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OutKick Mock Draft 3.0: Cowboys make big splash, Jets shore up shaky defense

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With the 2026 NFL Draft kicking off on April 23 in Pittsburgh, it’s time to publish the final version of the OutKick Mock Draft.

The Raiders have tried to fill the Derek Carr-sized void at quarterback since they let the veteran quarterback walk after the 2022 NFL season. Rather than invest in the position through a high pick in the draft, the team has tried to patch the hole with several veterans (including Jimmy Garoppolo, Gardner Minshew, Geno Smith) and 2023 fourth-round pick Aidan O’Connell. None of them worked. 

There are some rumblings that Mendoza might not go No. 1 overall, particularly when it was revealed that the Heisman Trophy and National Championship-winning quarterback wouldn’t attend the draft in Pittsburgh. But attending the draft is becoming less and less common for players and I don’t buy into that idea at all. Part of having the top pick isn’t just about picking the right guy, but about winning the PR campaign. Teams want fans to be happy and Mendoza is the safest pick at the top of the board. There’s just no way, in my opinion, that the Raiders don’t select Mendoza.

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Obviously, the Jets need a long-term answer at quarterback, even after trading for veteran Geno Smith, but it just doesn’t make sense to take one at No. 2 with Mendoza off the board. New York would be wise to try and trade out of this spot, but the Jets might not find a dance partner. If they stay here, it makes the most sense to give head coach Aaron Glenn, a defensive-minded coach, a pass rusher who can disrupt the game. 

New York had the second-fewest sacks in the NFL last year (26) and didn’t force a single interception (which is often an indictment of the pass rush more than it is of the secondary). According to Pro Football Reference, the Jets ranked dead-last in the NFL in pressure percentage (15 percent). 

The Cardinals are another team that needs a quarterback, with the franchise having moved on from Kyler Murray. But in the same vein as the Jets, that guy doesn’t exist at the top of the board and the Cardinals also desperately need to improve on their awful pass rush (tied for third-fewest sacks in the NFL). 

The Titans need a lot of help on both sides of the ball, and they should use this pick on a premium position. But I don’t think they will. Titans fans miss Derrick Henry, and it’s easy to envision a scenario where they see Love becoming the focal point of a functioning offense (something the team really hasn’t had since Henry) that helps take some of the stress off Cam Ward in his second season as the starting quarterback. Plus, Love has a chance to be the rare RB prospect who can elevate an entire offense, something Tennessee desperately needs.

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The Giants have their quarterback in Jaxson Dart and two other stars on offense: Cam Skattebo and Malik Nabers. All three dealt with injuries last season and the team needs better luck in the health department to have a chance to compete. One way to help the overall health of its offensive players is to bolster the offensive line. Although it won’t help on injuries Dart suffers while he’s running all over the field, cleaner pockets mean less scrambling and less scrambling means less injury opportunity for the team’s franchise passer. 

No matter who Cleveland decides to roll with at quarterback in 2026, the team has to give him some weapons. Although the Browns don’t usually spend high draft picks on receivers (they’ve only taken one first-round wide receiver since 2006, Corey Coleman in 2015), now is the time to make the move. Cleveland needs Tate to turn into an alpha, but since they’re unlikely to contend until they get a quarterback, Tate has time to do it (which is helpful since he turned 21 in January). Plus, he played at Ohio State, roughly a 2-hour drive from Cleveland, and grew up in the Midwest, making him a clean personality fit for the Browns.

MOCK TRADE – Rams receive: No. 7, Commanders receive: No. 13 (via Falcons), 2026 3rd-round pick, 2027 4th-round pick

We already know the Rams have no problem shipping off picks to improve the roster now, and it’s easy to envision them wanting to slide inside the Top 10. Matthew Stafford isn’t getting any younger, so the team is going to go all-in to make a push to win one more Super Bowl before he retires. Plus, the Commanders desperately want to move down and acquire more picks. 

There are rumors about a potential Davante Adams trade, and we’ll project the Rams to give Puka Nacua some help on the other side by grabbing Lemon, who is from Southern California and went to USC, as a legitimate No. 2 in what figures to be another high-powered Rams offense. After seeing Tate come off the board at No. 6, the Rams might be eager to jump and get Lemon before a run on receivers starts. 

MOCK TRADE – Cowboys receive: No. 8, Saints receive: No. 12 + 2026 3rd-round pick, 2026 5th-round pick

Perhaps no team needs to address its defensive woes as much as the Dallas Cowboys (except, maybe, the Cincinnati Bengals – and the Bengals just traded their first-round pick for Dexter Lawrence). No team allowed more points or passing yards than the Cowboys in 2025. Styles is an athletic freak who turned heads at the combine and is exactly the type of player Jerry Jones could fall in love with and trade up to make sure he gets him. Styles can help in both rush and pass defense and Dallas needs to get better in both areas so it’s a great fit. 

The Chiefs’ offensive line was a disaster in 2025, and it led to the worst season of Patrick Mahomes’ career. The team is mercifully moving on from penalty machine Jawaan Taylor, and the team has to protect Mahomes (who is coming off a torn ACL). Fano is the second-best offensive-line prospect in the 2026 NFL Draft and should be a Day 1 starter for Kansas City. 

The Giants surprised most of the football world when they managed to obtain a Top 10 pick in the NFL Draft for Dexter Lawrence. It’s not that Lawrence isn’t a great player, he is. Still, it felt like the Bengals overpaid a bit for his services. But this puts the Giants in a terrific spot to pick twice in the first 10 selections and start rebuilding the team. They need cornerback help and by getting to No. 10, they have the opportunity to pick whichever corner they covet most. In this draft, that should be Delane. 

The Dolphins are entering a full rebuild, and if Downs falls this far (he could, simply because teams don’t value safeties like they used to), Miami would have no choice but to snag him. They let Jevon Holland walk in free agency and Downs could be a perfect plug-and-play replacement. For a team that’s going to need young leaders on the defensive side of the ball, Downs to the Dolphins makes almost too much sense. With the Bengals trading out of the No. 10 spot, Downs just might slide the one additional slot that Miami needs. 

The Saints are talking with Chris Olave about a potential contract extension, but there’s no guarantee. Olave struggled with concussions throughout his career (he has suffered at least four) and New Orleans might decide it’s not a great idea to commit $35 million/season to a guy who might be one big hit away from retirement. Tyson could immediately slot in across from Olave in 2026 to give second-year quarterback Tyler Shough a dynamic wide receiver duo and Tyson could take over the alpha role in 2027 should the Saints decline to sign Olave long-term. 

No team allowed more yards to opposing offenses than the Washington Commanders in 2025, so they have to address their defensive issues. Washington really needs corners who can cover and McCoy can definitely cover. He doesn’t turn 21 until August, so he’s very young, and he missed the entire 2025 season after tearing his ACL in January 2025 while training. Those are both red flags for a Washington team that wants to contend now, but McCoy’s talent is too tantalizing to pass up with the No. 13 pick in the draft. He’s a guy that could easily have been a Top 5 pick if not for the injury issues. It’s a risk, for sure, but it’s a risk worth taking because McCoy has the potential to become a shutdown NFL corner. 

The Ravens tried to trade this pick for Maxx Crosby, but ultimately pulled out of the deal citing medical concerns. In this mock, Bain suffers a slight fall down the draft board after reports surfaced that he was driving during a 2024 car crash that took the life of a young woman. Although Bain was only cited for careless driving and the citation was dropped, it could affect his draft stock. That being said, I don’t know how the Ravens could pass up his talent in this spot, especially after failing to acquire Crosby. 

It’s not often you see two players from the same school who play the same position being drafted back-to-back, but that’s how the board shaped up in this mock draft. The Bucs were middle of the pack in sacks in 2025, but were one of just seven teams with a pressure rate under 20 percent. They need to do a better job getting after opposing quarterbacks and Mesidor is the best option on the board.

The Jets traded away Quinnen Williams and can use their second pick in the first round to add his replacement in McDonald. After grabbing an EDGE player at No. 2 overall, the team should look to continue to improve a defensive line that really struggled in 2025. McDonald is a great fit for Aaron Glenn’s scheme and would help the team form an identity as a physical defense.

Detroit took a big step back last season, failing to make the playoffs. Part of the reason was the struggles on the offensive line. Jared Goff took 38 sacks in 2025, the most in a single season in his career, and posted the worst passing success rate of his four seasons in Detroit. The team has to upgrade its offensive line to complement three-time All-Pro left tackle Penei Sewell. 

Like the Lions, the Vikings were a huge disappointment in the NFC North. They don’t seem sold on quarterback J.J. McCarthy and added veteran Kyler Murray. It’s unlikely the team would use the draft to add another first-round quarterback, and quite frankly, the offense should improve with even average quarterback play. That’s why it makes sense for the team to use this selection to improve its defense. 

Sadiq is a potential matchup nightmare and pairs well with Rookie of the Year wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan to give Bryce Young two massive weapons in the passing game. Other than McMillan, no other Panthers pass catcher had at least 400 yards receiving and the team’s best tight end, Tommy Tremble, had just 249 yards. Sadiq adds depth to the passing game that desperately needs it. 

The Cowboys’ defense was so bad last year, they should look to use both first round picks to help. They made the decision to trade Micah Parsons, which is why they have this pick, so it makes sense to use it on a Parsons replacement. There are scenarios where Jerry Jones falls in love with a flashy offensive weapon instead of making the sensible move, but Dallas has been making those mistakes for years. It’s time to start being smart on draft night. 

Hosting the NFL Draft puts a little extra pressure on a team’s first-round pick and I think Cooper is the type of player that would get the fans in Pittsburgh cheering. He’s coming off a national championship win with Indiana, wide receiver is a sexy position that fans like to see their team draft, and if Aaron Rodgers returns, he’s going to need all the help he can get. New head coach Mike McCarthy likes to feature a lot of different receivers, so there’s still room for Cooper alongside D.K. Metcalf and free-agent signing Michael Pittman. 

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Justin Herbert played some incredible football despite being sacked 54 times in 2025, which was one fewer than Cam Ward and Geno Smith, who tied for the league lead. So, yeah, the team needs to keep its franchise quarterback upright. If Proctor falls to them at No. 22, that would be an ideal scenario for LA. 

The Eagles took a bit of a step back in 2025 and much of it had to do with the offensive line not performing as well as it had the past few seasons (losing Jason Kelce didn’t help). Philadelphia is a team that likes to control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball and that has served the Eagles well for many years. That’s why it makes sense for them to go out and get an offensive lineman (if they don’t trade this pick for more capital). 

MOCK TRADE – Cardinals receive: No. 24, Browns receive: No. 34, 2026 3rd-round pick

Ty Simpson to the Cardinals seems inevitable and in this mock draft we project Arizona to slide up from its early second round position to grab Simpson at the tail end of the first round. The benefit of picking a QB in the first round, rather than waiting until the second round, is that teams get that coveted fifth-year option, which is an extra year to decide if he can be the future. 

The run on offensive line continues because arguably no team needs more help up front than the Bears. Caleb Williams took a meaningful step forward in his sophomore NFL season, but if the team wants him to keep improving, it has to invest in the offensive line to protect him. Iheanachor is the type of player that can help stabilize an entire unit. 

Buffalo addressed its major offensive need by trading for receiver D.J. Moore from the Bears, but the team still needs to get more pressure up front on the defensive side of the ball. After moving on from Von Miller prior to last season, the team tried another veteran, Joey Bosa. But Bosa only recorded five sacks in 15 games and remains a free agent. Howell can step in across from Greg Rousseau starting Week 1. 

After signing Trent Williams to a two-year contract to keep the offensive line intact, it’s time for the 49ers to bulk up on the defensive side of the ball. Nick Bosa is an All-Pro on the outside and San Francisco is looking at his brother, and NFL free agent, Joey Bosa. But they need to get tougher in the middle of the line to help eat up blockers and allow their edge rushers to get to the quarterback.

C.J. Stroud hasn’t been able to replicate the success he had in his rookie season, and a lot of that is because the offensive line hasn’t done him any favors. The Texans have plenty of weapons, including two-time Pro Bowler Nico Collins, but they have to work to keep Stroud upright and throwing from clean pockets more often. Picking at 28 doesn’t allow the Texans to get an elite offensive lineman, especially after a lengthy run at the position, but Ioane is a good blocker who should help the interior of the offensive line from day one. 

The Chiefs traded McDuffie to the Rams, so it makes sense that they’d target a young, cheap cornerback with their second first-round pick. Steve Spagnuolo loves to blitz and to do that, he needs corners who who can hold up in press-man coverage and not get beaten over the top. Hood is very young (turned 21 in February), so he might need some time to develop. But he should also be able to get some key snaps as a rookie due to his great size (6’0″, 195lbs) and speed (4.4 40-yard dash). 

The Dolphins acquired this pick by trading WR Jaylen Waddle, and they can effectively use it to replace him with Concepcion, who profiles similarly to Waddle but is obviously younger and cheaper (exactly what Miami needs during this rebuilding phase). Concepcion wrote a letter in The Players’ Tribune to tell NFL GMs that he’s the best wide receiver in the draft and will outwork anybody. That’s the type of attitude this young, rebuilding team desperately needs to add. 

The Patriots signed Kevin Byard in free agency, but he’s 32 years old. McNeil-Warren would be well-served to spend a year learning how to play the safety position behind a guy like Byard. Plus, the younger legs could give Byard more time off the field throughout the season to keep him fresh for another potential deep postseason run.

If there’s one position group from the Super Bowl champion Seahawks that could see a lot of turnover, it’s cornerback. Josh Jobe and Riq Woolen are both potential free agents and the team probably can’t afford to pay both of them (along with paying the “Super Bowl tax” on other players), so it makes the most sense to use the team’s first round pick on a corner. 

That’s it for our final mock draft of the 2026 NFL Draft season! Have thoughts? Hit me on X: @RealDanZak.

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Trump DEI crackdown ‘misses core ideology’ and must target lingering danger on campuses, watchdog warns

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FIRST ON FOX: Experts are calling on President Donald Trump to issue a new executive order to attack a “dominant” socialist-inspired ideology they say is the “foundation” of a growing domestic terrorist movement in the United States.

Fox News Digital exclusively reviewed a report that details how diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices have continued to thrive on hundreds of U.S. campuses through a more deeply rooted ideology, “intersectionality.” The Legal Insurrection Foundation and the Defense of Freedom Institute for Policy Studies issued the report.

“Intersectionality’s toxic influence must be confronted head-on,” the report said, emphasizing, “The future of our education system and the safety of our nation depend upon it.”

Despite several executive orders by Trump banning DEI, the report found that progressive school administrators across the country continue to profile students by group identity and to teach students to view America and Western society as global oppressors. The result, the report says, is increasing social discord and even violence spreading across America.

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The report’s authors urge the president to take executive action to address intersectionality specifically by name, arguing that doing so will close a loophole that allows DEI practices to continue under the intersectionality banner. The report also calls on the administration to replace this school of thought with education programs that promote traditional American values.

Intersectionality has been advanced by Kimberlé Crenshaw, a Columbia Law School professor who developed the intersectional theoretical framework in the late 1980s, as a method of describing overlapping forms of discrimination. She argues that by treating race and gender as “mutually exclusive categories of experience and analysis,” society and the legal system distort and theoretically erase the multidimensional experiences of Black women.

The Legal Insurrection Foundation and the Defense of Freedom Institute’s report, however, cautions that intersectionality is “inherently socialist and collectivist,” as it “judges people based on group identity.” By emphasizing the “intersection” of perceived victimhood categories, the report says women are seen as preferable to men, “people of color” to Whites, homosexual or transgender-identifying people as preferable to heterosexuals, and Muslims as preferable to Jews or Christians.

While the report says the Trump administration’s efforts to address DEI thus far are “laudable,” these actions continue to be flouted so that the U.S. educational system remains “the mechanism for intersectionality to embed in the culture.”

According to the report, the groups have documented the propagation of intersectionality in more than 700 educational institutions, consisting primarily of college campuses but also K-12 schools.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Legal Insurrection founder William Jacobson cautioned that “as much as some of the problems have been recognized, the underlying ideological foundation has not been identified or understood.”

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He explained that intersectionality goes even deeper than DEI, saying that it is “in many ways, the mother’s milk of critical race theory, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and increasingly linked to violent domestic terrorism through anarchists and other groups.”

He described the ongoing movement as a “multi-billion-dollar industry” consisting of teachers, professors, administrators, consultants and philanthropies.

“It’s massive,” he explained, adding, “This was 30 years in the making. It’s not going to go away with a handful of executive orders.”

The report draws a line between the intersectional ideology being pushed in schools and recent domestic terror plots, including by the anti-capitalist student group “Turtle Island Liberation Front.” This December, five members of the group were indicted for allegedly plotting to simultaneously bomb multiple targets in California beginning on New Year’s Eve. The individuals are also accused of plotting to target U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers as well.

According to the report, “Turtle Island,” a term rooted in Native American lore, is the intersectional name being used for North America. Turtle Island Liberation Front’s call for decolonization and tribal sovereignty echoes intersectionality’s core message, says the report.

Both groups, as well as Jacobson, are calling on the president and Congress to take immediate action through executive orders and congressional hearings.

“We’re calling on the administration to update their executive orders [and] to issue a new executive order which includes intersectionality under the definitions of diversity, equity, and inclusion,” he said.

Jacobson emphasized that while any individual scholar or student can hold or advance intersectional beliefs, he said, “the question is, are federal funds being used to promote unlawful discrimination?”

“We are not calling for a ban on intersectionality as a theory,” he clarified. “What we are calling on the government to do is to make sure that federal funds are not used to promote racially and ethnically and religiously discriminatory activities that take place under the name of intersectionality.”

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He put it in simple terms: “People may have a constitutional right to espouse intersectionality, but the government doesn’t have to pay for it.”

Beyond this, he also called on Congress to get involved.

“We’ve seen on many issues, including antisemitism, that congressional hearings have proven extremely informative and extremely effective at addressing the problems,” he said.

The report also calls for the administration to use every facet of the government to root out intersectionality. Other methods suggested include updating federal agency guidance regarding intersectional practices, pursuing litigation where it is being practiced, defunding those institutions, and instead funding research and civics education programs that promote American ideals.

“It’s hard to understand unless you live in that world, which I do, how pervasive and dominant these racial ideologies are on campuses,” he emphasized, adding, “It is the dominant ideology on campuses.”

“There are very few alternatives for students on most campuses,” he went on. “And that’s why we think the Trump administration, to the extent it is supporting various educational initiatives, should insist that schools, if they want federal money, have to have traditional American civics programming as an alternative to what is there now.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Crenshaw for comment.

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US falls behind in hypersonic race as China, Russia gain edge

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The U.S. has spent years racing to develop hypersonic weapons to compete with China and Russia, but delays, shifting programs and limited testing capacity are raising concerns that Washington remains in a catch-up phase in a technology that could reshape modern warfare.

Key programs have faced repeated delays, including setbacks in testing and development timelines, while others have been canceled and later revived as the Pentagon reassesses its approach. 

At the same time, limited testing infrastructure has constrained how quickly new systems can be evaluated and refined, slowing the pace of development across multiple efforts.

That combination has heightened concern inside the Pentagon, particularly as China and Russia already have fielded hypersonic systems, potentially giving them an edge in a class of weapons that could compress decision-making timelines in a crisis and challenge U.S. defenses.

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Hypersonic weapons are designed to travel at extremely high speeds while maneuvering in flight, making them far harder to detect and intercept than traditional missiles.

Unlike ballistic missiles, which follow a predictable path, hypersonic weapons can change direction mid-flight and fly at lower altitudes, reducing warning time and making them more difficult for existing missile defenses to track.

Russia already has used hypersonic-type weapons in its war against Ukraine, in some cases as a signal to Kyiv and its Western allies, underscoring how the technology is beginning to shape real-world conflict.

Inside the U.S. portfolio, however, progress has been uneven. Some programs are advancing toward deployment, others have been canceled and revived, and officials are increasingly balancing investments between building hypersonic weapons and defending against them.

Part of the challenge is technical. Hypersonic systems must survive extreme heat and pressure while traveling at high speeds through the atmosphere—making them more complex to design and build than traditional missiles.

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In some cases, the Pentagon also has pursued more advanced approaches, including highly maneuverable systems and precision conventional strike capabilities, adding further complexity.

Complicating that effort further is a basic constraint: testing capacity.

With only a limited number of facilities able to simulate or sustain hypersonic speeds, programs often face delays waiting for test opportunities, slowing development across multiple efforts.

Mark Bigham, vice president of defense programs at Longshot, a company that works on hypersonic launch and testing technologies, and a former Raytheon executive, said that constraint has become a key limiting factor.

“People can innovate and create really fast,” Bigham said. “And the only way you can sort them out is to actually test them.”

He added that only a handful of facilities can test systems at hypersonic speeds, making it difficult to increase the pace of development.

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“I would say the testing is probably the bottleneck right now,” he said.

Beyond engineering and testing challenges, the U.S. effort has also been shaped by years of shifting priorities.

After leading early hypersonic research in the 2000s, defense spending shifted toward counterterrorism operations and other capabilities, while funding for high-speed weapons remained inconsistent until more recently.

At the same time, strict safety and reliability requirements can slow the transition from testing to deployment, extending timelines compared to adversaries that may field less mature systems more quickly.

The Pentagon’s most advanced effort, the Army’s long-range hypersonic weapon — known as “Dark Eagle” — has made recent progress, including a successful joint Army–Navy test in March and continued fielding of its first operational unit.

That program is part of a broader push to streamline development, including the use of a shared glide body across Army and Navy systems.

Even so, the broader hypersonic portfolio remains in flux.

The Air Force has revived its air-launched rapid response weapon, or ARRW, after shelving the program following test setbacks, requesting roughly $387 million in fiscal 2026 to begin procurement.

The move reflects a reassessment inside the Pentagon, where officials now see a need for multiple types of hypersonic weapons for different missions.

At the same time, the U.S. increasingly is investing in ways to counter hypersonic threats.

In April, the Missile Defense Agency awarded roughly $475 million in additional funding to Northrop Grumman to accelerate development of the Glide Phase Interceptor, designed to destroy hypersonic weapons mid-flight.

The funding has pushed the program’s timeline forward, with initial operational capability now expected in the early 2030s after earlier delays.

The effort is part of a broader push to build defenses against hypersonic threats, including a space-based tracking network designed to detect and follow missiles traveling at extreme speeds—something current radar systems struggle to do reliably.

The urgency stems from the fact that China and Russia already have fielded hypersonic weapons, forcing the U.S. to both accelerate its own development and rethink how it defends against a new class of threats.

“My gut tells me that we need to step on the gas and move faster,” Bigham said.

Yet despite that urgency, the administration’s latest budget places greater emphasis on missile defense, drones and other capabilities, with hypersonic programs largely embedded within broader research and procurement accounts.

That disconnect — between the strategic importance of hypersonics and the pace of U.S. development — has fueled debate over whether the U.S. can scale these systems quickly enough to compete with its adversaries.

For now, the Pentagon’s hypersonic effort is moving forward — but with programs at different stages, revived initiatives and persistent constraints, the path to fully fielding these weapons remains uncertain.

The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A Government Accountability Office review found the Air Force’s Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile program fell about six months behind schedule on a key design milestone, pushing flight testing back by roughly a year and reducing the number of planned test flights. The findings highlight broader delays affecting U.S. hypersonic development.

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Dark money floods Virginia ahead of redistricting vote that could hand Democrats House edge

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Tens of millions of dollars — much of it dark money from undisclosed donors — poured into Virginia this year ahead of Tuesday’s vote on a congressional redistricting referendum that, if passed, could give Democrats a significant boost in the battle for the U.S. House majority in this year’s midterm elections.

If the ballot measure is successful, it would give the Democrat-controlled Virginia legislature — rather than the state’s current nonpartisan commission — temporary redistricting power through the 2030 election. It could result in a 10-1 advantage for Democrats in Virginia’s congressional delegation, up from their current 6-5 edge.

The referendum, which follows President Donald Trump’s push for rare but not unheard-of mid-decade redistricting in Republican-led states, could give Democrats an edge as they try to win back control of the House from Republicans, who are defending a fragile majority.

Supporters of redistricting have dramatically outraised and outspent groups opposed to the referendum, with Democrat-aligned Virginians for Fair Elections raising roughly three times as much as GOP-allied Virginians for Fair Maps. But despite the Democrats’ funding advantage, public opinion polling suggests support for the ballot initiative is only slightly ahead of opposition amid a surge in early voting, which ended Saturday.

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“They have outspent us three to one. They’ve raised over $70 million. And yet this is a close vote,” former Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, one of leaders of the GOP effort to defeat the referendum, told Fox News Digital on the eve of the election.

Much of the funding raised by both sides came from so-called “dark money” from nonprofit public policy groups known as 501(c)(4) organizations that are not required to disclose their donors. This according to a Fox News Digital review of state campaign finance records and records from the Virginia Public Access Project (VPAP), which tracks public spending in Virginia..

“It points to the importance of this referendum,” David Richards, political science chair at the University of Lynchburg in Virginia, told Fox News Digital, as he highlighted the influx of outside money pouring into the state.

Richards said the funding “also shows how national money can cloud these statewide elections. Virginians need to decide what’s good for them and instead, it becomes a national issue that takes away from what is good for Virginia.”

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Given the green light from the 2010 Citizens United Supreme Court ruling, nonprofit public policy groups can spend unlimited funds without disclosing their donors, which often masks large contributions from corporations or wealthy individuals.

But dark money has long come under attack over a lack of transparency, with voters not knowing who is funding the political messages they are seeing. It’s been criticized as a threat to democracy for allowing wealthy interests to influence elections and policy.

“it’s because you don’t actually know where the money is coming from,” Chris Galdieri, a professor in the political science department at Saint Anselm College, told Fox News Digital. “With dark money, it’s not even traceable to a particular interest…it means that voters don’t know what the motives of the donors are.”

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On the “yes” side, House Majority Forward, which as the chief political nonprofit wing of House Democrats does not have to disclose its donors, has contributed nearly $40 million.

Other groups pumping big bucks into the Democrat effort to pass the referendum were fueled with millions of dollars from George Soros-backed dark money groups.

Meanwhile, the “no” effort has received $9 million from a group tied to tech billionaire Peter Thiel, a GOP megadonor and longtime Trump ally.

While often frowned upon, the use of dark money in politics is accelerating. Dark money groups shelled out more than $1.9 billion during the 2024 election cycle.

“Any rational person can look at the maps in Virginia and understand that this is a political game being played. It’s to benefit one party, not people,” veteran Republican strategist and communicator Ryan Williams argued. “What do they care if they finance their effort with dark money. It’s just another example of political gamesmanship in this process.”

Fox News’ Alec Schemmel and Leo Briceno contributed to this report.

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