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In a video that has gone viral, Fredrick Gaddis, a 39-year-old Black man from Mississippi, was pulled over for an expired license plate in March and arrested for being “verbally aggressive” towards the cop.

But the video shows Gaddis was doing nothing more than exercising his First Amendment rights against Ridgeland police officer Kyle Boyd.

Boyd responded by telling him, “You’re about to talk yourself into jail” before fulfilling his promise.

Fredrick Gaddis was arrested for being “verbally aggressive” to cops during a traffic stop. (Photo: body camera)

In a telephone interview with Atlanta Black Star, Gaddis explained that his outspoken demeanor that day was a result of having been falsely arrested by the same agency on at least three prior occasions on a nonexistent warrant.

“I still don’t know what the warrant is for,” Gaddis said. “I think it’s contempt of court or something like that. But, you know, I’ve actually been jailed on that warrant three times. I think it might be four.”

Gaddis said he has filed public records request with the Ridgeland Police Department to see the actual warrant but they have not fulfilled his request. He believes it may stem from him having a suspended license a few years back which he has long resolved but he is not certain.

He said the Ridgeland Police Department eventually removed the warrant from their system after realizing it was not valid but those prior experiences is what led to his frustration during his latest traffic stop.

“I may appear what they’re trying to say is uncooperative, but I’m just simply exercising my rights this time because I feel I’m going to go to jail anyway,” he said.

Gaddis said he was charged with possession of a controlled substance, possession of a firearm while in possession of a controlled substance, expired tag, and no proof of insurance.

The alleged marijuana was found after they had decided to arrest him for speaking his mind, which made the cops happy. His trial was scheduled for Tuesday, but it was rescheduled for next month to allow police to confirm it was marijuana they found in the car.

“I do not know what the substance actually is,” he explained. “That’s what’s actually delaying the trial. It’s been sent to the crime lab.”

Prior Arrests

It all started about five years ago when Ridgeland police responded to a noise complaint from a neighbor stemming from a get-together he was having with friends in his apartment.

“We was just simply over there eating pizza and wings, watching a football game, and we may have gotten too loud,” he said.

He explained that when two Ridgeland police officers knocked on his door, one of his friends opened the door and the cops walked in uninvited without a warrant.

“I look up and I see two Ridgeland police officers in my house and I’m like ‘holy smokes ‘what are you doing in here, man?’”

The cops told him his friend had allowed them inside, but he told them his friend did not live there and did not have the authority to allow them inside. He said he ordered them to leave his apartment, but they assaulted and arrested him instead. 

“Things escalated from there because they refused to leave, and I went to jail for a warrant that day,” he said, adding that he was also charged with resisting arrest and other similar charges.

He said he tried to file a complaint against the officers at the police station after he was released from jail, accusing them of assaulting them, which he said they found funny. But they told him they would drop the charges if he dropped the complaint. He agreed to do it.

But he still had to pay a fine for the nonexistent warrant, which he believes the cops may have deliberately kept active to retaliate against him for daring to complain about them.

“And maybe that might be what triggered this warrant, where it wouldn’t disappear,” he said, explaining that the local cops have a long history of profiling and retaliating against Black citizens.

In fact, the ACLU in 2019 filed a lawsuit against the Madison County Sheriff’s Office, which patrols the county he lives in, for conducting illegal pedestrian and vehicle checkpoints in Black neighborhoods.

Many times, the Ridgeland Police Department would join them in these checkpoints which resulted in him getting arrested again for the nonexistent warrant.

“They can’t even patrol or set up roadblocks in minority populations anymore because a federal judge literally said that the statistics show that they’re targeting blacks and Hispanics,” he explained. 

And he has been arrested a couple more times on the warrant within the last two years prior to March’s traffic stop that went viral, pulled over for minor traffic stops, then jailed on the warrant without ever being told the details of the warrant.

The last time he was jailed for the warrant after being pulled over after midnight for dark tints — which the officer determined were not illegal after using a tint meter — he overheard police at the jail acknowledging there is no warrant.

“I’m hearing him on the phone and he’s like, ‘I don’t see a physical warrant for Mr. Gaddis, we have him in booking on a warrant and we don’t have the warrant, what should I do?’” he said.

“I believe it resulted in a supervisor being woken up and somebody got a memo to go and physically remove this warrant from the system so it doesn’t keep reactivating on me.”

But those experiences made him determined to stand up for his rights when confronted by police.

“I didn’t take things as seriously as I do now, so that’s why I’m really assertive now, because if you let Ridgeland PD slip, then they’re going to continue to do it. It’s a systematic problem with this department.”

Recent Arrest

It was all those prior arrests for the nonexistent warrant that led to his recent confrontation with Boyd, the Ridgeland police officer who pulled over for an expired license plate on March 16.

The video that was obtained by an attorney and published online is edited with some parts removed, including the portion where they removed his legally owned firearms from his pocket and from inside his car.

The video shows Boyd ordering him to roll down his rear window several times but Gaddis ignores his request. Boyd then orders him to step out of his car which he does immediately but then recognizes Boyd from a previous traffic stop.

“Is there something back there you’re trying to hide?” Boyd asks.

“Nothing, you can search, I’ll help you,” Gaddis responds.

“I don’t want to search your car,” Body says.

“As a matter of fact, I don’t consent to any search or seizures,” Gaddis says.

“I’m not trying to search your car,” the cop responds.

“Ok, then do your job … if you’re going to write me a ticket —” Gaddis says before Boyd cuts him off.

“Shut up,” the cop responds.

“Stop being unprofessional and telling people to shut up,” Gaddis says. “You’re supposed to de-escalate the situation. Stop telling me to shut up. That is rude. I’m here to comply with whatever you want me to do.”

“You’re about to talk yourself into jail,” Boyd threatens.

“For what?” Gaddis asks.

“Because you’re being aggressive,” Boyd says.

Boyd explains the reason for the stop, and Gaddis pulls out a license plate from the car that is not expired, that he had not yet placed on the car, telling the cop he plans to install it that day.

Another cop pulls up, and Boyd informs him that Gaddis is being “verbally aggressive,” which Gaddis denies. However, he continues talking to the cops about his right to free speech, which annoys the second cop.

“If he wants to be an asshole, lock his ass up,” the second cop tells Boyd.

Then, after they handcuff him and begin searching his car, the second cop complains to Boyd that Gaddis was being disrespectful to him by interrupting him.

“He’s going to learn, dude, you don’t treat police like that,” the second cop says.

“I was trying to tell him his tint was legal, but he wouldn’t shut his mouth.”

Boyd then indicates he found weed inside the car, which makes the second cop happy.

“You found some dope? Another charge,” he chuckles.

After he is taken to jail, Boyd complains to another cop about Gaddis.

“I’m going to talk to sarge about him. I might hit him with resisting,” Boyd says, even though the video shows Gaddis never resisted once he was told to place his hands behind his back.

“I’m going to f_ck him anyway I can.”

Gaddis, who spent eight years in the army, said he “could have went about things slightly different, even though everything I did was within my right to do so.”

“I come from a family of law enforcement, so I’m not anti-law enforcement,” he said. “I’m anti-law enforcement that is willing to just ball the Constitution up and throw it in the trash.”

Atlanta Black Star contacted the Ridgeland Police Department asking for the full video and they said they would send it but it has not been received at this time.

However, Ridgeland Police Chief Brian Myers told WDAM that he plans to discipline the officers for their unprofessionalism.

“There has been a video that has come to light that was highly edited and also clipped and taken out of… some of it was switched around. Regardless, there were statements made by law enforcement that should not have been made,” Chief Myers said.

“There will be action in regard to our officers. As I said here at the beginning of this, we police our own. We make sure that everyone is behaving and acting professionally.”

Watch the video below.

‘I’m Going to… Him Anyway I Can’: Mississippi Cop Vows to Exact Revenge on Black Man for Mouthing Off During Minor Traffic Stop, Video Shows

A Minneapolis woman is calling for a group of police officers to be fired for illegally entering her home in the middle of the night and intimidating her family to resolve a complaint about a loose dog.

According to MPR News, 34-year-old Ebony Dobbins said her rottweiler, Rocky, ran away from her home, which she shares with her partner and three children, just before 1 a.m. on March 25.

Police say that when they responded to a complaint that same night about a dog roaming in the area, they visited Dobbins’ home and stood outside her home for more than an hour, ringing the doorbell, knocking, and trying to call Dobbins’ phone.

Minneapolis police officers entered Ebony Dobbins’ home through a window on March 25, 2025. (Photo: Body camera footage)

When no one answered, Dobbins said that one officer climbed through her son’s bedroom window and walked through the home to the front door to let the other responding officers inside.

“They went downstairs. They woke up my girlfriend. And then they had her come upstairs. Then they all came in my room,” Dobbins said. “They woke me up and forced all of us into my living room.”

In a news conference, Michelle Gross, president of Communities United Against Police Brutality, stated that before the officers entered Dobbins’ home, they were seen on home surveillance video acting strangely. Dobbins released doorbell camera footage showing officers ringing her bell and then immediately running away in what Gross described as “playing ding-dong-ditch.”

Surveillance footage from inside the home also showed an officer walking through Dobbins’ living room to let his partners inside. Bodycam footage also shows the moments officers woke Dobbins and her partner and questioned them inside her home.

“This conduct is unlawful and, as a result, this family is traumatized,” Gross said. “Officers are knocking on the doors, they’re running away after they knock as if this family might be dangerous. The most anyone in this family has is a parking ticket.”

But in a police report, an officer wrote that he ran to his squad car after ringing Dobbins’ doorbell because he was wary about the loose dog.

“The dog occasionally would disappear into the back of the address, allowing me to knock loudly on the door and ring the doorbell until retreating to my squad car, anticipating the dog’s return. There was no answer at the door upon multiple attempts,” one of the responding officers wrote.

The report states that responding officers were concerned because they saw children inside the home who appeared unresponsive and believed an emergency was underway since most of the lights were on, Dobbins’ car was in the driveway, and no one responded to the loud knocking.

Dobbins also alleged that the officers entered her home with their weapons drawn, but surveillance and bodycam video only show officers with flashlights. No firearms are seen.

Police also denied Dobbins’ claims in a statement to WCCO Radio in Minneapolis about the incident:

Officers responded to a report of an uncontrolled, aggressive dog at a residence. While waiting for Animal Control, officers spent more than an hour trying to make contact with the occupants. They knocked on doors and windows while avoiding the loose dog, called cell phones they could hear ringing inside, and used bright lights to get attention.

During this time, officers observed children inside the home who appeared unresponsive. Concerned for their safety, officers entered the home through an open window to avoid causing damage from a forced entry.

There have been claims that officers entered the home with weapons drawn—those claims are false. Officers entered calmly, announced their presence, and focused on ensuring the safety of everyone inside.

Chief O’Hara has reviewed the body-worn camera footage and supports the officers’ actions.

Any complaints related to this incident are independently investigated through the external complaints process.

Dobbins retrieved her dog from Minneapolis Animal Control later that day. No dog attacks or injuries were reported.

Dobbins and CUAPB want the four officers who responded to the complaint and one Animal Control officer to be fired.

“They stated they were never able to check on my kids because I was too hostile,” Dobbins told WCCO. “One of the officers even boasted about breaking into my son’s window, letting me know on his way out, ‘Hey, make sure you close your son’s back window and lock it because that’s the way we came in.'”

‘They Broke In Through My Son’s Window’: Minneapolis Mom Demands Firing of Officers Who Illegally Entered Her Home After Someone Called 911 Over a Loose Dog

The Cannes Film Festival 2025 has begun and there have been some adjustments to their dress code that has forced Halle Berry to make a wardrobe change.

According to Reuters, the “Catwoman” star, who is also a festival jury member this year, explained what happened in a news conference. She said, “I had an amazing dress by [Gaurav] Gupta to wear tonight, and I cannot wear it because the train’s too big.”

Halle Berry makes last minute switch after The Cannes Film Festival implements new dress code. (Photo by Kristina Bumphrey/Variety via Getty Images)

The change in the dress code reportedly took place just hours before the festival kicked off on May 13 – so it’s understandable why Berry’s outfit needed to be switched. Nudity is one thing on the list that’s been banned and, in efforts to keep the traffic of the red carpet under control, so has “voluminous outfits,” which includes long trains as well. 

Berry added, “I had to make a pivot. But the nudity part I do think is probably also a good rule.”

The look she went for was a vertically striped black and white halter gown. The dress had an authentic draping effect that trailed slightly behind her when she walked but it did not leave a train on the ground — thus following the new rules of the occasion. 

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Fans reacted to these rules in Page Six’s report.

One person said, “Thank goodness!! Sick of looking at people with no pants and super cleavage.”

A second wrote, “Glad they have a nudity rule now. This isn’t a PornHub award show.”

A third said, “Thank God as her see through met gala dress showed off too much down there we didn’t need to see!” 

During the Met Gala on May 5, the dress code was “Tailored for You,” so most people wore some sort of menswear or suit. For that event, Berry wore a striped gown with one set of stripes being a solid black with sequins and the other set being a mesh black.

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Similar to her Cannes Film Festival dress, the stripes were vertical and went all the way down to form a small train. But, because the see-through parts went all the way down, the her crotch came perilously close to being exposed and it appears the actress did not have any undergarments on. The 58-year-old got some flak for the controversial gown. 

While most were relieved about the new rules of the dress code for the Cannes Film Festival, some people weren’t satisfied with Berry’s backup outfit. 

“Her taste in formal wear is questionable,” said one. 

A second said, “These are not her best looks.  I don’t know why she thought the big vertical striped gown flattered her in any way.  It’s a big tent dress!  She’s pretty but needs a new stylist.”

But not everyone abided by the rules like Berry. Model Heidi Klum and Chinese actor Wan QianHui both seemingly didn’t get the memo — or chose to wear what they pleased — on the red carpet, with both wearing dresses with long trains behind them. 

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Klum, wore a pink gown made up of blooming ruffles that formed into a train several feet behind her. QianHui’s look made her a two-time offender. The cream colored gown not only had a train on it but the ruffled layers had a voluminous hoop skirt shape.

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The festival put out a statement saying, “The aim is not to regulate attire per se, but to prohibit full nudity on the red carpet, in accordance with the institutional framework of the event and French law.” They said the festival, “reserves the right to deny access to individuals whose attire could obstruct the movement of other guests or complicate seating arrangements in the screening rooms.”

The 78th edition international film festival will go on until May 24. 

‘Glad They Have a Nudity Rule Now’: Halle Berry Scrambles to Make Last-Minute Dress Change After Cannes Implements Sudden Rule

Kanye West has turned his X-rated creative concepts into a family affair. A new video of the rapper on the set of a shoot is circulating on social media. It shows him seemingly in director mode as his wife, Bianca Censori, and her sister, Angelina Censori, act as his muses. They are reportedly working in Mallorca, Spain.

The Yeezy architect was dressed in black thigh-high PVC boots, a black thong, and a black half-dress that covered her right leg but left her backside exposed, sans the straps that kept the oufit intact. Her sister wore a black bikini halter top with a pair of fitted black pants and heels.

Kanye West stirs harsh reactions from critics after enlisting his wife, Bianca Censori, and her sister, Angelina Censori, for risqué shoot. Photos: Ye_world/Instagram.

In the video, Bianca is shown approaching West as he sits on the edge of a stage. At one point, she straddles him before standing up and assisting him to his feet. Angelina is observed standing behind the couple as she adjusts her top. Before the clip ends, the trio appears to approach a red curtain at the back of the production.  

It is unclear what the rapper and ladies are working on, but the lack of details would not deter critics who have grown fed up with the nude antics from reacting. A naysayer declared, “He’s getting what he wants, attention. He found one, now maybe two chicks that go along with his depravity.”

Kanye West gotta all the loves for Bianca Censori https://t.co/Y5Mw0oHeVU

— Ye & Bianca (@yeonly00) May 14, 2025

A second person scoffed, “This guy has serious issues. When will he be investigated.”

“I thought she was divorcing him?” asked another commenter. West and Bianca have been married since December 2022.

Several reports have alleged that the hip-hop artist’s insatiable desire to control the 30-year-old’s image and his hypersexual stunts had become major issues in the relationship. In the song “Bianca,” he rapped that she “ran away” days after she appeared nearly naked by his side on the red carpet for the Grammys.

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A purported source told RadarOnline that “she’s distraught and feeling like the whole world is judging her,” and is looking to repair her reputation amid her husband’s public meltdowns and controversies. As for Angelina, 20, a critic wrote, “It seems the younger sister is as attracted to all those Yeezy bucks and fame as Bianca is.”

The younger Aussie has drawn comparisons to her sister as her skimpy attire has come under scrutiny in recent months.

‘This Guy Has Serious Issues’: Kanye West Raises Eyebrows After Directing Provocative Shoot with Bianca Censori with 20-Year-Old Sister Amid Couple’s Troubled Marriage

As she does on or near May 5 every year, Dr. Cheryl Jackson, the founder of Minnie’s Food Pantry, which serves healthy meals to the homeless, took the day off for a shopping trip to Dillard’s department store in Fairview, Texas. It’s an annual tradition marking the anniversary of her mother’s death by purchasing some butterfly earrings.

“Because when she passed, butterflies circled me,” Jackson said of her mother, the namesake of the food pantry which Jackson continues to operate 10 years after her mother’s passing. In 2024 the pantry distributed more than 3.5 million healthy meals and served more than 151,000 individuals in three states.

Dillard’s manager and employee confront Black business woman shopping for earrings in memory of her mother. (Credit: CherylAction IG Video Screengrab)

This year, however, the trip to a Dillard’s store in the Dallas suburb of Fairview, Texas, didn’t go according to plan. Jackson didn’t find any earrings she liked, and when she started to walk toward the door she was stopped by police officer who told her, “Give them to me,” Jackson told CBS-11 in Fort Worth.

Jackson said an officer who works for the store and a Dillard’s employee asked her to hand over three pairs of earrings she had been carrying before deciding against buying them. The nonprofit leader said she was shocked to find they were accusing her of attempting to steal the merchandise.

Jackson, 56, said she went live on social media after she couldn’t reach her children. The confrontation between her and the store officials lasted a little more than 13 minutes.

The male Dillard’s employee can be heard asking Jackson, “Do you have anything in your pocket that you didn’t pay for it?”

Jackson asks him why he’s asking her that.

“Well, because our camera said that you had earrings in your pocket, which you didn’t pay for it,” he responds.

“Your camera said that to you?” Jackson countered. The three pairs of earrings retailed at just under $50.

“They would not let me leave,” she continued. “The police officer said to me, ‘either they can detain you, and they can restrain you … issue a restraining order so you can never come back on this property again.'”

Jackson was told criminal charges could be pursued.

“And my heart just sank, and I’m looking around at everybody looking at me,” she said. ” And in my mind, I’m literally thinking some of these people could even be donating to my nonprofit.” 

Jackson said she could her mother’s voice as the ordeal unfolded.

“Cheryl, your name is all you have, and you protect that with everything within you,” she said. “And she said, ‘you’ve got my name on the top of that food pantry. You protect my name.’ And I said, ‘I will.’ And I fought for that.”

A few minutes later, a female employee of Dillard’s approached Jackson.

“Where’s the mistake? Tell me the mistake,” Jackson asked her.

The employee told her they located the earrings.

“Oh, they located the merchandise that I put back there because I decided not to buy it?” Jackson told her video audience, which reached 142,000 people. “And what’s in my dang pocket ain’t nothing but my keys. But they appear telling me that the camera, the camera, y’all, the camera said that I’m stealing.”

In a statement, Dillard’s told CBS-11, “We have apologized to Dr. Jackson. We are looking into this matter internally and will take any appropriate action.”

Jackson disputed that claim, saying the apology was issued only after the store manager was told she was innocent. Jackson even returned to Dillard’s seeking out the female employee who had accused her of the theft.

“I am an emotional wreck,” she wrote on Instagram. “To my friends whom I love every time I tell this story I cry and become traumatized all over. I have news reporters telling me Dillard’s accused them of the same thing but they didn’t do a story— Why? Because of what I’m feeling right now— shame- emotional stress and questioning why… I admit I am still in shock and all I want for Mother’s Day is my mom to hold me, pray for me and tell me that I’ll be ok! She’s gone!!! She’s freaking gone!!”

Jackson said she gave an employee her cell number and asked the manager to call her. She never did.

“@Dillards did NOT issue a formal apology to me nor the attorney — they are saying the employee that looked at me like a criminal and treated me like a criminal apologized but he only did the apology after they told him I was innocent,” Jackson said.

She went on to detail how she was “struggling” with what went down at Dillard’s.

“I have admitted that I deal with anxiety- stress and depression especially during Mother’s Day because mom died this weekend and I’ve lost my father, brother and providing millions of meals is hard — but I smile and I have serve but today I’m telling you I AM NOT OK!” Jackson wrote. “I’m crying loud will y’all please pray for me I need it! I am going to church I need Jesus!!!!

“@dillards you have messed me up for life,” she concluded.

Jackson said she has hired an attorney, Daryl Washington, to guard her reputation. She said she has no plans to sue the store though she felt it was important to highlight their actions “because I’m sure this isn’t the first time it has happened.”

“This is not Black vs. white. This is right vs. wrong,” Washington said.

The attorney said Dillard’s hasn’t expressed any real remorse about what happened to his client.

“And if Dillard’s is serious, and they are truly sorry about what happened to Dr. Jackson, we want the individuals who falsely accused Dr. Jackson to be terminated,” Washington said. “We don’t want an apology. We want them to be terminated, because they have no business in retail.”

Jackson’s supporters are standing firmly behind her.

“I’m a 1000 miles away and I feel your pain too, this straight up made me cry,” commented one. “I can’t express how much respect I have for you and how calm you remained. I’m in your corner.”

Wrote another, “Sorry you went through this. America is not a safe place for anyone with olive skin and darker. Sending you sisterly love.”

‘Where’s the Mistake?’: Dillard’s Employee Who Falsely Accuses Black Business Woman of Stealing Earrings Is Humbled When Manager Arrives with Evidence, Video Shows

Donald Trump famously mocked Joe Biden as “Sleepy Joe” during the 2020 presidential election, but it is the Republican politician who is now being called out for seemingly falling asleep on camera again.

President Trump, 78, was seen shutting his eyes during a televised meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on May 13.

The American leader traveled to the Middle East region to establish a “defense cooperation agreement” between the United States and the Saudi kingdom, according to Reuters.

A reported $142 billion arms package deal for Saudi Arabia was overshadowed on social media by a video of Trump repeatedly dozing off while seated in a chair.

President Donald Trump is again accused of falling asleep in public during his overseas visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Radio personality D.L. Hughley, 62, shared a clip of Trump nodding off while sitting with MBS on his Instagram page. The comedian presented his own mocking nickname, “Donald Slump.”

Hughley reposted the video from the @ReallyAmerican1 account on X. The self-described grassroots political organization blasted the media for not putting more attention on Trump’s napping moment in Riyadh.

“BREAKING: Sleepy Don can barely keep his eyes open while representing the United States in Saudi Arabia,” read the @ReallyAmerican1 tweet.

The post continued, “If this were President Biden, there would be nonstop coverage of his cognitive condition and his physical fitness. Where is the media outrage?”

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Hughley’s Instagram followers also had a lot to say about Trump presumably taking a quick siesta on the world stage. His comment section was flooded with people blasting the former “The Apprentice” reality show host. 

“He’s tired, he’s been working really hard at destroying our democracy,” someone sacrcatsily suggested to why Trump was caught snoozing. A second person stated, “Wake up, grandpa. It’s time to eat again.”

A third posted, “Not Sleepy Trump, the one that was calling Biden sleepy.” In response, another person aimed at the POTUS by writing, “He was sleepy the whole time he was calling Biden sleepy.”

However, a backer of the president argued, “I guess Trump can’t have jet lag?? When you post this, you lose credibility and wonder why people don’t approve of Democrats as a whole. You @realdlhughley are partly to blame.”

That sentiment was a minority opinion as most of the commenters agreed with Hughely’s take. For instance, one individual asked, “Why does he fall asleep everywhere he goes? The minute he sits down, he starts to doze off. What’s going on?”

“[Trump] appeared to be asleep. Repeatedly, his head would fall down. … His jaw kept falling on his chest and his mouth kept going slack.”

— @maggieNYT describes Donald Trump appearing to fall asleep at one point during Day 1 of his New York criminal trial pic.twitter.com/NMmudKj2rf

— The Recount (@therecount) April 15, 2024

Trump does have a history of falling asleep in public. Journalists reported that the University of Pennsylvania graduate’s head kept “dropping down” on the opening day of his 2024 falsifying business records criminal trial in New York.

Throughout the court case, Trump was constantly motionless with his eyes closed. He was eventually convicted on all 34 counts, becoming the first U.S. president to be a convicted felon.

There was also unsubstantiated speculation that Trump briefly slept while attending former President Jimmy Carter’s funeral service at the Washington National Cathedral in January.

“No, I don’t fall asleep,” Trump insisted, per the Associated Press. “I sometimes will sit back, close my eyes. I hear everything perfectly. At some point, I may fall asleep. But I will let you know when that is.”

White House Communications Director Steven Cheung also denied that Trump was dozing out during his recent Saudi Arabia visit. He said, “It’s clear that President Trump was fully engaged and listening intently as he finalized historic deals on his return to Saudi Arabia.”

In addition, Cheung accused media critics of “taking their cues of liberal liars” and “deceiving the American people.” Trump administration officials regularly attack the press in reaction to negative news stories about the president.

Hughley is one of the most vocal celebrity figures to criticize Trump. “The Original Kings of Comedy” star has been blasting the New York businessman even before his first presidential election victory in 2016.

“I think the more racist stuff Trump says, the better he does in the polls. If he said n—–, he’d be elected tomorrow,” Hughley expressed in 2015. “Anybody that takes Trump — Trump being president is like Flavor Flav winning a spelling bee. I just don’t know how they take that seriously.”

In January 2025, Hughley took issue with hip-hop legend Snoop Dogg performing at Trump’s second inauguration. The 2024 Democratic National Convention speaker also chastised NFL running back Saquon Barkley in April 2025 for going on a golfing outing with Trump.

‘Wake Up Grandpa, It’s Time to Eat’: Donald Trump Caught Nodding Off and MAGA Has Nothing to Say, Critics Call Out the Hypocrisy Loud and Clear After ‘Sleepy Joe’ Banter

A bizarre case surrounding an Oregon man who shot at another man who asked him to stop harassing a flock of wild peacocks came to a close last week after he was sentenced to more than seven years in prison.

A Multnomah County judge sentenced 25-year-old Dylan Levi Rhoads to 90 months in prison after Rhoads pleaded guilty to attempted murder in the second degree and unlawful use of a weapon, local prosecutors said.

Photo: Pexels

Authorities say that Rhoads’ case started with a confrontation he had with another man on Sept. 29, 2023. That day, the victim left his house to go to work when he saw Rhoads and another man harassing peacocks across the street.

The victim asked the pair to stop, but Rhoads and his friend replied with a “violent response,” according to prosecutors, and told the victim, “bock, bock, bock, you next” and “We can bang right now.”

The victim briefly returned to his home, and when Rhoads and his friend drove away, he left his house again and began driving to work.

He only made it a couple of blocks before he saw Rhoads and his friend waiting in their car at an intersection. Authorities say Rhoads, who was seated in the driver’s seat, shot at the victim.

Bullets grazed the man, but prosecutors state that he did not suffer serious injuries. The victim reportedly had a heavy-duty driver’s seat installed in his car that stopped one of the bullets from hitting him.

Investigators found five shell casings at the intersection and multiple bullet strikes to the victim’s car. Police also obtained Ring camera video that helped police identify Rhoads’ car. They found his vehicle within days.

The judge overseeing Rhoads’ case also resolved eight other cases against him, which mainly included charges relating to reckless driving, according to court documents cited by KGW.

“This defendant had a clear pattern of escalating, dangerous, criminal behavior. And yet he was repeatedly released after being arrested for his earlier crimes,” Multnomah County Deputy District Attorney Eric Palmer said. “I believe the system failed here- failed both the victims and the defendant.”

‘Bock, Bock, Bock, You Next!’: Oregon Man Will Spend Years in Prison for Attempted Murder After Attacking Man Who Confronted Him for Harassing a Flock of Peacocks

American-born actor Steven Seagal has changed a lot from the height of his film career in the 1990s.

Seagal, 73, attended the annual Moscow Victory Day military parade in Russia on May 9, 2025. The martial artist showing up at the event mostly garnered attention for his physical transformation.

Footage of Seagal in Moscow spread across the internet following his appearance at the 10,000-troop parade, which marks the Soviet Armed Forces’ victory over Germany in World War II.

In a video that has gone viral on social media, Seagal is seen walking through a crowd with a group of men. The short clip is captioned, “The Master of Aikido.”

(L-R) Steven Seagal backstage at the Shrine Auditorium during the 67th Annual Academy Awards, March 27,1995 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Bob Riha, Jr./Getty Images), (R) Russia 2025, IG Screenshot

Many people focused on the aikido instructor’s hairstyle. Seagal rocked a widow’s peak in the front of his head and a short ponytail in the back.

The “Under Siege” star has also gained weight since fans watched him become an action movie standout over 30 years ago. His outfit in Russia sparked responses as well.

Action movie legend Steven Seagal’s dramatic transformation has shocked fans. (credit: s@eagalofficial/Instagram)

American actor Steven Seagal spotted in Moscow attending Victory Day military parade, hosted by Putin. pic.twitter.com/t2sWF6W7uN

— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) May 11, 2025

“Looks like he’s wearing one of those rubber Dracula hairpieces that my mom got me for Halloween when I was 9 years old,” an Instagram user stated about Seagal.

Similarly, a second person commented, “That Dracula hairline upsets me instantly.” Another critic of Segal’s hair added, “He needs to let the dream die, he has no more ponytail.”

Likewise, someone else sarcastically asked, “Is aikido a type of donut?!” Plus, one person jokingly wondered, “When did he become a Mongolian warlord?”

“It’s so crazy that he can be such a discipline master of martial arts, but yet allow himself to get so freaking huge. Doesn’t being a master include strict discipline?” read another comment.

One person jeered, “Master of the buffet is more like it.” Yet another jokester suggested, “Master of the donuts.”

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The Daily Mail reported in October 2024 that Segal had crossed the 320-pound mark after moving to Russia. President Vladimir Putin granted him Russian citizenship in November 2016.

Seagal’s weight gain became noticeable in his “In The Name of Justice” documentary about Russia’s ongoing war with Ukraine. The 30-minute doc aired on a Russian state-run media platform in 2024.

In a 2013 interview on Russian TV, the Michigan-born entertainer praised Putin as “one of the greatest world leaders, if not the greatest world leader alive today.”

Putin then awarded Seagal with Russia’s Order of Friendship honor in February 2023 for his “international humanitarian and cultural work” as a special representative for Russian-American humanitarian ties.

Seagal was also spotted at Putin’s fifth inauguration ceremony in Moscow in May 2024, two years after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. His close connection to the Kremlin leader has led to Seagal being labeled a Russian propagandist.

Before becoming a close ally of Putin and Russia, Seagal captivated filmgoers around the world as the leading man of blockbusters like 1992’s “Under Siege,” 1990’s “Hard to Kill,” and 1996’s “Executive Decision.”

Seagal continued as a working actor well into the 2010s. According to IMDb, the Golden Raspberry Award-winning director’s last movie role was in 2019’s “Beyond the Law” crime action film.

The cast of “Beyond the Law” also featured the late rapper/actor Earl “DMX” Simmons. Seagal and DMX previously shared the screen in the “Exit Wounds” action comedy, which hit North American theaters in 2001.

‘Doesn’t Being a Master Include Strict Discipline’: Steven Seagal’s Weight Gain and ‘Rubber Dracula Hairpiece’ Draw Fire from Fans Who Remember the 90s Star Differently

A couple in Oakland, California, has won a legal victory over an appraiser and lender who undervalued their home by $254,000 during a refinance, which the state determined was due to racial bias.

As the result of a settlement overseen by the California Civil Rights Department (CRD), Ronald and Dominique Curtis received $75,000 from appraiser Mehdi Mehdipour-Mossafer, who also agreed to pay $15,000 to the CRD and to watch “Our America: Lowballed,” a documentary on the impact of appraisal discrimination on Black and Latino families produced by ABC7 News in San Francisco.

The Curtises purchased a duplex in Oakland in 2019, hoping to build equity and some day leave the home to their young daughter, according to a statement by Fair Housing Advocates of Northern California (FHANC), a nonprofit organization.

Ronald and Dominique Curtis reached a settlement in April 2025 with an appraiser who allegedly undervalued their home by at least $250,000 due to racial bias. (Photo: ABC7 News San Francisco screenshot)

After making significant renovations, in April of 2020 the home was appraised at $1.15 million. In December 2020, seeking to take advantage of historically low interest rates, they applied to Quicken Loans (now Rocket Mortgage) to refinance their home. As part of the process, Mehdipour-Mossafer, a licensed real estate appraiser, inspected the house and prepared an appraisal report.

The Curtises said they were shocked to receive a valuation of $900,000 from the appraiser — $254,000 lower than it had been appraised for earlier that year.

Ronald Curtis, who is Black, is a real estate agent in the Bay Area and Dominique Curtis, who is Puerto Rican and identifies as Latina, worked with him at a local brokerage and was training to be an appraiser at the time. (She is now a licensed appraiser). As real estate professionals they had access to multiple listing service (MLS) data and used it to compile and submit a 60-page appeal requesting a reconsideration of value, reported ABC7.

The couple took issue with the properties used in the appraisal report as comparable homes, including several that were blighted with boarded-up windows, a caved-in garage and bricks sitting atop roof shingles to hold them in place. They suspected racial bias might be at play.

But Mehdipour-Mossafer refused to change the appraisal, and ultimately the Curtises were unable to secure the refinanced loan. According to their complaint, the lender only followed up to offer a second appraisal after the Curtises went public with their concerns on local TV news.

Afterward, the Curtises reluctantly decided to sell their home. In preparing the home for sale, they removed all of their belongings, including family photos and other items indicating their race and ethnicity, according to FHANC, and hired a real estate agency to stage their home with neutral furnishings and show it to potential buyers.

In October 2021, the house sold for $1.2 million — $300,000 more than Mehdipour-Mossafer’s valuation.

The Curtises then contacted Fair Housing Advocates of Northern California, which reviewed their case and filed a complaint on their behalf with the state civil rights department against the appraiser; the mortgage appraisal management company (Clear Capital); and the lender (Quicken Loans), alleging race and national origin discrimination during the appraisal process.

The CRD conducted an investigation into the alleged discriminatory practices and determined there was cause to believe discrimination had occurred, including with respect to the appraisal and the denial of the loan, according to a CRD statement announcing the settlement in April.

After engaging in mediation, the parties reached a settlement.

Besides paying $90,000 in compensation to the Curtises and CRD, Mehdipour-Mossafer agreed to not engage in any form of unlawful discrimination in appraising real estate; to watch the “Our America: Lowballed” documentary; to participate in training regarding the history of segregation and real-estate-related discrimination in the Bay Area provided by FHANC; and to continue to abide by the Bureau of Real Estate Appraisers continuing education requirements, including at least two hours of elimination of bias training.

Clear Capital agreed to continue to maintain a consumer complaint system for tracking complaints of racial or ethnic bias against itself or appraisers it contracts with, and to retrain all employees who review complaints of racial or ethnic bias.

Quicken Loans/Rocket Mortgage agreed to continue its policies for evaluating loan applicant allegations of appraisal discrimination and offering a second appraisal where discrimination is alleged, ABC7 News reported.

Neither Clear Capital or Quicken Loans admitted any liability, misconduct or wrongdoing, and any monetary amounts they agreed to pay as part of the settlement were not publicly disclosed.

The appraisal management company sent this statement to ABC7:

“Clear Capital appreciates being able to work alongside the California Civil Rights Department to resolve this matter. We will continue to maintain the systems and processes outlined in the settlement agreement.”

The Curtises’ complaint is strikingly similar to another complaint filed with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development against Rocket Mortgage last year, when a Black woman in Denver accused Rocket and two appraisal companies of purposely undervaluing her home by more than $200,000 because of her race. 

“Whether it’s lowball appraisals or a history of redlining, communities of color across the country continue to confront the multigenerational harms of housing discrimination,” said Kevin Kish, director of California’s Civil Rights Department, last month. “Appraisers, lenders, and brokers all have a responsibility to prevent discrimination in the real estate transactions. I applaud the family for speaking out. … Every effort to correct injustice makes a difference for those who come after.”

Homes in Black and Hispanic neighborhoods and homes owned by people of color continue to be valued lower than homes in white neighborhoods and homes owned by white people in California and nationally, noted the Fair Housing Advocates, citing research such as that published by the Brookings Institution in 2022 that shows homes in majority Black neighborhoods are valued 23 percent less than properties in mostly white neighborhoods.

“We shouldn’t have to scrub Blackness from our homes to get a fair shake,” Andre M. Perry, a Brookings fellow and author of “Know Your Price: Valuing Black Lives and Property in America’s Black Cities,” told ABC7.

Ronald Curtis said the appraisal ordeal has caused the family significant financial hardship that the modest appraisal settlement doesn’t cover.

“We’re renters now,” he said. “We’ve moved three times since, and we’re still trying to push and move forward. We don’t really know how it is going to affect us two or three decades from now.”

‘Scrub Blackness from Our Home’: Oakland Couple Forced to Whitewash Their Home to Prove Its Worth — Appraiser Who Undervalued It by $254K Now Faces Consequences

Disturbing footage shows the moments a town official from New York state opened fire on a DoorDash driver going door to door to ask for directions after getting lost while trying to make a delivery.

The leaked Ring doorbell video, first obtained by News 12 Westchester, shows Town of Chester Highway Superintendent John Reilly exiting his home and firing a warning shot. He then aims his weapon and fires two more shots at the DoorDash driver’s car, yelling at him to “Go!”

Ring doorbell camera footage showed the moments when Town of Chester Highway Superintendent John Reilly shot at a DoorDash driver who got lost while trying to make a delivery and stopped at Reilly’s home to ask for directions. (Photo: News 12 Westchester screenshot)

New York State Police say the DoorDash driver got lost trying to locate a home in Reilly’s neighborhood where he was supposed to make a delivery. After encountering technical issues with the app’s GPS navigation, he stopped at several residents’ homes asking for directions.

When he got to Reilly’s home, Reilly ordered him to get off his property, “before firing multiple shots at the victim as he attempted to leave in his vehicle, striking the victim once in the back, causing serious physical injuries,” state police wrote in a release.

The family told local news outlets that the 24-year-old victim’s phone lost power, so he drove himself to a gas station to charge the device to 1 percent and call police. A store clerk had called authorities, but the victim drove himself home, where first responders met him to rush him to a local hospital.

“Grabbing his firearm, and… yeah he just started shooting at him and he thought his life was over,” a relative of the victim told WABC.

The family said that the victim is still hospitalized and has to undergo a second surgery.

Reilly, 48, was charged with a number of felonies for the May 2 shooting, including first-degree assault, criminal possession of a firearm, and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon.

“The video is definitely disturbing to watch,” Chester Town Supervisor Brandon Holdridge told WABC. “I can’t imagine what was going through minds in that scenario. It’s really just shock and disbelief.”

Holdridge said his office has faced a barrage of phone calls since the shooting from community members calling for Reilly’s removal from his position. The victim’s family is also calling for Reilly to be fired.

Holdridge released an official statement shortly after the shooting, saying that the Town Board has no control over Reilly’s position as highway superintendent since he was elected to the role.

“He’s an elected official, so that means we have no power over him to resign,” Holdridge told News 12 Westchester.

Reilly was jailed on $250,000 cash bail, $500,000 bond, and $750,000 partially secured bond. Local news outlets say he’s bonded out of jail. The Orange County district attorney told News 12 that his next court appearance was cancelled after two town judges recused themselves from his case.

An Orange County grand jury has not yet officially indicted him in his case either. No new court date has been set for Reilly.

State Police are still investigating the shooting. Because Reilly is a federally licensed arms dealer, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms is also looking into the case. The Orange County district attorney’s office said his firearms have been seized under an extreme risk protection order.

‘Go!’: Newly Released Video Shows New York Official Shoot Black DoorDash Driver When He Several Yards Away from Home and In His Car After Getting Lost In Neighborhood

With Donald Trump back in the White House, some on the right have seized upon the moment to throw their support behind a nascent movement to pardon Derek Chauvin, the disgraced ex-cop convicted in the 2020 choking death of George Floyd.

Chauvin, 49, is currently serving concurrent state and federal prison sentences for kneeling on Floyd’s neck and back for more than nine minutes. Chauvin was convicted by a 12-member jury on state charges for unintentional second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter. He later pleaded guilty to depriving Floyd of his rights in the federal civil rights case.

Derek Chauvin (Photo: Minnesota Department of Corrections)

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison noted that efforts to petition President Trump for a federal pardon are irrelevant to the conviction secured by the state, where Chauvin “still owes Minnesota 22-1/2 years,” the state’s top prosecutor told MSNBC’s “Politics Nation” on Sunday.

Chauvin was sentenced to 22 1/2 years for the state charges in April 2021 and 21 years in federal prison for the civil rights conviction. The U.S. Supreme Court rejected an appeal of the state verdict in 2023.

Since then, Chauvin’s cause has been picked up by Daily Wire founder Ben Shapiro. On March 4, Shapiro launched an online peitition to secure a federal pardon for Chauvin. Tech billionaire Elon Musk shared a clip from Shapiro’s podcast that day and wrote, “Something to think about.”

The petition now has more than 50,000 signatures, though even some regular Daily Wire followers weren’t swayed.

“Kneeling on a guy’s neck for 10 minutes is very weak grounds for a pardon,” wrote one, on X. “I can’t support this cause.”

In his letter to Trump, Shapiro called Chauvin’s “unjust conviction “the inciting event for the BLM riots that caused $2 billion in property damage in cities across the United States and set America’s race relations on their worst footing in recent memory. Yet the evidence demonstrates that Derek Chauvin did not murder George Floyd.”

Shapiro has long denied the existence of systemic racism.

Jurors saw it differently. Interviewed after the trial, many referred to the video showing Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck.

“The camera doesn’t lie,” said juror Belton Hardeman. “And it was in slow motion at times while you were sitting there in court… So it was hard. It played a huge role, though. It truly did.”

There was little dispute over the verdict, even from the right, until recently. Supporters of a pardon for Chauvin now argue he did not receive a fair trial due to the attention surrounding the Floyd case and the national protests that accompanied it.

Ellison has his theories. “I think they’re pushing for it because they want to agitate and outrage people,” Ellison told MSNBC about the pardon efforts. “I don’t know if Trump is going to pardon Chauvin or not, but if he does, it doesn’t change his prison sentence. He still owes Minnesota 22 ½ years, and he’s going to do it either in Minnesota or somewhere.”

Trump has not said whether he is considering a pardon for Chauvin.

Ellison said Sunday that other motivations for a potential pardon could include a desire to show unwavering support for police officers. Or maybe the likes of Shapiro and Musk just want to “provoke people,” he said.

“In no case is it sensible and good for America,” Ellison said.

Asked about the possibility of a pardon, Gov. Tim Walz told reporters, “There’s no indication yet whether they’ll go through with it, but I think it’s wise for us to be prepared. Given this presidency, it seems like something they might do.”

‘He’s Not Getting Out’: Minnesota AG Slams Outrageous Push for Donald Trump to Free Derek Chauvin, Former Cop Who Murdered George Floyd

Even after Dallas police realized they had arrested and abused the wrong Black man, they still insisted on filing criminal charges against Silvester Hayes to justify their mistake, incarcerating him for several days, causing the single father of four children to lose his job as a security guard.

And even after all charges were dismissed against the aspiring police officer more than a year later, enabling him to file a lawsuit over the brutal arrest, a federal judge last month dismissed the case, claiming the cops have qualified immunity and had probable cause to arrest him because he had failed to use a turn signal within 100 feet of a stop sign.

But the video shows the cops turned a minor traffic infraction into a violent arrest simply because they failed to compare the information on his driver’s license that listed him as “Silvester Hayes III” to the information in their database listing another Black man named Sylvester Hayes wanted on a felony warrant for domestic violence.

Dallas police pulled an innocent Black man named Silvester Hayes out of his car, claiming he was another Black man named Sylvester Hayes wanted on a felony warrant. Hayes was a security guard who aspired to become a police officer, but he no longer has those aspirations. (Photo: Body camera and Hayes)

U.S. District Judge Karen Gren Scholer also ruled the arrest to be lawful because she said Hayes resisted arrest when Dallas cops pulled him out of his car without telling him the reason why –  after failing to confirm if he was the right suspect, which would have cleared up the mistake in seconds. 

The judge also determined Hayes had no grounds to sue because the cops used “relatively minor force” and acted “reasonable” when pulling him out of his car on the side of a road, planting a knee on his face, and stuffing him into the back of the patrol car.

But that is a questionable opinion to anybody watching the body camera footage, which shows a distraught Hayes repeatedly yelling for “help” as several cops piled on top of him.

“Outside of one officer momentarily grabbing Plaintiff’s throat and possibly hitting Plaintiff in the stomach with his knee, the officers used relatively minor force, even as Plaintiff screamed, resisted restraint, and refused to get in the police car,” Scholer wrote in her 20-page opinion.

But the lawsuit, obtained by Atlanta Black Star, which was filed against Dallas police officers Walter Paul Guab and Holly Harris, the cops who initiated the traffic stop, along with several unnamed cops, states the arrest was overly aggressive and unconstitutional, leaving Hayes with permanent injuries and trauma.

“In a blur of excessive force, all of which was documented by Defendant Officers Guab and Harris as well as the Defendant Dallas Police Officers DOES 3 through 10’s body cams, the Officers began to kick, punch, and unnecessarily use their tasers on Plaintiff Hayes,” the lawsuit states.

“Moreover, one or more of the Officers can be seen dangerously pinning Plaintiff Hayes down with their knees on his skull, neck and back. One of the Officers at the scene pulled Plaintiff Hayes’ arm out of his shoulder socket which has caused him on-going pain and mobility issues to this day.”

Now Hayes’ attorney, Mark Robinus, plans to file an appeal, according to the Dallas Morning News.

Watch the video below.

The Arrest

It was Oct. 16, 2021, and Hayes, who was 26 years old at the time, was on his way to pick up breakfast for his children when he was pulled over.

“While driving to get his children’s favorite breakfast meal of French toast and bacon at a restaurant that was located only a few blocks away from his residence, Plaintiff Hayes was racially profiled, followed and then pulled over by Defendant Officers Harris and Guab,” the claim states.

Body camera footage shows the cops telling their supervisor after the arrest that they were sitting in their patrol car running plates on random cars when they decided to look up the registered owner of the car Hayes was driving.

They then cross-referenced his name to their database and discovered a Black man named Sylvester Hayes was wanted on a felony warrant – obviously failing to see the difference in the spelling of their names.

They then decided to pull him over, accusing him of failing to use a turn signal within 100 feet of a stop sign, but they did not explain how they determined the exact distance from the stop sign that he did not turn on his signal.

Nevertheless, the video shows Hayes was cooperative, telling them he was on his way to pick up breakfast for his kids.

But Dallas police officer Walter Paul Guab handed his driver’s license to another officer named Holly Harris, who looked at it for less than a second before telling Guab he was their suspect.

That was when Guab opened Hayes’ car door, ordering him out of the car, threatening to Taser him, but never once telling him the reason why. 

Within seconds, several cops were pulling him out of the car and throwing him to the ground, where they handcuffed him as he screamed in protest.

“You are hurting me!” cried Hayes as the cops pressed his face against the ground.

“No, you are hurting yourself cause you’re acting this way,” a cop responded. 

“I know I’m pressing your pressure point because you’re acting stupid.”

But all he wanted to know was why they were violently arresting him, which they refused to explain.

Once they had him handcuffed, Harris decided to compare his license to the information on her computer screen, which was when she realized their error.

“It may not be him,” she told another cop.

Meanwhile, another cop can be heard in the background telling the other cops, “he kept reaching,” using the same line cops have used hundreds of times before to shoot unarmed Black men.

“No, I did not!” Hayes responded.

Another cop eventually showed up and started talking to Hayes, who was sitting in the back of a patrol car, telling him, “There is another Sylvester Hayes.”

“And that Sylvester Hayes has a warrant.”

Hayes was taken aback by the comparison, telling the cop, “I got a good job, I work security.”

“I’m trying to be one of you all,” he said, mentioning his aspirations to become a police officer, adding that he had never been in trouble before in his life, other than a speeding ticket.

“I do apologize,” the cop said.

Then a sergeant is speaking to officers Guab and Harris, asking them if the car was stolen or if he had drugs in the car in the hopes of justifying the arrest. But the car was not stolen, nor were there drugs in the car.

“Well, if he resisted, he resisted, so we got him on that,” the sergeant said. “So then we’re good.”

Then the sergeant told the officers to charge him with a gun violation even though the gun was legally registered to Hayes, a fact they could have confirmed within seconds.

After spending multiple days in jail and losing his job as a result, the charges were eventually dismissed in December 2022 which was when they returned his gun.

Meanwhile, Dallas police refuse to tell the Dallas Morning News whether the incident was investigated by internal affairs. When the newspaper appealed to the Texas Attorney General, he ruled in favor of police, allowing them not to discuss any possible disciplinary action against the cops.

Hayes, whose dream was once to become a Dallas police officer, said that job no longer appeals to him, and he is not comfortable calling 911 for help. He is currently working at a high school and hopes to become a football coach.

“No one stood up for me in that moment … after they realized they were wrong,” Hayes told the Dallas Morning News.

But Judge Scholer painted him as the aggressor and the cops as the victims in her opinion last month.

“Plaintiff posed some threat to Guab and Harris,” the judge wrote in the opinion, referencing previous case law that states “a motor vehicle can be used as a dangerous weapon, even when blocked in by a police cruiser.”

“As long as Plaintiff remained in his vehicle, he posed a potential danger to the officers,” the judge wrote.

But all of that could have been avoided had the cops done their due diligence to ensure they had pulled over the right Black man. 

“Defendant Officer Harris’ dismay and realization that a serious mistake had been made when her database check further informed her that Plaintiff Hayes had never been arrested in his life and that the gun in his possession was indeed his and was lawfully registered in his name,” the claim states.

Federal Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Filed By Innocent Black Man, Claiming Dallas Cops Were ‘Reasonable’ In Brutally Arresting Him, Then Attempting to Wrongly Frame Him on Gun Charges

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has given social media users a serious case of the ick. The U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary threw caution to the wind as he and family members frolicked in the polluted water of Rock Creek in Washington, D.C.

“Mother’s Day hike in Dumbarton Oaks Park with Amaryllis, Bobby, Kick, and Jackson, and a swim with my grandchildren, Bobcat and Cassius in Rock Creek,” he tweeted along with four images, one of which showed him submerged in the water of the creek that serves as a sewage overflow channel during rainstorms in Washington.

Robert Kennedy Jr.’s judgement comes under scrutiny after he ignores warning of contaminated water during family trip to Rock Creek in Washington, D.C. Photos: Robertkennedyjr/X.

In two of the other photos, the kids joined Kennedy for the splash and play break. According to the National Park Service, swimming and wading are prohibited for the well-being of visitors as well as for the natural wildlife and plants.

The site warns in an advisory from October 2022, “Rock Creek has high levels of bacteria and other infectious pathogens that make swimming, wading, and other contact with the water a hazard to human (and pet) health.”

An X user sarcastically remarked, “That infection yall finna catch gon go crazy.” A community note disclosing the contamination warnings was soon attached to Kennedy’s tweet. More people unleashed criticism on Instagram, where “gross,” “ewwww,” and “just dirty” were shared sentiments from those turning their noses up at Donald Trump supporter.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is ending his Presidential campaign to endorse Donald Trump. pic.twitter.com/GW6v7uniS3

— Pop Base (@PopBase) August 23, 2024

“Yall know this isn’t his first time right,” wrote another observer. “I don’t go near, anything not clear,” someone else quipped about their not-foolproof precautionary parctive. A third reaction read, “Sooo yall have access to swim anywhere in the world and yall chose a creek… Riiiight.”

A fourth commenter could not resist the opportunity to aim for Kennedy’s diagnosis of spasmodic dysphonia. That individual wrote, “I’m sorry. Isn’t his voice impaired bc of a neurological issue? He just likes to take chances huh?” The condition causes strain and spasms of the larynx, causing a person’s voice to be distorted. 

Kennedy had been a controversial figure for years prior to Trump selecting him as the head of the Department of Health and Human Services in November 2024. He accepted the role several weeks after suspending his presidential campaign an an independent candidate.

‘Ewww, Just Dirty’: RFK Jr. Sparks Internet Disgust After Posting Pics Swimming with Grandkids in Bacteria-Filled Creek

At 58 years old, “Blow” actress Salma Hayek is showing fans she hasn’t lost her spark or hotness.

Hayek, who has always been revered for her timeless beauty, got to display that flawlessness on the latest cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit.

In the magazine spread, which gets released on May 17, the mother of one poses fiercely in a variety of swimsuits with cutouts including a shimmery olive green two piece set.

In one image, while standing on her knees in a pool, Hayek stares with an alluring glare into the camera while placing both hands on the edge of her wet hair.

Salma Hayek shows behind the scenes footage from her Sports Illustrated Swimsuit shoot. (Photo: @salmahayek/Instagram)

The “House of Gucci” actress gave her fans a little taste of what they can expect in the final photos by uploading behind the scenes footage of her photo shoot. In addition to the olive green, she posed in a leopard print, maroon, and black bikinis.

However, fans were completely taken aback by her May 13th Instagram post, which featured videos of Hayek in the pool topless, on the beach walking on and rolling in the sand, as well as clips of her posing in the water or near a small waterfall.

Fans and celebrity peers rushed to the comments to give their praises to Hayek.

One person wrote, “Wowwwwwwww.”

Love and Hip Hop’s Puerto Rican Princess, Joseline Hernandez, also left a comment where she said, “Que Bella” which translates in English to “how beautiful.”

Many applauded Hayek for always serving up a “rare combination of sexy and classy.” Though some appear to be in disbelief about her age.

“Can you believe she’s 58?! Looks stunning,” said one person, while another added, “Salma, you gotta chill!!”

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A post shared by Salma Hayek Pinault (@salmahayek)

Referring to one of her most memorable movies from 1996 that helped catapult her career to Hollywood stardom, one person noted, “Looking like Dusk til Dawn was just filmed yesterday.”

Surprisingly, Hayek said she never expected to be one of the women that would get the chance to grace the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit. 

She told the magazine, “I remember when I was young, a long, long time ago, I was always excited to see the Swimsuit Issue of Sports Illustrated, and [thinking] ‘Who’s going to be in it?’ Of course, I didn’t look like a model, so it never crossed my mind that one day I would be in it. If somebody had told me I was gonna be in it at 58, I would have sent them to the madhouse, but the world has changed, and that’s exciting.”

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A post shared by Sports Illustrated Swimsuit (@si_swimsuit)

Hayek is one of four women who are the cover stars of the 2025 issue. Olympian Jordan Chiles as well as gymnast Olivia Dunne and model Lauren Chan were among the other models featured on Sports Illustrated cover.

Being on the cover is not something Hayek is taking lightly and she hopes that a certain message is received from the images. “I hope that when they see the interview or see the photos,” she started, “it’s a reminder for everyone that it’s so important to always just put all your effort in finding the joy in any given situation.”

‘Wowwwwwwww’: Salma Hayek Leaves Fans Drooling After She Shares Topless Video from Her Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Spread

Donald Trump said Monday their lives are in danger, escalating their plight to a “genocide” as he welcomed 59 white Afrikaners, the descendants of Dutch settlers living in South Africa, to their new homes in the United States. Minnesota, Idaho, and Alabama are among the states taking in the refugees, prioritized ahead of about 12,000 already approved refugees from places like Venezuela and Africa.

Why the urgency?

“Because they’re being killed,” Trump said Monday. “And we don’t want to see people be killed … it’s a genocide that’s taking place. Farmers are being killed. They happen to be white.”

White South Africans (Credit: GettyImages)

Trump, influenced by another South African immigrant, Elon Musk, has joined many on the right who have have accused that country’s government of enacting anti-white legislation and policies that have fueled violence against white landowners in the nation that for decades was ruled by a white minority that subjugated the country’s majority Black population until 1991.

The numbers suggest much has gone unchanged since the end of apartheid. Whites still own three-quarters of private land and have about 20 times the wealth of the Black majority, according to international academic journal the Review of Political Economy.

The short answer is that they're White and racists like Trump and most of the Republican party. More votes for Republicans.

— JOHN VALENTINE (@SageAmenti) May 12, 2025

Less than 10 percent of white South Africans are out of work, compared with more than a third of their Black counterparts.

In order to close those disparities, South Africa last month passed a new law regulating property expropriation. Trump accused the ruling party, without evidence, of illegally confiscating land from white farmers, according to Agence France-Presse. That in turn gave new life to claims about white farmers being murdered, though experts maintain all racial groups have been targeted of the approximately 50 farmers killed annually in South Africa, AFP reports.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, speaking at a conference on the Ivory Coast, said the white Afrikaners had left because they were opposed to policies aimed at addressing racial inequality persisting since apartheid ended three decades ago.

“We think that the American government has got the wrong end of the stick here, but we’ll continue talking to them,” he said.

Ramaphosa called the situation “deeply concerning” in an interview with CNN and emphasized that the 59 Afrikaners that came to the U.S. do not meet the internationally accepted definition of refugees.

“We have raised our own concern because those people who are being enticed to go to the United States do not fit the definition of a refugee” in that none are fleeing persecution due to their political or religious beliefs or economic status.

White South African journalist Simon Ateba went even further, saying the refugees’ real fear is not violence, “but equality,” noting that 70 percent of the country’s resources are controlled by whites, who make up just 7 percent of South Africa’s population. Adding, “That’s not persecution that’s privilege on a guilt trip.”

White South African activist Pieter Kriel (@pieterkrielorg) sends urgent letter to Americans, stating that the 49 White South Africans who arrived in the U.S. today are not fleeing genocide. He said that while Whites make up just 7% of South Africa's population, they still… pic.twitter.com/JPyLG3bSy9

— Simon Ateba (@simonateba) May 12, 2025

In its official welcome to the Afrikaners, the State Department said the move shows the U.S. “will take action to protect victims of racial discrimination. We stand with these refugees as they build a better future for themselves and their children in the United States”

“No one should have to fear having their property seized without compensation or becoming the victim of violent attacks because of their ethnicity,” the press release states. “In the coming months, we will continue to welcome more Afrikaner refugees and help them rebuild their lives in our great country.”

Trump said he expects to meet with South Africa’s leadership next week. He said he will not attend a G20 meeting scheduled there in November unless the “situation is taken care of.”

‘Deeply Concerning’: Trump Sparks Outrage with False ‘White Genocide’ Claim, Critics Say Afrikaners Fear Equality—Not Persecution—as They Control 70% of South Africa’s Resources

Steve Harvey’s recent fishing expedition with fashion stylist Elly Karamoh did not go quite as planned.

Harvey, 68, posted a video with Karamoh, 32, on his Instagram page on May 12. The short clip featured the comedian going off on the Paris-bred influencer.

Steve Harvey had his Instagram followers laughing after sharing a video of his fashion stylist’s fishing fail. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images)

“Under the fish! You keep putting it on top!” Harvey yelled at Karamoh as the stylist attempted to net a fish on the other end of the line from the fishing pole Harvey was holding.  

The “Family Feud” host then demanded, “Give me the godd-mn net! F— wrong with you!?!” Karamoh fell over laughing before saying, “We got it.”

Harvey then turned towards the camera in shock while Karamoh continued to crack up on the ground. Despite the struggle, the two guys did end up with a freshly-caught fish.

“Man, when I tell you I regret inviting my wardrobe stylist to fish at my ranch. #WorstIdea,” Harvey wrote in his Instagram caption. The Daytime Emmy Award winner added a face with tears of joy emoji.

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A post shared by Steve Harvey (@iamsteveharveytv)

Karamoh posted the moment to his Instagram page, too. His caption read, “I went fishing in the country for the first time & I [caught] a mf fish. It went so successful to me! Let @iamsteveharveytv tell it, ‘it was a disaster.’”

Other Instagram users had a field day with Harvey and Karamoh’s hysterical interaction at the 1,600-acre Steve & Marjorie Harvey Legacy Ranch in Upson County, Georgia, which is about one hour south of Atlanta.

“This is the kind of content we need, Steve,” one fan stated. Another person wrote, “I’ve watched this 6 times!! HILARIOUS! He screamed like a girl.”

“He tired and the fish tired! Both laying to the side, out of breath,” a third commenter joked.  A fourth offered, “Uncle Steve’s mustache almost came off cussing that hard!! He was frustrating the hell outta you.” 

On Karamoh, a commenter said, “He’s out of breath and laying like he’s the poor fish.” Plus, Harvey’s surprised reaction sparked responses like, “The way he stared at dude then [turned] to the cameraman.”

Harvey has been open about his love for outdoor activities. A television special titled “Steve Harvey’s Camp: Building Men, Inspiring Dreams” premiered on Dr. Phil’s Merit TV in December 2024.

“For over 15 years, we have hosted the camp and provided father figures to thousands of young men, which would not be possible without volunteers who donate their time and partners who support our mission,” Harvey said about the show in a statement to People.

Fishing has been a family tradition in the Harvey household for years. “The Original Kings of Comedy” star’s spouse, Marjorie Harvey, shared her own outing with Steve in July 2022.

“Fishing with your wife. Steve be so patient… even when I’m being hard-headed,” Marjorie wrote on Instagram. The Memphis native showed off what she caught before tossing it back in the water.

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A post shared by Marjorie Harvey (@marjorie_harvey)

As for Karamoh, the former Art Institute of Atlanta student appeared to be a novice at the sport of fishing. However, his eye for fashion was the talent that led him to work with the Harveys in 2019.

Karamoh not only styles Steve, but he also assists in picking out outfits for model and socialite, Lori Harvey, the comedian’s 28-year-old adoptive daughter with his third spouse.

“Marjorie and Steve Harvey believed in me and my vision before many,” Karamoh told “Harper’s Bazaar” in 2022. “And I am forever in debt to them. Besides Mr. Harvey being my client, he is also my mentor and a great example of a father figure.”

The Atlanta resident added, “I’ve known Lori’s style for a while and enjoyed past stylist work with her, but have always had opinions on what I’d do differently.” Karamoh’s client list has also included celebrities such as Ciara, Khloe Kardashian, and La La Anthony.

‘Give Me the Godd-mn Net!’: Steve Harvey Cusses Out Longtime Stylist for Slip-Up During Fishing Trip, Call It the ‘Worst Idea’

Fans can’t quite put their finger on it, but many are convinced that Rachael Ray is unwell. In recent years, the former Food Network star has been a spectacle of concern among social media users as her appearance and “slurred” speech have come under scrutiny.

Ray, 56, posted a special Mother’s Day tribute on May 11 that reignited the troubling discourse. In the video, she reminisced on the early aughts of her career, a time when more often than not she was short on money.

“I was very, very poor, and I didn’t want to bother my mother,” she recalled. That era, however, inspired her television hosting debut with “$40 a Day.”

Rachael Ray renews health concerns as fans take heed of her changing appearance and slurred speech. (Photos: Rachaelray/Instagram.)

She shared the anecdote as she prepared a simple meal of a few ingredients. The overarching takeaway is the gratitude Ray has for her mother and family, who taught her how to make the most out of whatever she had.

“She showed me how to make something outta nothing—and how to do it with love. Whether it was dinner on the table or how to pick yourself up when things got tough… she just had it,” wrote Ray in the caption.

In the comments, several longtime fans wrote that they have followed her career from the beginning. Countless others wanted to know, “Are you okay? You don’t look well.”

One person remarked, “I am sorry, she looks like she has had a stroke. Her hair looks super unhealthy and you can see the corner of her mouth droop. She gained so much weight, you would not even know it was her.”

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A post shared by Rachael Ray (@rachaelray)

When Page Six reshared the post, users on their platform typed reactions like “Something is not right. I hope she doesn’t have the dementia that Bruce Willis has.” A second person suggested, “She needs to check herself into the nearest hospital and be thoroughly checked out. Clearly, she is not well.”

In her defense, a third person commented, “Guys, it’s documented that’s she’s had personal struggles. Health is a gift, let’s be kind or silent. We never know what people are going through.”

Ray has not publicly disclosed any major health concerns. In October 2024, in the debut episode of her “I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead” podcast, the TV personality disclosed she suffered “a couple of bad falls in the last couple of weeks.” Before that, in 2008, she underwent vocal cord surgery to remove benign cysts.

‘You Would Not Even Know It Was Her’: Fans Are Concerned By Rachael Ray’s Unrecognizable Appearance and Slurred Speech In New Video

U.S. Circuit Court Judge J. Michelle Childs has received seven free pizza deliveries since February at her Washington, D.C., home. She believes it’s no coincidence that, during that time, she was presiding over a case involving President Donald Trump’s attempt to fire the head of an agency protecting whistleblowers.

“It’s unsettling because I’d like to go to work every day, even with the hardest case, just feeling like there’s no sense of intimidation,” said Childs, president of the Federal Judges Association. “It’s really an unnecessary and an unfortunate threat to our security when we’re trying to be judicial officers in a very neutral position with respect to our cases.”

Childs and her husband no longer answer their door without looking at visitors through a doorbell security camera.

J. Michelle Childs, nominee to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Columbia Circuit, testifies during her Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing on judicial nominations in Dirksen Building on Wednesday, April 27, 2022. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

The targeting has taken a cruel turn with one judge in particular. U.S. District Judge Ester Salas, whose son Daniel Anderl was fatally shot in 2020 by an attorney posing as a delivery worker, said she’s heard from judges in D.C. and seven other states who have been sent pizzas under her son’s name in the years since his death.

“To have his name weaponized as a vehicle of fear and intimidation, that takes quite a toll,” she told The Washington Post, which reports there have been hundreds of such threats this year against judges nationwide.

“It went from judges getting pizzas, to then judges’ children getting pizzas, to then judges getting pizzas or their children getting pizzas that they didn’t order in my murdered son’s name,” Salas told The Post.

Trump has issued 147 executive orders since returning to office, part of a conservative overhaul of the government on issues including immigration, the economy and transgender rights. Those orders are part of the implementation of a dramatic conservative agenda.

Legal challenges that have followed have been framed as obstructionist by Trump and his minions. Conservatives have targeted the judges hearing these cases, and the pizza deliveries are taken as a chilling message.

“They know where you and your family members live,” one anonymous judge told The New York Times after receiving an unsolicited pizza delivery in March.

Some judges have faced even more intrusive harassment. Judge John C. Coughenhour, who issued an order blocking the administration’s attempts to unilaterally end birthright citizenship, was the victim of a so-called “SWATing” attack, in which an anonymous tipster called in a phony threat about an armed man outside the judge’s home.

Police responded by sending a swarm of officers to the judge’s home for what amounted to a false alarm.

“These incidents threaten not only judges and their families, but also judicial independence and the rule of law,” Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin wrote in a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel.

In his letter, Durbin noted that more than 5,000 U.S. marshals, tasked with protecting federal judges, were offered the chance to resign as part of the Department of Government Efficiency’s cost-cutting measures.  

“In the midst of increasing threats of violence against judges, it is inappropriate and unacceptable to reduce the size of the agency tasked with protecting the federal judiciary and the judicial process,” Durbin said.

Abigail Jo Shry, a 44-year-old MAGA supporter, is facing prison time after pleading guilty to threatening U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who oversaw Trump’s Capitol riot case. Shry, who has a history of arrests and struggles with alcohol and mental health issues, left a racist voicemail laced with violent threats against Chutkan, Democrats, the LGBTQ community, and the late Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee. Authorities tracked her down in Texas after the call, which she admitted making but claimed was protected by the First Amendment.

Meanwhile, Trump and his associates continue to demonize federal judges who rule against his administration.

Elon Musk has equated federal judges to “gavel-wielding dictators,” while the president attacked a judge reviewing his emergency deportation flights to El Salvador as a “radical left lunatic.”

Earlier this month, more than 150 retired state and federal judges criticized the administration’s repeated attacks on the judiciary, calling them an attempt to undermine the rule of law, after the arrest of Wisconsin Judge Hannah Dugan, accused of attempting to prevent federal agents from arresting an undocumented man outside her courtroom.

FBI agents arrested Dugan, with FBI Director Kash Patel sharing a photo of her perp walk, while Bondi accused Dugan and other judges of being “deranged” soon after.

“This latest action is yet another attempt to intimidate and threaten the judiciary after a series of rulings by judges appointed by presidents of both parties holding the Trump Administration accountable for its countless violations of the Constitution and laws of the United States,” the judges wrote in their letter.

‘It’s Unsettling’: Judges Terrorized with Pizzas Ordered in Slain Son’s Name — Chilling New Tactic in Trump Allies’ War on the Courts

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, 27, celebrated Mother’s Day by sharing a photo with her infant son on Instagram. 

Leavitt gave birth to a boy named Nicholas, whom she affectionately calls Niko, on July 10, 2024. The official spokesperson for President Donald Trump’s second administration had her first child with real estate developer Nicholas Riccio, 60.

Karoline Leavitt, Trump’s press secretary, shares new post after getting backlash over family photo with her 60-year-old husband. (Photo: @karolineleavitt/Instagram)

The political couple married in January 2025 at New Hampshire’s Wentworth By The Sea Country Club just days before Trump’s second inauguration on Jan. 20.

“There’s nothing I love more than being his mom. Happy Mother’s Day,” Leavitt captioned her Mother’s Day message. Niko’s dad was not featured in the photo.

While most of the reactions on Instagram honored Leavitt as a mother, Riccio’s omission from the post with Niko led a user to question why she did not include him in her family post.

“He sure looks like his daddy,” a fan in the comment section declared. However, one person jokingly asked, “Where is [your] 80-year-old husband?”

A third commenter sarcastically praised little Niko while still bashing his polarizing mother, writing, “He is such an adorable little fellow!! So cute! Has he said his first lie yet?”

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A post shared by KAROLINE LEAVITT (@karolineleavitt)

Other people blatantly blasted Leavitt under her Mother’s Day photo for representing Trump amid the Republican politician’s various scandals and controversial decisions.

“It’s actually crazy watching you highlight your motherhood while actively destroying that for other women… but I guess the delusion is just hitting differently,” a Trump critic expressed about Leavitt.

Similarly, someone wrote, “This would be touching, if you weren’t helping to enforce a terribly evil agenda. Shame.”

Riccio may have been missing from his wife’s Mother’s Day photo with their son, but he is heavily featured on the Saint Anselm College graduate’s Instagram page.

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A post shared by KAROLINE LEAVITT (@karolineleavitt)

On April 21, Leavitt uploaded a two-slide carousel from the White House Easter Egg Roll event that included images of Niko and Nicholas. On May 4, she also shared pictures of all three family members together in West Palm Beach, Florida.

The West Palm Beach snapshots sparked disapproving responses that focused on Leavitt and Riccio’s 32-year age difference. That three-decade gap continues to be a target for trolls looking to bash the pair. 

Leavitt was asked about entering into a relationship with a much older man during a Febuary 2025 episode of “The Megyn Kelly Show” hosted by right-wing media personality Megyn Kelly.

“I met my husband during my congressional campaign. A mutual friend of ours hosted an event at a restaurant that he owns up in New Hampshire and invited my husband,” she recalled.

The failed 2022 House of Representatives candidate also told Kelly, “Of course. It’s a very atypical love story, but he’s incredible. He is my greatest supporter. He’s my best friend. He’s my rock.”

Apparently, Riccio signified his love for Leavitt by presenting her with an estimated $100,000 engagement ring in December 2023. She proudly showcased the diamond on Instagram with a caption that read, “The best Christmas of my life. I get to marry the man of my dreams. I feel SO overwhelmingly BLESSED. Thank you, God.”

Leavitt made history by becoming the youngest person to serve as White House Press Secretary. She has made motherhood a central part of her online brand. For instance, the ex-MAGA Inc. employee posted a pic of herself holding Niko as they visited Trump in the Oval Office.

“It’s true when they say there’s nothing comparable to the love you feel for your child. My heart has grown bigger than I ever imagined possible. Babies are the ultimate blessing, and I’m bursting with gratitude for our beautiful, happy, healthy boy,” Leavitt said at the time of Niko’s birth.

‘Where Is Your 80-Year-Old Husband?’: Trump’s Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt Ditches Husband In New Post Following Backlash Over Family Photo

As Malcolm X’s 100th birthday approaches next Monday, Black advocates are seeking to uplift his mother’s legacy through a pilgrimage aimed at connecting and edifying the global African Diaspora.

The prominent figure in African American history was born in Omaha, Nebraska, on May 19, 1925. He was assassinated in February 1965 at 39 years old.

Malcolm X believed that his father, Earl Little, suffered a similar fate after the Ku Klux Klan consistently targeted their family. Yet little is known about his mother, Louise Little, who spent many years in a mental institution following her husband’s death, resulting in her eight children being placed in foster care.

A delegation is on the site of Louise Little’s birth home. (Photo: Courtesy of IBW)

The Institute of the Black World 21st Century, a Black think tank and advocacy organization, wants to illuminate Louise’s life to foster unity among people of African descent through a four-day pilgrimage to her birthplace, La Digue, Grenada.

“She was not just his mother. She was an activist. She was someone who was working around causes for people’s freedom before she left Grenada,” said Ron Daniels, veteran social and political activist and IBW president.

In 1939, Louise was declared mentally ill and institutionalized in a psychiatric hospital in Michigan, where she remained for nearly 25 years, until Malcolm X and his siblings successfully campaigned for her release in 1963. Malcolm X’s speeches and writings showed that he had mixed feelings about his mother.

Both Louise and her husband were members of Marcus Garvey’s Universal Negro Improvement Association. Some suspect Earl was killed because of his ties to the UNIA.

“Her influence on Malcolm would’ve been foundational, just as other influencers were, so it’s important for us to uplift her and be intentional, because she’s a woman,” Daniels told Atlanta Black Star. “Because the contributions are not as well acknowledged as they are for men.”

At around 21 years old, Louise moved from Grenada to Montreal, where her uncle had emigrated years earlier, according to reports. There, he introduced her to the growing Black nationalist movement led by Garvey. Louise and Earl started their own chapter of the organization, and she reportedly wrote articles for the UNIA’s newspaper. Louise, a seamstress and designer by trade, taught her children the pillars of Pan-Africanism.

The African nationalist movement, which originated in the mid-19th century in the U.S., aimed to promote universal Black pride, unity and economic self-sufficiency. The UNIA is considered the foundation of the Pan-African movement.

By extension, the IBW and the pilgrimage share that same mission. The organization selected Grenada not only because of its connection to Louise but also because of its historical role as one of the most progressive Caribbean countries during the height of the Pan-African movement.

Most notably, the New Jewel Movement (NJM), led by Maurice Bishop, was a key force advocating for social justice, racial pride, and anti-imperialism on the island in the 1960s and 1970s. Bishop, who became Grenada’s prime minister after overthrowing the previous administration, was executed in 1983 during a violent coup. His body was never recovered. Like Malcolm, he also died at age 39.

IBW has formed an agreement with the current Grenadian administration to help revive the country’s progressive legacy. The pilgrimage is part of an action plan that also includes advocating for the repatriation of the remains of Bishop and other political figures.

The United States invaded Grenada six days after Bishop’s death during Operation Urgent Fury under President Ronald Reagan, and many Grenadians believe the U.S. knows the whereabouts of the remains and is withholding that information.

The pilgrimage, titled Echoes of Greatness, will take place from May 14–18.

Louise will be honored with a ceremony at her childhood home, where a soon-to-be-commissioned monument will be temporarily displayed on a billboard. This year’s Echoes of Greatness marks the launch of an annual pilgrimage to Grenada, which will eventually lead to the monument’s permanent installation.

Representatives from Malcolm X’s foundation and the Shabazz Center are expected to attend. Organizers say they plan to bring soil from Malcolm X’s birthplace in the U.S. to Grenada as part of the commemorative celebration.

About 60 special guests from around the globe have been invited, including Marcus Garvey’s son, Dr. Julius Garvey; Haitian American novelist Edwidge Danticat; civil rights activist Melina Abdullah; and leaders of the Movement for Black Lives. The four-day pilgrimage will also include events focused on women’s empowerment, economic self-reliance, and the initiation of cross-generational dialogue.

“As Black people, we have been displaced… but at the same point in time, the connection is African ancestry. If we take that back as far as we can go, it expands all the way back to the U.S., all the way back to Africa, all over the globe, and right back to us,” said IBW member Paulann Paterson. “So, it’s very important to remember that we are more connected than we are disconnected.”

‘Echoes of Greatness’: Grenada Pilgrimage to Reclaim the Legacy of Louise Little, the Pan-African Matriarch Behind Malcolm X