EXCLUSIVE:As the Trump administration and Republicans across the country push to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies across the board, the executive director of a top consumer advocacy group spoke to Fox News Digital about what companies and institutions are doing to skirt those efforts."Over the last few months, we've sort of seen a phase shift in the ways that they're trying to keep this DEI grift going," Consumers Research Executive Director Will Hild told Fox News Digital about companies, organizations, hospitals and other entities that are attempting to rebrand DEI and environmental, social and governance in the Trump era."At first, they just pushed back on, tried to defend DEI itself, but when that became so obvious that what DEI really was was anti-White, anti-Asian, sometimes anti-Jewish discrimination in hiring and promotion, they abandoned that," Hild said. "Now what they're trying to do is simply change the terminology that has become so toxic to their brand. So we're seeing a lot of companies move from having departments of DEI, for example, to departments of belonging or departments of inclusivity."Several major companies have publicly distanced themselves from DEI in recent months as the new administration signs executive orders eliminating the practice while making the argument that meritocracy should be the focus.RED STATE TREASURER REVEALS WHY STATE FINANCIAL OFFICERS HAVE 'OBLIGATION' TO COMBAT ESG, DEIHowever,FOX Business exclusively reported in April on Consumers Research warning that some businesses appear to be rebranding the same efforts rather than eliminating them."It is the exact same toxic nonsense under a new wrapper, and they're just hoping to extend the grift because a lot of these people, I would say most of the people working in DEI are useless," Hild told Fox News Digital.KEY BIDEN AGENCY DROPPED $60K ON OVERSEAS CONFERENCE WITH DEI WORKSHOP: 'SHOULD NEVER HAPPEN'"They are mediocrities who have managed to get very high-level positions that they're not qualified for by running this DEI grift, and they're desperate," he continued. "They can't just move into running logistics for Amazon because that takes actual competence and intelligence and if you're in a DEI department, you probably don't have either of those things. So they are desperate to keep this grift going so they can justify their own existence. So they're changing it into a new wrapper."Hild, who spoke to Fox News Digital at the State Financial Officers Foundation conference in Orlando, Florida, also explained some of the other issues Consumers' Research is focused on going forward, including fighting "woke" hospitals in three different areas.CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP"One is net zero pledges and activities that raise costs for consumers, patients having to pay more because these hospitals are investing millions, sometimes tens of millions of dollars, into green boondoggle projects that have nothing to do with the treatment of patients and the improvement of their health, but they do raise prices," Hild said.Secondly, Hild said that his group is concerned about DEI quotas at hospitals.Hild explained that the third and "worst" issue is transgender surgeries and procedures being forced onto children."Pushing of radical left transgender ideology onto kids, and not just pushing it ideologically and rhetorically, but pushing it physically, and what I mean by that is the injection of damaging, lifelong damaging hormones into children to, quote, unquote, change their sex, which is impossible, and even worse, the actual surgical application, removal and mutilation of their genitals, which is a grotesque violation of the Hippocratic Oath," Hild said.Consumers' Research has been actively involved in launching advertising campaigns against hospitals across the United States, including a recent campaign against Henry Ford Health in Michigan, calling out what it says are situations where hospitals are putting "politics over patients."

Tom Cruise plans to be an action star for the rest of his career.While speaking with The Hollywood Reporter at the premiere of "Mission: Impossible The Final Reckoning," he revealed he does not see himself ever taking a step back from starring in action movies. He previously told the outlet he wanted to keep making "Mission: Impossible" movies until he is in his 80s, like how Harrison Ford continued making "Indiana Jones" movies in his 80s."I actually said Im going to make movies into my 80s; actually, Im going to make them into my 100s," the 62-year-old told the outlet. "I will never stop. I will never stop doing action, I will never stop doing drama, comedy films Im excited."TOM CRUISE 'PASSED OUT' FILMING NEW 'MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE' MOVIE SCENESThe latest film is pegged as the final installment in the "Mission: Impossible" franchise, with Cruise confirming this will be his last time portraying the fictional IMF agent Ethan Hunt."Its the final! Its not called final for nothing," said Cruise.Cruise first appeared on-screen as Hunt in 1996, reprising the role in seven additional films, with "Final Reckoning" being the last one."Theres been so many levels of reward with the filmmakers that Ive collaborated with, the crews, the people, the cultures that weve worked in," he told The Hollywood Reporter about the nearly 30 years he spent playing Hunt.He added, "Everything that Ive learned and continue to learn about storytelling, about life, about leadership, about character and every aspect of filmmaking. Its been exceptional, it really is exceptional. I feel very fortunate to be able to make the films that I make, and I love it. I love just making movies."As the star of the franchise, Cruise proved himself to be a capable stuntman, having performed his own stunts in the movies, whether he was hanging from an airplane, hanging out the window of the world's tallest building or jumping from one rooftop to another.LIKE WHAT YOURE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS"Theres a lot of pre-stunt rituals that keep me alive it depends on what Im doing and the amount of preparation I have to do. A lot of thought goes into it, and they are very complex and very interesting."In the previous installment of the franchise, "Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One," Cruise performed what he referred to as "far and away the most dangerous thing we've ever attempted."The stunt involved the "Top Gun" actor riding a motorcycle off the edge of a cliff and then base jumping into a ravine. In a nine-and-a-half-minute featurette released ahead of the movie, Cruise told the camera, "I've wanted to do it since I was a little kid."The actor told Entertainment Tonight in June 2023 the dangerous stunt was the first thing they filmed."Well, we know either we will continue with the film or we're not - let's know day one!" Cruise joked. "Let's know day one, what is going to happen: Do we all continue or is it a major rewrite?"CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER"Mission: Impossible Final Reckoning" is set to premiere in theaters on May 23, 2025.

Sen.Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, said Monday that local communities are facing "devastation" and that the state will need Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funding "at the least" after violent tornadoes took dozens of lives over the weekend.Hawley, who spoke to Fox News Digital on the phone while walking through Missouri neighborhoodsravaged by the storms, emphasized that "a lot of people are hurting.""These aren't just pieces of real estate," Hawley explained. "I mean, these are homes that people grew up in. These are neighborhoods where families raise their kids going back two, three, four, generations. I talked to one guy who had been in the neighborhood. His family had been in the neighborhood since his great-grandmother came there at the turn of the last century.""Unless they're going to need to be rebuilt, the federal government is going to need to play a big role here with FEMA relief, disaster relief, and we want to get all of that as soon as possible," he said.53 MILLION BRACE FOR SEVERE STORMS MONDAY WITH WIND GUSTS UP TO 80 MPH LIKELYFox Weather reported that the rating of the powerful storm wasat least an EF-3, turning homes and businesses in its path into rubble.At least 26 people werekilled over the weekend across the region. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said the death count in Kentucky alone sits at 19, and Hawleys office said the count in Missouri was at least 7."We have lost 19 people to this weather event, each one a child of God who will be missed by their families," Beshear said in apost on X. "Please keep praying for them, the 10 individuals being treated at UK Hospital, and for everyone affected by these storms."DAMAGE ASSESSMENTS CONTINUE IN KENTUCKY, MISSOURI IN WAKE OF DEADLY TORNADO OUTBREAKHawley's push for FEMA assistance comes as Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has called for eliminating the agency as it exists today.In addition to calling for federal assistance, Hawley was also quick to point out private insurance providers will need to step up and fairly pay out claims to assist with recovery efforts, noting he is separately "in the middle of an investigation of the major insurance companies.""I talked to person after person today whose roofs have been ripped off, whose windows are bashed in," Hawley told Fox News Digital. "These people need to get their policies paid out. They've been faithful premium holders, faithful premium payers. They need the policies paid out. And that's something that's going to make a huge, huge difference."FEMA TRUMP, LAWMAKERS AT ODDS OVER WHETHER FEMA SHOULD BE ELEVATED TO CABINET-LEVEL AGENCY OR COMPLETELY OVERHAULEDRecovering from the devastation could take some time in local communities, and it was reported that roughly 700,000 lost power across the region during the height of the storm.Hawley's request comes amid the Trump administration's outspoken intention to overhaul, cut, or even eradicate the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Acting Administrator Cameron Hamilton was reportedly ousted and "no longer serving at his capacity" earlier this month as internal shakeups at the agency illustrate its uncertain future.The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) also reduced the workforce of AmeriCorps by 85%, an agency which works with FEMA to assist in disaster relief.Trump's intentions to overhaul or eliminate the agency comeafter widespread criticism of FEMA under the Biden Administration's handling of natural disasters like Hurricane Helene and others toward the end of the 46th president's term.HOW TO WATCH FOX WEATHER"I expect that our governor will soon make an emergency request for disaster relief, and we'd certainly hope that FEMA would act on that. ASAP," Hawley added.

A long-lost shipwreck sitting in the waters of Lake Michigan was recently discovered by a fisherman to the surprise of local officials.The Wisconsin Historical Society announced the discovery on May 16. The tugboat, which was called the J.C. Ames, was built for the lumber trade in 1881. It was intentionally sunk in 1923.The angler, Christopher Thuss, discovered the ship on a foggy day near the coast of Manitowoc, where it was sitting nine feet below the lake's surface. After spotting the shipwreck, he reported the find to officials.ARCHAEOLOGISTS UNCOVER CENTURIES-OLD SHIPWRECK BENEATH HISTORIC CITY: 'UNIQUE SOURCE OF KNOWLEDGE'"These kinds of discoveries are always so exciting because it allows a piece of lost history to resurface," Tamara Thomsen, a maritime archaeologist at the Wisconsin Historical Society, said in a statement. "It sat there for over 100 years and then came back on our radar completely by chance."Thomsen added, "We are grateful that Chris Thuss noticed the wreck and reported it so we can share this story with the Wisconsin communities that this history belongs to."The J.C. Ames cost $50,000 to build. It was "one of the largest and most powerful tugs on the lakes," according to officials.It was damaged in a collision in 1889, but was repaired and changed owners several times before it was discarded.ARCHAEOLOGIST SHEDS NEW LIGHT ON ASTONISHING DISCOVERY OF WRECKED SLAVE SHIPS: 'STRANDED ON THE COAST'Thomsen told Fox News Digital the ship had "outlived its usefulness" by the time that it was intentionally sunk."[The ship] was dismantled at Manitowoc with its engine/boiler removed, towed outside the harbor, burned and abandoned in 1923," the historian explained.She added, "Abandoning ships that had outlived their use was how it was done back in the day."Thomsen also noted that it became somewhat of a spectacle for the ships to be set on fire while they were dismantled."They set fire to them and people came out to watch," the expert said.For more Lifestyle articles, visit foxnews.com/lifestyleThomsen also estimates that 13 ships were abandoned in the Maritime Bay near Manitowoc. Divers have only been able to locate three, but they're still keeping their eyes peeled for them."We only find them when they are uncovered by storms if someone sees them before they are covered again it needs to be perfect timing," she said.The maritime archaeologist also noted that a large propeller, measuring 10.5 feet in diameter, still sits at the shipwreck site.Other than that, only small artifacts were found.CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTERThe find is especially remarkable because Thuss's step-grandmother garnered a reputation for finding shipwrecks herself, according to the Wisconsin Historical Society."'Shipwreck Suzze' Johnson, who took up the hobbies of operating a powered parachute and ultralight plane as a retiree, has incredibly discovered a variety of shipwrecks from the air in the recent past, including three shipwrecks in three days in Lake Michigan in 2015," the historical organization said.Last May, the Wisconsin Historical Society identified 11 ancient canoes in a Madison lake, including one boat that dated back to 2500 B.C.Later that year, the organization announced the discovery of the John Evenson, a tugboat built in 1884 that was also discovered in Lake Michigan.

A federal judge blocked the Trump administrations dismantling of the U.S. Institute of Peace, writing in a ruling that the removal of its board members and the takeover of its headquarters by members of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are actions that are "null and void."The response this week from U.S. District Court Judge Beryl Howell comes after the Institute filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration in March calling for "the immediate intervention of this Court to stop Defendants from completing the unlawful dismantling of the Institute and irreparably impairing Plaintiffs ability to perform their vital peace promotion and conflict resolution work as tasked by Congress.""The Administration removed the Institutes leadership, including plaintiff Board members and its president in contravention of statutory limitations, and had personnel from a newly created federal office, called the Department of Government Efficiency, forcibly take over the Institutes headquarters on March 17," Howell wrote in her ruling. "With a newly installed USIP president, the Administration then handed off USIPs property for no consideration and abruptly terminated nearly all of its staff and activities around the world.""Congresss restrictions on the Presidents removal power of USIP Board members are squarely constitutional, and the President and his Administrations acts to the contrary are unlawful and ultra vires. The actions that have occurred since then at the direction of the President to reduce USIP to its statutory minimums including the removal of USIPs president, his replacement by officials affiliated with DOGE, the termination of nearly all of USIPs staff, and the transfer of USIP property to the General Services Administration, were thus effectuated by illegitimately-installed leaders who lacked legal authority to take these actions, which must therefore be declared null and void," she added.TRUMP ADMINISTRATION GUTS INSTITUTE OF PEACE OF ROGUE BUREAUCRATS AFTER DOGE STANDOFF IN GOVERNMENT OFFICEThe Institute of Peace is an independent, national institution funded by Congress that was established in 1984 under the Reagan administration to promote peace and diplomacy on the international stage. "Congress has endorsed USIPs important work by continuing to fund the Institute through appropriations bills signed by seven different Presidents from both major political parties, including the current President during his first term in office," Howell said in the ruling. "In a drastic and abrupt change of course, within the first month of his second term, President Trump unilaterally decided that USIP is unnecessary, issuing Executive Order 14217 to this effect, and then his Administration rushed through actions, including removal of Board members, to reach the professed goal of reducing all of USIPs operations and personnel to the bare minimum to perform only mandated statutory tasks, while ignoring the broader statutory goals set out for this organization to fulfill," she also said.Ultimately, Howell concluded, the Trump administrations actions "represented a gross usurpation of power and a way of conducting government affairs that unnecessarily traumatized the committed leadership and employees of USIP, who deserved better."JUDGE DENIES EMBATTLED GOVERNMENT-FUNDED AGENCYS RESTRAINING ORDER REQUEST AGAINST DOGEWhite House spokeswoman Anna Kelly told Fox News Digital on Tuesday that "The United States Institute of Peace has existed for 40 years on a $50 million annual budget, but failed to deliver peace."President Trump is right to reduce failed, useless entities like USIP to their statutory minimum, and this rogue judges attempt to impede on the separation of powers will not be the last say on the matter," she added in a statement.In March, the White House said the Trump administration gutted the Institute of Peace of "rogue bureaucrats" who held a tense standoff with a DOGE teamthat required police intervention."Rogue bureaucrats will not be allowed to hold agencies hostage," Kelly said at the time. "The Trump administration will enforce the presidents executive authority and ensure his agencies remain accountable to the American people."The administration now has 30 days to file an appeal to the ruling.Fox News Digitals Emma Colton contributed to this report.

An Indiana man convicted in the fatal shooting of a police officer in 2000 was executed Tuesday by lethal injection in the states second execution in 15 years.Benjamin Ritchie, 45, had been on Indianas death row since 2002, when he was convicted of killing Beech Grove Police Officer Bill Toney during a chase on foot.Ritchie was executed at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City, according to Indiana Department of Correction officials. IDOC said in a statement that the process started shortly after midnight and Ritchie was pronounced dead at 12:46 a.m.CONVICTED COP KILLER WILL BECOME 2ND EXECUTION IN INDIANA SINCE 2009Ritchie's last meal was from Olive Garden, and he expressed love, support and peace for his friends and family, according to the statement.Under state law, he was allowed five witnesses at his execution, which included his attorney, Steve Schutte, who told reporters he had a limited view of the process."I couldn't see his face. He was lying flat by that time," Schutte said. "He sat up, twitched, laid back down."The process was carried out hours after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to take the case, exhausting all of Ritchies legal options to fight the death sentence.Dozens of people, both anti-death penalty advocates and supporters of Toney, stood outside the prison until early Tuesday.Indiana resumed executions in December after a yearslong hiatus due to a scarcity of lethal injection drugs nationwide. Prison officials provided photos of the execution chamber before Joseph Corcorans execution, showing a space that looks like an operating room with a gurney, fluorescent lighting and an adjacent viewing room. They've since offered few other details.INDIANA CARRIES OUT FIRST EXECUTION IN 15 YEARS AFTER INMATE CHOOSES BEN & JERRY'S ICE CREAM AS LAST MEALAmong 27 states with death penalty laws, Indiana is one of two that bars media witnesses. The other, Wyoming, has conducted one execution in the last half-century.The Associated Press and other media organizations filed a federal lawsuit in Indiana seeking media access, but a federal judge denied a preliminary injunction last week that would have allowed journalists to witness Ritchies execution and future ones. The judge found that barring the news media doesnt violate the First Amendment nor does it single out the news media for unequal treatment.The execution in Indiana is among 12 scheduled in eight states this year. Ritchies execution and two others in Texas and Tennessee will be carried out this week.Ritchie was 20 when he and others stole a van in Beech Grove, near Indianapolis. He then fired at Toney during a foot chase, killing him.At the time, Ritchie was on probation for a 1998 burglary conviction.Toney, 31, had worked at the Beech Grove Police Department for two years. The married father of two was the first officer of the small department to be killed by gunfire in the line of duty.Relatives spoke at a clemency hearing last week in support of the execution."Its time. Were all tired," said Dee Dee Horen, who was Toneys wife. "It is time for this chapter of my story, our story, to be closed. Its time for us to remember Bill, to remember Bills life, and not his death."Ritchies attorneys have fought the death sentence, arguing his legal counsel at trial was ineffective because his lawyers failed to fully investigate and present evidence on his fetal alcohol spectrum disorders and childhood lead exposure.Current defense attorneys say Ritchie suffered "severe brain damage" because his mother abused alcohol and drugs during pregnancy, and hes struggled with decision-making. He was also diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2005.MISSISSIPPI ASKS FOR EXECUTION DATE OF MAN CONVICTED IN 1993 KILLING, LAWYERS PLAN TO APPEAL CASE TO SCOTUSDisability rights advocates argued that Ritchies brain damage should have excluded him from the death penalty."This is a foolish, senseless, agonizing waste of time and money," said Schutte, who added that Ritchie was no longer "the same person who committed that crime."Attorney General Todd Rokita said the execution honored Toneys "sacrifice to the community."Republican Gov. Mike Braun rejected Ritchies clemency bid last week without explanation.The Indiana Supreme Court denied a request to stop the execution. Ritchies attorneys challenged that decision in federal court, which a judge rejected. The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sided with the lower court on Sunday.As the sun set on Monday, the Rev. Richard Holy, a Catholic priest, recited the rosary with about 20 people in the prison parking lot."We dont have to keep taking one life to exact justice for taking another," he said.Dozens also showed up to honor Toneys memory."I support the death penalty in certain cases and this is one of them," said Mark Hamner, an Indianapolis-area officer.Attorneys said Ritchie changed during his more than two decades behind bars and had shown remorse.In court as a young man, Ritchie smiled at Horen and laughed as the verdict was read.He told a parole board he deeply regretted his actions, especially how he acted with Toneys widow."I wish I could go back to the day in court, because that mans wife deserved to say everything she needed to say to me, and that punk kid should have just kept his mouth shut and let her say whatever she needed to say," Ritchie said.Ritchie, who was also a father, spent his last days getting visits from friends and family."Ive ruined my life and other peoples lives, and Im so sorry for that night," he told the parole board earlier this month. "You cant take back what you did."

The Maine Coast Fishermans Association praised Jordon Hudson for her advocacy during the Miss Maine USA pageant earlier this month.Support for Maine fishermen appeared to be close to Hudsons heart. She has championed their cause, not only in the pageant, but also thanked Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and the Trump administration for its renegotiation of the Maine Sea Grant funding.CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM"Advocating for Maines commercial fisherman takes many forms, and sometimes it walks across a stage in heels wearing a bikini," the Maine Coast Fishermens Association wrote on its Instagram Stories on Monday. "Jordon Hudson is helping shine a spotlight on Maine fishing communities in ways we never imagined, from the stage to the working waterfront."Were grateful for voices like Jordons that remind us advocacy doesnt always look the same, but it always matters. Together, we persevere."Hudson was asked during the Miss Maine USA pageant a moment in life she would want to go back to. She said she wished she could be transported back to her familys fishing boat.JORDON HUDSON ABSENT FROM BILL BELICHICK'S 'GOOD MORNING AMERICA' INTERVIEW AFTER CBS FIASCO"I think about this often because theres a mass exodus for fishermen occurring in the rural areas of Maine, and I dont want to see more fishermen leave this place," she said, via Mass Live. "As your next Miss Maine USA, I would make a point to go to communities to go into the government and advocate for these people so that they dont have to think about these memories as a past moment."Hudsons parents owned a fishing business, Frenchmans Bay Fisheries, in Maine. However, after the area they used to fish, Taunton Bay, was closed off to fishing by the state in 2000, their business eventually went bankrupt years later.Her familys ship reportedly suffered damage and couldnt afford repairs. The family attempted to lobby the state and local legislatures to ease up on regulations that impeded the fishing industry, and eventually the closure of their business.The family eventually moved to Massachusetts.Fox News Jackson Thompson contributed to this report.Follow Fox News Digitalssports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Secretary RFK Jr. is outlining the administrations vision for overhauling the nations health system, prioritizing patient choice, cost transparency, and a crackdown on government waste.

Fox News senior congressional correspondent Chad Pergram reports on President Donald Trumps visit to Capitol Hill as he works to rally support for his spending bill.

Fox News' Steve Doocy and Bret Baier sit down with actor George Hamilton for breakfast at Benny's On The Beach.