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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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“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 Netflix special pulls back the curtains on one of the most wild stories the NBA has ever seen.
Most know Lamar Odom as a versatile forward and two-time Los Angeles Lakers champion, while others remember his high-profile marriage to Khloé Kardashian and very public struggles. But Untold: The Death & Life of Lamar Odom, which premiered March 31, goes far beyond the headlines, offering a much rawer look at his story.
Before this doc, most people had the broad outlines of Lamar’s life memorized: the NBA success, the Kardashian era, the addiction, the 2015 overdose, and the long, painful road back. What the documentary does is fill in the ugly details between those public checkpoints. It gives more space to the trauma that shaped him, the damage his addiction did to the people closest to him, and the ways fame made an already fragile situation even messier. That’s what makes these revelations hit harder: they don’t just rehash what we knew, they expose how much was happening behind the scenes while the world thought it already had the full story.
And that’s really where the biggest bombshells land. The doc is not just Lamar revisiting his past for the cameras; it’s family members, Khloé, and people close to him pulling the curtain back on moments that were either misunderstood or never fully told in the first place. Here are some of the revelations that stand out the most.
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According to PEOPLE, one of the wildest reveals is Lamar flat-out admitting that marrying Khloé Kardashian was also about access. In the documentary, he says part of the deal was basically that if he was going to do this, he wanted in on the celebrity lifestyle too. That does not mean the relationship was fake, but it does add a colder, more calculated layer to one of the most talked-about celebrity marriages of that era. It also backs up Khloé’s painful takeaway that he was using the relationship to continue living a bigger, flashier life.
For years, the rushed wedding felt like one of those celebrity moments everybody just accepted at face value. The doc makes it sound much sadder than glamorous. PageSix reports that Lamar says his children were not allowed to come, but Destiny and LJ push back on that version and say they either were not properly told ot did not want to be part of a big televised spectacle. His aunt also says none of the family was invited. That turns the wedding from a fairytale pop culture moment into something that left real hurt inside Lamar’s family from day one.
Another major gut punch is how openly Khloé talks about protecting Lamar while he was spiraling. The documentary makes clear that she was not just standing by him emotionally; she was cleaning up messes, hiding the reality of his drug use, and doing whatever she could to keep his image from completely collapsing in public. That kind of honesty reframes their marriage in a major way, because it shows how much labor she was doing behind closed doors while the public mostly saw the polished TV version of their relationship.

The doc does not dance around the breaking point. PageSix reports that Khloé says she reached the stage where it was rehab or divorce, and Lamar still could not fully let the drugs go. That lands as one of the clearest explanations yet for why the relationship finally broke beyond repair. For all the love between them, the documentary makes it plain that addiction kept winning, and that reality crushed whatever chance they had of making it through as husband and wife.

Most people remember the shock of Lamar being found unresponsive at a Nevada brothel, but the documentary hammers home just how close this came to ending his life. After the overdose, he suffered 12 strokes and six heart attacks, slipped into a coma, and required months of rehabilitation. Those details turn an already infamous moment into something even more horrifying. It was not just a scandal or a rock-bottom headline; it was a near-death experience that completely wrecked his body.
This might be the most heartbreaking revelation in the entire documentary. The project does not just focus on Lamar’s survival; it shows what that moment felt like for his kids. According to PageSix, Destiny and LJ had to confront the possibility that their father was dying, and the emotional weight of that lingers over the whole story. It is one thing to talk about addiction in abstract terms, but the doc makes you sit with what it did to the people who loved him most.

This is one of the craziest details tied to the overdose aftermath. According to Khloé’s account in the documentary per Page Six, when Lamar was in a coma after the Nevada brothel overdose, his father Joe wanted doctors to stop life support. The film goes even further, with Khloe claiming he backed off only after she gave him $100 and a pair of sneakers. That is an absolutely jaw-dropping story, and it adds another layer of dysfunction and trauma to Lamar’s family history.
A lot of overdose coverage focused on whether he would live, but the doc gets painfully specific about what survival looked like. PEOPLE says that Lamar says that after waking up, he could not walk, could not talk properly, and could not control his bowels. He descriées nurses checking his diaper and Khloe helping him clean himself up. That is a shocking revelation because it removes any allure or detachment from that moment and reveals how physically devastated he truly was.
One of the most brutal reveals is that surviving the overdose did not magically fix anything. Khloé stayed by his side through months of rehab and recovery, but the documentary says he relapsed again after being discharged. She later found him smoking crack in a home she was paying for, which drove home that not even a near-death scare had fully broken the cycle. That explains why their final split carried so much pain: by then, love was no longer enough to save what addiction kept tearing apart.

This is less a single shocking scene and more a huge emotional reveal: the documentary does not try to clean Lamar up. He openly accepts that he was a bad father and an even worse partner, which is not something most athlete docs are brave enough to leave sitting there without a neat redemption bow. That honesty is a bombshell because it makes the story feel less like spin and more like a confession.
The documentary also leans hard into the losses that shaped him before fame fully hit: his father’s heroin addiction, his mother dying of colon cancer when he was 10, and the death of his infant son Jayden in 2006. None of that is technically “new” information by itself, but the way the doc ties those tragedies directly to his later addiction and emotional chaos makes it land like a fresh revelation. It gives viewers a much fuller explanation of why Lamar was carrying so much pain long before the Kardashian era.

Will YOU be watching the Untold: The Death & Life of Lamar Odom documentary on Netflix?
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Lamar Odom Admits Marrying For The Kardashian Lifestyle, Details Facing Family Fallout In Netflix’s ‘Untold’ was originally published on bossip.com
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March 31, 2026
Fun-Diggity Funnel-Cakes Founder Cheyenne Brown said it was time to bring funnel cakes to Compton outside of seasonal fairs and the long trips to amusement parks.
Compton native Cheyenne Brown remembers the exact moment she fell in love with funnel cakes. It was during her cousin’s birthday party at Knott’s Berry Farm when Brown was only 10 years old.
“I just remember seeing people walking around with this cake, and you can smell the vanilla batter in the air,” she tells BLACK ENTERPRISE.
Funnel cakes are a core childhood memory for Brown, representing celebratory moments. When she finally got a car in college, she traveled to an amusement park about 30 minutes away from her home in Compton, paid for parking and a park ticket simply to purchase a funnel cake to celebrate the end of midterm exams. That’s why it comes as no surprise that when it was time to give back to her community of Compton, she decided to give them the sweetest thing she’s ever known.
The long drives outside of Compton for a funnel cake ignited a new mission for Brown, who began thinking about ways to give back to Compton, her first love.
Giving back was instilled in Brown at a very young age as she competed in various beauty pageants in Los Angeles as a toddler. She took a hiatus from pageant life in middle school until the Miss Compton competition was announced. For the first time in years, Brown felt compelled to enter the competition.
“The mission really stuck with me,” said Brown. “It was about changing the negative stereotypes attached to Compton. I wanted to be a part of that.”
Gangs. Violence. Illiteracy. These are just some of the misconceptions about Compton that frustrated a young Brown.
“A lot of talent comes out of Compton. We are a driven community that may be small, but it’s mighty,” she added. “I think people forget that Compton is situated in the middle of all of Los Angeles. We are truly the heart of the county.”
Her love and passion for Compton is what propelled her to win the title of Miss Compton in 2014. Despite all the excitement from winning the pageant, Brown continued to think about community service. She didn’t want the work to stop, which is the foundation of her funnel cake pop-up and brand Fun-Diggity Funnel-Cake Mix.
After driving nearly 30 miles in one day for a funnel cake, Brown decided it was time to bring the fried-dough treat to her neighborhood outside of seasonal fairs and the long trips to amusement parks. It was also time for Brown to make some money in college. For six months straight, Brown went on a learning spree to perfect funnel cakes. Then, in 2016, she pitched the idea of a funnel cake pop-up shop to her mom while she was a senior. The first pop-up event was at Brown’s mom’s home.
“[The pop-up] was amazing,” Brown recalled of her first one. “I think it had a lot to do with me already having a platform and being a public figure in my community. The event started with just friends and family because I was still nervous. I had a lot of self-doubt.”
Her support system gave her the encouragement she needed because soon after, she started an Instagram account, where the brand took off thanks to word of mouth and community support. Five years after launching Fun-Diggity Funnel-Cakes, she created Fun-Diggity Funnel-Cake Mix in 2021, thanks to a grant from Grid110.
For Brown, creating a retail product from scratch meant navigating a new world that she felt was a necessary pivot amid the pandemic.
“I used that grant money to find a manufacturer and create a formula,” said Brown. “I’m a self- entrepreneur. So, all of this was new to me, but it allowed my customers to be immersed in the process with me from day one.”
Creating a funnel cake formula is just the beginning for Brown and her plans. She is also currently working on a vegan funnel cake mix recipe, which was made possible from prize money she received from participating in the second season of the reality show 60 Day Hustle.  Brown and other entrepreneurs were competing for $100,000. They had access to experts, investors, mentors, and millionaires, who taught them valuable lessons for scaling their companies.
“I learned how to articulate my message because I had never pitched my brand to investors before,” said Brown. “I learned a lot about articulating my message, how to make things clear and concise, and how to focus.”
Brown walked away as a finalist, earning a $12,500 grant from ZenBusiness. This win validated everything she has been building. While she didn’t take home the top prize, she will be the first to tell you that she gained the ability to speak her brand’s language fluently.
As for what’s next for Brown, she wants Fun-Diggity Funnel-Cakes to be a household name. Similar to what Jiffy is to cornbread, she wants Fun-Diggity Funnel-Cake mix to be to funnel cakes.
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Left: the Cameroonian Restitution Commission visits Berlin’s Ethnological Museum in 2023. Right: the female figure known as Ngonnso, which has not yet been returned to Cameroon despite a pledge by the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation being made in 2022
© SPK / Foto: Tom Christen; © Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Ethnologisches Museum / Eric Hesmerg
The German government and 16 states have agreed to set up a council to oversee the restitution of cultural property and human remains in public collections that were acquired in a colonial context.
The new panel, known as the Coordination Council for Returns of Cultural Property and Human Remains from Colonial Contexts, will include representatives of the central government, states and municipal authorities, according to a statement. The statement was released by 16 state culture ministers and representatives of Germany’s foreign ministry and culture ministry, following a meeting yesterday (30 March).
Germany’s culture minister Wolfram Weimer described the new council as “an important step in responsibly handling cultural property and human remains from colonial contexts” that will help “shape ongoing and future restitution processes more effectively”. The new council will also coordinate with counterparts in receiving countries, according to the 30 March statement.
The German states and government agreed in 2019 to repatriate artefacts in public collections that were taken “in ways that are legally or morally unjustifiable today” from former colonies, describing their return as “an ethical and moral duty”. They also agreed to create structures to facilitate restitutions and called on institutions in possession of such property to conduct provenance research.
Several countries, including Cameroon, Tanzania, Ghana and Togo have set up state structures and restitution bodies in response to moves by western museums to return artefacts acquired in the colonial era. These bodies are keen to take up dialogue with a central German authority, yesterday’s statement said.
Museums in Germany not only acquired items expropriated from the German colonies in Africa, but also—via purchases and gifts—artefacts looted from territories under the rule of other European nations.
In 2022, the government, states and museums transferred ownership of more than 1,100 Benin bronzes from five museum collections to Nigeria, making Germany the first country to return hundreds of items looted in the British raid on the Kingdom of Benin in 1897. In 2024, the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation transferred ownership of 23 objects to Namibia, a former German colony.
A study published in 2023 found that German museums of world cultures hold 40,000 objects from Cameroon, more than exist within the entire African collection of the British Museum. The Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation agreed in 2022 to restitute a female figure known as Ngonnso that originated from the historical kingdom of Nso’ in northwest Cameroon and has great spiritual significance to the Nso’ community.
The transfer of ownership, however, has not yet taken place, as is the case with other pending restitutions by German institutions to countries including Ghana and Tanzania.
The agreement—signed by the two countries in July—involves the return of 1,100 objects in total
Cameroon has set up a restitutions committee to work with the museums
More than 1,100 looted items will be transferred though some artefacts will remain on loan to German museums
Guidelines for returning objects looted from former colonies and during the Nazi period are laid out in a report commissioned by Emmanuel Macron and written by former Louvre director Jean-Luc Martinez

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Of course we’d save this for Women’s History Month! Take a look as we dive into the dresses and trends of the 2026 wedding season.
There’s never a bad time to become a bride! That’s why we decided to close out Women’s History Month on a beautiful note with our official bridal guide for the lucky ladies of 2026.
We got a fall preview at the top trends a few months back that will be popping up in wedding ceremonies for the foreseeable seasons: it’s all about lace, lightweight, languid and most important of all lovely. During a sunny October week in New York, we spent a day in bridal world by first getting an early morning preview by MILLA NOVA with its Set In Momento couture collection, and another aptly titled La Maison Rose. Then it was off to a runway presentation atop NYC’s breathtaking One World Observatory as Ukrainian bridal houses WONÁ Concept and Eva Lendel previewed new bridal collections for New York Bridal Fashion Week. Just before sunset, we ended day 1 with Claire Pettibone and a quite romantic preview of The Archive Collection, a true devotion to the beauty of a bride. We finally closed things out the next day with VICTOR dE SOUZA and a bridal range that not only looked good but smelled phenomenal thanks to the venue choice of his flagship store, Emanuel New York.
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The joint presentation by WONÁ Concept and Eva Lendel couldn’t have been planned better. The weather, daylight timing, astoundingly beautiful models and equally eye-catching ensembles all seemed to work in tandem with one another. Overall, it was a shared vision of modern femininity with a couture finish. Cherry-red florals adorned the runway for added emphasis, which translated onto the models themselves as each adorned faux floral tattoos that gave the looks a hint of edge. From silk chiffon mint gowns and architectural cage corsetry to intricate lace detailing, it was certainly a sight to see.
Italian silks, mikado and organza made for standout fabrics used throughout the execution.

Claire Pettibone used the grand occasion of The Archive Collection to celebrate 20 years and counting at the forefront of bridal fashion. Romance is at the core in terms of inspiration, with homage paid to Claire’s affinity for all things beautiful from a bride’s perspective. Vintage themes inspired the gown designs, particularly as it relates to feminine lace and hand-painted florals for extra artistic flair.
The themes you see below come in the form of “Memory,” “Cherish,” “Midnight,” “Forget-Me-Not,” “Toulouse” and “Treasure.”
Victor de Souza, famed bridal designer of NYC-based perfumery Emanuel New York, showcased one impressively couture bridal range for the 2026 season. He specifically looked to the Victorian era with a modern twist, going to the length of selecting 19th century fashion killa Princess Alexandra of Wales as an overall muse.
The style story plays out in the silk floral jacquard offerings, in addition to tailored trousers, tulle petals and sequins. These blend into popular choices in detailing like lace, ruffles and monochrome textures you see many brands trying to execute. With Victor, he simply just does it.

Milla Nova not only stood out with its wide offerings, they also allowed us exclusive access to see some of the looks from a melanated perspective. We played with styling from its Set in Momento collection, inspired by Hollywood sirens like Josephine Baker and Grace Kelly, and also dived into the La Maison Rose range that takes beauty tips from the romantic Roseraie de la Normandie near Rouen, France.
It would be the 1989 wedding gown that belonged to head designer Juliana’s mother that inspired the collection at whole. From there, experimentation with 3D florals, delicate rosettes and removable appliqués made it feel modern and fun overall.
We sure got pleasure in putting our own special spin on the preview. We hope you enjoy as well!!

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Political discourse about the two parties on race in America is dangerous without historical and present-day context, experts and scholars tell theGrio.
Recent remarks from comedian and actor Nick Cannon about the Democratic Party being the “Party of the KKK” and the Republican Party as the party that “freed the slaves” are igniting a political discourse that scholars warn is dangerous for Black Americans without historical and present-day context.
“It’s such a false understanding of partisan politics, party evolution, and realignment politics. These old tropes of like the Republicans are the party that freed the slaves…that is absolutely such an antiquated understanding and a false representation of present-day politics,” said Dr. Christina M. Greer, a professor of political science at Fordham University.
In conversation with model Amber Rose, who is a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump, Cannon said, “People don’t know that the Democrats are the party of the KKK,” adding, “People don’t know that the Republicans are the party that freed the slaves.”
The 45-year-old entertainer shared, “I honestly don’t subscribe to neither party. I rock with W.E.B Du Bois when he said there’s no such thing as two parties. It’s just one evil party with two different names.”
Dr. Alvin B. Tillery Jr., a professor of political science and African-American studies at Northwestern University, tells theGrio that Cannon’s oversimplistic history lesson on the United States’s two political parties is “irresponsible” because it not only lacks context, but also ignores the ways in which the present Republican leader, President Donald Trump, is “committed to authoritarianism with regard to race relations.”
Tillery said Trump is “turning the clock back,” pointing to his efforts to weaken the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, including using his “private army” (the FBI) to “steal ballots” in the upcoming midterm elections this November.
“If that’s the one reason [Cannon’s] with Trump. I mean, Trump’s the party of the modern KKK,” said Dr. Tillery. “The modern Republican Party became the party of racism, white supremacy, and the Democratic Party became a party where Black people are uneasily accepted but not embraced enough.”
Cannon’s remarks about the Republican Party freeing formerly enslaved Black Americans are factual. Republican President Abraham Lincoln, a Republican and the 12th president of the United States, emancipated enslaved Blacks in 1863 through the Emancipation Proclamation. In 1865, the majority-Republican Congress passed the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which abolished slavery, “except as a punishment for crime.”
Dr. Greer notes that the Republican Party’s abolition of slavery was notable for “economic reasons” and “not moral.” Republicans of the 1860s believed that slavery negatively impacted the economic potential of white farmers and laborers and the advancement of industrial agriculture for the purposes of capitalism.
“Republicans have shifted during the New Deal, during the Great Society, during the Nixon era, during the Reagan era. This type of republicanism has drastically changed, and now with Donald Trump, we’ve got this false Neo-Christian, white nationalist version of republicanism that actually has nothing to do with the party that advocated for the abolishment of slavery.”
Post-reconstruction, the Republican and Democratic parties began to evolve and, in many cases, disintegrate over matters of race in America. In the 1940s, President Harry S. Truman, a Democrat, attracted Black Americans with his New Deal policies, which were economic engines for them. And despite much opposition, in 1948, President Truman signed an executive order to racially integrate the U.S. military. During the 1960s, the Democratic Party frequently engaged with Black civil rights leaders who advocated for the end of disenfranchisement and voting rights.
Dr. Tillery said that while the Ku Klux Klan may have been an “adjunct of the historical Democratic Party in the decades following slavery’s abolishment, by the 20th century, leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Fannie Lou Hamer, John Lewis, and Rev. Jesse Jackson had turned the Democratic Party “toward the interests of Black people.”
Dr. King frequently met with President John F. Kennedy at the White House and convinced the Democratic president to support the Civil Rights Act before JFK was ultimately assassinated. President Lyndon B. Johnson was equally compelled to support the 1965 Voting Rights Act.
Tillery, the Northwestern professor, said the Democratic Party’s shift on race was especially pronounced after the passage of the 1972 McGovern-Fraser reforms, which changed the Democratic Party’s nomination and primary system, leading to greater Black representation and the prioritization of policies impacting Black Americans.
Dr. Tillery admits that “Black people have a very uneasy relationship with the Democratic Party.” He tells theGrio that it’s because the party has never been “progressive enough.”
“It has not been strong enough at defending our rights,” he says. However, by contrast, Dr. Tillery notes that the Republican Party had grown to embrace the “old Confederate ethos.”
By 1964, the Republican Party had split into its moderate/liberal and conservative wings, with the latter led by Republican presidential nominee, then-U.S. Senator Barry Goldwater, whose campaign was explicitly racist and attracted white segregationists.
“He ran against the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and that reset the party positions. The modern Republican Party became the party of racism, white supremacy, and the Democratic Party became a party where Black people are uneasily accepted but not embraced enough,” said Dr. Tillery.
Dr. Greer, the Fordham University professor, tells theGrio that the Democratic Party is “far from perfect.” However, she explained, “But we can also look at the types of support that they’re giving to Black candidates who are trying to run to do better things in their communities.” She said the party has proven its commitment through investments in public education, specifically HBCUs.
Both political science professors note that while celebrity voices like Nick Cannon, Amber Rose, and Nicki Minaj would like to praise Donald Trump and the Republican Party, their actual policies today are a huge departure from the anti-slavery party of Lincoln in 1865.
“The Republican Party of today is unrecognizable, even if we do want to go with that sort of lazy, low-hanging fruit trope that they’re the same party. The Republican Party of today is the antithesis of a progressive politic, when it comes to not just Black people, but anyone non-white,” said Dr. Greer.
She pointed to policies like the Trump administration and the Republican Party’s cuts to federal student loan opportunities and attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion, which were intended to “level a very unlevel and unfair playing field.”
“Under Democratic tenure, we didn’t have 300,000 Black women specifically targeted and laid off. We didn’t have Black military officers targeted for demotion or lack of promotion or expulsion by changing rules about hair and beards,” said Greer. “The level to which this particular iteration of the Republican Party and this administration, in particular, has gone after Black people economically…the list goes on and on.”
As President Trump stares down another two years in office, Dr. Tillery warned, “Trump’s not going anywhere,” adding, “He’s not going anywhere, and he’s not going to stop with this kind of racial retrenchment, and we’ve got to do a better job of pushing back against it.”
While the Northwestern professor made clear that Cannon’s remarks were “ignorant,” he wished the comedian had not received “so much attention” for the statements.
“He has a responsibility, regardless of his views, to not spread disinformation about these parties based on his misread of U.S. history,” says Tillery. He added, “The fact that so many of our wealthy, powerful people have not gone through a traditional model to their wealth and power and privilege means that we don’t have elites in our community that are fully educated about our racial dynamics.”
Ultimately, Tillery said he agrees that Black Americans should hold both political parties accountable. However, he lamented, “For Black people, Black voters, that’s going to get harder and harder, because money drives political outcomes much more than it did even a decade ago, and we don’t have the resources to compete.”
He continued, “The other problem is there a lot of Black politicos and operatives who are so attached to the party they would never countenance what I’m saying.”
Tillery said historic and popular Black Democrats like former President Barack and former Vice President Kamala Harris get many Black operatives “charged up on defending the respectability of these people that they’ve worked for.”
He added, “They don’t ask any hard questions.”

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Kinyette Newman aims to become the first Black woman to win the Ms. Health & Fitness Hers title and magazine cover.
Urban One’s own Kinyette Newman is turning a deeply personal health journey into a historic bid to make fitness-magazine history and raise money for children’s cancer research.
Newman’s transformation began more than 20 years ago as she watched her mother battle breast cancer three separate times. Sitting beside her during chemotherapy, she picked up a book called “Walking in Divine Health,” a moment she describes as the spark that pushed her to change her life. Since then, the TV One enior Vice President of Production, Finance and Operations at has lost 65 pounds and, more importantly, kept it off for years while helping others pursue healthier lifestyles.
On the Carl Nelson Show, Newman shared how that season with her mother reshaped her priorities. She committed to food as fuel, daily movement, and a mindset rooted in faith, discipline, and community support. “Health is just so important to me,” she explains, noting how many loved ones she has seen struggle with preventable illness and how determined she is to model another path.
A New Relationship With Food
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Newman’s weight loss didn’t come from a quick-fix diet; it came from rethinking how she eats and why. Growing up in church and at family reunions, she was surrounded by the familiar staples of Black communal life—fried foods, rich gravies, and sugary desserts—but eventually realized those traditions were taking a toll on her body.
Today, she focuses on foods that “nourish” and “fuel” her. Her plate leans heavily on:
Instead of feeling deprived, Newman experiments with healthy substitutions. When she wants cake, she bakes it herself using almond flour and natural sweeteners. When a craving for fried chicken hits, she turns to her air fryer for that same crunch without the grease. For “ice cream,” she blends protein powder with almond milk, freezes it, and spins it in her machine until it becomes a creamy, high-protein treat.
That strategy—meeting cravings with creativity instead of guilt—has helped her maintain her loss long term while proving to friends, family, and colleagues that healthy eating can still feel like comfort.
Mindset, Discipline, and Community
Newman is candid that the work is ongoing. The key, she says, is mindset: once she changed how she thought about food and her body, everything else followed. She no longer sees herself as someone “on a diet,” but as a woman committed to stewarding her health so she can be fully present for her family, friends, and community.
She also relies on discipline, not willpower alone. By keeping certain foods out of regular rotation and building routines around her healthier favorites, she rarely feels tempted when she’s in a room full of fried fish and sugary sides. Just as important, she frames health as a communal responsibility—something we owe to ourselves and each other so we can show up strong in our families, churches, and workplaces.
Making History with Ms. Health & Fitness HERS
Now, Newman is channeling that personal transformation into a public platform: the 2026 Ms. Health & Fitness HERS competition, a global contest and fundraiser tied to Muscle & Fitness HERS magazine. More than 30,000 women entered this year’s competition, and Newman has advanced all the way to the final eight. The winner will receive the cover of Muscle & Fitness HERS and a feature story highlighting her fitness journey, weight loss, and practical tips for readers ready to change their lives.
In the eight years since this competition began, no Black woman has ever appeared on the cover through this contest—a gap Newman is determined to close. “This is our year to make a change,” she says, emphasizing that her win would not just be personal but symbolic: a Black woman, a cancer-survivor’s daughter, and a media executive representing strength, transformation, and community care on a national fitness stage.
How the Voting and Fundraising Work
The Ms. Health & Fitness HERS contest combines public voting with fundraising for children’s cancer research. Supporters can help Newman in two ways:
Urban One founder Cathy Hughes and others have amplified Newman’s campaign across social media, urging followers to “stand with a woman who represents strength, transformation, and purpose” by voting daily and sharing the link. Newman’s own posts echo that message, thanking supporters for helping her stay at the top of the leaderboard and pushing for a strong finish as the competition heads toward its April 2nd deadline.

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Experts note that many applicants are not planning to relocate immediately. Instead, they are securing citizenship “just in case,” keeping future options open.
Millions of Americans are now eligible to apply for Canadian citizenship following recent legal changes, and many are taking advantage of the opportunity as a backup plan amid ongoing political and social uncertainty in the United States.
The shift stems from updates to Canada’s citizenship laws after a 2023 court ruling struck down parts of the so-called “first-generation limit,” which had previously restricted citizenship by descent. The revised policy, implemented through changes to Canada’s Citizenship Act, allows more people born outside Canada to claim citizenship through parents, grandparents, or even earlier generations, provided they can prove a direct lineage.
For individuals like Ellen Robillard, a New York resident whose mother was born in Nova Scotia, the change reopened a path that was once closed. She is now applying for citizenship alongside her adult son, citing concerns about political tensions and safety in the U.S.
Immigration consultants say demand has surged. Cassandra Fultz, a Canada-based consultant, told CNN that her U.S. caseload has increased dramatically from about 10 applications a month to roughly 100, marking an unprecedented and sustained rise in interest. Archives in Quebec have also reported a spike in Americans requesting historical documents needed to prove ancestry.
Processing times are also growing. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada reports tens of thousands of applications currently in the queue, with wait times nearing 10 months.
While some applicants are motivated by political concerns, others are driven by family ties, career opportunities, or cultural curiosity. Rachel Rabb, an American living in Latin America, told CNN she began researching her ancestry after learning about the law change and discovered a Canadian relative several generations back. For her, Canadian citizenship represents a potential safety net.
Experts note that many applicants are not planning to relocate immediately. Instead, they are securing citizenship “just in case,” keeping future options open.
The legal change also restores rights to so-called “Lost Canadians” individuals who were previously excluded due to outdated or unconstitutional rules.
However, the surge has sparked debate within Canada, with some critics arguing that expanded eligibility could benefit people with limited ties to the country. Supporters counter that the reform corrects longstanding inequities and strengthens connections across borders.
As applications continue to rise, the trend highlights how citizenship is increasingly viewed not just as identity, but as security and flexibility in uncertain times.

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March 31, 2026
The program expansion for free on-site childcare puts close to $20,000 a year back in the pockets of working families in an effort to keep top talent and boost productivity.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is making good on one of his campaign promises by announcing a free childcare program for all city workers, which he calls one step closer to his plan to provide universal childcare, NBC 4 reports. 
Mamdani announced the construction site being transformed to cater to “the few New Yorkers that can be louder than an active site,” labeled as “New York’s cutest,” into the city’s first-ever on-site childcare program for municipal employees — a 100% free, full-daycare for children starting as young as six weeks to 3 years old. “On April 30, these applications will open for every single worker in the David Dinkins building as well as every single Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS), regardless of their location across the city,” he said while wearing a hard hat. 
Mayor Mamdani: We are here at an active construction site that will be transformed into New York City’s first ever on-site childcare program for municipal employees. This is a site that will be 100% free, full daycare for children as young as 6 weeks to 3 years old pic.twitter.com/92aa4oD1kp
The program expansion of free on-site childcare puts close to $20,000 a year back in the pockets of working families, helping keep top talent and boost productivity.
“Change begins at home. As we deliver universal childcare to New Yorkers, that work must include the public servants who keep this city running,” the young mayor said. 
“We are bringing year-round, no-cost childcare right here to Lower Manhattan — not just saving families money, but giving them back hours of their time. No parent should have to spend hours commuting just to ensure their child is safe and cared for.”
Within a little over six months in office, Mamdani has made free childcare a priority, even partnering with every baby’s favorite teacher, Ms. Rachel, whose real name is Rachel Griffin Accurso, on a campaign to highlight its importance. 
NEW: Socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani sings “The Wheels on the Bus” with YouTube star Ms. Rachel to preschoolers.

The appearance was to promote the socialist’s free child care program for 2-year-olds.

Back in December, Ms. Rachel (Rachel Griffin Accurso) was named… pic.twitter.com/JtRC2PAMKl
Free childcare would lift a burden off many struggling New Yorkers and people across the country.
According to The American Prospect, the average cost of childcare in the U.S. is close to $14,760 per year, and in The Big Apple, it could double. The program expansion is in good hands, as Emily Liss oversees the Mamdani’s Office of Child Care and Early Education.
The city is already a national leader in early childhood services through former Mayor Bill de Blasio’s groundbreaking pre-K and 3-K programs, which Liss helped architect. 
While on social media, users are seemingly badgering the mayor with claims like the “government has no business entering the childcare business and this kind of reckless spending with tax dollars will only drive up private sector costs,” childcare has become a hot-topic political issue. 
In November 2025, New Mexico became the first state to host a no-cost, universal childcare program.
RELATED CONTENT: Drake Connects With McDonald’s Canada For ‘Afters Meal’

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Atlanta showed up and showed out, and BOSSIP was in the building for a moment that felt bigger than music as the first-ever HBCU Awarefest took over the city.
Produced by Student Freedom Initiative in partnership with Live Nation Urban and the City of Atlanta under Mayor Andre Dickens, the weeklong series blended culture, community, and conversation while tackling the student loan debt crisis head-on.
From panels to performances, the multi-day experience brought together artists, executives, students, and changemakers all under one mission: pushing Black education and economic mobility forward.
The culminating event was the Aware Fest concert. Held inside State Farm Arena, the night brought together some of the biggest names across music, culture, business, and civic leadership for an experience that hit different. This was not just a concert. This was generations of the black community coming together for what felt like a family reunion.
Hosting the evening was none other than Nick Cannon, who brought his signature energy but also spoke from the heart when we caught up with him and kept it real about why this moment mattered to him.
“I’m honored to be apart of Aware Fest. It’s everything I’ve always represented, but it’s also when you think about my work as an artist, you know, from Wildin’ Out to Drumline to even my own academic career that I’ve kind of told that story through the media, it’s, I embody that, you know what I mean? I salute every other entertainer who went to an HBCU, but I’ve dedicated my time and really everything that I am of philanthropic efforts to putting on for our community and education.”
And that intention could be felt from the very first note.
Gospel legend Yolanda Adams opened the night with “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” setting a tone that was equal parts reverent and powerful.
Then came Jill Scott, who brought that signature soul to the stage with “Lifting Me Up,” and “It’s Love,” backed by Clark Atlanta University’s marching band, which only made the moment feel even more rooted in HBCU culture.
Global star Tems had the crowd locked in with “Free Mind,” and “Me and U,” while the iconic Chaka Khan closed things out like only a legend can, running through “Ain’t Nobody,” and “I’m Every Woman.”
Now this is Atlanta, so you already know hip-hop had to step in heavy.
Jeezy delivered a high-energy set that had the crowd rapping every word, while Metro Boomin turned his set into a full moment by bringing out surprise guests that bridged generations.
BigXthaPlug kept that momentum going, proving why his sound is hitting right now.

One of the most powerful moments of the night came when Kirk Franklin hit the stage and was joined by Common. That performance was not just music, it was a message.
Before all of that, a more intimate but just as impactful conversation took place. A select group gathered for a fireside chat featuring Robert F. Smith, Daymond John, Chris Womack, and Tyler Perry, moderated by CNBC’s Frank Holland. The conversation went beyond inspiration. It focused on real strategy around Black wealth, ownership, and economic power.
Plus Tyler Perry teased that something big is on the way and told us to get ready! Knowing how calculating he is as a businessman, whatever he’s building behind the scenes that we haven’t seen yet will likely make that BET+ move all come together in due time.
The building was filled with familiar faces like Andre Dickens, Alicia Keys, 2 Chainz, Angela Yee, Kandi Burruss, Angel Reese, Ryan Clark, Will Packer, Terrence J, Rocsi, Anthony Anderson and more, all showing love and support.
Still, the mission stayed front and center. Business leaders like Robert F. Smith and Keith Shoates reminded everyone that this celebration is about tackling the student loan debt crisis and creating real pathways for HBCU students to build wealth and opportunity.
Last but not least, in a move that made the whole thing feel even more historic, the Georgia Senate officially recognized March 26, 2026, as HBCU Aware Fest Day. A first-of-its-kind moment that speaks to the impact this festival is already making.
From the performances to the conversations, Aware Fest proved one thing loud and clear. When culture and purpose link up, the result is powerful. And trust, this is only the beginning. We can’t wait to be back in the building next year!

Culture, Concerts & Community Collide At Atlanta’s HBCU Awarefest Celebration was originally published on bossip.com

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The singer’s new memoir ‘Phases’ opens up about a number of dark subjects, from her 2006 car accident to how a record label started her feud with Monica and more.
In a whirlwind week in which Brandy received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and a memoir that lays bare some of the darkest chapters of her life, the “Vocal Bible” isn’t shying away from her truth.
One of the chapters from her “Phases” memoir spotlights one of her earliest relationships, a late ’90s romance with Wanya Morris of Boyz II Men. According to Brandy, the two began a relationship when she was 16 and he was in his early 20s. The two collaborated on the song “Brokenhearted” which appeared on her 1994 eponymous debut album and even as Brandy joined Boyz II Men for their national tour, her relationship with Morris had grown from being more than just collaborators.
“I was in over my head. Sneaking around with Wanya and lying to my parents had become a constant. They barely liked the idea of me dating at all, and telling them about us was out of question,” the now 47-year-old Brandy wrote.
“But it wasn’t just about upsetting — or disappointing — my parents,” she continued. “Wanya and I understood, with diamond-cut clarity that public knowledge of our relationship would ignite scandal, potentially threatening everything we’d both worked for, so he and I opted for elaborate fiction: we would pretend patience and claim we were waiting until my eighteenth birthday before pursuing any romantic connection.”
Among the admissions Brandy made in her memoir regarding Morris was that she lost her virginity to him. As the relationship continued, Brandy said Morris would compare her to other singers, such as Mariah Carey. Ultimately, the pair called it quits after he admitted that he was cheating on her.
“I believe he took advantage,” Brandy wrote.
In 2020, Morris told fans during an Instagram Live session that he didn’t begin dating Brandy until she came of age.
“Once she turned of age, we had been hanging around each other so much that there became to be some sort of connection. An intimate connection. We actually fell in love,” Morris said at the time. He later clarified that he was dating Brandy at the time she famously went to the prom with Kobe Bryant.
Despite Morris’ previous explanation, Brandy shared her feelings vastly differ from how Morris saw things.
“These are the things that with hindsight you realize are wildly obvious signs of something wrong,” she wrote. “Neon warning signs that I chose to ignore because I didn’t know what the hell I was doing, or what he was doing with me. Just that I was in love — or what I believed was love.”
“The shame ends here. The silence ends here,” she added. “I was not a fast girl with a crush. I was not a dramatic teenager who couldn’t handle rejection. I was not an unstable obsessive fan. I was a child. And he was an adult. And it’s time the world understood the difference.”
“Phases” is available now through Hanover Square Press.
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“Money does not make you respectable,” Cardi B says, reflecting on launching her haircare brand Grow-Good Beauty.
This year, Cardi B is proving that the B in her name stands for “business.” Between her album rollout and a world tour, the “Bodak Yellow” star has found time to launch an already sold-out haircare brand, “Grow-Good.” 
Recently, Cardi B sat down with businesswoman Emma Grede to open up about her business-savvy mindset, which has not only helped her grow her brand as an artist but also enter highly saturated markets like haircare and alcohol. 
“I like that people just probably think that I’m dumb or an airhead or stuff like that. I don’t know. Is it because of my accent? But it’s like the best thing ever. It’s a superpower,” Cardi B told Grede. “When I want to learn something, I study it all night, all day. When I want it, I have to have it. And I will learn it. I’ll study it. I study who’s great at it. And I just think that I think this is why I’m so successful.”
She continued, “I don’t know if it was like the divorce or I don’t know if something just woke me up. And I feel like I’m definitely a new person […] Like a lot of artists or like celebrities that have really big major businesses that are successful, they didn’t build their brand in their second or third year of being big celebrities. They build their brand when they’re 7 to 10 years in the business. And I feel like right now is the perfect time.”
In February, as the “Am I The Drama?” rapper announced plans to launch Grow Good Beauty, a haircare brand inspired by the old-school hair remedies fans have seen her use on her natural hair for years. Her line joins a growing collection of celebrity haircare lines, including Tracee Ellis Ross’ Pattern Beauty, Beyoncé’s Cécred, Rihanna’s Fenty Hair, Taraji P. Henson’s TPH by Taraji, and more. However, Cardi B says she’s not concerned about competition in the haircare aisle. 
“It is not even about competition. It’s about what’s gonna have your hair growing,” she shared. “Like I’ve used Cécred, and it’s very f—g good. And that’s what I want. And I’m saying it with confidence, so I want people to be like, ‘Yo, her shit is really f—g good.’ We are not just trying to sell f—g hair products. I want people to be online talking about [these products] are life changing!”
From posting recipes on her Instagram stories to now launching Grow-Good, Cardi B revealed that her hustle isn’t motivated by money. 
“Money is gonna always be important, but  money does not make you respectable,” she explained. “Like, there’s a lot of people that got money, and it’s like, I still don’t respect you. I feel like you’re lame. I feel like at this point I touch money so much, and of course, like who don’t wanna be super rich, who don’t wanna be able to afford everything? But it’s just like, it’s that respect, that congrats that you get like randomly at the airport, at the store, at the, like that congrats means everything. So many people got money, but so many people don’t got that respect.”

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“I’m definitely not ruling it out,” Booker told NBC News’ “Meet the Press” host Kristen Welker.
U.S. Senator Cory Booker isn’t ruling out a second run for president in the Democratic primary in 2028, the New Jersey lawmaker said during a recent interview.
“I’m definitely not ruling it out,” Booker told NBC News’ “Meet the Press” host Kristen Welker on Sunday. Interestingly, Booker says his new wife, Alexis Lewis, will play a major role in whether he decides to run for the White House again.
“She knows what’s at stake…we just want to be a part of a generation of Americans that helps to redeem the dream,” said the longtime politician, who married Lewis in November 2025. He added, “What I love about her is that she knows, as a partnership, we are better than we were before we met, and I’m excited about whatever challenges we may take on as a couple.”
While he is certainly open to running for president in two years, Booker noted that he is seeking reelection for his Senate seat this November, telling Welker, “I hope New Jersey will support me for another six years.”
Booker is currently promoting his new book, “Stand,” in which he lays out his vision for America’s future amid the great political divide and violence. The 56-year-old Democrat’s book tour continues to fuel speculation that he will launch a 2028 presidential campaign.
“This left-right divide is killing our country, and our adversaries know it. They come onto our social media and try to whip up hate in America,” said Booker, who has served in the U.S. Senate since 2013. “That is one of our biggest crises. It is time for a new vision of our country that’s far more uniting, that brings people together, doesn’t deepen divides.”
Another sign of Booker’s possible run for president is his significant fundraising. According to NBC News, Booker’s campaign account has raised $10 million. A major portion of that fundraising came as a result of Booker delivering the longest-ever Senate speech in April 2025 in opposition to several actions taken by the Trump administration. The 25-hour, 5-minute, and 59-second-long speech was hailed at the time as the kind of action voters wanted to see from Democrats, as President Donald Trump’s cuts to critical federal funding, including mass firings of federal workers, were quickly rebuked.
Booker told “Meet the Press” that he would like to see the Democratic Party move beyond being the party in opposition to Trump.
“The challenges on the horizon aren’t just this current crisis that Trump has caused. He shouldn’t be the main character of our narrative,” said Booker. “Right now, we have real challenges from new technologies like AI and robotics, new challenges that we need more unity in our country and a reminder that we are not each other’s enemies.”
Booker first ran for president in the crowded 2020 Democratic primary, which included then-Vice President Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, Pete Buttigieg, and others. Booker suspended his campaign in January 2020, just weeks before the Iowa caucus, citing difficulties raising money. Prior to his election to the U.S. Senate, Booker served as mayor of Newark, New Jersey, where he served two terms.

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Thousands of TSA agents and millions of travelers are caught in the middle of a political standoff still waiting for resolution.
Donald Trump signed an executive order to pay Transportation Security Administration workers after Congress failed to reach a deal to fund the Department of Homeland Security, as airport delays continue to escalate across the country.
According to WBUR, the move is aimed at easing long security lines caused by staffing shortages, with TSA agents working without pay for weeks. Trump described the situation as urgent, stating,
“America’s air travel system has reached its breaking point,” adding, “I have determined that these circumstances constitute an emergency situation compromising the Nation’s security.”
WBUR reports the administration plans to use funds with a “reasonable and logical nexus to TSA operations,” though the decision could face legal challenges since Congress is responsible for authorizing federal spending.
The Department of Homeland Security shutdown is set to hit 44 days, surpassing the previous 43 day record shutdown.
According to the BBC, the prolonged shutdown has already led to widespread disruptions at airports, with travelers facing hours long security lines and limited checkpoint availability.
Per the BBC, approximately 50,000 TSA agents have been working without pay since mid-February, leading to increased absences and resignations that are straining airport operations nationwide.
WBUR also states that more than 11.8% of TSA workers missed shifts in a single day, with some airports reporting callout rates exceeding 40%, and nearly 500 officers quitting during the shutdown.
The shutdown continues after the House and Senate passed competing funding bills, creating a stalemate just as lawmakers leave Washington for a two week recess.
According to WBUR, the Senate approved a compromise that would fund much of DHS, including TSA, FEMA, and the Coast Guard, but excluded Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol to gain Democratic support.
BBC states that House Republicans rejected that deal, with Mike Johnson calling it “a joke” before advancing a separate House plan to fund DHS at current levels through May 22.
The House bill passed in a 213 to 203 vote, but Chuck Schumer has already deemed it “dead on arrival in the Senate.”
The central dispute revolves around immigration enforcement funding, with House Republicans insisting that any DHS deal must include funding for ICE.
According to the BBC, Johnson emphasized that Republicans will not support efforts that limit enforcement, stating, “Republicans are not going to be any part of any effort to reopen our borders or to stop immigration enforcement.”
Democrats have refused to fund ICE and Border Patrol without reforms, including requiring agents to wear identification, restricting raids in sensitive locations, and mandating judicial warrants before entering private property.
Hakeem Jeffries suggested a resolution is possible if the Senate compromise is brought to a vote, stating, 
“This could end, and should end, today.”
The collapse of the Senate deal has also exposed tension between Mike Johnson and John Thune, signaling fractures within Republican leadership.
According to the BBC, Thune placed blame on Democrats for the impasse, arguing their refusal to compromise has stalled DHS funding entirely.
While Trump’s executive action may provide temporary relief for TSA workers and travelers, it does not resolve the broader funding dispute.
With Congress in recess and both parties holding firm on immigration policy demands, the DHS shutdown shows no signs of ending soon, resulting in growing strains on federal workers and a travel system pushed to its limits.
It’s leaving thousands of TSA agents and millions of travelers caught in the middle of a political standoff still waiting for resolution.
Congress Fails To Pass Latest DHS Funding Bill, Trump Signs Order To Pay TSA Workers After Weeks Of Withheld Checks was originally published on bossip.com

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