An office launched by the State of Texas to investigate banned diversity, equity, and inclusion practices at universities has launched its first investigation, according to a complaint obtained by The Daily Wire.
The probe centers on a complaint filed by a former student at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas, who alleges that the school is operating &#8220;a shadow D.E.I. program in violation of state law.&#8221; The complaint also alleges that university employees &#8220;discriminate against conservatives &#8230; and those that they perceive do not support D.E.I. or leftist political beliefs.&#8221;
The state launched the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Office of the Ombudsman last year to serve as a watchdog for universities to ensure they are not violating anti-DEI laws. The office has since begun accepting complaints from students, faculty, and employees.
The office can push to withhold state funding from schools found to have violated state law that have failed to address the issues, <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2026/04/03/texas-ombudsman-investigate-university-complaints/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to The Texas Tribune.
&#8220;The Office of the Ombudsman enforces key Texas higher education laws that prohibit divisive practices and unconstitutional discrimination as well as ensure accountability for important personnel and curriculum decisions at public universities,&#8221; Brandon L. Simmons, who leads the office, told The Daily Wire.
&#8220;We take every complaint seriously and will fully investigate allegations of potential violations. Our work helps protect a fair learning environment in which Texas students are treated equally under the law,&#8221; Simmons said.
The complaint at the center of the office&#8217;s first investigation is heavily redacted, leaving many details unclear.
In one alleged incident, the former student claimed that a campus peer tutoring office sought &#8220;to restrict political speech following Charlie Kirk&#8217;s assassination.&#8221; After Kirk&#8217;s killing, university staff informed students in the tutoring office that &#8220;we&#8217;re a political free zone,&#8221; the former student&#8217;s attorney, Tanner Franklin, told The Daily Wire.
Franklin is representing the ex-student alongside State Rep. Briscoe Caine.
The ex-student responded to the group message, saying, &#8220;I appreciate &#8230; that we&#8217;re not going to be political, but that&#8217;s not what&#8217;s happening in reality,&#8221; referring to other tutors who wore &#8220;clothing with obvious political slogans such as &#8216;No person can be illegal on stolen land&#8217; and &#8216;From the River to the Sea,'&#8221; a Palestinian chant for wiping Israel off the map.
He was subsequently fired from the tutoring office.
Franklin said that he believes the university retaliated against his client.
&#8220;His point was that&#8217;s fine if you want to be viewpoint neutral, that&#8217;s fine, but you actually have to be viewpoint neutral. And in response, they deleted his comment immediately from the group and basically sent him a message separately, saying, &#8216;Well, we&#8217;ll handle it.&#8217; And that was it. And then a week and a half later, he basically gets fired,&#8221; Franklin said.
In another instance, the ex-student said he was punished for asking a transgender student for their legal name when taking attendance. The transgender student would not provide their name, which was on the class roster, and only gave their preferred name.
&#8220;That student went and complained that my client was essentially being mean to him,&#8221; Franklin said.
The complainant and his attorney subsequently met with university officials to air his concerns.
&#8220;I left the meeting hopeful that SFA took my reports seriously and would take proper, and immediate action to address these serious issues. Unfortunately, that was not the case,&#8221; the student said in the complaint.
The school provided the former student with an &#8220;update&#8221; more than a week after the meeting took place, informing him that they &#8220;would be &#8216;firming up dress code expectations.'&#8221;
The university&#8217;s general counsel also told the former student that university employees &#8220;did not know what &#8216;From the River to the Sea&#8217; meant.&#8221;
&#8220;This fell far short of the full and transparent investigation that I requested and certainly did not hold anyone accountable,&#8221; the complaint reads.
As a result of the university&#8217;s actions and alleged failure to address the situation, the former student chose not to &#8220;walk at his graduation&#8221; out of concern about further retaliation, Franklin said, adding that his client &#8220;was just so disheartened with how the university had handled this process.&#8221;
Franklin hopes that the ombudsman&#8217;s office can push for greater accountability.
“We appreciate the Office of the Ombudsman for taking this complaint seriously and conducting a thorough investigation. Our client’s courageous decision to file this complaint is a critical step toward holding rogue university officials accountable,&#8221; the attorney said.
&#8220;We must ensure that the free speech rights of Texas students are protected and that any restrictions on speech are applied in a viewpoint-neutral manner. The Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and the Legislature’s conservative majority have made it clear: Texans are tired of conservative student voices being silenced and targeted at our taxpayer-funded institutions. When it happens, there will be consequences,&#8221; he added.
In a statement, the university said it &#8220;complies with all state and federal laws,&#8221; adding that &#8220;if there is a governmental investigation, the university will fully cooperate.&#8221;

Untitled design – 2026-07-09T114115.040

EXCLUSIVE: Texas’ Anti-DEI College Crackdown May Have Its First Target

Charlie Kirk

Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI)

Greg Abbott

Texas

A federal infrastructure program used by the Biden administration to fund bike lanes and “advance equity” will go toward fixing America’s bridges, roads, and shipping ports, The Daily Wire has learned. 
The Trump administration announced Tuesday that it would be awarding $1.73 billion in infrastructure grants through the Department of Transportation to improve roads and bridges. Under Biden, the department focused on fighting “climate change,” pushing DEI, and funding bike lanes. 
“America is fortunate to have a Builder in the White House who knows America is only as great as our infrastructure,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told The Daily Wire. “That’s why this Department is investing in repairing critical roads and bridges that connect Americans to job opportunities, port infrastructure that bolsters our national security, and aviation and transit projects that move American families.”
The funding will be awarded through the Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) program.
Around 77% of the total grant funding ($1.3 billion) will be allocated to roads and bridges along critical transportation arteries, and another 7% will go toward beefing up the nation’s maritime infrastructure, the Department of Transportation told The Daily Wire. In contrast to Biden, when around 20% of funding went toward pedestrian-bike lane projects, no funds will go toward bike lanes. Just 2% of the funding under Biden went toward maritime projects, according to the Department of Transportation. 
“The impact of these dollars will be felt in communities nationwide for years to come,” Duffy added. 
During the Biden presidency, the BUILD program was renamed Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE), but the Trump administration changed the name back to BUILD.
Former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg focused on pushing DEI and climate-related projects through the program. In November 2021, Buttigieg <a href="https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/us-secretary-transportation-buttigieg-announces-nearly-1-billion-grant-awards">declared</a> the program would focus on “equity” and combating “climate change.”
In 2023, the Biden administration <a href="https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/us-department-transportation-announces-availability-15-billion-raise-grants-made">said</a> it wanted grant applicants to “consider how their projects can address climate change, ensure racial equity, and remove barriers to opportunity.&#8221; That same year, Buttigieg <a href="https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/secretary-buttigieg-appoints-members-advisory-committee-transportation-equity-acte">reestablished</a> an Advisory Committee on Transportation Equity with the purpose of helping the department &#8220;institutionalize equity into Agency programs, policies, regulations, and activities.&#8221;
A <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/07/21/us-news/pete-buttigiegs-dot-spent-80-billion-on-dei-grants-delayed-air-traffic-control-upgrades-records-industry-insiders/">report</a> last year from the New York Post revealed that more than $80 billion was designated to DEI-related projects under Buttigieg’s four years as transportation secretary.
Shortly after taking office, Duffy <a href="https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/us-transportation-secretary-sean-duffy-takes-action-rescind-woke-dei-policies-and">moved</a> to implement the Trump administration&#8217;s policy of eliminating DEI from government programs and policies. He directed department officials to rescind any DEI or climate change-related policies.

President Trump Holds Press Briefing

Trump Uses Biden’s Billion-Dollar DEI Bike Lane Program To Fix What Americans Actually Use

Biden Administration

Department of Transportation

Pete Buttigieg

Sean Duffy

Trump Administration

The YMCA deleted a pledge recognizing “gender identity” as one of its priorities for inclusion after a watchdog warned that girls may be forced to share cabins with gender-confused boys at camps across the country. 
The website scrubbing took place after The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/is-your-childs-summer-camp-safe?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=What+Your+Child%E2%80%99s+Summer+Camp+May+Not+Be+Telling+You">reported</a> on a campaign by the American Parents Coalition urging parents to research their local YMCA’s transgender policies before sending their child to camp. YMCA camps across the country from Colorado to Michigan have policies in place allowing boys who identify as girls to stay in female cabins and use female intimate spaces. 
Before the campaign, the YMCA had a “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20260520192855/https://ds.ymca.org/aboutus">section</a> on its website that highlighted how it worked “to ensure that everyone” regardless of a variety of personal identifiers including “gender identity” and “sexual orientation” had the opportunity to “reach their full potential with dignity.”
&nbsp;
<div id="attachment_1126429" style="width: 2275px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1126429" class="size-full wp-image-1126429" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-01-at-6.45.22-AM.png" alt="" width="2265" height="517" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-01-at-6.45.22-AM.png 2265w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-01-at-6.45.22-AM-300x68.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-01-at-6.45.22-AM-1024x234.png 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-01-at-6.45.22-AM-768x175.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-01-at-6.45.22-AM-1536x351.png 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-01-at-6.45.22-AM-2048x467.png 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 2265px) 100vw, 2265px" />YMCA page prior to Daily Wire report</div>
Now the words “diversity, equity, and inclusion” have been removed, as have all the references to various personal identities.
&nbsp;
<div id="attachment_1126431" style="width: 2071px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1126431" class="size-full wp-image-1126431" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-01-at-6.45.48-AM.png" alt="" width="2061" height="416" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-01-at-6.45.48-AM.png 2061w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-01-at-6.45.48-AM-300x61.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-01-at-6.45.48-AM-1024x207.png 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-01-at-6.45.48-AM-768x155.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-01-at-6.45.48-AM-1536x310.png 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-01-at-6.45.48-AM-2048x413.png 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 2061px) 100vw, 2061px" />Updated YMCA page</div>
A spokesman for the YMCA told The Daily Wire that the digitial services page featuring the DEI statement &#8220;was no longer in use and expires at the end of the year&#8221; and that it reviewed &#8220;all language/content and programs&#8221; based on an executive order from the Trump administration targeting DEI. 
The spokesmean added that &#8220;we revised the language to match existing content across our other channels.&#8221;
Last year, the YMCA <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ymca-scrubs-transgender-guidance-after-parent-group-raises-alarm?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=YMCA+Scrubs+Transgender+Guidance+After+Parent+Group+Raises+Alarm">scrubbed</a> guidance from its website saying that its campers should have access to bathrooms and cabins based on their gender identities after a similar campaign from the American Parents Coalition. 
&#8220;The YMCA continues to get caught embedding gender ideology into its national infrastructure and is desperately trying to scrub the evidence and rebrand overnight. Hiding the language doesn’t erase the policies they are promoting,” Alleigh Marré, the group’s executive director, told The Daily Wire. “Parents deserve the truth, not deletions.”
Local YMCA camps still have posted “gender inclusive” policies disclosing that they will house campers based on gender identity and appear to say they will keep a child’s so-called gender identity a secret from parents. 
“If a camper shares information about their identity while at camp, we respect their privacy and autonomy,” the Sherman Lake YMCA in Michigan <a href="https://www.shermanlakeymca.org/safety-equity-at-sherman-lake-ymca">details</a> online. “We will only share this information with caregivers if the camper gives express consent, unless there is a concern related to the health or safety of the camper or others.”
Similarly in New York, Camp Gorham <a href="https://rochesterymca.org/ymca-camp-gorham-overnight-summer-camp">offers</a> “girl+” cabins as a “space for girls, trans and non-binary campers who feel most comfortable living with girls” and “Boy+ Cabins” for “boys, trans and non-binary campers who feel most comfortable living with boys.”
Marré told The Daily Wire her organization would “continue to highlight the Y for pushing an ideology that compromises fairness, privacy, and safety.”

Logo or sign for the YMCA in the downtown district

YMCA Scrubs ‘Gender Identity’ Pledge After Daily Wire Report

Gender Identity

summer

Transgender

YMCA

If the Karmelo Anthony trial had happened under a Kamala Harris presidency or back in 2020, American cities would likely be burning right now.
Instead, there is near silence. The race-baiting playbook just officially broke.
You&#8217;ve heard me say many times on the show that politics is downstream of culture, meaning that when culture changes, politics follows; that culture is the leader, and politics follows the culture.
But sometimes culture is downstream of politics, meaning that leadership actually matters. And that is particularly true when it comes to race relations in the United States. The leadership of our country matters.
When our leaders promote meritocracy, equal justice before the law, and colorblindness rather than diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), Americans tend to follow.
By contrast, when our leaders promote racial polarization, Americans also tend to follow.
Back to Karmelo Anthony.
A year and a half ago, Karmelo Anthony, a black 17-year-old, stabbed to death 17-year-old Austin Metcalf , who was white. He murdered him in cold blood in front of witnesses. The case was clear from day one.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ben-shapiro-show-ep-2442?elementPosition=1&amp;row=0&amp;rowHeadline=Recent+Episodes&amp;rowType=Horizontal+Show+Episodes+Carousel"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-981859" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/ben-banner.avif" alt="" width="1024" height="171" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/ben-banner.avif 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/ben-banner-300x50.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/ben-banner-768x128.jpg 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>
But Karmelo Anthony&#8217;s family and his spokespeople began retelling a racial narrative in which Anthony was justified, or at least understandable in why he did what he did, because he was the victim.
A victim of what?
Perhaps because of the actual victim, Austin Metcalf, who allegedly threw him out of a track tent; perhaps because of racism; perhaps because of white America more broadly.
None of that worked.
Yesterday, Anthony was convicted of murder. He will see 35 years in prison and be eligible for parole in 17.
There weren&#8217;t any riots, no major protests, not even much of a legacy media response.
That’s because in a sane and rational universe, in which law and order prevail, Americans understand that race has nothing to do with whether murder must be punished. Murder must be punished, no matter who the murderer is and who the victim is.
Would the lack of response have happened if Kamala Harris were president, Joe Biden, or Barack Obama?
I have my doubts.
I&#8217;m old enough to remember the destruction of racial comity in America when Barack Obama got directly involved in the Trayvon Martin case in 2013. That was the case in which Trayvon Martin, a young black teenager, was killed by George Zimmerman under disputed circumstances. There was a long trial; Zimmerman had claimed that it was self-defense, and the prosecution tried to claim that Zimmerman had done it in cold blood.
And Barack Obama got directly involved, saying, if he had a son, he would have looked like Trayvon, which, of course, was not true.
I remember major riots when a white cop shot a black man who had attacked him in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014. And then the entire legacy media falsified the story, claiming that the cop was racist and that Michael Brown had tried to surrender to him. “Hands up, don&#8217;t shoot!”
Which never happened.
Obama again injected himself and said that nobody in Ferguson would have made something like that up.
It was entirely made up.
It is not a coincidence that race relations in America took a nosedive beginning in 2013-14. Remember 2020, when the death of George Floyd —almost certainly due to drug use combined with excited delirium, not police brutality — led to the most disastrous race riots in modern American history.
So if Kamala Harris were president, what would have happened after the Karmelo Anthony conviction yesterday? Would we be prepping a new round of recriminations over supposed systemic racism in the United States?
That is the question we should be asking, because much of what President Trump&#8217;s presidency is about, his return to power, is about avoiding the worst outcome.
And this is just another example of where the worst outcome has been mitigated or avoided because Americans turned away from the race narrative that was sold by the Democrats.
On the Karmelo Anthony family Give Send Go page, there are comments such as these:
<blockquote>I hope you raise $1 mil. These white people can die mad like they ancestors did. Whites have been obsessed with black people for years.  It&#8217;s 2025. The hate is embedded into their DNA at this point. They don&#8217;t know if they love us or hate us. Lol, too bad we don&#8217;t care.
I am donating again after seeing the need for additional protection/expenses. I am so glad to see him get released on bond. These crackas need to understand we are not our ancestors and they will reap what they sow. I hope that knife made a full recovery. Justice for Karmelo.</blockquote>
There&#8217;s no real allegation that Austin Metcalf&#8217;s behavior was racist in any way. Right from the beginning, the Metcalf family acted with honor. Metcalf&#8217;s father publicly forgave Anthony in a Christian fashion and explicitly stated that this was not a race issue.
The real question is: Why didn&#8217;t this thing explode?
The answer is because you did not have people in prominent positions of power, say, the presidency, trying to facilitate and foster this, because in this moment, the president of the United States we&#8217;ve called upon would say justice was done. A murderer is going to jail.
And that&#8217;s all.
It’s because the American people responded to a decade of racialized politics by saying, “We are tired of this. We don&#8217;t want it. We&#8217;re not interested in a DEI regime that divides Americans by race. We don&#8217;t want that anymore. We want equal justice before the law. We don&#8217;t want every criminal situation to become some sort of referendum on whether America is systemically racist.”
We&#8217;re not interested in that anymore.

karmelo_austin

The Karmelo Anthony Verdict Just Broke The Left’s Favorite Narrative

Ben Shapiro

Karmelo Anthony

Opinion

Race relations

When President Donald Trump signed <a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.justice.gov/ag/media/1388501/dl?inline__;!!PxibshUo2Yr_Ta5B!wzMdLk0dBWg5xW7UbVX3oMLaBALlwKKSVCF16lUGRjXf4PRtEuCmIV1zbyVGw2KFQ2oGvvcRiu0E93CAqSKAIaV4wQ0$">his January 2025 Executive Order banning Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)</a>, Americans cheered the &#8220;end&#8221; of the divisive, hateful ideology. Meanwhile, university administrators rolled their eyes, feigned compliance, and continued advancing their toxic agenda.
Fortunately, the U.S. Department of Justice just announced a Title VI investigation into one of the worst offenders: Arizona State University (ASU). The outcome could have ripple effects throughout the country.
This comes on the heels of Accuracy in Media (AIM) releasing hidden-camera videos from institutions across the country. Our team wanted to determine if the radicals running higher education were actually in compliance with the law. What we discovered was a shell game. DEI offices were renamed, DEI programs were rebranded, DEI job titles were changed, but the activism continued.
If I dropped names like the University of Alabama, <a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://youtu.be/wHSY5Vu5z8k?si=TQMqthyWpX1qUxjV__;!!PxibshUo2Yr_Ta5B!wzMdLk0dBWg5xW7UbVX3oMLaBALlwKKSVCF16lUGRjXf4PRtEuCmIV1zbyVGw2KFQ2oGvvcRiu0E93CAqSKASHdrI6Q$">NC State</a>, the <a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://youtu.be/qTIrC4TmLeg?si=ry3Igbv4j0H-xgs2__;!!PxibshUo2Yr_Ta5B!wzMdLk0dBWg5xW7UbVX3oMLaBALlwKKSVCF16lUGRjXf4PRtEuCmIV1zbyVGw2KFQ2oGvvcRiu0E93CAqSKAbqcMnUc$">University of Texas</a>, Louisville, and the <a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://youtu.be/zVMdHjELgTw?si=qXFQLZlpknaAb9Bt__;!!PxibshUo2Yr_Ta5B!wzMdLk0dBWg5xW7UbVX3oMLaBALlwKKSVCF16lUGRjXf4PRtEuCmIV1zbyVGw2KFQ2oGvvcRiu0E93CAqSKAnaHMrwg$">University of Kentucky</a>, you’d probably think I was offering a poor prediction of the preseason AP football poll. In fact, these are all universities where we’ve discovered taxpayer-funded DEI activism, often in defiance of state law.
Our investigation would start by examining whether staffers bragged about bending or breaking the law when speaking with someone they believed to be an ideological ally. Then a surprise visit with a cameraman revealed what they’d say when confronted with the reality of the situation.
The resulting videos went viral.
To the surprise of many, some of the worst footage came from ASU. On most campuses, one or two administrators brag about continuing DEI. But at ASU, seven were recorded engaging in such behavior. When more than a half-dozen highly paid staffers are caught, there’s no denying the entire orchard is rotten.
One administrator admitted, “<a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://youtu.be/nWspgS0CvKU__;!!PxibshUo2Yr_Ta5B!wzMdLk0dBWg5xW7UbVX3oMLaBALlwKKSVCF16lUGRjXf4PRtEuCmIV1zbyVGw2KFQ2oGvvcRiu0E93CAqSKAtJZXAbs$">We’re doing pretty much what we were doing before</a>.” Another confessed, “<a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://youtu.be/xEiqeRkAFcs__;!!PxibshUo2Yr_Ta5B!wzMdLk0dBWg5xW7UbVX3oMLaBALlwKKSVCF16lUGRjXf4PRtEuCmIV1zbyVGw2KFQ2oGvvcRiu0E93CAqSKAmYcWQbk$">&#8230; we are still doing the same thing</a>,” and added, “It’s kind of embedded … this is who we are.” A third summed it up by saying, <a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGbmUGL1hTk__;!!PxibshUo2Yr_Ta5B!wzMdLk0dBWg5xW7UbVX3oMLaBALlwKKSVCF16lUGRjXf4PRtEuCmIV1zbyVGw2KFQ2oGvvcRiu0E93CAqSKAraxFc4M$">“We are DEI.”</a> When someone tells you — and shows you — who they are, believe them.
An administrator from ASU’s education college says, “<a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://youtu.be/a853GCbyt5Y__;!!PxibshUo2Yr_Ta5B!wzMdLk0dBWg5xW7UbVX3oMLaBALlwKKSVCF16lUGRjXf4PRtEuCmIV1zbyVGw2KFQ2oGvvcRiu0E93CAqSKAL9rL1yI$">I know that the new legislation has asked us to eliminate it, but it’s in our hearts in education, so education has that just naturally.</a>” This is consistent with what we hear in education colleges across the country. When Americans wonder why their child’s school is more focused on indoctrination than education, they need only look at the education colleges.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Sfr6O0tFnLQ?si=RumxHVlqSqcI7Iwt" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
The same is true for colleges of social work and criminology. If you wonder why social workers sound more like activists, it’s because their colleges require them to be committed to social justice.
I wasn’t taken aback by these results, but I was shocked by the lack of response from ASU’s leadership. The individuals featured in our videos frequently find themselves out of work. A half dozen administrators in North Carolina lost their jobs <a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJHRUVhQTYHqAtc2OH-oOV9n3z-K5DIWl&amp;si=t8fug_1lr_tviPHm__;!!PxibshUo2Yr_Ta5B!wzMdLk0dBWg5xW7UbVX3oMLaBALlwKKSVCF16lUGRjXf4PRtEuCmIV1zbyVGw2KFQ2oGvvcRiu0E93CAqSKAlNAd1_c$">after appearing in AIM videos</a> recently, including the <a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://youtu.be/27rMRZLGGEM?si=VgF_sTMueeJm5K-W__;!!PxibshUo2Yr_Ta5B!wzMdLk0dBWg5xW7UbVX3oMLaBALlwKKSVCF16lUGRjXf4PRtEuCmIV1zbyVGw2KFQ2oGvvcRiu0E93CAqSKAu9yul34$">dean of students of UNC-Asheville</a>.
<a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJHRUVhQTYHpjNCyKhN8vNI1zT9Lbf747&amp;si=fFWMvPN1gYHfGJiZ__;!!PxibshUo2Yr_Ta5B!wzMdLk0dBWg5xW7UbVX3oMLaBALlwKKSVCF16lUGRjXf4PRtEuCmIV1zbyVGw2KFQ2oGvvcRiu0E93CAqSKAMo_vheA$">In Texas, the results are similar</a>. We investigate, and <a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://fortworthreport.org/2026/04/16/uta-staff-member-no-longer-employed-by-the-university-after-hidden-camera-video-of-her-discussing-dei-circulates/__;!!PxibshUo2Yr_Ta5B!wzMdLk0dBWg5xW7UbVX3oMLaBALlwKKSVCF16lUGRjXf4PRtEuCmIV1zbyVGw2KFQ2oGvvcRiu0E93CAqSKAprCSg0I$">the offender is</a> fired. I don’t think this is because the university cares about reform. It’s more likely that they’re afraid of Texas’s Attorney General Ken Paxton, who <a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://cbsaustin.com/news/local/paxton-investigates-alleged-illegal-dei-teachings-at-university-of-north-texas__;!!PxibshUo2Yr_Ta5B!wzMdLk0dBWg5xW7UbVX3oMLaBALlwKKSVCF16lUGRjXf4PRtEuCmIV1zbyVGw2KFQ2oGvvcRiu0E93CAqSKAbhXVXYA$">regularly investigates the universities we expose</a>.
To be clear, we don’t view the firing of one individual as a victory. These staffers are usually replaced by someone just as radical but aware enough to keep their mouth shut. The reality is that senior administrators who hire and manage these people probably know that lawbreaking is occurring and support this behavior. Alternatively, these executives are so incompetent that they’re unqualified to work for the taxpayers. Either way, they don’t deserve a government paycheck.
The DOJ’s investigation into ASU’s DEI program comes on the heels of its investigation into <a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJHRUVhQTYHrqVniC6IdbUvz73ReeI4Q1&amp;si=g2pXRbcjnlvkypo-__;!!PxibshUo2Yr_Ta5B!wzMdLk0dBWg5xW7UbVX3oMLaBALlwKKSVCF16lUGRjXf4PRtEuCmIV1zbyVGw2KFQ2oGvvcRiu0E93CAqSKAG8up0R4$">Ohio State University</a>. These actions are a massive step towards cleaning houses at America’s universities.
The Justice Department is examining whether ASU&#8217;s DEI policies affected admissions, recruitment, scholarships, tutoring, and educational support services. If investigators conclude that ASU&#8217;s DEI programs violate federal civil rights law, political activists masquerading as “educators” will likely begin job searching.
But to truly rid our universities of DEI, each state must enact a <a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.flgov.com/eog/news/press/2023/governor-ron-desantis-signs-legislation-strengthen-floridas-position-national__;!!PxibshUo2Yr_Ta5B!wzMdLk0dBWg5xW7UbVX3oMLaBALlwKKSVCF16lUGRjXf4PRtEuCmIV1zbyVGw2KFQ2oGvvcRiu0E93CAqSKAwEkAvi0$">Florida-style DEI ban</a>, which prohibits administrators and professors from promoting identity politics. Educators are still free to discuss controversial topics in the appropriate courses, but they can’t promote antiracism and social justice in math class.
Arizona State will soon discover that legal compliance isn&#8217;t optional. Other universities would be wise to take notice. My hope is that this DOJ investigation will set the precedent that their divisive politics will no longer be tolerated in taxpayer-funded institutions.
***
Adam Guillette is the president of Accuracy in Media.

University Of Michigan Students Protest Dismantling Of DEI Programs

University DEI Holdouts Feel The Squeeze From Trump’s DOJ

DW Opinion

University Radicals

For years, the federal government handed out money for important scientific research based on racially-focused “diversity” goals and requirements. 
Since beginning his second term in office, President Donald Trump has moved to banish diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) from the federal grant process through executive orders. Rep. Ralph Norman, a Republican from South Carolina, wants to ensure those racially-focused requirements, once implemented by the nation’s largest funders of scientific research, do not return.  
“Taxpayer-funded research should be awarded based on merit, innovation, and results, not DEI-driven activist handouts,” Norman told The Daily Wire. “Americans are tired of watching universities prioritize ideological checkboxes over achievement.”
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Norman, running in the South Carolina governor&#8217;s race on an anti-DEI platform, introduced a <a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/1046071956/NORMAN-Merit-Restoration-Act?_gl=1*1jcsz0b*_up*MQ..*_ga*MTk1OTI2NzA0OC4xNzgwNDE3MjMx*_ga_Z4ZC50DED6*czE3ODA0MTcyMzAkbzEkZzEkdDE3ODA0MTcyMzQkajU2JGwwJGgw*_ga_8KZ8BV0P5W*czE3ODA0MTcyMzAkbzEkZzEkdDE3ODA0MTcyMzQkajU2JGwwJGgw">bill</a> on Tuesday that would ban the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health from using DEI requirements or diversity mandates when deciding which scientific projects to fund. 
The bill, known as the Merit Restoration Act, states that federal research agencies “may not use any prohibited diversity, equity, or inclusion practice in awarding, evaluating, or continuing a Federal research grant.”
In archived pages, the National Science Foundation, which has an annual budget of more than $8 billion, <a href="https://www.nsf.gov/funding/opportunities/bpe-broadening-participation-engineering/505962/nsf22-514/solicitation">said</a> one of the agency&#8217;s main priorities was increasing the participation of “underrepresented groups” and women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. 
This focus was reflected in the agency&#8217;s Broadening Participation in Engineering <a href="https://www.nsf.gov/funding/opportunities/bpe-broadening-participation-engineering/505632/pd19-7680">program,</a> designed to increase the involvement of racial and sexual minorities in engineering. It defined underrepresented races as people who are black, Hispanic, American Indians, and Pacific Islander. 
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<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1106913" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/Screenshot-2026-06-02-at-10.58.02-AM.png" alt="" width="1551" height="529" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/Screenshot-2026-06-02-at-10.58.02-AM.png 1551w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/Screenshot-2026-06-02-at-10.58.02-AM-300x102.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/Screenshot-2026-06-02-at-10.58.02-AM-1024x349.png 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/Screenshot-2026-06-02-at-10.58.02-AM-768x262.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/Screenshot-2026-06-02-at-10.58.02-AM-1536x524.png 1536w" sizes=" (max-width: 1551px) 100vw, 1551px" /></div>
Other NSF grants have also been used to fund travel to academic <a href="https://www2024.thewebconf.org/attending/nsf-student-travel-awards/">conferences</a> that <a href="https://www.wsdm-conference.org/2024/nsf-student-travel-awards/">gave</a> &#8220;priority&#8221; for scholarships to individuals from “underrepresented groups.” 
Another example listed by Norman’s office was an NIH research education program <a href="https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-CA-21-020.html">focused</a> on “educational activities that encourage individuals from diverse backgrounds, including those from groups underrepresented in the biomedical and behavioral sciences, to pursue further studies or careers in research.”
These types of programs came as NIH had an official statement on its “interest in diversity” that said that it encouraged “institutions to diversify their student and faculty populations to enhance the participation of individuals from groups that are underrepresented in the biomedical, clinical, behavioral, and social sciences.”
That NIH page has been <a href="https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-20-031.html">deleted</a> as the Trump administration has moved to eliminate DEI-focused funding. 
The Trump administration has also faced litigation over its decision to terminate more than 1,000 grants related to DEI or radical gender ideology. In December 2025, the agency agreed to a settlement to review grants on a standardized case-by-case basis. Many of the projects impacted were kept sealed from the public record, making it difficult to determine exactly which grants were involved.
“Federal research dollars should support the strongest proposals and the best science, whether in medicine, engineering, or scientific innovation, not political agendas,” Norman told The Daily Wire. “That’s what taxpayers expect and deserve.”

The answers are all in the details

Trump’s Effort To Purge DEI From Science Funding Could Be Locked Into Law

South Carolina

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A watchdog group is launching a new campaign targeting two of the nation’s largest nonprofit hospital systems, arguing they have strayed from patient care and should risk losing their tax-exempt status as a result.
Consumers&#8217; Research is set to roll out its “Woke Hospitals” initiative on Monday, ahead of a Tuesday hearing by the House Ways and Means Committee focused on rising health care costs. The campaign singles out New York-Presbyterian and CommonSpirit Health, accusing both of prioritizing political and social initiatives over core medical services.
The campaign includes a mobile billboard expected to circulate near Capitol Hill and <a href="http://wokehospitals.com/">a dedicated website</a> detailing the group’s allegations — what the group describes as “ideological overreach” by nonprofit hospitals benefiting from federal tax advantages.
Will Hild, executive director of Consumers’ Research, said the effort is intended to draw attention to what he describes as a misalignment between public subsidies and hospital priorities. “It is appalling to see hospitals indulge in woke politics while their patients struggle with long waits, surprise bills, and a continuous lack of price transparency,” Hild said in an exclusive statement to The Daily Wire. “Nonprofit status is not an automatic right; it is a public subsidy granted in exchange for a public benefit.”
According to the campaign materials, Consumers’ Research is highlighting programs at New York-Presbyterian that it says reflect an institutional focus on “health equity” and social justice. Among them is the hospital’s <a href="https://www.nyp.org/daliocenter">Dalio Center for Health Justice</a>, which promotes initiatives aimed at addressing disparities tied to race, socioeconomic status, and access to care. The hospital has described these programs as a core part of its mission, with leadership emphasizing that addressing long-standing inequities is essential to improving patient outcomes.
<div id="attachment_1084581" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1084581" class="size-medium wp-image-1084581" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/NY-Pres-MBB-300x169.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/NY-Pres-MBB-300x169.jpeg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/NY-Pres-MBB-1024x576.jpeg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/NY-Pres-MBB-768x432.jpeg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/NY-Pres-MBB.jpeg 1280w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />Billboard content provided by Consumers&#8217; Research</div>
Consumers’ Research points to the hospital’s own language as evidence of a broader shift in priorities. “Our goal is to contribute to equal healthcare and equal education because we believe that these are the most fundamental building blocks of equal opportunity and just society,” said Ray Dalio, founder of Dalio philanthropies and a hospital trustee.
Hospital CEO Dr. Stephen J. Corwin similarly emphasized the institution’s focus on broader social goals, stating, “We are living in a profound time where social, economic and health crises are converging at once. … New York Presbyterian hopes to be a leader in health justice.”
The group also points to New York-Presbyterian’s Compass Program, which provides support services for trans-identifying youth, including counseling, family assistance, and medical referrals. Hospital leadership has publicly affirmed its commitment to “gender-affirming care,” describing it as an important part of serving the patient population.
At CommonSpirit Health, Consumers’ Research is focusing on the system’s Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging, which coordinates a multi-pronged strategy aimed at reducing disparities in health care access and outcomes. The hospital network has described its work as an effort to improve care delivery through better data collection, community partnerships, and workforce diversification.
The campaign also highlights CommonSpirit’s participation in initiatives such as the <a href="https://www.chausa.org/news-and-publications/publications/catholic-health-world/archives/november-1-2023/commonspirits-five-pillars-approach-is-about-creating-equity-for-all">Race to Zero climate effort</a>, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as well as partnerships designed to expand opportunities for underrepresented groups in the medical field.
The timing of the campaign is designed to intersect with congressional scrutiny of nonprofit health care systems. Lawmakers in both parties have increasingly questioned <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hospitals-posting-real-prices-before-care-could-soon-be-the-new-reality">pricing transparency</a>, executive compensation, and whether nonprofit hospitals are providing sufficient community benefit to justify their tax status.
Consumers’ Research says it hopes the campaign will push Congress to more aggressively scrutinize whether hospitals that engage in political or ideological initiatives should continue receiving favorable tax treatment. The group has also indicated that this is only the first in a series of efforts targeting nonprofit health care providers. Hild said the group plans to continue highlighting what it sees as misuse of taxpayer-supported resources. “As this new campaign shows, Consumers’ Research will continue exposing hospitals and hold them accountable,” he said.
“Consumers are right to be fed up,” Hild added. “They’re dealing with long wait times, high costs, and a lack of transparency—while the institutions meant to serve them are pursuing agendas that have little to do with patient care.”
The targeted hospital systems have not yet publicly responded to the campaign’s Monday launch, though both have previously defended their equity and community health initiatives as central to their missions.

Close-up of sterilized and ready for use surgical instruments on medical tray during surgery operation in operating room at hospital

Are Hospitals Putting ‘Woke’ Politics Over Patients? New Campaign Targets Major Systems.

Congress

Health

Healthcare

Hospitals

U.S.

A nonprofit co-founded by a Republican running for Georgia governor on an anti-DEI platform encouraged corporations to adopt racially-focused recruiting efforts and embed diversity, equity, and inclusion policies in the “fabric” of company culture. 
Rick Jackson, a billionaire healthcare executive hoping to succeed Governor Brian Kemp, has pledged to ban DEI programs in state government and public education. The nonprofit he founded, <a href="https://gobeyondprofit.org/who-we-are/">goBeyondProfit,</a> once encouraged companies to guarantee final interview slots to women and racial minorities, adopt “aspirational” DEI goals, and read anti-white activist Ibram X. Kendi’s “How to Be an Antiracist.” 
Jackson has <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vJumkS_CbU&amp;t=2s">positioned</a> himself as a conservative outsider who will make Georgia the lead in the nation for criminal deportations, get wokeness out of schools, “ban DEI insanity and criminalize reverse discrimination,” and cut the state income tax in half. The Republican hopeful, who founded the Georgia-based Jackson Healthcare in 2000, has loaned his campaign $50 million. 
“Rick hires like the Georgia Bulldogs: Only the best players hit the field. Period,&#8221; Jackson&#8217;s campaign told The Daily Wire. The campaign added that many other conservative business leaders were connected to goBeyondProfit. 
“Many of Georgia’s most successful and conservative business leaders are program ambassadors or members including Bernie Marcus of Home Depot until his passing and Chick-Fil-A,&#8221; the campaign said. 
<div id="attachment_1081551" style="width: 2570px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1081551" class="size-full wp-image-1081551" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-04-21-at-10.46.54-AM-scaled.png" alt="" width="2560" height="1378" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-04-21-at-10.46.54-AM-scaled.png 2560w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-04-21-at-10.46.54-AM-300x162.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-04-21-at-10.46.54-AM-1024x551.png 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-04-21-at-10.46.54-AM-768x413.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-04-21-at-10.46.54-AM-1536x827.png 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-04-21-at-10.46.54-AM-2048x1103.png 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" />Rick Jackson for Governor.</div>
In 2017 Jackson and his son <a href="https://jacksonhealthcare.com/atlanta-business-chronicle-presents-rick-jackson-of-jackson-healthcare-with-2025-lifetime-achievement-award/">started</a> goBeyondProfit, an organization that encourages corporate generosity and social engagement. In January 2021, goBeyondProfit posted a <a href="https://gobeyondprofit.org/leading-a-thriving-workplace/">video series</a> entitled “Leading a Thriving Workplace with Race in Mind.” Jackson is still listed as an ambassador of the organization. 
The videos featured DEI consultant Darah Okeke and Matthew Harrison, the former vice president of human resources at Jackson’s healthcare company, discussing what actions corporate leaders should take to ensure that DEI is in the “fabric of the company.” 
In a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bY5iSxzQdsI">video</a> entitled “Action Steps to a Diverse Workplace,” Harrison said that it would be &#8220;cringeworthy” for corporate leaders to “do nothing” related to DEI. 
Okeke said that corporations needed to make room in their budget for outside DEI consultants to come in or to create DEI-focused internal departments. 
“I think a lot of people poo-poo DEI and don&#8217;t understand that it&#8217;s a true discipline, that there is a lot of research in this space,” she said. “It&#8217;s very difficult to be a D&amp;I expert or an HR practitioner, and to be given these lofty goals of what you want to do to advance diversity within an organization, but no budget to really support you and back you up.”
Later in the video, Okeke said that companies should adopt a “diverse slate initiative” for interviewing prospective employees. 
“When you&#8217;re interviewing for a particular requisition, then you have, as a practice and a policy, that you will make sure that you interview at least one woman and at least one person of color, at that final stage of the interview process,” she said. “I&#8217;ve seen it done at multiple workplaces and seen it work extremely well in terms of increasing the diversity of those individuals that were hiring for certain roles.”
Harrison then jumped in and said he had adopted similar measures while working at Jackson Healthcare. 
“Here at Jackson Healthcare, I took over leading talent acquisition here in June of 2019 and put that in place, and within a year, we saw [an] increase in the number of people of color that we hired into new roles. It went from 9% to 25%,” he said. 
Jackson Healthcare did not respond to a request for comment from The Daily Wire, but previously said it does not hire based on DEI principles. 
Okeke then said that companies should specifically focus on recruiting from historically black universities, black fraternities and sororities, and minority-industry groups. She also said that companies should use their “black talent” and “women talent” to refer companies to prospective employees. 
Harrison said that interview panels should be racially diverse. 
“It&#8217;s important that the interview panel that that person is interviewing with is diverse,&#8221; Harrison said. &#8220;Someone who is of color, it may mean something to them to be able to see that there are other people similar to them that took part in the hiring process or will be a part of this organization that they&#8217;re joining.&#8221;
Harrison also said that Jackson Healthcare had “associate network groups” where white people were allowed to learn what it was like to be a racial minority and men were allowed to learn about the experiences of women. 
“It allows for people who are not a part of that group to be educated on what it&#8217;s potentially like to be another, whether it&#8217;s being a woman, being a person of color,” he said. 
Okeke said that she agreed with opponents of racially-focused groups who argued it was separating people by race, but said it was needed for them to feel safe. 
“There&#8217;s this kind of idea that, &#8216;Well, aren&#8217;t you separating even more, or self-segregating, by having these groups that are focused on the black employee resource group, or the women&#8217;s group?&#8217;” she said. “But my thought is that, &#8216;Well, yeah,&#8217; I mean we are separating ourselves, but we&#8217;re also creating a safe space and an environment that can be very difficult for us.” 
At the end of the video Okeke said that she recommended reading Kendi’s “How to Be an Antiracist,” saying that “being an anti-racist is a proactive effort.”
<div id="attachment_1081529" style="width: 1515px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1081529" class="size-full wp-image-1081529" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-04-20-at-10.35.53-AM.png" alt="" width="1505" height="715" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-04-20-at-10.35.53-AM.png 1505w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-04-20-at-10.35.53-AM-300x143.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-04-20-at-10.35.53-AM-1024x486.png 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-04-20-at-10.35.53-AM-768x365.png 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 1505px) 100vw, 1505px" />Screenshot from goBeyondProfit video.</div>
Other videos posted in the series included “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqKIS3lN4gQ">Beyond Bias &amp; Blind Spots,</a>” which focused on the idea of implicit bias and the “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fVmoW6iShA">Impact of Racial Inequity at Work</a>.” 
The bias video talked about the idea of so-called “microaggressions” and suggested that business leaders take time to confess their own biases to co-workers while the other video claimed that the “vestiges of slavery” still impact the American workplace today. 
Okeke said that the idea that people can be colorblind, the idea that one should strive to treat all people the same regardless of race, was flawed.
“Unless you actually have the medical diagnosis of color blindness, you are not color blind. You see me. I am a beautiful black woman sitting in front of you,” she said. &#8220;You see my color, you see my locks, you see who I am.&#8221;
Jackson’s campaign did not respond to requests for comment from The Daily Wire.
Throughout 2021, goBeyondProfit posted a number of articles <a href="https://gobeyondprofit.org/recommended_reading/your-employees-want-you-to-talk-about-race/">claiming</a> that employees wanted their bosses to talk about race, <a href="https://gobeyondprofit.org/recommended_reading/self-discovery-for-inclusive-leadership-could-unknown-bias-be-hindering-your-workplace/">embrace</a> “inclusive leadership,” and gradually <a href="https://gobeyondprofit.org/recommended_reading/communicating-incremental-steps-toward-diversity-equity-inclusion/">implement</a> DEI programs. 
Other candidates vying for the Republican nomination include Lt. Governor Burt Jones, Attorney General Chris Carr, and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. The Republican primary is set for May 19, 2026.

MixCollage-21-Apr-2026-12-25-PM-6177

Republican Promises To Ban DEI As Governor. His Nonprofit Was Steeped In It.

Corporate America

Georgia

Politics

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

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

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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.

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

Corruption

Department of Justice

Department of Veterans Affairs

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