Midwest

Midwest state’s DEI department nixed in new governor’s 1st major act

Published

1 year ago

January 19, 2025

Midwest state’s DEI department nixed in new governor’s 1st major act

Only days after Indiana Gov. Mike Braun was sworn-in in Indianapolis, the former Republican senator officially rid the state government of its Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) apparatus.

Instead, Braun – who grew a small Jasper truck-body business called Meyer Distributing into a major player with 700 product lines – said on Friday it takes a politician who “signed the front side of a paycheck” to understand what economic priorities actually matter, and DEI is not one of them.

“At the [Indiana] inaugural, which was over the weekend for me, there was so much excitement knowing something is afoot even in a good red state like Indiana, mostly because of what’s going to happen out in D.C. and the partnership that can happen between enterprising states like ours has always been,” Braun said on “Fox & Friends.”

“We’ve never really had somebody from Main Street… be our own governor here.”

BRAUN DEMANDS FULL AUDIT OF MEDICARE AFTER FRAUD DISCOVERY

Braun contrasted the conservative economic vision with that of President Biden and other Democrats, whose platform is “built on big government.”

“Rahm Emanuel said ‘never let a crisis go to waste’,” he said in that respect, referring to the former President Barack Obama confidant’s motto during the 2008 financial crisis. The line was seen as a suggestion to use tough moments to force through tenets of one’s personal agenda.

In comments to Fox News Digital, Braun said that in nearly 40 years of running a business, he knows what works and what does not.

Instead of DEI, Indiana needs “MEI” – or Merit, Excellence and Innovation – to be a priority, he said.

“Government should be laser-focused on one thing: getting results for the people they serve. We’re replacing the divisive DEI ideology with a level playing field of MEI — the same reason we’re eliminating college degree requirements where they’re not essential and adding key performance metrics for accountability,” Braun said.

“[That is] because everyone should be judged on what they do, not who they are.”

Braun noted his business background and reiterated how his guiding principle of growing Meyer into the expansive business it is today has been “results – above everything else.”

DEMS TRYING TO CONVERT ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS INTO VOTERS WAS A ‘BIG MISCALCULATION’: MIKE BRAUN

The state capitol building in downtown Indianapolis. (Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

“That’s exactly what we’re putting first in my administration.”

In his order, Braun cited the Supreme Court’s ruling in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard – which found affirmative action programs violate the Equal Protection Clause – and said state resources would not be used to “support [DEI] positions, departments, activities, procedures or programs if they grant preferential treatment based upon one person’s particular race…”

It also bans requirements of Indianans to have to disclose their personal pronouns or for employers to mandate job applicants to provide a DEI-related statement.

“We’ve grown the federal government to a place that I hope DOGE… brings it down because you’ve got a lot of anxious governors that want to double down on [DOGE] – we’re going to do it anyway,” Braun said separately on Fox News Channel.

Braun said that since COVID-19, too many Indiana bureaucrats are still teleworking and that the DEI-nixing effort is also another way to streamline government to be more effective, just like Meyer.

The state’s DEI office had been established by Braun’s predecessor, Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb.

After the George Floyd incident in Minnesota, Holcomb addressed Indianans on the issue of “getting to the root causes of inequities and not just reacting to the symptoms.”

Holcomb, who first ascended to the governorship when Mike Pence became vice president in 2017, appointed then-University of Notre Dame public affairs director Karrah Herring to lead the new DEI department.

Braun also received some pushback on his decision:

The Indiana legislature’s minority leader said he respects Braun’s right to position his new administration how he wants but questioned his chosen hierarchy.

“Thinking of the myriad issues Hoosiers are facing, though, I can’t understand why this is a top priority,” State Rep. Phil GiaQuinta, D-Fort Wayne, said in a statement.

GiaQuinta added a recent caucus meeting with the DEI office was “insightful and helpful” to their work addressing Indianans’ needs, and called the department’s sunset a “distraction from the real issues.”

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 charles.creitz@fox.com.

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Midwest

House Republicans blast Noem impeachment resolution as ‘partisan stunt,’ as Dems fail to reach across aisle

Published

35 minutes ago

January 28, 2026

Press Room

House Republicans blast Noem impeachment resolution as ‘partisan stunt,’ as Dems fail to reach across aisle

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Several House Republicans say Democrats are not working across the aisle on a resolution to impeach Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and slammed the Democratic minority’s move as a “messaging exercise” and “partisan stunt.”

Despite more than half of the Democratic caucus sponsoring the resolution, which was introduced by Rep. Robin Kelly on Jan. 14, there are still a number of Democrats who have yet to sponsor. Kelly posted to X on Monday night that 146 of the 213 House Dems have signed on to the articles of impeachment.

GOP sources on Capitol Hill tell Fox News Digital that there has been no effort from Democrats to work with Republicans on the resolution.

Rep. Pat Fallon, R-Texas, introduced a similar resolution in 2023 to impeach President Biden’s DHS secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas, and noted that the impeachment articles garnered more support than the Democrats’ attempt to remove Noem from the position.

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“Mayorkas presided over an open border and the worst human trafficking crisis in modern history, during which 11 million illegal aliens entered our country,” Fallon told Fox News Digital. “Sec. Noem, by contrast, has actually done the job she was appointed to carry out.

House Republicans accuse Democrats of pushing a partisan impeachment effort against DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, arguing the resolution lacks bipartisan support and is aimed more at political messaging than accountability. (Alex Brandon-Pool/Getty Images)

“The record low border crossings we have seen in just the first year of the Trump Administration make clear that Mayorkas willingly chose to leave our border open, despite his two-faced rhetoric under oath,” Fallon added. “Secretary Noem is doing her job at DHS, whereas Mayorkas failed.”

Fallon was also joined by Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., in introducing the articles of impeachment against Mayorkas in 2023. Biggs, who is currently running for governor of Arizona, told Fox News Digital “what Democrats are pushing now is something entirely different.”

“[Mayorkas] willfully refused to enforce federal law, misled Congress, and presided over the worst border collapse in American history,” Biggs told Fox News Digital. “As a Representative from Arizona, I’ve seen firsthand the harm his failures caused—overrun communities, overwhelmed law enforcement, and a federal government that abandoned its duty to secure the border.”

Rep. Pat Fallon, R-Texas, dismissed Democrat efforts to impeach Noem, referring to the resolution as a “messaging exercise.” (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

JONATHAN TURLEY: DEMOCRAT POLITICIANS ARE RISKING LIVES WITH RECKLESS ANTI-ICE RHETORIC

“[Noem impeachment articles are] a partisan stunt with no factual or constitutional basis, and they couldn’t even unify their own caucus behind it,” Biggs added.

“Weaponizing impeachment cheapens a serious constitutional remedy, and the American people know the difference between real misconduct and manufactured outrage.”

While Fallon and Biggs’ bill didn’t make it to a vote on the House Floor, former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s, R-Ga., articles of impeachment were passed by the Republican majority in 2024 in a 214-213 vote, which officially impeached Mayorkas.

FETTERMAN DEMANDS TRUMP FIRE NOEM AFTER DEADLY MINNESOTA SHOOTINGS

Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., told Fox News Digital that the resolution to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is incomparable to the successful resolution that ultimately impeached Mayorkas. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The vote to formally convict the former DHS Secretary died in the Senate in a 51-49 vote when the chamber had a Democrat majority. A two-thirds majority is required to remove an official from office if an impeachment conviction is reached in the Senate. No Democrats in both the House and the Senate voted in favor of impeaching Mayorkas.

With Republicans now controlling both the House and the Senate, Democrats have a heavy lift if they intend to impeach Noem, and Fallon even dismissed the current resolution that Kelly introduced as a “messaging exercise.”

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“It makes sense then that Democrats can’t even present a unified front on their Secretary Noem impeachment resolution,” Fallon told Fox News Digital. “This is a messaging exercise aimed at catering to Democrats’ increasingly far-left base and is equally as divorced from reality.”

Should Democrats take control of the House after the 2026 midterms, a two-thirds majority vote in the Senate remains unlikely in 2027.

President Donald Trump told reporters that Noem would not be stepping down from her role during a press gaggle on Tuesday.

“This is obviously one of those witch hunts,” Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital. “This is another example of the Democrats showing their hypocrisy.”

An FBI agent on the scene of the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good. (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images and ODU English Department/Facebook)

“When Barack Obama was deporting people like hot cakes, they did nothing about it,” Hunt, who is running for U.S. Senate in Texas added. “He has deported far more people than President Trump has and both of his presidencies combined. And so the fact that they are now using tactics like this just shows that they’re grasping at straws.”

When asked about the key difference between the Mayorkas impeachment and the resolution to impeach Noem, Hunt said, “Well, 20 million people in this country illegally.”

The articles of impeachment were notably introduced prior to the deadly Border Patrol-involved shooting of Alex Pretti on Jan. 24 in Minneapolis.

VANCE CALLS MINNEAPOLIS UNREST ‘ENGINEERED CHAOS’ AFTER DEADLY SHOOTING

Pretti, a 37-year-old U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs ICU nurse, was killed in Minneapolis after Secretary Noem said Pretti “violently resisted” arrest and a Border Patrol agent who initially fired was “fearing for his life.”

In a separate instance in Minneapolis on Jan. 14, Renee Nicole Good was shot and killed by an ICE agent during an altercation that took place. DHS said that Good attempted to impede law enforcement operations by using her car to block the passage of agents. DHS cited a video that showed Good accelerating toward an officer, causing the officer to draw his weapon and fire 4 shots at Good. One shot struck the 37-year-old in the head, resulting in her death.

Agitators converge after the shooting of Alex Pretti. (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

The agency later revealed the officer who fired the shots in what DHS says was according to protocol and in self-defense. He suffered from internal bleeding after being struck by Good’s vehicle.

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Following Good’s death, demonstrations erupted in the streets of Minneapolis with little to no local police presence. Agitators were directing traffic and barricades were established similar to agitator zoning that took place in the Twin Cities after the death of George Floyd.

Trump held a phone call with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on Monday morning. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters the president asked Walz to “work together peacefully” with ICE agents and DHS.

Preston Mizell is a writer with Fox News Digital covering breaking news.

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Detroit, MI

Where to score tickets for this Sunday’s Pistons vs. Nets game for under $30

Published

2 hours ago

January 28, 2026

Press Room

Where to score tickets for this Sunday’s Pistons vs. Nets game for under

If you purchase a product through a link on our site, we may receive compensation.

Detroit Pistons fans will have the chance to see the Eastern Conference leaders this Sunday, Feb. 1, when they return to Little Caesars Arena to host the Brooklyn Nets at 6 p.m. ET.

Tickets are available now from Vivid Seats, SeatGeek, StubHub and Ticketmaster. Prices below reflect availability at the time of publication and are subject to change.

Ticket Service	Starting Price
Vivid Seats	$27
SeatGeek	$29
StubHub	$28
Ticketmaster	$26

The team is currently in the middle of a Western Conference road slate, which includes matchups with the Denver Nuggets, Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors. They earned a 109-108 win over Denver Tuesday night to improve to 34-11 and will set their sights on the Suns on Thursday. They’ll then make a final stop in San Francisco to take on the Warriors before returning home.

Cade Cunningham and Tobias Harris each had a team-high 22 points in Tuesday’s win, while Cunningham also had 11 assists. Cunningham currently leads the league in assists, averaging 9.8 per game. He will represent Detroit as an Eastern Conference starter in this year’s All-Star Game.

Fans can score their tickets now for Sunday’s game from Vivid Seats, SeatGeek, StubHub and Ticketmaster.

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Milwaukee, WI

A Look Into Five Great Milwaukee Novels

Published

3 hours ago

January 28, 2026

Press Room

Novels offer a great escape, but sometimes we want our fiction to hit closer to home. These recent books are set in Milwaukee, but do they paint a recognizable portrait of our beloved city?

MYSTERY | PENGUIN BOOKS, 2022 | $18

Photo courtesy Penguin Books

Sneha, a queer South Asian college grad moves to Milwaukee in 2013 for a job. She explores identity, romance and friendship, along with our city’s socialist history and alcohol culture.

Is Milwaukee a “character?”

Most definitely. The people whom Sneha meets ring true to our region, including “tony Brookfield,” Bay View and beyond.

Does it feel like Milwaukee?

Certainly. Sprinkled throughout are local history lessons and discussions of our prodigious alcohol consumption, not to mention a little day-drinking on Brady Street.

Name-drops:

Bay View Massacre, North Division and Rufus King high schools.

Celebrate the Milwaukee leaders who foster connection, create opportunity and strengthen our community!

COMING OF AGE | POLIS BOOKS, 2021 | $19

Cover of At the End of the World Turn Left by Zhanna Slor — Photo courtesy Polis Books

Ukraine-born Masha must return from a new life in Israel to her childhood home in Milwaukee, where her sister has mysteriously gone missing.

Is Milwaukee a “character?”

Mostly. Masha’s father lives in the “semi-dangerous neighborhood of Riverwest.” Despite frequent allusions to Masha’s youth in Ukraine, Milwaukee’s cafes and clubs provide the main setting for Masha’s adventures.

Does it feel like Milwaukee?

Indeed. Slor has clearly done her Riverwest research: Masha spends plenty of time sipping at Fuel Cafe (RIP) and checking out music at Bremen Cafe.

Name-drops:

Foundation, Uptowner

POSTMODERN | PENGUIN PRESS, 2025 | $30

Cover of Shadow Ticket by Thomas Pynchon — Photo courtesy Penguin Press

In speakeasy Depression-era Milwaukee, a softening former cop deals with organized and not-so-organized crime as he follows the trail of a wayward cheese heiress.

Is Milwaukee a “character?”

Yes, early on. It’s left behind as a concrete setting for the second half of the book, but Cream City remains the spiritual home for our main character.

Does it feel like Milwaukee?

The details are rich and almost always amusing. Characters gab around bubblers, drink old fashioneds, play sheepshead and talk more cheese than you can believe.

Name-drops:

Paramount Records (a defunct blues label in Grafton), Holton Street Bridge, Oriental Drugs

SUSPENSE | THREE TOWERS PRESS, 2019 | $27

Cover of Beneath the Flames by Gregory Lee Renz — Photo courtesy Three Towers Press

Mitch is a firefighter looking to escape a tragedy in rural Wisconsin. He relocates to Milwaukee to join a busy firehouse, leading to many adventures.

Is Milwaukee a “character?”

As a former pro, Renz knows his firefighting, and he knows Milwaukee well enough to strike a clear contrast between the quiet, manure-air of Mitch’s farm home and the frenetic energy of the North Side.

Does it feel like Milwaukee?

The neighborhoods are richly drawn, and Renz includes the violence, conflict and racial tensions all too familiar in our unequal city.

Name-drops:

Teutonia Avenue, a character called the “Jawbreaker of South Milwaukee”

THRILLER | BALLANTINE BOOKS, 2021 | $19

Cover of We Were Never Here by Andrea Bartz — Photo courtesy Ballantine Books

Following a traumatic episode in Chile, Emily tries to recover with a new job in Milwaukee. A friend from the past arrives, and their violent history comes slowly to the surface.

Is Milwaukee a “character?”

Not really. Local author Bartz places the main characters here, but the setting isn’t the biggest factor in their character development.

Does it feel like Milwaukee?

The plot mostly shines on the internal life of Emily, but there’s local insight: She’s “over Milwaukee – her hometown – with its smallish size and polarized communities.”