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Tyreek Hill is back in court after being accused of fracturing a social media influencer’s leg during a football workout.
Most of the NFL courtroom attention this week has been on Stefon Diggs, who was found not guilty in an assault case involving his former personal chef. But he is not the only star wide receiver whose name is tied to a legal headline right now. Tyreek Hill, the former Miami Dolphins speedster and one of the most electric players of his era, is also in court — this time for a civil lawsuit by social media influencer and model Sophie Hall.
The case centers around an alleged incident from June 2023 at Tyreek Hill’s Southwest Ranches home in South Florida. According to Hall’s lawsuit, she met Hill after buying a ticket for her son to attend his football camp. From there, the two reportedly exchanged messages, and Hill allegedly arranged for Hall to travel to Florida and spend time at his home. What started as a visit eventually turned into a backyard football workout, and that is where Hall says everything went left.
Hall claims she participated in offensive line-style drills with Hill and his trainer, and the lawsuit alleges that things shifted after she allegedly pushed Hill backward during one of the plays. According to the complaint, people watching — including members of Hill’s family — laughed after the moment, and Hall’s side argues that Hill became embarrassed. The lawsuit alleges that on a later play, Hill charged into her “violently and with great force,” causing a fracture to her right leg.
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Hall’s side says the injury was serious. The complaint says she later needed surgery with metal hardware implanted, and Local 10 reported that she claims she still attends weekly physical therapy while dealing with pain and weakness. Hall is suing Hill for claims that include assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress and negligence. Depending on the cited filing, the damages have been described as up to $50,000 or in the $50,001-to-$75,000 range, but the larger point is that this is a civil case — meaning Hill is being sued for damages, not facing criminal charges in this trial.
Hill’s side has denied wrongdoing and is pushing back hard on Hall’s version of events. In court, Judge David Haimes summarized Hill’s defense, stating that Hill denies causing the injury and argues that Hall was negligent, voluntarily participated in the drills, and assumed the risks inherent in participating in football. Hill’s attorney has also previously argued that Hall’s injury happened because she tripped over a dog during the drills, not because Hill intentionally hurt her.
As of now, the case has officially moved into trial mode. Hill appeared in a Broward County courtroom on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, while jury selection began with nearly 100 potential jurors present. CBS Miami reported that a jury was selected, and NBC6 reported that opening statements were expected Thursday, with the trial estimated to last about two weeks. Hill, 32, was released by the Dolphins in February after four seasons in Miami and remains a free gent, so this courtroom battle is unfolding at a time when his football future is already under a microscope.
So, for anybody just catching up, the simple version is this: Sophie Hall says a friendly football lesson at Tyreek Hill’s home turned violent and left her with a fractured leg that required surgery. Hill says he did not cause her injury and that Hall accepted the risks of participating in the drills. Now, instead of this being just another off-field headline floating around social media, both sides are in front of a Broward County jury, and the next couple of weeks should determine how much weight Hall’s claims — and Hill’s defense — actually carry in court.
RELATED: Stefon Diggs Found Not Guilty Of Assaulting Former Chef, Social Media On Fire

See social media’s reaction to Hill’s trial below.
Tyreek Hill Trial: What We Know So Far About Lawsuit Over Allegedly Breaking Influencer’s Leg was originally published on cassiuslife.com
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Black Teacher Appreciation Day arrives amid the 2026 Teacher Appreciation Week a time to recognize and honor our educators. 

The pioneering historian, educator, and journalist Carter G. Woodson, who gave us what eventually became Black History Month, held an overarching philosophy: education was inseparable from freedom. That philosophy and legacy sit at the heart of this year’s Black Teacher Appreciation Day.
On Thursday, May 7, the Center for Black Educator Development announced that this year’s Black Teacher Appreciation Day, which falls today during Teacher Appreciation Week, centers on Woodson’s legacy, as 2026 also marks the 100th anniversary of Black History Month. This year’s theme is “Black Resistance and Joy: Celebrating Black Educators and Teaching as a Practice of Freedom.”
“As we mark the 100th anniversary of Black History Month, we must also honor the legacy of Carter G. Woodson and every Black educator who has carried forward that tradition of teaching as freedom,” Micia Mosely, Ph.D., founder and executive director of the Black Teacher Project, said in a statement. “Black educators don’t just teach — they lead the reimagination of education by promoting belonging and creating more inclusive and supportive learning environments.”
This year’s celebration is also about uplifting the critical impact of Black teachers, who remain underrepresented in classrooms nationwide, particularly at a profoundly urgent time when Black history, Critical Race Theory, DEI initiatives, and the autonomy of Black students in the classroom are increasingly under threat. Despite research showing that Black students who have had at least one Black teacher are 38% more likely to feel a genuine sense of belonging in school, recent data from the U.S. Department of Education shows that while 79% of U.S. public school teachers identified as non-Hispanic white, roughly 7% are Black. Meanwhile, Black students make up roughly 15% of the student population.
“Teacher Appreciation Week and Black Teacher Appreciation Day are about more than celebrating the impact of Black educators — they are about taking action to secure the future of the profession,” said Sharif El-Mekki.
While the 1954 Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education unanimously declared state-sponsored segregation of children in public schools unconstitutional and resulted in the desegregation of U.S. public schools, it resulted in the loss of thousands of Black educators. The National Education Association estimates that more than 100,000 Black teachers and school leaders lost their jobs as Black schools were closed and the newly integrated schools refused to hire them. Experts say it set a precedent that continues to create barriers for the Black teacher career path to this day.
Black Teacher Appreciation Day is a pivotal component of CBED’s broader “We Need Black Teachers” campaign. Launched in 2021, the initiative uplifts Black educators as mentors, leaders, and culture bearers while also calling on institutions to invest more deeply in them.
The organization also announced the 2026 Diverse Teacher Pipeline grant, a $100,000 grant for groups working to launch diverse teacher pipelines in their local communities.
“Through the We Need Black Teachers campaign, we are elevating the urgent need for real investment in Black educators, not just recognition,” El-Mekki continued. “Diversifying and sustaining the teaching workforce is a proven strategy that makes schools stronger and improves outcomes for every student.”
The day is also about recognizing that Black teachers, who often serve as surrogate members of their students’ villages, balance being educators, therapists, family counselors, and cheerleaders amid their own very real lives outside the classroom, all while being chronically underresourced and underserved themselves.
Mimi Woldeyohannes, managing director of external affairs at the CBED, told TheGrio over email how this day is ultimately a way for the community to come together and celebrate the “transformative impact Black educators have had, and continue to have, on classrooms across the globe.” 
“With this year’s theme, ‘Black Resistance and Joy: Celebrating Black Educators and Teaching as a Practice of Freedom,’ as the backdrop of our initiative, we’re encouraging everyone to not only celebrate the daily commitment of our Black teachers, but also the legacy they carry with them,” she continued. “From Carter G. Woodson to today’s classroom leaders, Black educators have always understood that teaching is an act of freedom, resistance, and deep, enduring joy.”
The day, like the larger week it falls within, is also a firm reminder, before the school year officially wraps up, that teachers are people tasked with the extraordinary.
“Black teachers deserve rest, joy, and connection,” Dr. Wenimo Okoya, founder and executive director of Healing Schools Project, said in a release.

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The event brought together local leaders, educators and community figures, including rapper and producer Will.i.am and longtime California Congresswoman Maxine Waters.
Kendrick Lamar and Dr. Dre returned to their hometown this week to support a major milestone at Centennial High School in Compton, California, the school both artists once attended, according to Complex.
The two hip-hop icons appeared at a groundbreaking ceremony on May 7 marking the start of construction on a new school building that is expected to serve more than 1,000 students. According to officials, the new facility is projected to be completed by 2029.
The event brought together local leaders, educators and community figures, including rapper and producer Will.i.am and longtime California Congresswoman Maxine Waters. School officials described the ceremony as both a celebration of educational investment and a reflection of Compton’s cultural influence.
During the ceremony, Dr. Dre reflected on his connection to Centennial High School and his upbringing in Compton. The legendary producer, whose real name is Andre Young, joked that he attended the school “sometimes” before transferring during his teenage years. Dre attended Centennial during his freshman year in 1979 before eventually leaving school to pursue music.
He also spoke about the importance of giving back to the city that shaped his career.
“Today isn’t just about a new building, it’s about a new promise kept to the city that made me,” Dre said during remarks at the event.
School board president Micah Ali praised both Dre and Kendrick Lamar for remaining connected to their hometown despite their global success. Ali described Dre as one of Compton’s biggest investors and thanked the artists for supporting local education initiatives.
Kendrick Lamar, a Pulitzer Prize-winning rapper and one of Compton’s most recognizable cultural figures, did not deliver lengthy public remarks during the ceremony, but his presence drew significant attention from students and residents attending the event.
The groundbreaking reflects broader efforts within the Compton Unified School District to modernize aging school facilities and expand opportunities for students in the community.
Centennial High School has long been associated with notable athletes, entertainers and community leaders from Compton. Officials said the new building is intended to provide updated classrooms and educational resources for future generations of students.
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Armand Vaillancourt’s 1971 fountain being dismantled on 6 May Photo: Taylor C. Noakes
The effort to dismantle San Francisco’s Vaillancourt Fountain is off to a rocky start, as construction crews accidentally started a fire while disassembling the structure’s cantilevered arms.
“During torch-cutting activity, debris inside the tubes ignited,” a spokesperson for the San Francisco Arts Commission tells The Art Newspaper. “The team responded by continuously spraying water to control and quickly extinguish the fire. There was no major damage.” The spokesperson added that the fountain’s welded steel tubes are being cut by torches and, “as expected, this process produces sparks”.
Work to dismantle the Armand Vaillancourt’s 1971 Brutalist fountain began on Monday (4 May), after the California appeals court denied a request by the local coalition Friends of the Plaza to halt its removal.
“The city spent the last year arguing that the fountain was riddled with asbestos and needed to be removed for safety,” says Jack McCarthy of Friends of the Plaza. “Now it’s being removed without an air-quality permit, in open air without tenting, and a fire has broken out.”
During a site visit on Wednesday (6 May), it did not appear that workers were wearing masks, respirators, hazmat suits or any kind of protective clothing to mitigate exposure to lead or asbestos. In addition, there were no signs warning passersby—including those playing padel at the courts next to the fountain or eating lunch in the plaza—of potential exposure to hazardous materials.
When asked about this, a spokesperson for the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department says that the asbestos is “encapsulated” and that workers “are not disturbing it”. However, the agency could not explain what “encapsulated” meant in this context, whether the city had sought guidance on whether permits were needed or applied for, nor whether it had considered the need to warn the public of potential exposure.
Vaillancourt Fountain, San Francisco Photo: Wally Gobetz via Flickr
“We’re having a hard time understanding how the city’s claim that they needed to remove the fountain for safety could hold water when they’re currently potentially exposing the public and workers to hazardous materials in this manner,” McCarthy says.
Friends of the Plaza has been working to bring attention to the plight of Vaillancourt Fountain and the surrounding Lawrence Halprin-designed Embarcadero Plaza. Evidence suggests that the Recreation and Park Department had previously tasked the developer BXP with a variety of maintenance responsibilities for both the fountain and plaza in the past five decades.
A lack of proper maintenance appears to have contributed to the failure of the fountain’s pumps, as much as the generally poor state of the plaza. The city and BXP cited those factors as justification for their proposal to redevelop the plaza and remove the fountain. For its part, the city has offered myriad excuses for why the fountain should be removed from the site, despite the protests of citizens who repeatedly asked in public meetings whether a new park might incorporate the fountain in some way. This included arguments that the fountain was a threat to public safety and security, either because of structural instability or the presence of lead and asbestos, and that it attracted people experiencing homelessness.
Though the city initially wanted to demolish the fountain outright, sustained opposition—including from the nonagenarian, Montreal-based artist himself—appeared to change local officials’ mind. In November 2025, the city decided to dismantle the fountain and store it for three years, at an additional cost of approximately $4m. That decision came just days after the city’s planning department determined the fountain was eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.
“While we are disappointed with the court’s decision to allow the removal of the fountain to begin with, we remain committed to advocating for Vaillancourt Fountain and Embarcadero Plaza,” McCarthy says. “The city has stated their plan is to carefully remove the fountain so it can be studied and evaluated. We will continue to be engaged with the city in all public processes related to the future of the fountain and Embarcadero Plaza.”
Decision comes just days after city planning department determined fountain eligible for National Register of Historic Places designation
The 96-year-old Armand Vaillancourt continues fighting to rescue his public art project from the wrecking ball
Public documents also reveal property developer leading demolition effort was at least partly responsible for fountain and plaza maintenance for nearly 50 years
Skateboarders and Brutalism enthusiasts are among those joining forces to save the Vaillancourt Fountain from urban-renewal obliteration

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An old family recipe became the kickstarter for one of the sweetest gifts Hudson received.
Jennifer Hudson is known for surprises on her show. On Thursday, she got one of her biggest surprises just in time for Mother’s Day.
While sitting back on “The Jennifer Hudson Show,” the EGOT winner was informed by her crew that they had something to gift her. That gift came from her son, David, whose mere presence brought his mother to tears.
The 16-year-old son of Hudson and her former fiancé, David Otunga Jr., presented his mother with a cake.
“David!” Hudson exclaimed, clutching her heart, before the two had a big embrace. “Y’all, this is my baby!”
However, the surprises weren’t done. As she held a bouquet given to her by a crew member, David pointed back to the cake and explained its significance.
“This is your mom’s special recipe, so I made it for Mother’s Day,” he told her. “I know it’s special to you. I love you.”
“Thank you! Give me a hug,” Hudson said, once again pulling him in for a hug. “He said he was coming here today, and I’m like, ‘David ain’t got here.’ And then to hear you come out here, you done baked the cake…”
She then told the audience, “My mother always made this pound cake — our family tradition. So for Mother’s Day, birthdays, all special occasions, she always makes it for me. Thank you, baby.”
David’s gesture is a reminder of how tight-knit he and his mother have become over the years, especially as he approaches adulthood. Recently, Hudson partnered with Credit One Bank to help him understand financial literacy.
“Credit education is not often taught in school,” Hudson said in a press release. “And as a mother and advocate of financial literacy, I believe we need to educate the next generation, especially when it comes to understanding how credit works and the importance of using it wisely.” 
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The Eisenhower Executive Office Building, in Washington, DC, sits next to the White House Photo: Abovfold via Wikimedia Commons
The US president Donald Trump’s plan to “beautify” the Eisenhower Executive Office Building (EEOB) by painting its granite exterior white—which White House staff estimate will cost around $7.5m—hit a snag yesterday (7 May) when the project came before the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC). In a 1.5-hour session that included impassioned comments from preservationists and the public speaking out against the plan, as well as some probing questions from commission members, the panel approved a motion requesting further details about how paint will impact the historic building, how much continued maintenance would cost, and whether less intrusive and more affordable options to “brighten the building”, like exterior lighting, could be used instead.
Presenting the NCPC’s staff report on the proposal, the urban planner Michael Weil related the history of the EEOB, which underwent a major cleaning and modernisation effort between 2004 and 2012. While stating that agency staff supports the White House proposal to clean, repaint, reseal and restore the building’s façades, Weil said more information is needed to fully evaluate the painting proposal.
“First, we need to understand the project’s potential visual and physical impacts both to the Eisenhower Executive Office Building and to the Lafayette Square National Historic Landmark District,” Weil said. He also acknowledged the extensive public interest in the project, including “over 2,000 written comments submitted through our agency website”—the vast majority of them negative.
Ryan Erb, the construction operations manager for the White House Office of Administration (WHOA), then answered questions from commission members, starting with Evan Cash, who also serves on the Council of the District of Columbia. Cash was concerned about not just the cost of painting the entire city-block-sized building white, but the ongoing work to keep it clean and stain-free. “We’re adding essentially a very new, big maintenance piece” to the building’s upkeep, Cash said.
Erb said the WHOA was still gathering information, but that a preliminary estimate for the paint job was $7.5m, and the office hoped it would last for around 25 years. That cost does not include any of the preliminary cleaning and preparation work needed, however, nor does it take into account any later repainting, Erb said. He added that more testing is required to see how the silicate paint actually performs on similar granite sourced from the same quarry in Vinalhaven, Maine, used to build the EEOB.
When it came time for public comments, several speakers presented heartfelt appeals to the NCPC to reject the painting proposal. These were led by Greg and Marion Werkheiser, the founders of Cultural Heritage Partners, who are suing the Trump administration in federal court to block the project. Perhaps the most engaging testimony was provided by Danilo Feliciano, who opened his comments with a Bible verse: “Thou shalt sprinkle me with hyssop, and I shall be cleansed. Thou shalt wash me, and I shall be made whiter than snow.” Feliciano chose the Psalm for its association with the ancient Hebrew King David, since Eisenhower’s first name at birth was David, not Dwight, as he was later called. “It’s literally a house of David,” Feliciano noted.
Pointing to the outpouring of public comments against the project, Feliciano added his own thoughts that “it just doesn’t seem like common sense to paint a building that’s only been cleaned twice in 150 years because it looks nice in a computer-generated picture. Sure, it might look nice for when the current president leaves office, but give it another ten years or so, and it probably won’t be.”
Feliciano ended with an effective comparison to the 1992 movie Death Becomes Her—in which two women, granted immortality, must spackle and spray-paint their undead but ravaged skin into eternity. “They’re still alive, but broken, a mockery of the beauty they once had,” Feliciano said. “It would be a shame to paint over such a historic structure with magic paint. It’s a temporary fix for a lasting legacy. Could you imagine the Statue of Liberty painted over?”
Because most of the commission’s members are tied to the Trump administration, many voiced their assurance that the project team would do its best to protect the EEOB. But several noted the need for more details as the proposal goes through future stages of review. And when the time came to vote, the commission nearly unanimously approved the NCPC staff report seeking further information, with only the mayoral appointee Arrington Dixon not responding during the roll call. Just moments before, he had briefly appeared on screen in a dentist chair, a bib tied around his chest. “Commissioner Dixon may be unable to speak right now,” NCPC chairman William Scharf noted dryly.
One group called the sudden demolition “a collective loss” while another expressed concern the $300m ballroom that will replace the East Wing “will overwhelm the White House itself”
The commission’s members also opted to forego a later vote on the final stage of the design despite public comments on the project being “overwhelmingly in opposition—over 99%”
The US president has set his sights on transforming the city of Washington, DC, to fit his grandiose aesthetic
A federal judge has rejected attempt by National Trust for Historic Preservation to temporarily halt president’s pet construction project

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Trump targeted Jeffries over his use of the phrase “maximum warfare” during discussions about congressional redistricting strategies.
President Donald Trump, on Thursday, called for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to be charged with “inciting violence” following comments Jeffries made about Democratic redistricting efforts ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, according to Politico.
In a post shared on Truth Social, Trump accused Democrats of promoting dangerous political rhetoric and specifically targeted Jeffries over his use of the phrase “maximum warfare” during discussions about congressional redistricting strategies. Trump’s post included an image of Jeffries speaking at a political event alongside another image tied to the recent shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
The president appeared to suggest a connection between Jeffries’ remarks and the shooting incident that occurred several days later, though no evidence has been publicly presented linking the Democratic leader to the attack. Authorities investigating the shooting have not indicated any political figures were involved.
Trump described Jeffries as “Hakeem ‘Low IQ’ Jeffries” in the social media post and argued that Democrats were escalating political tensions nationwide. The comments mark another instance in which Trump has publicly urged legal action against political opponents.
A post shared by Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (@repjeffries)
Jeffries responded Thursday on X, formerly Twitter, dismissing Trump’s remarks and criticizing the administration over economic concerns. The New York Democrat referenced rising consumer costs and gas prices while also mentioning the New York Knicks’ playoff run.
The controversy comes amid growing partisan battles over congressional maps across several states. Jeffries recently promoted a Democratic strategy aimed at aggressively countering Republican-led redistricting efforts after Democrats advanced a new congressional map proposal in Virginia. Republicans have characterized the effort as politically motivated.
Trump has repeatedly accused Democrats of encouraging hostile rhetoric following multiple violent incidents in recent years, including the assassination attempts he faced during the 2024 presidential campaign. Democrats, meanwhile, have accused Trump of intensifying political division through his own rhetoric and legal threats against opponents.
The latest exchange highlights the increasingly heated political environment as both parties prepare for the 2026 elections, with redistricting and control of the House of Representatives expected to remain central campaign issues.
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The singer already has some of the most influential tattoos of all time thanks to her longtime artist, Keith McCurdy. But her newest piece is a sweet reminder of her babies.
When it comes to tattoos, Rihanna might be one of the most influential people on the planet. Whether it’s her tiny gun tattoo on her right side or her iconic Isis sternum tattoo in tribute to her grandmother, the singer and beauty mogul has ensured each piece of art on her body has a bit of meaning.
Her latest work might be the most sentimental of all.
On Friday (May 8), she revealed a new art piece, this one resting on the back of her thigh and the upper part of her calf. Working with her longtime tattoo artist, Keith McCurdy, the singer decided to honor her three children by tattooing one of their doodles on her as a permanent memory.
“Family tats @badgalriri Designed by her babies,” McCurdy’s post caption read.
A post shared by Bang Bang Tattoo (@bangbangnyc)
The history between Rih and McCurdy is well-documented. Even as she got her latest work, she joked about the “pain” she’s endured in his shop. When asked if she was nervous about their latest session, Rih nodded with a sheepish grin.
Rih stepped out at the Met Gala on Monday with her longtime partner A$AP Rocky, with whom she shares her three children, boys Riot, RZA and 8-month-old baby girl Rocki, but her most important moment at the Met wasn’t giving fashion or living up to the night’s theme. Rather, it was her speaking life into “TODAY” co-host Sheinelle Jones.
Jones, holding a microphone with a “TODAY” bedazzled mic flag, was asked the simplest question by Rih: “So what was your day like, today?”
The morning show host, who has dealt with unimaginable grief in the past year with the loss of her husband and grandmother, quickly went from interviewer to interviewee in a role reversal that eventually became the defining moment of the Gala.
“Today was, honestly—hoping that I could meet the moment and catch somebody’s eye contact. So many people, when they’re on the carpet, it’s take, take, take,” Jones told the “ANTI” singer. “My goal was to give back, because I feel like your talent gives to us.”
Rih took the moment to give back to Jones.
“Well, you deserve to be poured into, as well,” she said. “It’s not all about giving into everybody. You deserve to be poured into and you’re beautiful. You’re a Black journalist. And I respect you. I love you for this. And, by the way, your outfit is f-cking fire.”
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Critics claim the Trump administration’s approach has unfairly singled out and marginalized the Black population.
D.L. Hughley’s Notes from the GED Section, delivered a blunt message about race, power, and political consequences in America. Speaking with urgency and frustration, Hughley argued that the Trump-era political project was never random and never race-neutral. His central point was clear: the rollback of Black progress has been deliberate, and the damage is now playing out in public view. For listeners tracking politics through the lens of community impact, Hughley’s remarks landed as both critique and caution.

Hughley said the attacks on Black progress are not a matter of perception but policy. He framed the broader political moment as a direct response to the gains Black Americans made over the years, especially during and after the Obama era. In his view, the backlash has been fueled by resentment toward visible Black success, from leadership in government to the cultural pride often summed up as “Black girl magic.” His comments tied political decisions to a deeper discomfort with Black visibility and influence.
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One of Hughley’s most striking claims focused on employment and representation in government. He said prominent Black officials were removed early and that Black workers, especially Black women, have paid a heavy price in the federal workforce. By highlighting job loss alongside leadership shakeups, Hughley connected policy choices to kitchen-table consequences. The message was not just about symbolism. It was about who gets protected, who gets excluded, and how quickly hard-won access can disappear.
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Hughley also pointed to the rollback of anti-discrimination safeguards, including a rule involving federal contractors and segregated bathrooms. He used that example to argue that attacks on civil rights often begin with moves many people overlook. He then widened the frame to voting rights, saying recent battles in states such as Louisiana and Alabama show how fast protections can be weakened. For Black voters, his warning was plain: what gets stripped away in law soon shows up in daily life.
A major thread in Hughley’s commentary was frustration with people who dismissed earlier warnings. He said conversations around Project 2025 and broader conservative plans were brushed off as fearmongering, even as evidence kept building. Hughley compared the current moment to darker chapters in American history, suggesting the scale of racial retrenchment has few modern parallels. His criticism was aimed not only at political architects, but also at voices who downplayed the threat and helped create public confusion.
The most emotional part of Hughley’s segment came when he questioned why some Black voters and public figures helped legitimize forces now tied to voting rights losses and racial setbacks. He challenged arguments that party loyalty, gender bias, celebrity takes, or short-term frustrations justified dangerous political choices. For Hughley, the issue is no longer abstract.

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Lyles became the first Black female mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina, in 2017.
Charlotte, North Carolina, Mayor Vi Lyles has announced she will resign from office next month.
The move came as a surprise, as Lyles just won her reelection six months ago. In a statement, the Democratic leader did not specify why she was leaving her position after five terms as mayor, but said she was ready to spend more time with her family.
“Serving as Charlotte’s mayor has been the honor of my life,” Lyles said in a statement. “I am proud of our record navigating various challenges, strengthening our economy, investing in our neighborhoods, and building a foundation for Charlotte’s continued success during a time of rapid growth. Now, it is time for the next phase of my life, to spend more time with my grandchildren and for someone new to lead us forward.”
Lyles, 73, will not finish out her term, which ends in 2027, and instead will leave office on June 30.
The Columbia, South Carolina, native has worked in Charlotte city government for over 30 years, starting in 2004 as a budget analyst, budget director, and assistant city manager. Before she became the first Black female mayor of Charlotte in 2017, she served on the City Council for two years.
The Democratic Mayor’s Association released a statement in response to Lyle’s announcement, wishing her well in the next chapter of her life.
“Mayor Vi Lyles has been a dedicated leader for Charlotte, helping guide one of America’s fastest-growing cities through a period of significant growth and change,” the statement said. “Her commitment to public service and to the people of Charlotte has left a lasting impact on the city and on mayors across the country. We are grateful for her partnership and years of service, and we wish her the very best in retirement.”

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“[It] goes back to the core element of Donald Trump himself as somebody who sees Black women as the number one target,” Democratic strategist Ameshia Cross tells theGrio.
The Trump administration is continuing to target prominent Black women in government, using the power of the Justice Department and other agencies to investigate or accuse them of criminality or wrongdoing.
Over the past week, the administration has set its target on a state lawmaker who led a major defeat for President Donald Trump, a Federal Reserve governor who has refused to quit after Trump pushed for her removal, and a federal district court judge whom the administration attacked as an “activist” and falsely accused of knowingly releasing an undocumented man who had a criminal arrest warrant.
“[It] goes back to the core element of Donald Trump, himself, as somebody who sees Black women as the number one target,” Democratic strategist Ameshia Cross tells theGrio. She continued, “As someone who wants to humiliate Black women any chance he gets, as someone who does not respect Black women, and as someone who does not believe that Black women deserve to be in positions of leadership or power.”
On Wednesday, the FBI raided the offices and business of Virginia Senate Pro Tempore L. Louise Lucas as part of a criminal investigation. Democrats quickly viewed the probe as retaliation against Lucas, who led Virginia’s successful redistricting ballot measure to combat Trump’s nationwide push for statewide Republicans to redraw congressional maps to retain power in Congress next session in 2027.
“You all started it and we f–king finished it,” said Lucas of Virginia’s move to redraw its map to give Democrats five additional seats in the state’s congressional delegation.
The Associated Press reports that the corruption investigation may have been first launched under the Biden administration; however, Senator Lucas suggested the probe and its timing were politically motivated. “What we saw was a clear pattern from this administration: when challenged, they try to intimidate and silence the voices who stand up to them,” Lucas said in a statement released Wednesday evening.
The 82-year-old lawmaker declared, “I am not backing down.”
“I don’t think it’s coincidental,” said Cross, who tells theGrio the criminal investigation appears to be a “coordinated effort” by the administration to use Lucas as an example to others who may challenge the president or his policies.
“If you try it, this is what’s going to happen to you,” Cross said of the message she believes the White House is trying to send.
The same has been said about the Trump Justice Department’s ongoing criminal case against U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver, D-N.J., over an incident in which she tried to prevent federal officers from arresting Newark Mayor Ras Baraka during an oversight visit in response to claims of poor treatment of undocumented individuals being held at a federal detention center. McIver, a freshman congresswoman, has maintained her innocence. She previously told theGrio that she believed the Trump administration was trying to make an example out of her.
Federal Reserve Bank Governor Lisa Cook is also back in the Trump administration’s crosshairs after Bill Pulte, Trump’s director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, suggested that she would soon be indicted. Despite Pulte submitting a criminal referral to the DOJ in August 2025 regarding mortgage fraud against Cook, no indictment has been returned.
Pulte submitted a similar DOJ criminal referral for mortgage fraud against New York Attorney General Letitia James, who successfully prosecuted Trump for business fraud. Despite multiple efforts, the federal court, including two grand juries, dismissed the Trump administration’s criminal indictments of James.
Attorneys for Cook have said the accusations against her are baseless and deeply political. President Trump used the allegations to justify firing Cook, resulting in a federal lawsuit now before the U.S. Supreme Court. Cook, the first Black woman to serve on the powerful Federal Reserve Bank Board of Governors—and who has refused to leave her post—remains on the job until the case is decided.
Cross says part of the administration’s tactic is to hold Black female leaders like Cook to “a level of fear,” even if they know they’re innocent.
“What they do is try to weaken you by putting forth a media narrative that is going to leave in some people’s minds a different taste of you for the majority of America,” she tells theGrio. “This administration is trying to change the image of Black women in leadership, and to tarnish it in some ways, even if there is no criminality proven, because that, in and of itself, is a way to basically knock you down a few pegs.”
The Trump administration also very publicly came after U.S. District Judge Melissa DuBose, accusing the Black female judge of releasing an undocumented man from the Dominican Republic who was wanted for murder in his native country. A press release published by the Department of Homeland Security called BuBose, who was appointed by President Joe Biden, an “activist judge.”
As it turns out, the Justice Department never informed Judge DuBose of the man’s criminal history overseas, the New York Times reports. And despite the U.S. attorney assigned to the case admitting fault and trying to get the press release removed, the broadside attack on Judge DuBose remains on the DHS website.
“To be able to create a media narrative that Black leaders, specifically…in the legal realm, are letting go of violent criminals who are also undocumented, who are also immigrants, plays into a narrative that they are trying to sell the American public,” said Cross. “They obviously want to showcase Black people specifically as being lenient to violent crime.”
The Democratic strategist added, “They are doing this on purpose and putting her face on it as part of a larger scare tactic and as part of a larger push out of black leadership, specifically Black female leadership.”

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The Cabeza Prieta Wildlife Refuge, where a 1,000-year-old intaglio was recently bulldozed during construction the Mexico-US border wall Photo by Dan Sorensen, via Wikimedia Commons
Multiple reports have confirmed that a rare archaeological site in the Sonoran Desert in southwestern Arizona was bulldozed by a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) contractor during construction of the latest sections of the wall along the border between Mexico and the United States.
On 24 April, as bulldozers scraped the landscape along an area around 150ft from the Mexican border, they destroyed a 280ft by 50ft etching in the desert sand, known as an intaglio, believed to have been around 1,000 years old.
Located in a remote corner of Arizona’s Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge, the area is sacred to local Indigenous communities and part of a Unesco biosphere. With wide alluvial basins separated by steep mountain ranges, the biosphere is home to rare and endangered flora and fauna. It also contains more than 3,000 petroglyphs. Destruction of the intaglio inside the refuge has environmental and cultural significance, according to Lorraine Eiler, a Hia-Ced O’odham elder and co-founder of the International Sonoran Desert Alliance.
“You can’t separate our land from our culture,” Eiler tells The Art Newspaper, noting that the border crosses tribal lines, and that she and members of her community still visit their cousins in Mexico for ceremonies in spite of plans to wall off reservation lands, which would separate tribal lands in the US from those in Mexico. The destruction of the intaglio, she adds, “is an insult to our ancestors”.
Eiler says that a group of O’odham “runners”, participating in a ceremonial practice of running and praying through their traditional territories, warned her on 23 April that they had seen bulldozers getting perilously close to the intaglio site. This was despite the fact, she says, that “DHS and the border patrol had been warned by the tribe and by Cabeza staffabout the importance of the intaglio and what it meant to our people”. After being alerted by the runners, Eiler made dozens of calls to environmental and tribal groups, but to no avail. She now thinks the bulldozing of the intaglio was a “deliberate act”.
The DHS contractors “either weren’t told or completely ignored what they were told—and without notifying anyone they destroyed it”, Eiler says. “They weren’t even supposed to be in the area—they were supposed to be further west. They just didn’t want to be stopped.”
Eiler says the contractors destroyed a stretch of the intaglio around 70ft long. The etching had depicted the form of a fish, possibly in reference to those in the nearby Sea of Cortez.
“It connects us to our ancestors, carrying memory and meaning and teachings passed down through generations. People who aren’t native American might think it’s just a landmark, but it’s so much more.”
Rick Martynec, a retired archaeologist who has studied the intaglio for two decades and advocated for its preservation, told The Intercept: “I liken it to destroying the Nazca lines”—referring to the hundreds of figures drawn into the deserts of southern Peru—“something that culturally we should have been relishing and promoting. Not destroying.”
Aaron Wright, a preservation anthropologist with Archaeology Southwest who visited the intaglio with Martynec shortly before it was destroyed calls its demise “an archaeological travesty”.
“It’s unique in that it’s a rare inland intaglio in a remote section of the Sonoran Desert,” Wright tells The Art Newspaper, noting that it sits on a lava field near two dried up rivers. He describes intaglios as “designs—often geometric but sometimes figurative—scraped into desert pavements: geological surfaces of compacted and patinated gravels”. He adds that the one bulldozed along the border last month was similar to examples he has studied near the Gila River.
“There’s a lot more at the at the site than had been previously recognised or documented,” Wright says. “There are complexes of intaglio like features on the ground, but they don’t show up in aerial photographs very well.” Further research requires more aerial photography and visits to the Mexican side, he notes, currently impossible with the new border wall.
“The scope, pace, and apparent lack of substantive oversight for the border infrastructure work currently underway is endangering archaeological, cultural and sensitive natural resource sites throughout the heart of the Sonoran Desert,” Aaron Cooper, the executive director of the International Sonoran Desert Alliance, tells The Art Newspaper. “If this work continues, the irreversible damage to this sacred site is not just likely to happen elsewhere, it is inevitable.”
Representatives for the US Department of Homeland Security had not replied to The Art Newspaper’s requests for comment by the time of publication. Construction of the border fence along the border with Mexico has been a priority for US president Donald Trump in both his first and second terms. In March, archaeologists and landowners in Texas’s Val Verde County raised concerns about plans to build the border wall along the Rio Grande river, which could harm the area’s many prehistoric rock art sites.
Archaeologists and landowners claim the proposed extension of the Mexico-US border wall in Val Verde County could damage thousands of millennia-old cave paintings located within a designated national historic landmark
It’s the first physical iteration of the El Paso and Juárez exhibition in five years, after the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic shut down the 2020 edition
Experts worry that artefacts would be in peril if a 30-ft-high steel barrier is built
New research has confirmed the site of the giant ancient metropolis, but further archaeological work has been delayed due to issues such as travel restrictions

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NewsOne Crossword May 6th was originally published on newsone.com

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Amy Sherald sports a custom look by Thom Browne based her 2013 painting Miss Everything (Unsuppressed Deliverance) at the 2026 Met Gala Photo by Anthony Behar / Sipa USA / Alamy Live News
Protests against the 2026 Met Gala’s honorary chairs Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez Bezos did little to dampen the theatrical arrivals at the event on Monday (4 May), the most high-profile fundraising soirée of gala season in New York. The Bezoses reportedly contributed at least $10m, helping to raise a record $42m for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute (surpassing last year’s take of $31m).
Protesters rallied near the gala’s arrivals area brandishing signs that read “Tax the Rich” and “Resistance Red Carpet”. A group called Everyone Hates Elon strategically left around 300 fake bottles of urine throughout the museum labelled with Jeff Bezos’s face and the slogan “Boycott the Bezos Met Gala”, in reference to the practice among Amazon truck drivers of urinating in plastic bottles due to the arduous pace of their deliveries.
Within the event itself, the gala was a typically frictionless display of wealth (tickets cost $100,000 each) and outlandish outfits. Unsurprisingly, some of the most inventive interpretations of the event’s dress code, “fashion is art”, were artists. Amy Sherald, a member of the event’s host committee, attended in a custom Thom Browne look based on one of her own paintings, Miss Everything (Unsuppressed Deliverance) (2013).
Another eye-catching figure on the verdant arrivals staircase was the artist, actor and stage performer Jordan Roth. He sported a velvety grey outfit by the London-based designer Robert Wun that included a faceless human figure looming over his shoulder, framing his head and torso with its hands. Roth told The Hollywood Reporter that the outfit was inspired by a particular work from the Met’s collection.
“As soon as I knew the theme of this year’s exhibition and gala, I knew I wanted to explore the relationship between figures in classical sculpture, as well as a specific painting in the Met collection, Pygmalion and Galatea by Jean-Léon Gérôme, in which the sculptor kisses his sculpture as it comes to life,” he said.
Going for a notably more muted look, the artist Tschabalala Self (another co-chair of the event) enlisted her former Bard College class- and room-mate Brandon Blackwood to create her gown and look for the evening. The result was a striking white-silk corseted gown with elements of soft tulle, satin and chiffon. In an interview with Artsy, Self said it struck her as both very contemporary and art historical in its evocations.
“The gown is super contemporary, with lots of different silhouettes,” she said. “It makes me think of Degas’s ballerina sculpture, which is a fusion of this hard bronze sculpture with textile. This garment’s unique textile elements really speak to me, because textiles are such an important part of my practice.”
This year’s Costume Institute exhibition, Costume Art (10 May-10 January 2027), chronicles depictions of dressed figures throughout the Met’s collection, pairing works from its costume collection with art spanning ancient Greek vases to contemporary paintings by Yayoi Kusama. The show marks the debut of the Met’s 12,000-sq.-ft Condé M. Nast Galleries, which will serve as a dedicated and more prominent venue for its blockbuster fashion exhibitions.
The Bezoses may be getting used to being met with protests in artful settings. The couple’s Venice wedding in summer 2025, reported to have cost between $47m and $56m, sparked highly visible protests around the city. According to Forbes, Jeff Bezos, the founder and chairman of Amazon, is currently the fourth-richest person in the world with a net worth of $280bn.
South African singer Tyla’s sandy Balmain dress was a show-stopper—and not just because she had to be carried up the stairs
The annual benefit gala’s theme for this year is “The Garden of Time”; as usual, Vogue editor Anna Wintour will chair the event
The Metropolitan Museum’s annual fashion extravaganza drew divergent interpretations of its Gilded Age theme

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Right on schedule for Mother’s Day, adidas Originals has the momma’s boys covered in the form of a sneaker collab with MENACE Los Angeles.
Mother’s Day will always garner some sort of sweet collaboration, and when it comes to the sneaker community we think adidas might have it in the bag.
With the adidas Originals x MENACE Superstar “Old Rose,” arriving right on time for the occasion at hand, many momma’s boys of the world will be able to honor the top ladies of their lives with a flip on the floral tradition.

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While it’s perfectly acceptable to still show up with flowers for mom, necessary even in some cases, these provide a cool alternative if you’ve got something extra to spend on yourself. Steven Mena, creator and head designer of the LA-based imprint, made these in direct tribute to his own mother who gave him the strong example to be a leader in his field today. Naturally, her favorite color is the antique beauty of an Old Rose. As he told The Three Stripes in the press release, “These shoes carry her spirit, the weight of those sacrifices, and the love that is the foundation for everything we’ve built. This one is for my mom, and for every mom out there.”
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Although they look soft to the touch, the silhouette is actually built from rugged materials to evoke the spirt of workwear. The pink hue is a bright pop, but comes balanced out by a rubber gumsole and heavily etched suede upper. The paisley print bandana embroidery finishes off the premium detailing.
As an added bonus, adidas Originals and MENACE will bring the collaborative efforts in-store with a pop-up flower shop running on Saturday (May 9) for a pre-Mother’s Day prep in the form of complimentary flowers for the first 100 attendees. They also get a special “buy-one-gift-one” purchase option for the “Old Rose” collab dropping the following day. All those in attendance will have a day of delights with custom conchas by La Princessa Bakery plus matcha and sparkling lemonade by Harun Coffee. The shoe will retail for $180 USD, available through the adidas CONFIMRED app and MENACE LA’s online shop.

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