Newsom says he will take action on legislation in wake of Halley Berry’s public complaint

By Jerry McConway, 
updated on December 5, 2025

If you want to be president, you have to have a backbone because we all saw during the Biden administration what happens when you don’t.

To that point, actress Halle Berry railed against California Gov. Gavin Newsom this week over having vetoed legislation that directly impacted women, especially older ones.

Newsom, after having vetoed the legislation several times, now says he will rectify this to pacify Berry, a clear move to keep her quiet as he makes his push for the White House in 2028.

Thinking about it

Newsom started making his moves toward the White House during the 2024 cycle when Joe Biden started to falter.

Had Democrats held another primary rather than anointing Kamala Harris as their nominee, I do not doubt that Newsom would have thrown his hat into the ring.

Ever since then, Newsom has been maneuvering to improve his public profile for a run in 2028. He was recently asked point-blank if he was going to run, and he responded, "Yeah, I'd be lying otherwise. I'd just be lying. And I'm not -- I can't do that."

You just have to love the fact that he is trying to come off as someone not capable of lying, when I could list at least a dozen times he has been blatantly dishonest off the top of my head.

Berry goes off

On Wednesday, Berry appeared at the New York Times DealBook Summit, where she blistered Newsom for having vetoed legislation she wanted approved.

She stated, “Back in my great state of California, my very own governor, Gavin Newsom, has vetoed our menopause bill, not one but two years in a row. But that’s OK, because he’s not going to be governor forever.”

Berry continued, “And with the way he’s overlooked women -- half the population -- by devaluing us in midlife, he probably should not be our next president either.”

The actress was referring to the Menopause Care Equity Act, which had been passed by the state legislature in both 2024 and 2025, only to be rejected by Newsom.

Going to rectify this

One torching speech from a Hollywood star is all it took for Newsom to backtrack on his veto.

He responded to Berry calling him out, stating, “Actually, I was just connected with her manager. We have the ability to reconcile that, so we’re reconciling.”

He then added, “I’ve included it in the budget next year.”

So, is that all it takes to get Newsom to change his mind? One angry Hollywood star? Can you imagine the laws we would have in this country right now if Trump caved to every angry show business personality because they called him out publicly? This may help Newsom with Berry, but it should not help him with any sensible voter in this country.

About Jerry McConway

Jerry McConway is the Senior Editorial Director at American Digest Media, as well as the featured columnist on Real Talk Digest. He has been covering politics for more than a decade. His no-nonsense writing style makes him enemy number one in DC. His mission is to tell the truth to readers, good or bad, something the mainstream media has failed to do for decades. What sets Jerry apart from his competition is reader loyalty. They don't always agree with him, but they know he tells them the truth. Love him or hate him, you can't ignore him.

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