Tag: Taps

  • Fox News Taps Charlie Kirk Amid Epstein Fallout and Murdoch Tensions

    Fox News Taps Charlie Kirk Amid Epstein Fallout and Murdoch Tensions

    Fox News has selected Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA (TPUSA), to guest host Fox & Friends Weekend for the first time. A Fox spokesperson confirmed the decision, originally reported by Axios, noting that Kirk will appear alongside co-hosts Rachel Campos-Duffy and Charlie Hurt on July 27–28, 2025.

    The move comes as the network faces growing pressure from Trump-aligned media personalities over its coverage of the Jeffrey Epstein files and its relationship with the Wall Street Journal, another Rupert Murdoch-owned outlet. Kirk, who has hosted The Charlie Kirk Show, a podcast and syndicated radio program, is also a close ally of former President Donald Trump and a vocal critic of legacy media organizations, including the Journal.

    A Decade of Coverage: TPUSA’s Rise

    Kirk founded Turning Point USA in 2012 at age 18 with financial backing from donors such as the late Foster Friess and Home Depot co-founder Bernie Marcus. The group is registered as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and reported over $55 million in revenue in 2022, according to public IRS filings.

    TPUSA’s stated mission is to “identify, educate, train, and organize students to promote freedom.” However, its campus organizing efforts have drawn criticism from academics and student groups for compiling watchlists of left-leaning faculty and amplifying misinformation. The Higher Education Inquirer has documented TPUSA’s partnerships with conservative student chapters, appearances by controversial figures, and consistent alignment with Trump administration policies.

    In recent years, TPUSA has expanded its media and political operations through spinoffs like TPUSA Faith, TPUSA Live, and the AmericaFest conference series. These initiatives have featured speakers including Donald Trump Jr., Candace Owens, Tucker Carlson, and Marjorie Taylor Greene.

    Epstein Files and the Trump Lawsuit

    In early July 2025, The Wall Street Journal published an investigative piece detailing Donald Trump’s past relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. The story cited sources claiming Trump once sent Epstein a birthday card with a hand-drawn image of a naked woman. Trump denied the report and sued the Journal and Rupert Murdoch for $10 billion, calling the article defamatory.

    The report was based on internal communications, FBI notes, and interviews with individuals familiar with Epstein’s social network. While the Journal stands by its reporting, coverage of the lawsuit has been limited on Fox News, which has mentioned it only a few times on air, according to media monitoring data from Media Matters.

    Kirk responded aggressively to the story, calling it “fake” and “a hit job” on his podcast and social media. He praised Trump’s lawsuit and claimed the article was an attempt to connect the Epstein investigation to the former president without evidence. “Now I quickly, and we quickly, came to the president’s defense,” he said on The Charlie Kirk Show.

    Strategic Silence and MAGA Realignment

    Fox News, typically quick to echo Trump’s media attacks, has not publicly defended the Journal. The network also reduced its coverage of the Epstein documents released this summer, in contrast to CNN, MSNBC, and other right-leaning outlets like Newsmax and Real America’s Voice, which have continued to highlight the Epstein files.

    Trump has reportedly instructed close allies and supporters to downplay the Epstein revelations. According to Rolling Stone and Puck News, Trump personally called Kirk and other surrogates, asking them to redirect attention away from Attorney General Pam Bondi, who had faced MAGA criticism for a DOJ memo stating there was no actionable Epstein “client list.”

    Kirk initially supported criticism of Bondi but later reversed course, stating on his podcast that he would “trust [his] friends in the government.” After announcing he would stop discussing Epstein, he backtracked the following day, claiming his comments were taken out of context.

    TPUSA’s Institutional Influence

    Turning Point USA has expanded into high schools (via Turning Point Academy), churches (TPUSA Faith), and electoral politics (Turning Point Action). According to the group’s 2023 annual report, it has reached over 2,500 schools and trained more than 12,000 student activists. TPUSA Action spent at least $7 million on political activities in the 2022 midterms, per FEC data.

    Kirk’s access to Fox News’s audience, especially during a prime weekend slot, signals further normalization of TPUSA within conservative media infrastructure. It also reflects the ongoing merger between youth-oriented political branding and legacy cable television, especially at a time when Fox News is balancing its MAGA base against legal and reputational risks tied to its parent company.

    Sources

    • Axios (July 2025): “Charlie Kirk to co-host Fox & Friends Weekend”

    • Wall Street Journal (July 2025): “Trump’s Epstein Birthday Card”

    • IRS Form 990 filings (TPUSA 2021–2023)

    • Media Matters: “Fox News Epstein Coverage Analysis”

    • FEC.gov: Turning Point Action Political Expenditures

    • Rolling Stone, Puck News (July 2025): Trump’s calls to allies over Epstein story

    • TPUSA 2023 Annual Report

    • Higher Education Inquirer Archive (2016–2025): Reports on TPUSA campus activity

    This article is part of the Higher Education Inquirer’s long-term investigation into political influence in the credential economy, campus organizing, and the intersection of media, youth movements, and power.

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  • UNCF Taps Veteran HBCU Leader Dr. Walter M. Kimbrough for Key Research and Engagement Role

    UNCF Taps Veteran HBCU Leader Dr. Walter M. Kimbrough for Key Research and Engagement Role

    Dr. Walter M. KimbroughThe United Negro College Fund (UNCF) has appointed Dr. Walter M. Kimbrough, a seasoned higher education administrator known for his transformational leadership at historically Black colleges and universities, to serve as Executive Vice President of Research & Member Engagement, effective September 2, 2025.

    The appointment represents a strategic move by UNCF to strengthen its support for member institutions through enhanced research capabilities and deeper engagement initiatives. 

    Kimbrough, who is an expert on Black fraternities and sororities, brings decades of presidential experience from multiple UNCF member institutions, positioning him uniquely to understand the challenges and opportunities facing HBCUs today.

    “Dr. Kimbrough’s appointment is the culmination of our lengthy search for a transformational leader,” said Dr. Michael L. Lomax, UNCF President and CEO, in announcing the selection to UNCF staffers.

    Kimbrough’s extensive presidential portfolio includes leadership roles at three UNCF member institutions: Dillard University in New Orleans, Philander Smith College (now University) in Arkansas, and most recently as interim president at Talladega College in Alabama. UNCF officials add that this breadth of experience across different regions and institutional contexts provides him with an insider’s perspective on the diverse needs of UNCF’s 37 member institutions.

    In his new role, Kimbrough will report directly to the Office of the President, working alongside Dr. Lomax on strategic initiatives while collaborating with the Chief Operating Officer on operational priorities. His portfolio encompasses four major UNCF initiatives that span the educational pipeline from K-12 through higher education.

    The Frederick D. Patterson Research Institute (FDPRI), one of the key components under his leadership, serves as UNCF’s research arm, producing critical data and analysis about HBCUs and their impact on American higher education. As chief research officer and principal editor of research publications, Kimbrough will guide the institute’s scholarly output while serving as a spokesperson for UNCF in media appearances and external engagements.

     Kimbrough will also oversee the Institute for Capacity Building (ICB), positioning him as UNCF’s lead consultant for member institutions seeking to strengthen their operational and academic capabilities. This role leverages his presidential experience, allowing him to provide peer-to-peer guidance to current HBCU leaders navigating similar challenges he has faced throughout his career.

    His responsibilities also extend to HBCUv® Digital Learning Solution, UNCF’s innovative technology platform designed to support online and hybrid learning at member institutions—a particularly relevant initiative in the post-pandemic educational landscape.

    “I have had the great honor to serve four UNCF member institutions, three as president, and for over 20 years I benefited from the advocacy and support of UNCF,” Kimbrough told Diverse. “This position allows me to pour back into UNCF, its member institutions and students.”

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  • UWF Taps Florida GOP Official as Interim President

    UWF Taps Florida GOP Official as Interim President

    Another former Florida lawmaker is stepping into a presidency after the University of West Florida Board of Trustees voted to hire Manny Diaz Jr. in an interim capacity Tuesday.

    Diaz, who is currently Florida’s education commissioner, served in Florida’s Senate from 2019 to 2022. The former GOP lawmaker is a close ally of the state’s Republican governor, Ron DeSantis. 

    The UWF board approved the hire despite the objections of two trustees who raised concerns about transparency and argued that the process of selecting an interim was rushed. UWF’s current president, Martha Saunders, announced her resignation earlier this month after a board member took issue with social media posts from the university dating back several years. Zach Smith, who works for the Heritage Foundation, said he was troubled by actions that included encouraging students to read a book about antiracism and promoting a drag event in 2019.

    Both board members and the public questioned Diaz’s qualifications at the meeting.

    Trustee Alonzie Scott noted that it was unusual to select an interim without considering internal options and questioned how Diaz was elevated as a sudden candidate without a prior board discussion. He also pressed board chair Rebecca Matthews on whom she spoke with before advancing Diaz as the pick, though she did not offer specifics on those conversations.

    “I don’t feel as if I have to run through that list with you today,” Matthews told Scott when he asked whom she had discussed the appointment with before adding it to the board agenda.

    Scott also questioned whether the board had violated state sunshine laws.

    “I can’t prove that any of us have violated the sunshine guidelines, but I can tell you everything that I read about all the different Florida news outlets, it appears that those decisions were made before this board even had a chance to even discuss. And to me, ma’am, that is a travesty in terms of how we operate,” Scott said, adding the process was “a disservice to the community.”

    Matthews defended the hire, noting Diaz’s past work in K-12 education and the State Legislature.

    Diaz will formally assume the interim presidency July 14. Despite tapping Diaz as interim, the board will begin a search for its next president, though some trustees argued that naming Diaz instead of an internal candidate to lead UWF would likely suppress the number of applicants.

    Of five presidents hired at Florida’s public universities this year (including interim roles), Diaz is one of four who are either former lawmakers or directly connected to the governor’s office. Santa Ono, who was hired as president of the University of Florida on the same day UWF tapped Diaz, is the outlier.

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  • Pasco-Hernando Taps DeSantis Ally as Interim President

    Pasco-Hernando Taps DeSantis Ally as Interim President

    Weeks after Pasco-Hernando State College president Jesse Pisors resigned abruptly, the board named Florida Department of Juvenile Justice secretary Eric Hall interim president Tuesday.

    Republican governor Ron DeSantis appointed Hall to the department in late 2021. Prior to that role, Hall served as senior chancellor of the Florida Department of Education from early 2019 to late 2021. Before that appointment, his educational experience was largely in the K-12 space.

    Hall was a finalist in the 2023 PHSC presidential search that ended with Pisors in the top job. 

    Pisors resigned after less than 18 months as president. His departure followed the release of a critical report by Florida’s version of the Department of Government Efficiency, which indicated the college was among the worst in the state in terms of student growth and retention. Board members alleged that they had not been made aware of those numbers, despite requests.

    However, The Tampa Bay Times reported that there has been skepticism around the validity of the report, which some critics argued was a flawed analysis of PHSC’s student outcomes.

    The newspaper also noted that DeSantis appointed Hall to a government efficiency task force in late 2023, an effort that was ultimately a forebear of the state’s DOGE apparatus.

    Hall is one of multiple DeSantis allies hired to lead a public institution in Florida this year. Others include Marva Johnson, a lobbyist, hired to lead Florida A&M University last week, and former Florida lieutenant governor Jeanette Nuñez at Florida International University, as well as former state lawmaker Adam Hasner at Florida Atlantic University, both of whom were hired in February. (Nuñez was hired as an interim but has since been named sole finalist for the job.)

    Prior political hires include Ben Sasse, a former Republican U.S. senator from Nebraska, who briefly led the University of Florida before stepping down amid a spending scandal, and former state lawmaker Richard Corcoran at New College of Florida. Another former GOP lawmaker, Ray Rodrigues, was hired as chancellor of the State University System of Florida in 2022.

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  • Johns Hopkins Taps Endowment Earnings for Research Funding

    Johns Hopkins Taps Endowment Earnings for Research Funding

    Johns Hopkins University is turning to earnings on its $13.2 billion endowment to preserve research and protect researchers, trainees and staff amid drastic cuts to federal funding, The Baltimore Banner reported Monday.

    Since President Donald Trump started his second term in January, federal agencies have terminated or stalled billions in research grants to colleges and universities in a move scientists and higher education advocates warn will decimate university budgets, slow scientific innovation and hurt local economies. Johns Hopkins estimates that it has so far lost 100 federal grants, while others remain under review by the Trump administration to ensure they align with the federal goal of rooting out diversity, equity and inclusion, among other things. As a result, the university said it’s approaching $1 billion in federal funding losses so far this year.

    While Trump and his allies have suggested universities can use their endowments to fund research, officials at Johns Hopkins—which received more funding from the National Institutes of Health in 2024 than any other university—said Monday that’s not so easy.

    “It’s a common misconception that universities can simply ‘use the endowment’ in moments like this,” university officials said in a statement. “The reality is that most of our endowment is made up of legally restricted funds designated by donors for specific purposes. The principal of the endowment must legally be preserved in perpetuity—to support Johns Hopkins’ mission now and for future generations—and cannot be drawn down like a reserve fund.

    “That said, we are using flexible resources—some of which are tied to endowment earnings—to help sustain critical research in this moment of uncertainty.”

    Johns Hopkins hasn’t disclosed how much total earnings it plans to take from its endowment to help faculty and students continue their research, according to a news release.

    But in the plan released Monday, it said individuals will receive up to $100,000 for delayed grants or $150,000 for terminated grants during a 12-month period. The university will also offer a year of support to Ph.D. students completing their dissertations and postdoctoral fellows who had been expecting support from federal grants that were terminated, as well as expand a program that offers editorial support for grant proposals and journal articles and another that enables undergraduates to work with faculty mentors on original research or projects.

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  • Howard University Taps Antiracist Scholar Ibram X. Kendi to Head New Advanced Studies Institute

    Howard University Taps Antiracist Scholar Ibram X. Kendi to Head New Advanced Studies Institute

    Howard University has appointed renowned historian and bestselling author Dr. Ibram X. Kendi to lead its newly established Institute for Advanced Study, marking aDr. Ibram X. Kendi significant expansion of the historically Black university’s research capabilities. The institute will focus on interdisciplinary research addressing global African diaspora issues, including studies on race, technology, climate change, and systemic disparities.

    Kendi, a MacArthur Fellowship recipient and one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people, brings considerable scholarly credentials to the position. His appointment continues Howard’s legacy of housing influential Black intellectuals and fostering groundbreaking research on racial justice.

    “This is the most fulfilling career choice I have ever made,” said Kendi, who is currently a professor at Boston University but has held teaching positions at American University, University of Florida and SUNY Albany. “I have had my eye on the Mecca my entire career, studying its history and witnessing what Howard means to the culture.”

    The new institute will implement a competitive residential fellowship program, bringing together international scholars to pursue research projects across various disciplines. A unique aspect of the program pairs each fellow with a Howard student, creating mentorship opportunities while advancing research goals. The fellowship program will also be available to Howard’s faculty members.

    Howard’s Provost and Chief Academic Officer, Dr. Anthony K. Wutoh said there is a strong alignment between Kendi’s work and the university’s mission.

    “Dr. Ibram X. Kendi’s exceptional scholarship and unwavering commitment to social justice align perfectly with Howard University’s mission and values as we deepen our scholarship on the African Diaspora,” he said.

    The institute’s research agenda is ambitious, targeting persistent inequities across multiple sectors including technology, healthcare, education, environmental issues, economics, governance, and the criminal legal system. This comprehensive approach reflects Howard’s historical commitment to addressing systemic racism through scholarly inquiry.

    Kendi joins Howard at the height of his academic career. His work has significantly shaped contemporary discussions about racism, with his book How to Be an Antiracist achieving international bestseller status. His earlier work, Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America, won the National Book Award for Nonfiction and was recently adapted into an Emmy-nominated Netflix documentary.

    A trained historian, Kendi has also worked as a journalist and served for many years as a contributor to Diverse.

    His appointment connects to Howard’s rich tradition of housing influential scholars who have shaped American civil rights discourse. The university’s historical roster includes figures like Charles Hamilton Houston and William Hastie, who developed legal strategies against segregation, and Francis Cecil Sumner, whose research contributed to the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision.

    Kendi’s publication record includes sixteen books, with ten reaching The New York Times bestseller list. His recent adaptation of Howard alumna Zora Neale Hurston’s “Barracoon” and his co-edited volume Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619-2019″ demonstrate his commitment to preserving and analyzing Black historical narratives.

    The establishment of the Institute for Advanced Study under Kendi’s leadership represents Howard’s continued evolution as a center for critical research on race and society. It also positions the university as a major powerbroker who can attract well-known Black scholars. Nikole Hannah-Jones, the Pulitzer Prize winning journalist is on Howard’s faculty as well as award-winning writer Ta-Nehesi Coates, who is the Sterling Brown Endowed Chair at the university.  As higher education grapples with questions of equity and inclusion, Howard’s new institute positions the university to lead scholarly discourse on these crucial issues while training the next generation of researchers and thought leaders.

    The institute’s focus on mentorship through its fellowship program suggests a commitment to developing future scholars while producing cutting-edge research. University leaders said that this approach aligns with Howard’s dual mission of academic excellence and community impact, creating opportunities for both established researchers and emerging scholars to contribute to the field.

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