Jam Master Jay, trial, murder, 2, defendants, guilty, murder, Jordan, Washington — Photo by Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

April 17, 2026

Defendant In Jam Master Jay Killing To Change Not Guilty Plea

Jay Bryant originally pleaded not guilty to a murder charge in 2023.

One of three men accused of participating in the killing of Run-DMC’s Jam Master Jay in 2002, is expected to take a plea deal.

According to The Associated Press, Jay Bryant, who pleaded not guilty to a murder charge in 2023, plans to change his plea when he next appears in court. That date has not been announced.

Bryant, along with his co-defendants Karl Jordan Jr. and Ronald Washington, was accused of killing the popular Queens DJ. Jordan and Washington were convicted in February 2024. In December 2025, a judge overturned Jordan’s conviction.

Bryant’s plea change was included in a court docket entry April 16. There were no details publicly available about what that entails. No information has been released about a prison sentence or anything related to the plea.

The 52-year-old Bryant was indicted nearly three years after the other suspects, after officials said that they found his DNA on a hat in Jay’s music studio. Prosecutors said witnesses identified Jordan as the shooter while Washington blocked the door during the shooting.

They said Bryant entered the building and opened a back fire door, allowing Jordan and Washington to enter without ringing a bell to gain access to the studio. Bryant’s uncle said his nephew told him that he shot Jay after the hip-hiop reached for a gun. No witness confirmed that Bryant was in the studio.

Still, prosecutors suggested that Bryant touched the hat, leaving his DNA, and that Jordan or Washington then carried the hat into the studio and dropped it. Yet, neither Washington’s nor Jordan’s DNA was found on the hat.

The men allegedly killed Jay because he was given 10 kilograms of cocaine on consignment in August 2002. Prosecutors said Jay was supposed to sell the product in Maryland. Washington and Jordan were brought in on the deal.

After a disagreement between Washington and another person, Jay cut Washington and Jordan out of the deal, leading to the killing of the popular DJ.

Minneapolis, ICE, Felony Assault — (Image: Getty Images)

by Kandiss Edwards

April 17, 2026

Singer D4vd Arrested In Connection With Death Of 14-Year-Old Girl

While the LAPD had previously searched a property in the Hollywood Hills linked to the singer, they had not publicly named him as a suspect until this week’s arrest.

Singer-songwriter professionally d4vd was arrested April 16 in connection with the death of a 14-year-old girl whose dismembered remains were found in his vehicle last year.

The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed on X that the entertainer, born David Anthony Burke, 21, was taken into custody and is being held without bail.

The arrest follows a months-long investigation and a secret grand jury probe into the death of Celeste Rivas Hernandez, who had been missing since April 2024, The New York Times reported.

While the LAPD had previously searched a property in the Hollywood Hills linked to the singer, they had not publicly named him as a suspect until this week’s arrest. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office is expected to review the case on April 20 to determine if there is sufficient evidence to file formal charges.

https://twitter.com/TMZ/status/2044969485720006922

The case began in September 2025, when employees at a Hollywood impound lot reported a foul odor emitting from a Tesla registered to Burke. The vehicle was towed after it was found abandoned on a street and was subsequently searched. Authorities discovered the “severely decomposed” and “dismembered” body of Hernandez. Forensic evidence suggested she had been deceased for several weeks.

The attorneys representing D4vd, Blair Berk, Marilyn Bednarski, and Regina Peter, emphasized in a statement that their client had “only been detained under suspicion.”

“Let us be clear—the actual evidence in this case will show that David Burke did not murder Celeste Rivas Hernandez, and he was not the cause of her death,” the attorneys said. “There has been no indictment returned by any grand jury in this case and no criminal complaint filed.”

The investigation has also drawn significant attention to the alleged relationship between Burke and the victim. Allegations have surfaced that the teenager was in an inappropriate sexual relationship with Burke. Family members of Rivas Hernandez told local media that she had met the singer online and had previously been seen in his company.

Justin Fairfax, Cerina Fairfax, suicide, murder, — Justin Fairfax Photo, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

by Sharelle B. McNair

April 17, 2026

Attorney Of Justin Fairfax’s Sexual Assault Accuser Says ‘Decades of Signs’ Existed Before Tragedy

Meredith Watson accused Fairfax of rape in 2000.

The attorney of former Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax’s sexual assault accuser said “signs of his anger” existed for years, The New York Post reports.

Fairfax and his wife, Dr. Cerina Fairfax, were found dead in their Annandale home early April 16 in what is being described as a murder-suicide. Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis described the incident as “an ongoing domestic dispute surrounding what seems to be a complicated or messy divorce.”

Attorney Nancy Erika Smith, who represented Meredith Watson when she accused Fairfax of rape in 2000, released a statement claimed that “there were decades of signs of his anger and mistreatment of women, and he used the court system to intimidate his victims and news outlets,” Smith said.

An acquaintance of Fairfax said the sexual assault scandal took a toll on his marriage when “he couldn’t find a job really.”

“His wife was a dentist, and she had grown up very poor, and it was very important to her to be financially stable and to have a good home for her children,” the acquaintance noted.

In 2019, Watson told Gayle King that she felt Fairfax used their friendship to his advantage when they were students at Duke University.

“He knew that the year prior, I had been raped by someone and that nothing was done about it. And he was a very good friend to me,” Meredith Watson told King at the time. “Which is why I never would’ve expected anything like this from him.”

March for Our Lives executive director Jaclyn Corin labeled Dr. Farifax’s death as a continuous pattern of the disproportionate impact of domestic gun violence on Black women.

“Their experiences are often left out of the broader conversation,” Corin said.“If we’re not naming who is most affected, we’re not building solutions that actually meet the scale or the reality of the problem.”

The Fairfax case comes just weeks after Vice Mayor of Coral Springs Nancy Metayer Bowen was allegedly shot and killed in her home by her husband, Stephen Bowen.

Data from the Violence Policy Center found that nine out of 10 Black females are killed by a man that they know, often with a gun. The 2023 study revealed that 733 Black females were murdered by men in single-victim/single-offender incidents at the rate of 3.1 in every 100,000, compared to the rate for white women being 1.2 for every 100,000.

dr. Erica Schwartz, Trump — U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

April 17, 2026

Trump Nominates Dr. Erica Schwartz To Lead the CDC, Signaling Shift In Vaccine Approach

The move appears to signal a shift in the Trump administration's approach to vaccines.

President Donald Trump’s new nominee to lead the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who has actually lead vaccination programs, appears to signal a shift in the administration’s approach to vaccines.

On April 16, Trump nominated Dr. Erica Schwartz to lead the CDC, ending a months-long search for a permanent director, CNBC reports. A public health veteran, Schwartz served as deputy surgeon general during Trump’s first term, where she helped lead the U.S. response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Her expected appointment comes as Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Secretary of Health and Human Services, oversees a series of controversial policy changes at CDC, including updates to childhood vaccine guidance. Her nomination also signals a possible shift within the administration, arriving just hours after Kennedy made some of his most supportive remarks on vaccines during a congressional hearing.

During a House Ways and Means Committee hearing, Kennedy said the measles vaccine is safe and effective for most people and can be safer than infection. He also agreed, when pressed by Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-CA), that vaccination could have saved at least one child during last year’s Texas outbreak.

Kennedy and his team recommended Schwartz alongside a slate of CDC leadership picks announced by Trump. Other appointments include Sara Brenner as a public health adviser; Jennifer Shuford as CDC deputy director and chief medical officer; and Sean Slovenski as deputy director and chief operating officer.

“We’re bringing in an extraordinary team. … The team has been leaked, and it’s gotten applause from both Republicans and Democrats,” Kennedy said before the House Appropriations subcommittee on health. “I think this new team is really going to be able to revolutionize CDC and get it back on track and get it doing the job that it does better than any other health agency in the world.”

Schwartz’s nomination comes as the White House faced a deadline to name a permanent CDC director after Kennedy removed the previous leader. Under the Federal Vacancies Act, the role can only remain unfilled for 210 days, a deadline that passed in late March.

If confirmed, Schwartz will take over an agency navigating major changes, staffing shifts, and proposed budget cuts while maintaining its core public health mission. Schwartz will appear before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee for confirmation.

The former rear admiral spent 24 years in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and served as a Coast Guard rear admiral. She holds degrees from Brown University and the University of Maryland, and led disease surveillance, vaccination programs, and pandemic policy efforts, while also supporting federal responses to natural disasters.

Crawfish Harvest — (Photo: CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images)

by Ahsan Washington

April 17, 2026

7 Restaurants Serving Bayou-Inspired Flavors on National Crawfish Day

Crawfish were considered a “poor man’s food” for centuries and were often used only as bait.

National Crawfish Day occurs every April 17 to honor one of Louisiana’s most famous edible contributions.

The history of the crawfish—or “mudbug”—as a culinary staple dates back to Indigenous communities like the Houma people, who used it as a primary food source long before Europeans arrived. Crawfish were considered a “poor man’s food” for centuries and were often used only as bait.

It wasn’t until the first Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival in 1960 and the rise of commercial farming that crawfish ascended to its status as a gourmet delicacy and a symbol of Cajun-Creole heritage.

Today, chefs nationwide celebrate this history by creating both traditional and innovative dishes. The following restaurants—ranging from legacy establishments to new-school fusion concepts—are defining the modern culinary identity of crawfish.

Harold & Belle’s

Located in Los Angeles’ Jefferson Park, Harold & Belle’s is a family-owned Creole institution that has delivered genuine New Orleans traditions since 1969. As one of the city’s oldest Black-owned dining establishments, it is renowned for its crawfish étouffée. The dish features a signature slow-cooked gravy that merges generational recipes with a distinct spicy kick, maintaining the restaurant’s legacy of authentic soul and seafood.

Stick Talk Cajun Hibachi

The prominent Black-owned restaurant in Houston pioneered the fusion of Southern and Asian culinary influences. Established in the early 2020s, the concept applies high-heat Japanese hibachi techniques to Louisiana staples. Its standout menu item, crawfish dirty rice, exemplifies this hybrid style, blending traditional Cajun aromatics with the smokiness of a teppanyaki grill.

Trap Fusion

Based in Memphis, Trap Fusion specializes in Cajun flavors reimagined through urban comfort food. Founded by Markeith W. McCoy and Chef J. Gardner, the restaurant is knowng for Dnawlin Jambalaya Pasta featuring crawfish, shrimp, and sausage tossed in a rich, creamy Alfredo base, successfully uniting traditional Southern ingredients with contemporary pasta preparation.

CheSa Bar & Bistro

Founded by Chef CheSa, this Chicago restaurant focuses on elevated comfort food. Since opening in the 2010s, the bistro has gained national recognition for its crawfish tortellini. By uniting Italian pasta-making techniques with bold Cajun seasonings, the restaurant offers a sophisticated yet accessible bridge between European and Gulf Coast cuisines.

Filé Gumbo Bar

Situated in Manhattan’s West Village, Filé Gumbo Bar is an authentic Cajun-Creole destination owned by Eric McCree. Since its 2022 opening, the establishment has become a key source for Southern flavors in New York City. A highlight of the menu is the creamy crawfish macaroni and cheese, a dish that showcases the versatility of crawfish within a classic American comfort-food frameworks

Djuan’s New Orleans Bistro

Djuan’s New Orleans Bistro, located near Atlanta, is a full-service Cajun and Creole restaurant offering traditional fare with a modern modification. Owned by Donald Williams, the bistro is particularly famous for its crawfish beignets. Since opening in 2020, the restaurant has served as a vital cultural and culinary hub for the region’s Black-owned dining scene.

Neyow’s Creole Cafe

Founded in 2010 by Tanya and Timothy Dubuclet, Neyow’s Creole Cafe is a staple of New Orleans’ Mid-City neighborhood. The restaurant is dedicated to homestyle Louisiana heritage, best exemplified by its Savory Crawfish Balls. This signature dish features crawfish tails wrapped in seasoned crab meat and fried to a golden brown, representing a masterclass in traditional Creole seafood preparation.

Aaron Judge, Yankee, record — Photo by Sean Ingram: https://www.pexels.com/photo/exciting-baseball-game-at-yankee-stadium-28670355/

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

April 17, 2026

Chaos In The Stands: Fans Clash At Yankee Stadium

Video shows fans slugging it out in the Bronx.

Yesterday afternoon’s game between the Los Angeles Angels and the New York Yankees featured plenty of action off field.

A scuffle between fans took place during the sixth inning of April 16’s day game at Yankee Stadium. According to The New York Post, the incident, caught on video, shows fans throwing punches on the second deck along the left field line.

Someone who was at the game and witnessed the melee posted a short video clip on social media. For several seconds, arms and fists fly, but it doesn’t look like anyone was harmed.

Before the clip ends, a fan is heard screaming out, “He’s running away!”

https://twitter.com/batistanem516/status/2044869421756186755

According to The Big Lead, security arrived quickly to break up the fight. There was video footage of security leading the individuals involved in the altercation away from the section. No details were released publicly about what started the fight, how many people were involved, or what discipline they may face.

The Yankees may have wanted to channel that fighting spirit, as they ended up losing to the Angels 11-4, splitting the four-game series.

Angels star Mike Trout hit his fifth home run in the series, becoming the fourth opponent to hit five homers in a series against the Yankees. The last one to do it was George Bell in 1990. Hall of Famer Jimmie Foxx did it in 1933, and Darrell Evans accomplished the feat in 1985.

The Yankees next face the Kansas City Royals at home on April 17.

Spirit Airlines auction, Google, Mercor — (Photo: Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)

by Jameelah Mullen

April 17, 2026

Fuel Price Surge Pushes Spirit Airlines Toward Collapse

Experts warn of possible liquidation within days.

Spirit Airlines faces mounting financial woes amid skyrocketing fuel costs, threatening to delay the company’s plans to exit bankruptcy by early summer. Some experts speculate that the airline could liquidate as early as this week.

The budget carrier filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2024 and has been working toward a financial restructuring plan to stabilize itself. The airline reached an agreement with some of its creditors days before the U.S. and Israel launched airstrikes against Iran.

The lenders behind the airline’s revolving credit line filed an objection to the reorganization plan last week, arguing that the proposal doesn’t account for the airline’s higher fuel costs, according to Bloomberg.

Fuel remains one of the largest expenses for airlines, but unlike other major carriers, Spirit’s low-cost business model leaves it with limited flexibility to offset higher costs by raising fares without risking a decline in sales.

According to JPMorgan analysts cited by the Wall Street Journal, higher fuel prices could add roughly $360 million to Spirit’s expenses this year, exceeding the $337 million in cash the airline reported at the end of last year.

“If the debtors cannot demonstrate their viability at current (or possibly higher) fuel prices, they have no basis to represent that the plan is feasible,” attorneys for the lenders wrote in a Friday court filing obtained by The Wall Street Journal.

The February reorganization plan would also split a $275 million loan into two parts, violating the original contract, according to Citibank, which represents the lenders, as reported by the Journal. The bank says Spirit is already in default under the agreement, giving lenders the right to seize the company’s assets.

When asked about speculation that the airline may be headed for liquidation, Spirit declined to comment on what it deemed “rumors and speculation.”

The Spirit has already reduced expenses through layoffs and route cuts. But competitors have filled the gaps. Frontier Airlines and JetBlue Airways added service on routes where Spirit once had a strong presence, including Ft. Lauderdale and Miami International airports.

Ice protest — photo credit: Fibonacci Blue, CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

by Sharelle B. McNair

April 17, 2026

As Immigrant Deaths In Custody Rise, ICE Releases Fewer Details

While ICE recently reported the 16th immigrant detainee death of the year, the number of people in ICE detention centers has dropped by 11% since February.

There was a time when Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials released three-page reports on what happened following the death of immigrant detainees in custody.

But as the number of deaths has gone up, NBC News reports, the details have decreased to a few paragraphs.

The agency once required ICE to give notice to the public and Congress within two days of a detainee’s death. The next step was submitting reports within 90 days to be posted on the ICE website with details surrounding the death: timelines, timestamps of medical observations, regular medications, administered emergency medications, and times and causes of death.

Since mid-December 2025, released reports have only included a brief synopsis of the circumstances surrounding these deaths as lawmakers grow increasingly almarmed over the increase in detainee deaths under Department of Homeland Security (DHS) custody. The ICE website that posts investigations has not been updated since mid-February, with DHS blaming the delay on the ongoing department shutdown

“Under these conditions, certain administrative and public-facing updates are not fully operational. In a shutdown driven by Democrats’ failure to fund the government, non-essential reporting functions can be slowed even as ICE continues its core mission,” DHS said in a statement.

ICE recently reported the 16th immigrant detainee death of the year. In addition, the number of people in ICE detention centers has dropped by 11% since February, and arrests are down by 21%. But there are still more than 60,000 people in custody, close to double the number prior to President Donald Trump’s second term in office.

Under the Trump administration, DHS has committed to detaining and deporting as many immigrants as possible. However, lawmakers have focused on deaths in facilities like Camp East Montana in El Paso, Texas, which has more immigrants than any other facility.

As U.S. leaders like Democratic Rep. Veronica Escobar of Texas have called for Montana’s closure due to its conditions, world leaders like Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum have criticized immigrant deaths while in U.S. custody, including those with Mexican backgrounds.

According to PBS, Sheinbaum claimed, “There are many Mexicans whose only crime is not having papers.”

She’s not alone. A poll from AP-NORC found six in 10 U.S. adults feel the Trump administration has “gone too far” in sending federal immigration agents into American cities, as the disapproval of immigration enforcement increases.

“Growing dissatisfaction around ICE activities in the United States creates a more comfortable platform for members of the Mexican government to raise concerns about the fate of Mexican citizens,” vice president of content strategy for the Council of the Americas, Carin Zissis, said.

DHS defended the reported increase in death rates, calling them a small percentage of the overall detainee population.

“All detainees are provided with proper meals, water, medical treatment, and have opportunities to communicate with their family members and lawyers,” the agency said. “In fact, ICE has higher detention standards than most U.S. prisons that hold actual U.S. citizens.”

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Angel Reese, Michelle Obama, podcast — photo credit: John Mac, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

by Jameelah Mullen

April 17, 2026

Angel Reese Hosts Baltimore STEM Program, Inspiring Female Student-Athletes Beyond The Game

Angel Reese paid it forward again.

WNBA star Angel Reese partnered with video game publisher 2K through its philanthropic arm, the 2K Foundations, to host a six-week STEM program for girls at Crossroads Middle School in Baltimore.

This marks a full-circle moment for Reese, who is from Randallstown, Maryland, a Baltimore suburb.

2K Foundations, which provides mentorship and sports programming in underserved communities, collaborated with nonprofit STEM organizations Living Classrooms Foundation and Project Scientist to develop courses in coding, robotics design, 3D printing, career development, and STEM-based sports projects.

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The partnership supports the Angel C. Reese Foundation’s mission to expand access to sports, education, and financial literacy for girls in underserved communities, according to the foundation’s website.

“The Living Classrooms’ partnership with Angel Reese, the Angel C. Reese Foundation, and 2K Foundations reflects a shared belief that girls thrive when they are given access, encouragement, and real-world opportunities to explore who they can become,” said James Piper Bond, president and CEO of Living Classrooms Foundation Bond in a press statement. “By investing in STEM education for our female Crossroads scholar-athletes, we are expanding what’s possible—helping young women build confidence, critical-thinking skills, and pathways to bold careers.”

Angel Reese launched the Angel C. Reese Foundation in 2023 while she was a student at Louisiana State University.

The “Bayou Barbie” hosts annual back-to-school block parties featuring donated backpacks filled with school supplies. Its inaugural event was held at her high school alma mater, St. Frances Academy, and included a $12,000 donation to the school’s basketball team. Since its launch, the organization has invested nearly $190,000 in programs across Baltimore, Chicago, and Baton Rouge.

“I hope to always bring a positive impact to the community,” Reese told 225 Baton Rouge in 2023. “I want to be an inspiration for young girls and the next generation, so that they can do this too. There’s no limit to what you can do.”

DOJ, trafficking victims — Photo by Peter E/Flickr

by Sharelle B. McNair

April 17, 2026

Legal Expert Flags DOJ’s ‘Searing Inconsistency’

“There is no rhyme or reason to what this Department of Justice does.”

During an episode of The Legal Breakdown, hosted by YouTuber Brian Tyler Cohen, legal expert Glenn Kirschner argued that President Donald Trump’s Department of Justic had continued to show a “searing inconsistency” when applying the law to high-profile cases.

He highlighted the difference in DOJ by comparing its recent request to courts to drop convictions for members of white supremacist groups the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers and the case of Brian Cole Jr., a Black man initially accused of a crime.

“Here we are piling charges on Brian Cole when at virtually the same time, Donald Trump’s dirty DOJ leadership is trying to dismiss the convictions of the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys who were convicted of seditious conspiracy,” Kirschner said. “There is no rhyme or reason to what this Department of Justice does.”

The two paramilitary groups helped organize and participate in the Jan. 6 insurrection while Cole Jr. allegedly planted pipe bombs outside of the Democratic and Republican National Committees before the insurrection took place.

But KATV reports the department recently added new charges—attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction and committing an act of terroris—on top of prior charges of transporting and attempting to use explosives.

On Trump’s first day in office, he commuted the sentences of Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes and Proud Boys leaders Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs, and Zachary Rehl. However, their cases continued to move through the Washington D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Cole’s added charges could result in a life sentence, but for the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, as appeal deadlines are coming up, the DOJ asked the court to drop the cases altogether. Kirschner called the decision bizarre.

“Are we supposed to like and reward election deniers who commit massive felony crimes? Are we supposed to dislike and prosecute election deniers who commit massive, potentially violent crimes?” he continued.

For months, the DOJ has been under scrutiny from Congress and litigators for its handling of cases such as the Jeffrey Epstein files and white-collar crimes. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche claimed some lawyers would benefit from not publicly criticizing the Trump administration.

“If folks in this room are going to be honest brokers when counseling clients, posting on LinkedIn or writing client alerts, the public narrative should match the private one,” he said during a conference. “If you publicly claim we are not enforcing white-collar crime aggressively enough, but privately insist that your clients are the victims of overreach, we notice that inconsistency.”