Woke Hollywood is dead, or so we thought.
The new trailer for “Ladies First” is proof that La La Land won’t give up the woke ghost.
Sacha Baron Cohen, who traded his subversive “Borat” shtick for the <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/borat-subsequent-moviefilm-review/">anti-Trump Resistance</a>, stars as a chauvinist who suffers a blow to the head and wakes up in a new reality.
Forget the patriarchy. The matriarchy now runs things in this May 22 Netflix original. The laugh-free trailer is bad enough, but the sight of Borat leaning into feminist clichés is worse.
And it’s far from alone. That “woke mind virus” is on the comeback trail.
<div id="attachment_1080199" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1080199" class="size-large wp-image-1080199" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Ladies-Night-864x576.jpg" alt="Rob Youngson/Netflix - copyright 2026 Netflix, Inc." width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Ladies-Night-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Ladies-Night-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Ladies-Night-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Ladies-Night-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Ladies-Night-1800x1200.jpg 1800w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Ladies-Night-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Ladies-Night.jpg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Rob Youngson/Netflix &#8211; copyright 2026 Netflix, Inc.</div>
The proof that woke was on the run felt substantial. Real. Refreshing. Comedians were suddenly able to speak their minds without fear of reprisal. Comedy roasts made a shocking comeback, and Netflix couldn’t wait to line up rebel comics like Tony Hinchcliffe, Tim Dillon, Ricky Gervais and Shane Gillis for new projects.
Disney, the unofficial woke standard bearer, dialed down the messaging machine. The Disney+ series “Win or Lose” ditched a trans character. Big-budget releases like “Moana 2” and “Inside Out 2” left the lectures on the cutting room floor — and scored huge box office numbers along the way.
More recently, Disney-owned Pixar chief Pete Docter said his company <a href="https://variety.com/2026/film/news/pete-docter-pixar-lgbtq-storyline-elio-therapy-1236681692/">removed LGBTQ content</a> from 2025’s “Elio” because “We’re making a movie, not hundreds of millions of dollars of therapy.”
Lesson learned. Or was it?
<div id="attachment_1080169" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1080169" class="size-large wp-image-1080169" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-2219557935-864x576.jpg" alt="LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 10: (L-R) Jim Morris, President, Pixar and Pete Docter, CCO, Pixar attend the World Premiere of Disney and Pixar's &quot;Elio&quot; at El Capitan Theatre on June 10, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney/Pixar)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-2219557935-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-2219557935-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-2219557935-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-2219557935.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney/Pixar</div>
That “Ladies First” trailer feels like it came from a 2020 time capsule. So does “Starfleet Academy.” The latest “Star Trek” TV show got roundly mocked on social media and by YouTube cutups like Nerdrotic and The Critical Drinker, who combined have millions of followers.
The show featured a charcuterie board full of woke, from the barefoot captain curling up in her chair like a Portland librarian to a gay, cross-dressing Klingon.
Mainstream critics, who lean aggressively to the Left, praised the show while audiences stayed away in droves. The show’s second season was set in motion immediately, but the <a href="https://variety.com/2026/tv/news/star-trek-starfleet-academy-canceled-season-2-1236696816/">cancellation news came nearly as fast.</a>
Hulu just dropped a new mini-season of “Malcolm in the Middle,” the early 2000s hit about a quirky, dysfunctional clan. The streamer knew it had a nostalgia-fueled hit on its hands, which may be why <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/malcolm-in-the-middle-reboot-hit-with-backlash-over-woke-changes">the creators gave</a> the clan Kelly, a “non-binary” child.
Just a coincidence? Hardly. Executive producer Tracy Katsy told Deadline.com the <a href="https://deadline.com/2026/04/malcolm-in-the-middle-creator-ep-wife-lgbtq-kids-1236786214/">reason for the inclusion angle</a>.
“Three out of four of our kids are queer, and without making it a thing and without making an issue, I think it’s really nice to have a character that, that’s just a facet of their personality as opposed to the entire story.”
<div id="attachment_1080171" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1080171" class="size-large wp-image-1080171" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-2270286421-864x576.jpg" alt="NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 07: (L-R) Christopher Masterson, Justin Berfield, Vaughan Murrae, Jane Kaczmarek, Frankie Muniz, Bryan Cranston, Keeley Karsten, Kiana Madeira, Caleb Ellsworth-Clark, Emy Coligado and Craig Lamar Traylor attend Hulu's &quot;Malcolm in The Middle: Life's Still Unfair&quot; New York Premiere at DGA Theater on April 07, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-2270286421-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-2270286421-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-2270286421-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-2270286421.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Theo Wargo/Getty Images</div>
The diversity measure came with the de facto lecture sequence, too, along with the Mary Sue-style characterization.
Kelly uses &#8220;they/them&#8221; and is depicted as academically gifted, level-headed, and notably the only sibling without a police record.
No flaws, please. That’s another woke byproduct, removing flaws from characters meant to promote diversity and inclusion.
The show also made Stevie (Craig Lamar Traylor), who displayed heterosexual characteristics in the original series, a gay man in an interracial relationship.
The new action comedy “Normal” also squeezes a “non-binary” character into the story, played by Jess McLeod. The character, dubbed Alex, is given little backstory or depth, but Alex still plays a sizable role in the film’s second half.
This year’s “Frankenstein” reinvention, dubbed “The Bride!” featured a cavalcade of woke talking points. The titular creature inspired a wave of rebellious women fighting back against early 20th century oppression, and Jessie Buckley’s Bride literally shouts, “Me too” … twice.
And, yes, “The Bride!” may be one of 2026’s biggest box office busts with <a href="https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt30851137/?ref_=bo_se_r_1">a pathetic $12 million domestic haul.</a>
Woke isn’t just about forced, clumsy inclusion. It coaxes screenwriters to lecture viewers from a hard-Left perspective. No nuance or balance, please. There’s a PowerPoint-style message to share. It’s why shows like “Matlock” and “The Pitt” have spent serious screen time pushing an <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hollywood-keeps-pushing-this-narrative-but-ignores-what-follows">aggressive, anti-ICE narrative</a> in recent weeks.
“The Pitt” also promotes an unabashed, pro-abortion agenda. The HBO Max series featured an episode with a 17-year-old pregnant teen (Abby Ryder Fortson) seeking an abortion, but she didn’t have her parents’ consent.
<div id="attachment_1080173" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1080173" class="size-large wp-image-1080173" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/pitt-noah-elevator-1024x568.jpg" alt="John Wells Productions. Max. R. Scott Gemmill Productions. Sky Studios. Warner Bros. Television. HBO Max." width="1024" height="568" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/pitt-noah-elevator-1024x568.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/pitt-noah-elevator-300x166.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/pitt-noah-elevator-768x426.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/pitt-noah-elevator-1536x851.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/pitt-noah-elevator.jpg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />John Wells Productions. Max. R. Scott Gemmill Productions. Sky Studios. Warner Bros. Television. HBO Max.</div>
The baby in question is more than 11 weeks along, just beyond Pennsylvania’s cutoff for a legal abortion. Dr. Robby (Noah Wyle) stepped in, offering to fudge the facts to secure the abortion in question. The doctors agreed that the teen deserves to have a life, as they framed it, ignoring the positive impacts of motherhood or potentially giving up the innocent baby for adoption.
The creative team behind “The Pitt” is leaning into the show’s ratings success, weaponizing the saga to advance leftist talking points as needed. It’s another familiar woke pattern — Hollywood finds success with an apolitical show or film, and later leverages that appeal to insert woke talking points.
One glaring example? Even a far-Left site like <a href="https://www.themarysue.com/endgame-girl-power-did-it-work/">TheMarySue.com cringed</a> when the once-mighty Marvel Cinematic Universe included a clunky, “girl power” moment during the epic “Avengers: Endgame” battle.
The MCU saga went woke thereafter and has yet to recover, financially speaking.
Despite these stark examples, woke isn’t the cultural force in Hollywood that it was just a few short years ago. Some savvy studio types realized that its cultural tentacles remain a financial risk, to put it bluntly.
Others are like <a href="https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20220413-onoda-the-man-who-hid-in-the-jungle-for-30-years">Hiroo Onoda</a>, the Japanese soldier who kept fighting World War II for nearly 29 years after hostilities ceased.
That means it could take a few more high-profile failures for Hollywood to finally learn its lesson.
* * *
Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic, and editor of <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News’ Big Hollywood. Follow him at <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>.

netflix ladies night II

Woke Hollywood Rises From The Ashes — And The Agenda Didn’t Miss A Beat

Woke Hollywood Rises From The Ashes — And The Agenda Didn't Miss A Beat

Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI)

Entertainment

HBO Max

Hollywood

Movies

Netflix

Television

Woke Culture

In recent years, sharp-eyed parents and investigative reporters have exposed the racial resentment and antisemitism prevalent in DEI. But as public opinion and policymaking turn against this racial discrimination in disguise, a large association of private schools continues to push the radical agenda.
If the biased activity at these elite schools remains unchecked, legal advocates and policymakers will be fighting the same civil rights battles with the next generation of college students.
Today’s battles are certainly yielding good fruit. Lawsuits exposing segregation in schools under DEI’s banner have prompted state and federal lawmakers to reinforce civil rights laws. These laws have helped snuff out mandated “affinity groups” (where participants are separated by race, ethnicity, and/or sex), illegal hiring quotas, and doctrinaire DEI statements required by so-called diversity staff in K-12 schools and universities.
Curiously, the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), a K-12 private school association, is not moved by the lawsuits and new legislation — nor by DEI’s racial preferences. Later this month, on <a href="https://www.nais.org/events/nais-meetup-for-dei-practitioners-8">April 29</a>, NAIS will even hold a “meetup” for DEI staff working at the association’s institutions.
NAIS is a membership organization for private schools. The group holds conferences and posts job openings for its member institutions on its website and otherwise provides resources on what NAIS deems as best practices.
Some of the “practices,” though, are little more than exercises in segregation. Member schools tout race-based <a href="https://www.merion-mercy.com/about/blog-posts/single-blog/~board/blog/post/what-is-an-affinity-group-and-why-do-they-matter">affinity groups</a> on their <a href="https://www.tescharlotte.org/diversity/affinity-groups.cfm">websites</a>, and NAIS advertises diversity staff positions at its member schools via its <a href="https://careers.nais.org/jobs?keywords=diversity&amp;place=">job bank</a>.
Institutions infused with DEI crowd out competing opinions and create radical echo chambers of a biased orthodoxy. Small wonder that NAIS had to issue an apology in 2024 when <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/15/nyregion/antisemitism-conference-private-schools.html">speakers</a> at one of the association’s DEI events “characterized Israel’s war in Gaza as a genocide and the establishment of the state of Israel as a racist project.”
The American Jewish Committee and Prizmah, an organization for Jewish day schools, were among the groups that wrote to NAIS, saying, “The pervasiveness of this rhetoric and the absence of any alternate perspectives created an atmosphere that was hostile for many Jewish students and faculty members in attendance.”
In 2025, NAIS <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/04/12/us-news/private-school-group-axes-dei-events-over-political-landscape/">canceled</a> its “People of Color Conference,&#8221; but resources on its website suggest DEI remains a priority. NAIS simply <a href="https://www.nais.org/events/gather">renamed</a> the conference, now calling it the “Gather: A Convening for Renewal and Growth, Belonging, and Impact.” This title sounds benign, but NAIS specifically describes the event as a reinvention of its People of Color meeting. The conference will feature more “affinity group work,” as well as sessions on “inclusion and belonging,” a new title for “diversity, equity, and inclusion.”
NAIS remains out of step with civil rights laws. The U.S. Department of Education has been ferreting out racial discrimination in K-12 schools across the country. In February, the agency announced it is investigating Portland public schools because the district operates a racially <a href="https://www.ed.gov/about/news/press-release/us-department-of-educations-office-civil-rights-initiates-title-vi-investigation-portland-public-schools">segregated</a> academic program.
The federal agency has opened similar cases over the last year. In 2025, the Education Department canceled some $600 million in grants to schools for teacher training because the grant applications contained racial preferences, some in the form of DEI initiatives.
State lawmakers in Arkansas, Ohio, and Kentucky <a href="https://datavisualizations.heritage.org/education/dei-a-state-legislation-tracker/">adopted</a> prohibitions on DEI in 2025, following earlier legislative activity in Florida, Idaho, and Texas. Today, there are nearly two dozen states with such legislation.
NAIS member schools are preparing the next generation of college students, likely students at elite universities. Faculty and staff at schools like Harvard and Columbia have been among the worst violators of civil rights, allowing antisemitism to persist. DEI offices on these campuses and others have done nothing to stop such activity. Just last month, the Education Department opened yet <a href="https://www.ed.gov/about/news/press-release/us-department-of-educations-office-civil-rights-opens-two-new-probes-harvard-university-continued-discrimination-campus">another</a> investigation into Harvard for racial discrimination.
Independent schools are private institutions, but that does not exempt them from all civil rights laws nor does it excuse antisemitism. Racial discrimination should be exposed to withering scrutiny in public schools, universities, and yes, even private schools.
* * *
Jonathan Butcher is Acting Director of the Center for Education at The Heritage Foundation.

Trump Administration Freezes Federal Funding To Harvard And Threatens School’s Tax-Exempt Status

Elite Schools Insist It’s About ‘Belonging’ — Critics Say It’s Discrimination All Over Again

antisemitism

BIPOC

Civil Rights

Education

Harvard

Heritage Foundation

Ivy League

Private Schools

Teachers Unions

A senior official at the Department of Veteran Affairs pushed one of the largest healthcare companies in the country to improve its &#8220;diversity profile&#8221; while accepting thousands of dollars in poker chips and lavish gift cards from minority business executives, federal investigators say.
John Windom, a 64-year-old Navy veteran, was tasked with spearheading a billion-dollar revamp of the VA&#8217;s electronic health records system. He used that perch to steer business to his lover and rake in thousands of dollars worth of luxury gifts and push government contractors to embrace DEI, according to federal prosecutors. 
Windom, who is black, is accused of forming a self-described &#8220;Power Group&#8221; composed of executives from minority-owned businesses that allegedly sent him expensive gifts while some earned federal DEI contracts. These unreported gifts included $8,200 in Louis Vuitton gift cards, $2,000 in cash, a $631 HEPA filter, concert tickets, and $3,800 in casino chips, according to an indictment. 
Members of the Power Group were left anonymous in federal charging documents though one was described as a &#8220;romantic partner&#8221; of Windom. Some of the contracts with Power Group companies were related to the VA electronic record project, though not all were. 
Dr. Kurt Miceli, the chief medical officer of Do No Harm, told The Daily Wire that the case showed the danger of implementing DEI initiatives at the federal level. 

“Diversity initiatives in federal contracting elevate race, gender, or other demographic traits over merit and proven capability when awarding taxpayer‑funded work,&#8221; he said. &#8220;The result: set-asides and preferences that explicitly discriminate based on identity rather than awarding projects through competitive bidding and qualifications.&#8221;
Windom was, until recently, the executive director of the Office of Electronic Health Record Modernization at the VA. In August 2017, he was tasked with bringing the department&#8217;s records system — part of the VA&#8217;s notoriously broken healthcare system — up to par with the rest of the federal government.
Prior to his involvement with VA, Windom <a href="https://www.congress.gov/116/meeting/house/110555/witnesses/HHRG-116-AP18-Bio-WindomJ-20200227.pdf">rose</a> to the rank of captain in the Navy, where he mostly held HR-related management positions involving training personnel and overseeing the Pentagon&#8217;s electronic health record system overhaul. He retired from the Navy in 2017 to take the position with the VA.
Two years into leading the electronic records project, Windom allegedly created a “Power Group” of seven executives and employees from minority-owned businesses that contracted with VA. These executives gave Windom a variety of kickbacks while he worked to get them access to federal benefits, federal investigators said. One of the individuals, identified only as &#8220;Person 4,&#8221; was in a romantic relationship with Windom from August 2016 to December 2018. 
In communications with these executives, Windom reminded them that “loose lips sink ships,” asked one for concert tickets, and told another one to “get the f**k off this ride,” if the arrangement was making them uncomfortable, according to messages included in the indictment. 
“As alleged, the defendant exploited his senior position for personal gain and concealed gifts and financial relationships that created serious conflicts of interest in the health care of our nation’s veterans,” said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro. “Such conduct is not only a betrayal of the public trust — it undermines confidence in the institutions dedicated to serving those who have sacrificed for this country.”
<div id="attachment_1074327" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1074327" class="size-full wp-image-1074327" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-2259627360.jpg" alt="Jeanine Pirro, US attorney for the District of Columbia, speaks during a news conference at the Department of Justice (DOJ) in Washington, DC, US, on Friday, Feb. 6, 2026. A man suspected of being responsible for the deadly 2012 attack against the American embassy in Benghazi, Libya, is in US custody, FBI Director Kash Patel and Attorney General Pam Bondi said Friday." width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-2259627360.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-2259627360-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-2259627360-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-2259627360-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Jeanine Pirro (Aaron Schwartz/Bloomberg via Getty Images)</div>
Windom has been charged with concealment of material facts, false statements, and falsification of a record. His first court appearance is set for April 14. 
The <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/media/1432916/dl?inline">charges</a> come as the Trump administration moves to crack down on DEI practices among federal contractors. President Donald Trump signed an executive order last week <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/03/addressing-dei-discrimination-by-federal-contractors/">directing</a> that contractors not engage in &#8220;any racially discriminatory DEI activities” for federal government work. 
In June 2017, Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin announced that his department would adopt the same electronic health record standards as the Pentagon. Since that time the program has been plagued with problems, including ballooning costs and patient deaths. The program, which has been paused the last few years, is set to start up again this month. 
A few months after the project was announced, Windom was placed in charge. He directed $10 billion to be allocated to the company Cerner, which has since been acquired by Oracle, for the project. At the time, the contract was one of the biggest information technology contracts for the federal government. 
Soon after, investigators say he created the Power Group of minority business executives and employees. 
“Between August 2017 and June 2021, in multiple locations, Defendant WINDOM attended events with other Power Group members and routinely accepted personal benefits such as gifts, meals, alcohol, entertainment, and other services from members of the Power Group,” the indictment says. 
These events took place at restaurants and bars in and around the MGM National Harbor casino, as he used his position to “coerce” improper personal benefits, investigators said. He would routinely &#8220;demand&#8221; poker chips for games at the casino, the indictment alleges. 

<div id="attachment_1074335" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1074335" class="size-full wp-image-1074335" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-1055654346.jpg" alt="OXON HILL,MD-NOV30: The first anniversary of the MGM Casino at National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland, November 30, 2017. (" width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-1055654346.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-1055654346-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-1055654346-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-1055654346-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />(Evelyn Hockstein/For The Washington Post via Getty Images)</div>
In November 2019, Windom asked for concert tickets for himself and another member of the Power Group from one of the business leaders, according to text messages.
“Damn near sitting on the stage,&#8221; he wrote the day of the concert. &#8220;You da man.&#8221;
These benefits were hidden from VA officials and the Office of Government Ethics, according to investigators. 
At the same time, Windom used his position “to encourage, monitor, and facilitate contracting and subcontracting opportunities for members of the Power Group,” both connected and not connected to the electronic health record project, the indictment said. 
While pushing for personal benefits from members of the Power Group, Windom allegedly pressured them “to make business decisions unrelated to” the electronic records project that “advanced” his “diversity objectives” before he “demanded to be rewarded.” 
He also “threatened economic and reputational harm to members of the Power Group, particularly but not only when they were not meeting his diversity-related networking expectations,” according to the indictment. 
In July 2018, Cerner entered into a diversity contract with Windom&#8217;s romantic partner as the lead after he “demanded” that it “improve its diversity profile and inclusion efforts,” the indictment said. Around that time, Cerner started increasing its DEI efforts and it released a DEI report in 2019 <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20220411175937/https://www.cerner.com/-/media/cerner-media-united-states/pdf-downloads/cerner-hr-diversity-report-2019.pdf?vs=1&amp;hash=B80E8A916E1B68223F4AE46D6AA8CBDE701E80BD">showing</a> how the company took steps to &#8220;expand&#8221; on &#8220;diversity and inclusion efforts.&#8221;
In 2019, Windom allegedly worked to “pressure” a Power Group member “to complete diversity contract renewal negotiations with Cerner.”
Miceli said pushing DEI in contracting led to the most &#8220;qualified contractors&#8221; being sidelined and was particularly concerning when done in the healthcare realm. 
&#8220;When pushed aggressively at the federal level, DEI policies erode public trust, foster resentment, and violate core principles of equal treatment under the law, while inviting legal challenges and wasteful litigation that further burdens taxpayers,&#8221; he said. 
Messages included in the indictment paint a picture of Windom appearing to threaten Power Group members to stay silent about their relationship. 
In an October 11, 2017, message, Windom texted two Power Group members that one had made “a good comment to get you cut out” after that person suggested bringing another VA employee to where Windom was having drinks with a Power Group member. 
“Don’t mention to another person that you know me, interact with me or have any type of relationship with me,” he wrote on August 5, 2019.
One email included in the indictment appears to show that Windom was inadvertently announced to be in the audience of an event hosted by one of the Power Group members. 
“Weird last night. Not your fault personally but cleanup required. Can’t say I like [Person 4&#8217;s] cavalier response to these issues either. I was already exhausted but did not want to miss your event,” he wrote in an email. “The PA announcement of me let alone [Person 4] and me was ridiculous and did not kick the evening off right. I am a very discrete person as you know.”
<div id="attachment_1071187" style="width: 1197px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1071187" class="size-full wp-image-1071187" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-03-31-at-1.36.32-PM.png" alt="" width="1187" height="271" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-03-31-at-1.36.32-PM.png 1187w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-03-31-at-1.36.32-PM-300x68.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-03-31-at-1.36.32-PM-1024x234.png 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-03-31-at-1.36.32-PM-768x175.png 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 1187px) 100vw, 1187px" />Indictment.</div>
In January 2020, Windom sent an email to the Power Group reminding them that “loose lips sink ships.” 
When one of the Power Group members expressed some concern about the contracting arrangement, Windom reacted angrily, according to a text message included in the indictment. 
“If you don’t like it, get off. You can get the f**k off this ride,” Windom said. 
In June and November 2021, Windom allegedly lied to federal law enforcement when they asked him if he had received any gifts from Power Group members. After being approached by investigators, Windom told Power Group members to tell law enforcement he paid for their meals, according to the indictment. 
Costs of the electronic health records project have quickly climbed from the $10 billion originally estimated. The department now estimates that costs could exceed $37 billion, while the Government Accountability Office <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2025/12/03/veterans-administration-va-hospitals-health/">said</a> costs could approach the hundreds of billions. 
Over 4,000 veterans have been harmed due to the health record modernization, which has led to four fatalities, <a href="https://fedscoop.com/va-ehr-six-cases-catastrophic-harm/">according</a> to lawmakers. The Government Accountability Office has continued to pressure the VA to take steps to speed up the rollout. 
The Daily Wire reached out to a publicly listed phone number for Windom and no lawyer has yet been listed yet in court records for his case.

MixCollage-08-Apr-2026-10-33-AM-4651

DEI, Louis Vuitton, And Casino Chips: Inside A Billion-Dollar VA Scandal

Corruption

Department of Justice

Department of Veterans Affairs

Health Care

America’s favorite socialist import, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, just dropped his Preliminary Citywide Racial Equity <a href="https://www.nyc.gov/assets/equity/downloads/pdf/FINAL_PUBLISH_Preliminary%20REP_4%206%2026.pdf">Plan</a> and unsurprisingly surmised that white New Yorkers are too wealthy.
According to his new report, a 375 page bureaucratic word salad spread across 45 city agencies, the median net worth of a white household in NYC is roughly $277,000. For black households it’s about $19,000, a nearly 15-fold difference. Mamdani’s solution to this abhorrent problem, is a “whole-of-government” race-based overhaul that explicitly prioritizes “black and brown New Yorkers” who’ve supposedly been “pushed out” for decades.
This is an odd way of saying black and brown people are going to be given special treatment over their white counterparts.
The plan is textbook grievance politics dressed up as compassion. It lays out hundreds of goals, more than 800 strategies, and over 600 indicators across all 45 city agencies, to try and put down the white folk. From housing and health to pothole filling, these agencies must view their work through a “racial equity lens.” In other words, resources, jobs, and contracts will be doled out based on skin color, not merit, need, or behavior. This will coincide with anti-racism training for city workers, pay equity mandates by race, and new “True Cost of Living” measures — all absolutely necessary to ensure a nation&#8217;s success, right?
It won’t be cheap. The Mayor’s Office of Equity and Racial Justice and the Commission on Racial Equity (a mouthful) is already budgeted at $10.2 million per year, which is a 42% jump from last year. Meanwhile, New York City is staring at a $5.4 – $7.1 billion <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/04/07/opinion/mamdanis-cost-of-living-crisis-is-simply-a-cover-for-government-excess/">budget</a> shortfall. But sure, let’s keep pouring money into this black hole of DEI bureaucracy. 
Harmeet Dhillon, the assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division, immediately said she would look into the proposal, and reminded Americans that there’s no such thing as “reverse discrimination” — it’s just plain old discrimination, and it’s illegal.
The real driver of these gaps isn&#8217;t some ancient conspiracy keeping black and brown New Yorkers down. It&#8217;s the policy machine the city built over decades. Benefit structures that penalized marriage and work over dependency didn&#8217;t close wealth gaps — they entrenched them, weakening family formation in the communities they claimed to help. Meanwhile, high <a href="https://www.ibo.nyc.gov/assets/ibo/downloads/pdf/taxes-and-other-revenues/2026/2023-pit-data.xlsx">taxes</a>, <a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=225585">crime</a>, failing schools, and endless red tape pushed productive families out. Mamdani&#8217;s plan doesn&#8217;t reckon with any of that. It just adds a racial lens to the same failed apparatus.
This is the horseshoe theory in action. Marxist “equity” meets identity politics and ends up in the same place, punishing success to buy votes. The <a href="https://reason.com/2023/06/29/supreme-court-on-affirmative-action-eliminating-racial-discrimination-means-eliminating-all-of-it/#:~:text=In%20a%206%E2%80%933%20decision%2C%20the%20Supreme%20Court,racial%20discrimination%20in%20the%20college%20admissions%20process.">Supreme Cour</a>t already gutted race-based preferences, correctly identifying that explicit discrimination by race violates the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause. Mamdani knows this, he just hopes Trump’s DOJ is too busy to sue.
New Yorkers deserve color-blind policy, not skin-color equity delivered by a Champagne socialist. Prioritizing one race over another doesn’t close “inequity” gaps, it widens resentment and accelerates the exodus of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Mo3-peFUzzA#:~:text='Varney%20&amp;%20Co.'%20host%20Stuart%20Varney%20warns,and%20residents%20out%20of%20New%20York%20as">taxpayers</a> who actually fund the whole circus. When the bill finally comes due — because it always does — by way of higher taxes, worse services, and more crime, the same “disproportionately affected” communities will be the hardest hit.
Mamdani ran on affordability. Now he’s pivoting to race essentialism because actual solutions such as school choice, cutting regulations, enforcing the law, and promoting two parent families are politically inconvenient for a Democratic Socialists of America mayor. It’s easier to blame “whiteness” than failed ideology.
They call this “racial equity.” I don’t think so. Because once government starts picking winners and losers by race, you don’t get justice. You get Martin Luther King, Jr. rolling in his grave. You get South Africa with better bagels. And you get a whole bunch of angry, poor, and divided New Yorkers.

NYC Mayor Mamdani Makes A Housing-Related Announcement

Mamdani’s Newest Policy Plan Is Just Straight-up Racism Against White People

Anti-Racism

Democratic Socialism

New York City

Zohran Mamdani

The University of Southern California canceled a high-profile gubernatorial primary debate just hours before it was set to take place following backlash over the event’s lack of racial diversity among invited candidates. The debate, scheduled for Tuesday and hosted by USC’s Dornsife Center for the Political Future, was scrapped after criticism that the selection criteria excluded several candidates of color.
The original lineup featured six candidates: Republicans Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco, and Democrats Tom Steyer, Katie Porter, Eric Swalwell, and Matt Mahan. Absent were several established Democratic candidates of color, including former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, former State Controller Betty Yee, and State Superintendent Tony Thurmond.
USC had initially defended its selection process, saying invitations were based on a “data-driven” formula developed by a university professor that weighed polling and fundraising. But critics argued the methodology produced a skewed outcome in a crowded race with no clear frontrunner.
The controversy escalated after California legislative leaders <a href="https://x.com/Elex_Michaelson/status/2036275609316499957">demanded</a> the university expand the debate field. “Every excluded leading candidate—Xavier Becerra, Betty Yee, Tony Thurmond, and Antonio Villaraigosa—is a person of color,” lawmakers wrote in a letter to USC President Beong-Soo Kim. “When a methodology produces this outcome … the burden falls on USC to explain itself, not on everyone else to accept it.” The letter went further, calling on voters to boycott the event if the university refused to revise its criteria.
“If USC does not do the right thing, we call on California voters to boycott this debate,” the lawmakers wrote. “If the university will not give voters a fair shot at evaluating everyone running for governor, voters should find other ways to learn about the candidates.”
Despite standing by the formula’s academic backing, USC ultimately <a href="https://apnews.com/article/california-governor-debate-usc-candidates-bias-91539c81a8ecaf8612c0eacd04dc1312">reversed course</a> late Monday, announcing the debate would be canceled after organizers failed to reach an agreement on expanding the stage. “We recognize that concerns about the selection criteria … have created a significant distraction from the issues that matter to voters,” the university said in a statement.
The decision comes amid an unusually crowded and fluid race to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom, with no candidate <a href="https://www.270towin.com/2026-governor-polls/california">polling</a> above 20% in the last month and multiple contenders clustered within single digits of one another. That lack of a clear frontrunner has heightened the stakes around debate access, with candidates arguing that exclusion from major forums could significantly impact voter awareness in a low-information primary.
California’s primary system adds another layer of complexity. Under the state’s “top-two” format, all candidates, regardless of party, appear on the same ballot, and only the two candidates who receive the most votes advance to the general election. That structure has raised concerns among Democrats that a fragmented field could allow two Republicans to advance if the vote is split.
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, whose inclusion drew particular scrutiny due to his late entry into the race and strong fundraising from <a href="https://localnewsmatters.org/2026/02/14/matt-mahan-billionaire-tech-donors-california-governor/">wealthy donors</a>, said canceling the debate was the wrong approach. “The answer isn’t to cancel debates, it’s to hear all voices,” he wrote on <a href="https://x.com/MattMahanSJ/status/2036437715823239453">X</a>.
Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, one of the excluded candidates, praised the decision. “USC made the right call, even if it came late and under pressure,” he wrote in a <a href="https://x.com/AVillaraigosa/status/2036421070748787047">post</a> after the decision.
The tension surrounding how institutions balance data-driven decision-making with political and social considerations is not unfamiliar in California, a state where <a href="https://www.govops.ca.gov/diversity-equity-and-inclusion/#:~:text=California%20has%20taken%20action%20to%20embed%20equity,methodologies%20and%20opportunities%20to%20advance%20racial%20equity">diversity</a> is treated as a central benchmark of legitimacy. In this case, sadly, a formula designed to measure candidate viability ended up triggering the very kind of equity concerns it was meant to avoid, ultimately leaving voters with no debate at all.
The California gubernatorial primary election will be held on June 2, 2026.

Peak California: USC Backs Out Of Gov Debate Over Lack Of Diversity

California

Debates

Elections

Gavin Newsom

The nation’s top medical school accreditor has updated its standards, removing language related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) requirements without issuing a formal public announcement.
The <a href="https://lcme.org/about/">Liaison Committee on Medical Education</a> (LCME), which accredits medical schools across the United States, recently uploaded its updated 2027–2028 standards to its website. The <a href="https://donoharmmedicine.org/2026/03/24/dei-mandates-lcme-standards/">changes</a> were first flagged by the <a href="https://www.wsj.com/opinion/a-welcome-setback-for-medical-dei-fbac8fa0">Wall Street Journal</a>.
Among the most notable revisions is the overhaul of Standard 7.6, which in the 2026–2027 guidelines required that “the medical curriculum provides opportunities for medical students to learn to recognize and appropriately address biases in themselves, in others, and in the health care delivery process.”
The prior standard went further, mandating that medical students be taught about “the importance of health care disparities and health inequities,” the “impact of disparities in health care on all populations,” and “approaches to reduce health care inequities.” It also required instruction in “culturally and structurally competent health care” and emphasized training to treat patients in a “multidimensional and diverse society.”
In the newly published standards, that language has been removed entirely. The updated version of Standard 7.6 contains no reference to diversity, bias, disparities, or inequities.
More broadly, much of Standard 7 was rewritten and reorganized, with all references to bias and inequities stripped from the section. The 2027–2028 standards document is dated March 13 and indicates the changes were made in March 2026, though the LCME has not publicly announced the revisions. The prior 2026–2027 standards, which include the original language, remain available on the organization’s website.
The rollback follows years of scrutiny from the medical watchdog group Do No Harm, which has criticized the role of DEI requirements in medical education. <a href="https://donoharmmedicine.org/2023/01/12/is-the-lcme-forcing-racial-quotas-on-medical-schools/">In 2023</a>, the group called for an investigation into the LCME, and in March 2025 released a report highlighting accreditation standards, including Sections 3.3 and 7.6, that it said promoted ideological priorities over merit-based training.
The changes come after President Donald Trump signed an <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/04/reforming-accreditation-to-strengthen-higher-education/">executive order</a> aimed at reforming higher education accreditation, specifically naming the LCME and raising concerns about politicized standards. Shortly afterward, in May 2025, the LCME <a href="https://donoharmmedicine.org/2025/05/28/the-lcme-eliminates-key-diversity-requirement/">removed</a> Standard 3.3, which had required medical schools to maintain programs or partnerships focused on achieving diversity. At the time, however, Standard 7.6 remained in place.
The latest revisions appear to further that shift. “Do No Harm commends the LCME for finally removing the remaining DEI language from the latest version of its standards,” said Dr. Kurt Miceli, the organization’s chief medical officer, in a statement obtained by The Daily Wire. “This reflects a renewed commitment to high-quality clinical care over political ideology.”
“As a powerful institution with significant influence over medical education, the LCME has now made clear that scientific rigor and excellence are the top priorities — a change we have been advocating for years,” Miceli added. “This marks a major victory and step forward in the ongoing battle over the future of medical education in America.”
The LCME did not publicly comment on the changes or issue a press release announcing the updated standards. Critics say the changes reflect how rapidly the standards governing medicine and education are shifting amid <a href="https://www.highereddive.com/news/trump-end-dei-state-of-the-union/813091/">political and regulatory pressure</a>. And given the LCME’s outsized role in determining whether medical schools remain accredited, even subtle changes to its requirements can have sweeping effects on how future physicians are trained.
With the removal of this language from both admissions-related and curriculum standards, the updated guidelines reflect a significant change in how the LCME frames its accreditation requirements. Supporters of the move say it refocuses medical education on clinical training, while critics have argued that such standards are important for addressing disparities in patient care.

Nurses

Medical Gatekeeper Faces Reckoning After Years Of ‘Woke’ Push

Do No Harm

America’s nurses are too white and too female, according to the influential organization that purports to represent the interests of five million nurses nationwide. 
The American Nurses Association (ANA) has become fixated on race and embraced radical political ideology over the last few years, exemplified by the organization’s former president complaining about the “rows of white ladies” who head up nursing programs. The 130-year-old organization’s recent racial activism was flagged in a <a href="https://donoharmmedicine.org/wp-content/uploads/Activism-Not-Advocacy-Report.pdf">scathing report</a>, first shared with The Daily Wire, by Do No Harm. 
The association plays a key role in advocating for nurses by increasing research and funding, carrying out workplace advocacy, and advocating for better pay for nurses. The ANA is the membership arm of the American Nurses Association Enterprise. Despite its important function, Do No Harm argues the medical body has been infected with ideology, with an acceleration around the time of the 2020 riots. 
Do No Harm argues that the organization should revert to its former focus on representing nurses rather than pushing racial politics. 
“The ANA’s descent into extremism is alarming and has contributed to the indoctrination of our nation’s most important frontline workers,” Dr. Kurt Miceli, chief medical officer at Do No Harm, told The Daily Wire. “Instead of working to train and support hardworking nurses, the ANA has dedicated time and resources to promoting the ideas of radical activists. Nursing, at its core, is a profession that seeks to serve patients with compassion and foster healing.”
One of the culprits pushing the association to embrace racial ideology was the organization’s former president, Ernest Grant, now the vice dean for diversity, equity, and inclusion at Duke University School of Nursing, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ernest-grant-40725815/">according</a> to his LinkedIn. Do No Harm said that the politicization of the association increased during Grant&#8217;s leadership of the organization. 
After he was elected to head the organization, Grant said that he would be focused on encouraging “diversity in the nursing profession,” suggesting the nursing profession was too white and too female. 
“In 2015, only 19.5% of RNs in the workforce identified themselves as minorities, and only about 12% of baccalaureate and graduate nursing students in 2016 were men,” he <a href="https://www.myamericannurse.com/ana-president-ernest-grant/">said</a> in 2018. &#8220;It’s important that the nursing workforce reflects the diversity of our patient populations.”
Following the death of convicted felon George Floyd, Grant <a href="https://www.nursingworld.org/news/news-releases/2020/ana-president-condemns-racism-brutality-and-senseless-violence-against-black-communities/">said</a> that racism was a “longstanding public health crisis that impacts both mental and physical health” and that COVID impacted black people more than white people. He later <a href="https://www.nursingworld.org/news/news-releases/2021/american-nurses-association-responds-to-the-verdict-in-the-killing-of-george-floyd/">characterized</a> the unrest that followed the death of Floyd as “peaceful.” 
In an October 2021 <a href="https://www.fixinghealthcarepodcast.com/2021/10/10/fhc-38-ernest-grant/">podcast appearance</a>, Grant said that he liked to tell medical school officials to pretend to be a different race or gender to push their understanding of diversity. He also said he was “taking steps” to try to change how the nursing profession was predominantly white and female. 
He told deans and directors of nursing programs to “imagine themselves when they pull into their assigned parking space at their place of work, when they&#8217;re getting out of the car, take on another personality, take on like a person of color or another gender.”
“And as you&#8217;re walking into your building, look at what your particular school of nursing is saying to someone who may be from a different background or a different gender,” he continued. “Is it welcoming? Or do you just see rows and rows of white ladies who were deans, either they&#8217;re former deans or current deans of the program? What about your faculty? Does your faculty represent diversity? And are there people of color there? Are there men on the faculty there as well?”
“I mean, nursing is over 80% white and about 80% female, and of course, that&#8217;s what you see on TV. So, we are taking steps to try to change that by encouraging more nurses of color or people of color to go into nursing as a profession and more men as well to consider the nursing profession,” he added.
During Grant’s tenure, the American Nurses Association helped launch the National Commission to Address Racism in Nursing (NCARN) with the purpose of motivating “all nurses to confront individual and systemic racism.”
The organization <a href="https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/workforce/racism-in-nursing/national-commission-to-address-racism-in-nursing/">claims</a> that “racism is historically rooted in the nursing profession and continues today.” The organization blames the number of white nurses on “actions from predominantly white groups and others who may view themselves or their group as superior” and <a href="https://www.nursingworld.org/globalassets/practiceandpolicy/workforce/commission-to-address-racism/commission-vision-mission-.pdf">alleges</a> that white nurses &#8220;are advantaged and privileged by unfair structural and systemic practices.”
To define racism, the commission <a href="https://www.nursingworld.org/globalassets/practiceandpolicy/workforce/commission-to-address-racism/final-defining-racism.pdf">relies</a> on the work of radical leftist Ibram X. Kendi, the author of the book “How To Be An Anti-Racist.” The commission produced a list of the “Top Ten Ways to be an Antiracist in Nursing,” which ironically suggests that people should stop “labeling others” and “distribute power.” 
<div id="attachment_1064619" style="width: 1235px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1064619" class="size-full wp-image-1064619" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Screenshot-2026-03-23-at-2.39.51-PM.png" alt="" width="1225" height="635" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Screenshot-2026-03-23-at-2.39.51-PM.png 1225w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Screenshot-2026-03-23-at-2.39.51-PM-300x156.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Screenshot-2026-03-23-at-2.39.51-PM-1024x531.png 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Screenshot-2026-03-23-at-2.39.51-PM-768x398.png 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 1225px) 100vw, 1225px" />American Nurses Association.</div>
In June 2022, the American Nurses Association put out a “racial reckoning” <a href="https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/workforce/racism-in-nursing/RacialReckoningStatement/">statement</a> that pledged the organization’s board of directors to “continue to reckon with and apologize for past harms that are made known to ANA,” and implement DEI analysis through all programs of the association. It said the association would continue to work with the commission to “create antiracist practices and environments,” implement DEI, and provide “transparency” to the racial makeup of the association’s leadership. 
Starting in March 2022, the ANA rolled out a series of trainings called “Equity in Action: Dismantling Racism in Nursing.” During one session, Georgetown dean of nursing Roberta Waite gave a presentation on “How do we ensure health equity in a society built on white supremacy and oppression?” Waite shared a slide placing “white supremacy” at the center of oppression surrounded by things like “capitalism,” “nationalism,” “religious supremacy,” “patriarchy,” and “heterosexual supremacy.” 
Another slide featured in her presentation included the “Intersectionality wheel of privilege.” The slide claims that white people are the most privileged in society. Waite <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oG8FQZ3vzBw">claimed</a> that people in the “inner circle” of privilege have been “hypnotized” into thinking society is “merit-based.” 
<div id="attachment_1064623" style="width: 1214px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1064623" class="size-full wp-image-1064623" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Screenshot-2026-03-23-at-2.43.57-PM.png" alt="" width="1204" height="571" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Screenshot-2026-03-23-at-2.43.57-PM.png 1204w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Screenshot-2026-03-23-at-2.43.57-PM-300x142.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Screenshot-2026-03-23-at-2.43.57-PM-1024x486.png 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Screenshot-2026-03-23-at-2.43.57-PM-768x364.png 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 1204px) 100vw, 1204px" />American Nurses Association.</div>
A separate presentation from San Diego State University assistant professor Danisha Jenkins was called “Is anti-racist care possible under capitalism?” and featured a quote from leftist Eleanor Marx, the daughter of communist Karl Marx.
<div id="attachment_1064625" style="width: 1420px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1064625" class="size-full wp-image-1064625" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Screenshot-2026-03-23-at-2.52.03-PM.png" alt="" width="1410" height="771" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Screenshot-2026-03-23-at-2.52.03-PM.png 1410w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Screenshot-2026-03-23-at-2.52.03-PM-300x164.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Screenshot-2026-03-23-at-2.52.03-PM-1024x560.png 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Screenshot-2026-03-23-at-2.52.03-PM-768x420.png 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 1410px) 100vw, 1410px" />American Nurses Association.</div>
“America’s nurses should have an organization that is focused on supporting their training and development as world-class health care providers, not creating a training ground for foot soldiers in a political battle,” Miceli said. 
As documented by Do No Harm, interpretive statements in the ANA’s code of ethics for nurses have been updated from 2015 to 2025 to include political language. For example, the “Respect for Human Dignity” statement was updated with language on “ableism, ageism, classism, heterosexism, sexism,” and a statement of commitment to patients asserts that states have laws  that “prohibit treatment for persons who are pregnant, undocumented, uninsured, gender diverse, or otherwise disenfranchised, marginalized, or socially stigmatized.”
<div id="attachment_1064627" style="width: 902px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1064627" class="size-full wp-image-1064627" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Screenshot-2026-03-23-at-3.04.17-PM.png" alt="" width="892" height="936" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Screenshot-2026-03-23-at-3.04.17-PM.png 892w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Screenshot-2026-03-23-at-3.04.17-PM-286x300.png 286w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Screenshot-2026-03-23-at-3.04.17-PM-549x576.png 549w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Screenshot-2026-03-23-at-3.04.17-PM-768x806.png 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 892px) 100vw, 892px" />Do No Harm.</div>
While the 2015 statement contained zero references to “racism,” or “anti-racism,” the 2025 version contained 15 references to those words. Similarly, there were seven references to “allyship” when the original code did not mention the word at all. 
The ANA’s political action committee also has a history of donating more money to Democratic candidates. 
<div id="attachment_1064629" style="width: 973px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1064629" class="size-full wp-image-1064629" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Screenshot-2026-03-23-at-3.07.55-PM.png" alt="" width="963" height="683" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Screenshot-2026-03-23-at-3.07.55-PM.png 963w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Screenshot-2026-03-23-at-3.07.55-PM-300x213.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Screenshot-2026-03-23-at-3.07.55-PM-812x576.png 812w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Screenshot-2026-03-23-at-3.07.55-PM-768x545.png 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 963px) 100vw, 963px" />Do No Harm.</div>
In 2026, the American Nurses Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the American Nurses Association Enterprise, announced it would be handing out health equity awards. Applicants must “demonstrate an understanding of and embrace health equity, social justice, anti-racism, and cultural humility” and show how they advance “health equity.” 
While there are approximately 5 million nurses across the United States, there are only around 190,000 members of the American Nurses Association, according to an email obtained by Do No Harm.
Do No Harm said that nurses should fight back against the politicization of their profession 
“It’s up to nurses to take back their organization, and ultimately, their profession,” Do No Harm wrote in the report. “Nurses do have a substantial collective voice, and it is well past time to use it in defense of the profession.”

Close-up of caregiver holding senior client hand. Support from nurse to patient, taking care of elderly man in hospital. Emotional support and care in healthcare.

Inside Push To Make Nursing Less White And The Comment That Stands Out

medicine

Racism

America’s defense sector should be focused on one thing above all else: building the most effective weapons systems, technologies, and capabilities in the world. At a time of mounting geopolitical tension and growing threats from major adversaries, the companies responsible for equipping the United States military cannot afford to be distracted by the woke ideologies that have consumed so much of corporate America.
As Secretary of War Pete Hegseth often says, “We want you fighting real wars, not culture wars.”
That’s a conversation we’ve been having with America’s biggest defense contractors for the past year. As corporate engagement professionals, we represent a clientele that ranges from major nonprofits to ordinary American investors, all united around one cause: getting politics out of corporate America. 
Nowhere, with the possible exception of health care, is this more critical than in our defense sector. As America protects its interests against one of our most outspoken geopolitical rivals, it’s abundantly clear that the companies behind our most advanced military capabilities need to be focused on creating powerful, innovative, and effective defense technology that defies our enemies and ensures continued American dominance.
Yet, to look at the past several years of activism in corporate America, it’s not entirely clear we’ve all been on the same page about that. For years, activists have been pounding on the doors of the American boardroom, attempting to foist a plethora of profoundly absurd ideas onto the companies tasked with protecting the country.
Perhaps part of that willingness comes as a consequence of just how bad the ideas from the other side have been. Many have been putting <a href="https://www.dailysignal.com/2024/06/21/inside-bds-lefts-sneaky-targeting-israel-via-corporate-boardrooms/">anti-Israel proposals</a> on corporate ballots at companies, including Intel and Lockheed Martin, arguing for a reassessment of their relationship with Israel, and pushing for increasing numbers of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. These activists’ arguments are often simple, if not wildly anti-business: cut ties with Israel to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/how-esg-scores-became-the-new-weapon-in-the-war-on-israel">keep a good ESG score</a>. Implement more DEI initiatives or partnerships with organizations that <a href="https://www.dailysignal.com/2024/06/21/inside-bds-lefts-sneaky-targeting-israel-via-corporate-boardrooms/">push gender ideology</a>, in order to demonstrate good corporate citizenship. 
These arguments ignore the fact that Lockheed’s and Intel’s relationships with Israel are major drivers of business value. They do not address the brand damage created by controversial corporate partnerships and divisive DEI initiatives in the workplace. They do not address the obvious moral questions of withholding critical defense infrastructure from a nation fighting a war against terrorist organizations seeking their annihilation. They do, however, parrot standard-issue talking points while calling for these companies to ditch major investments or adopt diversity programming that is difficult to justify on fiduciary grounds.
DEI quotas. Divestment based on politics. Dubious gender transition treatments. What you might think, from looking at that fairly diverse (no pun intended) slate of demands, is that those are different coalitions trying to drag American businesses off course. And in certain ways, they are. But in a very critical way, they all share one idea in common: that the business of defending the homeland isn’t enough.
As a director of corporate engagement firm Bowyer Research, I meet with companies to defend the opposite idea: core business is enough — and the notion that you have to add abortion reimbursement or DEI questionnaires to a corporation to make it moral is beyond ridiculous. And, unsurprisingly, the defense sector’s been quite on board with that idea.
We’ve been having <a href="https://bowyerresearch.substack.com/p/our-message-to-lockheed-martin-we">conversations</a> on these issues with some of America’s most prominent federal contractors, such as Lockheed Martin, RTX, General Dynamics, and others, urging them to distance themselves from past DEI initiatives, continue saying no to anti-Israel activism, and prioritize their core business. This work has been driven by our clients, including nonprofits such as <a href="https://www.heritage.org/press/heritage-enhances-free-enterprise-efforts-new-initiative-and-expanded-team">The Heritage Foundation</a> and financial professionals such as <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/podcasts/capital-record/a-report-card-on-corporate-america/">David Bahnsen</a>, using their investment portfolios to engage with management at the companies they own.
This process, called corporate engagement, has, until recently, been almost exclusively the domain of left-of-center, ESG-aligned, DEI-aligned activist groups in past years. But no longer. The right-of-center is waking up and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/why-the-pro-sanity-coalition-is-winning-again-in-corporate-america?author=Isaac+Willour&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=3&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Why+The+Pro-Sanity+Coalition+Is+Winning+Again+In+Corporate+America">having tremendous success</a> in rolling back many biased policies implemented in past years. And this momentum has only been helped by President Trump’s 2025 <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/ending-radical-and-wasteful-government-dei-programs-and-preferencing/">executive order</a> rolling back government DEI initiatives. Lockheed Martin suspended identity-based employee workforce groups. RTX <a href="https://www.them.us/story/human-rights-campaign-hrc-northrop-grumman-rtx-weapons-manufacturers">exited</a> controversial public partnerships with groups such as the Human Rights Campaign, a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/corporate-america-quietly-backs-away-from-gender-ideology-for-children?author=Isaac+Willour&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Corporate+America+Quietly+Backs+Away+From+Gender+Ideology+For+Children">major promoter</a> of gender ideology. Boeing disclosed it would no longer incorporate DEI into its executive pay structure. And Texas Instruments <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/podcasts/capital-record/a-report-card-on-corporate-america/">stopped</a> using the Southern Poverty Law Center’s ‘hate group’ list, which <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/how-the-southern-poverty-law-center-poisoned-corporate-america?author=Isaac+Willour&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=How+The+Southern+Poverty+Law+Center+Poisoned+Corporate+America">smears</a> mainstream conservative organizations like Turning Point USA and Alliance Defending Freedom as hateful, to vet charities.
Engaging with the defense sector about returning to political neutrality has largely been a good-faith effort. Companies have been willing to have serious conversations about making changes. Why? Beyond compliance, our engagement is often seen as a breath of fresh air — a welcome change from the activists who want defense companies to divest from our allies, adopt DEI agendas, and… do less defense. This is corporate engagement at its best: in our uncertain world, and amid a multiplicity of threats to the American way of life, genuine investors are asking companies to reaffirm and stand by their core business model: national defense, and with it the continuation of the greatest nation in the history of our species.
You don’t need supplier quotas or activist pledges to run that play. You need grit, determination, and merit to run that play with the American people in mind. And right now, America’s defenders are doing just that.
* * *
Isaac Willour is the director of corporate engagement at Bowyer Research, representing institutional investors before America’s biggest companies. He writes frequently on issues pertaining to business, faith, and culture, and can be found on X <a href="https://x.com/IsaacWillour">@IsaacWillour</a>.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

FRANCE-POLITICS-DEFENCE-US-LOCKHEED

America’s Defense Sector Is Ditching DEI At The Best Possible Moment

Corporations

Defense

Department of War

Lockheed Martin

Opinion

Pentagon

Hospitals across the country are still pushing woke policies, despite a nationwide backlash against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), a watchdog warned Congress. 
Consumers’ Research said lawmakers must hold hospitals receiving federal tax privileges accountable for pushing racially-focused initiatives and transgender procedures on kids, according to a <a href="https://consumersresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/CR_Woke_Hospital_Letter_EC_Final.pdf">letter</a> obtained by The Daily Wire. The letter came ahead of a congressional hearing on Wednesday morning by the House Energy and Commerce committee on improving healthcare transparency. 
“As nonprofit hospitals keep prioritizing divisive woke ideology, Congress must hold them accountable,” Consumers’ Research Executive Director Will Hild told The Daily Wire. “Federal funding and tax-exempt privileges should never be used by hospitals to advance a radical political agenda.”
“When hospitals go unchecked with access to taxpayer dollars, consumers are left footing the bill for woke policies that distract hospital support meant for patients. This pattern of waste and abuse at hospitals across the country needs to be stopped,” he added. 
Hild’s letter to House Committee on Energy and Commerce Chair Brett Guthrie and other committee members highlighted multiple examples of hospital systems he said were “using federal funding streams and taxpayer-sponsored resources to fund political agendas at the expense of patient care.”
An example in the letter included the California-based Kaiser Permanente, the largest private nonprofit healthcare organization in the country. The provider made headlines for ending transgender surgeries on children, but still has several racially focused initiatives in place. 
The aim of its <a href="https://kpcenterforblackhealth.org/">Center for Black Health and Wellness</a> is to “improve the health of our Black members, elevate their care experience, continue to build trust, create culturally responsive care, and best practices that can be shared across our organization and the health care community.”
Kaiser Permanente cites <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/study-saying-black-babies-more-likely-to-die-under-white-doctors-didnt-control-for-1-key-factor">questionable research</a> that black patients require black doctors for better health outcomes. It says the center is rooted in “equity” with the purpose of enhancing and expanding “the care of our Black patients.”
Another example cited in the letter included the University of California-San Francisco Benioff Children&#8217;s Hospital, which has a “Child and Adolescent Gender Center.” The <a href="https://www.ucsfbenioffchildrens.org/clinics/child-and-adolescent-gender-center">center</a> “offers comprehensive medical and psychological care, as well as advocacy and legal support, to transgender, nonbinary and gender-diverse children and adolescents.”
The clinic accepts patients between the ages of 3 and 17. 
“Before the onset of puberty, our care focuses strictly on social and emotional development, and we don’t offer gender-affirming medical treatments,” the clinic said. “Once a patient reaches puberty, gender-affirming medical treatments may be considered following a thorough mental health assessment by a gender specialist.”
The clinic offers puberty blockers to kids, treatments it claims are “reversible.” Groups like Do No Harm have <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/taxpayer-funded-medical-school-promotes-reversible-puberty-blockers-for-kids">highlighted</a> how puberty blockers can permanently impact bone development, particularly density in the hip and spine.
Consumers’ Research has launched the &#8220;<a href="https://consumersresearch.org/badmedicine/">Bad Medicine</a>&#8221; campaign targeting health systems it says push woke politics. Last week, it <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/a-major-health-system-scrubbed-the-woke-from-its-website-it-hasnt-really-changed">highlighted</a> how the University of Miami Health System recently scrubbed DEI and transgender-related content from its website. 
Hild told lawmakers that hospitals should be held accountable for woke policies. 
“This isn’t isolated activism. These kinds of misguided and potentially illegal policies must be stopped,” Hild wrote. “It is imperative for patients that hospitals return to their core mission of patient care and use federal funding as it was intended.”

CA Attorney General Announces 49 Million Settlement With Kaiser Foundation Over Illegal Disposal Of Hazardous Waste

Despite Nationwide DEI Backlash, Hospitals Still Pushing Woke Policies

House of Representatives

Transgender

The University of Miami Health System appears to have scrubbed references to radical gender and racial ideologies from its website. That doesn’t mean it’s abandoned those principles.
UHealth recently deleted webpages highlighting diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives and so-called gender-affirming services, information obtained by Consumers&#8217; Research and shared with The Daily Wire shows. The move comes as the Trump administration ramps up pressure on hospitals and other institutions to scale back transgender medicine and abandon DEI initiatives.
But UHealth’s facelift may just be for show. The University of Miami Miller School of Medicine operation — which once <a href="https://news.med.miami.edu/miller-school-recognized-for-diversity-and-inclusion/">boasted</a> that “diversity is not just a goal, it’s essential to the business of health care” — still maintains racial quotas for both staff and medical school applicants. And while UHealth <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20230320180241/https://umiamihealth.org/treatments-and-services/lgbtq-services">deleted</a> a public page outlining its transgender procedures, it still offers everything from hormone treatments to surgeries, sometimes to children as young as 12.
Advocates say nonprofit hospital systems receiving taxpayer support have a responsibility to focus on patient care rather than political activism. 
“Nonprofit hospitals receive massive taxpayer subsidies to care for the sick and keep us healthy, not to bankroll activist agendas,&#8221; Consumers&#8217; Research executive director Will Hild said. His organization is publishing evidence of UHealth&#8217;s ideological priorities as part of its <a id="m_380556438124433728m_-3045006689688549635OWAf2c5d792-40c8-ff0b-b285-5674e35360ac" href="https://consumersresearch.org/badmedicine/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://consumersresearch.org/badmedicine/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1773363826991000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3HkgqO57wRtJMEqYn7H99Q">Bad Medicine</a> initiative, which &#8220;targets nonprofit health systems across the country who are prioritizing political ideology over patients.&#8221;
Should UHealth continue to do so, it could put it in the government&#8217;s crosshairs as the Trump administration ramps up scrutiny of hospitals accused of prioritizing ideological programs over patient care.
“President Trump took swift action to protect children from harmful transgender ideology through executive orders to halt transgender interventions for kids,” O. H. Skinner, executive director of the Alliance for Consumers, told The Daily Wire. &#8220;The message is clear: taxpayer money should not subsidize life-ruining gender procedures on children.&#8221;
UHealth has scrubbed <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20230320180241/https://umiamihealth.org/treatments-and-services/lgbtq-services">sites</a> detailing the wide range of transgender procedures it offers — everything from specialized hormone treatments to referrals for surgical procedures and voice treatments.
<a href="https://umiamihealth.org/en/treatments-and-services/infectious-diseases/uhealth-rapid-access-wellness-clinic">All of those services</a> are still very much available at UHealth — to almost all patients.
The UHealth Rapid Wellness Clinic <a href="https://umiamihealth.org/treatments-and-services/infectious-diseases/uhealth-rapid-access-wellness-clinic#:~:text=The%20RAPID%20Program%20offers%20services%20such%20as:,care%20at%20community%20sites%20in%20Miami%2DDade%20County">continues to offer</a> transgender services, offering “personalized, holistic care for transgender people to enhance mental and physical well-being,” including prescriptions for “feminizing and masculinizing hormones” and referrals for surgical consultations.
According to <a href="https://doctors.umiamihealth.org/provider/lydia-ann-fein/1094992?_gl=1*1ifi9es*_ga*MTQ0MTcxMTA0MC4xNzcxNDQ3OTAw*_ga_JCW15RZR91*czE3NzMyMzQ0MzckbzEyJGcwJHQxNzczMjM0NDM4JGo1OSRsMCRoMA">program materials</a>, those services are available to patients as young as 12.
Dr. Lydia Ann Fein, who leads the Gender Affirmation Program at the University of Miami Health System, said in an interview with the <a href="https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/gay-south-florida/article244097007.html">Miami Herald</a> that a significant portion of the clinic’s patients are teenagers.
“Thirty percent of my transgender patients are teens,” Fein said. “I’m seeing a shift to younger patients.”
Fein attributed the increase in younger patients to greater visibility of transgender identities. “In general, with transgender and gender nonconforming people being more visible in society and the media, younger people are identifying this within themselves and parents are more aware,” she said. “It’s more accepted.”
The UHealth LGBTQ Services clinic, which houses the Gender Affirmation Program, sees hundreds of patients annually. Fein said the program coordinates with specialists across multiple fields, including plastic surgery, urology, and more.
“We also have an ear, nose, and throat surgeon and a speech pathologist for voice training and modification surgery,” she said.
Fein also emphasized the importance of psychological support for patients seeking gender-related treatments. “For those patients, it’s extremely important that they are connected to mental health care in some fashion and community organizations that offer social support,” she said.
The medical school also <a href="https://news.med.miami.edu/miller-school-and-miami-dade-college-partner-on-pathways-program/">partners</a> with Miami Dade College to increase the number of minority medical school applicants through mentoring programs, MCAT preparation, and financial stipends for participants.
“Diversity, or the lack of it, among medical professionals affects care delivery, clinical decision-making, and participation in clinical trials,” the University of Miami says. “Most importantly, it impacts patient outcomes.”
Archived materials show the medical school also hosted a <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20210222190245/https:/med.miami.edu/en/offices/diversity/about-us/task-force">“Task Force on Racial Justice,”</a> which recommended increasing recruitment of Black faculty members and encouraging more students from underrepresented minority groups to pursue training at the school. The school also launched a <a href="https://med.miami.edu/about-us/culture-change#:~:text=The%20Miller%20School%20of%20Medicine%20has%20a,*%20**History**%20*%20**Offices**%20*%20**Community%20Outreach**">“Culture Change”</a> initiative featuring faculty committees focused on improving institutional culture to create an “affirming and energizing environment.&#8221;
The University of Miami’s medical system has also embraced environmental activism through the university’s GreenU sustainability program. The initiative promotes policies aimed at reducing carbon emissions, encouraging<a href="https://greenu.miami.edu/initiatives/food-and-well-being/index.html"> reduced meat consumption</a>, and shifting school food systems toward what administrators describe as more <a href="https://greenu.miami.edu/initiatives/food-and-well-being/sustainable-food/index.html">“sustainable”</a> options.
The health system has also faced questions about oversight and leadership. In one case, a UHealth physician was fired after posting graphic photographs of transgender patients’ genitalia on a personal Instagram account. More recently, the Department of Health and Human Services <a href="https://www.hhs.gov/press-room/hhs-decertifies-miami-organ-agency-reforms-transplant-system.html">announced</a> plans to decertify and shut down a University of Miami organ procurement organization after investigators cited “years of unsafe practices, poor training, chronic underperformance, understaffing, and paperwork errors.&#8221;
The University of Miami did not respond to a request for comment.

img-sole-mia-rendering

A Major Health System Scrubbed The Woke From Its Website. It Hasn’t Really Changed.

Donald Trump

Hospitals

Miami

Wokeness

When a crippling ice storm hit Nashville leaving hundreds of thousands in the cold and dark, customers could rest assured knowing that the utility company tasked with restoring power made sure its employees were trained to recognize their &#8220;implicit biases&#8221; and had a diverse friend group.
In January 2026, winter storm Fern slammed into Nashville, leaving a heavy coat of ice that took out trees and powerlines throughout the city. The resulting damage left 230,000 residents without power for days amid frigid temperatures. During the storm, the Nashville Electric Service (NES), a public-private utility responsible for powering the city, was lambasted by residents and elected officials alike for its confusing communication about its preparation and response to the historic storm.
Amid the chaos, Democrat Mayor Freddie O&#8217;Connell attempted to shift blame away from his office while top Republicans pointed to the utility&#8217;s documented focus on DEI and climate change. Republican officials questioned whether the utility had become more focused on politics rather than competency.
<div id="attachment_1052805" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1052805" class="size-full wp-image-1052805" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2257840500.jpg" alt="Damaged ice-covered trees and downed power lines during a winter storm in east Nashville, Tennessee, US, on Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. US power grids are expected to grapple with unprecedented seasonal demand and the threat of blackouts after a damaging winter storm coated parts of the South and Mid-Atlantic in ice - leaving brutal cold in its wake." width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2257840500.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2257840500-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2257840500-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2257840500-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Photographer: Kate Dearman/Bloomberg via Getty Images.</div>
While previous reporting highlighted NES boasting about its DEI trainings, new documents obtained by The Daily Wire through public record requests reveal the actual trainings.
One training called &#8220;Building a Culture of Trust&#8221; focused on the concept of &#8220;implicit bias,&#8221; a theory that people are unintentionally prejudiced against others based on their identity. A training slide defined implicit bias as &#8220;a negative attitude, of which one is not consciously aware, against a specific social group.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_1052633" style="width: 2054px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1052633" class="size-full wp-image-1052633" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Screenshot-2026-03-02-at-12.00.20-PM.png" alt="" width="2044" height="1146" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Screenshot-2026-03-02-at-12.00.20-PM.png 2044w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Screenshot-2026-03-02-at-12.00.20-PM-300x168.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Screenshot-2026-03-02-at-12.00.20-PM-1024x574.png 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Screenshot-2026-03-02-at-12.00.20-PM-768x431.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Screenshot-2026-03-02-at-12.00.20-PM-1536x861.png 1536w" sizes=" (max-width: 2044px) 100vw, 2044px" />NES slide obtained by Daily Wire.</div>
The training was facilitated in 2023 by Chandra Jarrett of the Nashville-based Joy Consulting Group, according to a schedule of trainings obtained by The Daily Wire. It was required for all supervisors and managers. The training did not appear on the schedule for the 2024-2025 training schedule provided to The Daily Wire.
The objective of the training was to &#8220;identify and create a culture of trust&#8221; and to &#8220;identify implicit or unconscious bias to become more aware of the impact on coworkers and customers.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_1052625" style="width: 2068px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1052625" class="size-full wp-image-1052625" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Screenshot-2026-03-02-at-12.00.40-PM.png" alt="" width="2058" height="1178" srcset="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Screenshot-2026-03-02-at-12.00.40-PM.png 2058w, https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Screenshot-2026-03-02-at-12.00.40-PM-300x172.png 300w, https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Screenshot-2026-03-02-at-12.00.40-PM-1006x576.png 1006w, https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Screenshot-2026-03-02-at-12.00.40-PM-768x440.png 768w, https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Screenshot-2026-03-02-at-12.00.40-PM-1536x879.png 1536w" sizes=" (max-width: 2058px) 100vw, 2058px" />NES training obtained by Daily Wire.</div>
Another slide says that implicit bias can be &#8220;thoughts or feelings we have without our conscious knowledge,&#8221; &#8220;can be stereotypes about others,&#8221; or can be &#8220;negative attitudes or opinions about others.&#8221;  To combat implicit bias, employees were told to &#8220;intentionally&#8221; pursue &#8220;diversity in relationships.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_1052679" style="width: 2570px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1052679" class="size-full wp-image-1052679" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/MixCollage-03-Mar-2026-10-53-AM-1619.jpg" alt="" width="2560" height="1440" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/MixCollage-03-Mar-2026-10-53-AM-1619.jpg 2560w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/MixCollage-03-Mar-2026-10-53-AM-1619-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/MixCollage-03-Mar-2026-10-53-AM-1619-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/MixCollage-03-Mar-2026-10-53-AM-1619-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/MixCollage-03-Mar-2026-10-53-AM-1619-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/MixCollage-03-Mar-2026-10-53-AM-1619-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" />NES slide obtained by Daily Wire.</div>
Employees were asked to consider whether they were &#8220;connected&#8221; to people of different races and sexual orientations than themselves.
<div id="attachment_1052687" style="width: 2570px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1052687" class="size-full wp-image-1052687" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/MixCollage-03-Mar-2026-10-56-AM-4043.jpg" alt="" width="2560" height="1440" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/MixCollage-03-Mar-2026-10-56-AM-4043.jpg 2560w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/MixCollage-03-Mar-2026-10-56-AM-4043-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/MixCollage-03-Mar-2026-10-56-AM-4043-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/MixCollage-03-Mar-2026-10-56-AM-4043-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/MixCollage-03-Mar-2026-10-56-AM-4043-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/MixCollage-03-Mar-2026-10-56-AM-4043-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" />NES slide obtained by The Daily Wire.</div>
Later in the presentation, employees were given multiple examples of &#8220;implicit bias in the workplace.&#8221; One of the examples of &#8220;sexual orientation bias&#8221; included a fictional scenario where a woman was fired for asking for time off for a &#8220;Pride&#8221; event.
“A woman tells her boss she would like to take off for Pride weekend. Her coworker says, &#8216;You shouldn’t have told him that because he’s not into that.&#8217; A few weeks later the woman is terminated,&#8221; the scenario read. 
<div id="attachment_1052701" style="width: 2570px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1052701" class="size-full wp-image-1052701" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/MixCollage-03-Mar-2026-11-04-AM-813.jpg" alt="" width="2560" height="1440" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/MixCollage-03-Mar-2026-11-04-AM-813.jpg 2560w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/MixCollage-03-Mar-2026-11-04-AM-813-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/MixCollage-03-Mar-2026-11-04-AM-813-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/MixCollage-03-Mar-2026-11-04-AM-813-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/MixCollage-03-Mar-2026-11-04-AM-813-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/MixCollage-03-Mar-2026-11-04-AM-813-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" />NES training slide obtained by Daily Wire.</div>
An example of &#8220;gender and professional bias&#8221; in the workplace was the common cultural assumption that men will provide for their families.
&#8220;Men are often seen as &#8216;providers&#8217; for their families, many times receiving higher pay and opportunities for promotion,&#8221; the slide says. &#8220;Women are not given the same opportunities, sometimes considered as inexperienced or unable to complete the same projects/tasks as men.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_1052707" style="width: 2570px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1052707" class="size-full wp-image-1052707" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/MixCollage-03-Mar-2026-11-09-AM-3965.jpg" alt="" width="2560" height="1440" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/MixCollage-03-Mar-2026-11-09-AM-3965.jpg 2560w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/MixCollage-03-Mar-2026-11-09-AM-3965-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/MixCollage-03-Mar-2026-11-09-AM-3965-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/MixCollage-03-Mar-2026-11-09-AM-3965-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/MixCollage-03-Mar-2026-11-09-AM-3965-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/MixCollage-03-Mar-2026-11-09-AM-3965-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" />NES training slide obtained by Daily Wire.</div>
Another slide says that a hiring manager did not hire a Muslim woman because of her faith, even though the manager determined she did not have the skills for the job.
&#8220;A woman in a hijab applies for a position but she’s not considered because of your belief about Muslims,&#8221; the slide said. &#8220;Your assessment says she was not hired because of skills but the truth is that she was denied because of her ethnicity and faith.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_1052713" style="width: 2570px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1052713" class="size-full wp-image-1052713" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/MixCollage-03-Mar-2026-11-12-AM-9309.jpg" alt="" width="2560" height="1440" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/MixCollage-03-Mar-2026-11-12-AM-9309.jpg 2560w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/MixCollage-03-Mar-2026-11-12-AM-9309-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/MixCollage-03-Mar-2026-11-12-AM-9309-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/MixCollage-03-Mar-2026-11-12-AM-9309-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/MixCollage-03-Mar-2026-11-12-AM-9309-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/MixCollage-03-Mar-2026-11-12-AM-9309-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" />NES training slide obtained by Daily Wire.</div>
Another slide appeared to be a personal story from the training administrator claiming that a white man told her she would make a &#8220;good maid&#8221; and that a judge confused her son as a criminal defendent because of his hair.
&#8220;A few years ago, my son entered the court room with his client and the judge assumed he was the client because of his locs. My son is an attorney,&#8221; the slide said. &#8220;Early in my engineering career, while working in a production plant, I was told by a White man that I would make a good maid.&#8221;
The presentation concluded by telling employees to &#8220;be curious by asking questions of people who can teach you about your implicit biases&#8221; and &#8220;courageous in admitting your implicit biases with a willingness to grow and change.&#8221;
Several of the slides from the presentation have the logo of the GiANT consulting group. GiANT told The Daily Wire it was not involved in crafting the training and did not create the slides.
&#8220;As part of our Culture of Civility and Belonging Training Series, we implemented these comprehensive professional development programs designed to enhance interpersonal dynamics and operational excellence,&#8221; a spokesman for Nashville Electric Service told The Daily Wire. &#8220;These modules were completed by employees in 2023-2025. We are proud of our employees&#8217; commitment to these principles as they continue to serve our customers.&#8221;
Other trainings obtained by The Daily Wire showed that employees were trained in various leadership and communication styles, team dynamics, conflict resolution, and ways to increase &#8220;belonging&#8221; at the utility.
According to its 2024 Community Investment <a href="https://www.nespower.com/-/media/project/nes/common/pdfs/annual-reports/2024/nes-esg-2024-report-interactive.pdf">report</a>, Nashville Electric Service held 102 Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Accessibility, and Belonging (DEIAB) themed training sessions in 2023 and into 2024.
&#8220;These courses are the first step in a multi-year training series to foster DEIAB values throughout the organization,&#8221; the report boasted. The trainings were not mentioned in the 2025 community investment report.
As the historic storm left Nashville reeling, the Tennessee Star <a href="https://tennesseestar.com/politics/nashville-electric-service-receives-consulting-for-dei-projects-and-initiatives-from-field-superintendent-who-recruits-new-employees/tpappert/2026/01/29/">reported</a> that the board of Nashville Electric Service was considering the contract of a DEI consultant. That prompted backlash from locals and Republican lawmakers who questioned why the utility was discussing DEI amid the disaster.
A spokesman for NES told The Daily Wire that it does not do DEI training.
&#8220;We hire, train and promote employees in accordance with laws governing non-discrimination, merit-based promotion and overall qualification to execute a job&#8217;s duties. We have had a long-standing commitment to maintaining a workplace culture rooted in mutual respect, civility and trust,&#8221; the company said. 
Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), currently running for governor, sent a <a href="https://www.blackburn.senate.gov/services/files/7D81B642-E140-4ABA-86C0-CD46005EBDCD">letter</a> to NES on January 30 demanding answers about the utility&#8217;s handling of the storm. In a post on X, Blackburn questioned its DEI initiatives.
&#8220;The Nashville Electric Service held 102 DEI-related training sessions by the end of 2024,&#8221; Blackburn said. &#8220;They should’ve been using those resources to trim trees and bury utilities. This is what happens when companies put woke politics over the needs of the people they serve.&#8221;
In the meantime, NES has <a href="https://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2026/02/17/nashville-electric-service-lobbyists.html">hired</a> numerous lobbyists to combat the criticism.

MixCollage-03-Mar-2026-01-23-PM-8402

EXCLUSIVE: Before Historic Storm, Embattled Electric Service Asked Workers If They Had Gay Friends

Implicit Bias

Marsha Blackburn

Nashville

Tennessee

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said Friday that Scouting America, formerly known as the Boy Scouts, agreed to abandon its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and ensure private spaces for males and females. 
Hegseth said the Pentagon would continue providing support to Scouting America contingent on its compliance with demands to drop woke policies. He added that the department would yank funding if the organization did not follow through on its commitment to end DEI policies. 
&#8220;After 2012, however, the Boy Scouts lost their way, and a once great organization became gravely wounded. Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) crept in. The name was changed to ‘Scouting America.’  Girls were accepted,” Hegseth said in a video message.  &#8220;The focus on God as the ruler of the universe was watered down to include openness to humanism and Earth-centered pagan religions. Scouting became an organization that no longer supported and celebrated boys.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The Department of War has officially put Scouting America on notice.
It’s time to get back to basics — and DoW is leading the charge. <a href="https://t.co/EnY9mvaFLX">pic.twitter.com/EnY9mvaFLX</a>
— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecWar/status/2027369564531818827?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 27, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Historically, the department has supported the Scouts by providing personnel and access to equipment, installations, facilities, and office space. Hegseth said the changes adopted by the organization since 2012 “jeopardized the relationship with this department and I was very seriously considering ending our support of scouting altogether.&#8221;
Hegseth said Scouting America agreed to comply with President Donald Trump’s executive order on &#8220;Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity,” which bars federal funding for organizations that promote DEI. He described the move as one of several “key reforms” the group had agreed to implement. 
He said the organization would be &#8220;reviewing and replacing politicized, divisive, and discriminatory language throughout the organization&#8217;s programs and all publications. No more DEI. Zero.”
Hegseth added that the organization would discontinue a DEI-focused merit badge and introduce a new military service badge. He said Scouting America would also clarify its policies to ensure that showers, tents, and other private spaces were kept sex-specific. 
“Scouting America will modify its policy to make clear that membership will be based solely on biological sex at birth and not gender identity,” Hegseth said. “That means that the application, any application, will have only two sex designations, male and female, and the application must match the applicant&#8217;s birth certificate. Scouting will also make clear that biological boys and girls will not be allowed to occupy or share intimate spaces together.”
In a statement to The Daily Wire, Scouting America said it had engaged in dialogue with the Trump administration to comply with the DEI executive order, but added that it would keep its current name and emphasized that girls would still be welcome.
&#8220;Over several months, we engaged in dialogue with Department leadership to align on how we could deepen our service to military families, while making programmatic updates to comply with Executive Order 14173,&#8221; the organization said. &#8220;Today we are moving forward with implementing new programmatic elements that deliver on that mission: waiving registration fees for military families, launching a new merit badge focused on military service and veterans, and reinforcing our commitment to Scouting’s foundational ideas: leadership, character, duty to God, duty to country and service. &#8221;
Hegseth said that the Department of War would review Scouting America’s compliance with the agreement and reassess its support in six months to determine whether to continue providing funding.
Earlier this month, Hegseth <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hegseths-war-department-says-boy-scouts-must-roll-back-woke-or-lose-military-support">gave</a> an ultimatum to Scouting America, telling the organization to ditch DEI or lose support from the Department of War. Before rebranding to Scouting America, the organization was known as the Boy Scouts for more than a century. Hegseth said he would like to see the organization return to its original name.

SECRETARY OF WAR PETE HEGSETH, COLORADO

Trump Admin Strikes Deal With Boy Scouts To End Woke Policies — Here Are The Reforms

Boy Scouts

Pete Hegseth

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