Do We Need to Worry About Susie Wiles and Elise Stefanik? Um. Yeah.

Greetings, Meteor readers,

If you haven’t already heard, wildfires are happening right now in parts of New York and New Jersey. For those of you in the area: The lack of rain and increased winds will likely make fires worse, so this is my friendly reminder to follow the rules of fire prevention if you’re in a dry zone.

In today’s newsletter, we get to know the newest soon-to-be members of the Cabinet. Plus an uptick in abortion pill purchases and an important update for anyone who still has Thunderstruck playing in their brain.

Waiting for rain,

Shannon Melero

WHAT’S GOING ON

Girlboss, gaslight, gatekeep the White House: Donald Trump has started announcing his picks for cabinet positions, and before you even have time to ask, yes, we should be concerned about his first-round draft picks. But today, we’re focusing on two of Trump’s high-profile ladies—which is confusing considering that we’re pretty sure J.D. Vance said that women shouldn’t even be working anymore.

First up is Susie Wiles, who’ll be the first woman to be the White House chief of staff if she’s confirmed. She was Trump’s campaign manager this year and is known for being incredibly effective, in the worst possible way. A self-described moderate Republican, long-time lobbyist, and political strategist, Wiles was a key figure in getting Ron DeSantis elected governor in 2018. Then, when the two parted ways, she was instrumental in destroying DeSantis’ 2024 presidential attempt in favor of helping Trump secure the nomination. In April, Politico called her the “most feared” political operative in America.

BEHIND EVERY VILE MAN IS A WOMAN WORKING TO UPHOLD POWER STRUCTURES THAT ULTIMATELY WILL NOT SERVE HER. (VIA GETTY)

Wiles has been credited with bringing a high level of organization to the 2024 Trump campaign, and with being “a brilliant tactician…who helps her boss to set and achieve their priorities.” And since her boss’s Day One priorities include mass deportations and dismantling environmental protections, Wiles’s apparent efficiency fills me with a soul-crushing fear.

Speaking of crushed souls, the next lady on the list is human Babadook Rep. Elise Stefanik, notorious for her congressional inquisitions of college presidents—several of whom lost their jobs—for allegations of antisemitism on campus. (Never mind that she herself has nodded to antisemitic “replacement theory” in her own Trumptastic campaign ads in the past.) Stefanik has now been chosen as the next ambassador to the United Nations, a crucially important post as the UN is dealing with a record number of wars and humanitarian crises across the globe. Her appointment is troubling, considering she has called for a “complete reassessment” of U.S. funding for UN initiatives that provide aid to groups in need, like the millions of women and children displaced by violence who rely on UN supplies and refugee programs.

ELISE STEFANIK GIVING OFF MAJOR BBE, BIG BABADOOK ENERGY. (VIA GETTY IMAGES) 

While Stefanik doesn’t have the decades-long resume of Susie Wiles (or much international experience, btw), she has something apparently even stronger: unyielding loyalty to Donald Trump. While Wiles may work to implement Trump’s will with as little public messiness as she can manage, Stefanik has already shown her willingness to fuel whatever fire will push forward the MAGA agenda, including stoking fears of anti-semitism at home to justify violence abroad. If you’re old enough to remember Samantha Power, who wrote a brilliant Pulitzer-winning book on genocide before becoming ambassador to the U.N., well—this ain’t that.

Looking at these women’s track records and the power positions they’ve been offered, I can safely say I have not been this scared for the future since…last Tuesday.

AND:

• Congress is looking to fast-track H.R. 9495, aka the Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act. Sounds harmless, right—who wants to finance terrorism? The problem is that the act would also give the Treasury secretary—including whomever Trump appoints to that position—free rein to designate any non-profit group as a terror supporter and revoke its tax-exempt status. Pro-Palestinian groups and abortion-aid groups could all be in the line of fire. H.R. 9495 can’t pass without a ⅔ majority vote, but it does include a provision that would provide tax relief to American hostages, which some see as a ploy to help the bill move through more easily.

• Women have been stockpiling abortion pills in the days since Trump won the election, the Washington Post reports. Aid Access, a major supplier of abortion pills, received 10,000 requests for the pills in the 24 hours after the race was called, about 17 times more than in an average day. The “advance provisioning,” as it’s called, makes a lot of sense—especially given the GOP’s continued efforts to ban mifepristone.

• If you were a big fan of America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, then some good news for you! There will be a second season following the DCC class of 2024-2025 (although if you’ve been watching the Boys this season, you know there won’t be much to cheer about). See y’all on the kickline!

• The 19th has a new report on how more medical providers are asking pregnant people to pay for their prenatal care upfront. The practice is technically legal—while the ACA requires insurers to cover prenatal services, it doesn’t weigh in on payment timing—but some point out that the practice amounts to deeply unethical treatment of pregnant people: One expert says it’s akin to “holding their treatment hostage.”

• The Grammy nominations are in, and women are dominating the major categories: fully 6 out of 8 people nominated are women, including an eye-popping 11 noms for Beyoncé. (That good enough for you, Neil Portnow?)

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