WNBA, Players Union Agree To Moratorium But Will Negotiate Players’ Salaries
Both sides will continue to negotiate in good faith.
With both sides still at odds over the collective bargaining agreement (CBA), the WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association) and the WNBPA (Women’s National Basketball Players Association) have agreed to a moratorium after failing to reach a deal by the proposed Jan. 9 deadline.
According to The Associated Press, there will be no business dealings until the two sides reach an agreement on how the league will compensate the players. The recent CBA had been extended twice after it originally expired on Oct. 30, 2025—first to Nov. 30, and then to Jan. 9.
Both sides will continue to negotiate in good faith. The WNBA has never had a work stoppage in its existence.
There will be no signings or player transactions, as before the moratorium was issued, the WNBA, under U.S. labor law, had an obligation to allow teams to extend qualifying offers under the expired CBA. The issue appears to stem from differing views on salaries and revenue sharing.
Although the WNBA’s current offer provides players with a substantial increase in average annual salaries, the union believes it still isn’t enough.
The most recent offer guarantees a maximum base salary of $1 million, starting this season, that could rise to $1.3 million through revenue sharing. The last CBA had a maximum cap of $249,000.
With the latest proposal, players would receive more than 70% of net revenue. That would be after expenses are paid. Those expenses would include better amenities for players, such as upgraded facilities, charter flights, and five-star hotels.
The average salary would be more than $530,000, which is more than the current $120,000, and grow to more than $770,000 over the life of the agreement. The minimum salary would be up from $67,000 to approximately $250,000 in the first year.
The union countered with a proposal that players receive approximately 30% of gross revenue. The player’s cut would be from money generated before expenses for the first year, while giving teams a $10.5 million salary cap to sign players. They would also want the revenue-sharing percentage to go up each year.
Memphis Widow Speaks After Husband Fatally Shot After Pulling Into Stranger’s Driveway
A Memphis widow is speaking out after her husband was fatally shot after the couple briefly pulled into a stranger's driveway.
A Memphis woman is grieving the loss of her husband after he was fatally shot when the couple pulled into a stranger’s driveway to avoid a traffic ticket.
Sheila Booker recounted the moments leading up to the Jan. 9 killing of her husband, Rodriguez Poplar, who was fatally shot outside a stranger’s home where the couple had briefly parked to avoid a police encounter, Fox 13 Memphis reports. Officers nearby quickly arrested the suspect.
“The police came so fast,” Booker said. “If it weren’t for them, I think I’d be dead. They saved my life.”
Booker said that when she and her husband spotted police lights on North Trezevant Street, he steered her into a driveway because their car had a broken headlight and expired tags. She says that’s when the homeowner emerged armed, demanding they leave.
“So, he pulled the gun in my face, and that’s when my husband got out, and my husband got out trying to protect me, and that’s when he shot my husband right in front of me,” Booker said.
The widow said the police arrived on the scene in under a minute, with officers reporting that they found the suspect, Tommy Applewhite, still armed. Applewhite is facing multiple charges, including second-degree murder.
His criminal history in Shelby County dates back to 2001, with the most serious prior incident in 2007 when he shot a man twice at a Frayser apartment complex following a fight. He pleaded guilty to attempted murder and served three years in prison. Court records also show multiple drug- and gun-related offenses. At the time of the 2026 shooting, Applewhite was on active probation for a 2022 gun charge, according to Tennessee Department of Corrections records.
Booker has started a GoFundMe to help cover the costs of her husband’s funeral and burial.
“I am asking for help to cover funeral and burial expenses so that I can lay my husband to rest with dignity and peace,” she wrote in the campaign description. “Any funds raised will go directly toward funeral services, burial costs, and related expenses during this incredibly difficult time.”
The U.S. Indefinitely Shuts Down Immigrant Visas For 75 Countries
There are several Caribbean and African countries on the list, including Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Haiti, and Nigeria.
The Trump administration has announced it would suspend immigrant visa processing for people from 75 countries, who the administration said are likely to require public assistance while living in the U.S.
The freeze will begin on Jan. 21 and targets applicants who State Department officials deem likely to become a “public charge,” or people they believe will rely on government assistance for basic needs.
“The Trump administration is bringing an end to the abuse of America’s immigration system by those who would extract wealth from the American people,” the department said in a statement obtained by the Associated Press. “Immigrant visa processing from these 75 countries will be paused while the State Department reassesses immigration processing procedures to prevent the entry of foreign nationals who would take welfare and public benefits.”
Trump Administration’s Crackdown on Immigration
According to The Guardian, the Trump administration has beefed up immigration enforcement at unprecedented levels. In addition to immigration and travel bans on nearly 40 countries, the State Department has reportedly revoked more than 100,000 visas since Trump took office for a second term. The Department of Homeland Security said more than 605,000 people have been deported, and an additional 2.5 million have reportedly self-deported.
The administration’s latest effort of pausing immigration visas comes amid heavy scrutiny geared toward Somali Americans in Minnesota over fraud allegations. Over the past year, 98 people in Minnesota have been charged with fraudulently obtaining federal funds to subsidize the cost of caring for low-income children. Of those charged, approximately 90 are of Somali descent, The Washington Times reports.
There are several Caribbean and African countries on the list, including Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Haiti, and Nigeria. Applicants seeking non-immigrant visas, temporary tourist or business visas, who make up the vast majority of visa seekers, will not be impacted by the halt. According to the AP, demand for tourist visas will increase in the coming months due to the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Olympics being hosted in the United States.
Journalist Exposes Janky ICE Recruitment Process, Revealing She Was Hired Without Background Check
Editors at Slate stand by the story.
As U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents continue to be under fire for their aggressive actions, Laura Jedeed, a journalist, poured salt in an open wound by exposing the agency for hiring her without a proper background check.
Jedeed tested the ICE recruitment process by submitting a fake application, only to be hired, much to her surprise.
The process started when she visited an ICE Career Expo event at the ESports Stadium Arlington in Texas in August 2025. The agency was offering deportation officer candidates positions on the spot.
Despite being anti-ICE and a President Donald Trump critic, she applied to test the expanding theory that many agents are not only properly trained but also improperly hired.
Jedeed claimed she received a Sept. 3 email with a “tentative offer” of employment, but she never accepted it. So she was surprised to get a follow-up with a request for a drug test—and consent for a background check to take place.
Her curiosity piqued, she took the drug test but admitted to engaging in legal cannabis a few days earlier, thinking she would fail, but that wasn’t the case.
“I was curious, ‘had they processed the drug test yet?’ So I logged into the ICE hiring portal, and what I found was that not only did the drug test seem to be relevant, I was listed as having joined ICE three days earlier,” she revealed.
Independent journalist @LauraJedeed recounts how she was hired as an ICE agent despite never completing a background check, likely failing a drug test and publicly sharing her opposition to Trump. pic.twitter.com/8vMStB957a
“By all appearances, I was a deportation officer,” Jadeed wrote in her Slatepiece, “You’ve Heard About Who ICEIs Recruiting. The Truth Is Far Worse. I’m the Proof.”
“Without a single signature on agency paperwork, ICE had officially hired me.”
According to the ICE website, those who want to help the country that “has been invaded by criminals and predators” don’t need an undergraduate degree. The agency is also “looking for individuals with integrity and courage” and “law enforcement personnel who aspire to the highest standards of performance, professionalism and leadership.”
With those requirements, it may not come as a surprise that Jadeed made the cut. The 38-year-old joined the Army after high school and served two tours in Afghanistan with the 82nd Airborne Division.
But as the story began to go viral, a DHS spokesperson claimed it was false.
“Applicants may receive a Tentative Selection Letter following their initial application and interview that is not a job offer. This individual was NEVER offered a job at ICE,” the spokesperson said.
A spokesperson at Slate said that the editors are standing behind Jedeed’s reporting, a refreshing act as journalism and free speech have been under attack.
“Evidence, including video documentation, shows the journalist who reported this story advanced through multiple hiring stages beyond the ‘tentative selection letter,’ including receiving a final offer letter and being given a start date,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
Zoe Saldaña Makes History As The Highest-Grossing Movie Actor Ever
The 47-year-old has appeared in 18 feature films over her nearly three-decade career.
It’s official! Zoe Saldaña is the highest-grossing actor in history, according to Variety.
Saldaña has starred in three of the highest-grossing films of all time: Avatar and its sequel, The Way of Water, rank No. 1 and No. 3, respectively. She also played Gamora in 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, which dominated box office charts and set records for fastest grossing, highest single-day and weekend openings, and became the second-highest-grossing film of all time worldwide. The star is also the first actress to appear in four movies that have grossed over $2 billion worldwide.
Previously, Saldaña was the third-highest-grossing actor behind fellow Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU ) actors Scarlett Johansson and Samuel L. Jackson. But her starring role in the third installment of Avatar propelled the actress to the No. 1 spot. To date, the sci-fi film has earned $1.23 billion, according to IGN.
The mother of three took to Instagram to celebrate the achievement.
“I just want to express my sincerest gratitude for the extraordinary journey that has led me to become the highest-grossing film actor of all time today. An achievement made possible entirely by the incredible franchises,” Saldaña said in the Instagram reel.
Saldaña then acknowledged the directors behind her hit films, including J.J. Abrams of Star Trek, the Avengers directors Joe and Anthony Russo, and Avatar’s James Cameron.
“Your faith, your guidance, and your vision shape not only these films, but me as an artist,” the Golden Globe winner said.
Saldaña noted that this achievement was bigger than herself.
“This accomplishment belongs to all of us, and I’m deeply grateful and profoundly humbled. And may the next record breaker be another woman!”
Saldaña began her acting career in 1999 with a role on Law and Order.
Her breakout role was Anamaria in 2003’s Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003). The actress’s other accolades include a BAFTA award, two Critics’ Choice Awards, a Golden Globe, a SAG Award, and a Cannes Film Festival Award.
Youth Leaders Talk Bringing MLK’s Legacy Of Nonviolence To Online Communities
Youth leaders addressed online trolling, bullying, and abuse.
A panel of accomplished young leaders and activists started a week of events leading to the upcoming 2026 Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday, connecting the violence and abuse experienced by youth in the 1960s Civil Rights Movement with online trolling, bullying, and abuse of young people passionately advocating for change via social media platforms today.
“We’re not here to talk about going viral; we’re here to talk about going brave,” said Dorothy Jeanius STEAM Leadership Institute Founder and CEO Dr. Dorothy Jean Tillman, who made headlines in 2023 by earning a doctorate in behavioral health from Arizona State University at age 17. “Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. taught us that courage is not the absence of fear. It’s choosing love, truth, and responsibility anyway. Today, that courage doesn’t just show up on our streets—it shows up on our screens.”
Tillman and Saundra Xiong, a junior at the Savannah College of Art and Design and graduate of the Beloved Community Leadership Academy EmpowHer program, co-moderated the“Streaming Courage—Building Safe Communities Online” panel to start the 2026 Beloved Community Global Youth Summit at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta on Jan. 14.
Amariyanna “Little Miss Flint” Copeny, the youth activist who raised awareness about the ongoing Flint water crisis; Uruguayan-American social media personality and nonprofit director Carlos Eduardo Espina; and music artist and social media influencer Jordan “Mr. Hotspot” Brown served as panel speakers.
Screenshot
The Beloved Community Global Youth Summit was presented by the Martin Luther King Center for Nonviolent Social Change. The King Center’s theme for this year’s activations and summit events is “Mission Possible 2: Building Community, Uniting A Nation, The Nonviolent Way.”
The Global Youth Summit was presented before an audience of more than 400 elementary and high school students from the Atlanta metro area.
The “Streaming Courage” session focused on how the young leaders on the panel face and overcome online violence in response to their social media activism. “This conversation is about building safe communities,” said Xiong, “spaces rooted in dignity, empathy, and accountability—even when the internet rewards outrage instead of care.”
Copeny, who was a pre-teen when her posts about the Flint water crisis gained national attention, was clear that taking a stand on social media can come at a high cost, including being attacked by adults.
“Speaking up did make me uncomfortable, especially on social media, and especially on Twitter [X],” she said. “I honestly don’t like using that platform to spread awareness, because it is full of racism, and it was grown adults who don’t know anything about me, spreading hateful rumors that have literally never been true.”
Echoing the nonviolent philosophies of The King Center, Brown stressed growing a social media audience by overcoming online hate with love and positivity.
“It’s really coming down to showing love to your neighbor,” he asserted. “And from there, you can see some type of growth…you’ll see the viewers going up, realizing that people were listening to your positivity, which will encourage you to keep doing more.”
“Realize that sometimes you hyperfocus on the negative, but the reality is, most people are going to support you,” said Espina. “Even though on social media you get a lot of hateful comments, no one has ever told me anything negative in person. Social media often amplifies negativity, but social media is not always a representation of the real world. If you do stuff for your community, there’s going to be a lot more people who support you, because I believe love multiplies. People feel that positive vibe; that’s what attracts them to you. Just do what you do and stand up for what you believe in.”
Other programming included guided tours of the National Center for Civil Rights; a screening of the short film, mHoops, Hopes & Dreams, about how a young Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. used basketball to activate young people for the Civil Rights Movement; and a panel featuring King Center CEO Rev. Dr. Bernice A. King, music artist and producer 2Chainz and his son Halo, moderated by speaker and TV host Ryan Cameron.
“We need you to understand the movement that my father led,” Dr. King said as she urged the youth in attendance to live out her father’s principles of nonviolence in pursuit of social change. “I want to challenge you all to go a little bit deeper with understanding Dr. King and Mrs. Coretta Scott King, because they left us with some wisdom—more than ‘I Have A Dream.’ They left us with some teachings, and these teachings can help you with your everyday life, with your family, with your friends, with your neighborhood, and in society. We do this summit to connect [young people] with the real legacy, the authentic legacy, of Dr. King.”
Indiana Driver Gets New Car After Photo Of Wrecked Truck Goes Viral, ‘God Is Good’
A driver out of South Bend, Indiana, was gifted a new car after his wrecked pickup truck went viral.
A South Bend, Indiana, driver was gifted a new car after a photo of his battered pickup truck went viral, sparking a wave of community donations.
Marcellus Riles cried tears of joy after being gifted a shiny 2019 Chevrolet Silverado last month, with help from Gates Chevy and Car Guys Professional Auto Detailing, WNDU reports. The replacement comes after Car Guys’ owner, Colin Crowel, saw a now-viral photo of Riles’ original truck, which had a tilted body, a dangling taillight, and damage on both sides.
Moved by the driver’s story, Crowel started a GoFundMe that raised $10,000 in just 48 hours and topped $20,000 by the time Riles got his new car.“
“This whole thing is not about me. It’s about this community bonding together. God is good,” Riles said.
NEW: Community comes together and buys a South Bend, Indiana, man a new vehicle after his beat-up Chevy Silverado went viral online.
Mo Riles says his truck was severely damaged over the years.
Thanks to the fact that Indiana doesn't require routine vehicle inspections, Riles… pic.twitter.com/iOPeXku4zm
Riles, a part-time cashier on South Bend’s south side, had been safely driving his beat-up truck when locals started snapping photos and videos of it. After seeing a post about the vehicle, Crowel rallied the community to help.
“I made a post that same night on social media and said to my friends and acquaintances, business partners, saying, ‘Hey, if I did this, would I have some backing from the community? And it was a resounding yes. Everybody wanted to do this,” Crowel said.
The campaign launched just before last month’s Giving Tuesday, which Crowel said felt especially fitting.
“Yesterday was Giving Tuesday. I had no idea it was Giving Tuesday until someone called me and told me it was,” he said. “And so, it was kind of a Christmas miracle, so to speak, that it fell on the right day at the right time to the right person.”
“Oh, my Jesus. In two days. Oh, wow. Wow. This is just overwhelming. When my neighbor told me, I just cried. And I’m holding back tears now,” Riles said. “And I’m just so thankful. And there’s not a word for the gratitude. That I want to share with everybody. Thoughts and emotions. Thank you so much.”
WWDD? Content Creator Druski Parodies The Dramatics Of Mega Church Culture
The sketch, shared across Druski’s platforms depicts the comedian clearly playing an exaggerated megachurch pastor.
Content creator and social media comedian Druski sparked online discussion this week after a viral megachurch parody skit.
Druski made fun of megachurch culture, mocking what some see as spectacle and commercialization in parts of modern church culture. The video has generated millions of views and mixed reactions from viewers online.
The sketch, shared across Druski’s platforms, depicts the comedian playing what is clearly a megachurch pastor delivering a flamboyant service with dramatic effects, smoke machines, and loud music. The performance mixes humor, satire, and a little truth.
In one moment from the video, Druski appears suspended above the congregation while Kirk Franklin’s 1998 song “Revolution” plays in the background. While it seems outlandish to some, the scene has played out before in multiple congregations.
Social media users pointed out how the performance was less of a performance and akin to real life. On X @jackfreemanjr observed, “They mad at Druski for joking about megachurch pastors. But you’re not mad at megachurch pastors for giving him the material?”
They mad at Druski for joking about megachurch pastors. But you’re not mad at megachurch pastors for giving him the material? pic.twitter.com/1iMi0w5qtw
Others pointed how image and leadership intersect in certain church settings, seen in how Druski’s outfit pointed directly back to the pulpit of Pastor Mike Todd.
Others criticized the video as disrespectful to religious practice and felt some jokes crossed a line by mocking aspects of faith or leadership rather than addressing issues constructively.
The debate surrounding the skit touches on broader conversations about the role of megachurches in American religious life and how comedians use satire to question cultural norms. Supporters of the video see it as a catalyst for discussion. Detractors argue that Druski’s video can be misinterpreted as an attack on faith rather than on specific behaviors.
@deyatillluvbrit commented: Finna drop that Druski skit in the family group chat full of bible thumpers and mute the chat. A lil chaos on Wednesday.”
40 Years Of The King Holiday: A Promise Renewed, A Legacy Reimagined
That victory was not inevitable.
Forty years ago, after one of the longest legislative battles in modern U.S. history, the United States established the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday, a national recognition not only of Dr. King’s leadership but of the moral force of the Civil Rights Movement.
That victory was not inevitable. It was won through persistence, protest, and the unwavering resolve of Coretta Scott King, who fought for 15 years to ensure her husband’s legacy would not be diluted, revised, or forgotten.
The movement to secure the holiday began almost immediately after Dr. King’s assassination in 1968 at the Lorraine Motel, which now stands as the National Civil Rights Museum. Coretta Scott King assumed the mantle of movement architect, ultimately the largest petition in U.S. history at the time, to demand that the nation honor a man who challenged its conscience. She built a broad coalition of citizens, artists, labor unions, clergy, and elected officials. She lobbied presidents and testified before Congress. She galvanized the public to see the holiday as a reflection of our highest democratic ideals.
Yet the fight was fierce. Opposition to the holiday revealed deep tensions around who is considered worthy of national memory. Critics masked their discomfort with King’s radical calls for economic justice, anti-war activism, and structural change behind arguments of cost or tradition. But the truth was clear: honoring Dr. King required the country to confront its own failures.
The holiday was ultimately codified in 1983 and first observed in 1986. By 2000, after additional state-level battles, it became a truly national observance. And yet, its establishment marked a beginning, not a conclusion.
Over the last four decades, MLK Day has evolved into America’s largest annual day of service. From food distribution to school cleanups, communities have embraced the idea that service is a powerful expression of shared humanity. But Dr. King’s call to service was inseparable from his call to systemic reform. He urged the nation to examine the roots of inequality, not simply to ease its symptoms.
Service without policy change is compassion without transformation. The commitment required today is to pair community service with civic action, advocacy, and accountability. Dr. King’s legacy requires both.
As we mark the 40th anniversary, we do so amid rising polarization, renewed attacks on voting rights, the censoring of historical truth, widening economic inequality, and a growing disconnect among generations. Young people, our most diverse and justice-driven generations yet, are navigating overwhelming social issues, disinformation, and activism fatigue. And still, they press forward, echoing the same courage by those who marched across the bridge in Selma, sat in at restaurant lunch counters, and challenged school admittance.
To uphold Dr. King’s legacy in the modern Civil Rights Movement, the nation must commit to the following:
• Protecting voting rights as the foundation of democracy.
• Defending historical truth, ensuring classrooms and museums remain places of honest learning.
• Advancing economic justice, echoing Dr. King’s final campaign for a more equitable and humane economy.
• Pairing service with advocacy, recognizing that meaningful change demands both local action and national policy.
• Centering community storytelling, lifting the voices of everyday people whose experiences deepen our understanding of the movement.
• Investing in young leaders who carry the creativity and conviction necessary to build the Beloved Community.
The 40th anniversary is a moment of celebration, but also a moment of clarity. The holiday affirms that America’s progress is not preordained. It is chosen repeatedly through civic courage, moral conviction, and collective action.
Dr. King taught that “the arc of the moral universe bends toward justice,” but he also insisted that it only bends when people pull together. The holiday stands as a national invitation to keep pulling.
Courtesy National Civil Rights Museum
Dr. Russ Wigginton serves as the President of the National Civil Rights Museum. He assumed this role in 2021, and has vast experience in education, fundraising, operations, and community engagement. Wigginton was the Chief Postsecondary Impact Officer for Tennessee State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE) from 2019-2021, where he led the organization’s work for postsecondary access, retention, and completion. He was vice president for student life and dean of students at Rhodes College in Memphis from 2017-2019, where he oversaw the college’s co-curricular experience for students.
Photo by Kindel Media: https://www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of-a-policeman-wearing-black-sunglasses-7714708/
Study Shows Link Between Police Brutality and Heart Health In Black Women
The study examined 422 Black women aged 30 to 46.
A new study from North Carolina State University shows that worrying about police brutality and harassment is having an impact on heart health for Black women in the United States. The top concern for Black women is the potential interactions between their children and law enforcement.
The study examined 422 Black women aged 30 to 46. Researchers asked participants a series of questions, including concerns about their own future interactions with police, their experiences with law enforcement, and concerns for their children’s future interactions.
Based on the responses, the researchers were classified into three groups. The first group, High Child Vigilance-High Personal Exposure, consisted of 235 women who reportedly had children. This group was also likely to have experienced harassment by law enforcement.
No Child Vigilance-High Personal Exposure is the second group, consisting of 115 women who either had no children or reported little concern about their children’s potential interactions with police. However, they were likely to have experienced harassment by law enforcement themselves.
The last group of 72 women is the third group, Moderate Child Vigilance-Low Personal Exposure. These women reported being moderately concerned about their children’s interactions with law enforcement, but less concerned about their own.
What The Data Reveals
The researchers also used ultrasound technology to measure carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) for all study participants. Carotid IMT refers to the measurement of the thickness of the inner layers of the carotid artery. Thickened inner layers of the carotid artery indicate an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Carotid IMT serves as a marker of cardiovascular risk.
“One key takeaway here is the role that concern for children plays,” Lori Hoggard, corresponding author of the research paper, stated. “Women in the No Child Vigilance-High Personal Exposure group, who had experienced first-hand harassment at the hands of law enforcement, had lower IMT thickness than either of the other two groups.”
Hoggard added, “In other words, even women who had not experienced police harassment – but did have a moderate or high level of concern for how law enforcement might interact with their kids – had thicker IMT measurements than women who had experienced police harassment but did not have concern for children.”
Researchers added that participant age, income, and other demographic or medical variables did not account for the findings.
“This study can only show correlation, not causation, but it suggests that the stress caused by worrying about their children’s interactions with police may be greater than the stress that Black women are experiencing with regard to their own potential interactions with police,” Hoggard said.
