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Dark money floods Virginia ahead of redistricting vote that could hand Democrats House edge

2026-04-21T12:53:00-04:00 / Fox News

Dark money from undisclosed donors fuels both sides of Virginia’s redistricting referendum as voters head to polls

By Paul Steinhauser Fox News

Published April 21, 2026 12:53pm EDT

Tens of millions of dollars — much of it dark money from undisclosed donors — poured into Virginia this year ahead of Tuesday’s vote on a congressional redistricting referendum that, if passed, could give Democrats a significant boost in the battle for the U.S. House majority in this year’s midterm elections.

If the ballot measure is successful, it would give the Democrat-controlled Virginia legislature — rather than the state’s current nonpartisan commission — temporary redistricting power through the 2030 election. It could result in a 10-1 advantage for Democrats in Virginia’s congressional delegation, up from their current 6-5 edge.

The referendum, which follows President Donald Trump’s push for rare but not unheard-of mid-decade redistricting in Republican-led states, could give Democrats an edge as they try to win back control of the House from Republicans, who are defending a fragile majority.

Supporters of redistricting have dramatically outraised and outspent groups opposed to the referendum, with Democrat-aligned Virginians for Fair Elections raising roughly three times as much as GOP-allied Virginians for Fair Maps. But despite the Democrats’ funding advantage, public opinion polling suggests support for the ballot initiative is only slightly ahead of opposition amid a surge in early voting, which ended Saturday.

SOROS-BACKED DARK MONEY GROUPS FUEL VIRGINIA REDISTRICTING PUSH

Former Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, right, and former state Attorney General Jason Miyares lead a chant of “no” as they lead Republican efforts to defeat a Democrat-backed congressional redistricting referendum, on April 20, 2026, in Leesburg, Virginia.(Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)

“They have outspent us three to one. They’ve raised over $70 million. And yet this is a close vote,” former Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, one of leaders of the GOP effort to defeat the referendum, told Fox News Digital on the eve of the election.

Much of the funding raised by both sides came from so-called “dark money” from nonprofit public policy groups known as 501(c)(4) organizations that are not required to disclose their donors. This according to a Fox News Digital review of state campaign finance records and records from the Virginia Public Access Project (VPAP), which tracks public spending in Virginia..

“It points to the importance of this referendum,” David Richards, political science chair at the University of Lynchburg in Virginia, told Fox News Digital, as he highlighted the influx of outside money pouring into the state.

Richards said the funding “also shows how national money can cloud these statewide elections. Virginians need to decide what’s good for them and instead, it becomes a national issue that takes away from what is good for Virginia.”

REPUBLICANS SOUND ALARM ON DEMOCRATS’ ‘POWER GRAB’ IN CRUCIAL REDISTRICTING ELECTION

Former President Barack Obama urged Virginians to vote “yes” in a redistricting measure, saying it would help “level the playing field,” in a video message released as early voting began.(Barack Obama/X)

Given the green light from the 2010 Citizens United Supreme Court ruling, nonprofit public policy groups can spend unlimited funds without disclosing their donors, which often masks large contributions from corporations or wealthy individuals.

But dark money has long come under attack over a lack of transparency, with voters not knowing who is funding the political messages they are seeing. It’s been criticized as a threat to democracy for allowing wealthy interests to influence elections and policy.

“it’s because you don’t actually know where the money is coming from,” Chris Galdieri, a professor in the political science department at Saint Anselm College, told Fox News Digital. “With dark money, it’s not even traceable to a particular interest…it means that voters don’t know what the motives of the donors are.”

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A person walks to vote in the Virginia redistricting referendum at Lyles-Crouch Traditional Academy, Tuesday, April 21, 2026, in Alexandria, Virginia.(Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo)

On the “yes” side, House Majority Forward, which as the chief political nonprofit wing of House Democrats does not have to disclose its donors, has contributed nearly $40 million.

Other groups pumping big bucks into the Democrat effort to pass the referendum were fueled with millions of dollars from George Soros-backed dark money groups.

Meanwhile, the “no” effort has received $9 million from a group tied to tech billionaire Peter Thiel, a GOP megadonor and longtime Trump ally.

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While often frowned upon, the use of dark money in politics is accelerating. Dark money groups shelled out more than $1.9 billion during the 2024 election cycle.

“Any rational person can look at the maps in Virginia and understand that this is a political game being played. It’s to benefit one party, not people,” veteran Republican strategist and communicator Ryan Williams argued. “What do they care if they finance their effort with dark money. It’s just another example of political gamesmanship in this process.”

Fox News’ Alec Schemmel and Leo Briceno contributed to this report.

Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in the swing state of New Hampshire. He covers the campaign trail from coast to coast.

‘Narco-terrorist’ family members targeted in Rubio’s latest visa crackdown

April 21, 2026 1:47pm EDT / Fox News

The Sinaloa cartel was designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization in February 2025 under Trump’s order

By Elaine Mallon, Fox News

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced visa bans on 75 family members and associates tied to the Sinaloa cartel, expanding the Trump administration’s crackdown beyond drug traffickers to those that profit from ill-gotten gains.

The Sinaloa cartel was one of eight drug cartels designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations in February 2025. The classification allows the United States to pursue tougher criminal penalties and greater military intervention against drug cartels and their members.

“The Sinaloa Cartel smuggles illicit fentanyl, which the President designated as a Weapon of Mass Destruction, and other deadly drugs that harm American communities,” Rubio said in a statement. “Imposing visa restrictions on drug traffickers, their family members, and close personal and business associates will not only prevent their entry into our nation, but also serve as a deterrent to continued illicit activities.”

MEXICO TO EXTRADITE 26 TOP CARTEL LEADERS TO US IN TRUMP ADMINISTRATION DEAL

Federal prosecutors charged an alleged top Sinaloa cartel fentanyl producer accused of supplying the Chapitos after his arrest in Mexico.(Mexico’s Secretary of Security and Civilian Protection)

Rep. Maria Salazar, R-Fla., celebrated Rubio’s decision to place visa restrictions on those linked to one of Mexico’s top drug cartels on X.

“For too long, narco-terrorists have built fortunes off the pain and deaths of innocent Americans while their families lived in luxury off blood money,” Salazar wrote. “The era of impunity is OVER. No more hiding behind money, power, or family ties. If you profit from cartel terror, the consequences are coming. America’s safety comes first.”

A Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent takes part in an operation in Miramar, Florida, in August 2022.(Marco Bello/Reuters)

The Sinaloa cartel is one of the two largest drug cartels operating in Mexico, with tens of thousands of members operating in more than 40 countries. A Drug Enforcement Administration operation last summer resulted in the arrests of 600 people tied to the cartel. Over the span of a week, federal officers seized 714,707 counterfeit pills, 926 pounds of fentanyl powder, 4,870 pounds of methamphetamine, 16,466 pounds of cocaine and 36.5 pounds of heroin.

ARIZONA GUN DEALER ARMED TWO MEXICAN DRUG CARTELS, DOJ SAYS

The State Department based its decision to prevent those tied to the Mexican drug cartel from entering the United States on a 2021 executive order signed by former President Joe Biden titled “Imposing Sanctions on Foreign Persons Involved in the Global Illicit Drug Trade.” More than 325 people, including members of the Sinaloa cartel, have faced sanctions under the Biden-era executive order, according to the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control.

Rep. María Elvira Salazar, R-Fla., arrives for a meeting of the House Republican Conference at the Capitol Hill Club on June 10, 2025.(Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

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Last September, the Trump administration sanctioned a faction of the Sinaloa cartel known as Los Mayos, as well as 15 companies affiliated with the group.

The Treasury has sanctioned more than 600 Sinaloa cartel-linked individuals and companies that played “critical roles” in the cartel’s operations, under the authority of the Foreign Narcotic Kingpin Designation Act of 2000 and Biden’s 2021 executive order.

Elaine Mallon is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business covering national politics.

CIA personnel killed in Mexico crash tied to cartel operation; questions mount over US role

2026-04-21T14:26:53-04:00 / Fox News

The Washington Post reported the Americans were CIA officers, citing sources familiar with the matter

By Morgan Phillips, David Spunt, Fox News

Published April 21, 2026 2:26pm EDT

Fox News senior foreign affairs correspondent Gillian Turner joins ‘America Reports’ with the latest on two CIA operatives reportedly killed in Mexico during a drug operation.

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Mexico’s president is demanding answers after a crash killed two U.S. officials tied to a cartel-related operation, an incident exposing conflicting accounts over American involvement inside the country.

Fox News independently confirmed via a U.S. official that the two deceased individuals worked for the CIA, which declined to comment.

The crash in the northern state of Chihuahua killed two U.S. Embassy personnel and two Mexican officials as they were returning from an operation targeting a clandestine drug lab, according to authorities.

President Claudia Sheinbaum said her administration was not informed of any U.S. presence and has ordered an investigation into whether Mexican sovereignty or national security laws were violated.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum speaks during her morning press conference at the National Palace in Mexico City on Jan. 5, 2026.(Raquel Cunha/Reuters)

MEXICO BROKE INTERNATIONAL LAW WITH THE CARTELS AND AMERICANS SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES

“We were not aware of any direct work or coordination between the state of Chihuahua and personnel from the U.S. Embassy in Mexico,” Sheinbaum said Tuesday at a news conference, adding her government is seeking information from both local authorities and the United States.

She stressed that Mexico does not permit joint operations with foreign governments, saying cooperation is limited to intelligence-sharing “within a clearly defined framework … in keeping with our sovereignty.”

But officials in Chihuahua, Mexico, offered a different account, describing the U.S. personnel as part of routine cooperation with local authorities.

“Two instructor officers from the U.S. Embassy died while carrying out training duties as part of the exchange we generally and routinely have with U.S. authorities,” state prosecutor César Jáuregui Moreno said Tuesday at a news conference.

He added the Americans had “always supported us with advisory support and training, as part of our regular exchange.”

Experts say those roles often extend beyond the classroom.

“The CIA has been supporting counter-narcotics efforts for some time and works closely with the DEA, the military and partner governments,” said Christine Balling, a senior vice president at the Institute of World Politics.

Balling, counterinsurgency expert with experience in Latin America, said the role described as “training” can place U.S. personnel alongside partner forces in operational settings.

Members of Mexico’s Civil Guard patrol a highway wracked by gun violence in Mexico.(Enrique Castro/AFP via Getty Images)

“People think training is just in the classroom — it’s not,” she said. “These officers would be working with partner forces on things like strategy or technology, including drones.

“It makes perfect sense that they would be on site when an operation is carried out and be vulnerable.”

Under Mexican law, foreign security cooperation is generally subject to federal oversight, but, in practice, those relationships can play out at the local level, sometimes without national leaders being directly involved in every operation.

The incident comes as tensions grow over the U.S. role in Mexico’s fight against powerful drug cartels.

President Donald Trump has increased pressure on Mexico to crack down on trafficking groups, while recent operations have relied heavily on U.S. support, including surveillance and intelligence-sharing to locate cartel targets.

But Sheinbaum has drawn a firm line against any unilateral U.S. activity inside Mexico.

Smoke rises after violence hit Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.(Courtesy of Scott Posilkin)

Balling said Sheinbaum likely was not aware of the specific mission but faces political pressure to distance herself from any American-involved operations.

“There are domestic political pressures to show that the government is in control and not allowing outside forces to take over,” Balling said.

“I would be shocked if she knew the details, unless it was the type of operation that required a president’s sign-off.”

It remains unclear what caused the crash, and authorities have not said whether foul play is suspected.

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Officials said the Americans were not involved in the raid itself and had been conducting training work elsewhere before meeting with Mexican investigators after the operation.

Balling said the circumstances may never be fully clear, raising the possibility — without evidence — that cartel involvement could be difficult to confirm publicly.

“It makes perfect sense that they would be on site when an operation would go down and then be vulnerable to whether this was actually an accident or an intentional hit,” she said. “I don’t think that would ever be made public.”

US falls behind in hypersonic race as China, Russia gain edge

April 21, 2026 12:48pm EDT / Fox News

The Missile Defense Agency awarded roughly $475M to Northrop Grumman in April to accelerate an interceptor program

By Morgan Phillips Fox News

As China and Russia move ahead, a defense expert breaks down the technical hurdles and testing constraints slowing U.S. hypersonic development.

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The U.S. has spent years racing to develop hypersonic weapons to compete with China and Russia, but delays, shifting programs and limited testing capacity are raising concerns that Washington remains in a catch-up phase in a technology that could reshape modern warfare.

Key programs have faced repeated delays, including setbacks in testing and development timelines, while others have been canceled and later revived as the Pentagon reassesses its approach.

At the same time, limited testing infrastructure has constrained how quickly new systems can be evaluated and refined, slowing the pace of development across multiple efforts.

That combination has heightened concern inside the Pentagon, particularly as China and Russia already have fielded hypersonic systems, potentially giving them an edge in a class of weapons that could compress decision-making timelines in a crisis and challenge U.S. defenses.

WORLD ENTERS UNCHARTED ERA AS US-RUSSIA NUCLEAR TREATY EXPIRES, OPENING DOOR TO FASTEST ARMS RACE IN DECADES

YJ-17 anti-ship hypersonic missiles are seen during a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of victory over Japan and the end of World War II, in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square Sept. 3, 2025.(Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images)

Hypersonic weapons are designed to travel at extremely high speeds while maneuvering in flight, making them far harder to detect and intercept than traditional missiles.

Unlike ballistic missiles, which follow a predictable path, hypersonic weapons can change direction mid-flight and fly at lower altitudes, reducing warning time and making them more difficult for existing missile defenses to track.

Russia already has used hypersonic-type weapons in its war against Ukraine, in some cases as a signal to Kyiv and its Western allies, underscoring how the technology is beginning to shape real-world conflict.

Inside the U.S. portfolio, however, progress has been uneven. Some programs are advancing toward deployment, others have been canceled and revived, and officials are increasingly balancing investments between building hypersonic weapons and defending against them.

Part of the challenge is technical. Hypersonic systems must survive extreme heat and pressure while traveling at high speeds through the atmosphere—making them more complex to design and build than traditional missiles.

US GENERAL WARNS RUSSIA MAY BE DEVELOPING NUCLEAR ANTI-SATELLITE WEAPON IN ORBIT

In some cases, the Pentagon also has pursued more advanced approaches, including highly maneuverable systems and precision conventional strike capabilities, adding further complexity.

Complicating that effort further is a basic constraint: testing capacity.

With only a limited number of facilities able to simulate or sustain hypersonic speeds, programs often face delays waiting for test opportunities, slowing development across multiple efforts.

Mark Bigham, vice president of defense programs at Longshot, a company that works on hypersonic launch and testing technologies, and a former Raytheon executive, said that constraint has become a key limiting factor.

“People can innovate and create really fast,” Bigham said. “And the only way you can sort them out is to actually test them.”

He added that only a handful of facilities can test systems at hypersonic speeds, making it difficult to increase the pace of development.

MISSILE DEFENSE RACE SHIFTS TO SPACE AS EXPERTS SAY REAL BATTLE IS IN FIRST MINUTES AFTER LAUNCH

“I would say the testing is probably the bottleneck right now,” he said.

Beyond engineering and testing challenges, the U.S. effort has also been shaped by years of shifting priorities.

After leading early hypersonic research in the 2000s, defense spending shifted toward counterterrorism operations and other capabilities, while funding for high-speed weapons remained inconsistent until more recently.

At the same time, strict safety and reliability requirements can slow the transition from testing to deployment, extending timelines compared to adversaries that may field less mature systems more quickly.

Hypersonic missile(Estt/Getty Images)

The Pentagon’s most advanced effort, the Army’s long-range hypersonic weapon — known as “Dark Eagle” — has made recent progress, including a successful joint Army–Navy test in March and continued fielding of its first operational unit.

That program is part of a broader push to streamline development, including the use of a shared glide body across Army and Navy systems.

Even so, the broader hypersonic portfolio remains in flux.

The Air Force has revived its air-launched rapid response weapon, or ARRW, after shelving the program following test setbacks, requesting roughly $387 million in fiscal 2026 to begin procurement.

The move reflects a reassessment inside the Pentagon, where officials now see a need for multiple types of hypersonic weapons for different missions.

At the same time, the U.S. increasingly is investing in ways to counter hypersonic threats.

In April, the Missile Defense Agency awarded roughly $475 million in additional funding to Northrop Grumman to accelerate development of the Glide Phase Interceptor, designed to destroy hypersonic weapons mid-flight.

The funding has pushed the program’s timeline forward, with initial operational capability now expected in the early 2030s after earlier delays.

The effort is part of a broader push to build defenses against hypersonic threats, including a space-based tracking network designed to detect and follow missiles traveling at extreme speeds—something current radar systems struggle to do reliably.

Iran claims its Fattah missile is a hypertonic missile, but its speeds have not been independently verified.(Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

The urgency stems from the fact that China and Russia already have fielded hypersonic weapons, forcing the U.S. to both accelerate its own development and rethink how it defends against a new class of threats.

“My gut tells me that we need to step on the gas and move faster,” Bigham said.

Yet despite that urgency, the administration’s latest budget places greater emphasis on missile defense, drones and other capabilities, with hypersonic programs largely embedded within broader research and procurement accounts.

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That disconnect — between the strategic importance of hypersonics and the pace of U.S. development — has fueled debate over whether the U.S. can scale these systems quickly enough to compete with its adversaries.

For now, the Pentagon’s hypersonic effort is moving forward — but with programs at different stages, revived initiatives and persistent constraints, the path to fully fielding these weapons remains uncertain.

The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A Government Accountability Office review found the Air Force’s Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile program fell about six months behind schedule on a key design milestone, pushing flight testing back by roughly a year and reducing the number of planned test flights. The findings highlight broader delays affecting U.S. hypersonic development.

US interdicts stateless sanctioned tanker sailing from Iran to China

April 21, 2026 1:14pm EDT / Fox News

The M/T Tifani loaded Iranian crude at Kharg Island and departed from China before being stopped near Sri Lanka

By Robert McGreevy , Liz Friden Fox News

U.S. forces conducted a boarding and interdiction operation overnight on a stateless sanctioned crude oil tanker in the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) area of responsibility, the Department of War announced Tuesday.

The operation saw U.S. forces board the M/T Tifani, a stateless crude oil tanker previously sanctioned by the U.S. State Department for facilitating the transfer of Iranian oil between ships.

The military boarded the ship in INDOPACAM’s area, which encompasses the entire Pacific Ocean and parts of the Indian Ocean, “without incident,” according to the Pentagon’s post on X. Open source maritime trackers showed the ship halting progress in the Indian Ocean near Sri Lanka.

“As we have made clear, we will pursue global maritime enforcement efforts to disrupt illicit networks and interdict sanctioned vessels providing material support to Iran — anywhere they operate,” the post read.

‘IRREGULAR’ ARMED GUARDS ABOARD RUSSIAN SHADOW TANKERS ALARM NORDIC-BALTIC GOVERNMENTS

A U.S. military helicopter hovers over the sanctioned stateless crude oil tanker M/T Tifani during an interdiction on April 21, 2026.(Department of War)

“International waters are not a refuge for sanctioned vessels. The Department of War will continue to deny illicit actors and their vessels freedom of maneuver in the maritime domain,” the post concluded.

Open source maritime trackers showed the Tifani departing from Dongjiakou, China, in late March. According to commodities tracker Argus News, the vessel loaded up at the terminal on Iran’s Kharg Island, the country’s premier oil export terminal.

Satellite view of Kharg Island, located in the Persian Gulf off the coast of Iran.(Gallo Images/Orbital Horizon/Copernicus Sentinel Data 2024)

The vessel — which has historically sailed under the flags of Botswana, Cameroon, Tanzania, Palau, and Panama — has loaded Iranian oil in ship-to-ship transfers with U.S.-sanctioned Iranian tankers at least twice in the past, according to the State Department.

The vessel was heading to Riau Archipelago near Singapore before it was eventually expected to reach mainland China.

IRAN NEARS CHINA ANTI-SHIP SUPERSONIC MISSILE DEAL AS US CARRIERS MASS IN REGION: REPORT

M/T Tifani has also conducted “dark activity” near Singapore, according to Ukrainian military intelligence. The craft routinely turns off its Automatic Identification System (AIS), a move commonly referred to as “going dark.” International Maritime Organization (IMO) mandates that all ships carrying over 300 gross tonnes on international voyages operate AIS at all times.

The interdiction was the second such naval confrontation the military made on Iranian-linked ships in as many days. U.S. forces boarded and seized the Touska, an Iranian-flagged cargo ship which the U.S. accused of attempting to bypass an ongoing maritime blockade in the Strait of Hormuz.

After issuing warnings to the vessel, the guided-missile destroyer, USS Spruance instructed the Touska crew to vacate the engine room and fired missiles from the ship’s MK 45 Gun, disabling Touska’s propulsion systems, according to CENTCOM.

The Iranian-flagged Touska cargo ship pours smoke out after U.S. forces launched missiles at it’s control room following its violation of the U.S. blockade in the Strait of Hormuz. 4/20/26.(U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM))

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The Touska, like the Tifani, had previously stopped in China, highlighting a potential supply route between China and Iran for sanctioned oil.

China criticized the U.S. seizure of the Touska, with a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson calling the Strait of Hormuz situation “sensitive and complex.”

Fox News Digital contacted INDOPACOM and the Pentagon for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

Trump DEI crackdown ‘misses core ideology’ and must target lingering danger on campuses, watchdog warns

A new bombshell report states intersectionality’s ‘toxic influence must be confronted head-on,’ arguing ‘the future of our education system and the safety of our nation depend upon it’

By Peter Pinedo Fox News

Published April 21, 2026 12:46pm EDT

William Jacobson, a clinical professor of law at Cornell and founder of Legal Insurrection, is urging President Donald Trump to address a “dominant” ideology he says is inspiring domestic terror on college campuses.

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FIRST ON FOX:Experts are calling on President Donald Trump to issue a new executive order to attack a “dominant” socialist-inspired ideology they say is the “foundation” of a growing domestic terrorist movement in the United States.

Fox News Digital exclusively reviewed a report that details how diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices have continued to thrive on hundreds of U.S. campuses through a more deeply rooted ideology, “intersectionality.” The Legal Insurrection Foundation and the Defense of Freedom Institute for Policy Studies issued the report.

“Intersectionality’s toxic influence must be confronted head-on,” the report said, emphasizing, “The future of our education system and the safety of our nation depend upon it.”

Despite several executive orders by Trump banning DEI, the report found that progressive school administrators across the country continue to profile students by group identity and to teach students to view America and Western society as global oppressors. The result, the report says, is increasing social discord and even violence spreading across America.

WATCHDOG EXPOSES TAXPAYER-FUNDED TEACHER PROGRAM FOR BANNING WHITE APPLICANTS: ‘LIKELY ILLEGAL’

“Intersectionality’s toxic influence must be confronted head-on,” the report said.(Getty Images)

The report’s authors urge the president to take executive action to address intersectionality specifically by name, arguing that doing so will close a loophole that allows DEI practices to continue under the intersectionality banner. The report also calls on the administration to replace this school of thought with education programs that promote traditional American values.

Intersectionality has been advanced by Kimberlé Crenshaw, a Columbia Law School professor who developed the intersectional theoretical framework in the late 1980s, as a method of describing overlapping forms of discrimination. She argues that by treating race and gender as “mutually exclusive categories of experience and analysis,” society and the legal system distort and theoretically erase the multidimensional experiences of Black women.

The Legal Insurrection Foundation and the Defense of Freedom Institute’s report, however, cautions that intersectionality is “inherently socialist and collectivist,” as it “judges people based on group identity.” By emphasizing the “intersection” of perceived victimhood categories, the report says women are seen as preferable to men, “people of color” to Whites, homosexual or transgender-identifying people as preferable to heterosexuals, and Muslims as preferable to Jews or Christians.

While the report says the Trump administration’s efforts to address DEI thus far are “laudable,” these actions continue to be flouted so that the U.S. educational system remains “the mechanism for intersectionality to embed in the culture.”

According to the report, the groups have documented the propagation of intersectionality in more than 700 educational institutions, consisting primarily of college campuses but also K-12 schools.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Legal Insurrection founder William Jacobson cautioned that “as much as some of the problems have been recognized, the underlying ideological foundation has not been identified or understood.”

INSIDE ANTIFA-LINKED GROUP’S PLAN TO ‘STRUCTURALLY CHANGE’ THE US AS MAY DAY UNREST APPROACHES

Students at Columbia University participate in an anti-Israel protest.(Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

He explained that intersectionality goes even deeper than DEI, saying that it is “in many ways, the mother’s milk of critical race theory, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and increasingly linked to violent domestic terrorism through anarchists and other groups.”

He described the ongoing movement as a “multi-billion-dollar industry” consisting of teachers, professors, administrators, consultants and philanthropies.

“It’s massive,” he explained, adding, “This was 30 years in the making. It’s not going to go away with a handful of executive orders.”

The report draws a line between the intersectional ideology being pushed in schools and recent domestic terror plots, including by the anti-capitalist student group “Turtle Island Liberation Front.” This December, five members of the group were indicted for allegedly plotting to simultaneously bomb multiple targets in California beginning on New Year’s Eve. The individuals are also accused of plotting to target U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers as well.

According to the report, “Turtle Island,” a term rooted in Native American lore, is the intersectional name being used for North America. Turtle Island Liberation Front’s call for decolonization and tribal sovereignty echoes intersectionality’s core message, says the report.

Both groups, as well as Jacobson, are calling on the president and Congress to take immediate action through executive orders and congressional hearings.

“We’re calling on the administration to update their executive orders [and] to issue a new executive order which includes intersectionality under the definitions of diversity, equity, and inclusion,” he said.

Jacobson emphasized that while any individual scholar or student can hold or advance intersectional beliefs, he said, “the question is, are federal funds being used to promote unlawful discrimination?”

“We are not calling for a ban on intersectionality as a theory,” he clarified. “What we are calling on the government to do is to make sure that federal funds are not used to promote racially and ethnically and religiously discriminatory activities that take place under the name of intersectionality.”

CAMPUS RADICALS: UNION MEMBER TELL-ALL, DEMS BACK TO DEI WAYS, MORE VIOLENT LEFTIST THREATS ON CAMPUS

Tension comes between students of City College of New York and police as the students camp on the campus and take part in anti-Israel protests in New York, on April 25, 2024.(Fatih Aktas/Anadolu via Getty Images)

He put it in simple terms: “People may have a constitutional right to espouse intersectionality, but the government doesn’t have to pay for it.”

Beyond this, he also called on Congress to get involved.

“We’ve seen on many issues, including antisemitism, that congressional hearings have proven extremely informative and extremely effective at addressing the problems,” he said.

The report also calls for the administration to use every facet of the government to root out intersectionality. Other methods suggested include updating federal agency guidance regarding intersectional practices, pursuing litigation where it is being practiced, defunding those institutions, and instead funding research and civics education programs that promote American ideals.

“It’s hard to understand unless you live in that world, which I do, how pervasive and dominant these racial ideologies are on campuses,” he emphasized, adding, “It is the dominant ideology on campuses.”

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“There are very few alternatives for students on most campuses,” he went on. “And that’s why we think the Trump administration, to the extent it is supporting various educational initiatives, should insist that schools, if they want federal money, have to have traditional American civics programming as an alternative to what is there now.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Crenshaw for comment.

Peter Pinedo is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.

Trump predicts U.K.’s Starmer can “recover” from scandal over Epstein-linked ex-ambassador Peter Mandelson

April 21, 2026 / 12:21 PM EDT / CBS News

London— British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is once again mired in a scandal over his decision to appoint a former friend of Jeffrey Epstein as the U.K.’s ambassador in Washington. Despite disparaging Starmer repeatedly in recent weeks over his stance on the Iran war, President Trump weighed in to offer some much needed — if slightly tepid — support on Monday evening.

Some members of Britain’s parliament are demanding that Starmer resign amid new revelations about the government vetting process for Peter Mandelson, who has a long history of close ties with the late American financier and convicted sex offender.

“Prime Minister Keir Starmer of the United Kingdom acknowledged that he ‘exercised wrong judgement’ when he chose his Ambassador to Washington. I agree, he was a really bad pick,” Mr. Trump wrote after Starmer apologized again to Epstein’s victims and the British public on Monday for his decision.

“Plenty of time to recover, however!” added Mr. Trump.

President Trump and Vice President JD Vance are seen with Peter Mandelson, then-British Ambassador to the United States, in the Oval Office at the White House, May 8, 2025, in Washington, D.C. Anna Moneymaker/Getty

What did Keir Starmer know and when?

The latest manifestation of the Mandelson scandal — which drew calls for Starmer to resign based on previous revelations in February — centers on what the prime minister knew, or should have known, about a government security vetting that apparently deemed the Epstein associate a poor choice for the ambassadorship.

Starmer fired Mandelson— a mainstay of Starmer’s own Labour Party since the 1990s — from his job as the British ambassador to the U.S. in September, soon after details of the depth of his friendship with Epstein emerged in the infamous files released in Washington.

In February, London’s Metropolitan police arrested Mandelson after emails among the Epstein files appeared to show he had shared confidential, market-sensitive information with the American — who had by that point pleaded guilty to soliciting sex from a minor.

Mandelson remains under investigation, but his bail conditions have been lifted. He has previously denied any knowledge of or complicity in Epstein’s sexual crimes.

Starmer has always insisted he was unaware of Mandelson’s close ties to Epstein when he tapped him for the ambassadorship.

On Monday, facing a barrage of questions in parliament, the prime minister blamed Britain’s Foreign Office for not flagging to him or his cabinet concerns raised about Mandelson during a formal security vetting carried out in January 2025, several months after Starmer announced his appointment for the diplomatic role.

Peter Mandelson (left) is seen with the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as he blows out the candles on a cake, in an undated photograph released by the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 19, 2025, as part of a trove of documents from its investigations into Epstein. U.S. Department of Justice

While apologizing for an error of judgment, Starmer called it “frankly staggering” that Foreign Office officials didn’t inform him of Mandelson’s history, and he said he would have rescinded the appointment had he been aware of the concerns.

Last week, Starmer fired Sir Olly Robbins, who was the Foreign Office’s most senior civil servant at the time of Mandelson’s appointment and vetting.

But during Monday’s rowdy parliamentary session, Starmer was hounded by lawmakers from every party but his own, left and right, claiming he was either lying about what he knew, or guilty of ineptitude for not obtaining the information.

Two members of parliament (MPs) were kicked out of the chamber for flatly accusing him of lying, which is against the rules of the House of Commons.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, right, is seen with Peter Mandelson, February 2025, in Washington. Carl Court/Pool/AP

“That man couldn’t lie straight in bed,” quipped the far-right Reform party’s Lee Anderson.

Zarah Sultana, who was a Labour MP until she left the party in 2024 to join a new, far-left party, accused Starmer of “gaslighting the nation,” telling the chamber: “Let’s call this out for what it is; the Prime Minister is a bare-faced liar, and if he had any decency left, he would resign.”

Fired civil servant claims an “atmosphere of pressure”

Robbins, the recently-fired civil servant, wasn’t going down without a fight.

Facing questions from MPs over his role in the Mandelson appointment, he told the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday there was an “atmosphere of pressure” from Starmer’s office.

There was “a very, very strong expectation” that Mandelson “needed to be in post and in America as quickly as possible,” and Starmer and his cabinet had “a generally dismissive attitude” to the security vetting, Robbins said.

He added that after the vetting, the agency he ran had been “leaning toward recommending against” giving Mandelson security clearance, which is required for an ambassadorship, but said the concerns about him did not relate to his relationship with Epstein. He declined to say what the concerns were about.

Starmer managed to stave off the previous calls for his resignation earlier this year, including some from within his own party.

But Labour is not doing well in opinion polls ahead of local elections in May, so opposition parties’ demands for Starmer to be held accountable for the Mandelson appointment — and for his party to pay the price in votes — are only likely to mount.

Florida Democrat resigns from Congress minutes before House ethics panel was set to weigh her expulsion

2026-04-21T18:02:01.311Z / CNN

By Annie Grayer, Sarah Ferris

Updated 12 min ago

Updated Apr 21, 2026, 3:19 PM ET

PUBLISHED Apr 21, 2026, 2:02 PM ET

Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick appears for a hearing of the House Ethics Committee on Capitol Hill, on March 26, 2026.

Nathan Howard/Reuters/File

Embattled Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick resigned from the US House of Representatives Tuesday, a move that staved off a high-stakes vote on whether she should be forced out Congress.

The Florida Democrat’s decision to step down came just moments before the chamber’s bipartisan Ethics Committee was set to consider her punishment after previously finding her guilty of a slew of ethics violations, including accusations that she stole millions in pandemic relief funds and used it to bolster her 2021 campaign.

If Cherfilus-McCormick had not resigned, she would have almost certainly faced an expulsion vote later this week on the House floor. The ethics panel, which oversees members’ conduct, had six types of sanctions at its disposal Tuesday, including expulsion from the House – a punishment only recommended four times before.

In a statement posted to social media, the Florida Democrat maintained her innocence and denounced what she described as a “witch hunt” against her.

“I simply cannot stand by and allow my due process rights to be trampled on, and my good name to be tarnished. Rather than play these political games, I choose to step away,” she wrote.

Within moments of the ethics panel gaveling in to formally determine its recommended punishment, the House clerk read Cherfilus-McCormick’s resignation into the record.

“After careful reflection and prayer, I’ve concluded that it is in the best interest of my constituents and the institution that I step aside at this time,” she wrote in her resignation letter.

House Ethics Chairman Michael Guest noted that given the congresswoman had stepped down, the committee had lost its jurisdiction and would no longer consider sanctions against her.

Last month, the committee found the congresswoman guilty on multiple counts of failing to comply with Federal Election Commission regulations and uphold the Code of Ethics for Government Service. It delivered the guilty verdict a day after Cherfilus-McCormick appeared for a rare public hearing to face the allegations she stole $5 million in federal disaster funds and used it to bolster her campaign for the House.

Over the course of its investigation, the panel said it sent 30 requests for information, issued 59 subpoenas, conducted 28 witness interviews and reviewed over 33,000 pages of documents.

Cherfilus-McCormick’s attorney decried the congressional investigation, arguing that the panel had put the congresswoman – who faces separate federal criminal charges – in an unfair position.

“I think it’s, it’s very sad. She was put in an absolutely terrible position by the Ethics Committee. This was not a fair process. She has a pending criminal case down in the Southern District of Florida. She wasn’t able to defend herself,” attorney William Barzee said.

“I wasn’t given any time in order to prepare a defense, and she was left with no choice. She could go along and allow them to just trample her constitutional rights and her due process rights. And instead of allowing that to happen, she decided to step away, and I support that decision 100%,” he continued.

In November 2025, Cherfilus-McCormick was indicted on charges of stealing federal disaster funds. The congresswoman has pleaded not guilty to those charges.

The Democrat’s departure marks the third resignation from the House in the last seven days.

Then-Reps. Eric Swalwell, a California Democrat, and Tony Gonzales, a Texas Republican, resigned last week amid a torrent of explosive allegations against them and the threat of expulsion votes.

Those departures in particular have left lawmakers grappling with how to better police their own and prompted a bipartisan willingness to expel members from Congress – a rare occurrence.

GOP Rep. Greg Steube of Florida previously told CNN he planned to introduce an expulsion resolution against Cherfilus-McCormick shortly after the panel concluded its work.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries had not said whether he would have voted to expel his own member. But multiple Democrats told CNN in recent days that they expected Jeffries and party leadership to vote in favor of expulsion, as the party campaigns to take back the House this November on an anti-corruption message.

Despite the Democrat’s resignation, House Speaker Mike Johnson still faces an extremely tight margin and can afford just two GOP defections on party-line votes and still pass legislation.

The ethics panel is still conducting an investigation into GOP Rep. Cory Mills for allegations that include sexual misconduct and campaign finance infractions. Mills has denied wrongdoing.

This story has been updated with additional details.

CNN’s Ellis Kim contributed to this report.

Senate GOP unveils $70B immigration plan to circumvent Democrats in bid to end DHS shutdown

2026-04-21 12:52 PM ET / CNN

By Sarah Ferris

Senate Majority Leader John Thune speaks following a weekly Republican policy luncheon at the US Capitol on April 14.

Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images/File

Senate GOP leaders formally declared Tuesday that they will attempt to circumvent Democrats in the months-long stalemate over Department of Homeland Security funding and deliver as much as $70 billion for immigration enforcement on their own.

After months of failing to resolve the DHS shutdown, Republicans are now planning to reopen the government without the contentious Immigration and Customs Enforcement and border patrol funding that Democrats have refused to back. The new proposed funding would ensure the agencies are funded through the remainder of President Donald Trump’s term — eliminating the need to negotiate with Democrats, who could take back control of at least one chamber after November’s elections

GOP leaders in the House and Senate will use a complex budgetary maneuver to pass the controversial immigration funding without Democratic votes.

They unveiled the first step of that process — the text of a Senate budget resolution — Tuesday morning. That tees up a Senate vote on the measure later this week. If successful, the House plans to take it up quickly after.

But it’s not a guaranteed win. Passing legislation in this manner, known as reconciliation, is an arduous process, requiring the cooperation of nearly every Republican in both chambers to proceed.

And Republicans are under pressure to move quickly: House Speaker Mike Johnson signaled Tuesday that he would not pass any partial DHS funding package until it is clear that ICE and border patrol will not be left unfunded. (It’s a stark difference from the approach of Senate Majority Leader John Thune, who advanced a partial funding bill several weeks ago, causing an uproar among the GOP.)

“The sequencing is important. We’ve got to make sure that we don’t isolate and as I say, ‘orphan’ key agencies of the department,” Johnson said, referring to ICE and border patrol. “And there’s some concern on our side that if you do the bulk of the department first before that and they could be left out.”

When the Senate officially puts its budget resolution on the floor, it will tee up a likely all-night session for senators, known as a “vote-a-rama.” That could happen later this week.

Missing scientists probe was sparked after ‘UFO General’ disappeared, Republican lawmaker reveals

April 21, 2026 1:26pm EDT / Fox News

Rep Eric Burlison calls the pattern of aerospace scientists disappearing ‘certainly suspicious’

By Adam Pack, Fox News

Former FBI assistant director Chris Swecker discusses the White House’s investigation into missing scientists on ‘The Story.’

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A congressional probe launched this week into the string of missing scientists was sparked by the disappearance of a former high-ranking official who oversaw some of the military’s most classified research programs, one House Republican revealed.

Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., told Fox News Digital in an interview that he was particularly taken aback by the disappearance of retired Air Force Gen. William Neil McCasland, who vanished in February from his Albuquerque, New Mexico home. His phone and prescription glasses were left behind.

The Missouri Republican said his staff was already working to contact McCasland, who he described as the “UFO general” due to his deep expertise, about a separate congressional investigation prior to his disappearance.

A split image showing missing retired Air Force Major Gen. Neil McCasland in the green, button-up shirt he was last seen wearing and in his military uniform.(Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office, Neil McCasland/Facebook, Kirtland Air Force Base)

STRING OF SCIENTIST DEATHS, VANISHINGS FUELS EXPERT TALKS OF SHADOW OPS AND SILENCED SECRETS: ‘VERY SERIOUS’

“He was on our list to talk to, and he disappeared, so that kind of piqued our interest,” Burlison detailed.

McCasland is one of the 11 individuals working in nuclear or rocket technology who have died or vanished under mysterious circumstances since 2022. Some, including McCasland, have ties to UFO research.

The astronautical engineer’s hiking boots, wallet and a .38‑caliber revolver were reported as missing, according to the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office in New Mexico.

Though federal officials have not identified a connection between the missing scientists, their shared field and potential access to sensitive research have sparked growing concern.

Asked by Fox News Digital about whether he suspects foul play is involved in McCasland’s disappearance, Burlison said, “I’m not going to jump to that conclusion, but it’s certainly suspicious.”

“How many people walk out their front door without their phone, their wallet, their keys, or anything?” Burlison added. “I don’t go anywhere without my phone. I don’t even mow the lawn without my phone.”

Rep. Eric Burlison participated in a Republican Study Committee news conference unveiling its fiscal year 2025 budget proposal at the U.S. Capitol on March 21, 2024, in Washington, D.C.(Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

REP BURLISON DEMANDS FBI PROBE AFTER TOP US SCIENTISTS VANISH OR TURN UP DEAD

“So it’s just really, really strange that in about a five-month period of time, four or five people walked out their front door and never returned, and were all doing advanced aerospace research,” Burlison said.

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., and Burlison, who helms the Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Energy Policy, and Regulatory Affairs, opened an investigation into the missing scientists on Monday.

“I want them to determine if there’s any kind of foul play,” Burlison said, referring to the Trump administration.

The duo sent letters to the FBI, the Department of War, NASA and the Department of Energy requesting more information about Americans who have allegedly vanished. They have also asked for a staff-level briefing by April 27 — giving them only a week to prepare.

A spokesperson for the House Oversight Committee said the panel will be releasing updates as the investigation proceeds.

Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., chairman of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, told “Fox & Friends Weekend” that he had sent letters to the leaders of several government agencies seeking information related to the mysterious deaths and disappearances of scientists in recent years.(Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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NASA said Monday that it would convene an interagency effort to probe the missing scientists, but cautioned that it had yet to identify any threats.

“At this time, nothing related to NASA indicates a national security threat,” NASA spokeswoman Bethany Stevens wrote on X. “The agency is committed to transparency and will provide more information as it becomes available.”

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has also said that Trump is “actively working with all relevant agencies and the FBI” to review the cases and identify any potential connections.