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Jarvis Butts was sentenced to 35-60 years in prison two weeks ago for the murder of Na’Ziyah and the sexual assault of five other girls.
Jarvis Butts, the 43-year-old man who was convicted of killing 13-year-old Na’Ziyah Harris and sexually assaulting multiple other girls, has died in prison. Authorities say that Butts may have taken his own life just two weeks after he received his sentencing, and they are investigating his death as a suicide.
“MDOC staff provided life-saving measures which were unsuccessful. The Michigan State Police have been called to the facility to investigate; the death is currently being reported as a suicide,” Detroit officials said in a statement, per Fox 2 Detroit.
Butts was being held at the Charles E. Egeler Reception and Guidance Center, a facility where prisoners are placed after they are convicted and before they are sent off to another state prison, when he was found dead, according to reporting from the Detroit Free Press.
Butts was given 35 years for killing Na’Ziyah and an additional 10-15 years for the sexual assault of five other girls between the ages of four and 13 years old. The local outlet reported that he would not have been eligible for parole until he served the 35 years. In September, he was also arraigned on a separate sex crime involving an eight-year-old female relative.
Na’Ziyah was only 13 years old when she was reported missing in 2024 after her grandmother recalled her not coming home from school on Jan. 9. In a deeply disturbing case, which a judge called “a prime example” of how much more work needs to be done when it comes to protecting children, “especially Black girls,” trial evidence showed texts that Butts had met up with Na’Ziyah the day she disappeared, and that she was also pregnant. Butts, who had allegedly been grooming Na’Ziyah since 2022, was the on-and-off boyfriend of her aunt.
Prosecutors found searches in Butts’ phone for abortions, abortion pills, and drinking red antifreeze before Na’Ziyah died. Butts pleaded guilty in February and agreed to share the location of Na’Ziyah’s body as part of his plea.
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Increased debt, grade inflation and AI are making it harder for graduates to break into the art world
Evgenii Chernetcov
Is getting an internship as relevant as getting a master’s degree? For Brandon Busteed, the chief executive of the education company Edconic, these are not mutually exclusive outcomes.
He matters in our world because one of Edconic’s portfolio providers is Sotheby’s Institute, which has licensed the auction house’s name since it was spun out in 2003 but the businesses have since mostly maintained an arm’s-length relationship.
This changed in February, when Edconic joined forces with Sotheby’s to implement a formalised fellowship programme, which enables 20 of the institute’s master’s students in New York to work at the auction house for 12 weeks. They will be paid—well above the minimum wage, he says—and earn academic credit at the same time. Plans are afoot to roll the initiative out in London, likely from this time next year, with the aim of having a total of 60 students learn the trade from within.
Busteed identifies a triple-whammy that graduates are facing today. “Jobs are drying up, young adults are coming into the working world with more debt and they are now contending with artificial intelligence for many entry-level roles.” He notes, too, that grade inflation at universities makes it increasingly difficult for students to distinguish themselves.
Internships have long been a way into the working world: data from the National Association of Colleges and Employers shows an average offer rate of 72% from companies in the US to their interns, particularly in the creative industries where networks are the not-so-hidden codes to careers. Familiar, too, in the art world is that “a third of internships come through family connections, and not everyone has that social capital”, Busteed says.
He is putting his money where his mouth is. While the auction house has committed its experts’ time and resources to a new intake of staff, and will remunerate them through its own payroll, Sotheby’s Institute will reimburse any financial cost. “I see it as an extension of our faculty, like our library or careers service, and another way to meet the goal of our students getting jobs in the industry,” Busteed says. Meanwhile, the auction house is also doing its bit, with an existing scheme (beyond the Institute) that takes on around 40 interns each summer in New York.
I am biased in my admiration for the partnership. I sit on the board of governors at the Sotheby’s Institute, from where I also graduated 20 years ago. Thanks to a subsequent internship at this publication (via the Institute), I have worked in art journalism ever since. But it was a lucky break—as well as informal and unpaid—at a time when such arrangements were possible. It certainly isn’t a career path that could easily be mapped out for anyone else.
The Sotheby’s Institute programme is still for a lucky few—not everyone can afford postgraduate study—but offering students a practical bang for their buck seems to me to be forward-thinking and downright necessary, if we believe in the overall benefits of an educated population (a separate debate). To my mind, it certainly beats the status quo of a ton of qualified graduates not getting jobs.
The auction house’s swift reversal of its recently overhauled premium structure is an admission of how wrongly it read the runes, writes Melanie Gerlis
Shortening art market cycles and the politics around “flipping” artworks are leading collectors to conduct business away from public scrutiny
Less than a year ago, the auction house reduced buyer’s premium and tried to introduce a flat 10% vendor’s commission to avoid bartering. It did not prove popular with sellers
Executive salaries rises, while junior staff struggle to move up the ladder

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Rachel Lindsay, the first Black “Bachelorette,” recalls being “too risky” and now reflects on what happened with Taylor Frankie Paul.
Black people have to work twice as hard just to get half as much. This isn’t a new concept. And for most Black people, especially Black women, it’s not a revelation. It’s a reality we learn early, often as a response to our first encounters with prejudice and injustice. But every so often, society offers up a case so blatant, so undeniable, that it demands to be named, documented, and added to the ever-growing list of proof behind that truth.
Most recently, ABC’s “The Bachelorette” provided just that.
The network’s response to Taylor Paul’s casting, and subsequent scandals, has reignited a familiar conversation about who gets grace, who gets protection, and who is deemed “too risky” from the start. The “Mormon Wives” star’s journey for love on the long-running reality show was cut short after a video surfaced showing her assaulting her ex, Dakota Mortensen. As reported by NBC News, the video was tied to a 2023 incident that led to Paul’s arrest, which had already been public record. Still, it was the footage’s resurfacing that ultimately led ABC to scrap the season amid backlash.
“In light of the newly released video just surfaced today, we have made the decision to not move forward with the new season of ‘The Bachelorette’” at this time, and our focus is on supporting the family,” Disney Entertainment said in a statement reported by the Associated Press.
For Rachel Lindsay, the franchise’s first Black Bachelorette in 2017, the contrast in how the network navigated her season versus Paul’s isn’t just noticeable; it’s telling. Speaking on a recent episode of her podcast “Higher Learning,” Lindsay unpacked the glaring double standard.
“It was funny to me that the show wanted to take this risk, but for you to have a lead of color, that was too risky, right? When it came to ‘hey, we’re going to have our first lead of color,’ which took 15 years, that person had to be damn near perfect on paper because that had to make sense to your audience. They had to be digestible to your audience,” she noted. “So, it was funny to me that this is okay. The ideal bachelorette, that they have presented to us over these 20-plus years, was not this– not someone with two baby daddies, divorced, three kids, a soft swinging scandal, and a felon.”
She continued: “As a person who’s been through it and has experienced it, I thought, seriously, after everything that I’ve been through with this franchise, as [a person] of color, this is the risk you want to take?”
Lindsay has long been candid about her experience within the franchise—from navigating on-air microaggressions to enduring the toxicity of its fandom. In a 2021 op-ed, she described the emotional toll of constantly defending herself against what she called the “Bachelor Klan.”
“The franchise has spent 19 years cultivating a toxic audience. They have constantly given it a product it wants: a midwestern/southern white, blonde, light-eyed Christian. Not all viewers are like that,” she wrote in the piece. “There is a Bachelor Nation, and there is a Bachelor Klan.
The Bachelor Klan is hateful, racist, misogynistic, xenophobic, and homophobic. They are afraid of change. They are afraid to be uncomfortable. They are afraid when they get called out.”
Behind the scenes, Lindsay says the pressure to be palatable was just as intense.
“Having been through it, it was ‘so you can’t act like this.’ ‘We’re not going to air this scene because the audience will name you an angry Black female.’ ‘You can’t go confront your men because you’re frustrated with something you’re hearing, because that won’t look good.’ It was so risky for me to be opinionated or have a personality,” she shared.
Even with those precautions, the label of the “angry Black woman” followed her—along with blame for broader issues within Bachelor Nation.
“There are people or fans out there, particularly fans of this franchise, who will always find a way to blame the Black woman without ever holding the other ones accountable,” she noted.
And that’s the crux of it.
Reality television has never been a neutral playing field for Black contestants. From “The Bachelorette” to “Love Island” to “Summer House,” these predominantly white spaces have made slow, often performative strides toward diversity. But the burden placed on Black cast members, paired with the scrutiny of deeply loyal, and at times hostile, fan bases, reveals a disconnect between what audiences say they want and what they actually allow.
At its core, this isn’t just about two women or one franchise. It’s about a pattern. One where Black women are expected to be exceptional just to be considered, while others are allowed to be flawed and still be chosen.
Rachel Lindsay carried the weight of being the first. And years later, the contrast in how “risk” is defined makes one thing clear: in reality TV, much like in real life, the standard was never equal to begin with.
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March 25, 2026
The paid line-sitters will hold a flyers spot until they reach the final ID check.
The severe TSA staffing crisis leaves American airports in a state of paralysis, and an enterprising Black man has found a lucrative way to capitalize on the chaos. Jimmy Payne, a New Orleans resident, has officially launched a professional line-sitting business. He offers to endure grueling multi-hour waits at security checkpoints for a premium fee.
Payne’s business model is a response to wait times that have recently stretched beyond three hours at major hubs like Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. For rates ranging from $600 to $1,200, Payne or one of his associates will enter the security queue long before a traveler’s departure. The paid line-sitters will hold a flyer’s spot until they reach the final ID check, at which point the customer will switch places with them. 
In his Facebook announcement, Jimmy Payne describes himself as the ideal candidate for this grueling work, citing “strong legs, a strong bladder, and zero complaints.” While the service has sparked a debate over airport ethics, Payne maintains that he is simply providing a high-value convenience for those whose time is worth more than his steep transaction fee. 
The service operates in a unique regulatory gray area. Because the traveler must still present their own valid boarding pass and government ID to the TSA agent at the front of the line, the core security protocols remain intact. However, airport authorities have expressed concern that Payne’s business could be classified as “unauthorized commercial solicitation,” which could lead to bans on professional line-sitters on terminal grounds.
The demand for Jimmy Payne’s services is a direct symptom of the ongoing staffing shortage at the Department of Homeland Security. With national TSA call-out rates up to 40% due to the shutdown, checkpoints have become bottlenecked, and even “priority” lanes are frequently overwhelmed, the Associated Press reported. While the administration has attempted to deploy ICE agents to assist with non-screening duties, the lack of certified personnel means that the “general” lines continue to grow at record-breaking speeds.
RELATED CONTENT: Did You Know At Least 20 Airports In The U.S. Don’t Have TSA? These Passengers Aren’t Seeing Long Lines
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Heart disease, diabetes and prostate cancer disproportionately affect Black men—but mistrust, cost and delayed checkups often stand in the way of early detection.
Many Black men in their 40s and beyond put work, family and daily responsibilities ahead of their health. The warning signs, both subtle and obvious, can go unchecked until a major medical event makes them impossible to ignore.
Missed regular checkups and delays in addressing symptoms are often linked to mistrust of doctors, racism in healthcare, and high insurance costs. A 2019 National Library of Medicine study found that they delayed screenings more often than white men.
The study showed that men with higher medical mistrust were more likely to delay blood pressure screenings. Men with more frequent everyday racism exposure were more likely to delay routine checkups and blood pressure screenings. Meanwhile, those with higher levels of perceived racism in healthcare had a likelihood of delaying cholesterol screenings.
There are several diseases and conditions that pose as severe health risks to Black men, which include cardiovascular and heart disease, diabetes and certain cancers like prostate cancer.
According to the American Heart Association, cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S., but Black Americans have worse health outcomes. “Black adults in the U.S have some of the highest prevalence of hypertension in the world,” with 57.5% of Black men having high blood pressure. VCU Health noted that 70% of Black men are at a higher risk of heart failure than white men.
Diabetes is another increasing concern. In 2022, 52.8% of Black men died from diabetes, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health. There are three types of diabetes: type 1, type 2 and gestational diabetes, which only relates to pregnant women. While type 1 is an autoimmune disorder that occurs early in life, it is not preventable, according to a 2022 study from Northwestern Medicine. Type 2 diabetes, however, is mostly linked to a poor diet and develops over time. It is the most common form of diabetes in Black and brown communities, as 90-95% are diagnosed with the illness.
“Unfortunately, access to care is a huge barrier within our Black and Brown communities,” Northwestern Medicine Internal Medicine Physician Kimbra A. Bell, MD, said, per the study. “Additionally, the inability to afford quality medical care and prescription medications can be a hindrance as well. So, conditions such as diabetes are not managed as well as they could be and subsequently result in poorer outcomes.”
If left untreated, it can lead to serious health problems like kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, neuropathy and hearing loss, per theAmerican Heart Association Journals and the American Diabetes Association. Factors such as poor diet, limited access to healthy food, socioeconomic factors, and stress contribute to these issues in Black communities.
Another major health risk is prostate cancer. Prostate cancer poses a significant risk for Black men, who are disproportionately affected due to “early presentation, more aggressive disease and higher mortality rates than white men,” according to a 2022 NLM study.
Black men are 73% more likely to have prostate cancer than white men, with Black men and those with Caribbean ancestry having the highest documented cases of the disease in the world, according to the Michigan Institute of Urology and data from the American Cancer Society.
Racial, cultural and economic factors, as well as fear, play a pivotal role in delayed or late diagnoses, which causes lower survival rates.
Depression, anxiety and chronic stress can mentally impact Black men with these conditions. Several studies from the National Institutes of Health and other organizations show how cardiovascular and heart disease, diabetes and prostate cancer can disproportionately affect Black men, both during diagnosis and long after treatment.
For Black Americans, especially Black men, community-based interventions such as barbershops and churches, as well as culturally tailored health and peer-led programs, have proven successful in helping them navigate rough moments in their lives, according to a 2025 study by the National Institutes of Health.
In 2018, researchers at Stanford University conducted a study of more than 1,300 African American men in Oakland, Cal., and found that Black men are more likely to receive preventative care for serious diseases when being seen by Black doctors.
“We found that, once African-American men were at the clinic, even though all services were free, those assigned to a Black doctor took up more services,” such as flu shots and diabetes and cholesterol screenings, Marcella Alsan, MD, PhD, at Stanford and one of the researchers on the study, said in an article about the trial.
Early intervention is the best way to prevent worse outcomes for Black men diagnosed with cardiovascular and heart disease, diabetes and prostate cancer. Several factors like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking and diabetes can cause heart disease; there are ways to combat it with early prevention programs and to prevent it altogether. The key to preventing it is to manage your risk factors and “know your numbers,” according to the University of Chicago Medicine.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conducted a research study in January 2025 for Black men and how they would respond to intervention programs for type 2 diabetes. According to their findings, “most men (59%) were interested in participating in a healthy living program and/or program elements such as incentives (67%), male-specific health topics (57%), and the inclusion of family (63%).”
Because Black men have a higher diagnosis and mortality rate, doctors recommend starting prostate screening as early as 40 years old, according to UCLA Health. During the 2024 ASCO Genitourinary Cancers Symposium in San Francisco, several doctors developed specific guidelines for Black men and the type of screenings for early detection and to prevent prostate cancer. The guidelines stated that Black men should start prostate-specific antigen (PSA)-based screening between the ages of 40 and 45.
“These guidelines were specifically formulated to provide practical recommendations for Black men as they consider their individual risk of prostate cancer and engage in shared decision-making with their health care providers,” Dr. Isla Garraway, MD, PhD, said in the abstract of the study. “Early detection of prostate cancer is one of several factors that the panel believes could reduce prostate cancer morbidity and mortality in this high-risk population.”
Black men in their 40s and beyond, warning signs can be both subtle and obvious, but taking action much earlier can lead to early detection, prevention and a longer life. 
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Ibrahim Mahama speaking at a press conference on 23 March
Courtesy of SCCA
The Ghanaian artist Ibrahim Mahama has allegedly been assaulted by police in his hometown. Over the weekend (21-22 March), videos and images emerged of the artist holding blood-stained clothing while talking about an incident allegedly involving members of the Ghanaian inspector general of police’s special operations team, known as ‘Black Maria’. “I was really assaulted by the police today; you can see how they broke my tooth, and then my mouth is bleeding and my ribs are all hurting,” Mahama said in one video posted by Ghana’s ChannelOne TV.
In an interview with CitiFM, the artist said the group assaulted him and his uncle during a traffic dispute in Ghana’s northern region of Tamale, where Mahama lives. He alleges the attack happened while the pair were returning to Mahama father’s house from a mosque, after Eid-Ul-Fitr prayers on Saturday (21 March). According to the artist, the policemen tried to manoeuvre their way through a traffic jam. “Then my uncle saw like an opening so that we could escape the traffic a bit,“ Mahama said. “And then [the police] started banging on the car.” The artist says that after his uncle made a comment criticising their behaviour, the police entered their vehicle and attacked them.
During a press conference held on 23 March, the artist alleged that policemen had turned their attention to him after he had begun filming them. Mahama and other victims were treated at a hospital in Tamale.
Mahama told Citi FM that the perpetrators were the Black Maria. Ghana’s Northern Regional Police Command shared a press release in which it rejected this allegation, stating that the Black Maria team were not in the city at the time of the assault. The Art Newspaper has approached the Ghana Police Service for comment.
During a press conference with local media on Monday 23 March in Tamale, Mahama said the assault has led to health complications including recurring headaches, rib pain, dental instability, and difficulty in resting. It “has put my life on hold,” the artist added. He explained he was scheduled to deliver lectures this week in London at the Royal College of Art, University of Cambridge, and Oxford University, and then travel to Helsinki, Amsterdam, and South Africa for other art events. All of these commitments have now been postponed.
Mahama is one of Ghana’s most successful contemporary artists. He is known for his large-scale artworks made from sewn-together jute sacks that he drapes over buildings to explore themes such as labour and globalisation. He invests money made from the sale of his works into building cultural spaces in Tamale, where he was born and raised. These include the Savannah Centre for Contemporary Art (SCCA), and Red Clay Studio, which serve as important residency and education spaces in the region.
This past December, Mahama took first place in Art Review’s Power 100, which ranks the most influential people in the art world over a 12-month period—becoming the first African artist to do so. A few months prior, he was one of five people in the Ghanaian creative art community who received a diplomatic passport from the country’s ministry of foreign affairs, in recognition of their contributions to their country.
In an interview with local television station Channel 1 TV, Mahama said he is considering filing a lawsuit against the police, saying he wants to do so for the “benefit of the society”. He also said he wants a dismemberment of the Black Maria.
A group of Ghanaian cultural institutions including the SCCA, and the artist-led Foundation for Contemporary Art-Ghana and Compound House Gallery published a press release on Monday (23 March) in which they condemned the alleged assault and set out a list of demands, including “a full, transparent and independent investigation into the incident”.
SCCA directed The Art Newspaper to the release when approached for comment. The Art Newspaper has also approached the artist directly for comment.
Abla Dzifa Gomashie, Ghana’s minister for tourism, culture and creative arts, meanwhile, posted an open letter on her Facebook page in which she addressed Mahama directly about the alleged assault. She paid tribute to the artist, and wrote: “It is therefore deeply troubling to hear of any circumstance that undermines your dignity and personal safety.” And added: “As a nation that prides itself on upholding justice, human rights, and the rule of law, such incidents must be addressed with the seriousness they deserve.”
The Northern Regional Command said in its press release that it has started investigations into the alleged assault.
Accra-based Gallery 1957 organises prize to celebrate its fifth birthday, with all-star jury set to announce cash prizes for three winners
Marwan Zakhem hopes to create a buzz around the burgeoning scene in the West African country with Gallery 1957
A host of globally recognised artists, a growing number of art world tourists and a domestic gallery boom are all contributing to the country’s reputation on the international stage
A series of events—spanning exhibitions, discussions, performances and more—will centre around Accra and Tamale, but some programming will extend across the country

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Recently, Greg Bovino opened up about his regrets, or lack thereof, when he wished he and his agents wanted “total border domination.”
Back in January, now-former Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino was relieved of his duties overseeing the Trump administration’s disastrous, deadly and viciously xenophobic immigration operations in Minnesota, during which he was consistently ripped apart by federal judges for violating orders limiting the use of tear gas near schools and residential areas, and for lying about protesters being violent to cover for his own agents, who were provably initiating violence.
Earlier this month, Bovino announced he is retiring from Border Patrol altogether at the end of March, and more recently, he opened up about his regrets, or lack thereof, outside of him wishing he and his agents did more damage than they actually did while he was in charge.
From the New York Times:
Mr. Bovino’s actions left a trail of litigation, condemnations from local politicians and accusations of discrimination and unconstitutional conduct.
And, yes, the Commander has a few regrets. But he does not think he went too far. He thinks he did not go far enough.
“We wanted total border domination,” Mr. Bovino said one recent morning, leaning over a plate of scrambled eggs and bacon at Burgers and Beer, a sports bar and restaurant popular with El Centro’s federal agents. “When you use terms like that, perhaps it scares some of the weaker-minded people. Domination. I want you to dominate that border. I’m not going to ‘control’ it. We’re going to dominate the hell out of that damn place.”
“I wish I’d caught even more illegal aliens,” Bovino said in a recent interview, according to the Times. “I mean, we went as hard as we could, but there’s always a creative and innovative solution to catching even more.”
Look, as bad as all of this sounds, I’m pretty sure Bovino was actually holding back in these interviews, so I decided to reach out to the man himself for a candid discussion on his retirement, and what he would change duirng his tenure leading Border Patrol if he could. You can read the transcripts below.
(Note: This is a completely fake interview. I would never talk to that man in person, as one can tell by looking at him that his breath smells like expired pickled pig’s feet, earring backs, and 400 years of oppression. There’s no vaccine for what I could have contracted sharing space with him, and you not finna have me infected with COVID-1619.)
Me: So, Mr. Bovino, what’s next for you now that you are set to reti…
Bovino: I bet I could’ve shot more dogs in the face than Kristi Noem!
Me: Sir, that’s not what I was going to ask…
Bovino: She was shooting old dogs, anyway. I would’ve shot puppies — healthy puppies. You know how many illegals have healthy puppies. I’m sorry, you were saying?
Me: Well, I was just going to ask what you were planning to do next, post-retirement.
Bovino: Who said I was retiring? If you reporters didn’t report so much fake news, you’d know that, like Noem, I’ve been promoted. President Donald Trump has named me the Special Envoy for Stormtroopers of the Dark Side Against the Force of the Jedi Woke Commies of the Americas. If that’s a forced retirement, then Darth Vader needed a judge’s warrant to go to Luke Skywalker’s home and arrest his father!
Me: Bovino, sir, you are the one who announced your retirement. I never said it was a “forced retirement,” even though it definitely was, and I’m pretty sure you’ve never seen Star Wars.
Bovino: WTF is Star Wars?
Me: Never mind. Let’s start over with a simpler question. Truthfully, is there anything you regret about all of the violence, atrocious behavior of agents, extrajudicial executions, children who were harmed, and victim smear campaigning that happened under your watch?
Bovino: Oh, hell no! If Trump hadn’t forced me to retire — sorry — I mean, promoted me to Special Envoy for Joffrey Baratheon of House Kill-all de Puppies, I would’ve used more Latino kids as bait to lure out their parents! There would have been more tear gas near schools, houses and Halloween parades! As for the killings of domestic terrorists — sorry — I mean, protesters who clearly and unmistakably posed no imminent threat to the agents who killed them, there was time to spread so much more bootlicking, ICE-defending propaganda, but noooooooo, they had to bow down to the woke mob and take my job, you know, before promoting me to Special Envoy for Mordor or That Noseless Guy From Harry Potter or Whatever.
Me: I, uh — I think we’re going to go ahead and end this interview here. I just don’t think…
Bovino: HOW COULD TRUMP GET RID OF ME BUT KEEP TOM HOMAN? HE NOT LIKE US! MUSTARD ON THE BEAT, HO!
Me: Goodbye, sir.
Goodbye, and good riddance, and may the rest of this abysmal administration follow you into MAGA oblivion.
SEE ALSO:
Greg Bovino, Kristi Noem Caught In Trump Admin ICE Cleanup
Nobody Wants This: ICE Is Catching L’s At Every Turn In Minnesota

Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino Retires, And Reminds Us What A Horrible Person He Is was originally published on newsone.com

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March 25, 2026
JAŸ-Z pushes back on criticism of billionaires, saying wealth doesn’t determine morality.
Sitting high as the world’s wealthiest musician, JAŸ-Z says he understands the ethical debate around billionaires but argues it doesn’t apply equally to those who use their platform to uplift others.
In a rare interview with GQ editor Frazier Tharpe, JAŸ-Z addressed criticism of his billionaire status, pushing back on the idea that extreme wealth is inherently bad. With an estimated net worth of $2.8 billion, JAŸ-Z—who became hip-hop’s first billionaire in 2019—defended fellow billionaires, particularly those who, like him, rose from humble beginnings.
“Your morality is not defined by a dollar amount. And if so, what is that dollar amount? When does it start?” JAŸ-Z asked, before going on to explain his take on the debate.
“If it’s a cutoff like ‘all millionaires are bad,’ at 999,000, I’m good? It can’t be that way. It doesn’t make any sense. I got successful the hard way, despite the way the system is set up. Everything was against me. My talent pushed against all the headwinds, and I got successful that way. And with that success, I’ve done things with my reach that I wanted to do that were helpful for a lot of people.”
He continued. “And I think that’s most important — the things you believe in, the things you align with. Because a person with more money can do more good, it’s a choice. Again, we’re living in the real world. You can be realistic or idealistic. This is the system that we have. And with the system that we have, what are you going to do?”
Who says there are no good billionaires? https://t.co/XBHKCN6zsc pic.twitter.com/MQJIpsuGzb
Later in the interview, Tharpe asked JAŸ-Z about criticism of his wealth, noting how the term “capitalist” is often used against him. The Roc Nation founder responded that he operates—and succeeds—within the system, while also pointing out the double standard artists face when trying to make money in the music industry.
“The only thing I heard coming up was the American dream. You could make it if you pull yourself up by the bootstraps. I heard that my entire life — until we started being successful. Then it was like: You’re selling out because you’re making money,” JAŸ-Z said.
He pushed back against the romanticized “starving artist” narrative, calling it a “mind game” and adding, “I’m not buying into that.”
“I make art first, and then I make sure that I’m compensated for my art. I didn’t get here by taking advantage of people or taking advantage of the loopholes in the system, or some wrinkle in a capitalist structure,” JAŸ-Z said. “That structure exists; I just see the world for what it is, not for what I want it to be. I’m a realist. It’s not idealistic. People speak about the world as they want to see it. You’re never going to win like that.”
JAY-Z responds to people labeling him a capitalist:

“I didn’t get here by taking advantage of people.” (via GQ) pic.twitter.com/y0UIXXgnE3
His comments have sparked mixed reactions across social media, but JAŸ-Z is currently on a promotional run ahead of his sold-out Yankee Stadium shows in July and his headlining set at the Roots Picnic in May. The performances celebrate the 30th anniversary of “Reasonable Doubt” and the 25th anniversary of “The Blueprint.”
RELATED CONTENT: Colonialism On The Stand: 93-Year-Old Belgian Diplomat To Stand Trial For Patrice Lumumba’s 1961 Assassination

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In a sit-down interview with Charlamagne tha God, the City Girls rapper reveals she lost business deals and relationships close to her because of her support for the disgraced mogul.
Yung Miami isn’t holding back.
During a recent interview with Charlamagne Tha God for The Breakfast Club’s “Out of Context” iseries, the City Girls rapper revealed that not only did supporting Sean “Diddy” Combs during his trial for sex crimes cost her financially, but it also cost her friendships and damaged her brand.
“It was a lot,” she said. “I lost deals, I lost relationships, I lost money and … here I am.”
Miami and Diddy were close to the hip for a number of years before he was arrested in September 2024 on several sex crime charges, including violations of the Mann Act. The Bad Boy mogul was found guilty on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution, a violation of the Mann Act, and acquitted of the more serious charges. He was sentenced to 50 months behind bars and his release date is currently scheduled for April 2028.
Last September, the rapper, born Caresha Brownlee, wrote a letter to Judge Arun Subramanian requesting leniency in Diddy’s sentencing, saying the man she was with was not the same individual accused of heinous sex crimes and acts of abuse toward women.
“For three of those years, I was in a public relationship with Sean, and during that time, I witnessed—and came to know—a different person than the one often portrayed,” she wrote, per Complex. “Behind the scenes, he was loving, genuine, supportive, and always encouraging. He motivated me, believed in me, and helped me grow both personally and professionally.”
Six months after penning the letter, Brownlee says she wrote it for a “changed man.”
“I think the man that I met, and I experienced, was changed,” she told Charlemagne. “I’m not gonna justify some bullsh-t or support something if I felt like that person wasn’t changed. I felt that the person I met was changed; it was a different experience.”
As far as remaining loyal to Diddy, Brownlee says she could only judge a person one way, and to her, Diddy changed her life, treated her like a queen, and refused to judge him for something she did not experience and she could only judge the person she was in a relationship with.
When asked whether she had any fears of being called to testify during his trial, she bluntly responded that she had no issues because “I have nothing to hide.”
Watch the excerpt from the interview below. The full conversation can be watched here, where Brownlee opens up about her separation from fellow City Girl JT, the group’s future, and more.
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Sougwen Chung’s studio process for Recursion 3 (2026) Courtesy of the artist
Sougwen Chung is presenting new works as part of Art Basel Hong Kong’s inaugural Zero 10 sector, dedicated to art of the digital age. Her centrepiece, Recursion 0, is a 10-metre scroll created with the help of brainwave data, which will be completed live at the fair. She tells us about how humans meet machines in her art.
“I’ve been thinking lately about how art reveals the writing on the wall. When I began developing the concept of human-machine collaboration it was 2015, years before the current wave of generative AI entered public consciousness. It stemmed from research into neuroscience, computer vision and HCI (human-computer interaction). But “interaction” felt insufficient, too transactional. “Collaboration” felt truer. In collaboration, there is always change. Mutual exchange. Promise. Peril. It implies a relational risk, an entanglement: a kind of (ex)change.
That dynamic exchange is what underpins the D.O.U.G. (Drawing Operations Unit: Generation) series. D.O.U.G. now spans multiple generations and has been presented everywhere from the Victoria and Albert Museum in London (where the work entered the permanent collection) and the National Art Center in Tokyo to the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Chung says that “Human experience defies computation yet can be expressed in new ways through these tools” Alex Kwan
Perhaps that’s why the work often suggests shared creative agency between human and machine. I’m drawn to this idea of creative agency, what it means today, how it is granted or revoked. It’s a question of authorship and value, but also of concealment and erasure. What does our desire—or refusal—to assign authorship to a machine say about us?
My interest has never been in replacing human collaboration, but challenging our assumptions about what machines are and what humans can become through them. With each iteration of D.O.U.G., I explore temporality and embodiment through machine bodies, systems, sensors and data. Human experience defies computation yet can be expressed in new ways through these tools.
The process itself is the space between categories. “Human” and “machine” as categories. The between as the creative practice. That relational space has turned out to be socio-technically prescient. We now live in a world of blended mediation. In each generation of D.O.U.G., I reflect on themes of mimicry, memory, spectrality, multiplicity, assembly, spatiality, recursion. These systems have become mirrors that are sometimes distorting, sometimes clarifying. A way to sit with different rhythms: urban, gestural, internal.
The feedback I receive from the machine isn’t verbal or emotional, like it might be from a human collaborator. It’s a feedback loop that is differently embodied, rhythmic, recursive. I draw with decades of my own movement data or create proprioceptive mappings triggered by alpha waves. These systems don’t possess agency in a mystical sense, but they reflect back our own: our choices, biases, knowledge. I’ve started to see them as us in another form.
To make a machine collaborator, I’ve had to become machine-readable. It’s a paradox: to move beyond the self, I’ve had to rigorously quantify the self. It’s a contradiction, an existential tension that has become a universal condition that is central to the work and to our wider relationship with technology. It’s a tension I explored in my TED talk, “Why I Draw with Robots”, and one that led to my inclusion in Time’s inaugural Time100 AI list in 2023, a recognition that this question of human-machine creative entanglement has moved from the margins to the centre of cultural discourse.
The history of human collaboration is written. The future of machine collaboration isn’t. As an artist, I’m interested in writing, exploring in all mediums these uncertain modalities, these undiscovered countries.”
• Interview by Peter Bauman
Artificial intelligence art projects are popping up everywhere, forcing difficult questions around artist agency, copyright and market value
As Phillips presents the first ever auction dedicated to the medium, we consider what it is and how it is curated
Times of crisis have produced constructive or chaotic art strategies. With AI art in 2025, the picture is complex
The Chinese Canadian artist is presenting a new kinetic work as part of the arts and culture programme at the 2025 World Economic Forum

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From terminals to television, today’s top trends span airport and reality tv drama.
If you want the real tea on what has the culture talking, you already know where to go. On the latest episode of the Trip After Dark podcast, DJ Misses brought the heat during her signature “Trending on the Timeline” segment. the timeline is buzzing with massive changes to airport travel, the highly anticipated return of reality television royalty, and some exclusive celebrity tea. Let us dive into exactly what has the culture talking right now.
Here is a breakdown of exactly what everyone is talking about right now.
First on the radar is a major shift happening at travel hubs across the country. Donald Trump recently announced that ICE agents will begin working at airports as soon as Monday to support the TSA. Following the recent government shutdown, TSA faced severe staffing shortages, leading to widespread call-outs and massive delays. While ICE agents will not conduct full X-ray screenings, they will manage entry points and check IDs. This move has sparked serious conversations in our community. Critics quickly pointed out that ICE agents lack the specific security training that standard TSA officers receive. If you plan to travel soon, prepare for a completely different environment.

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The Real Housewives of Atlanta is officially making its way back to our screens. RHOA remains a cultural staple, consistently delivering unforgettable moments, iconic reads, and top-tier fashion. The upcoming season promises to bring the heat and shake up the dynamic we have grown to love. Fans are more than ready to celebrate diversity on screen and watch our favorite Georgia peaches reclaim their Sunday night thrones.
Speaking of entertainment drama, K. Michelle recently shed some light on her simmering feud with Drew Sidora. If you thought this disagreement was about vocal runs or studio time, think again. The powerhouse singer made it crystal clear that she absolutely refuses to fight over music. With a global touring schedule and a catalog full of platinum and gold records, K. Michelle knows her worth. She prefers to use her platform to support emerging artists rather than argue with someone whose musical track record simply does not compare. She hinted that the tension is “not what people think it is,” leaving fans eager to see how this situation unfolds.
Follow your girl on the ‘Gram (@djmisses) and check out Posted On The Corner for more updates.
Stay plugged in, keep the discussion going, and make sure your voice is part of the movement shaping what’s next.
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LeBron didn’t just buy a Maybach — he made sure nobody else could have his.
LeBron James is reminding everyone that luxury hits different when it’s built just for you. He recently unveiled a 1-of-1 Maybach S 680 with Mercedes-Benz.
The NBA icon teamed up with Mercedes-Benz to unveil a one-of-one Maybach S 680, a fully customized statement piece that blends elite craftsmanship with James’ personal taste. This isn’t just another high-end car — it’s a rolling expression of status, detail, and design.
What really separates James’ Maybach from the standard ultra-luxury flex is how personal the customization gets. The one-of-one S 680 is finished in a striking light ivory exterior, giving the sedan a clean but unmistakably regal presence. Inside, the cabin shifts into a richer mood with a dark blue interior wrapped in premium Nappa leather and Alcantara, reinforcing that first-class feel Maybach is known for. Mercedes-Benz also worked James’ King’s crown logo into the build as a signature detail, adding a custom stamp that makes the car feel less like a spec job and more like a personal statement. This is the kind of tailoring that turns an already elite sedan into something truly one-off.
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The Maybach S 680 already sits at the top of the luxury sedan food chain, known for its V12 power, ultra-quiet ride and first-class interior experience. But James’ version takes things even further. The vehicle was developed through Mercedes-Benz’s exclusive customization program, allowing for bespoke finishes and tailored design elements that make it completely unique.
From the exterior to the interior, every inch of the car reflects a premium, intentional aesthetic. The build leans into Maybach’s signature elegance while incorporating subtle, personalized touches that elevate it beyond a standard flagship model. It’s less about loud flexing and more about refined dominance — the kind of luxury that doesn’t need to explain itself.
The collaboration also highlights the ongoing relationship between James and Mercedes-Benz, a partnership that has consistently placed him at the intersection of sports, culture and high-end design. Whether it’s footwear, fashion or automobiles, James has made a career out of aligning himself with brands that match his level of excellence.
More importantly, this drop reinforces something that’s become a signature of James’ off-court presence: ownership of the narrative. At this stage in his career, moments like this feel less like surprises and more like confirmations. James isn’t chasing legacy anymore — he’s living in it.
Get a better look at the luxurious set of wheels below.

Fit For A King: LeBron James Flexes Custom Maybach Mercedes-Benz was originally published on cassiuslife.com

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Alexia Moore was arrested in Georgia on March 4 and charged with murder on suspicion of inducing her own medical abortion.
Reproductive justice advocates are speaking out after a woman in Georgia was arrested and charged with murder under suspicion of using pills to end a pregnancy.
On March 23, 31-year-old Alexia Moore was released from jail in Camden County, Georgia, on $2,001 bond. The added dollar was symbolic for the murder charge the judge feels would be very difficult to move forward with, given the lack of evidence in her case. Moore was first arrested on March 4, two months after she arrived at a local emergency room pregnant and suffering from severe abdominal pain, multiple outlets, including The Current and WTVC, reported.
Doctors later delivered a premature baby estimated to be between 22 and 24 weeks who survived for several hours, though the age of the fetus was not in the initial police report.
Prosecutors have since alleged that in late December, Moore used the drug Misoprostol, a medication commonly used in medical abortions, to induce her own abortion. According to court documents, she was brought to the emergency room by a friend on Dec. 30 after developing extreme abdominal pain after taking the medication along with pain pills. According to The Current, a hospital security guard who is also a retired law enforcement officer filed the report with authorities.
Moore, a mother of two sons ages 7 and 9 and a military veteran, is facing a charge of malice murder, one felony count of possession of a controlled substance, and one misdemeanor count of possession of a controlled substance. If indicted, she could become the first woman charged with murder under Georgia’s six-week abortion ban since the state passed the law in 2019.
However, as previously stated, judges during her bond hearing on Monday indicated there may not be sufficient evidence to support a malice murder charge.
As her case, which experts say could test Georgia’s abortion restrictions, continues to unfold, it comes amid other high-profile cases, including one in Florida involving a woman who had to defend her decision not to undergo a C-section before a judge while 12 hours into labor. Reproductive justice organizations such as SisterSong, based in Atlanta, and Pregnancy Justice, based in New York City, say the case raises serious concerns.
“What is happening in Georgia, in Florida, and across this country is not new. SisterSong has been bearing witness to these attacks on pregnant people for decades. And we will not be silent,” Monica Simpson, executive director of SisterSong, told theGrio via email Tuesday.
Simpson also highlighted concerns about how aspects of the case—including the suggestion that Misoprostol is a controlled substance, when it was instead classified as a dangerous drug in 2024 (a separate designation)—are being used to criminalize Moore.
“Let us be clear about the facts. Misoprostol is not a controlled substance in Georgia. It is an FDA-approved medication used for abortion care, miscarriage management, and labor induction,” Simpson explained. “Pregnant people have a legal right to access it. When healthcare providers and prosecutors misrepresent the law to criminalize pregnant people, they are not upholding the law. They are weaponizing it.”
Referencing the Florida case, she added, “We have watched Black women forced into virtual courtrooms while actively in labor, compelled to argue for the right to make decisions about their own bodies in the middle of childbirth. We have watched healthcare facilities that should be sanctuaries of healing become sites of surveillance and punishment. This is not healthcare. This is a war on pregnant people, and Black women are on the front lines.”
Echoing those same sentiments, Pregnancy Justice legal director Karen Thompson told theGrio during a brief interview Tuesday that in addition to being “tired of the casualness with which Black women’s lives are treated,” the case also carries an urgent warning, particularly for Black women across the country.
“This, for me, feels like the canary in the coal mine, except that we’ve already been in the coal mine, and the canary has been sick for a very long time,” Thompson said. “We need to really keep our eyes on this situation, and we need to keep our eyes on the increasing pace of it, because it’s not going to stay still. It’s going to come for Black women in a very different way than when it comes for white women.”
Thompson also highlighted what she described as a “ripple effect” following the fall of Roe v. Wade in 2022. While that decision did not create the criminalization of abortion, she said it removed the “guardrails,” allowing six-week abortion bans like Georgia’s to take hold and creating additional complications ranging from insurance coverage barriers to patients avoiding care out of fear of legal consequences.
“At the end of the day, it is just going to make those maternal mortality rates worse,” Thompson said, adding that the continued criminalization of self-managed healthcare “is really throwing us into some very dangerous territory.”
Advocates say cases like those in Georgia and Florida show the need for greater understanding of the complexities of reproductive health and reproductive justice, which differs from reproductive rights and was created by Black women to ensure their voices and experiences were included in the fight for bodily autonomy and healthcare equity.
“Criminalizing miscarriages, premature births, or health care will not protect children or families. Alexia Moore should have the right to decide whether she wanted a child, not to mention a chance to heal from such a frightening experience,” the National Organization for Women (NOW) said in a statement.
Ultimately, legislation that protects and empowers women’s healthcare decisions is crucial to preventing cases like these. In the meantime, those in need of support are encouraged to reach out to reproductive justice organizations such as SisterSong and Pregnancy Justice.

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After a legendary career, Brandy to receive star from Hollywood Chamber of Commerce
It’s about time. Brandy is finally getting her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and honestly, it feels like a “long time coming” moment for the Vocal Bible.
After decades of giving us R&B classics, starring in Moesha, and basically redefining the genre for an entire generation, the legendary singer is officially being cemented into Hollywood history. It’s not just about the music, though. From being the first Black Cinderella to her recent run on the charts, she’s been a staple in the culture for as long as most of us can remember.The ceremony is happening on Monday, March 30, at 11:30 a.m. PT. It’s going to be a huge celebration of her legacy, and we already know some heavy hitters like Issa Rae and Babyface are stopping by to speak. It’s a massive win for her “Starz” fanbase, who have been rooting for this recognition for years. Even though she’s already a Grammy winner with a resume a mile long, there’s something special about seeing that name in terrazzo and brass on Hollywood Boulevard.It’s a reminder that even in an industry that moves as fast as music does, true talent and staying power eventually get the flowers they deserve.

Brandy To Receive A Star On Hollywood Walk of Fame was originally published on praisedc.com

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March 24, 2026
Independence Police Department posted a message to Facebook alerting potential customer of the incident.
The Independence Police Department has issued a public warning after fentanyl was discovered within the packaging of Barbie dolls sold at a local Missouri store on March 21.
The Independence Police Department’s investigation into the incident began after a customer purchased the toy at a discount store named Cargo Largo. When opening the package, a white powder was released. While the Barbie remained free of the substance, the substance was found between the cardboard backing and the plastic shell of the retail packaging. This specific placement allowed the substance to remain hidden from casual view. 
The Independence Police Department posted a message on Facebook alerting potential customers to the incident. Officers believe the substance contaminated only five dolls, all of which have been recovered. They believe the isolated event involves a single shipment at the Cargo Largo warehouse. Additionally, Independence Police note there is currently no evidence suggesting that other national retailers received similarly compromised units.
Jade Adams, the purchaser of the Barbie, understandably is shaken by the ordeal. She spoke with WDAF about the potential harm to her children.
“They could have dusted that all over themselves, their house, wherever they opened it,” Adams said. “Like, it’s not just me, it’s really just the kids for me. That’s my baby, that’s my last baby, that’s terrifying.”
Adams’s mother discussed her daughter’s reaction to the incident.
“She went to Cargo Largo and was like, ‘You need to get these Barbies; you need to get all these Barbies,’” she said. So, they filled a whole cart up of these Barbies and took them to security and were like, ‘You need to check all of these Barbies.’”
Despite the extreme lethality of fentanyl, officials confirmed that no injuries or accidental exposures occurred during the brief window the dolls were in circulation. Independence Police officers worked through the weekend to track every individual sale of the doll.
As of March 24, the Independence Police Department is continuing its criminal investigation into the supply chain to determine exactly how the controlled substance was introduced into Cargo Largo’s inventory.
RELATED CONTENT: Mike Tyson Admits To Using Fentanyl ‘Quite A Few Times’ During His Legendary Boxing Career 

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