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Dem governor-elect taps Crockett’s former ‘chief brand strategist’ for top DEI role
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FIRST ON FOX: Soon-to-be Virginia Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger has tapped the former «chief brand strategist» for Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, to serve in the state’s top diversity, equity and inclusion role.
In a Tuesday statement, Spanberger, who takes office on Jan. 17, announced she is appointing Dr. Sesha Joi Moon to serve as Virginia’s chief diversity officer and director of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Spanberger said that Moon’s «experience across government, education, and the nonprofit sectors gives her firsthand insight into the ways in which we can build a stronger, safer, and more prosperous Virginia for every family.»
«I’m excited to announce that Dr. Moon is joining our administration,» said Spanberger, adding, «Virginia deserves leaders who will make sure our work to grow our Commonwealth’s economy keeps the needs of all Virginians in mind.»
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Virginia Democratic Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger celebrates as she takes the stage during her election night rally at the Greater Richmond Convention Center on Nov. 04, 2025. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
«When every Virginian has the opportunity to reach their full potential, it benefits all of us,» she said.
Moon, whose doctorates are in public administration and policy and self-identifies as a «Black queer woman,» responded to her appointment by saying she is looking «forward to joining the cabinet of Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger as her historic administration works to advance a future in which all Virginians have access to opportunity — to include residents from some of the hardest-to-reach communities throughout the Commonwealth.»
Moon most recently served as the chief impact officer for the Girl Scouts of the USA. Before that, through her private consultant practice Moon & Associates, she worked as the «chief brand strategist» for Crockett, a radical far-left Democrat who is currently running for the U.S. Senate in Texas.
Earlier this year, Moon appeared on a 40-minute podcast episode, where she defended the importance of DEI and delivered a direct message to critics, saying, «This work has not stopped. You can defund and dismantle all you want, but the work continues.»
«I’m excited. I feel like DEI is just getting started,» Moon continued. «I know that sounds so insane to some people because some people think our discipline is crumbling, and I don’t see it like that. I feel like we’re onto something here.»
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Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, a member of the House Judiciary Committee, arrives on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Moon also served as executive-in-residence with two-time failed Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams’ American Pride Rises Network, a DEI advocacy network.
Before that, she was the chief diversity officer of the U.S. House of Representatives during the 117th & 118th Congresses under Speakers Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and Mike Johnson, R-La.
Spanberger won a decisive electoral victory this November, defeating Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears by a margin of over 10 percentage points.
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Then Republican Virginia gubernatorial candidate Winsome Earle-Sears speaks at a CPAC Latino Rally for Virginia on October 25, 2025 in Sterling, Virginia. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Considered a purple state, Spanberger’s victory returns the Virginia governor’s mansion to the Democrats after being held by Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin.
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Fox News Digital reached out to Spanberger, Moon, Crockett, Abrams and the Girl Scouts of the USA for comment but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
abigail spanberger,virginia,woke,democratic party,dei
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Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday that U.S. sanctions on Cuba are tied to political change on the island, as the country faces widespread blackouts, unrest and a worsening economic crisis.
«Suffice it to say that the embargo is tied to political change on the island,» Rubio told reporters at the White House. «The law, it’s been codified. And, but the bottom line is their economy doesn’t work. It’s a nonfunctional economy. It’s an economy that has survived.… That thing they have, has survived on subsidies from the Soviet Union and now from Venezuela. They don’t get subsidies anymore. So they’re in a lot of trouble. And the people in charge of them don’t know how to fix it. So they have to get new people in charge.»
Rubio’s comments come as Cuba faces a deepening energy crisis that has fueled protests and instability.
A nationwide power grid collapse left roughly 10 million people without electricity, according to U.S. Embassy statements and Cuban authorities.
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People walk on the street during a blackout in Havana, March 16, 2026. (Ramon Espinosa/AP)
President Donald Trump indicated his administration is actively engaged.
«Cuba right now is in very bad shape. They’re talking to Marco,» Trump told the reporters, «We’ll be doing something with Cuba very soon.… We’re dealing with Cuba.»
Trump escalated his rhetoric against Cuba Monday, saying he expected to have the «honor» of «taking Cuba in some form» and that «I can do anything I want» with the neighboring country.
A senior State Department official rejected claims that U.S. sanctions are responsible for the humanitarian situation, saying, «Widespread blackouts have sadly become common for many years in Cuba — a symptom of the failing regime’s incompetence and inability to provide even the most basic goods and service for its people.»
«This is the tragic result of over 60 years of Communist rule,» the official added. «An island that was once the crown jewel of the Caribbean has plunged into extreme poverty and darkness.
«As President Trump has said, what is left of the regime should make a deal and finally let the Cuban people be free and prosperous, with the help of the United States,» the official told Fox News Digital.
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Protesters gather outside a Communist Party headquarters in Morón, Cuba, as a fire burns in the street during overnight unrest. Video obtained by Fox News Digital appeared to show demonstrators attempting to set fire to the building amid protests linked to widespread blackouts. (Reuters)
Cuban human rights activist Rosa María Payá argued that the current crisis reflects systemic collapse inside the regime, not external pressure.
«The blackout is the regime’s collapse made visible: 65 years of totalitarianism finally consuming itself,» Payá told Fox News Digital. «The protests are Cubans refusing to disappear into that darkness.»
She rejected claims that U.S. sanctions are driving the humanitarian situation.
«Cubans are not suffering because of American policy,» she said. «They are suffering because of a dictatorship. Pressure on the regime works. What hurts the Cuban people is legitimizing it.»
«The only way to end the humanitarian catastrophe is to end the regime,» Payá added. «That’s the demand of the Cuban people.»
Recent blackouts and shortages have been linked to failures at key infrastructure, including the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric power plant, as well as fuel shortages following U.S. actions to curtail oil shipments from Venezuela, one of Cuba’s primary energy suppliers.
At the same time, Pentagon officials told lawmakers there are no plans to invade Cuba, even as they described it as a long-standing security concern.
Joseph Humire, performing the duties of assistant secretary of defense for homeland defense and Americas security affairs, said he was «not familiar with any plans on Cuba» when asked during a House Armed Services Committee hearing Tuesday.
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Riot police walk the streets after a demonstration against the government of President Miguel Diaz-Canel in Arroyo Naranjo Municipality, Havana, on July 12, 2021. (Yamil Lage/AFP)
He described Cuba as «one of the strongest intelligence adversaries that we’ve had in the United States,» adding that Cuban officials have operated across the region and were «defending Nicolás Maduro… in Caracas» during past operations.
Cuba’s government has blamed U.S. sanctions for worsening the crisis, while U.S. officials argue it stems from decades of economic mismanagement and reliance on foreign subsidies.
cuba,marco rubio,secretary of state,state department,donald trump
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‘Deeply disturbing’ animal cruelty operation involving baby monkeys busted by ICE investigation
Trump Cabinet teams up to end animal abuse
Attorney General Pam Bondi, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. discuss why animal cruelty is so important to end on ‘My View with Lara Trump.’
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A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) investigation in Florida busted a «deeply disturbing» illegal animal cruelty operation involving baby monkeys by U.S. citizen Francisco Javier Ravelo.
According to the Justice Department, Ravelo, 36, pleaded guilty in federal court to distributing videos depicting the torture of both adult and baby monkeys that involved mutilation and burning. The DOJ said Ravelo personally distributed more than 40 torture videos and that his actions violated the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture (PACT) Act, which was signed into law by President Donald Trump during his first term.
Ravelo now faces up to seven years in prison.
The DOJ said the animal cruelty scheme was exposed by an investigation by ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), which is the primary criminal investigations arm of the Department of Homeland Security.
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An investigation by ICE Homeland Security Investigations led to U.S. citizen Francisco Javier Ravelo pleading guilty to distributing videos depicting the torture of both adult and baby monkeys that involved mutilation and burning. (Arnulfo Franco/AP Photo; ICE)
Jason Reding Quiñones, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, called the case «deeply disturbing» and evidenced a willingness on the part of Ravelo to «inflict suffering without remorse.»
«As a former state court trial judge who presided over domestic violence cases, I was trained to recognize lethality factors, warning signs that violence is escalating. Deliberate cruelty to animals is one of the clearest red flags,» he said. «It reflects a willingness to dominate, torture, and inflict suffering without remorse.»
Quiñones condemned Ravelo’s actions in no uncertain terms, calling it a «serious federal crime» that he said «fuels a market built on brutality.»
Adam Gustafson, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division, commented that «if you are involved in this sadistic activity, we will prosecute you.»
Meanwhile, Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons said that while Ravelo «didn’t count on HSI being able to track him down, pull together evidence and present it to the judge … now he knows better.»
ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT FROM VENEZUELA LEARNS SENTENCE FOR BITING ICE AGENT, WITH INJURY SEEN IN PHOTO
Screenshots taken by ICE of a video distributed by Ravelo depicting the torture of a monkey. (ICE)
«Homeland Security Investigations pieced together the case that led to Ravelo’s guilty plea,» said Lyons, adding, «I hope this serves as a warning to others who acquire or distribute this kind of content: HSI will find you, and you’ll end up in federal court just like Ravelo did.»
Upon signing the PACT Act in 2019, Trump said, «It is important that we combat these heinous and sadistic acts of cruelty, which are totally unacceptable in a civilized society.»
Trump said that the passage of the PACT Act was «something that should have happened a long time ago.»
This year, Trump also launched a new multi-agency initiative to strengthen enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act, specifically targeting chronic puppy mill violators and dogfighting rings. The move was commended by Humane World for Animals.
DHS NABS AFGHAN MAN ADMITTED UNDER BIDEN AFTER CONVICTION FOR EXPOSING HIMSELF TO MINOR
President Donald Trump speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, in Washington. (Evan Vucci/AP Photo)
In a statement announcing the initiative, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said that Trump administration agencies are «taking historic actions» to hold chronic pet welfare violators accountable.
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The agency said the initiative «will boost compliance with existing laws, protect our companion animals,» and reiterates that the Trump administration «stands with the majority of Americans» who are pet owners.
homeland security,pets,donald trump,justice department,police and law enforcement,florida
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