Welcome to the Media Round Up! We’ve collected and shared our favorite gender + politics stories from this week. Is there a story we should know about? Tell us at: ongender@gmail.com.Hitting a paywall? Some sources allow a few free articles without a subscription, and your university or local library may offer free access. For example, AU students, faculty, and staff have access to popular newspapers through the library. Click here to learn more.

‘Melania,’ Slammed by Critics, Makes History. What could it mean?
USA Today, Jay Stahl

‘Melania,’ the new documentary following First Lady Melania Trump for 20 days leading up to her husband’s second inauguration, has received both backlash from critics and success at the box office. With a recorded $7 million opening weekend, the release came in third overall. Despite its box office success, industry insiders have criticized ‘Melania’ and the documentary received only 11% on the Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer score. However, according to its Popcornmeter, or audience opinion, ‘Melania’ has received a score of 99%.

The documentary offers viewers a glimpse into the First Lady’s private life and serves as a comeback for director Brett Ratner, whose career languished due to his connection with the Epstein files and accusations of sexual misconduct. Bought by Jeff Bezos’ Amazon MGM Studios for $40 million, ‘Melania’ is the most expensive documentary in history. The film is set to stream on Amazon Prime Video later this year.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Steps Onto a Wider Stage
The New York Times, Kellen Browning and Reid Epstein

Seven years after she swept into office as a progressive agitator unafraid to hammer fellow Democrats, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York has emerged as an increasingly sought-after leader within the party she set out to disrupt. She has stepped up her support of moderate and mainstream Democrats, sending a fund-raising email last month asking her supporters to donate to the Senate campaign of former Representative Mary Peltola of Alaska, a friend whose support for oil drilling and gun rights are at odds with the New York congresswoman’s stances. Next week, she plans to expand her progressive pitch to foreign policy, by speaking at the Munich Security Conference in her most significant overseas trip since taking office. She is expected to participate in a discussion about populist political movements and a debate on the United States’ role in the world. Democratic insiders begin to whisper more loudly about what she might do in 2028. She has long been seen as a potential presidential candidate or as a successor — or challenger — to Senator Chuck Schumer, 75, the minority leader, who has not said if he will run again.

The Crushing Impact of ICE on America

Across the country, conversations surrounding U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has become a prominent political issue. Following two fatal shootings in the Minneapolis area, new polling has shown that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s unfavorability rating has sharply risen, as attitudes towards ICE enforcement shifts. Thousands of new recruits have been added to ICE, driven by a $100 million “wartime recruitment” push. Often targeting male-dominated spaces where violence is “either required or valorized,” recruitment ads feature slogans requesting that applicants “defend the homeland” against “foreign invaders.” Utilizing racist dog whistles and white supremacist language, white women are also being depicted as victims of crime by undocumented immigrants, demonstrating their need for defense as well. Fear continues to spread throughout Minnesota, as pregnant immigrants skip prenatal and critical care visits, due to fear of ICE. As no-show visits continue to rise, some obstetrics and gynecology providers have shifted to in-home visits, but this is not feasible on a large scale. Adverse pregnancy outcomes may already be emerging, as patients who skip appointments may miss chances to intervene in critical treatment.

The continued escalation of ICE enforcement has led to a number of protests. Nekima Levy Armstrong, who was arrested for protesting at a church service in Minnesota, was recently the victim of an AI manipulated image posted by the White House. Despite her calm demeanor following her arrest, the White House posted an image altered by AI depicting Ms. Levy Armstrong in a hysterical manner. The altered photograph also exaggerated her features and darkened her skin, leaving Ms. Levy Armstrong feeling “disgusted.” Armstrong, a civil rights attorney and activist, has stated this is a “wake-up call for the nation.”

Senator Katie Britt Leads Senate Funding Negotiations for DHS

Congress ended a brief partial government shutdown after passing a funding package that President Trump signed late Tuesday. To break a stalemate over immigration enforcement, Trump and Democratic leaders agreed to strip the full-year DHS funding bill and replace it with a two-week stopgap measure, giving negotiators time to resolve disputes. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) said during an afternoon press conference that Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL), chairwoman of the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, would lead negotiations for Republicans in that chamber. “Katie Britt will lead that on our side, but ultimately, that’s going to be a conversation between the President of the United States and (Senate) Democrats,” Thune said. The Homeland Security Subcommittee oversees the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and its agencies, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Secret Service, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and the Transportation Security Administration.

Women Combat Veterans Want Pete Hegseth to Know That They Already Passed the Test
The 19th*, Mariel Padilla

Shortly after she graduated from Princeton University, Mikayla Blaska was selected by a unit commander to attend Ranger School, one of the toughest training courses in the Army. In her final phase of the two month training course, Blaska noticed a man on her team was refusing to listen to her directives. When she confronted him, he responded that he could not respect a woman. He saw her only as a sexual object, he said. By the end of the 61-day training course, he admitted he was impressed that she could carry so much “as a woman” and even ranked her the top performer of their team. The requirements for both Blaska and the man to graduate were exactly the same. He failed. She didn’t. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has since launched a six-month review of women in combat. The goal is to assess the “operational effectiveness of ground combat units 10 years after the Department lifted all remaining restrictions on women serving in combat roles.” According to an assessment from the Women in the Service Coalition, Army data showed that brigade combat teams with women performed at the same level of training proficiencies as teams without women, and several studies have shown that men who serve alongside women are more likely to support a fully gender-integrated military.

MAGA Women in Congress

The degree to which Republican politicians have marched in lockstep with President Donald Trump has been dwindling in recent weeks, but one group began breaking ranks with GOP leaders months ago: the MAGA women in Congress. The focal point of this revolt is former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), a once-longtime Trump loyalist who has since criticized the administration on a number of issues, ranging from the release of the Epstein files to healthcare policy. In a recent interview, Greene called Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan a “lie,” adding that MAGA is only working to serve “big donors.” Greene’s criticism of Republican leadership does not exist in a vacuum – Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) attacked House Speaker Mike Johnson in a “scathing” New York Times op-ed in which she suggested that current leadership in Congress “promises members their provisions will be in a bill, then strips them out in final drafts.” Mace’s own reputation could be at risk in MAGA circles, after a New York Magazine profile – which cited several former staffers and consultants – described her as erratic and abusive. Nevertheless, the bi-partisan civic and political leadership training organization All in Together, raises the question whether, on balance, everyone benefits when women are well-represented in Washington across the political spectrum. There is evidence that despite partisan differences, “women are more likely to respond to constituent requests than men” and can have a positive impact on economic growth. With that in mind, the women who revolted against MAGA late last year have given us all something to think about.

How Mormon Women Fought a Republican-led Redistricting Initiative in Utah – and Won
The Guardian, Lok Darjee

Mormon Women for Ethical Government (MWEG) began as a Facebook group in 2017, when mostly conservative Mormon women – unsettled by the disparaging remarks Trump made toward women, minorities and refugees – sought a safe faith-based space to discuss the president’s policies. Many of the women had not been politically engaged for years. Emma Petty Addams, a classically trained piano teacher and mother of three, hadn’t been either. But she said Trump’s actions compelled her to speak up.

Days after his inauguration, Trump signed an executive order barring foreign nationals’ entry from seven predominantly Muslim countries that became known as the Muslim ban. Early discussions in the Facebook group centered on sharing the stories of Muslims in Utah amid Trump-era attacks, alongside scripture that emphasized the importance of “welcoming the stranger”. Today, it has 9,000 members across the country, and it is one of the largest women-led, faith-based civic organizations in Utah. About 40% of members are registered Republicans, 34% are Democrats, and the rest are unaffiliated or independent.

In 2018, MWEG helped gather signatures to narrowly pass Utah’s Proposition 4, with 50.34% of the vote, creating an independent commission to draw state and congressional maps using nonpartisan criteria. In 2020, Republican lawmakers repealed Proposition 4 and redrew maps that split Salt Lake county – Utah’s youngest and most diverse region – into four districts, diluting urban Democratic votes and entrenching GOP dominance. Addams, who now lives in Salt Lake City, said it was a wake-up call. “You can do all this work as citizens toward good government, but there are still blockades in your way,” she said. In partnership with the League of Women Voters, MWEG decided to sue, arguing that the Republican-led state legislature violated the state constitution when it altered a voter-approved proposition and repealed a ban on partisan gerrymandering. They prevailed in their lawsuit.

Texas Universities Under Siege for Inclusive Curricula

On Friday, Texas A&M University announced that it is eliminating its women’s and gender studies degree program. As part of a new policy that will limit how professors can discuss some race and gender topics, the University made the decision due to low enrollment, cost, and the results of a campus-wide course review launched last fall. At Texas Tech, chancellor Brandon Creighton issued a December memo directing faculty across the system’s universities to refrain from promoting beliefs that individuals are “inherently racist or sexist by virtue of their identity.” The memo also warned that failure to comply with new policies could result in “disciplinary action.”

‘The Right Has Won the Family’: Why are There so Few Lefty Momfluencers?
The Guardian, Kady Ruth Ashcraft

After consuming many videos from mommy bloggers and influencers, the author concludes that the most popular motherhood and lifestyle content lands somewhere on the short spectrum between conservative trad wife propaganda and extraordinarily apolitical. Content creator Kate Glavan quips that “The right in the United States has really won the family.”  This past summer, Glavan posted a TikTok saying she would “happily watch ‘stay-at-home mom’ content if it emphasized the reality of being a mom in America.” More than 1,200 commenters agreed with her video & its caption: “We need leftist mommy blogger content.” The left’s skepticism or outright rejection of the traditional nuclear family is not unique to this presidency. Throughout history, women’s domesticity has been held in tension against their autonomy. Glavan believes that “being a mom is so political.”