Will the Biden administration really look like America? – Politico

As candidates, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris promised an administration that looks like America. But theyre facing increasing pressure from interest groups that worry Biden and Harris wont follow through and deliver a historically diverse Cabinet and staff.

In 2020, the bar for diversity has been raised well beyond the seven women and 10 nonwhite officials in President Barack Obamas first Cabinet, write POLITICOs Megan Cassella, Laura Barrn-Lpez and Alice Miranda Ollstein. So far, Bidens core White House team, including his chief of staff and key advisers, will be mostly white and male, and its not clear how many of his top picks for his Cabinet will be women or people of color though the Biden-Harris team says the administrations diversity will be clear once the transition process is complete.

Biden has announced several historic picks, including the first female Treasury Secretary nominee, Janet Yellen; Avril Haines, who would be the first female director of national intelligence; and Neera Tanden, who would be the first woman of color to lead the Office of Management and Budget. This week, Biden also announced the first senior White House communications team comprised entirely of women. But while the transition team touted the announcement, a debate has bubbled up about how groundbreaking the move really is. Some observers have pointed out that women have held prominent positions on President Donald Trumps communications team as well. Others worry not enough women will end up in higher-level decision-making roles, like Cabinet positions.

The push for diversity and the limited number of top-tier slots is creating conflict. For example, the United States has never had a female Defense secretary, and many women in national security have strongly come out in favor of Michle Flournoy, a former Defense Department official in the Clinton and Obama administrations. At the same time, members of the Congressional Black Caucus have been pressing Biden to appoint the first Black Defense secretary.

We asked a group of women how pioneering the Biden-Harris picks so far have actually been and what kinds of choices Biden would have to make to have a truly diverse administration. Here are some highlights:

The importance of visibility: Joe Biden is an older white man and will draw upon the social networks that he has to make decisions about his Cabinet positions and other appointments. To a certain extent, then, we should expect his cabinet picks to be reflective of this reality. I do, however, think it is important that women like Karine Jean-Pierre and Symone Sanders [two new members of the senior communications team] are in those positions because we have not seen Black women on our televisions and in our homes delivering important missives from the White House to the public on a regular basis. I think its also going to improve the ability of Black and other minority-serving news outlets to have access to the executive office. Niambi Michele Carter, associate professor of political science at Howard University and author of American While Black: African Americans, Immigration, and the Limits of Citizenship

The incoming Biden-Harris administration knows that personnel is policy, that having women, people of color and LGBTQ people at the table improves not just our government but also its policies for the people the administration serves. I am encouraged by the early announcements including two queer women of color among the historic all-female White House communications senior staff and I hope to see more women and marginalized people in top-tier positions so we can repair the damage of the last administrations havoc on our rights. Jennifer Fiore, senior vice president for communications and marketing at the Human Rights Campaign

The pressure is really on President-Elect Biden I think because as a nation we are more aware of the need for diversity than ever. He already smashed a formerly impenetrable glass ceiling by naming Kamala Harris his vice president, but most Americans want more than that. The all-female communications staff is good, but it is also a bit stereotypical that women excel in that field. ... If the Biden-Harris administration is to make good on its promise to appoint a cabinet that looks like America it must be considering qualified candidates of Native American ancestry, LGBTQ and non-binary individuals. I think that the criticism of a too-white Cabinet is positive because the administration is not complete yet, and it signals that there will be dissatisfaction until it is more diverse still. Nichola Gutgold, professor of communication arts and sciences at Pennsylvania State University and author of Still Paving the Way for Madam President

Bidens victory would not have been possible without the efforts of people of color, especially women of color, in key states. It is important that he acknowledge that these underrepresented communities are heard by appointing people whose backgrounds and actions show an understanding of and care for how policy issues affect these groups and affirming that they deserve to be descriptively represented in how our government leads and functions. Christabel Cruz, director of NEW Leadership at the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University

MORE TRANSITION NEWS -- What a Joe Biden Cabinet Pick Might Mean for Native Americansand Democrats, via POLITICO Magazine ... The California Air Quality Guru Who Taught Business to Love the Environment, via POLITICO Magazine ... Biden unveils diverse economic team as challenges to economy grow, via POLITICO ... The quiet frontrunner: How Biden landed on Yellen for Treasury secretary, via POLITICO

-- Inside the unlikely return of Jen Psaki, via POLITICO ... The Mastermind Behind Bidens No-Drama Approach to Trump, via The Atlantic ... Harris taps Tina Flournoy as chief of staff, via POLITICO ... New candidates for Agriculture secretary emerge as Biden faces pushback on Heitkamp, via POLITICO

Happy Friday, and welcome back to Women Rule. Today is National Cookie Day! Many thanks to Elizabeth Ralph, who is off today but contributed items to the newsletter. Send tips and feedback to [emailprotected].

MARK YOUR CALENDARS -- Join us on Tuesday, Dec. 8, at 10 a.m. for the Women Rule event Powering Forward: The Year Ahead. Well talk to the women who have provided steady leadership and vision during a tumultuous year from Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to Black Lives Matter founder Alicia Garza and discuss how they are looking to set the course in Washington, corporate America and activism in 2021. Register and see the awesome lineup here.

NEW WOMEN RULE PODCAST -- This week on the podcast, Anna talks to Elizabeth and POLITICO editor Carrie Budoff Brown about the strange year weve all lived through from the presidential election to the global pandemic the year ahead and what all of it means for women. Listen here.

WOMEN AT THE TABLE -- Nasdaq proposes listing standards for boardroom diversity, by Kellie Mejdrich: Nasdaq has proposed new listing standards to require greater diversity on public company boards of directors and more disclosures related to the subject, according to an SEC filing on Tuesday by the stock exchange. After a phase-in period, the proposal would eventually require most companies listed with Nasdaq to have at least two board directors who self-identify as having diverse backgrounds: one female, another either an underrepresented minority or LGBTQ+, the exchange said in a news release.

Nasdaq's move comes amid pressure from investors and advocates for more information on companies related to environmental, social, and governance issues. The exchange said in its proposal that was part of why it is seeking the changes. Nasdaq believes that the heightened focus on corporate board diversity by companies, investors, corporate governance organizations, and legislators demonstrates that investor confidence is enhanced when boardrooms are comprised of more than one demographic group, the exchange wrote. Nasdaq has also observed recent calls from SEC commissioners and investors for companies to provide more transparency regarding board diversity. ...

Companies that cannot meet the new board member and reporting standards will face potential delisting, although that consequence can be avoided if they disclose why they aren't meeting the diversity objectives or if they nominate additional diverse candidates to their board to satisfy the requirements. POLITICO

PANDEMIC LATEST -- Vaccines are on the way. What does that mean for pregnant people? by Chelsea Cirruzzo: Jaely Turner describes herself as covid-conscious and pro-vaccine. She and her young son are up-to-date on all of their shots. Turner wants to keep it that way. But, as the United States inches closer to making a coronavirus vaccine available to the public, Turner says she wont be rushing out the door to get it for herself. Thats because the Virginia-based doula is 10 weeks pregnant. I just have concerns about the safety of the vaccine long term and especially for myself as a pregnant and soon-to-be nursing woman, she says. I just am unsure of what the implications would be for me. And until she gets answers to her questions, she says, I feel inclined to wait it out until Im done nursing. ...

None of the three companies that say theyve developed effective coronavirus vaccines enrolled pregnant or breastfeeding people in their clinical trials. And that means initial guidance on who should get vaccinated likely wont include pregnant people, public health experts say. Pregnant people have long been typically left out of major vaccine trials because of concerns that the women and their fetuses might face increased risk. That protocol has come into question in recent years as experts increasingly make the argument that leaving them out of trials puts them at greater risk. The Lily

-- Pregnant health care workers a question for early Covid-19 immunization, via The 19th

ON THE HILL -- Incoming GOP congresswoman to take aim at AOC with conservative squad, by Evan Semones: An incoming congresswoman on Sunday promised a conservative answer to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortezs socialist squad after a record number of Republican women were elected to serve in the House. Rep-elect Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.) floated the idea during an interview on CNNs State of the Union, saying a natural alliance is occurring among members of the new freshman class of Republicans.

I think what youre going to see is a group of individuals who are going to serve as a counterbalance to the values of the socialist squad, Malliotakis told CNNs Dana Bash. We dont believe we should be dismantling the economy. We dont believe we should be destroying free market principles. We dont believe in Green New Deal. We dont believe in packing the courts. POLITICO

-- "House Democrats elect DeLauro as next House Appropriations chair," via POLITICO ... McMorris Rodgers will make history as first woman at top of Energy and Commerce, via POLITICO

PHOTO OF THE WEEK: President-elect Joe Biden formally announced former Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen as his pick to become the next Treasury secretary at the Queen Theater on Dec. 1, 2020, in Wilmington, Del. If confirmed, she would be the first woman to lead the department. | Alex Wong/Getty Images

IN HEALTH -- Eight months into the pandemic, this womens health clinic in rural Texas struggles to meet demand for care, by Shannon Najmabadi: Women come from more than one hundred miles away to Building 35 in a red brick public housing project in rural Brown County, a housing unit turned health clinic where virtually every item, even the beige exam tables, is donated. The clinic is walk-in only no appointments a better bet for patients with unreliable transportation or unpredictable schedules. Without federal funds, Midway Family Planning in Central Texas would have shut its doors long ago, its director says, as state budget cuts dried up family planning dollars from the Gulf Coast to the Texas Panhandle. Instead, the nonprofit clinic has endured as a small health care lifeline, where low-income and uninsured Texans far from busy cities with many doctors can get free or low-cost contraceptives, cancer screenings and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases.

This is what womens health care looks like in the rural heart of Texas, a state routinely ranked among the worst nationwide in health care access and where three-quarters of counties lack enough medical professionals. Lawmakers have increased funding for womens health in recent years, but there remain large swaths of the state where medical professionals are scarce and reliable internet is spotty and the gap between these health care have-nots and their urban counterparts has widened during the coronavirus pandemic.

From the rural Panhandle to the U.S.-Mexico border, financial pressures and safety concerns have shuttered doctors offices, inundated health departments and pushed people living on slim margins into ever more precarious living situations. Some clinics have seen their office visits plummet, leaving experts to wonder if women are missing opportunities to catch potential health problems before they need serious treatment. Elsewhere, safety net providers like Midway have scrambled to see patients traveling further to get time-sensitive care, like birth control. The Texas Tribune

AROUND THE WORLD -- Because Shes a Girl: Lockdown Exposes Gender Gap in U.K. Sports, via The New York Times ... In Japan, more people died from suicide last month than from Covid in all of 2020. And women have been impacted most, via CNN ... Saudi Arabia has dragged its imprisoned female activists back into court. How will Biden respond? via The Washington Post

WOMEN AT WORK -- Black women dont get much startup funding. These founders are trying to change that, by Jazmin Goodwin: Although Black women are the fastest-growing group of female entrepreneurs in the United States, theyve long been slighted by startup investors and significantly under-funded. But in spite of the obstacles they face, these founders are forging ahead and continuing to thrive in their businesses. In fact, the number of Black women who have raised over $1 million in funding has more than doubled since 2018, according to ProjectDiane, a biennial report released Wednesday. The report, which tracks publicly-announced funding of Black and Latinx women-founded businesses, is compiled by digitalundivided, a nonprofit focused on supporting entrepreneurial women of color. It uses data from Crunchbase and Pitchbook to track crowdfunding, angel, seed and venture round investments. Its possible the data doesn't include some founders who are not listed in those databases or didn't disclose funding publicly.

According to ProjectDiane, at the start of 2018, just 34 Black women had raised $1 million or more in outside investments for their businesses. But now, in data tracked through August 2020, more than 90 Black women have hit or exceeded that level. The numbers of Latinx women who've reached that milestone also grew quickly, although they remain incredibly underrepresented in VC circles, too. Still, its an impressive upswing that could signal a shift in a startup landscape largely dominated by White men.

This milestone comes amid a backdrop of protests against systemic racism and an unprecedented push to support and buy from Black-owned businesses. Founders and advocates are hoping to build upon that momentum, but also wonder if the support being shown to Black-owned businesses, let alone those founded by Black women, is here to stay. CNN Business

-- Group Seeking Equality for Women in Tech Raises $11 Million, via The New York Times ... Has Anything Changed for Black Women at Work? via Harvard Business Review

HISTORY DEPT. -- In 1968, IBM fired Lynn Conway for being transgender. She finally got an apology, by Sydney Page: When Lynn Conway started her career as a computer scientist at IBM in 1964, she quickly became known within the company for her raw talent, working on a team to produce technologies that would shape how advanced computers operate. But Conway was riddled with anxiety and depression as she tried to shield her transgender identity while living as a man. At the time, she was 30 years old and married with two children. Four years later, Conway decided to begin her medical gender affirmation journey. When IBMs corporate management team heard of Conways intentions, the chief executive at the time, Thomas J. Watson Jr., quietly fired her.

Conway, now 82, says she was crushed but that she ultimately understood. You cant change what happened, and in fact, if you look at what happened from all perspectives, it pretty much was the only thing that could have happened, said Conway. When you connect the dots, you see it as a sign of the times. Fifty-two years later, IBM has formally apologized to Conway. IBM is a very different company than it was back then, said Conway from her home in Michigan, where she lives with her husband, Charles Rogers, who is also a professional engineer.

Last month, the company invited Conway to attend a virtual meeting with its employees. I wanted to say to you here today, Lynn, for that experience in our company 52 years ago and all the hardships that followed, I am truly sorry, said Diane Gherson, IBMs senior vice president of human resources, at the event. Were here today not only to celebrate you as a world-renowned innovator and IBM alum, but also to learn from you; and by doing so, create a more inclusive workplace and society, she continued. Conway says the apology and decades-delayed acknowledgment of her work was freeing, and that it provided her with a long-sought sense of closure. The Lily

NEW RULES -- I stopped trying to control my body: the women who gave up grooming in 2020, via The Guardian

BOOK CLUB -- Why Cant Women Be Serial Killers, Too? by Amy Silverberg: Chelsea G. Summerss debut, A Certain Hunger, opens in a hotel bar not unlike other hotel bars. They all look the same, Dorothy, a middle-aged food critic and our antiheroine, tells us. Hotel bars smell like class privilege, desperation and hope. Anti might be too weak of a prefix to describe this heroine: Shes more of an outright villain, a red-haired seductress in leagues culinary, homicidal traditionally dominated by men. As a woman psychopath, the white tiger of human psychological deviance, Dorothy says, I am a wonder, and I relish your awe.

The man who approaches Dorothy in this particular hotel bar meets a violent and frankly grotesque end, and what follows is one of the most uniquely fun and campily gory books in my recent memory. Its apt that Dorothy once worked at a magazine called Noir, because A Certain Hunger has the voice of a hard-boiled detective novel, as if metaphor-happy Raymond Chandler handed the reins over to the sexed-up femme fatale and really let her fly.

Is the voice inviting? Sure, as inviting as a kidnapper holding a knife to your throat and threatening, Dont move until Ive finished my story. The descriptions of violence and gourmet cuisine are so visceral that I felt alternatingly hungry and sick to my stomach. The writer Janet Fitch says the authors ultimate goal is to give readers a pleasurable inner conflict, wanting to turn the pages faster while also lingering on each beautifully written sentence. With Summerss writing, I kept rereading sentences only as a double take, whispering to myself, Man, this lady is screwed up which is, Id argue, its own kind of pleasure. The New York Times

IN CULTURE -- Why These Women Are Crossing the Country By Motorcycle, via Cond Nast Traveler ... The Dangerous Blind Spot of The Undoing, via The Atlantic ... My Life in Different Decades, via The New Yorker ... Big Mouths Missy Finds Her Voice, via Vulture

VIDEO -- Congress is running out of time to do its job

WISDOM OF THE WEEK -- Iris Wilbur Glick, Vice President of Public Policy & External Affairs at the Greater Louisville Inc., The Metro Chamber of Commerce and Women in Government Relations 2020 Excellence in Advocacy for a Women Serving Women Campaign awardee: I often think of how I would handle a situation or take on a challenge if I could park any fears to the side. Over time, that perspective has strengthened my self-confidence in my abilities and helped me seize important opportunities for growth and advancement. What I have learned is that kind of assurance, paired with an eagerness for taking initiative, is necessary to reach the next level, especially since the kind of leadership roles I have sought were not achieved by me waiting to be told what to do. Connect with Iris here.

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Will the Biden administration really look like America? - Politico