Trump allies back Rick Scott in GOP Senate leader race as they look to influence secret ballot
Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., began receiving a deluge of endorsements from President-elect Donald Trump-aligned conservatives following his decisive re-election victory last week, including support from billionaire X owner Elon Musk and several of his Senate colleagues. “Rick Scott for Senate Majority Leader!” Musk wrote on his platform on Sunday. The Tesla CEO endorsed Trump in the 2024 election and became a fixture of his campaign as the election inched closer. In fact, Trump has reportedly vowed to include Musk in his administration, claiming he will tap him to run a commission on government efficiency. SCHUMER WON’T ALLOW DAVE MCCORMICK AT SENATE ORIENTATION, CITING OUTSTANDING PA BALLOTS Scott also racked up endorsements from former presidential candidates Vivek Ramaswamy and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Sens. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., Rand Paul, R-Ky., Ron Johnson, R-Wis., Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., and Marco Rubio, R-Fla. Prior to last week, there were only two public endorsements in the Senate Republican leader race. Sens. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., and Mike Rounds, R-S.D., backed Senate Minority Whip John Thune, R-S.D., soon after he launched his bid for leader in the spring. SENATE LEADER CONTENDER JOHN THUNE RESPONDS TO NEW TRUMP LITMUS TEST AHEAD OF ELECTION Before endorsing Scott, Musk criticized Thune, writing on X, “(Republican) Senator Thune is the top choice of Democrats.” Scott, Thune and Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, are the current contenders to succeed Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. The election will be conducted via secret ballot on Wednesday. Cornyn received his first public endorsement from Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., who cited the Texas senator’s support for legislation that he has spearheaded. While many figures close to Trump have gotten behind Scott, the president-elect himself has not made an endorsement. He also has not said whether he plans to. CORNYN TOUTS LIFETIME FUNDRAISING PROWESS FOR GOP IN FINAL CASE TO SUCCEED MCCONNELL However, Trump has made some requests of the candidates. “Any Republican Senator seeking the coveted LEADERSHIP position in the United States Senate must agree to Recess Appointments (in the Senate!), without which we will not be able to get people confirmed in a timely manner,” he wrote on X. “Sometimes the votes can take two years, or more. This is what they did four years ago, and we cannot let it happen again. We need positions filled IMMEDIATELY! Additionally, no Judges should be approved during this period of time because the Democrats are looking to ram through their Judges as the Republicans fight over Leadership. THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE. THANK YOU!” Scott quickly shared his agreement with Trump. Cornyn, who spoke with Trump on the subject on Sunday, vowed to stay in session until the president-elect’s appointments can be confirmed, including on weekends. He also noted that “the Constitution expressly confers the power on the President to make recess appointments.” TIM SCOTT LAUNCHES BID TO CHAIR NRSC AS GOP SEEKS TO CAPITALIZE ON NEW MINORITY GAINS Thune responded exclusively to Fox News Digital, signaling he was open to Trump’s request. “I’ve spent eight months carefully listening to my colleagues about their vision for the next chapter of the Senate Republican Conference, especially as we hit the ground running with President Trump,” he said in a statement. “One thing is clear: We must act quickly and decisively to get the president’s cabinet and other nominees in place as soon as possible to start delivering on the mandate we’ve been sent to execute, and all options are on the table to make that happen, including recess appointments. We cannot let Chuck Schumer and Senate Democrats block the will of the American people.” Recess appointments refer to the president’s ability to fill federal vacancies that occur while the Senate is in recess. This power is outlined in the Recess Appointments Clause of the Constitution. For the president to unilaterally make these appointments, the Congress must be in recess, which the House and Senate leadership must agree to go into. Fox News Digital reached out to Scott’s office for comment.
GOP senator offers to ‘personally escort’ McCormick to Senate orientation after Schumer hold
Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, has offered to “personally escort” Republican Pennsylvania Senator-elect Dave McCormick into the Capitol to attend the new-senator orientation after Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., moved to block him. “I’m willing to personally escort @DaveMcCormickPA into the Capitol for new-senator orientation. I’d like to see how they’d keep him out if he literally walked into ‘the room where it happens’,” Lee wrote from his personal X account Sunday. Lee said Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Missouri, “has indicated he’ll join the effort.” “I’d welcome other senators to join us!” Lee added. “I’ll be right there alongside you, Mike,” Sen. Katie Britt, R-Alabama, responded. “Dave McCormick is the Senator-elect for Pennsylvania. And deserves to be at orientation alongside every other member of his freshman class.” SCHUMER WON’T ALLOW DAVE MCCORMICK AT SENATE ORIENTATION, CITING OUTSTANDING PA BALLOTS A Schumer spokesperson told Fox News Digital that McCormick was not invited because at the time there were still “over 100,000 ballots left to be counted” in Pennsylvania’s Senate race, claiming that the contest “has not been decided.” “As is custom, we will invite the winner once the votes are counted,” the spokesperson said. Fox News Digital reached out to McCormick’s campaign for comment on Schumer’s refusal and Lee’s offer, but they did not immediately respond. The Associated Press on Thursday called the race in favor of McCormick over three-term Democratic incumbent Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey. Casey has not conceded, citing the thousands of ballots still to be counted. “I have dedicated my life to making sure Pennsylvanians’ voices are heard, whether on the floor of the Senate or in a free and fair election,” Casey wrote on X on Thursday. “It has been made clear there are more than 100,000 votes still to be counted. Pennsylvania is where our democratic process was born. We must allow that process to play out and ensure that every vote that is eligible to be counted will be counted. That is what Pennsylvania deserves.” According to the Pennsylvania elections results website, McCormick led Casey by 40,145 votes as of Monday morning, a margin of 0.58%, just above the margin that triggers an automatic recount. McCormick was leading by more than 30,000 votes when the AP called the race at 4:09 p.m. Thursday. Though there were an estimated 91,000 votes still outstanding at that time, the AP asserted that there were not enough in areas supporting Casey for him to make up the difference. In an appearance on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures,” McCormick said he was up by “by something like 40,000 votes, which is a very significant margin,” so “mathematically, there’s no path for Senator Casey to win.” “And ultimately, Senator Casey’s going to have to decide when he’s willing to acknowledge that,” McCormick added. PA SEN-ELECT MCCORMICK THANKS CASEY FAMILY FOR DECADES OF SERVICE AS DEMOCRAT DECLINES TO CONCEDE “Schumer is not allowing @DaveMcCormickPA to participate in Senate orientation this week because Casey refuses to concede the race,” Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., wrote on X. “What happened to all the demands that our leaders accept the outcome of the elections?” Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego, of Arizona, also had not been invited to the new-senator orientation. While he is ahead, the AP has yet to call the Arizona Senate race between Gallego and Republican Kari Lake. The winner will replace outgoing Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, who left the Democratic Party two years ago. “In 2018 my race wasn’t called for 6 days. I jumped on a redeye to DC to make senate orientation-I learned so much & made lasting relationships that week,” Sinema wrote on X. “Dave McCormick & Ruben Gallego will be Senators for PA & AZ. They should be invited to orientation & start learning the job.” Fox News’ Julia Johnson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Pro-Palestinian protesters plan anti-Veterans Day gathering at Columbia University: ‘DISGUSTING’
Pro-Palestinian protesters at Columbia University are coordinating an anti-Veterans Day gathering to instead celebrate “those martyred by the Israel-US war machine,” just months after a congressional probe was launched into antisemitism on the Ivy League campus. According to a flyer for the gathering, the protest is scheduled for noon on Monday, Veterans Day, at the Sundial, which the university describes as “a highly trafficked location and is often used as a campus landmark for gathering.” “We reject this holiday and refuse to celebrate it. The American war machine should not be honored for the horrors unleashed on others,” the flyer promoted on social media reads. “Instead we will celebrate martyrs day in honor of those martyred by the Israel-US war machine,” the flyer says. NETANYAHU CONDEMNS ANTISEMITIC POGROM IN AMSTERDAM, WARNS WORLD LEADERS ATTACKS WILL SPREAD IF DON’T ACT News of the gathering garnered backlash on social media, including from the Columbia Jewish Alumni Association, who condemned the “atrocious behavior.” “This post by CUAD is absolutely DISGUSTING,” the group wrote in a post on X. “They ‘reject’ VETERAN’S DAY??? We unequivocally condemn this disgraceful attempt to pervert and disrespect the sacrifices of our military veterans.” TWO JEWISH STUDENTS AT DEPAUL UNIVERSITY TARGETED ON CAMPUS BY MASKED ATTACKERS “Wonder if these activists at @Columbia realize that veterans won and preserved their right to protest?” Craig Bruce Smith, an associate professor of National Defense University, wrote on X. “In an attempt to become even more unpopular, the students in Columbia University Apartheid Divest say they will reject Veterans Day and celebrate ‘martyrs day’ instead,” wrote Steve McGuire, Paul & Karen Levy Fellow in Campus Freedom at the American Council of Trustees and Alumni, on X. The protest comes just months after the Ivy League university was plagued with anti-Israel protests following the Oct. 7 massacre in Israel. The House Ways and Means and the Education and the Workforce committees have been leading an investigation into antisemitism on college campuses, including Columbia University, since April that they say has “uncovered a deeply worrisome, systemic culture of antisemitism at a large number of elite American universities across the country.” A spokesperson for Columbia University told Fox News Digital that they will be monitoring the gathering. “Columbia is proud of our students, faculty and staff who are veterans, and we are grateful for their service and sacrifice and the invaluable contributions they offer to our community. The University honors its veterans on Veterans Day and every day, and we are proud to be participating in the New York Veterans Day Parade tomorrow, as we have for more than a decade,” the university said in a statement. “We are aware that a small group has called for a demonstration today, and our public safety team is monitoring for any disruptions to campus activity. As always, we are committed to preserving our core mission to teach, create, and advance knowledge.”
Here are the Democrats who may eventually run for president in 2028
The Democratic Party is soul-searching in the wake of last week’s stunning setbacks both in the presidential election and the down-ballot races. A wave of incriminations and finger pointing is well underway, and more earnest autopsies of what went wrong and how to make corrections will soon commence. Concurrent with those efforts are talks about who will steer the Democratic Party going forward, and looking down the road, which potential contenders may eventually make a bid to lead the party in the next presidential election. While 2028 may seem like a long way away, recent history shows that the early moves in the next White House race start – well – very early. HOW TRUMP WON: THE DETAILS FROM THE FOX NEWS VOTER ANALYSIS The unofficial starting gun for the 2024 race was fired by former President Donald Trump less than two months after leaving the White House, with a CPAC speech that teased his eventual 2024 presidential campaign. A few weeks later, the first visits to the key early voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire by potential GOP presidential contenders were also underway. Fast-forward four years and expect similar actions by Democratic politicians who may harbor national ambitions. With the soon-to-be 82-year-old President Biden exiting the national stage, and Vice President Kamala Harris, in the wake of her sound defeat last week by Trump, retrenching, the road to the 2028 nomination appears wide open. “The jockeying for 2028 took a brief pause when Harris became the nominee and looked to be in a strong position, which would have meant shutting out potential candidates for the next 4 to 8 years. Now, though, it’s wide open, and it won’t be long before we see clear maneuvering from a litany of candidates,” seasoned Democratic political strategist Chris Moyer told Fox News. SOME RACES AREN’T OVER: CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS 2024 ELECTION RESULTS Moyer, a veteran of a handful of presidential campaigns, noted that “this will include travel to states like New Hampshire and South Carolina and Nevada, presumably under the auspices of helping candidates in the midterms. Democratic voters in the early states will soon want to find someone they can get excited about and a future to look forward to in the midst of the misery of another four years of Trump in the White House. These potential candidates will be more than happy to oblige.” The results of the 2026 midterm elections will have a major impact on the shape of the next White House race. For now, however, here is an initial look at Democratic Party politicians considered to be potential 2028 presidential contenders. Gov. Gavin Newsom of California California Gov. Gavin Newsom was a top surrogate for President Biden during the president’s re-election bid. With the blessing of the White House, the two-term California governor debated then-Republican presidential candidate and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis last year on Fox News. Newsom’s travels on behalf of Biden brought him to New Hampshire and South Carolina, two crucial early voting states on the Democratic Party’s nominating calendar. After the vice president, his friend and fellow Californian, replaced Biden atop the Democrats’ 2024 ticket, the governor continued – after a pause – his efforts to keep Trump from returning to the White House. With Trump’s election victory last week, Newsom became one of the Democratic Party leaders getting ready to lead the opposition. The governor announced that California state lawmakers would meet to quickly take legislative action to counter Trump’s likely upcoming agenda. The 57-year-old Newsom’s second term in Sacramento will finish at the end of next year, right around the time the 2028 presidential election will start to heat up. Gov. JB Pritzker of Illinois Illinois Gov JB Pritzker, similar to Newsom, is already taking steps to Trump-proof his state. “You come for my people, you come through me,” Pritzker told reporters of his efforts to protect Illinois. Pritzker was also a high profile surrogate on behalf of Biden and then Harris during the 2024 cycle. Those efforts brought Pritzker to Nevada, a general election battleground state and an early voting Democratic presidential primary state, and New Hampshire. However, before he makes any decision about 2028, the 59-year-old governor must decide if he will run in 2026 for a third term steering Illinois. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan Two-term Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer grabbed plenty of attention and became a Democratic Party rising star in 2020 when she feuded with then-President Trump over COVID pandemic federal assistance and survived a foiled kidnapping attempt. Trump, at the time, called her “that woman from Michigan.” Along with Newsom and Pritzker, Whitmer’s name was floated as a possible replacement for Biden following his disastrous debate performance against Trump in late June, before the president endorsed Harris and the party instantly coalesced around the vice president. Whitmer was a leading surrogate for Biden and then for Harris and made a big impression on Democratic activists during a stop this summer in New Hampshire on behalf of Harris. The governor is term-limited and will leave office after the end of next year. Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, the 51-year-old first-term governor of Pennsylvania, was on Harris’ short-list for vice presidential nominee. Even though the vice president named Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate, Shapiro remained a top surrogate on behalf of his party’s 2024 national ticket. However, his two-day swing in New Hampshire during the final full week ahead of Election Day did raise some eyebrows and 2028 speculation. After Harris lost battleground Pennsylvania to Trump, there was plenty of talk within the party that Harris had made the wrong choice for her running mate. Shapiro, who has a track record of taking on the first Trump administration as Pennsylvania attorney general, is expected to play a similar role with the former president returning to the White House. The governor will be up for re-election in 2026. Gov. Wes Moore of Maryland Maryland Gov. Wes
Biden, Harris to appear together for first time since Election Day at Veterans Day ceremony
President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are expected to appear together for the first time since Election Day at a Veterans Day ceremony on Monday. Biden and Harris are to participate in a Presidential Armed Forces Full Honor Wreath-Laying Ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at 11 a.m. ET, according to the president’s public schedule. First lady Jill Biden and second gentleman Doug Emhoff are also scheduled to attend. Afterward, Biden is expected to deliver remarks at the National Veterans Day Observance at the Memorial Amphitheater. Harris, the first lady and second gentleman will be in attendance as well. As Democrats pick up the pieces after President-elect Donald Trump’s decisive victory, some of Harris’ backers are expressing frustration that Biden’s decision to continue his re-election campaign until the summer — despite long-standing concerns about his age, inflation and border security – all but sealed his party’s surrender of the White House. “The biggest onus of this loss is on President Biden,” Andrew Yang, who ran against Biden in 2020 for the Democratic nomination and endorsed Harris’ unsuccessful run, said, according to The Associated Press. “If he had stepped down in January instead of July, we may be in a very different place.” PSAKI ADMITS DEMS MADE A MISTAKE BY TRYING TO REACH NEVER-TRUMP VOTERS AND IGNORING DISAFFECTED DEMOCRATS “Maybe in 20 or 30 years, history will remember Biden for some of these achievements,” Thom Reilly, co-director of the Center for an Independent and Sustainable Democracy at Arizona State University, told the AP. “But in the shorter term, I don’t know he escapes the legacy of being the president who beat Donald Trump only to usher in another Donald Trump administration four years later.” On Thursday, Biden delivered a short address in the White House Rose Garden regarding the election results. SANDERS DOUBLES DOWN ON HIS CRITICISM OF DEMOCRATS, FIRES BACK AT PELOSI’S PUSHBACK “I know it’s a difficult time. You’re hurting. I hear you and I see you. But don’t forget, don’t forget all that we accomplished,” Biden said in the address attended by Cabinet members and top aides but not by Harris. “It’s been a historic presidency. Not because I’m president. Because what we’ve done, what you’ve done. A presidency for all Americans.” Biden said he had congratulated Trump over the phone, and the two are expected to meet on Wednesday to discuss the presidential transition. The president issued a statement shortly after Harris delivered her concession speech Wednesday, praising her for running an “historic campaign” under “extraordinary circumstances.” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Democrats got caught up in a wave of anti-incumbency in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic that upturned governments in democracies around the globe irrespective of ideology. She did not directly respond to questions about criticism that Biden waited too long to bow out. “He believed he made the right decision,” Jean-Pierre said. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
House majority hinges on 18 uncalled races, with Republicans just 4 seats away
There remain 18 races in the House of Representatives that have yet to be called, and the GOP needs to win just four to secure control over the chamber. Here is where each of these tight races sit as of Monday. At-large district Democratic incumbent Rep. Mary Sattler Peltola is in a tight race in Alaska’s at-large congressional district, where she is trailing Republican entrepreneur Nick Begich. As of Monday morning, Begich holds a 4-point lead at 49.5% of the vote compared to Peltola’s 45.5%. The vote count sits at 125,222 to 115,089, with roughly 80% of the vote counted. ALL EYES ON CALIFORNIA AS HOUSE MAJORITY STILL HINGES ON TIGHT RACES 6th Congressional District The race in Arizona’s 6th Congressional District is tight, with the Republican candidate barely leading. Republican Rep. Juan Ciscomani, a first-term lawmaker, is barely leading former Democratic state lawmaker Kirsten Engel in a 49.1% to 48.5% race as of Monday morning. The vote count sits at 180,913 to 178,820 with 83% of votes counted. 13th Congressional District Republican Rep. John Duarte is leading former Democratic state assembly member Adam Gray in California’s 13th Congressional District, but the highly contested race remains uncalled as of Monday. Roughly 61% of the vote has been counted, and Duarte holds a 51.3% to 48.8%. The pair is separated by just over 3,000 votes, however. 21st Congressional District Incumbent Democratic Rep. John Costa leads his Republican challenger, Michael Maher, in a 50.5% to 49.5% race as of Monday morning. So far, 66% of the vote has been counted, and Costa’s lead is just over 1,000 votes. 22nd Congressional District Republican incumbent Rep. David Valado leads Democratic Challenger Rudy Salas in a 53.6% to 46.6% race as of Monday. Valado holds a lead of just under 10,000 votes with 77% of the vote counted. 39th Congressional District Democratic incumbent Rep. Mark Takano holds a 12-point lead over his Republican challenger, David Serpa, as of Monday. Takano holds a 21,000-vote lead with 70% of votes counted. 41st Congressional District Republican incumbent Rep. Ken Calvert holds a 51.4% to 48.6% lead over Democratic challenger Will Rollins. Roughly 70% of the vote has been counted as of Monday, and Calvert’s lead sits at roughly 8,000 votes. 45th Congressional District Incumbent Republican Rep. Michelle Steel leads her Democratic challenger Derek Tran with 51.1% of the vote as of Monday. Roughly 80% of the votes have been counted, and Steel’s lead sits at roughly 6,000 votes. 47th Congressional District The race to succeed outgoing Democratic Rep. Katie Porter in California’s 47th Congressional District is also razor-thin. Republican Scott Baugh, a former state assembly member, and state Sen. Dave Min, a Democrat, are vying for the open seat, and Min holds a less than 1% lead. Roughly 80% of the vote has been counted, and Min’s lead sits at just over 3,000 votes. SHUTDOWN STANDOFF LOOMS IN CONGRESS’ FINAL WEEKS BEFORE TRUMP’S RETURN TO WHITE HOUSE 49th Congressional District Democratic incumbent Rep. Mike Levin holds a 3-point lead over Republican challenger Matt Gunderson as of Monday morning. With 77% of votes counted, Levin’s lead sits at roughly 11,000 votes. 8th Congressional District Rep. Yadira Caraveo, a Democrat, is trailing Republican state Rep. Gabe Evans in Colorado’s 8th Congressional District by less than 1% with 96% of the vote counted. 1st Congressional District Republican incumbent Rep. Mariannet Miller-Meeks holds a less than 1% lead over challenger Christina Bohannan with 99% of the vote counted. Miller-Meeks’ lead sits at just under 1,000 votes. 6th Congressional District The 6th District has no incumbent in the race, and Democratic candidate, Cleo Fields, leads his Republican opponent, Elbert Guillory, by 13 points with 99% of the vote reported. Fields’ lead sits at just under 49,000 votes as of Monday. 2nd Congressional District Democratic incumbent Jared Golden holds a razor-thin lead over Republican challenger Austin Theriault as of Monday. With 98% of the votes counted, Golden’s lead sits at less than 800 votes. 9th Congressional District Democratic incumbent Marcy Kaptur leads her Republican challenger, Derek Merrin, by less than 1 point with 99% of the votes counted. Kaptur’s lead sits at just over 1,000 votes as of Monday. 5th Congressional District Republican incumbent Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer is trailing her Democratic challenger, Janelle Bynum by nearly 3 points with 87% of the votes counted Monday. Bynum’s lead sits at just over 10,000 votes. 4th Congressional District Republican incumbent Rep. Dan Newhouse leads his Democratic challenger, Jerrod Sessler, by 5 points with 84% of the votes counted. Newhouse’s lead sits at just over 12,000 votes as of Monday morning.
Iran’s Axis of Resistance explained | Start Here
The Axis of Resistance is a network of groups that have been a key part of Iran’s defence strategy for years. But we’ve now seen Israel and Iran attack each other directly, while Israel has invaded Lebanon to go after the biggest group in the axis, Hezbollah. So what does this mean for the balance of power in the region, and where does the Axis of Resistance fit into it now? #AJStartHere with Sandra Gathmann explains. This episode features: Barbara Slavin | Distinguished fellow, Stimson Center Dina Esfandiary | Senior adviser, MENA Program, International Crisis Group Mohammad Marandi | Professor of English Literature and Orientalism, University of Tehran Randa Slim | Senior fellow, Middle East Institute Ali Vaez | Iran project director, International Crisis Group Abas Aslani | Senior research fellow, Center for Middle East Strategic Studies Adblock test (Why?)
Video: Palestinian woman creates clothes from blankets in Gaza
NewsFeed University professor Nidaa Aitta creates affordable winter clothing for displaced Palestinians by recycling blankets in Gaza, where Israel’s restrictions have stopped ready-made clothes coming in and have sent prices soaring. Adblock test (Why?)
Israeli attack in Gaza siege zone kills 36 members of same family
NewsFeed “Noor, the love of Dad and Mum.” A Palestinian girl who wrote a message on her arm so she could be identified was one of 36 members of the same family killed in an Israeli air attack in north Gaza. Published On 11 Nov 202411 Nov 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
State Department provides promotional advantages based on gender, report finds
FIRST ON FOX: Data shows that the State Department discriminates against men when it comes to offering promotions in the foreign service, according to a new report from the Heritage Foundation. In all five foreign service officer career tracks, which include consular affairs, economic affairs, political affairs, public diplomacy and management, open sourced State Department data shows women were promoted at a higher rate than men in 2023, up to 13% in some cases, even though men outnumber women in the foreign service officer corps. The challenge for men in foreign service is nothing new, however. Heritage also found that men were being promoted at a significantly smaller rate across the board in all five foreign service officer career tracks between 2020 and 2022. Furthermore, a 2020 Government Accountability report found that between 2003 and 2018 “women in the Foreign Service generally spent fewer years in each rank relative to men.” BIDEN-HARRIS DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY OFFICIAL CALLS FOR ‘QUEERING NUCLEAR WEAPONS’ AS PART OF RADICAL DEI AGENDA Simon Hankinson, a senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation and the author of the organization’s report highlighting the discriminatory concerns facing men in the State Department, told Fox News Digital that the agency’s current path “opens the department to legal action by employees,” noting that such discrimination lawsuits have been filed in the past. SPACE FORCE COMMANDER WHO SAYS HE LOST PENSION FOR CRITICIZING DEI IN MILITARY OPENS UP ON BEING ‘BETRAYED’ “This report exposes the administration’s pattern — under the guise of ‘equity’ — of promoting women at higher rates than men, with no logical explanation other than preference based on sex alone,” Hankinson said. “Today’s findings urge corrective action to restore merit-based promotion.” Upon taking office in 2021, President Biden mandated each federal agency to submit a detailed report on how they have and will continue to promote diversity, equity and inclusion in order to deliver “equitable outcomes.” Several months later, Secretary of State Antony Blinken appointed the agency’s first-ever chief diversity and inclusion officer. Under the Biden administration, the State Department also pledged to hire 30% more women for its Diplomatic Security Service by 2030, recommended “periodic assessments of the practice of [Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility] in [public diplomacy],” and engaged in other efforts to promote “diversity” aimed at females and people of color at the agency. Furthermore, these efforts by the Biden administration were matched by efforts in Congress as well. In 2021, a cohort of House Democrats introduced a bill to increase diversity in the foreign service’s promotion practices to “improve retention and fairness” for women and minorities. “It’s imperative in my judgment that we continue to build a department that fully reflects our diversity – it is our strength around the world – and we’ve been working to do that,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Congress earlier this year. NEW STATE DEPARTMENT DIVERSITY CHIEF BELIEVES US IS A ‘FAILED HISTORIC MODEL’ WITH A ‘COLONIZING PAST’ Spokespeople for President-elect Donald Trump indicated during his campaign that when it comes to diversity, equity and inclusion under the Biden administration “all staff, offices, and initiatives … will be immediately terminated” once he takes office. During Trump’s first tenure in the Oval Office, he passed an executive order meant to “combat offensive and anti-American race and sex stereotyping and scapegoating” in employment practices. Amid the speculation about Trump’s incoming administration, diversity, equity and inclusion proponents have been sounding the alarm. “We as DEI leaders across sectors will need to step up now more than ever into advocacy and educator roles to provide the tangible corporate benefit—from business development to bottom-line profits—and ensure that these roles and initiatives are not washed away,” Nicole Ridley, head of operations at the Financial Alliance for Racial Equity, told Fortune. Fox News Digital reached out to the State Department for comment but did not receive a response by press time.