Texas state House passes GOP-favored congressional map after Dem walkout ends

The Texas State House on Wednesday passed a new congressional map, blasting through a Democratic roadblock in a bid to bolster the GOP’s chances of holding onto the U.S. House next year.

The map passed through the Republican-controlled House on a 88 to 52 vote, setting up a new look for the upcoming 2026 midterm elections with the addition of five Republican-leaning congressional districts in the Lone Star State.

Still, the map must make its way through the Texas State Senate before it lands on Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk. 

TEXAS DEMS END WEEKSLONG QUORUM STANDOFF IN REDISTRICTING FIGHT

Abbott pushed for the creation of a new map to adhere to President Donald Trump’s desire to not see a repeat of the 2018 election cycle, where Democrats handily regained the majority in the House and acted as a foil to the president’s legislative desires toward the end of his first term.

While Republicans control a supermajority in deep-red Texas and already passed the map through the state Senate, Democrats still needed to create a quorum in the House in order to actually move the process along.

ABBOTT, TEXAS REPUBLICANS LAUNCH NEW TRUMP-BACKED REDISTRICTING PUSH AS FLEEING DEMOCRATS PLAN TO END WALKOUT

Dozens of Texas Democrats fled the state to stall the process, creating a national media frenzy and generating support from Democratic donors, including groups linked to George Soros and Beto O’Rourke, to help pay for their fines, travel and lodging.

It generated pushes to have them arrested by Abbott and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, as well as a request from Sen. John Cornyn, R-Tx., to have the FBI track them down and the DOJ to launch an investigation into the political action committees funding their escape.

Democratic leaders announced on Monday that they would return for the second special session following California’s plan to redraw its maps to soften the blow from the Lone Star State, ending the blockade and allowing Republicans to charge ahead. 

Texas House Democrats accused the GOP of crafting a map that was illegal and racially discriminatory, and they tried and failed on the House floor to add amendments to the bill that would have halted the process. Despite Democrats’ best efforts, Texas House Republicans shot down a dozen amendments to the bill. 

“Members, it breaks my heart to see how this illegal and rigged, mid-decade redistricting scheme is dividing our state and our country,” Rep. Chris Turner, a Democrat, said. “This is Texas, it’s not Washington D.C. The impulses of outside politicians and their billionaire backers shouldn’t dictate what we do in this chamber, in this House.”

O’ROURKE, SOROS-LINKED GROUPS FACE CALL FOR DOJ PROBE OVER ALLEGED FUNDING OF TEXAS DEM WALKOUT

Rep. Todd Hunter, a Republican who wrote the bill for the new map, countered that four of the five new districts were “majority-minority Hispanic,” and noted that each of the new districts now trended Republican. Still, he made no qualms as to why Republicans were pursuing changes to the congressional maps. 

“The underlying goal of this plan is straightforward, [to] improve Republican political performance,” he said. 

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But the Democrats’ blockade ended on Monday, when Abbott called for a second special session, after their demands for California to also begin a redistricting cycle were met in an effort to nullify the map Texas Republicans were creating.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom and the California Democrats unveiled their new map last week, which, if passed, would create five new Democratic-leaning congressional districts that would counteract the Texas legislature’s new map. 

Federal agency rejects leftist terminology for illegally present foreign nationals

The Department of Homeland Security tweeted on Wednesday that the term “undocumented immigrant” is the political equivalent of “they/them” pronouns.

“DHS has no interest in the left’s open borders pronouns,” the department said in its statement.

DHS said “alien” is the technical and legal term for what are also called illegal immigrants in the press. “Illegal” is the only way to correctly describe lawbreakers, the agency added.

“Next thing you know you will be calling burglars ‘undocumented houseguests,’” said the statement.

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Federal law includes multiple references to the term “illegal alien” or “alien” in describing persons who incur into the U.S. illegally or without proper documentation.

In 8 U.S.C (U.S. Code) 1182 and 1227 – provisions dealing with admission and removal of foreign nationals – the terms “inadmissible aliens” and “deportable aliens” are used.

In federal statute delineating employment and public benefits, 8 U.S.C. 1324(a) and 8 U.S.C. 1611 describe the “unlawful employment of aliens” and “aliens ineligible for federal public benefits.”

ILLEGAL TRUCKER ‘DEPORTED HIMSELF’ TO CALIFORNIA, LAWMAKER SAYS, REVEALING SYSTEMIC CRISIS IN TRANSPORTATION

In criminal law, 8 U.S.C. 1324 describes the transgression of “bringing in and harboring certain aliens.” The statute was often referred to by right-wing commentators during the Biden administration to highlight the textual precedent for using the term “illegal aliens.”

Another reference occurs in 8 U.S.C. 1325: regarding “improper entry by [an] alien.”

UNION BOSS COMPARES ICE TO AL PACINO MOBSTER AS MORE DEMS PILE ON IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT

“‘Alien’ is the technical legal term, and that is what DHS will use,” the department said in its statement.

DHS cited three recent media stories using the term undocumented immigrant, including in Indiana, Texas and New Jersey press outlets.

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In June, a high school student in Davidson County, North Carolina won a $20,000 payday and apology after he was suspended from class over use of the term “alien” to refer to wrongfully present foreign nationals.

The 16-year-old had asked his English teacher if the term “alien” meant “space aliens or illegal aliens who need green cards.”

Administrators ruled the comment racially insensitive and suspended the boy, whose family then sued, claiming mischaracterization of racial bias and First Amendment violations.

Daughter rips parents at sentencing after alleged ‘honor killing’ attempt

A teenager who narrowly survived an alleged “honor killing” attempt by her parents publicly tore into them in a Washington courtroom on Monday as they were sentenced for the incident, which was captured on video.

The teen emotionally addressed her parents, Ihsan and Zahraa Ali, prior to sentencing, according to KING 5. Her parents had previously been accused of trying to kill her in October 2024, when she was 17.

“You’re a monster, and I can’t believe you’re my dad,” the daughter told her father during her victim impact statement, the outlet reported. “How could you call yourself a father… you tried to kill me! My dad tried to kill me with his own hands.”

Addressing her mother, she added, “My mom saw me almost pass away right in front of her own eyes and didn’t help me at all, didn’t say if I was OK… didn’t even try to be there for me.” 

VIDEO OF SUSPECTED ‘HONOR KILLING’ PLOT RESURFACES AS PARENTS STAND TRIAL FOR ATTEMPTED MURDER

Prosecutors said the October 2024 attack happened after the victim ran away from home to escape her father, who was allegedly trying to send her to another country. According to court documents, the teenager told police that her father had recently threatened her with an “honor killing” for refusing an arranged marriage to an older man abroad.

The teen went to Timberline High School in Lacey County, a school she had previously attended, seeking help from school staff. Her father, mother, and sister reportedly followed her there, according to an affidavit filed on Oct. 24, 2024.

A school counselor reportedly helped the victim find shelter at “Safe Haven,” and her plan was to take a city bus from the school to get there. While waiting for the city bus, the victim’s father allegedly approached her and “said she needed to go home,” the affidavit states.

RACHEL MORIN’S MOTHER EXPLAINS PAINSTAKING PROCESS OF WRITING STATEMENT TO READ AT KILLER’S SENTENCING

“He would not take no for an answer and began pulling at her shirt. She said that once she was placed into a choke hold, she was unable to breathe or speak, and then passed out,” the affidavit says, adding later that the victim believes she lost consciousness several times while her father allegedly choked her.

During sentencing, the outlet reported that Judge Christine Schaller emphasized the severity of the attack and said that the victim likely would have died had bystanders not intervened.

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“Your behavior was reprehensible and nothing defends what you did,” Schaller told the father. “You were not going to let her go, you were not going to let her breath because nobody else was going to control the situation… you were going to maintain control.”

The outlet reported that both parents were acquitted of attempted murder charges related to the attack. However, her father was convicted of assault and unlawful imprisonment, while her mother was convicted of violating a restraining order.

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They received the maximum sentences allowed of 20 months in prison for the father and nearly a year for the mother, KING 5 reported. 

As part of the sentencing, Ihsan Ali was also ordered not to have any contact with his daughter for the next 10 years.

Fox News Digital reached out to the parents’ attorney and Thurston County Court for comment. 

Musician attacks Trump’s ‘vulgar’ White House decor, administration fires back

The White House slammed former White Stripes frontman Jack White after he insulted President Donald Trump’s new Oval Office décor on Monday.

White House communications director Steven Cheung ripped the “Seven Nation Army” singer for calling Trump’s new gold-accented office “gaudy” and “vulgar,” stating that the musician is “washed-up” and a “has-been.”

“Jack White is a washed-up, has-been loser posting drivel on social media because he clearly has ample time on his hands due to his stalled career,” Cheung said in a statement to The Daily Beast.

TRUMP INSTALLS MASSIVE NEW US FLAGS AT THE WHITE HOUSE – AND THEY DON’T COST TAXPAYERS A PENNY

He continued, “It’s apparent he’s been masquerading as a real artist, because he fails to appreciate, and quite frankly disrespects, the splendor and significance of the Oval Office inside of ‘The People’s House.’”

Cheung’s statement followed White’s Instagram post on Monday night that featured an image of Trump’s Oval Office meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy when they discussed finding peace in the Russia-Ukraine war.

However, the musician focused on attacking the gold decor adorning the office’s fireplace that was visible behind the two world leaders. 

TRUMP SPARS WITH EUROPEAN LEADER DURING UKRAINE TALKS OVER KEY STEP TO PEACE

“Look at how disgusting trump has transformed the historic White House. It’s now a vulgar, gold leafed and gaudy, professional wrestler’s dressing room,” White began. 

“Can’t wait for the UFC match on the front lawn too, he’s almost fully achieved the movie ‘Idiocracy,’” he added, mentioning Trump’s ambitions to host a UFC fight in front of the White House next year as part of America’s 250th birthday celebrations.

Since the start of his second term, Trump has updated the look of the presidential office, adding gold adornments throughout the room, as well as framing a copy of the Declaration of Independence on a wall near the Resolute Desk.

Trump is also planning on adding a ballroom to the White House that will reportedly cost $200 million to build. 

The rocker continued slamming Trump’s renovations.

“Look at his disgusting taste, would you even buy a used car from this conman, let alone give him the nuclear codes? A gold plated trump bible would look perfect up on that mantle with a pair of trump shoes on either side wouldn’t it? What an embarrassment to American history.”

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White added praise for Zelenskyy at Trump’s expense, stating, “Also pictured in this photograph, a REAL leader of a nation in a black suit.”

White has feuded with the president in the past. His former band, The White Stripes, sued the Trump campaign in 2024 for using the riff from “Seven Nation Army” in intro videos during campaign rallies. 

White also called out celebrities who appeared friendly with Trump at a UFC fight in 2023.

“Anybody who ‘normalizes’ or treats this disgusting fascist, racist, con man, disgusting piece of s—t Trump with any level of respect is ALSO disgusting in my book. That’s you Joe Rogan, you Mel Gibson, you Mark Wahlberg, you Guy Fieri. This is a statement from me, not a discussion/debate. – Jack White III,” he wrote on Instagram at the time. 

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Blue state governor tells Bondi ‘we will defeat you’ after immigration ultimatum

Sanctuary jurisdictions are remaining defiant after U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a deadline to begin cooperating with federal authorities by this week. States like Washington say they have “no intention of changing our values in the face of threats from the Trump administration.”

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson, a Democrat, shared a letter he sent to Bondi on X, in which he wrote, “You are hereby notified that Washington State will not be bullied or intimidated by threats and legally baseless accusations.”

In his response to Bondi, Ferguson wrote that “our state legislature passed a bipartisan law that appropriately and lawfully limits the diversion of our state and local resources to federal immigration enforcement.” He also ripped into Bondi personally, writing that her “threat to criminally prosecute state officials embarrasses and disgraces the office.”

“Washington State is proud to be a welcoming community that values immigrants’ and refugees’ contributions to our economy and our cultural fabric. We do so while accounting for and complying with applicable federal law,” he claimed.

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“You seem to believe that cavalierly threatening criminal prosecution will result in me compromising the values of my state. Never,” he added. “I am prepared to defend Washington from any litigation you wish to pursue. If you choose to challenge me and my state, be advised that we will defeat you and seek all appropriate costs and fees.”

In another X post, Ferguson wrote, “Washington state has no intention of changing our values in the face of threats from the Trump administration.”

Bondi announced Thursday she had sent letters giving sanctuary jurisdictions nationwide one week to comply with federal immigration laws or face Department of Justice action. Speaking on Fox Business, Bondi said she sent letters to 32 mayors and seven governors, “telling them you better comply or you’re next.”

Bondi highlighted a letter she sent to California Gov. Gavin Newsom in which she warned that “individuals operating under the color of law, using their official position to obstruct federal immigration enforcement efforts and facilitating or inducing illegal immigration may be subject to criminal charges.”

The letter, shared on social media, said cooperation between federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, including on immigration enforcement, “is vital to enforce federal law and protect national security.”

ILLEGAL TRUCKER ‘DEPORTED HIMSELF TO CA,’ LAWMAKER SAYS, WHILE REVEALING SYSTEMIC CRISIS IN TRANSPORTATION

“Under President Trump’s leadership, full cooperation by state and local governments in immigration enforcement efforts is a top priority,” Bondi wrote, saying Trump directed her to “identify sanctuary jurisdictions and notify them of their unlawful sanctuary status and potential violations of federal law.” 

Several other Democratic-controlled sanctuary jurisdictions have similarly taken a defiant tone in their response to Bondi’s letter.

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, a Democrat, held a raucous press conference on Tuesday, daring Bondi to follow through on her letter.

“Stop attacking our cities to hide your administration’s failures,” Wu said. “Unlike the Trump administration, Boston follows the law. … You are wrong on the law, and you are wrong on safety.

“The cities that live in your minds are totally foreign to the residents living in our cities,” she aded. “And we are picking up the pieces of your failures to deliver on your promises.” She also accused the Trump administration of increasing costs on Americans.

Newsom, rumored to have presidential aspirations, called Bondi’s letter “yet another attempt by the federal government to pressure states into bending the knee and accepting their authoritarian tactics.”

SCOOP: WHITE HOUSE TOUTS GUNS AND DRUG HAUL REMOVED FROM DC STREETS AS TRUMP’S CRIME BLITZ NETS 550 ARRESTS

Newsom’s office shared a letter with Fox News Digital that was sent by the governor’s legal affairs secretary, David Sapp, to Bondi that pointed to a 2019 ruling by the 9th Circuit Court that said, “California has the right, pursuant to the [Tenth Amendment’s] anticommandeering rule, to refrain from assisting with federal efforts.” 

Sapp claimed that threatening to pursue prosecutions in California “would flout the rule of law, as well as likely constitute malicious prosecution.”

In another statement shared with Fox News Digital, Newsom said, “The courts have reaffirmed the validity of California’s laws time and again” and “we will not be bullied into relinquishing our sovereignty.”

The leader of California’s northern neighbor, Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek, was equally defiant, saying on X, “I will fight for the safety and prosperity of every Oregonian, from recent immigrants to people who have been here for generations.”

Kotek’s office shared her response letter to Bondi, which was sent on Tuesday, in which she said she “respectfully disagrees” with Bondi’s assertions that Oregon law “thwarts federal immigration enforcement.”

ICE ARRESTS 65 ILLEGAL ALIENS IN SANCTUARY STATE OPERATION TARGETING GANGS, TRANSNATIONAL ORGANIZED CRIME

“No Oregon public official or law enforcement officer is engaged in any activity to ‘obstruct’ federal immigration efforts,” she claimed. “Therefore, no ‘immediate initiatives’ are necessary to eliminate laws.”

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Despite the pushback, a spokesperson for the Department of Justice told Fox News that the agency is now negotiating with multiple jurisdictions to end sanctuary policies.

A DOJ spokesperson pointed Fox News Digital to several lawsuits the agency has already filed against Los Angeles, New York state, Colorado, Illinois and several other cities.

The office of New York Gov . Kathy Hochul shared a letter she sent Bondi on Tuesday, in which the governor accused the attorney general of believing “states are merely vassals of the federal government.”

Hochul wrote that “these disputes are rightly before the courts for resolution” and that “in the meantime, I will continue to uphold my constitutional duty to take care that the laws of New York are faithfully executed.”

Fox News Digital also reached out to the offices of Ferguson, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker but did not receive statements in response by the time of publication. 

Russia swiftly offered concessions during Trump-Putin summit: Trump envoy

Russia gave in quickly to concessions during President Donald Trump’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Anchorage, Alaska, Friday, according to U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff. 

The remarks come as the U.S. and European allies are sorting out various security guarantees to accompany a peace deal and after Witkoff said Sunday that Putin was on board with permitting the U.S. and its European allies to provide additional protection for Ukraine, akin to protections included in NATO’s Article 5 mutual defense clause.

“I don’t want to delve into the specifics of what was discussed because we’re in a negotiation, mediating, and I think we’re going to be very successful because of the leadership of President Trump,” Witkoff told Fox News Tuesday night. 

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“But there were concessions almost immediately made on the part of the Russians in the first meeting in Alaska,” Witkoff said. “And, you know, part of getting those concessions was learning whether we were going to be able to see the Russians prepared to be more accommodating.”

Historically, Russia has made demands that a peace deal include provisions to bar Ukraine from ever joining NATO, along with concessions on some of the borders that previously were Ukraine’s.

TRUMP: EUROPE WILL ‘TAKE A LOT OF THE BURDEN’ IN PROVIDING SECURITY GUARANTEES FOR UKRAINE

Although Trump said Sunday that Ukraine could end the war by agreeing to certain land concessions to Russia and eliminating the possibility of NATO membership for Ukraine under a potential peace deal, the next step Trump and other European allies are working toward is hashing out security provisions for Ukraine under such a deal. 

That was a huge focus Monday, when Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other European leaders at the White House to discuss various security measures to prevent Russian aggression against Ukraine in the future. After the meetings, Trump said Tuesday that sending U.S. troops to Ukraine to beef up security in the region was off the table. 

“The president has definitively stated U.S. boots will not be on the ground in Ukraine, but we can certainly help in the coordination and perhaps provide other means of security guarantees to our European allies,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Tuesday. 

“The president understands security guarantees are crucially important to ensure a lasting peace, and he has directed his national security team to coordinate with our friends in Europe and also to continue to cooperate and discuss these matters with Ukraine and Russia as well.”

TRUMP CALLS WHITE HOUSE TALKS ‘VERY GOOD, EARLY STEP’ TOWARD RUSSIA-UKRAINE PEACE: HERE’S WHAT’S NEXT

Zelenskyy said U.S. backing on security guarantees is critical to delivering stability to Ukraine. 

“Security in Ukraine depends on the United States and on you and on those leaders who are with us in our hearts,” Zelenskyy said Monday.

“We spoke about it, and we will speak more about security guarantees,” Zelenskyy said. “This is very important that the United States gives such strong signal and is ready for security guarantees.”

America’s biggest pharmacy chain slapped with massive penalty over fraud

A federal judge has ordered CVS Health’s pharmacy benefit manager, Caremark, to pay nearly $290 million after a whistleblower accused the business of overcharging Medicare on prescription drugs more than a decade ago.

Sarah Behnke, a former Aetna actuary, alleged Caremark defrauded Medicare Part D by causing false drug cost reports to be submitted in 2013 and 2014.

Caremark was found liable in June, and Philadelphia federal court Chief Judge Mitchell Goldberg ordered the company to pay $95 million in damages, deferring final rulings on penalties.

Goldberg, who was appointed by former President George W. Bush, tripled the damages on Tuesday, finding Caremark Rx, CaremarkPCS Health and CVS Caremark Part D Services should pay a total of $289.9 million in damages and penalties, according to court documents. Goldberg also imposed $4.87 million in civil penalties.

ANTI-THEFT MEASURES AT CVS ARE ‘WORSE FOR BUSINESS THAN ORGANIZED SHOPLIFTING,’ COLUMNIST ARGUES

“We are pleased that the Behnke ruling in June was in our favor as to certain issues for CVS Pharmacy and CVS Health Corporation’s liability and disappointed the court found against Caremark on other issues. We plan to appeal,” CVS wrote in a statement to FOX Business.

In 2014, Caremark was accused of manipulating how drug costs were reported, prompting Aetna and SilverScript to submit false direct and indirect remuneration reports in 2013 and 2014, according to court records.

The scheme, which was allegedly designed to hide profits, led to Medicare Part D being overbilled by $95 million.

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While Goldberg did not find “actual knowledge” of the fraud, he found reckless disregard and deliberate ignorance warranting the steep penalties, according to a memorandum.

Caremark argued that the 513 false reports submitted did not justify penalties exceeding the $95 million overcharged, citing the excessive fines clause of the Eighth Amendment and the due process clause.

However, Goldberg found a $95 million fraud loss was “certainly significant.”

Citing precedent from a State Farm insurance case in 2003, Goldberg noted due process was not violated because the ratio of penalties to actual damages was substantially lower than previous decisions, according to court documents.

CVS OPENS SMALLER FORMAT STORES AS INDUSTRY SEES BIG SHIFT

Goldberg also awarded post-judgment interest, which means interest began accruing on the $289.9 million on Tuesday and will continue to accrue until Caremark pays in full.

The interest will compensate Behnke and the government until CVS pays fully, preventing the company from delaying action.

It is unclear how much of the total award Behnke will receive.

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Aetna, Sarah Behnke and U.S. Attorney David Metcalf did not immediately respond to FOX Business’ requests for comment.

Slain judge allegedly ran ‘sex parties’ where women traded favors to avoid trouble

The rural Kentucky judge who was allegedly gunned down in his chambers last year by a local sheriff possibly ran a scheme by which he demanded sexual favors from women to get them out of trouble, an accuser claims. 

Tya Adams told News Nation she would attend sex parties for District Court Judge Kevin Mullins and his friends in the small rural town of Whitesburg in exchange for money or to get offenders out of trouble. 

Adams told NewsNation’s “Banfield” that Mullins had warned her to keep quiet about what was taking place. 

EX-SHERIFF ACCUSED OF SHOOTING JUDGE IN CHAMBERS SAYS STATE SKIRTED LAW, SHOULD TOSS MURDER CASE: REPORT

She said she felt she couldn’t say no because she feared retribution from the legal system and Child Protective Services would upend her life.

“They would make sure to make you feel as small and degraded and belittled as possible to take your power away,” Adams said. “It was consensual. But it was the thing that we were so young, and then they used it against us and to destroy our lives later.

“That was just a given,” she added. “And who would believe it anyway? Because the whole town was doing it. Nobody cares. They’re all swingers. It’s all a big party to them. It was just so normal.”

It wasn’t immediately clear if Adams had a criminal history or if CPS was familiar with her. 

Sarah Davis, a former deputy at the Letcher County jail, told the news outlet she had never seen anyone initiating sex, but that the stories she heard were “nasty and sickening.”

VICTIMS OUTRAGED AFTER OHIO JUDGE RELEASES MAN CHARGED IN MULTIPLE CLEVELAND ASSAULTS

“Pretty much everybody in the county knows,” she said. “But it was confirmed to me after working in the county jail, especially after being invited to a party myself.”

She described the lockup as a “brothel” where staffers had sexual encounters with each other and  with inmates. 

Mullins invited Davis to a sex party once, but she said she declined. 

“I was raised better than that,” she said.

Mullins, 54, was shot and killed in a Sept. 19, 2024, attack inside his chambers, allegedly by Letcher County Sheriff Shawn “Mickey” Stines. Stines, who is no longer a sheriff, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder. 

Video footage of the shooting captured Stines shooting Mullins as he sat at his desk. The sheriff, the judge’s longtime colleague and friend, allegedly continued to fire after Mullins fell to the floor. 

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The two men had eaten lunch together hours earlier with a group, authorities said. 

At a preliminary hearing, Kentucky State Police Det. Clayton Stamper testified that Stines attempted to call his daughter on his phone, then on Mullins’ phone. Stines’ daughter was stored in Mullins’ contacts, The Associated Press previously reported.  

I exposed fake news about Sydney Sweeney — then they deleted the proof

It seems that all of the conventional opinion of America’s chattering class is condensed and printed once a week in the pages of the New Yorker. In normal times, this process yields some good writing and reporting. In certain periods, the magazine has produced some magnificent work. But we have not lived in normal times for the past decade. The conventional opinions of the chattering classes have ranged from delusional idealism to racialist fever dreams, and worse.

The most recent illustration of this trend is an essay by New Yorker staff writer Doreen St. Felix, who penned a screed about the blonde starlet Sydney Sweeney. Sweeney, St. Felix mused, represents a fantasy “Aryan princess” to some of her fans, with her much-discussed breasts placed in dark contrast with “the Black man’s hunger for ass.”

This is not the New Yorker of the past; it is something different. What is it, exactly? Beginning a decade ago, the New Yorker, like many of its peers, jumped on the “diversity and inclusion” bandwagon and declared itself an “anti-racist” institution. The magazine, owned by Condé Nast, set explicit racial quotas in hiring and pledged to “talk about racism” at every opportunity.

NEW YORKER WRITER WHO TRASHED SYDNEY SWEENEY DELETES SOCIAL MEDIA AFTER ANTI-WHITE POSTS RESURFACE

The magazine was capitulating to critical race ideologies. It snapped up writers, like St. Felix, who is Black, to provide “representation” not only of favored demographic groups but also of a certain flavor of opinion.

After St. Felix’s Sweeney essay, a colleague sent me a link to one of her posts on X. “I hate white men,” the post read in part. Out of curiosity, I searched her history for the phrases “white men” and “white people,” and discovered a cesspool of bigotry: “Whiteness fills me with a lot of hate”; “Whiteness must be abolished”; “We lived in perfect harmony w/ the earth pre whiteness”; “White terrorism is a redundant phrase”; “White people[’s] . . . lack of hygiene literally started the bubonic plague, lice, syphilis”; “It’s tricknological, when white people invoke the holocaust”; “White people bring up the holocaust or 9/11 to affect a fake racial psychic burden.” And so on.

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Most of these posts were written a decade ago, after St. Felix had graduated from Brown University and a few years before the New Yorker hired her as a writer. They are indicative of a fashionable ideology that, for the entire Black Lives Matter era, was seen as a credential for ascension into the cultural elite. For St. Felix, the credential seemingly worked.

I published screenshots of St. Felix’s stream-of-hatred writing, sparking a media firestorm, with headlines in the Daily Mail, New York Post and other international outlets. Within hours, St. Felix had deleted her X account and the New Yorker had blocked me from engaging with its posts on the same platform, a rare move from a national publication.

The St. Felix affair raises an important question, summarized with characteristic acuity by the social critic Wesley Yang: “Should there be a single standard of civility, decency, and honesty that excludes this kind of poisonous racial vitriol and defamation from public life, or will we continue to give license to it so long as it is directed at white people?”

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Indeed. Publications like the New Yorker have long worn the halo of “antiracism.” But “antiracism” has always had an exception, which can no longer be denied, for Whites and Jews — the “tricknological” oppressors who, in the minds of people like St. Felix, apparently deserve a steady stream of racialist vituperation. After all, the very term “tricknological” was coined by the Nation of Islam, whose leader, Louis Farrakhan, never concealed his hatreds in euphemism or intellectualization.

Some writers have called for St. Felix to make a public apology or even for the New Yorker to fire their “star writer.” My preferred outcome to the Doreen St. Felix affair would be silence. Rather than engage in Kabuki theater, we should simply accept the fact that the entire premise of the BLM era was never about “antiracism.” It was always a fraud, from top to bottom. If the New Yorker simply moves on without comment, none of us will have to pretend anymore or delegate our moral conscience to magazines, DEI manifestos and the rest of the rotten edifice. It is better to accept reality than to continue to live in the delusion.

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The “racial reckoning” that produced writers such as St. Felix was not about helping minorities. It was about punishing the majority. All of the preening over the past decade was empty. It helped no one except grifters and hustlers who used it to vent their spleens and line their pockets.

For making this reality so plain, Doreen St. Felix deserves not our condemnation, but our gratitude. She revealed the truth for all of us to see.

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