by Stacy Jackson

March 20, 2025

Judge Halts Travel Ban For New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell After Granting Restraining Order Request

The travel ban for the New Orleans mayor and other city employees came after an unanimous vote from the council.

A judge has halted the New Orleans City Council’s ban on Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s travel after she requested a temporary restraining order.

On March 5, Mayor Cantrell challenged the ban ordered by the council, which prohibited non-essential travel for her and city members. According to Nola.com, the mayor’s request was granted by Orleans Parish Civil District Court Judge Marissa Hutabarat. The ban for the New Orleans mayor and other city employees came after Cantrell backed out of a settlement worth millions of dollars that would have been distributed to schools in the city.

Cantrell claimed the council’s ban is “an unlawful and unconstitutional power grab.” However, Council President JP Morrell criticized Cantrell’s decision to run to a judge rather than veto the ordinance. WDSU reported that a spokesperson for Morrell stated last week, “This is a placeholder designed to extend the current travel ban once it expires. The Administration appears to have a fundamental misunderstanding of the law regarding the current ban.”

The New Orleans mayor recently faced backlash from the council for a trip she took to attend the Yale Mayor’s College Conference in Washington, D.C., despite the travel ban. She argued that the trip was confirmed on the schedule way ahead of the council’s ordinance. Morrell’s spokesperson stated, “If the Administration intends to argue that the DC trip was permissible because it occurred during a layover period before the final vote, then this legislation provides the Council with the flexibility to extend the ban smoothly, without the need to create a new layover period.”

According to The City of New Orleans, “The ordinance passed by the Council restricting travel by the Administration once again exceeds the authority granted to them under the City’s Home Rule Charter. The Administration sought and was granted a temporary restraining order by the Court.”

A March 28 hearing will decide if the ban will remain blocked.

fire, Tesla, Elon Musk, group, attack, France

by Sharelle B. McNair

March 20, 2025

Why Progressives Are Driving Away From Being Tesla Supporters

One of Tesla’s earliest investors, Ross Gerber, said it's time for Musk to make a decision - step down as CEO of the company or walk away from DOGE.

While the stock of electric vehicle company Tesla is starting to tank, it seems as if the company is losing supporters and fans at a fast pace, blaming CEO Elon Musk’s new role in Washington D.C., NBC News reported.

From the Hollywood elite to lawmakers on Capitol Hill, the rate of people getting rid of their Tesla vehicles is increasing. Golden Globe winner Jason Bateman announced his decision to get rid of his Tesla, claiming that driving it was like “driving around with a Trump sticker.” Grammy Award-winning singer Sheryl Crow shared similar thoughts in a video showcasing how she sold her vehicle. Crow said she donated the proceeds to public broadcasting organization NPR, which “is under threat by President Musk, in hopes that the truth will continue to find its way to those willing to know the truth.”

On X, Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) said Musk and his policies are the reasons why he ditched his Tesla. “I bought a Tesla because it was fast like a rocket ship. But now, every time I drive it, I feel like a rolling billboard for a man dismantling our government and hurting people,” Kelly posted.

“So Tesla, you’re fired!”

I bought a Tesla because it was fast like a rocket ship. But now every time I drive it, I feel like a rolling billboard for a man dismantling our government and hurting people. So Tesla, you’re fired!

New ride coming soon. pic.twitter.com/N4Anmsi6cH
— Captain Mark Kelly (@CaptMarkKelly) March 14, 2025

Protests and vandalism have erupted at Tesla dealerships across the country as Musk’s involvement in President Donald Trump’s administration as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and labeled right-wing politics has turned buyers away. A video circulated on social media showing five Teslas set ablaze with Molotov cocktails at a dealership in Las Vegas. As newly appointed Attorney General Pam Bondi labeled the episodes as acts of “domestic terrorism,” other people in Musk’s circle are calling for the billionaire to do something about it.

JUST IN Apparent arson attacks against Teslas remain under investigation in Las Vegas and Kansas City.https://t.co/GFc41jYw0n pic.twitter.com/LX5PaciblH
— Shomari Stone (@shomaristone) March 19, 2025

During a television interview, one of Tesla’s earliest investors, Ross Gerber, said it’s time for Musk to make a decision — step down as CEO of the company or walk away from DOGE. “The company’s reputation has just been destroyed by Elon Musk. Sales are plummeting, so yeah, it’s a crisis. You literally can’t sell the best product in the marketplace because the CEO is so divisive,” Gerber said, according to the Daily Beast.

“It’s time for somebody to run Tesla. There are too many important things Tesla is doing, so either Elon should come back to Tesla and be the CEO of Tesla and give up his other jobs, or he should focus on the government and keep doing what he is doing but find a suitable CEO of Tesla.”

A report released in early March 2025 showed Tesla’s stock has plummeted by 53% following a record of all-time highs reached in mid-December 2024. One month later, S&P Global Mobility numbers revealed Tesla registrations dropped 11% while registrations for other manufacturers of electric vehicles like Ford, Chevrolet, and Volkswagen saw a 44% increase. Everyday consumers of the Tesla brand include New Jersey preschool teacher Megan Paulus. She took over her husband’s car after he died in December 2021 and mentioned him being a big Musk fan, even owning stock.

However, Paulus is concerned with how driving the vehicle will connect her with Musk’s politics and wants no part, and is specifically concerned with heightened vandalism. “I no longer wish to be associated with these people. I no longer want to be associated with Elon Musk,” the teacher said.

“I got one of those magnets-slash-bumper stickers. It says: ‘I bought the car before I knew how awful Elon Musk was.’ I did that as a placeholder because I have thought very much about selling the car.”

Ebony Breauna Chillous, Department of Justice, William E. Donaldson Correctional Facility, Alabama, Bessemer, correction's officer, Alabama Corrections

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

March 19, 2025

NY Woman Pleads Guilty To Mailing Drug-Soaked Documents To Prison Inmates

A woman in New York pleaded guilty to sending fraudulent, drug-soaked paperwork to prison inmates.

A woman from Albany, New York, has pleaded guilty to mailing drug-soaked documents disguised as legal paperwork to prisons across the state.

Maya McIntosh, 33, pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including conspiracy to manufacture, distribute, and possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance and its analog, as well as unlawful possession and use of a means of identification. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York announced her plea on March 18.

McIntosh sold the illegal drugs on social media, supplying drug-soaked documents to buyers who intended to send them to people in prison. Her process involved ordering chemicals used to produce MDMB-4en-PINACA, a synthetic cannabinoid, in liquid form, which she then sprayed or soaked onto copy paper and business envelopes.

According to prosecutors, McIntosh placed the drug-riddled documents in U.S. Priority Mail Express envelopes and addressed them to inmates at various correctional facilities across New York. Prison staff were led astray by the disguised legal correspondence McIntosh had stamped with the names of real attorneys in the return address section without their knowledge or consent.

This tactic made the documents appear as legitimate legal paperwork rather than containing controlled substances, the U.S. Attorney’s Office stated. Prosecutors believe McIntosh ran the operation between January 2023 through July 2024.

She was indicted and arrested in September and has been in federal custody since. McIntosh faces up to 20 years in prison for each count, along with a maximum fine of $1 million for the drug-related charges, a $250,000 fine for the other counts, and a supervised release term ranging from at least three years to life.

More arrests could come as the United States Postal Inspection Service and Homeland Security Investigations continue to investigate the case. This comes as prison staff raise growing concerns about the use of “legal mail” to smuggle drugs into state prisons. Correction officers, who recently participated in a 22-day strike, identified the issue as one of their top priorities.

Ohio mom, Michigan, Darren, Dawson, Ohio, tortured closet, social security, Juvenile jails, ex cons for trump

by Sharelle B. McNair

March 19, 2025

Questions Arise About How A Woman Visiting Her Incarcerated Husband Was Found Strangled to Death

Dowells’ daughter-in-law remembers her mother-in-law visiting Brinson to help him become a better person.

The family of Stephanie Diane Brinson is demanding answers after she was found dead from apparent strangulation while visiting her husband, an inmate at the Mule Creek State Prison in California, in November 2024, KTVZ 21 reported.

The Amador County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Brinson’s death was ruled a homicide in early March 2025. An incarcerated man, David Brinson, made a call on Nov. 13 shortly after 2 a.m. to notify officers that his wife passed out during her visit. After officers jumped in to perform life-saving measures before paramedics took over, Brinson, known by family as Stephanie Dowells, was pronounced dead around 2:51 a.m.

While the website of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) says, “family visits occur in private, apartment-like facilities on prison grounds and last approximately 30 to 40 hours,” Dowells’ son, Armand Torres, questioned how a person with a violent past was permitted to have private family visits in prison. “How could they just let this happen? I just don’t get it,” Torres said, according to WBAL TV.

“My mom was just left alone, and she called for help, I’m sure, and there’s nothing she could do. Given the history that this guy has, we kind of wanted to know how is it even possible for them to be unsupervised?”

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Brinson, 54, is serving four consecutive life sentences with an additional 20-year determinate sentence without the possibility of parole following his 1993 conviction of four murders. Dowells’ mother, Oveta Wilson, remembers her 62-year-old daughter as “the most giving, kindhearted person.” “I would often tell her, ‘Sweetheart, you can’t save the world,’” Wilson explained.

Dowells’ daughter-in-law, Nataly Jimenez, remembers that her mother-in-law was using prison visits in an attempt to help Brinson become a better person. “They would read the Bible together. He was in school there because she was pushing him to try to be this better person,” Jimenez remembered.

As the sheriff’s department said an investigation is ongoing, they announced no charges have been filed while they await the completion of the investigation.

While the family continues to question unsupervised visits for a violent inmate, a spokesperson from CDCR released a statement saying each request goes through an approval process. “Family visits are a privilege, and incarcerated persons must apply and meet strict eligibility criteria to be approved,” the statement read.

“Only those who demonstrate sustained good behavior and meet specific program requirements are considered. These visits are designed to support positive family connections and successful rehabilitation.”

The operations manual for the department also states inmates are mandated to present themselves for a count at least four times per 24-hour period in addition to the watch commander being able to order unscheduled inspections.

However, the manual also claims that “every effort shall be made to ensure the privacy of the inmate and their visitor(s).”

Texas Woman Dies During Miscarriage, Husband Blames ‘Reckless’ Abortion Law

by Stacy Jackson

March 19, 2025

Texas Woman Dies During Miscarriage, Husband Blames ‘Reckless’ Abortion Law

Hope Ngumezi blames the doctors, the hospital, and the state of Texas for his wife's death after she suffered a miscarriage.

A Texas woman has died after she was taken to a Texas hospital due to a miscarriage during the 11th week of her pregnancy.

Porsha Ngumezi was taken to a Texas hospital and left under the care of doctors who her husband, Hope, believes feared the law. According to Hope, who is now a single dad raising two boys, his wife died at the hands of the state of Texas and its “reckless” abortion law. The Texas Heartbeat Act, instituted in 2021, prohibits physicians from performing an abortion after a “fetal heartbeat” has been detected. The Texas State Law Library noted that an exception to the law applies if the abortion is deemed necessary to save the life of a mother who is at risk due to a physical disorder, illness, or condition. Doctors told CBS News there is a lack of clarity in the law regarding what is considered a dangerous or serious risk.

“I feel like the law is very reckless…very dangerous,” said Hope. “I blame the doctors, I blame the hospital, and I blame the state of Texas.”

Regarding a D&C or dilation and curettage procedure, Porsha reportedly never received one. The procedure, according to the Mayo Clinic, is performed to diagnose or treat excessive uterine bleeding or remove retained pregnancy tissue from the uterus following a miscarriage or abortion. The doctors claimed physicians failed to perform the procedure out of fear of criminal penalties for violating the state’s law.

Hope believes his wife suffered cardiac arrest and died. “I just felt like the doctor turned his back on us. You know, ‘I don’t want to go to jail. I don’t want to lose my license or get fined, so the best course is for me to protect myself,'” he said. “We’re not supposed to be worried about, man, if I have a complication, am I gonna lose my life? Would a doctor give me the proper care?”

The maternal mortality rate in Texas increased by 56% between 2019 and 2022 and increased by 11% nationally. BLACK ENTERPRISE noted a 2024 report that revealed state abortion bans threatened nearly seven million Black women nationwide. State Sen. Bryan Hughes, who authored the 2021 legislation, clarified that for Texas, “removal of a miscarriage is not an abortion.” Hughes confirmed that the state is in the process of amending the law to ensure its language is clear.

by Stacy Jackson

March 19, 2025

Pompidou Center Celebrates 150 Black Artists In ‘Paris Noir’ Exhibition

The Paris Noir exhibition honors the Black artists from the 1950s to 2000 who fled from the United States to Paris on a quest for freedom.

A groundbreaking exhibition, “Paris Noir,” has launched at the Pompidou Center in Paris. It will highlight the works of 150 Black artists from Africa, the Americas, and the Caribbean whose works have rarely or never been displayed in France.

The Paris Noir exhibition, also called “Black Paris,” highlights creators from the 1950s to 2000 and introduces an entirely new map of Paris. The Pompidou Center describes the new exhibition as “a vibrant immersion in a cosmopolitan Paris, a place of resistance and creation that gave rise to a wide variety of practices, from a new awareness of identity to the search for trans-cultural artistic languages. From international to Afro-Atlantic abstractions via surrealism and free figuration, this historical voyage reveals the importance of artists of African descent in the redefinition of Modernisms and Post-modernisms.”

Paris Noir is centered on artistic circulations and anti-colonial resistance. The exhibition features four installations produced by artists Valérie John, Nathalie Leroy Fiévee, Jay Ramier, and Shuck One, whose works honor the Black artists who all shaped France’s history. Shuck One shared with the Associated Press that his installation honors the pioneers by “retracing the memories” of the Black figures who created Paris Noir,” highlighting the Black Atlantic and Black Caribbean. Visitors will see works from artists like Beauford Delaney, Wifredo Lam, Harold Cousins, Bob Thompson, and Georges Coran.

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Alicia Knock, curator of Paris Noir, told ABC News that the exhibition is “an incredible epic of decolonization.” The display recognizes the Black figures for their contributions as artists and cultural ambassadors, teachers, poets, and philosophers. Paris Noir is a nod to Pan-Africanism, the nationalist movement that encouraged solidarity between people of the African diaspora, and the exhibition will show the Black solidarities that arose at the time. “These artists contributed to rewriting the history of modernism and postmodernism,” Knock said. The exhibition’s associate curator, Éva Barois De Caevel, said Paris Noir is about Black consciousness and journeys through the history of slavery, racism, and experiences shared by Black artists. It explores post-World War II when African American artists fled from the United States to Paris on the quest for freedom while calling attention to many African artists from French colonies who fought for civil rights and racial justice.

Paris Noir will run from March 19 to June 30. Throughout the exhibition’s duration, several events will be hosted by art, cultural, and educational venues in Paris. The exhibition will mark one of the final shows ahead of a five-year renovation that will clown the museum in 2025. Nearly 40 of the artworks featured in Paris Noir have been acquired by the Pompidou Center as part of its museum collection. Knock hopes this is the beginning of an era in which many French institutions, museums, and universities will focus on these artists.

RELATED CONTENT: 9 Black Galleries That Amplify Black Art

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

March 19, 2025

Tee Grizzley Makes More Money Online Than He Does As A Performing Rapper

The entrepreneur said he made $50,000 a week through his GTA 5 RP server, Grizzley World

Detroit rapper Terry Sanchez Wallace Jr., better known to us as Tee Grizzley, has made money as a rapper but revealed that he made more money when not on the microphone with his entrepreneurial gaming service using the Grand Theft Auto streaming platform, Grizzley World.

On a 2022 episode of Philadelphia cousins Gillie Da Kid and Wallo267’s “Million Dollaz Worth of Game” podcast, Tee Grizzley discussed making approximately $50,000 a week through his GTA 5 RP server, Grizzley World. He revealed that he has a customizable platform that takes users online utilizing the GTA platform to drive cars through the virtual streets instead of doing so in the real streets offline. He stated that he made money by charging people to gain access to his server.

In the video clip, he says that people have made money on his platform, some as much as $25,000 a month. Yet, he made his coins by charging members; he stated that there were 90,000, and by doing so, he made about $50,000 a week. The cost for him to start this platform? He said a friend created the platform for free and didn’t charge him for it. He said his friend said he could make $5000 a month, but he claims he made 10 times that amount in just a week.

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Grizzley’s entrepreneurial spirit also made him millions using the Twitch platform and other social media platforms as well.

During a 2021 episode of the “Earn Your Leisure” podcast, he stated that playing video games allowed him to take advantage of subscriber opportunities and ads.

“The way to make money, you gotta know how to repurpose things,” Grizzley said. “Boom, you got subscribers, you got ads, you got people that can donate to you — and the sky’s the limit with all that stuff. With your videos saved, so you can take those videos [and] you can make content out of them on your TikTok, your Instagram, YouTube. You can [even] get a bag off Snapchat.”

by Sharelle B. McNair

March 19, 2025

John Hope Bryant Discusses AI-Driven Job Displacement Impact At CNBC’s ‘Converge Live’ Panel

Bryant labeled AI changes as “a complete do-over of society.”

John Hope Bryant, CEO of Operation HOPE, took a deep dive into the ways artificial intelligence (AI) is affecting the American workforce during a panel discussion at CNBC’s CONVERGE LIVE event in Singapore.

As CNBC’s premier global forum, the event brings top executives, policymakers, and thought leaders together to discuss some of today’s most pressing issues that are labeled as shapers of business and the economy. Bryant led the discussion for the session titled “The Future of Work in the Age of AI.” Moderated by CNBC’s Julia Boorstin, Bryant was in good company with fellow industry leaders, including President of Leasing, North America, Newmark, Elizabeth Hart, and Peta Latimer, President of Mercer Asia.

The group talked about how AI’s growth is causing implications on employment and economic structures, in particular, employees with limited access to career development opportunities. “We are not spending nearly enough time focusing on the bottom of the pyramid,” Bryant said.

“Convenience store jobs are gone, grocery store jobs are gone—this is not the future; this is right now.”

According to CNBC, the financial literacy and economic empowerment nonprofit leader claimed AI will create waves of change, calling it “a complete do-over of society.” He warned about how AI will affect those who don’t have education past high school — unless something is done about it. “So if you have a high school education and limited relationship capital, and you don’t have a government and a private sector that’s prioritizing [upskilling its people on AI] … in five years between 2025 to 2030, the world’s going to pass you by,” Bryant said.

As AI is leading the way in industries like infrastructure, data centers, and automation being reshaped, Bryant feels certain policies need to be in place to balance things out. During the session, he highlighted a case study from Singapore on how investing in human capital resulted in growth throughout the country and called on U.S. leaders to take a chance and do the same. “This approach transformed the country into an economic powerhouse,” he said.

“The U.S. and other nations must take similar steps to grow their economies by prioritizing workforce training.”

Bryant recommended certain policies like tax incentives toward apprenticeships, financial literacy education, and AI workforce training in order to teach people how to properly use AI. As a result, employment rates could accelerate and would address the class divide that America has, making it more difficult for the working and middle classes to “climb up the ladder.” “The problem we have today is you have all this wealth where money is creating more money — and money creating more money is more valuable than labor creating more money,” Bryant said.

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

March 19, 2025

Rick Ross Advises Young Boys To Pursue Blue- Collar Work

The rapper suggests young boys take up an occupation that will pay them some real money

Miami entrepreneur and rapper Rick Ross took time off from beefing with 50 Cent to give an uplifting message to young Black boys to steer them in the right direction for their careers.

During a recent video clip posted online and reposted by The Shade Room, the “God Did” rapper suggested that some of the young men out here should invest in blue-collar occupations since they are paying and not enough Black people are working in this field where there are millions of dollars to be made. He starts his speech by asking how many people shouted “Free Lil Durk” at the recent Rolling Loud California from March 15-16.

As he points out, whenever a rapper is accused of a crime and is in jail, it seems as if the hip-hop audience goes all out and publicly says, “Free so-and-so.” Lil Durk was arrested after being accused of ordering a hit on someone who may have been involved in the killing of his friend, King Von. He encourages young Black boys to pursue a career instead of resorting to the streets in his message.

He tells young men to pursue a career in construction, plumbing, roofing, electrical work, etc.

“Alright now, for y’all young hustlers. Y’all got to learn how to do roofing, y’all got to learn how to lay marble floors, you got to learn how to do the plumbing. This is a multiple-million-dollar game. Multiple, million-dollar game. I’m walking up on this real estate sites, I see very few brothers that’s on the roofs, that’s doing the plumbing, that’s doing the drywall, that’s doing the electricity, it’s a lot of money in that.”

He then ends the clip by asking again, “How many people say free Lil Durk at Rolling Loud? Exactly.”

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by Mitti Hicks

March 19, 2025

Judge Orders Trump Administration To Reinstate Education Grants Axed Over DEI

The Trump administration has faced another legal blow following several controversial policies, including mass firings and Trump’s executive order to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. A federal judge ordered the administration to reinstate education grants that were axed over Trump's executive orders on DEI.

The Trump administration has faced another legal blow following several controversial policies, including mass firings and Trump’s executive order to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

U.S. District Judge Julie Rubin has ordered the Trump administration to reinstate some of the education temporary grants it eliminated to comply with Trump’s anti-DEI executive order. According to CNBC, Judge Rubin said terminating these grants is likely “to be proven arbitrary and capricious, because the Department’s action was unreasonable, not reasonably explained, based on factors Congress had not intended the Department to consider,” and were “otherwise not in accordance with the law.”

Rubin said ending the educational grants could have a “grave effect on the public,” including “fewer teachers for students in high-need neighborhoods.”

Plaintiffs Argue Education Grants Are Congressionally Approved

The latest move from the Trump administration is being challenged in court. Recently, a judge ordered the administration to rehire the thousands of federal employees who were fired in what the administration has called a “cost-saving” effort.

Meanwhile, the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, the National Center for Teacher Residencies, and the Maryland Association of Colleges for Teachers Education reportedly filed a lawsuit earlier this month against the U.S. Department of Education and President Donald Trump for eliminating over 100 education preparation grants.

The plaintiffs argue that the grants were funded under Congressionally appropriated programs.

While the reinstatement is only temporary, education leaders say the ruling is significant.

“At a time when we as a nation are enduring local teacher shortages, especially in critical areas of need, we must not fall short in supporting the preparation of teachers,” Kathlene Campbell, the CEO of the National Center for Teacher Residencies, told CNBC in a statement. “That’s why this ruling is paramount in supporting current and future teachers of the education field.”

In addition, a federal judge in Boston ordered the Trump administration to restore grants for teacher preparation in eight states temporarily.