Happy New Year 2025

Tag: DEI

Mark Zuckerberg’s philanthropy ends DEI programs, social advocacy efforts

FIRST ON FOX: Mark Zuckerberg’s philanthropy ended its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs Tuesday, along with its social advocacy efforts including immigration reform and racial equity grantmaking, Fox News Digital has learned.

The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative’s chief operating officer Marc Malandro sent an email to staff Tuesday evening with the announcement.

The move comes after Zuckerberg’s Meta ended its DEI programs last month– a move to ensure that the company is “building teams with the most talented people.”

A PoltiFact executive torched Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg for announcing the end of fact-checking on his social media platforms. (Kent Nishimura)

Meta also ended its fact-checking program and lifted restrictions on speech to “restore free expression” across Facebook, Instagram and Meta platforms, admitting its content moderation practices had “gone too far.”

META POLICY CHIEF SAYS DECISION TO END DEI ENSURES COMPANY HIRES ‘THE MOST TALENTED PEOPLE’

In the company-wide memo, Malandro said he and the leadership team have been reviewing CZI’s programs and practices “to ensure that they align with our focus as a science philanthropy as well as the current legal and policy landscape.”

“As a result, we want to reiterate that we made the decision a few years ago to wind down our social advocacy work and have since discontinued that funding, as well as share some new changes we’re making to our hiring and HR practices around diversity,” he wrote.

Malandro explained that CZI invests “the vast majority of our resources into building Biohubs and supporting research teams to solve complex questions around biology and health.”

Meta’s logo (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

META ENDS CORPORATE DEI PROGRAMS

Malandro stressed that CZI is “very focused on solving four grand challenges that will give scientists the tools to help cure, prevent, or manage all diseases in the coming decades,” including building an AI-based virtual cell model to predict and understand cellular behavior; developing state-of-the-art imaging systems to observe living cells in action; instrumenting tissues to better understand inflammation, a key driver of many diseases; engineering and harnessing the immune system for early detection, prevention, and treatment of disease.

But Malandro announced that with CZI’s focus on science, they have “wound down our social advocacy funding.”

META ENDS FACT-CHECKING PROGRAM AS ZUCKERBERG VOWS TO RESTORE FREE EXPRESSION ON FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM

“This includes our previous work on immigration reform, as well as our racial equity grantmaking as we’ve completed the five-year program we announced in 2020,” he wrote. “We haven’t launched new programs in this area for a few years. There are a small number of multi-year grant commitments we made previously that we will still honor, but none of these will support political activism.”

Malandro added: “Looking ahead, we expect CZI’s increasing focus to continue to be pushing the frontiers of biology and AI.”

As for DEI, Malandro cited “the shifting regulatory and legal landscape.”

“In addition, given the shifting regulatory and legal landscape, we will no longer have a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility team at CZI,” he wrote. “The three members of that team have transitioned to new roles and responsibilities.”

As for hiring, CZI has also “discontinued our Diverse Slate Practice.”

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“Going forward, we will continue to cast a wide net to source top candidates while always selecting the best candidate for the role,” he wrote.

“We remain dedicated to ensuring our work serves everyone, that you feel welcome at CZI, and that you can do the best work of your career here,” he continued. “To support this, we are building a workforce that reflects a broad range of experiences, thoughts, and opinions, supporting employees via our employee resource groups which are open to all to join, and driving effectiveness in our work by rewarding individual initiative, excellence, and hard work.”

Brooke Singman is a political correspondent and reporter for Fox News Digital, Fox News Channel and FOX Business.

February 19, 2025
Trump admin cancels another $350M in contracts as it targets DEI initiatives

The Department of Education last week said it canceled nearly $350 million in “woke” spending, purportedly addressing the most pressing problems of education policy and practice.

The agency canceled 10 contracts with Regional Educational Laboratories (REL), totaling $336 million, after a review of the contracts uncovered “wasteful and ideologically driven spending not in the interest of students and taxpayers,” a news release states.

It’s not clear if the cuts were related to the Department of Government Efficiency slashing the Education Department’s activities related to DEI.

DOGE SLASHES OVER $100M IN DEI FUNDING AT EDUCATION DEPARTMENT: ‘WIN FOR EVERY STUDENT’

The Department of Education has canceled various grants and contracts since President Donald Trump took office last month. (Getty Images)

RELs have been around for nearly 60 years, according to the Institute of Education Sciences, which administers the 10 RELs across the country, which are divided by region.

The programs “contribute to the growing body of research on how experiences within the nation’s education system differ by context and student group, thereby impacting outcomes and identifying potential solutions,” the IES website states.

However, a review found instances where DEI initiatives were being funded, the Department of Education said.

“For example, the Regional Educational Laboratory Midwest has been advising schools in Ohio to undertake ‘equity audits’ and ‘equity conversations,’” the agency said. “The Department plans to enter into new contracts that will satisfy the statutory requirements, improve student learning, and better serve school districts, State Departments of Education, and other education stakeholders.”

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION WARNS THAT PUBLIC SCHOOLS MUST REMOVE DEI POLICIES OR LOSE FEDERAL FUNDING

President Donald Trump and Elon Musk (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Also terminated were $33 million in grant funds to four Equity Assistance Centers, which supported training in DEI, critical race theory and gender identity for state and local education agencies as well as school boards, the Education Department said.

On Monday, the department announced the termination of more than $600 million in grants to institutions and nonprofits that were using taxpayer funds to train teachers and education agencies on allegedly divisive ideologies.

“Training materials included inappropriate and unnecessary topics such as Critical Race Theory; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI); social justice activism; ‘anti-racism,’ and instruction on white privilege and white supremacy,” a news release states. “Additionally, many of these grants included teacher and staff recruiting strategies implicitly and explicitly based on race.”

President Donald Trump has said he wants to abolish the Department of Education, calling it a “con job” that has failed to properly educate American students.

Elon Musk and the Department of Education (Getty Images)

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“Oh, I’d like it to be closed immediately. Look at the Department of Education. It’s a big con job,” he said last week. “They ranked the top countries in the world. We’re ranked No. 40, but we’re ranked No. 1 in one department: cost per pupil.”

“So, we spend more per pupil than any other country in the world, but we’re ranked No. 40,” he added.

February 18, 2025
Walmart shareholders send letter of support for reigning in DEI policies

Walmart U.S. CEO and President John Furner said the retail giant would continue to “make the best decisions” it could for employees and customers to feel like they belong.

FIRST-ON-FOX: Walmart investors supportive of the company’s decision to roll back its DEI initiatives have issued a letter urging the big box retailer to stay the course as it faces immense backlash from Democratic officials and left-wing shareholders.

The letter — which was drafted by the Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative group, and signed by a collection of over 60 investors, advisors and proxy consultant groups — hails Walmart’s decision to roll back DEI, saying the decision “restores the promise of the American Dream.”

ADF senior counsel Jeremy Tedesco told Fox News Digital he hopes the letter will give Walmart the “courage and the arguments they need to continue with what was a very good decision.”

TOYOTA FOLLOWS GROWING TREND OF COMPANIES HALTING DELI POLICIES AND INITIATIVES

A group of investors sent a letter to Walmart to support their decision to roll back their DEI policies.

“Walmart, the best decision for them, is to put DEI in the dustbin of bad corporate policy decisions,” Tedesco said.

The retailer announced in November that they would be reigning in their DEI policies, joining a growing list of corporations that have scaled back their DEI initiatives. Walmart vowed to remove certain third-party transgender products inappropriately marketed towards children from their online stores, and review grants given to Pride events to avoid sexualized programming targeted towards children.

Walmart also ended its participation in the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality index, which grades companies on its LGBTQ policies, and vowed to cease using the terms “LatinX” and “DEI” in official communications.

CATERPILLAR MAKES POLICY CHANGES IN YET ANOTHER CORPORATE DEI ROLLBACK

Walmart U.S. President and CEO John Furner addresses the company’s rollback of DEI policies on “CBS Mornings.” (CBS/Screenshot / Fox News)

“Like many companies all across the U.S., we’ve been on a journey,” Furner said. “We’ll continue to be on a journey. And what we’re trying to do is to ensure every customer, every associate feels welcomed here in the shop and to feel like they belong,” Walmart US CEO and President John Furner told CBS Mornings in November.

The letter was drafted in response to a previous letter drafted by 30 Walmart shareholders blasting their DEI rollbacks.

“Seeing the company retreat from its stated values and the business opportunities associated with a diverse and inclusive workforce is very disheartening, additionally, Walmart has not offered a financial or business case for this change in policy, but the company identified advancing ‘belonging, diversity, equity and inclusion’ as one of four priority ESG issues that offer the greatest potential for Walmart to create shared value,” the signatories wrote in January.

JUDGE ORDERS WALMART SHOPLIFTERS TO WASH CARS IN STORE PARKING LOT

Target was hit by a class action suit over their DEI policies. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)

Walmart, which is the country’s largest private employer, was targeted by 13 Democratic state attorneys general, which also sent a letter the day after the left-wing shareholders pressed the retailer to reconsider its decision to eliminate many of its DEI initiatives.

“Threats to boycott, sue or otherwise negatively impact Walmart’s bottom line may well have contributed to your decision to walk away from your commitments to DEI. But we are concerned that Walmart failed to consider the other side — the customers and employees that will be alienated by this departure,” the state AG’s wrote.

Bowyer Research fund president Jerry Bowyer says that Walmart was “smart” to move away from DEI and feels that Democratic-led states are attempting to intimidate the retailer into backsliding on DEI by throwing their weight and pension money around.

Bowyer, a signatory to the letter, said Walmart meant well in adopting DEI in the wake of George Floyd’s death, but failed to “read the fine print” on how these policies would require them to “stop treating people equally.”

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Inspire Investing CEO Robert Netzly, told Fox News Digital that his firm, which represents faith-based investors from across the country, signed the letter because his clients have “deep concerns” about DEI and view the policies as “immoral” and “divisive.”

“Those policies not only hurt the people who work there by providing an unfair and discriminatory environment, but also introduce legal risks and shareholder risk from [a] financial standpoint,” he said.

Walmart didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

February 17, 2025
NAACP tells black consumers to stay away from companies without DEI commitments

The NAACP is calling on Black consumers to direct their nearly $2 trillion in buying power toward companies that have kept their commitments to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

In a “Black Consumer Advisory” memo released Saturday, the NAACP said that Black consumers have purchasing power exceeding $1.8 trillion annually. The memo included a “Call To Action” for these consumers to begin steering that power away from specific companies that have begun cutting back on DEI-related positions, programs, investments and hiring practices. According to the group, such rollbacks “reinforce historical barriers to progress under the guise of protecting ‘meritocracy,’” which they said was “a concept often used to justify exclusion.”

Some of the companies the group is urging Black consumers to steer clear of are listed on its website and include Walmart, Meta and McDonald’s. Others were reportedly referenced in a separate buying guide provided exclusively to The Associated Press, which listed Lowe’s, Amazon, Tractor Supply and Target as others to avoid.

Delta Air Lines, Apple and Ben & Jerry’s are some of the companies the NAACP listed on its website as having “recommitted to DEI.” Meanwhile, e.l.f. Cosmetics, JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Costco are other companies the NAACP is suggesting are wise for consumers to support because they have kept strong to their DEI commitments, according to The Associated Press.

WALMART FACING BACKLASH OVER DEI POLICY REVERSAL AS SHAREHOLDERS AND DEM OFFICIALS URGE THEM TO RECONSIDER

The effort to steer consumers away from these companies comes amid pressure from the Trump administration and GOP officials to peel back DEI commitments in both the public and private sectors. In addition to an executive order from President Donald Trump calling for an end to “Illegal DEI and DEIA policies,” which he says violate currently established civil rights law, newly appointed Attorney General Pam Bondi sent a memo earlier this month to all Justice Department employees, indicating the agency would be investigating, eliminating and penalizing DEI preferences, mandates, policies and programs occurring in the private sector and at educational institutions.

Missouri filed a lawsuit earlier this month challenging Starbucks’ DEI policies. (Fox News Digital)

Recently, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr ordered an investigation into Comcast’s DEI practices, while the state of Missouri filed a lawsuit earlier this month challenging Starbucks’ DEI policies, as well.

OBAMA LIBRARY, BEGUN WITH LOFTY DEI GOALS, NOW PLAGUED BY $40M RACIALLY CHARGED SUIT, BALLOONING COSTS

“The NAACP recognizes that the rollback of DEI initiatives is a direct attack on Black economic progress, civil rights, and the principles of equity and fairness,” the Saturday consumer advisory memo stated. “These actions are part of a broader effort to reverse gains made in civil rights and social justice. We urge Black consumers to remain vigilant, informed, and intentional in their economic decisions, using their collective power to demand accountability from corporations and institutions.”

The consumer guidance provided by the NAACP will reportedly be amended as companies make changes to their DEI commitments, according to The Associated Press, and the group is currently in discussions with executives at companies that have reversed their DEI pledges.

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Fox News Digital reached out to the NAACP for comment and to receive a full list of companies it was urging Black consumers to steer cleer of but did not receive a response by publication time.

“We have the power to choose where we spend our money,” NAACP CEO and President Derrick Johnson said in a statement posted on X. “I am confident that this framework will support our community as we make difficult decisions on where to spend our hard-earned money.”

February 17, 2025
DOGE puts DEI on chopping block with termination of over $370M in education department grants

In just 48 hours, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) slashed a whopping $370 million in taxpayer dollars being spent on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) at the Department of Education.

DOGE, the newly formed department led by Elon Musk to purge spending by the federal government, revealed in a post on X that they terminated 70 DEI training grants within the department.

According to DOGE, the grants totaled $373 million.

One grant was reportedly funding training for teachers to “engage in ongoing learning and self-reflection to confront their own biases and racism, and develop asset-based anti-racist mindsets,” the cost-cutting department said.

DOGE SLASHES OVER $100M IN DEI FUNDING AT EDUCATION DEPARTMENT: ‘WIN FOR EVERY STUDENT’

Elon Musk has been slashing costs at the Department of Education. (Getty Images)

Over the past several weeks, DOGE has announced the canceling of various streams of funding to DEI in education, including $9.7 million for UC Berkeley to develop “a cohort of Cambodian youth with enterprise driven skills.”

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION WARNS THAT PUBLIC SCHOOLS MUST REMOVE DEI POLICIES OR LOSE FEDERAL FUNDING

The latest spending sweep comes just days after DOGE announced the termination of another 89 DOE contracts totaling $881 million, which included more than $100 million in DEI grants.

The Department of Education building is seen on Aug. 21, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (Getty Images)

“Hurrah” Heather Higgins, CEO of Independent Women’s Voice, wrote in a post on X in response to the latest DOGE cuts.

The Education Department has been cracking down on DEI practices in education, ordering all 50 state education departments last week to remove DEI policies within 14 days or risk losing federal funding.

President Donald Trump, right, speaks as Elon Musk listens in the Oval Office at the White House on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Alex Brandon)

The letter said the “overt and covert racial discrimination that has become widespread in this nation’s educational institutions” will no longer be tolerated.

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“The law is clear: treating students differently on the basis of race to achieve nebulous goals such as diversity, racial balancing, social justice, or equity is illegal under controlling Supreme Court precedent,” the letter reads.

Fox News’ Landon Mion contributed to this report.

Aubrie Spady is a Writer for Fox News Digital.

February 17, 2025
Department of Education warns that public schools must remove DEI policies or lose federal funding

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The Department of Education is warning state education departments that they must remove diversity, equity and inclusion policies or risk losing federal funding.

A letter from the Department of Education Office for Civil Rights was sent to the departments of education in all 50 states, notifying them that they have no more than 14 days to comply. The letter was shared on social media by the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency.

“Institutions that fail to comply with federal civil rights law may, consistent with applicable law, face potential loss of federal funding,” Craig Trainor, acting assistant secretary for civil rights in the Department of Education, said in the letter.

The letter said the “overt and covert racial discrimination that has become widespread in this Nation’s educational institutions” will no longer be tolerated.

TRUMP EDUCATION NOMINEE LINDA MCMAHON SAYS SHUTTING DOWN DOE WOULD ‘REQUIRE CONGRESSIONAL ACTION’

The U.S. Department of Education building is seen in Washington, Nov. 18, 2024. (Jose Luis Magana/AP)

It argues that a Supreme Court ruling in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, which found that affirmative action in Harvard University’s admission process violated the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, should apply more broadly.

“The law is clear: treating students differently on the basis of race to achieve nebulous goals such as diversity, racial balancing, social justice, or equity is illegal under controlling Supreme Court precedent,” the letter reads.

DEMS SPAR OVER DOGE CUTS WITH TRUMP EDUCATION NOMINEE LINDA MCMAHON

The U.S. Department of Education building is seen on August 21, 2024, in Washington, D.C. (Getty Images)

Trainor said the Department of Education will “vigorously enforce the law on equal terms as to all preschool, elementary, secondary, and postsecondary educational institutions, as well as state educational agencies, that receive financial assistance.”

The letter urges state education departments to “ensure that their policies and actions comply with existing civil rights law … cease all efforts to circumvent prohibitions on the use of race by relying on proxies or other indirect means to accomplish such ends” and “cease all reliance on third-party contractors, clearinghouses, or aggregators that are being used by institutions in an effort to circumvent prohibited uses of race.”

The U.S. Department of Education building in Washington, D.C. (STEFANI REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)

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The letter comes after President Donald Trump signed executive orders directing agencies to provide a plan to eliminate federal funding for “illegal and discriminatory treatment and indoctrination in K-12 schools, including based on gender ideology and discriminatory equity ideology.” He also signed orders to end DEI programs in federal agencies.

The Department of Education previously announced the removal of mention of DEI from documents and websites. The department also placed employees that led DEI initiatives on leave and dissolved its Diversity & Inclusion Council.

February 15, 2025
North Carolina school board member rips ‘mediocre White men’ in rant against DEI critics

A member of North Carolina’s largest school district’s board slammed critics of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and said the term is being bandied about by people who are racist in place of the “n-word.”

Wake County Schools board member Sam Hershey began his remarks at last week’s meeting in Raleigh by saying that if people are “searching for truth, we’re going to have to wait about four more years for that because, man, I’ve never seen someone lie so much as that person,” in an apparent reference to President Donald Trump.

Hershey, who is White, said that in recognition of Black History Month, he wanted to make some remarks about DEI in a meeting video posted to YouTube.

“I really want to highlight, as Dr. Ng mentioned, we’re celebrating 250 [years of America] next year that … it’s really important to talk about people being hired based on their skin color. And for 250 years, it has been mediocre White men who have been hired based on their skin color.”

DOGE SLASHES $100M IN DEI FUNDING AT US DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

“And those are facts. – I’ve heard people say DEI is racist. If that’s what you believe, you know nothing about diversity, equity, inclusion, and you know nothing about racism. And that speaks to you as a human being.”

Speaking about Wake County as a whole, which includes Raleigh as well as Fuquay-Varina and Zebulon, Hershey said DEI ensures kids who need more educational help receive it without lowering standards.

“That’s the thing that drives me nuts the most,” Hershey said. “That’s being real. And I’ve said this before: People who throw around ‘DEI hire,’ they’re just replacing the n-word with ‘DEI hire.’ That’s what they want to say. We get it. You guys are all losers.”

BALTIMORE SUES TRUMP FOR DITCHING DEI

He referenced the recent helicopter-plane collision above Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Virginia, where some pundits were hypothesizing about the personal identifiers of the pilots involved.

“Should I see a Black pilot or do I think they’re a DEI hire? No, that’s racism to think that way.”

In Wake County Schools, he said, candidates are hired based on their qualifications and that it would be insulting not to do so.

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“We’ve got vacancies, so we’re not turning away people because they’re White,” he said.

A communications official for Wake County Schools told Fox News Digital, “I don’t have any information to share with you,” when reached on Thursday.

Superintendent Robert Taylor did not respond to multiple requests for comment, and several assistant superintendents, as well as Hershey, did not respond to emailed inquiries whether any reprimand or other action was being considered because of his remarks.

On X, formerly Twitter, Hershey’s comments led to criticism, including one user who asked if he had ever listened to speeches from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

“What happened to a world where one is not judged by the color of his skin (or other immutable outward characteristics for that matter?). Why should anyone consider skin color in hiring?”

“Sam Hershey has decades of experience in ‘white man mediocrity,” another user wrote. “Not exactly the best and brightest Wake County has to offer.”

Charles Creitz is a reporter for Fox News Digital.

He joined Fox News in 2013 as a writer and production assistant.

Charles covers media, politics and culture for Fox News Digital.

Charles is a Pennsylvania native and graduated from Temple University with a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism. Story tips can be sent to [email protected].

February 13, 2025
Disney drops controversial ‘Reimagine Tomorrow’ program as company pairs back DEI initiatives

Fox News contributor Douglas Murray weighs in on infighting among Democratic lawmakers over border relief funds and the demise of fairy tales on ‘The Bottom Line.’

Disney confirmed they are ending their “Reimagine Tomorrow” program – after Fox News Digital exposed they didn’t include the controversial DEI program in their latest SEC filing.

The House of Mouse announced that they are ending the program, along with a slew of other DEI initiatives in an email, first reported by Axios, sent to employees.

The “Reimagine Tomorrow” program was thrust into controversy after a 2022 meeting it hosted where an executive boasted of her “not-at-all-secret gay agenda” was unearthed by conservative activist Chris Rufo.

DISNEY CEO BOB IGER TELLS EMPLOYEES HE WANTS TO ‘QUIET’ DOWN CULTURE WARS, ‘RESPECT’ THE AUDIENCE

Disney is dropping its “Reimagine Tomorrow” program. (Walt Disney World Communications / Fox News)

“On my little pocket of Proud Family Disney TVA, the showrunners were super welcoming… our leadership over there has been super welcoming to my not-at-all-secret gay agenda… they’re going hard… I don’t have to be afraid to have these two characters kiss in the background. I was just, wherever I could, adding queerness,” executive producer Latoya Raveneau said at the time.

“Reimagine Tomorrow” was dedicated to “amplifying underrepresented voices and untold stories as well as championing the importance of accurate representation in media and entertainment,” according to its website, which is now defunct.

LGBTQ employees and their supporters walkout of Disney Animation protesting CEO Bob Chapek’s handling of the staff controversy over Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill, aka the “Parental Rights in Education” bill, on Tuesday, March 22, 2022 in Burbank, CA ((Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) / Getty Images)

Disney dropped “Reimagine Tomorrow” from its 2024 SEC filing, but today’s announcement goes further by confirming that the program has been terminated, and its website has been shut down.

According to the company email, which Fox News Digital obtained, Disney will now house its diversity initiatives on the “Belong” hub of its employee website “MyDisneyToday.”

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Disney announced they are rolling back their DEI initiatives according to a company email. (Gary Hershorn/Getty Images / Getty Images)

Additionally, Disney will no longer use DEI as a factor in its employee compensation. The movie, TV and theme park powerhouse will now instead use new “Talent Strategy” metrics which are centered on “business success.”

“This factor will assess how leaders uphold our company values, incorporate different perspectives to drive business success, cultivate an environment where all employees can thrive, and sustain a robust pipeline to ensure long-term organizational strength,” per the email.

February 12, 2025
DOGE slashes over $100M in DEI funding at Education Department: ‘Win for every student’

The Department of Education (DOE) is canceling more than $100 million in grants to fund diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) training as part of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) sweep of “wasteful” spending.

DOGE, the department led by Elon Musk to cut costs within the federal government, announced the termination of 89 DOE contracts totaling $881 million in a post on X Monday night.

Of the nearly $1 billion, DOGE identified $101 million that was being used for DEI training, including teaching educators to “help students understand/interrogate the complex histories involved in oppression, and help students recognize areas of privilege and power on an individual and collective basis.”

“Your tax dollars were spent on this,” Musk wrote of the DOE spending.

TRUMP PUTS HIGHER EDUCATION ON NOTICE FOR ‘DANGEROUS, DEMEANING, AND IMMORAL’ DEI TEACHINGS

Elon Musk heads the Department of Government Efficiency. (Andrew Harnik)

According to DOGE, the education department spent another $1.5 million on a contractor to “observe mailing and clerical operations” at a mail center, which was also terminated in the recent spending sweep.

“DEI was never about ‘equity’—it was about enforcing ideological conformity and institutionalizing discrimination. Shutting down these wasteful, divisive programs is a win for every student,” Nicki Neily, founder and president of Parents Defending Education, said in response to the spending cut.

“More states need to follow suit,” Neily said.

TRUMP EDUCATION DEPT LAUNCHES PROBE INTO ‘EXPLOSION OF ANTISEMITISM’ AT 5 UNIVERSITIES

Erika Donalds, wife of Republican Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida, also wrote in response that “the kids can’t read.”

The Department of Education building is seen on Aug. 21, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (Tierney L. Cross)

DOGE has been leading efforts to vacuum spending within the DOE, announcing in early February the termination of three grants including one funding an institution that had reportedly “previously hosted faculty workshops entitled ‘Decolonizing the Curriculum.’”

In his first slew of executive orders, President Donald Trump launched a federal review of DEI teachings and practices in educational institutions receiving federal funding.

President Donald Trump launched a federal review of DEI teachings and practices in educational institutions receiving federal funding. (Donald Trump 2024 campaign)

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Amid the Trump-Vance crackdown on certain teachings, several colleges, such as Missouri State University and West Virginia University, have begun closing their DEI offices.

Fox News’ Charles Creitz contributed to this report.

Aubrie Spady is a Writer for Fox News Digital.

February 11, 2025
Missouri AG sues Starbucks over ‘race-based’ hiring, DEI initiatives

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey sued Starbucks on Tuesday for using “race-based hiring practices” in alleged violation of anti-discrimination laws.

Bailey’s lawsuit alleges that Starbucks violates the Missouri Human Rights Act. The lawsuit highlights programs Starbucks offers to promote “BIPOC” employees, referring to Black, indigenous and people of color. It also targets the company for “setting and tracking annual inclusion and diversity goals of achieving BIPOC representation of at least 30 percent at all corporate levels and at least 40 percent of all retail and manufacturing roles by 2025,” according to a draft of the lawsuit obtained by Fox News Digital.

“With Starbucks’ discriminatory patterns, practices, and policies, Missouri’s consumers are required to pay higher prices and wait longer for goods and services that could be provided for less had Starbucks employed the most qualified workers, regardless of their race, color, sex, or national origin,” Bailey claimed in a statement.

Starbucks did not respond by press time to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

TRUMP ADMIN HITS BACK AS ACLU LAUNCHES LAWSUIT ON BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP: ‘READY TO FACE THEM’

Starbucks is facing a lawsuit in Missouri over its hiring practices and other programs. (Getty Images)

“As Attorney General, I have a moral and legal obligation to protect Missourians from a company that actively engages in systemic race and sex discrimination,” Bailey said. “Racism has no place in Missouri. We’re filing suit to halt this blatant violation of the Missouri Human Rights Act in its tracks.”

Bailey’s lawsuit relies on the Supreme Court ruling that federal law prohibits discrimination based on race in college admissions, arguing that the decision also applies to hiring practices.

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By allegedly linking its hiring practices to race and gender quotas, Starbucks has “blatantly violated the law,” the lawsuit claims.

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey sued Starbucks on Tuesday. (Vanessa Abbitt/St. Louis Post-Dispatch/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

“Additionally, the company discriminates based on race and gender when it comes to board membership. All of these actions are unlawful,” Bailey’s office said in a statement.

The lawsuit comes just weeks after news that Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol warned the company’s employees about incoming layoffs in March.

In a message to employees, he highlighted how the company aims to deliver on its “Back to Starbucks” strategy, a series of changes announced last year that aims to enhance customers’ in-store experience, but also said it needs to strive for better efficiency, which will ultimately result in layoffs.

A Starbucks barista works at one of the company’s stores. (iStock)

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“We have recently begun the work to define the support organization for the future. We are approaching this work thoughtfully, but it will involve difficult decisions and choices. I expect that, unfortunately, we will have job eliminations and smaller support teams moving forward,” Niccol wrote.

Read the full Missouri lawsuit below

Anders Hagstrom is a reporter with Fox News Digital covering national politics and major breaking news events. Send tips to [email protected], or on Twitter: @Hagstrom_Anders.

February 11, 2025