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Good morning, Broadsheet readers! Afghan women prepare for the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, Planned Parenthood reckons with its founder’s ugly history, and Sen. Tammy Duckworth took a stand for Asian-American representation—and reflects on what happened next.
– Cabinet position. Last month, Sen. Tammy Duckworth took a bold stand. Days after a gunman shot Asian-Americans in Georgia, after a year of heightened anti-Asian racism during the pandemic, the Illinois senator was fed up that the Biden administration had not yet nominated or confirmed any Asian-American Pacific Islander cabinet members. In a 50-50 Senate, every vote counts, and Duckworth announced she would vote no and effectively stonewall future non-diverse nominees until the White House took action.
Her action drew attention, and she came to an agreement with the Biden administration quickly. (That agreement included the appointment of Erika L. Moritsugu as the White House’s senior AAPI liaison.) Now, in a new interview with Fortune, Duckworth reflects on why she spoke up—and what happened next.
“I needed to take action,” says the senator, who is one of the highest-ranking Asian-Americans in elected office alongside Sen. Mazie Hirono. “I felt very strongly that it was incumbent on me to speak up.”
Duckworth says she’s been satisfied with the Biden administration’s response—but she remains disappointed that for the first time in 20 years, the presidential cabinet won’t include an Asian-American secretary.
“The AAPI community brings so much to the table,” she explains. “When we talk about national security … it’s really good to have AAPI members of our military who can go and speak fluent Tagalog, who can go into Thailand and speak fluent Thai. It is good when we have trade representatives who are negotiating with China, that Asian-Americans are there. … Let’s just make use of what is a wonderful resource we have in this country.”
Read the full interview here.
Emma Hinchliffe
emma.hinchliffe@fortune.com
@_emmahinchliffe
The Broadsheet, Fortune’s newsletter for and about the world’s most powerful women, is coauthored by Kristen Bellstrom, Emma Hinchliffe, and Claire Zillman. Today’s edition was curated by Emma Hinchliffe.
ALSO IN THE HEADLINES
- Breaking news. As she steps down from her post as CBS News president, Susan Zirinsky says, "I feel I have given my entire soul into rebuilding this organization." The legendary producer took over as CBS was still reeling from its Les Moonves scandals, and she says she's leaving the job now having "righted the ship." New York Times
- Carrying on. After Prince Philip's funeral this weekend, this story takes stock of Queen Elizabeth II's path forward. Palace officials say the Queen will continue to work—as she has a little bit even in the days following her husband's death. Wall Street Journal
- What comes next. As the United States withdraws from Afghanistan, Afghan women are worried about what comes next. "All the time, women are the victims of men’s wars,” says Raihana Azad, a member of parliament. "But they will be the victims of their peace, too." New York Times
- Visa slowdown. After a Trump administration change to visa processing, visas granted to spouses of immigrants working in the U.S. were slowed down even further by the pandemic. Now, thousands of spouses of H-1B visa holders—most of them professional women—have been forced to stop working. Wall Street Journal
MOVERS AND SHAKERS: The U.K. government vetoed the reappointment of Uzma Hasan and Fru Hazlitt to Channel 4's board of directors. The Wing made cofounder and former COO Lauren Kassan its new CEO and named Care.com founder Sheila Lirio Marcelo executive chair.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
- Wait up. Last week, the Biden administration asked the Supreme Court not to take up a case that calls the all-male military draft unconstitutional, saying that to do so would be premature because Congress is currently considering whether to compel women to register. Washington Post
- Reckoning with history. In a new op-ed, Planned Parenthood president Alexis McGill Johnson reckons with the organization's founder, Margaret Sanger. A believer in birth control and bodily autonomy, Sanger also associated with white supremacist groups and eugenics. McGill Johnson writes that while details can be debated, it's certain that Sanger had "a history of focusing on white womanhood relentlessly"—that Planned Parenthood is now facing head-on. New York Times
- Big pharma. The activist hedge fund Elliott Management took a major stake in GlaxoSmithKline, the U.K. pharma business led by CEO Emma Walmsley. The stake could set up a battle over the business's future, as Walmsley moves forward her strategy separating the consumer health business from its pharma and vaccine division. Financial Times
ON MY RADAR
Under lockdown, my habit for buying cookbooks spiraled out of control Fortune
How Helen McCrory shone, even in a haze of mystery New York Times
‘I’ve barely hit on you’: Inside a Mets culture rotten beyond Mickey Callaway and Jared Porter The Athletic
PARTING WORDS
"To portray you, Sasha Obama, makes my heart sing."
-Actor Saniyya Sidney, 14, who was cast to play the younger first daughter in the forthcoming Showtime series The First Lady
