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A student broadcaster at an Indiana High School allegedly used racial slurs during a game and backlash ensued.
March Madness is top of mind for basketball fans at the moment, but there are even more controversial moments taking place at the high school level in South Bend, Indiana.
According to the Atlanta Black Star, in early March, Penn High School was playing a basketball playoff game against Riley High School, when a broadcaster at Penn allegedly used racial slurs.
It happened when Riley’s star player, Kelin Webster, who’s Black, was headed to the free throw line, and the Penn student doing play-by-play made monkey noises and said the N-word three times.
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His broadcasting partner was shocked and immediately objected, saying, “Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! … Simon, c’mon now,” and then, “Cut the stream,” which happened seconds later. 
Penn’s principal, Rachel Fry, made a statement the following day explaining that the “language and behavior do not reflect the expectations we have for our students or the values of Penn High School.” Since the district holds students to a higher standard, it is “taking this matter very seriously” and “actively investigating the situation.”
Fry acknowledged that the recording has been deleted to avoid further harm and that the administration has reached out to Riley High School to apologize and to let them know they’re taking the situation seriously.
A few days later, the South Bend NAACP chapter responded after initially thinking the racial mishap was AI-generated, only to be outraged when they discovered it was real. So officials dug into the school’s code of conduct and learned there’s no explicit mention of “derogatory language,” and they want it rectified.
They have two conditions to fix the issue, with one being, “That the student involved and his/her parents be required to research and write a paper examining the harmful impact of racist language on individuals and communities, and present those findings to the SBCSC School Board during a public meeting.”
As well as a task force be created to “examine implicit bias within the school district, assess its impact on students and staff, and recommend meaningful and enforceable corrective measures.”
Social media is rightfully outraged. See the reaction below.
Student Broadcaster Makes Monkey Sounds & Says N-Word During High School Game was originally published on cassiuslife.com

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April 2, 2026
It was a sign of James’ dwindling support in the state.
Ever wonder what it’s like to be booed by those thought to be supportive? Rep. John James (R-MI) knows the feeling after he wasn’t kindly welcomed during remarks at Michigan’s GOP state convention, Blavity reports. 
The Black GOP leader, who is running for governor of Michigan, got quite the welcome when he was introduced.
“Wow, he’s getting booed,” one person can be heard saying from off-camera. “John James just got booed.” 
John James gets booed at @MIGOP convention: https://t.co/i6z5CWsGig
While it’s unclear why the Michigan crowd turned on James, Matt Maddock, who originally posted the clip, claims it was a vote for the Kill Switch legislation. The failed bill was curated by fellow GOP leader Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky in an effort to block the enforcement of the so‑called vehicle kill switch technology, which would enable the monitoring of driver behavior, and detect impairment like intoxication and intervene.
James is one of several Republican leaders looking to take over the governor’s seat held by Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, with the primary scheduled for Aug. 4, according to BET. He was once a front-runner, but things have changed, especially with the Black vote. 
A February survey from Glengariff Group on behalf of the Detroit Regional Chamber revealed James received zero percent support from Black voters, even as a Black candidate. While only 81 of the 600 voters surveyed identified as African American, several offered support for former Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, who running as an independent, received 59.3% of Black respondents’ support. 
During his time on stage, James gave a speech touching on his service in the Iraq War and his time in Congress, including a recent vote to fund the Department of Homeland Security, ending the partial government shutdown, calling it a responsibility rather than politics. “It’s not right for Congress to get paid while tens of thousands of these essential personnel work every day to keep our airports secure without timely pay. If they’re not getting paid, neither should we,” he said in a post on X. 
Democrats are so obsessed with fighting Trump that they’re willing to treat our hard-working DHS law-enforcement officers and TSA screeners as collateral damage — after Republicans passed this funding weeks ago and Democrats voted against it 14 times!

I’ve directed the Chief… pic.twitter.com/dRYAY3iwJy
James is the latest Black GOP member to receive “boos” or non-support from their peers. Winsome Earle-Sears, who lost her bid for Virginia governor, failed to even get an endorsement from President Donald Trump, and former Congressman Wesley Hunt of Texas came in third place in the recent Senate primary.
RELATED CONTENT: Then There Was 1: Why The Light Of GOP’s ‘Starting 5’ Black Congressmen Is Slowly Diminishing

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In an interview with Ziwe, Leslie Jones didn’t hold back when sharing her views on marriage, the “tradwife” trend, and more
Leslie Jones has never been one to bite her tongue. And during her recent comedic interview with Ziwe, the “Saturday Night Live” star stayed true to her unapologetic nature when asked about the rise of the “tradwife” trend. 
“I’m not submissive,” she said, shutting down the idea of her being a traditional, stay-at-home wife. “Absolutely not. Because that’s not who the f–k I am. And my daddy didn’t raise me like that. My dad used to literally say that to me. ‘I didn’t raise you to be somebody’s wife.’”
While social media has seen a rise in content creators, like Nara Smith, who are leaning into the traditional homemaker role, Jones isn’t too fascinated by the idea of fulfilling the societal norm of marriage. 
“Most of the people that I know that’s gotten married are divorced now,” she said. “I think marriage is legalized slavery.” 
Leslie Jones says ‘marriage is legal slavery’ and urges her young fans not to get married.

pic.twitter.com/NX8pO8E7EH
Ziwe, who is known for her satirical comedic style, was visibly stunned by Jones’ statement, saying that when she thinks of marriage, versus when she thinks of slavery, she sees two very different images. 
“I don’t know how you don’t, especially if a man is expecting you to be a trad wife. He might as well pull out a whip and a chain,” Jones continued. 
When asked if she would recommend that young girls get married, the comedian confidently said no, while grinning at the camera. 
“I wouldn’t get married, and I don’t think it’s beneficial for a woman at all.” 

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April 2, 2026
About 57 percent of Flint’s population is African American.
A federal judge in Michigan has issued a new order allowing partial payments to adults with approved claims under the Flint water crisis settlement. The crisis, which began in 2014, affected over 100,000 residents exposed to lead and other contaminants in their drinking water. 
Judge Judith E. Levy issued the order in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, approving a request from Special Master Deborah Greenspan to start the payments from a $626.25 million settlement fund.
The decision to proceed with partial payments immediately, while appeals continue, marks a change in the claims process. However, frustration grew after several missed deadlines in receiving compensation for those whose drinking water was contaminated with lead more than a decade ago. Victims have been waiting for claims payments since Nov 2021. 
Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley reacted to the judges’ ruling.
“As a Flint resident, I certainly share the frustrations felt by residents over how long it has taken for the payments to be dispersed. I am thankful that Judge Levy has taken this step to begin distributing these funds. It is long overdue,”  Neeley said in a statement. 
The judge’s new order also authorizes payments to people with claims who were minors at the time of the crisis but are now adults, once initial payments to adults have begun.
Officials began issuing payments for property damage claims, capped at $1,000, in Dec 2025. The court sent out 8,251 award letters as of March 20, and more than 6,100 respondents have already responded, indicating how they wish to receive their payments, according to court documents. Reports show that approximately 4,000 children were exposed to high lead levels, and up to 14,000 children were exposed to lead-contaminated water, which can cause lasting cognitive and behavioral challenges. Researchers reported at least 12 deaths and 87 to 90 cases of Legionnaires’ disease linked to the water crisis. Additionally, roughly 25% of Flint residents reported having PTSD after experiencing the crisis.
RELATED CONTENT: Eric Mays, Outspoken Flint City Councilman, Dies At 65
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April 2, 2026
‘”We’ve evolved it, changed it. We’ll continue to do that’
Last week, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier sent a letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, to alert him that the league’s Rooney Rule (implemented to give Black coaches and executives in the league a better chance of being interviewed for open positions in the NFL) amounts to “blatant race and sex discrimination.” In response to the Florida AG, the commissioner has stated, “We’ll continue to do that.”
According to NFL.com, Goodell responded to the attorney general at the end of the NFL league meetings on April 1. While Uthmeier raises an issue regarding the DEI practices opposed by the current administration and the state of Florida, Goodell disagrees that there are any legal issues with the Rooney Rule, which requires teams to interview at least two minority candidates for head-coach, general-manager, and coordinator positions. Teams must interview at least one minority candidate for the quarterbacks coach position, per the guidelines.
Goodell understands the changes in the political landscape since President Trump returned to office, but doesn’t seem concerned about how the Rooney Rule has been used over the years, citing that there have been changes there as well. He notes that since the rule was created, it has also evolved with the times to remain effective for the NFL.
“The Rooney Rule has been around a long time,” Goodell said. “We’ve evolved it, changed it. We’ll continue to do that.”
The league has been a strong proponent of diversity on and off the field, in a sport where Black athletes dominate, and the commissioner wants to bring more diversity to the managerial and executive ranks. He is willing to speak to the Florida attorney general about the rule.
“One thing that doesn’t change is our values, and we believe in diversity and its benefit to the National Football League,” Goodell said. “We are well aware of the laws and where the laws are changing and evolving. We think the Rooney Rule is consistent with those, and we certainly will engage with the Florida AG or anybody else as we have in the past to talk about our policies.”
RELATED CONTENT: From NFL Hall of Fame to Heart Health Advocate

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Built in the Romanesque Revival style and completed in 1890, West Park Presbyterian Church was designed by Henry Kilburn Fred Voon
For 25 years, the sidewalk shed at the base of West Park Presbyterian Church on Manhattan’s Upper West Side has been shielding pedestrians’ heads from fragments of red sandstone crumbling off its façade. After decades of financial difficulties, the church has petitioned New York City’s Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) to allow its demolition, claiming that the building’s landmark status imposes an undue hardship. The move has caused uproar, most notably from the Center at West Park, an arts nonprofit founded by the church but evicted last July after years of court battles.
The Center, the building’s manager and sole tenant from 2017 to 2024, has hosted resident dance troupes and theatre companies as well as affordable spaces for arts, sports, religious and other community programmes. In the final two years, it held more than 400 public events and performances.
Since 2023, the Center has turned to celebrities to campaign for donations and raise awareness of the church’s potential demolition. The actor Mark Ruffalo has played a lead role in assembling famous friends such as Scarlett Johansson, Matt Damon, Jon Hamm and Laurence Fishburne to appear at rallies, staged readings and panel discussions.
The hardship provision of the Landmarks Law is rarely invoked; there have been only 23 applications in 60 years. To succeed in its appeal, the church must prove, among other things, that it cannot earn a “reasonable return” (6% of property value) and that the building is not suitable for performing its charitable purpose.
At a public hearing on 9 December, those in favour of the hardship application were outnumbered five to one. Opposing voices included residents, activists, lawyers, architects, public officials and real-estate experts who project that the leasing of space and the sale of air rights—whereby their transfer allows another site nearby to build higher—would generate revenue far exceeding the 6% reasonable return.
At a subsequent hearing on 10 March, the church said the total cost of repairs is at least $26.6m, rather than the Center’s estimate of $9.1m. When asked why it has not attempted to sell its unused air rights, the church claimed that the market is demand-driven and that there are no buyers.
Present at the December hearing were a number of actors who own homes in the neighbourhood, including Ruffalo. “Yes, I’m a celebrity,” he said. “But behind me are 1,000 young actors who were just like me, who came to New York looking for a dream, and these spaces fulfil that ability for them to find a way into the world.”
While the celebrities backing the Center largely have no connection to its programming, the one exception is Matt Dillon, who rented an art studio at the church for almost ten years. “Everywhere throughout the building there is a palpable sense of community,” he said at the hearing. “It’s hard to believe that anyone would even think about tearing down this beautiful landmark. It’s not in the best interest of the city to destroy its history.”
Completed in 1890, the building was designed by the architect Henry Kilburn to expand an existing chapel. Its Romanesque Revival style, distinguished by its round arches and hefty masonry, is shared with dozens of churches across the city. Its tower is topped by a distinctive bell-shaped roof, and its stained-glass windows include a large 1920s backlit Tiffany panel depicting Jesus and the children.
In its 2010 decision to designate West Park a landmark, the LPC noted that “the extraordinarily deep colour of its red sandstone cladding and the church’s bold forms and soaring tower… produce a monumental and distinguished presence”, declaring it “one of the Upper West Side’s most important buildings”.
West Park has a long history of fostering culture and activism. In 1978, it became the first Presbyterian church in the US to allow LGBTQ+ ministers. In the 1980s, it housed the Shakespeare Center and the first kitchen operation of God’s Love We Deliver during the Aids crisis.
The church insists that demolition is the only way out of its financial woes, which deepened as its congregation dwindled. It sold its manse (minister’s apartment) in 2014 and laid off its pastor, the late Robert Brashear, in 2017.
Brashear, a musician himself, helped set up the Center as a secular arts nonprofit that would engage the community and raise funds for the church. Though the Center was conceived as an arm of the church, over time it became a separate entity and an adversary. An agreement to share profits yielded nothing, and the church had to bear the bulk of maintenance costs.
In 2022, the church signed an agreement to sell its building for $33m. The developer proposed building a mixed-use property with a luxury condominium tower, retail space and a 150-seat auditorium for use by the congregation and the community. In mid-2023, the Center hired a new executive director with extensive experience in fundraising, and approached the church offering millions of dollars for repairs and $600,000 in shared profit. After its eviction order, the Center offered to pay rent of $30,000 a month (roughly the previous annual rate) with an option to purchase the building for $34m after three years. All proposals were rejected.
Since leaving West Park, the Center has moved its office and some programming to the Church of St Paul and St Andrew, two blocks away. Remarkably, the new location is also a designated landmark that claimed hardship, in the 1980s. Now, in fighting to preserve a building of which it is neither owner nor tenant, the Center hopes that West Park’s landmark status stands and that it can someday move back into its original home.
Marcel Breuer’s Brutalist gem on the Upper East Side is to undergo a partial renovation as part of its auction house revamp
A “perfect storm” of fire-retardant paint, humidity and the Covid-19 lockdown caused major damage to Louise Nevelson’s unique environment of nine painted wooden sculptures inside St Peter’s Lutheran Church in Manhattan
Recent changes to the grant regime for listed places of worship are a UK heritage crisis in the making

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On Tuesday, the Daily Mail published online messages and photos that show Noem’s husband, 56-year-old Bryon Noem, participating in numerous online fetish forums
I mean — we really are living in the real-life version of several episodes of South Park right now, aren’t we?
Former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem — who had already had a couple of bad months, having endured an ICE-induced PR nightmare and congressional smackdown that resulted in her losing her spot as the head of DHS for a position as Special Envoy in Some Nonsense it Sounds Like President Donald Trump Made Up — is now grappling with the shocking news that her husband is a crossdresser who participates in online fetish forums.
On Tuesday, the Daily Mail published online messages and photos that show Noem’s husband, 56-year-old Bryon Noem, participating in numerous online fetish forums, with some images and footage showing him dressed in pink hot pants and sporting massive fake breasts, reportedly made from balloons.
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Now, look, before we get deeper into this, it needs to be noted that, here at NewsOne, we do not kink shame. A guy has the God-given, constitutional right to express himself by participating in fetish forums with big, fake balloon breasts with Biggie-Smalls-eyes-nipples all he wants, and should not be judged for it.
However, when that man’s wife is part of a regime that is vehemently transphobic, and an ideology that erroneously tries to make pedophiles out of drag queens — despite them not being the ones who keep getting caught with volumes of child porn on their laptops — he and his wife are going to be the butt of a lot of jokes.
Aye, man — somebody go see what Druski is doing right now.
Afroman, too.
According to the Daily Mail, the images of Byron and his big, bug-eyed balloon titties were included in a trove of hundreds of messages sent between him and three women who, presumably, also participate in these forums. In a statement to the New York Post, a rep for Kristi Noem said the former DHS head is “devastated,” and that her “family was blindsided by this, and they ask for privacy and prayers at this time.”
Meanwhile, Trump took a quick break from lying about Iran and crying over the big, meanie judges who are taking away his ballroom dreams to share his non-thoughts on Noem and her hubby.
“They confirmed it? Wow, well, I feel badly for the family if that’s the case, that’s too bad,” Trump told the Daily Mail over the phone. “I haven’t seen anything,” he continued. “I don’t know anything about it. That’s too bad, but I just know nothing about it.”
To be fair, Trump responds virtually the same way when asked about his own policies.
Anyway, it’s just another day in the MAGA world, where every accusation is actually a confession, and a culture of bigotry produces the kind of karma you really don’t want going viral.
Just — wow!
SEE ALSO:
‘You’re Fired!’: Trump Dumps Kristi Noem For Mark Mullin As DHS Secretary

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem Grilled By Republican Senators

Kristi Noem’s Husband Goes Viral For Crossdressing In Fetish Forums, And…You Know What? was originally published on newsone.com

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The executive order comes after President Donald Trump’s pressure on Congress to implement policies that punish states for regulating AI.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is, understandably, one of the more controversial technological innovations of recent years. The technology has the potential to unlock grand scientific breakthroughs or lead to economic and environmental catastrophe. While President Donald Trump has taken a fairly hands-off approach to AI, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order on Monday creating regulations for AI companies operating in the state. 
According to CBS News, the executive order establishes guardrails to address growing safety and privacy concerns surrounding AI. “California’s always been the birthplace of innovation. But we also understand the flip side: in the wrong hands, innovation can be misused in ways that put people at risk. California leads in AI, and we’re going to use every tool we have to ensure companies protect people’s rights, not exploit them or put them in harm’s way. While others in Washington are designing policy and creating contracts in the shadow of misuse, we’re focused on doing this the right way,” Newsom said in a statement.  
Newsom specifically called out the Trump administration’s efforts to block the regulation of AI. Earlier this month, President Donald Trump presented Congress with a policy framework designed to punish states that implement regulations on AI companies. “While others in Washington are designing policy and creating contracts in the shadow of misuse, we’re focused on doing this the right way.”
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What’s truly baffling about the Trump administration’s hands-off approach is that we’ve seen what happens when you let tech companies do as they please with little to no consequence. Social media started as a silly virtual space for keeping up with your friends and has evolved into an effective propaganda tool that has stoked division on a global scale. 
AI is a much more dangerous tool than social media, especially given that people like OpenAI CEO Sam Altman have openly discussed AI potentially becoming a superintelligence that surpasses human intelligence. Beyond the security concerns presented by that concept, there’s also the possibility that if AI eventually becomes sophisticated enough, it could lead to mass unemployment as more companies choose to adopt it over paying workers. 
The New York Times reports that one of the key regulations in the order regards increased vetting of AI companies seeking government contracts. The executive order would require AI companies to disclose what safeguards they have in place to prevent their technology from being used to exploit individuals and generate content that contains child sexual abuse. That last bit is a very real concern, as three teenagers in Tennessee have filed a lawsuit against Elon Musk’s xAI after an unnamed AI app built on the company’s algorithm was used to generate nonconsensual, sexually explicit images of them. 
The executive order also allows California to set its own contracting standards, separate from those of the federal government. If the federal government labels an AI company a supply chain risk, as the Pentagon recently did with Anthropic after the company refused to allow its technology to be used for mass surveillance, California can conduct its own separate review. If the state determines the company isn’t a risk, it will continue to contract with them. 
One of the more significant regulations in the executive order requires state officials to begin watermarking content created with generative AI to prevent the spread of disinformation. The watermark will also allow the public to see the difference between content the state creates with real people and that created by generative AI. 
While I’m generally anti-AI, as I don’t think the potential benefits outweigh the very real costs it may have on our workforce and environment, I’m also a realist who understands the genie isn’t going back in the bottle. If AI is here to stay, I’m glad that at least some states are actively working to responsibly implement it. 
SEE ALSO:
Calif. Gov. Gavin Newsom Counters Texas Redistricting Effort

California Gov. Gavin Newsom Signs Bill Launching Redistricting Effort

California Gov. Gavin Newsom Signs Executive Order Regulating AI was originally published on newsone.com

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Zendaya and Law Roach crashed a bride-to-be’s wedding dress appointment in New York City in fantastic fashion.
When news broke of Zendaya and Tom Holland’s engagement, fans were overjoyed. They were excited for her, but they were also, let’s face it, over the moon at the prospect of a wedding in which her longtime stylist and image architect, Law Roach, would have anything to do with it. 
And can you blame them? The man single-handedly sent the girl’s career on an ascent through fashion. With each red carpet appearance after the next, they only continue to outdo themselves. This penchant has been kept up through her “The Drama” promotion tour, in which she’s donned several looks, making clever nods at wedding traditions, including the white silk Vivienne Westwood gown she wore to the 2015 Academy Awards for “something old” at the March 17 Los Angeles premiere, a custom Louis Vuitton gown for “something new” at the March 24 Paris premiere, and for “something borrowed,” she wore Cate Blanchett’s Giorgio Armani Privé black gown at the March 26 Rome premiere. Her “something blue” has yet to be seen. 
And just when fans of her fashion were left to accept this promotional tour for a film about a wedding week from hell might be the closest anyone will ever come to seeing Roach style Zendaya as a bride (as she’s rumored to have already wed Hollan), the pair did us all one better. They actually went and styled a bride.
On Monday, Feb. 9, during a special bridal appointment linked to the film, at Mark Ingram Atelier in New York City, engaged couple Alexandra Warren and KB White had the shock of their lives when the 47-year-old celebrity stylist and “The Drama” star, 29, crashed the dress appointment. 
“Sparkliest week of my life,” Warren wrote in the caption of a post on Instagram about the big day.  “KB and I exchanged rings (!) and then Zendaya bought my wedding dress (????) (!!) I am so lucky to have had an experience like this … out of this world.” 
The post included a carousel that began with a photo from Warren’s dress appointment, showing her in a sleeveless silk champagne-colored gown, champagne glass in hand, as she kisses White. Other images include a shot from the moment Warren was surprised by Zendaya and Roach, the actress reacting to Warren in a gown, the group celebrating, and the look of shock on their faces at having just met Zendaya and Roach. 
“It felt so good that they were both so excited to help me with this milestone decision,” Warren told People magazine about the moment. 
The dream moment unfolded after the couple won a special dress appointment connected to the film, which they initially saw as a way for Warren to start her dress shopping for the wedding, still a year out. Instead, the bride-to-be left with both the stamp of approval of one fashion’s biggest icons and her dress for her big day fully covered.   
A post shared by Alexandra Warren (@alexleewarren)
“We are still in disbelief at their generosity,” White told the outlet. 
The pair, who both work as public interest attorneys in New York and have a coworkers-to-friends-to-lovers relationship pipeline, recalled Warren trying on “the gown” and saying “yes” to the dress after both Roach and Zendaya signed off. Before she could worry about whether it was in their budget (it “totally” wasn’t), the couple received word that “it was covered.” 
“After both Law and Zendaya confirmed that they loved the dress I was wearing, Zendaya said, ‘By the way, it’s covered,’” Warren recalled. “KB and I were genuinely confused and asked what she meant, and she said she was paying for it. We literally gasped!”
Warren, a lover of fashion and gowns, said she always hopes to look beautiful for the major moments in her life. So, she said, it was a “dream come true” for her to have the one and only Law Roach sign off on her wedding gown and the Zendaya help her get it out the door.  
She added, “I still can’t believe it! I want to wear it every day for the rest of my life.”
“The Drama,” also starring Robert Pattison, arrives in theaters April 3.
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NCCU community mourns sophomore Zyarre Prince as conversations about bullying, cyberbullying, and mental health in college resurface.
This week, communities at North Carolina Central University (NCCU) are grieving the unexpected loss of sophomore Zyarre Prince. The HBCU’s chancellor, Karrie G. Dixon, announced in a message to the university on Sunday that Prince passed on Saturday, March 28. 
“It is with deep sadness that I inform you of the passing of Mr. Zyarre Prince, a sophomore student majoring in criminal justice,” Dixon wrote to the NCCU community. “A native of Maryland, Zyarre will be remembered as a vibrant presence on campus whose passion for fashion and self-expression left a lasting impression on all who encountered him. He represented his class with authenticity and style, having served as Mister Freshman for the 2024-2025 academic year.” 
“Most recently, he ran a commendable campaign for Mister Junior, during which his unique and fashion-forward formal wear was greatly admired. His poise, confidence, engaging personality, and genuine desire to be involved enriched our campus community, and his spirit will be deeply missed,” the statement continued. 
Though the chancellor’s statement did not mention Prince’s cause of death, ABC 11 reports that the sophomore died by suicide. Students attending a candlelight vigil for Prince on campus told the news outlet that they heard he may have experienced bullying. 
“I’ve been hearing it was bullying, but you never know the true thing with people’s minds and mental health,” one student told reporters. 
As students on campus call for stronger mental health resources, conversations online are also resurfacing the dangers of cyberbullying. Too often, discussions about bullying are framed as issues affecting middle and high school students. But in an era of anonymous apps and platforms like Fizz and Sidechat, those harms don’t simply disappear once students reach college. In many ways, they evolve.
Research over the years has shown that bullying and cyberbullying persist on college campuses, but often with less visibility. A 2025 report examining bullying among college students found that incidents at the university level are significantly underreported compared to those in K–12 settings. Unlike high schools, where adult supervision is constant, college students are often expected to navigate interpersonal conflict on their own. And while that independence can be formative, it can also leave gaps.
As reports of student suicides and mental health struggles continue to surface nationwide, advocates say those gaps point to a need for more accessible, proactive support systems on campus.
In light of Prince’s passing, NCCU told ABC11 that it “does not condone bullying or any other forms of harassment.” 
“The university has a very accessible process for students to report abusive behavior, and uses these reports to investigate and take the appropriate actions to foster a safe and inclusive campus environment,” the statement continued. “During this difficult time, students are encouraged to seek support as needed. NCCU’s Counseling Center held open office hours from 2 p.m.-4:45 p.m. today and will do so again on Wednesday. Generally, counseling appointments can be scheduled by calling (919) 530-7646 or visiting the Student Health Building, second floor, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Drop-in hours are available Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. After-hours support is available evenings, weekends, and university holidays through the same number.” 
Still, as the NCCU Student Government Association noted in a statement, moments like this extend beyond policy and protocol. They serve as a reminder of the weight our words can carry, whether spoken face-to-face or posted online.
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April 1, 2026
This conversation is crucial for young men
By Lillien Cirrino
North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University’s Spring 2026 edition of the Chancellor’s Speaker Series will host actor Michael Ealy on Tuesday, April 7, at 6 p.m. in Harrison Auditorium for “Quarter Zips and Matcha Moods,” while alum Christian Robinson will facilitate the conversation.
Tickets for the speaker series are now available at the University Ticket Office in Brown Hall. This event is free and open to the public.
The name “Quarter Zips and Matcha Moods” references a social media trend in which young Black men are depicted wearing quarter zips with an iced matcha latte in hand—symbolizing their multidimensional identity and style.

The discussion will focus primarily on responsibility, intentionality, lifestyle, and goals for college-aged men, and explore how these areas influence development and maturity. This conversation is crucial for young men to be having amid this ever-changing digital era.
Ealy is best known for his roles in Barbershop, 2 Fast 2 Furious, Takers, and Think Like a Man, and will star in Amazon Prime Video’s upcoming limited series The Greatest, about the legendary boxer and civil rights leader Muhammad Ali. In addition to acting, he has served as an executive producer and starred as the title character in the 2015 Sony thriller The Perfect Guy, which opened No. 1 at the box office, and earned him an NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture.
Robinson, the moderator for this event, earned his B.S. in economics in 2012 from A&T. During his time at A&T, Robinson was fully immersed in his collegiate journey, serving as SGA president, which was one of his many foundations for his work at the U.S. Department of Education under the Obama administration, where he worked in various positions. Robinson is now an attorney who focuses on advising startup founders.
RELATED CONTENT: Michael Ealy Talks New Movie, Ideal Dates
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The “large hole” where the White House’s East Wing previously stood, and where a large ballroom might one day rise Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI Credit: UPI/Alamy Live News
“The President of the United States is the steward of the White House for future generations of First Families. He is not, however, the owner!” reads a pointed opinion handed down Tuesday (31 March) by Washington, DC, district court judge Richard J. Leon, halting further construction on president Donald Trump’s East Wing ballroom project—apart from any work necessary for safety and security reasons—until it receives congressional approval.
The 35-page ruling—which includes 19 exclamation points, perhaps as a nod to the president’s favourite punctuation mark—comes just two days ahead of a planned meeting of the National Capital Planning Commission on 2 April, when the project is expected to clear its final administrative hurdle. White House lawyers were given 14 days to file an appeal to the injunction, which they did within a few hours. Based on comments made by Judge Leon during arguments, it is expected that the case could end up being heard by the Supreme Court.
The decision was welcomed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration soon after the East Wing was demolished, and amended its complaint after it was dismissed. “This is a win for the American people on a project that forever impacts one of ​the most beloved and iconic places in our nation,” said Carol Quillen, the National Trust’s president and chief executive.
Taking to his networking platform, Truth Social, Trump decried the outcome in a circuitous post that also brought up the Kennedy Center and the US Federal Reserve building, questioning why the National Trust had sued him while “all of the many DISASTERS in our Country are left alone to die. Doesn’t make much sense, does it?”
“This case, in essence, is about whether the President has the authority to build a ballroom on White House grounds with private funds without seeking authorisation from Congress,” Judge Leon wrote in his opinion, citing the US constitution as evidence for why that is invalid. “Together, the Property Clause, the Appropriations Clause and the District Clause establish Congress’s primacy over federal property, spending and the District of Columbia.”
The government’s reading of the law “assumes that Congress has granted nearly unlimited power to the President to construct anything, anywhere on federal land in the District of Columbia, regardless of the source of funds”, the judge writes. “This clearly is not how Congress and former Presidents have managed the White House for centuries, and this Court will not be the first to hold that Congress has ceded its powers in such a significant fashion!”
The judge criticised the government’s main argument in its defense of the ballroom’s construction: that a federal statute allows the president to make repairs, alterations and improvements to the executive residence at the White House up to a Congressionally approved sum of nearly $2.5m. “Defendants point to ‘alteration’ and ‘improvement’, arguing that these terms are ‘capacious’ and permit the President to ‘modify’ the White House and ‘make [it] better’, including by constructing entirely new buildings like the ballroom,” Judge Leon wrote. “A brazen interpretation, indeed!”
The list of actions the president is authorised to take to maintain the White House includes words like “care, maintenance, repair” and “air-conditioning, heating and lighting”, the judge pointed out, which “bring to mind things like replacing the lightbulbs, fixing broken furniture and changing the wallpaper, not wholesale demolition of entire buildings and construction of new ones”.
The judge also dismissed the government’s argument that construction delays would undermine national security. “While I take seriously the Government’s concerns regarding the safety and security of the White House grounds and the President himself,” Judge Leon writes, “the existence of a ‘large hole’ beside the White House is, of course, a problem of the President’s own making!”
The judge decided that until congress blesses the project, construction must stop.
“The President may at any time go to Congress to obtain express authority to construct a ballroom and to do so with private funds. Indeed, Congress may even choose to appropriate funds for the ballroom, or at least decide that some other funding scheme is acceptable. Either way, Congress will thereby retain its authority over the nation’s property and its oversight over the Government’s spending. The National Trust’s interests in a constitutional and lawful process will be vindicated. And the American people will benefit from the branches of Government exercising their constitutionally prescribed roles,” the judge wrote. “Not a bad outcome, that!”

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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Amid skyrocketing gas prices, which are now averaging more than $4 a gallon, President Trump called it a “short-term increase” until the U.S. withdraws from the Middle East.
President Donald Trump delivered a primetime televised speech on Wednesday night, claiming victory in the war in Iran and promising Americans that the U.S. military operation in the Middle East will soon end and that high gas prices will come down.
“We are going to finish the job, and we’re going to finish it very fast. We’re getting very close,” Trump said a month after launching “Operation Epic Fury.”
The president said his joint war with Israel was necessary to combat Iran’s attempts to rebuild its nuclear program, claiming that Iran was close to having “missiles that could reach the American homeland, Europe, and virtually any other place on earth.”
“They had some weapons that nobody believed they had,” said Trump, even though his Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, told Congress last month that there had been no efforts by Iran to rebuild its nuclear enrichment program after a separate military operation ordered by Trump last summer was claimed to have “obliterated” it.
Amid skyrocketing gas prices, which are now averaging more than $4 a gallon, President Trump acknowledged, “Many Americans have been concerned to see the recent rise in gasoline prices here at home.” He called it a “short-term increase” and vowed that when the conflict is over, the Strait of Hormuz–which the Iranians are currently blocking and driving up oil markets–will “open up naturally.”
“They are going to want to be able to sell oil, because that’s all they have to try and rebuild. It will resume the flowing and the gas prices will rapidly come back down,” claimed the president, who said the U.S. would, over the next two to three weeks, “bring them back to the stone ages, where they belong.” He also said diplomatic discussions with Iran amid the war are “ongoing.”
Despite Trump’s remarks and assurances, it remains to be seen when the U.S. will withdraw troops from Iran and when the economic pains caused by the war will actually end.
“President Trump left the American people less clear today on the path to leaving the Middle East and ending the war than they were at the start of his speech. We wanted to know why this was worth the financial and human capital this continues to cost us,” said Victor LaGroon, a U.S. Army veteran who worked as an intelligence analyst and a former Biden administration official.
LaGroon told theGrio, “Instead, we heard a disjointed run-on speech that was less about a strategy and more about his legacy and varied justifications on why he’s forced us into a needless war none of us can afford, while everyday Americans can no longer afford the American dream.”
According to polling, most Americans do not support the U.S. war in Iran and blame Trump for rising gas prices.
“Donald Trump’s actions in Iran will be considered one of the greatest policy blunders in the history of our country, failing to articulate objectives, alienating allies, and ignoring the kitchen table problems Americans are facing,” said U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer after Trump’s remarks.
Asha Castleberry-Hernandez, a national security expert and former U.S. Army veteran who worked in the Middle East, told theGrio that even if Trump backs out of Iran, there is a potential “loss for the United States” should Iran continue to control the Strait of Hormuz, where more than 20% of the world’s oil flows.
“It still impacts us in terms of the pain at the pump, the gas prices. It still impacts our commercial activities,” said Castleberry-Hernandez, who is the founder of the Diversity in National Security Network.
Trump said on Wednesday night that European and Asian countries that rely on the oil moving through the Strait of Hormuz should “take care” of the passage and protect the oil “they so desperately depend on.” He said of the United States, “We don’t need it.”
Castleberry-Hernandez notes that, as unpopular as the war is in the U.S., it is even more unpopular overseas among U.S. allies, who were not briefed by the U.S. before launching strikes in Iran. “If they do get involved, I think it’s going to be really limited, or it’s going to be nothing,” she said.
Despite President Trump’s assurance that the war will soon come to a close, Castleberry-Hernandez warns that his vow to hit Iran hard over the next few weeks sounds “more escalatory,” which could prolong the war. The national security expert said other prolonging factors include failed diplomacy, as the deployment of more troops could make it more difficult to negotiate with Iran.
Ultimately, she said, Iran’s intent is to “prolong” the war so that the United States, Israel, and other countries can “feel the brunt of the economic cause.”
Though Trump yet again attacked his predecessor, former President Barack Obama’s 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which included the return of $1.7 billion of Iran’s previously sanctioned money, Castlberry said, “The deal worked.” However, after Trump terminated the deal during his first term in office and is now engaged in war during his second term, she said the conditions are “different.”
“If Trump wanted to negotiate a new deal, it would be harder to get a deal like Obama’s. In fact, it would be worse because of the fact that there is new leadership [in Iran],” said Castleberry-Hernandez. “There are a lot more hardliners. And then also he’s going through military action and killed 40 of Iran’s leaders.”
She added, “That is worse than being able to do what we did through the Iran deal, where we’re using diplomacy, we used the international community to verify and check that they were not growing their [nuclear] program.”
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“Even though the executive order is patently illegal, it could still have devastating consequences,” says Damon Hewitt, president and executive director of Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.
President Donald Trump‘s latest attempt to control federal elections is being slammed by Black leaders who warn his new executive order targeting citizenship verification and mail-in voting will create more barriers to the ballot for Black voters and other marginalized groups.
The order, “Ensuring Citizenship Verification and Integrity in Federal Elections,” signed on Tuesday, establishes a federally run “State Citizenship List” of eligible voters to be compiled and transmitted to state election officials. The list would be determined by federal records at the Social Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security. The executive order also instructs the United States Postal Service to generate custom ballot envelopes and barcodes for eligible mail-in ballots to reduce “the risk of fraud and protect the integrity of Federal elections.”
The White House set hard deadlines for this summer for the affected agencies to implement President Trump’s order, just months ahead of this November’s consequential midterm elections. As Trump’s approval ratings hit record lows and the cost of living continues to skyrocket amid the president’s war in Iran, Republicans in Congress are expected to see major losses as voters reject their, and by proxy, Trump’s leadership over the past year and a half.
“Right now, Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress are deploying every tactic imaginable to suppress the power of the people in a desperate effort to maintain control in Washington. The executive order signed by President Trump is an unlawful and unconstitutional attempt to dictate who in this country is allowed to vote,” the Congressional Black Caucus said in a statement. “This sweeping order would allow the Trump Administration to unilaterally determine voter eligibility, intimidate state election officials through politically motivated investigations, and jeopardize the privacy of millions of law-abiding Americans. It would also disenfranchise Black and other minority voters, women, young people, individuals with disabilities, and older Americans.
Trump has taken several actions to seemingly ensure victory for his party on Nov. 3. To date, he has called on Republican-controlled states to redraw congressional maps in their favor mid-decade, despite new maps not scheduled to be redrawn until 2030; and he has pushed Republicans in Congress to pass the SAVE America Act, which would require proof of citizenship for all voters in federal elections. The president has also sought to get access to voters’ personal data from states and ordered the FBI to seize 2020 election ballots from a Fulton County election office in Atlanta.
Damon Hewitt, president and executive director of Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, said Trump’s order is anti-democratic and is intended to “intimidate voters” and sow “confusion in the process.”
“By attempting to create a voter database, Trump is once again treading on the Constitution. This is a blatant effort to single out Americans to question their eligibility and silence their political voice,” said Hewitt. The civil rights attorney also said the president does not have the authority to restrict the use of mail-in ballots.
“This is a clear overreach of executive power and a direct threat to the fundamental right to vote. The Constitution does not grant the president unilateral authority to dictate how Americans cast their ballots—this power rests with the states and Congress. Efforts to undermine lawful, widely used voting methods are both legally suspect and deeply harmful to our democracy,” said Hewitt. “Even though the executive order is patently illegal, it could still have devastating consequences. We anticipate a large number of Black voters and other people of color who were eligible to vote in many past elections will be wrongfully excluded from the so-called approved vote-by-mail lists.” 
Maya Wiley, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, said the president’s latest action to ensure so-called election integrity is actually “an attempt to take your voice, take your vote, and predetermine outcomes by placing new barriers between people and the ballot — particularly for Black communities and other historically marginalized voters.”
Wiley noted that the executive order would drown states in administrative costs at a time when they are already “absorbing the consequences of this administration’s abandonment of its obligations to the American people: cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, food assistance, housing support, and education.”
The civil rights attorney urged state attorneys general and election officials to fight the Trump administration in court against what she described as an “attempt to centralize control over the ballot under the guise of security, using tools that don’t work, data that isn’t trustworthy, and deadlines designed to guarantee failure and invite federal punishment.”
Wiley added, “Taken together, these actions reveal a clear strategy: instead of earning the trust and votes of the American people, this administration is trying to hand-pick the electorate itself.”
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The lawsuit, filed by musicians Joshua Fraustro and Miguel Aguilar, alleged that Cardi B’s track copied elements from their 2021 song “Greasy Frybread.”
Rapper Cardi B has secured a legal victory after a federal judge in Texas dismissed a copyright infringement lawsuit tied to her 2024 single “Enough (Miami).”
The lawsuit, filed in July 2024 by musicians Joshua Fraustro and Miguel Aguilar, who perform as Kemikal 956, alleged that Cardi B’s track copied elements from their 2021 song “Greasy Frybread.” The plaintiffs claimed their song had gained recognition, including use in promotional material for the FX series “Reservation Dogs,” according to Music Business Worldwide.
However, U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. dismissed the case, primarily on jurisdictional grounds. The court found that Texas was not the proper venue to bring the lawsuit. Cardi B, whose legal name is Belcalis Almanzar, resides in New Jersey, while her label Atlantic Records and parent company Warner Music Group are based in New York and incorporated in Delaware.
The plaintiffs argued that Cardi B’s performances in Texas established jurisdiction, but the court rejected that claim. Judge Rodriguez noted that her concerts in Texas were part of broader national tours and did not specifically target the state. Similarly, the availability of her music through streaming platforms in Texas was not considered unique, as the same distribution applied nationwide.
Beyond jurisdiction, the court also found significant flaws in the plaintiffs’ legal claims. Notably, Fraustro and Aguilar did not have a registered copyright for “Greasy Frybread” at the time they filed the lawsuit, a critical requirement for pursuing copyright infringement claims. They only secured a copyright in October 2025, more than a year after initiating legal action.
The judge further ruled that even if jurisdiction had been appropriate, the claims would still fail due to insufficient evidence. Attempts by the plaintiffs to reframe their allegations under Texas state laws, including unfair competition and defamation, were also dismissed. The court determined that those claims were effectively preempted by federal copyright law and lacked specific supporting details.
In addition, the court barred the plaintiffs from amending their complaint again, stating that further revisions would be futile.
The ruling effectively ends the case in Texas, marking a clear legal win for Cardi B and her label.
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