation into Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson for attending the Grammy Awards, where some artists criticized Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Jackson was nominated in the Best Audio Book, Narration and Storytelling Recording for her memoir “Lovely One.” In addition to writing a statement on X, Blackburn also sent a letter to Chief Justice John Roberts urging him to “conduct a thorough investigation” into the ethics of Jackson’s attendance, in addition to her ability to remain impartial on matters related to immigration.

The GOP. Senator Who Can’t Stop Thinking About the Boy ICE Detained
The New York Times, Caroline Kitchener

Waiting in her car [for her son] in late January, Senator Katie Britt (R-AL) could not look away from the photo on her phone that had just gone viral: The agent’s hands on the boy’s Spider-Man backpack. The icy black vehicle. The flash of terror in those 5-year-old eyes. “Can you look into this?” Britt texted her team from a Montgomery parking lot, afraid to believe that this could happen in America. She had read reports that agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement had used the boy as a “pawn,” sending him to knock on the door of his home in hopes of luring out others. As chair of the Department of Homeland Security Subcommittee of Senate Appropriations, Sen. Britt is uniquely positioned to reason with the Trump administration. The youngest Republican woman ever elected to the Senate, Britt stands fully behind Mr. Trump in public, but at times seeks to wield influence behind the scenes, guided by her personal values as a mother and a Christian. Ever since hearing about the boy in the bunny hat detained by ICE, she can’t stop thinking about it. Ms. Britt offered a rare look at how one Republican lawmaker is trying to navigate some of the most incendiary actions of the Trump administration.

Susan Collins Runs for Re-election, in One of 2026’s Top Senate Fights
The New York Times, Reid J. Epstein

On Tuesday, Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) announced that she would seek a sixth term. Collins is widely viewed as the most endangered GOP incumbent, making her a prime target of Democrats in Maine and Washington. Flipping the Maine Senate seat is crucial for Democrats hopeful of taking back the Senate majority. Collins has also received criticism from President Trump, as he stated that she and four other Republican senators “should never be elected to office again.” Currently Maine Democrats are engaged in a well-funded primary race between Gov. Janet Mills and Graham Platner. Though Maine is a reliably Democratic state in presidential elections, Collins has proven to be popular among her constituents. As she heads into the 2026 midterms, it is likely that this race will be her most challenging and expensive race yet.

Spy agency says Kim Jong Un’s daughter is close to being designated North Korea’s future leader
AP, Kim Tong-Hyung

South Korea’s spy agency told lawmakers on Thursday that it believes the teenage daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is close to being designated as the country’s future leader as he moves to extend the family dynasty to a fourth generation. Despite the country’s deeply conservative culture and tradition of male-dominated leadership, Kim Ju Ae, the leader’s daughter, has appeared at an increasing number of public events, including weapons tests, military parades and factory openings.

North Korea is preparing to hold its biggest political conference later this month, where Kim is expected to outline his major policy goals for the next five years and take steps to tighten his authoritarian grip. South Korea’s National Intelligence Agency said they are closely monitoring whether Kim’s daughter — believed to be around 13 years old — appears with him before thousands of delegates at the upcoming Workers’ Party Congress.

Analilia Mejia Wins New Jersey Special Election Primary
Ms. Magazine, Marissa Martinez

Following last week’s Democratic primary in a special election for a safely blue House seat in New Jersey, progressive activist Analilia Mejia has been declared the winner. Running on a platform of affordability for the working class, Mejia, a union organizer, received endorsements from notable progressive lawmakers like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA). Mejia ran in a crowded field of nearly a dozen candidates, including former Representative Tom Malinowski, and focused her campaign on upending the “any old blue” model of Democratic politics. In two months, Mejia will face Republican Joe Hathaway. Mejia is heavily favored to win the district.

Ghislaine Maxwell Appeals for Clemency from Trump as she Declines to Answer Questions
Associated Press, J. Scott Applewhite

On Monday, Ghislaine Maxwell declined to answer questions from House lawmakers in a deposition. Maxwell, the former girlfriend of well-connected financier Jeffrey Epstein, invoked her Fifth Amendment rights to avoid answering questions that would incriminate her in Epstein’s ring of abuse and sex-trafficking. During the closed-door deposition, Maxwell’s attorney contended that she would be willing to testify if President Donald Trump ended her prison sentence and granted her clemency.

The SAVE Act Won’t Save Women’s Voting Rights

On Wednesday, the House passed a major GOP elections overhaul after “intense” pressure from President Donald Trump. The SAVE America Act, an updated version of a bill that tightens voter registration standards, passed on a 218-213 vote. The legislation would enact major changes to how Americans register to vote and can cast their votes, eliminating mail-only registrations, requiring photo ID in every state, and requiring voters to present proof of citizenship to register. The implications of the SAVE Act for women voters include more complex or restrictive changes to voter registration, making it more difficult for women to participate, as they are more likely to encounter name-change related barriers. The legislation, however, has “no clear path forward” in the Senate, where Republicans have privately acknowledged that they do not have enough support to avoid a Democratic filibuster.

Moms vs. Culture Wars: How Suburban Women Flipped School Boards
Yahoo!News, Nadra Nittle

President Donald Trump’s approval ratings are underwater a year into his second term, amid voter frustration over the economy, immigration enforcement and foreign-policy tensions. The signs of discontent are clear in Democrats’ success edging out Republicans in special elections since Trump’s return to the White House — and in the progressive candidates who won school board races last November. A recent analysis by Red Wine & Blue, a left-leaning network of over 700,000 suburban women working to influence politics at the grassroots level, found that 62 percent of candidates it labeled as “extremist” lost their elections. Meanwhile, 71 percent of the candidates it characterized as “common sense” won competitive school board races in states like Ohio, Virginia and Pennsylvania, which remains a key battleground in 2026. While some experts attribute the success of liberal school board candidates to an electorate that craves local stability and has grown tired of the culture wars shaping education, others see it as a result of a lower conservative turnout at the polls.

Chloe Kim, Amber Glenn and More Athletes Speak About ICE, LGBTQ+ Rights at 2026 Winter Olympics
Teen Vogue, Donya Momenian

The 2026 Winter Olympics kicked off in Milan last week, and athletes on Team USA, including Amber Glenn and Chloe Kim couldn’t just ignore what’s been happening back home. Continuing a legacy of political protest and commentary in sports, some Winter Olympics athletes are doing their own versions of protest as they compete in the Games. At a February 4 press conference, ice skater Amber Glenn, who came out as bisexual and pansexual in 2016, talked about how the Trump administration has affected the LGBTQ+ community and others. “It’s been a hard time for the community overall in this administration,” she said. “It isn’t the first time that we’ve had to come together as a community and try and fight for our human rights.” Snowboarder Chloe Kim talked about how current events in the United States and at the Olympics have felt personal, saying as a child of immigrants, it “hits close to home.” She also addressed athletes exercising their right to speak up. “The US has given my family and me so much opportunity,” she said. “But I also think that we are allowed to voice our opinions about what’s going on. And I think we need to lead with love and compassion, and I would like to see some more of that.”

San Francisco Teachers are on Strike, Highlighting a Pay Crisis in a City of Tech Bros
The 19th*, Nadra Nittle

San Francisco teachers are going on strike for the first time in 47 years, closing the city’s more than 100 public schools, which houses about 50,000 students. San Francisco routinely ranks as the world’s most expensive city and teachers have felt the impact of pay disparities as the tech boom has driven up the cost of living. Throughout the country, teachers earn less than comparably educated professionals, a disparity that experts have widely blamed on the gender pay gap since teaching is historically a woman-dominated or “pink-collar” profession. An estimated 67 percent of San Francisco’s teachers are women.

The Incomplete Story of Menopause: Where Medical Racism, Patriarchy and White Empiricism Intersect
Ms. Magazine, Monica McLemore

The incomplete story about menopause, is exemplified as follows:
– An under-investment in research to understand the health and well-being of a significant proportion of the population, which equates to medical racism.
– Given that the same proportion of the population has different anatomy and physiology, this is a manifestation of patriarchy.
– The focus on male objectivity about these issues, grounded in unproven stereotypes (i.e., menopausal people are to be studied as if they were men in research studies), highlights the depths of incompleteness. Even more harmful is that we already know there are disparities and variabilities among the human species specific to the distributions of health, illness, life expectancy and quality of life. That one group’s experiences continue to serve as a default standard for all others is and has always been insufficient to capture the vast array of human complexities. The story will remain incomplete until we have our research and clinical care guided by the menopausal experiences of those who experience it. Anything else will be covered with the fingerprints of medical racism, patriarchy and white empiricism.