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

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Lina Khan Revamped Antitrust. Now She’s Pushing the Democratic Party.
The New York Times

Lina Khan remains an active voice after stepping down as head of the Federal Trade Commission in January 2025. While many keep a low profile after leaving top government positions, Khan has been busy and visible. She appeared at Zohran Mamdani’s primary victory party, has been a frequent podcast guest, and is teaching at Columbia Law School. Her new mission is to ensure the survival of her brand of economic populism. Her record at the Federal Trade Commission drew both praise and criticism, as she pursued aggressive antitrust cases against Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, and major mergers. Though rumored to be a potential candidate for political office, Khan has ruled that out, focusing her on her work in teaching and advocacy.

Woman At The Helm

Nepal’s first woman Supreme Court chief justice, Sushila Karki, will be sworn in as the country’s next prime minister. Known for her “insistence on integrity,” the 73-year-old has publicly spoken about the need for honesty and independence in a judiciary that often finds itself under political pressure; during her tenure as chief justice, she challenged gender stereotypes and faced off against politicians accused of corruption. Karki materialized as the leading candidate largely due to many Gen Z protestors, who reportedly used the platform Discord to hold an impromptu vote to select her to lead. The protests were spearheaded by young, anti-corruption dissenters who were dissatisfied over the government’s ban on multiple social media platforms.

Abortion Legislation 

Recently, Texas Republicans passed House Bill 7, which places additional measures aiming to prevent abortions from occurring in the state. Expected to be signed by Governor Greg Abbott on September 24th, House Bill 7 would allow private citizens, both family members and unrelated individuals, to file lawsuits against any individual intending to obtain abortion pills. Following a successful suit, the pregnant person, or company sued, would be responsible for paying $100,000, in addition to the plaintiffs court costs and attorney fees. It is important to note that those who bring a suit only have to demonstrate intent. Likewise, abortion shield laws have come under judicial review, as Texas has filed suit against a New York doctor for prescribing abortion pills to patients in Texas. Currently, eight states protect health care providers who prescribe abortion pills to individuals in states with abortion bans. However, this case will determine the validity of these laws and determine if states must honor one another’s abortion laws.

Federal Career Programs for Women in Flux

Women-focused programs are reshaping across agencies due to policy changes. The Forest Service Women in Wildfire Boot Camp was recently discontinued. This boot camp style program for women provides a structured path to becoming a wildland firefighter. According to the U.S. Government Accountability Office, about 84% of federal wildland firefighters are men. Champions of the program are working with members of Congress, who sent a letter to the Forest Service and the Department of the Interior requesting an explanation for the elimination of the boot camp program and its immediate reinstatement. Another federal program, however, has had its elimination reversed. The Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services, a 75-year-old commission advocating for women in the armed services, will be revived as part of a phased restoration of 39 Pentagon advisory groups.

State Legislatures Advance New Policies

Beginning in November, New Mexico will provide free childcare to all residents, regardless of their income levels. Alongside this policy, New Mexico hopes to initiate a number of projects, including the creation of 55 new childcare centers and 1,120 home-based childcare options, improving the state’s childcare facilities, and potentially launching an incentivization program to pay childcare staff a minimum of $18 an hour. On average, this policy is expected to save families $12,000 per child every year. In Virginia, the result of this year’s election will influence the state’s efforts to abolish their constitutional ban on same-sex marriages. According to Virginia’s constitutional amendments process, potential amendments must pass two votes in the Virginia legislature. While the legislature has already approved the abolishment of the same-sex marriage ban once, the next vote will occur with the new legislature elected this November.

Women Judges See Rising Threats to Their Work – And Clear Paths to Defusing Them
The 19th, Candice Norwood

As political violence against public figures continues to rise within the United States, women judges have observed rising threats. These threats have prompted demand for increased security practices, as funding for security has fluctuated and protocols for dealing with threats are inconsistent. Additionally, judges have called for an increased focus on civic education, as they believe a lack of civic education can be linked to a level of distrust and anger before judges. Finally, although the judiciary functions as an independent branch of the government, the utilization of the judiciary as a lawmaking tool has led to significant frustration towards judges. By stopping the weaponization of the judiciary branch, judges believe that anger and threats may subside.

Epstein Survivors Ask GOP Women’s Caucus To Support Release Of Remaining Epstein Files
ABC News, James Hill

According to a copy of a letter sent on Monday to the Republican Women’s Caucus, a group of Jeffrey Epstein survivors is urging members of the GOP group to “stand up against abuse of power” and to “end the silence and speculation” surrounding him. More than twenty Epstein survivors – including several who were part of a high-profile visit to Washington, D.C. earlier this month – signed the letter, which was delivered to caucus chairs Rep. Kat Cammack (R-FL) and Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL). The survivors are requesting a meeting with members of the group, asking them to support the ongoing congressional efforts to publicize all records related to Epstein and his co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell. “Remind us that America is the country that we thought it was when we were little girls, before we were let down repeatedly by our own government,” the letter reads.

Grieving In Public, Erika Kirk Melds The Personal and Political
The New York Times, Emma Goldberg

Since the assassination of Turning Point USA co-founder and political activist Charlie Kirk, his widow, Erika Kirk, has been thrust into a “new and harrowing” spotlight. As she now finds herself on a national stage, Erika Kirk is blending the “vulnerable and the operational”: while she has shared incredibly intimate moments since his passing – such as an image of her hands folded together with her husband’s in his coffin – she has also vowed to continue his mission, urging conservative youth who have been impacted by his murder to start new Turning Point USA chapters across the country. “To everyone listening right now across America, the movement my husband built will not die,” Kirk said in her first public speech since his assasination. “It won’t. I refuse to let that happen.”

Moms Are Losing Options to Protect Newborns from COVID
The Atlantic, Yasmin Tayag

The Trump Administration’s recent changes on the COVID-19 vaccines policy has left Americans confused on where the shot will be available, who is eligible to receive it, and who will be covered by insurance. Pregnancy raises the stakes of confusion; annual COVID shots have, until now, been recommended by the CDC for all adults, including pregnant women, and have thus been covered by insurance. This has caused chaos, as half of states base their policies off CDC recommendations. Pregnant women have started to ask if they should hide their pregnancy when getting vaccinated, as many pharmacists share fear of liability in vaccinating pregnant customers.

Mary Rose Oakar, 85, First Arab American Woman in Congress, Dies
The New York Times, Trip Gabriel

Mary Rose Oakar, who in 1977 became the first Arab American woman in Congress and a champion of women’s rights died on Saturday in the suburb of Lakewood, Ohio, at 85 years old. She was one of 18 women elected to the House of Representatives in 1976. In her first term, she introduced legislation to create a $1 coin to honor Susan B. Anthony, the American Suffragist. She financed her college education working as a telephone operator. Her work focused on Economic Security, sponsoring bills to guarantee women equal pay. Her bills did not advance, she was more successful in winning equal access for women to the congressional gym and pool. Oakar continued her vibrant career campaigning for congress, serving as president of an Arab Civil Rights Activist group, and won a seat on the Ohio Board of Education.