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State Department provides promotional advantages based on gender, report finds

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. 

Centrist Dems turn on far left after the election: ‘Identity politics’ is ‘absolutely killing us’

Centrist Dems turn on far left after the election: ‘Identity politics’ is ‘absolutely killing us’

Centrist Democrats are slamming their far-left colleagues following Election Day, arguing that their emphasis on “identity politics” and other issues handed huge victories to the GOP. Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., argued that President-elect Trump has “no greater friend than the far left.” Like-minded Democrats say racial politics, anti-police rhetoric and gender hysteria are alienating millions of voters. “There is more to lose than there is to gain politically from pandering to a far left that is more representative of Twitter, Twitch, and TikTok than it is of the real world,” Torres wrote on X. “The working class is not buying the ivory-towered nonsense that the far left is selling.” Longtime Democratic strategist James Carville put it more bluntly in a Sunday interview with the New York Times, calling “defund the police” the “three stupidest words in the English language.” “We could never wash off the stench of it,” he said. INSIDE SAN JOSE STATE’S POLICE BATTLE TO PROTECT WOMEN’S ATHLETES THREATENED BY A TRANSGENDER CULTURE WAR Torres is one of several Democratic lawmakers in both the House and the Senate who have called out his party’s “nonsense.” One centrist House Democrat complained to Axios on Monday that the “identity politics stuff is absolutely killing us.” Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., argued on Sunday that Democrats are “out of touch with the crisis of meaning/purpose fueling MAGA.” “We don’t listen enough; we tell people what’s good for them. And when progressives like Bernie aggressively go after the elites that hold people down, they are shunned as dangerous populists. Why? Maybe because true economic populism is bad for our high-income base,” Murphy wrote. Not all Democrats are ready to make a change, however. When Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., broke with his party to condemn biological males playing in women’s sports last week, he faced an avalanche of hate. “Democrats spend way too much time trying not to offend anyone rather than being brutally honest about the challenges many Americans face,” Moulton said in a New York Times report. “I have two little girls, I don’t want them getting run over on a playing field by a male or formerly male athlete, but as a Democrat I’m supposed to be afraid to say that.” The statement resulted in calls for Moulton to resign, and at least one of his staffers quit in protest. Massachusetts state Rep. Manny Cruz suggested Moulton’s stance was “a betrayal” in a post on X. “Congressman Moulton, your commitment then was protecting the LGBTQ community, standing up for their rights, and compassion. Now, on a political whim, our Congressman has betrayed the words he signed onto just last year by scapegoating transgender youth in sports for the failures of the national Democratic Party and leaders to win the presidential election. You said you ‘would stand with Nagly and with all our community … against all forms of bigotry, discrimination, bullying, and harassment,’” Cruz wrote.  Salem city Councilor Kyle Davis, another Democrat, called for Moulton to resign.  “I’m not looking for an apology from [Moulton], I’m looking for a resignation,” Davis wrote in a post on X. Moulton refused to apologize and instead doubled down in a statement late last week. “I will fight, as I always have, for the rights and safety of all citizens. These two ideas are not mutually exclusive, and we can even disagree on them. Yet there are many who, shouting from the extreme left corners of social media, believe I have failed the unspoken Democratic Party purity test,” he said. “We did not lose the 2024 election because of any trans person or issue. We lost, in part, because we shame and belittle too many opinions held by too many voters and that needs to stop. Let’s have these debates now, determine a new strategy for our party since our existing one failed, and then unite to oppose the Trump agenda wherever it imperils American values.” Fox News’ Jackson Thompson contributed to this report.

DC councilmember facing federal bribery charges wins landslide re-election, but colleagues may oust him

DC councilmember facing federal bribery charges wins landslide re-election, but colleagues may oust him

A Washington, D.C. councilmember accused by federal authorities of accepting $156,000 in bribes is expected to appear in court this week just days after he won re-election in a landslide.  The legal saga surrounding D.C. Ward 8 Councilman Trayon White Sr. is unfolding as the D.C. Council is considering expelling him from his position. Last week, the Democrat secured re-election by capturing nearly 76% of the vote, defeating Republican challenger Nate Derenge by a tally of 20,181 to 3,940. “I feel confident that the people of Ward 8 have spoken. I feel like I’m going to win by a landslide but I’m still humbled and prayerful. I hope [it] sends a loud message to the DC Council about keeping the decisions in the hands of the people.” White told WJLA on Election Day.  “I’m under a lot of scrutiny right now on this season in my life but I am forever prayerful and grateful for all God has done in my life and the people that have been supporting me along the way,” he added.  DC COUNCILMAN STUFFED POCKETS WITH ENVELOPES OF CASH IN ALLEGED BRIBERY SCHEME, FEDS ALLEGE  The Justice Department, citing a criminal complaint charging White with bribery, alleges that “beginning in June 2024, White corruptly agreed to accept $156,000 in cash payments in exchange for using his position as a D.C. Councilmember to pressure government employees at [the] Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement and [the] D.C. Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services to extend several D.C. contracts.”  “The contracts at issue were valued at $5.2 million and were for two companies to provide Violence Intervention services in D.C.,” the Justice Department added.   “According to the complaint, White’s agreement with a confidential human source (the owner of the companies) – including the source’s payments to White of $35,000 in cash on four separate occasions (June 26, July 17, July 25, and August 9, 2024) and the source showing White a document reflecting how White’s three-percent cut was calculated based on those contracts – was captured on video,” the DOJ also said.  White reportedly faces up to 15 years in prison if he is convicted.  FBI ARRESTS DC COUNCILMAN WHO IN 2018 ACCUSED JEWISH FINANCIERS OF ‘CLIMATE MANIPULATION’  In September, White – who once chaired the Committee on Recreation, Libraries, and Youth Affairs – was removed from that committee position by the D.C. Council, according to Fox5 DC.  The local station reported that the Council has brought in an outside legal firm to help it conduct an investigation into White’s alleged actions, with a report on that expected by Dec. 16.  If the Council decides to expel White, that would not happen until early next year, Fox5 DC reported.  White is expected to appear at a court hearing on Wednesday, Nov. 13, for his federal case.  He previously rejected a plea deal and prosecutors are now asking for jury selection to begin in July 2025, according to WTOP.  Fox News’ Pilar Arias, David Spunt and Jake Gibson contributed to this report.

Trump names Stefanik UN ambassador: report

Trump names Stefanik UN ambassador: report

President-elect Trump reportedly named Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., as the United States’ ambassador to the United Nations.  “I am honored to nominate Chairwoman Elise Stefanik to serve in my Cabinet as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. Elise is an incredibly strong, tough, and smart America First fighter,” Trump said in a statement to the New York Post.  Stefanik, chairwoman of the House Republican Conference, confirmed the appointment in a statement of her own to the outlet.  “I am truly honored to earn President Trump’s nomination to serve in his Cabinet as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations,” Stefanik told the Post. “During my conversation with President Trump, I shared how deeply humbled I am to accept his nomination and that I look forward to earning the support of my colleagues in the United States Senate. President Trump’s historic landslide election has given hope to the American people and is a reminder that brighter days are ahead — both at home and abroad.”  STEFANIK SLAMS DEMOCRATS’ ‘SCARE TACTICS’ ON TRUMP’S RECORD WITH WOMEN ON IVF, ABORTION Stefanik, the fourth-highest ranking House Republican, is a frequent figure on television where she advocates for the GOP side on a number of issues, including Israel and what she refers to as the “Biden Crime Family.”  By contrast, the Biden-Harris administration’s U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, does not seek much press coverage.  IRAN’S CYBER STRIKE ON TRUMP CAMPAIGN: STEFANIK SLAMS FBI FOR ‘ELECTION INTERFERENCE’ TO AID DEMS Stefanik, who was elected to her sixth term in the House last week, made national headlines for grilling the presidents of Ivy League universities about the rising antisemitism on college campuses in the wake of the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks on Israel.  “The work ahead is immense as we see antisemitism skyrocketing coupled with four years of catastrophically weak U.S. leadership that significantly weakened our national security and diminished our standing in the eyes of both allies and adversaries,” Stefanik added in her statement to the Post. “I stand ready to advance President Donald J. Trump’s restoration of America First peace through strength leadership on the world stage on Day One at the United Nations. “

Montana’s road to red: How the state shifted to all GOP leadership for the first time in over 100 years

Montana’s road to red: How the state shifted to all GOP leadership for the first time in over 100 years

Montana has officially solidified itself as a red state, ending a long period of Democratic leadership with the ousting of the last statewide Democrat in the 2024 election. Montana’s first two senators, selected after joining the union in November 1989, were Republican. The state elected another set of Republicans to the Senate in the early 1900s, but Montana would not see another GOP pair elected to the chamber until 2024 – more than 100 years later. And for the first time since 1897, Montana is seeing a sweep of Republican leadership across the Senate, governorship and congressional seats. But Montana’s road to red started in 1997, the year the state started consistently electing Republicans to the House of Representatives. NAVY SEAL OUSTS 3-TERM SEN. JON TESTER IN MONTANA SENATE RACE When Sen. Jon Tester, a Democrat, took office in 2007, he locked in a predominantly blue Montana with two Democratic senators and a Democratic governor that year.  IN & OUT: TRIO OF LONGTIME DEM SENATORS ELECTED SAME YEAR WERE VOTED OUT IN 2024 But the state saw a significant shift in 2014 when Republican Sen. Steve Daines flipped one of the long-held Democratic Senate seats in Montana – the beginning of a red wave that would eventually overtake the entire state. As of 2021, Montana’s gubernatorial seat has remained consistently occupied by a Republican. Tester eventually became the only Democrat to hold a statewide seat in Montana, but his 18-year stand came to an end on Tuesday when Republican Navy SEAL Tim Sheehy ousted him in one of the most closely watched Senate races of the 2024 cycle. Daines recently spoke with Fox News Digital about Montana’s changing electorate. “I think what’s happened is Montana, in terms of their voting and their thinking, has moved a bit more right,” said Daines. “The biggest problem for the Democrats is they’ve moved so far left. This is not the same Democrat Party that I grew up with here in Montana.” Daines, who chaired the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) for the 2024 election cycle, noted that the shift to the right is also the result of many Republicans having moved to Montana from blue states over the years.  “We’ve just seen an influx of New Montana residents over the course of the last five, six years. And those new residents, from states like California, Oregon, Washington, even Colorado, are fleeing heavy-handed blue states and coming to a red state,” the senator said in an interview. “And so it’s not just the quality of life that is attracting these newly minted Montanans. It’s also the quality of leadership. They want to see center-right leaders who hold their values as they flee these liberal states. So we refer to these new Montanans as political refugees, not as political missionaries. They’re coming to join us, not to change us.” As of 2025, Montana will be represented by Daines, Sheehy, Gov. Greg Gianforte, Rep. Ryan Zinke and Rep.-elect Troy Downing.