​Artemis II proves America still knows how to reach for the heavens



Over the past two weeks, the nation's attention has focused on space following the successful launch and orbit of the Artemis II craft. This event marked a major milestone in space exploration as the United States of America advanced its mission to return humans to deep space and re-establish its leadership beyond low Earth orbit.

Space has always thrilled people of all ages and motivated us to dream bigger than any single individual. Few things in this world are more difficult than configuring a craft and mission capable of exiting and entering Earth's atmosphere and transporting to various points in space. From the earliest age, boys and girls look up to the heavens to gaze at the moon and star constellations and tell their parents about their aspirations to go there one day. As children grow into young adults, they identify the visible specks of planets and research corresponding details to fill gaps in their imagination and understanding of the complex solar system.

The Artemis II crew carried more than just their mission; they carried the hopes of a nation longing to believe in something bigger than any of us.

The Artemis II mission is more than a launch; it signals that America is leading again in space exploration. During this trip, the crew of four astronauts traveled more miles from Earth than any in the history of humanity, shuttling about 252,756 miles from our planet. Like the Apollo missions of previous generations, Artemis II reminded men, women, and children alike of the limitless possibilities available to the United States when we focus our best and brightest. Americans have so much to be proud of as they assess this mission and await the next launch in this series, which may see humans set foot on the Moon’s surface again as soon as this decade.

Artemis II reflects the strength of our aerospace workforce, the ingenuity of American innovation, and the kind of long-term investment that drives economic growth here at home. States like Arizona play a direct role in that success, supporting high-skilled jobs, advanced manufacturing, and the next generation of engineers and scientists. Honeywell in Glendale developed critical Orion spacecraft systems, including guidance and navigation, displays and controls that astronauts will rely on during the flight, command and data-handling hardware, core flight software, and vibration-dampening technology. Northrop Grumman’s Gilbert facility is also contributing by supporting broader Artemis elements, such as the HALO capsule for future missions. At the same time, the company’s solid rocket boosters provide massive thrust and safety systems that power this historic launch.

Many people deserve thanks for the renewed American push to re-enter and conquer space — especially President Donald J. Trump, whose vision restored focus and direction to the United States space program, ensuring our nation remains competitive on the global stage. President Trump understands the critical nature of space exploration and how vital it is that our country regain its luster and edge in this boundless arena. His administration is working hard to open even more opportunities for our astronauts and space vehicles to travel where few men have gone before. This legacy will endure long after his presidency and life concludes.

The Artemis II crew carried more than just their mission; they carried the hopes of a nation longing to believe in something bigger than any of us. We are teaching the next generation of Americans to dream about what they can do, what they can see, and where they can go. There is nothing the United States can’t do when it puts its collective national mind to it. Artemis II again proved that fact.

Trump deep-sixed DEI — but is it undead at major federal contractors like Lockheed Martin?



President Donald Trump has endeavored to ram a stake through the heart of the federal DEI regime.

He kicked off his second term by requiring that the head of every federal agency, department, or commission see to the elimination of all DEI offices, positions, initiatives, programs, contracts, and performance requirements; ordering the government to eliminate DEI discrimination in the federal workforce as well as in federal contracting and spending; tasking his inbound attorney general with preparing a civil rights-focused pressure campaign against DEI practitioners in the private sector; and rescinding numerous race- and identity-centered executive orders issued by Democrat presidents.

While Trump has since enjoyed tremendous success in eliminating various DEI initiatives across the government, it appears that there is still much work to be done.

The 1792 Exchange, a corporate bias watchdog seeking to restore political neutrality in the boardroom and to educate lawmakers about the dangers of woke corporate policies, recently released an analysis of the top 100 federal contractors by dollars obligated in fiscal year 2023.

The report highlights the apparent ideological capture and woke policies of a number of corporate juggernauts on the list, including Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and the RTX Corporation, formerly Raytheon.

"The American people have the right to know if our hard-earned money is subsidizing any corporation's subversive ideological programs," 1792 Exchange CEO Daniel Cameron said in a statement.

"President Trump has taken bold action to remove DEI programming from federal institutions, including government contractors," continued Cameron. "This report empowers government agencies and legislators to align procurement decisions with that vision of neutrality and excellence."

RELATED: Behind the rainbow curtain: Who is funding the trans agenda targeting kids?

Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images

Of the 100 contractors that the 1792 Exchange analyzed, 36 were characterized as "high risk," 16 as "medium risk," and 46 as "lower risk," on the basis of "publicly documented alignment with DEI-driven policies and practices."

The watchdog noted that high-risk companies "have demonstrated a pattern of engaging in DEI practices that prioritize ideological conformity over merit-based considerations."

Examples of such practices include recruitment, hiring, and promotion on the basis of immutable characteristics and sexual preference; requiring employees to suffer through training sessions on gender ideology and critical race theory; and corporate alignment on philanthropy and marketing strategies with "progressive social agendas."

While some big organizations appear to have read the writing on the wall and reversed course on DEI — 1792 indicated that Accenture, AT&T, IBM, Booz Allen Hamilton, and IBM have rolled back at least some of their most divisive DEI policies — others have dug in their feet.

Seven out of the top 10 recipients of federal dollars on the 1792 Exchange's list of U.S. government contractors were labeled "high risk." They were, in order from biggest to smallest recipients of federal dollars obligated: Lockheed Martin, the RTX Corporation (formerly Raytheon), the Boeing Company, Northrop Grumman, Optum360, Leidos, and McKesson.

'Compliance with the CEI naturally leads to ceding nearly all facets of corporate governance to the HRC's influence.'

BAE Systems and Honeywell, though farther down the list, similarly appear to be big offenders in terms of DEI initiatives.

Lockheed Martin, at the top of the list, "yields to political activism in shaping corporate governance, potentially alienating consumers, dividing employees, and harming shareholders"; "implements race and identity-based policies that replace merit, excellence, and integrity with preferential treatment and outcomes"; and "embraces corporate initiatives that redirect its central focus from business goals to partisan policies and divisive issues," according to the 1792 Exchange.

Part of what gave the company away was its perfect score on the 2025 Corporate Equality Index from the non-straight activist organization Human Rights Campaign, as well as its receipt of the "Equality 100 Award: Leader in LGBTQ+ Workplace Equality" distinction from the activist group.

Many of the scoring criteria for both the 2025 CEI and the so-called equality award appear to require corporate violations of federal policy.

While the watchdog outfit did not go out of its way to put CEI scores as a top consideration when assessing risk, Dustin DeVito, the 1792 Exchange's director of corporate research, told Blaze News that "compliance with the CEI naturally leads to ceding nearly all facets of corporate governance to the HRC's influence."

"1792 Exchange's company ratings center around six criteria: ideologically driven cancellation, charitable work, employment policies, reputation, funding, and political action," continued DeVito. "The CEI touches on all of these."

When pressed for comment, Lockheed Martin referred Blaze News to its Jan. 23 statement, which claimed:

Merit-based talent management programs and compliance with all applicable laws, regulations, contracts, and directives have always been central to this mission. We are taking immediate action to ensure continued compliance and full alignment with President Trump’s recent executive order. We will not have goals or incentives based on demographic representation or affirmative action plans. Additionally, our training offerings are compliant with Executive Order 13950 from President Trump's first administration.

The RTX Corporation was slapped with the same broad critiques as Lockheed Martin. A closer look revealed precisely why.

The company similarly rated high on the 2025 CEI partly because the company apparently "will not donate to non-religious charities unless they embrace controversial sexual identity policies"; requires employees to attend "multiple, controversial trainings on gender identity, sexual orientation, transgender issues, and divisive racial ideology"; covers medical transvestism costs for employees and their children; and publicly advocates for "controversial sex and gender ideology through local, state, or federal legislation or initiatives."

When pressed for comment, RTX directed Blaze News to a Jan. 24 company statement that said, "RTX is taking the necessary actions to comply with the presidential executive orders."

RELATED: Pride Month’s true competition? Faith, family, freedom

Blaze Media Illustration

Both Boeing — whose executive compensation plan the 1792 Exchange claimed "devalued the weight of product and employee safety in its operational performance metrics, in order to include diversity, equity, and inclusion as a consideration" in recent years — and Northrop Grumman also scored 100% on the 2025 CEI, meaning that it likely jumped through many of the same hoops as other "high-risk" organizations.

Blaze News reached out to Boeing and Northrop Grumman as well as to top "high-risk" companies McKesson, Honeywell, Leidos, Optum360, and BAE Systems for comment.

Northrop Grumman directed Blaze News to another months-old statement indicating that work was under way to ensure the company was in compliance with the president's executive orders.

"We are actively reviewing our policies and processes and taking the necessary steps to ensure compliance with the presidential executive orders for the work entrusted to us," said the Northrop Grumman statement. "Underpinned by our values, we hire, promote, and pay based on merit and performance, resulting in the best team to deliver for our customers."

A company spokesperson for BAE Systems told Blaze News, "As a federal contractor, we continuously evaluate our policies and programs to ensure continued compliance with all applicable legal requirements, including executive orders, and we will continue to hire, promote, and compensate based on merit."

The other companies did not respond by publication time.

The 1792 Exchange has invited any companies on its list to submit corrections to the data if they have taken meaningful steps to comply with Trump's executive orders.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

‘National Security’ Officials Who Endorsed Harris Tied To Intel Agencies, Defense Contractors

Deep State Officials Who Endorsed Harris Tied To Intel Agencies, Defense Contractors

Lawmakers Voted To Send Billions To Ukraine While Making A Killing On Defense Contractor Stocks

'War is incredibly profitable and convenient'

'We’re always fighting time': Urgency to upgrade US nuclear deterrent as rival upgrades near completion

FRANCIS E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyoming — As reliable as the clanking of railroad cars as they pass through Cheyenne day and night just outside the gates of Francis E. Warren Air Force Base, America’s nuclear arsenal has been at the ready for half a century.