St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones, racist texts

by Daniel Johnson

April 12, 2025

Tishaura Jones, First Black Woman Mayor Of St. Louis, Loses Re-Election

Jones hoped to make history as the first Black mayor of St. Louis to serve more than one term, but fell short.

Tishaura Jones had hoped to make history as the first Black mayor of St. Louis to serve more than one term, but it was not to be; and her supporters voiced their concerns about her successor and the direction of the city after Jones’ defeat.

According to The St. Louis American, Jones lost her reelection bid to Alderwoman Cara Spencer, with Spencer capturing 64% of the vote to Jones’ 36%, and although her concession speech struck tones of hope and optimism, some of her supporters are wary of Spencer’s approach.

“Hey, ya’ll, tonight didn’t go as we hoped. Our city has never had a Black mayor serve more than one term and I know many of you, like me, were looking to make history with me and a second term. Together, we’ve accomplished so much. My opponent will inherit a city that is safer than it has been in decades,” Jones said in her concession speech on April 8.

Earl Bush, a supporter of Jones, told the outlet that he felt as though the election of Spencer instead of the re-election of Jones represented a step back for St. Louis.

“Oh, it’s a downfall for the city. It’s a whole new start-over and that’s something we were trying to avoid. We just got this far. Tishaura was just finding out how things run here in the city, well, City Hall. I just hate we have to start all over again.”

Another Jones supporter, Charles Price, said that he thought Spencer is unprepared for the fights that lay ahead of her.

“I think she’s woefully unprepared to realize that Trump is going to cut everything. I don’t think she has the ability to fight to preserve what funding the city gets from the federal government,” Price told The St. Louis American.

He continued, “She’s been too friendly with a lot of right-leaning people who prioritize rural areas or the suburbs or where white people live. I would have rather had Mayor Jones fighting for the city because I know she loves the city.”

In February, Jones intimated to ProPublica that she believed that her work lowering crime and building out public safety programs went unheralded by Republican legislators in the city because she is a Black woman who is also a Democrat.

However, as STLPR reported, the four-way primary held in March likely foreshadowed Jones’ defeat as she only received about half as many votes as Spencer, and in the general election, only 26% of registered voters turned out for the vote, despite progressive groups pushing for Jones over the past month.

In late March, 100 community organizers, activists, advocates, healers, and organizational leaders wrote an op-ed in The St. Louis American detailing their belief that Jones was the candidate best equipped to reflect the specific needs of St. Louis’ Black community.

They were also critical of some of Spencer’s policies, writing, “We have been deeply disappointed by Spencer’s support for policies of criminalization, her inaction on specific policy proposals to address homelessness, and her relative emphasis on money flowing to Downtown development instead of to distressed neighborhoods…While this may represent the kinds of changes desired by those funding her campaign, these are all unacceptable to us.”

Elon Musk, Tennessee, pollution, super computer

by Mitti Hicks

April 12, 2025

Is DOGE Using AI To Spy On Federal Workers For Disloyalty To Trump?

The latest moves allegedly from DOGE are consistent with the Trump administration’s plans of recruiting Trump loyalists to federal jobs.

Federal workers worry that the Department of Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, is using AI to spy on them.

According to Reuters, Trump administration officials have told some U.S. government employees that DOGE’s technologists are using artificial intelligence to spy on federal agencies to determine whether there is any hostility and disloyalty toward President Donald Trump. In addition, sources tell the publication that DOGE also uses the Signal app to communicate, violating federal record-keeping rules because the messages disappear over time.

Fortune reports that the Environmental Protection Agency is already using the technology.

The latest moves allegedly from DOGE are consistent with the Trump administration’s plans of recruiting Trump loyalists to federal jobs. During Trump’s first term between 2017 and 2021, Trump often butted heads with key appointees overseeing intelligence, national security, and law enforcement agencies, which has allowed Trump to bend “longstanding norms in pursuit of his conservative agenda,” Reuters reports.

“We’re in an unprecedented time with regard to how the government is operating at the moment and what the federal sector looks like,” Sarah Block, a partner at employment law firm McGillivary Steele Elkin, told Fortune.

“The government may have always been able to look at your email if you’re a government employee,” she said. “But I think agencies were not doing that—they could, but they weren’t.”

The latest move from DOGE comes as the Trump administration and Musk have fired thousands of federal workers, attempted to cancel union contracts with federal employees, and significantly reduced or canceled funding that Congress appropriated under previous administrations.

Federal employees have always been subject to public records laws, so most expect their emails to be monitored. But what’s concerning is that DOGE could be looking to fire people based on their political affiliations or feelings, which would be breaking the law.

“It’s a prohibited personnel practice to discriminate against someone for partisan political reasons,” said Block. “It’s essentially political discrimination.”

Eric adams. NYC, mayor, Quality of Life, police

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

April 12, 2025

NYC Mayor Adams Launches ‘Quality of Life’ Police Division Targeting Panhandling, Open-Air Drug Use And More

The NYPD has a new division aimed at improving police-community relations.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams has introduced the NYPD’s new initiative, which aims to improve police-community relations by addressing their day-to-day concerns.

The Mayor joined NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch on April 10 to unveil the Quality of Life Division — a citywide effort focused on addressing non-emergency 311 complaints contributing to the community’s overall safety and well-being. The new division will bring together specially trained officers from various community-focused roles into a unified, citywide team dedicated to tackling persistent quality-of-life concerns — including noise complaints, illegal parking, homelessness, public drug use, and more.

“Since day one, this administration has been clear: We will not tolerate an atmosphere where anything goes, and today, we are taking public safety to the next level with the creation of a new NYPD Quality of Life Division,” said Mayor Adams.

“Issues like illegal vending, substance use, abandoned vehicles, illegal mopeds, reckless driving, and more have persisted for far too long. We will not rest until we have addressed the issues that affect the lives of everyday New Yorkers, and we will continue to make every borough, every neighborhood, and every block safer across our city. Together, we will protect public safety and make New York City the best place to raise a family.”

The Quality of Life Division will launch in phases, starting with a pilot program in five precincts and one housing Police Service Area: the 13th, 40th, 60th, 75th, and 101st precincts, as well as Police Service Area 1. Over the next two months, the initiative will be evaluated and fine-tuned before rolling it out at precincts citywide.

The initiative comes at no additional cost to taxpayers. The NYPD will use existing personnel through internal restructuring to improve efficiency and better serve local communities. Funding will be drawn from the department’s current budget, ensuring the initiative remains cost-effective.

“Thanks to the incredible work of the women and men in blue, we’ve seen historic declines in major crimes across the city,” said NYPD Commissioner Tisch. “Now, we’re turning our attention toward the issues that New Yorkers see and feel every day — the things that don’t always make headlines but deeply impact how people live. Every New Yorker deserves to feel safe, and the Quality of Life Division will take a direct approach to address these issues impacting our streets and public housing developments.”

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

April 12, 2025

Mississippi Orders Deletion Of Library Databases On Race Relations And Gender Studies, ‘We Are In Dire Shape’

The Mississippi Library Commission has been forced to delete valuable data in response to sweeping anti-DEI efforts.

The Mississippi Library Commission has ordered the removal of research collections focused on race relations and gender studies from its Magnolia database to align with state legislation.

The commission’s executive director, Hulen Bivins, confirmed to The Guardian on April 11 that the data—used by publicly funded schools, libraries, universities, and state agencies across Mississippi—was removed as part of a “reconsideration of everything in light of what DOGE is doing.”

“We may lose a lot of materials,” he said. “All of the states, we are in dire shape.”

The urgency stems from President Donald Trump’s “Department of Government Efficiency”(DOGE), which effectively dismantled the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) in March by placing nearly all its staff on administrative leave. The independent federal agency is a key source of funding and support for libraries, museums, and archives across all 50 states and U.S. territories.

Bivins noted that the impact of losing the IMLS extends far beyond Mississippi, calling it a nationwide concern. Washington is among 21 states currently suing the Trump administration over the agency’s dismantling and the broader elimination of similar institutions.

“The rest of the states, us included, await our fate. In essence, we’re waiting to find out: do we get any more money between now and June 30?” Bivins said, noting the end of Mississippi’s fiscal year. “Or are we going to get the allotment that was scheduled to be given to us? We can’t know at this point because IMLS has been totally closed, just like many other entities under the DOGE. And with regard to libraries, we don’t know who to contact, who to call, anything.”

With federal funding now in limbo, state library agencies are turning to their individual legislatures for support. In the 16 states where anti-DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) laws are in effect, that means following state-mandated guidelines. The Mississippi Library Commission sent a letter on March 31 saying it removed specific research collections from its Magnolia database to align with state laws.

“It’s going to affect every state because every state is going to have to make their own decisions,” Bivins said. “But what will happen is we’re not going to have the resources to help the people that are in the educational process or people’s business needs. If the library doesn’t have support, the library will have to close … If you don’t have libraries, if we defund across the board, we’re going to have a situation where who knows what’s going to happen.”

The Mississippi state legislature wrapped up its recent regular session without approving a state budget. However, it did pass several bills reflecting alignment with Trump and the national GOP’s anti-DEI agenda—including legislation that bans DEI policies and instruction in Mississippi’s schools and universities.

Vybz Kartel, Murder Conviction, overturned, juror, jury, life sentence, London, gun, privy court, 32 years, life sentence

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

April 12, 2025

Vybz Kartel Says Struggle With ‘Self-Love’ Drove Him To Bleach Skin

Vybz Kartel is proud to be 'fully melanated' again after years of skin bleaching

Jamaican artist Vybz Kartel stopped by Hot 97 on April 9 to reflect on his skin bleaching and how his views on the controversial beauty trend have changed now that he’s “fully melanated” again.

“I mean, in hindsight, I think it was it definitely had to do with self-love,” Vybz admitted.

“But on the other hand, while I was doing it, my mind wasn’t telling me, ‘Oh, I’m doing this to show my tattoos because I got a lot of tattoos,’ blah blah blah,” he added. “But looking back, I think it was just as a Black man, sometimes you have those issues.”

Now, Vybz can confidently say that “I would never bleach again.”

It marks a shift from Vybz Kartel’s stance in September 2022, when the self-proclaimed “King of the Dancehall” defended his skin bleaching by comparing it to Black women altering their natural hair on Instagram.

“99.99% of Black Women (1)cream their hair or (2)wear ‘caucasian’ wigs,” he wrote at the time. “Question: ARE YOU BRAZILIAN? But u want BRAZILIAN HAIR! Or some other form of hair that is NOT African. As a matter of fact, BLACK PEOPLE CALL WHITE PEOPLES HAIR ‘pretty hair.’ BLACK PEOPLE CHECK YOURSELF BEFORE YOU CHECK SOMEONE ELSE.”

Now, Vybz acknowledged the colorism issues in the Black diaspora rooted in favor of Eurocentric beauty standards: “Black people have always wanted to look like that. I guess it has to do with slavery.”

Vybz Kartel, born Adidja Azim Palmer, was released from prison on July 31, 2024, after serving 13 years of a 35-year sentence for the 2011 murder of Clive “Lizard” Williams. His conviction was overturned due to juror misconduct.

The “Romping Shop” musician is one of Jamaica’s most popular artists, with hits like “Clarks” and “Summer Time” and collaborations with Jay-Z and Rihanna. Many were shocked over his conviction, which followed a 64-day trial—one of the longest in the country’s history.

by Sharelle B. McNair

April 12, 2025

Tenant Speaks Out After Altercation With ‘Karen’ Landlord Goes Viral

The tenant says it was not even 12:15 p.m. when the landlord arrived and she heard drilling at the front door.

Vontese Wines is speaking out about the viral altercation between her and her landlord, Elizaveta Andersen, which featured Andersen dramatically claiming Wines assaulted her, CBS News reports.

The recorded incident took place in Aurora, Colorado.

The video shows Andersen collapsing to the ground and pretending that Wines attacked her. Andersen can be heard on the ground yelling for help and stating that Wines pushed her. The man recording can be heard saying, “Really?”

“That’s when you see me turn away, and that’s when you see her fall on the floor,” said Wines, who added that the ordeal has left her shaken up.

A viral video making the rounds on social media in Colorado shows what appears to be a dramatic confrontation between a landlord and her tenant in Aurora.
The footage captures a woman collapsing and shouting claims of being attacked while another woman, tenant Vontese Wines,… pic.twitter.com/RE9IsZyBML
— Clip Colonizer (@ClipColonizer) April 2, 2025

Wines had been renting a townhome from Andersen since November 2024, with her lease requiring her to pay rent by noon on the first of every month. An additional $110 late fee would be added to any delayed payments. However, the tenant said often felt pressure from the landlord to pay in advance and had text messages to prove it. Since she had the funds, Wines often complied.

But things escalated when Andersen showed up unannounced on March 1 with an eviction notice, just one day after sending a text that the locks would be changed. According to The Mirror, doorbell camera footage revealed the landlord confronted Wines with a warning. “If you don’t have this door open, I’m gonna have the locksmith open it, and you’ll pay for it.”

Wines said it was not even 12:15 pm when the landlord arrived and she heard drilling at the front door. She said she wasn’t given the chance to pay the late fee before anything happened.

“I kind of thought she was trying to intimidate me because she had been texting me a lot prior. I was completely shocked,” she said.

Landlord-tenant attorney Steven Flaxman said Andersen’s actions were out of line, claiming the law allows a late fee to be charged after the seventh calendar day of the month only, so a landlord charging a tenant a late fee on the second of the month is called “an improper charge.”

Following the incident, Wines and her family packed up and moved out. “I feel a lot more safe over here,” she said, while settling into a new home.

But according to an update from Wines’ Facebook account, Andersen escalated things after she moved out.

“She actually went to the police on 3/10/25 around 2:30 pm claiming to be me and the police sergeant called ME because they thought I was there in the main lobby waiting to speak to an officer,” Wines wrote. “This lady is now walking around with a boot on and crutches from this fake fall.”

After the video went viral, another woman claimed to have experienced the same “Karen-like” tactics from Andersen.

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

April 11, 2025

Harriet Tubman’s Descendant Criticizes National Park Service For Watering Down Underground Railroad Language

Harriet Tubman’s great-great-great-grandniece is speaking out after the National Park Service downplayed the Underground Railroad on its website

Harriet Tubman’s great-great-great-grandniece is “devastated” by the National Park Service’s decision to soften its language about the Underground Railroad on its website in February.

“It tore me apart when I saw the news clip flash across my phone,” Rita Daniels told NBC News.

Among the changes made to the webpage was the replacement of a large image of Tubman with one featuring five postage stamps highlighting “Black/white cooperation” and featuring Tubman among abolitionists of both races. Additionally, the description of the Underground Railroad was revised—shifting from “the resistance to enslavement through escape and flight” to language that downplays slavery, framing it instead as part of the “American civil rights movement” that bridged “the divides of race.”

The changes follow an executive order from President Donald Trump, which directed the Smithsonian Institution to eliminate “divisive narratives.” A review of National Park Service websites—one of the leading agencies responsible for preserving U.S. history—revealed that since Trump’s inauguration in late January, dozens of pages have been edited to downplay some of the nation’s darkest historical moments.

Among them include the agency’s nods to Tubman—someone Daniels has worked to properly honor since discovering as a young girl that she was related to the civil rights icon. Growing up in Auburn, New York, where Tubman settled in 1859 after escaping slavery in Maryland, Daniels remembers school materials labeling Tubman as “a thief.”

“It said she stole slaves, that there was a bounty on her head, those kind of things,” she said.

When Daniels shared what she had read with her mother, she learned the claims were untrue and about their ancestral lineage. From that moment on, Daniels has leaned on Tubman’s legacy for inspiration and dedicated her life to preserving her story.

She co-authored a book about Tubman’s life and founded the Harriet Tubman Learning Center to educate others about the true history and impact of the iconic freedom fighter. Now, witnessing the National Park Service seemingly dilute her aunt’s trailblazing legacy is deeply painful to Daniels.

“I was just basically shocked and hurt at the same time,” she said. “Most of my adult life, I pretty much wanted to make sure that people know that her story is a critical part of Black history, which is American history.”

The update was among numerous changes made to government websites amid the Trump administration’s sweeping effort to remove references to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).

“My question is: Why do they want to erase our Black history?” Daniels asked. “Why are we such a threat to certain Americans? They want to remove or ignore very reputable Americans, Black Americans? Why? The answer is racism.”

After news of the website changes spread, the National Park Service issued a statement on April 7, clarifying that the page had been removed “without approval” from senior leadership and that the original version was “immediately restored.”

“This is the kind of impact Harriett Tubman had on many people, not just me,” Daniels said. “And they want to erase that? No. She’s too important to our family and to American history to just be pushed aside. They can’t call what she’s done DEI.”

by Sharelle B. McNair

April 11, 2025

Woman Accused Of Forging $36K Check To Pay Tuition At Tennessee State University

Branch was arrested after she allegedly told the TSU bursar staff that a check from 'Indiana Transport' was mailed for her to stay enrolled but sent to the wrong address

Agents at the Metro Nashville Police Department claim Starr Branch forged a $36,741.07 check to pay tuition at Tennessee State University (TSU), WKRN reports.

Branch, 23, was arrested after she allegedly told the TSU bursar staff that a check from “Indiana Transport” was mailed to the school’s collection agency in order for her to stay enrolled for the 2025 spring semester but was delivered to the wrong address.

Before requesting a hold on her enrollment status to be lifted—which would allow her to stay on campus—Branch allegedly told staff members that a replacement check would be mailed to the correct address.

Weeks passed. The HBCU still had not received the funds, and Indiana Transport notified the bursar’s office that the company never issued or authorized the check. Branch then told officers that her father provided the check but failed to give evidence or contact information for him to support her claims.

The ordeal resulted in Branch being charged with felony worthless check over $10,000 but less than $60,000 and felony forgery over $10,000 and less than $60,000.

Court documents revealed she was booked into jail on a $30,000 bond.

The timing is terrible as TSU is in survival mode. According to Higher Ed Drive, interim President Dwayne Tucker said during a meeting in early February 2025 that the school is on track to run out of money by April or May 2025. The school is leaning on assistance from state lawmakers in hopes of staying afloat and having time to revamp its operations and finances for the long term.

“It’s a fact that we can’t pay our bills,” Tucker said, who added that the school wouldn’t be open without state assistance.

The HBCU faced a number of significant financial crises after missing enrollment targets and operating deficits. The school is projected to have a $46 million deficit by the end of the fiscal year. Identified inefficient processes in financial aid, advising, and enrollment systems added to the struggles.

TSU launched a full scholarship program without a plan to fund it. The scholarship attracted students: 8,198 students for the 2023 fall semester compared to 7,774 in 2018. However, TSU couldn’t afford to maintain those aid levels.

During fiscal 2022, $37 million was paid toward the scholarship using federal pandemic emergency funds. When the funds ran dry, TSU was forced to issue tens of millions of dollars in institutional financial aid, causing a heavy discount on tuition.

Tucker plans to present a five-year turnaround plan to the state legislature, highlighting operations through the first year being financed by removing restrictions on close to $150 million out of $250 million the state previously set aside for the school’s infrastructure.

ambulance, police, South Carolina, James Mack,, false emergency calls

by Kandiss Edwards

April 11, 2025

SOMEONE PLEASE CALL 9-1-1! Man Arrested For Scamming Rides To The Hospital In South Carolina

A South Carolina man is facing charges after deputies say he repeatedly abused the 911 emergency system to get free ambulance rides to the hospital despite having no medical emergencies and leaving without treatment, WCBD reported.

James Mack, 35, of Sumter County, was arrested on April 7 and charged with unlawfully using 911 services after allegedly placing multiple false emergency calls. According to the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office, Mack called 911 on several occasions over a two-week span, complaining of various minor medical issues.

Mack was transported by ambulance to Prisma Health Tuomey Hospital in each instance. Deputies said that once Mack arrived, he would either refuse treatment or leave the facility before being seen by hospital staff. Authorities said the repeated misuse of emergency resources strained local EMS and potentially delayed response times for residents experiencing actual medical emergencies.

On April 7, deputies were dispatched to the hospital after being alerted to Mack’s behavior. Officers reportedly observed Mack exiting the hospital shortly after arriving by ambulance. When confronted, he fled the scene and attempted to hide inside the First Presbyterian Church. He was quickly apprehended.

Following confirmation that Mack had received no treatment again, he was taken into custody and booked at the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office Detention Center. He was issued a $1,500 surety bond and remained in custody as of Wednesday.

Under South Carolina law, a misdemeanor charge carries a maximum penalty of six months in jail and a $200 fine.

Authorities urged the public to use 911 responsibly, emphasizing that misuse of emergency systems can have real consequences for responders and the community.

by Sharelle B. McNair

April 11, 2025

Could Amazon Delivery Drivers Be Labeled As The New Emergency Responders?

The goal was to offer a better chance of surviving a heart attack since vans are normally in closer proximity to residences than first responders

Amazon has reportedly experimented with using drivers to be used as emergency responders, Bloomberg News reports.

Testing a program called Project Pulse, delivery vans in Europe were outfitted with defibrillators to determine whether or not drivers would be able to provide faster aid to heart attack victims.

Starting in 2023 in Amsterdam, Amazon said over 100 drivers participated in the experiment where drivers would receive alerts from citizen responder apps and arrive on site where emergency services were already working on victims.

Amazon spokesperson Anneliese Hellwig-Schuster said the project lasted for months, and said the company is “evaluating the feedback and exploring additional opportunities for future programs.”

The target goal was to give everyone, regardless of if they are an Amazon customer or not, a better chance of surviving a heart attack since vans are normally in closer proximity than professional first responders in several residential communities. However, reports show that the company is trying to utilize its consumer base and technological reach in an effort to compete with Walmart in the healthcare space.

In early 2025, Walmart launched same-day pharmacy delivery for 49 states but integrating pharmacy, general merchandise, and grocery into one order.

Amazon feels that with partnerships like Teladoc and other mental health providers, the company can expand its offerings with virtual care and chronic condition management.

“By integrating these services into its larger ecosystem, including Amazon Web Services (AWS) and its Health Benefits Connector, Amazon seeks to redefine healthcare access and challenge Walmart’s established position in the industry,” a report said.

AWS has already partnered with General Catalyst to come up with artificial intelligence (AI)-driven healthcare solutions that target personalized care, diagnostics, and improving patient outcomes for more accessible healthcare.

Amazon has been expanding into avenues of assistance outside of healthcare. In early February 2025, the company announced a total of 15 Disaster Relief hubs around the world to assist with relief from natural disasters, according to the company.

The facility hubs are located in disaster-prone areas—the first hub opened in Mexico—and stocked with necessary supplies in order to be ready for immediate delivery. Amazon uses global logistics and technology capabilities to quickly ship donated items to communities affected by natural disasters.

“When a natural disaster strikes, providing immediate relief is critical. Our capabilities in logistics and technology allow us to provide fast and effective assistance,” said Diego Mendez de la Luz, director of Amazon’s operations in Mexico. “With the opening of this new hub in Mexico, our response time to partner with emergency management agencies and relief organizations during natural disasters across the country will be even faster and more efficient.”