by Jeroslyn JoVonn

July 25, 2025

Egyptian Archaeologist Explains Why He Banned Beyoncé From The Pyramids Of Giza

Beyoncé can go almost anywhere on Earth, but one Egyptian archaeologist has made it clear she’s not welcome at the Pyramids of Giza.

The renowned Egyptian archaeologist Dr. Zahi Hawass is doubling down on his explanation for banning Beyoncé from the Pyramids of Giza.

Zahi Hawass just wrapped his U.S. media tour, where he sparred with podcaster Joe Rogan over the origins of the pyramids and spilled on his awkward run-in with Beyoncé, a meeting he ranks as one of his worst celebrity encounters, second only to Katy Perry.

“Beyoncé came in 2008, and it did not end well,” Hawass recalled to the NY Post. “She was a very nice lady, but she had a very bad bodyguard. I have a camera lady who follows me during these tours, to record everything — and Beyoncé’s bodyguard snatched the camera right out of her hand. I wouldn’t stand for it! I told her and her bodyguard to get out, and banned her from the pyramids.”

His account echoes the one he gave in November 2013, following Beyoncé’s visit to the Egyptian pyramids, where she allegedly arrived late, failed to apologize for her lateness, and attempted to prevent his photographer from taking her photo.

“Most people I take on tours are very nice, and we become friends. But this lady,” Hawass said of the decorated Grammy winner. “She said she would come at 3 p.m., but she came late. I said, ‘You have to say I’m sorry I’m late.’ But she didn’t open her mouth.”

He continued. “I brought a photographer, and she also had a photographer and a guard. When my photographer started to shoot, he said, ‘No, stop! I am the one who says yes or no, not you,’ I said. ‘In that case, since you almost hit my photographer and you are not polite, out! I am not giving you the privilege of having you on my tour.’ I said Beyoncé was stupid and I left.”

Hawass, the former Minister of State for Antiquities who was ousted during Egypt’s 2011 protests, had an alleged unpleasant encounter with Beyoncé at the same time he faced corruption accusations over his $200,000-a-year deal with National Geographic, which involved controlling access to many of the sites the magazine covered.

When it comes to Katy Perry, Hawass thinks he might’ve rubbed her the wrong way, admitting he only acknowledged her then-husband, Orlando Bloom, during their visit, while barely recognizing the pop star herself.

“Katy Perry came once, and I don’t think she was very happy,” he said. “I didn’t recognize her, and didn’t realize she was a singer. I only knew that the guy next to her was Orlando Bloom. I think that upset her.”

Howard University, 14th Amendment Center For Law And Democracy

by Kandiss Edwards

July 25, 2025

Howard University Students Are Going Public With Financial Aid Issues

Howard students are speaking up about the HBCU's lack of assistance

Howard University students are sounding the alarm about ballooning tuition, fees, and delayed financial aid.

According to the HBCU, at least 1,000 students are affected by the university’s change in student platforms from BisonWeb to BisonHub. Initially, the hold was attributed to outstanding balances from the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 school years.

NBC News reported on students’ mounting frustrations about their semester billing. Students claim that even after financial aid was applied, they still face mounting fees. The sudden fees can delay enrollment for the 2025-26 fall semester. The delays and denials are putting many at risk of falling behind or not graduating.

Seniors like Isaiah Phillips said he watched his account balance double from $4,000 to $8,000 overnight due to misapplied scholarships and delayed aid disbursements.

“I’ve been calling financial aid nonstop to figure out where this extra $4,000 came from,” Phillips added.

Other Bison complain that they’ve waited hours to register for classes. However, once they are helped, they are promptly turned away when flagged loans or grants lead to account freezes.

Ruth Atta says she is frozen and unsure how to navigate the process.

“I feel like I’m just stuck in limbo,” Atta told HU News Service.

The financial setbacks are only the tip of the iceberg for HU Bison. Howard has steadily increased tuition by 7.5% during the 2023–24 academic year. The hike increased undergraduate costs to approximately $32,878 per year.

Senior psychology major Georney Miller is no longer feeling Bison pride and believes Howard is indifferent toward student suffering.

“It’s becoming more and more clear that these institutions do not care,” Miller said.

Howard officials confirmed that they are reviewing hold and registration procedures and encouraged students to schedule virtual appointments with financial aid counselors via Microsoft Teams. University spokespeople also acknowledge the challenges posed by federal funding freezes and say they are dedicated to helping students navigate these hurdles.

Advocacy groups are urging the university to streamline billing communication and resolve inconsistencies faster so students aren’t blocked from academic progress during their final semesters.

As the fall semester begins, students say they hope for clearer guidance and better financial support.

Lil Wayne, Travis Hunter, sports agent, football. NFL

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

July 25, 2025

Travis Hunter’s Dad Arrested For Alleged Probation Violation, Later Released

He was released from the Palm Beach County Jail on July 24.

Travis Hunter Sr., the father of former Colorado Buffaloes football star Travis Hunter, was arrested earlier this week for allegedly violating the terms of his probation.

According to USA Today, Hunter Sr. was picked up in Palm Beach County, Florida. An arrest warrant was issued July 10 after Hunter’s probation officer said his location was not known for 11 minutes on June 28. He stated that he was “too far away from his monitoring device to be accurately tracked.”

Hunter Sr. was taken in July 22 and was held with no bond. The probation officer’s report claimed that a “bracelet gone” alarm alerted him between 8:07 p.m. and 8:18 p.m. on June 28.

The Palm Beach Post reported that Hunter Sr. was released from the Palm Beach County Jail on July 24 after Circuit Judge Howard Coates agreed to have the violation withdrawn. He ordered that Hunter Sr. be reinstated to the original terms of the probation.

“Given the specific circumstances in this case, there was an attempt to remedy this prior to the arrest, it just happened too quickly,” Assistant State Attorney Alejandro Dermody-McKeen said. “The state withdraws the violation of probation.”

Hunter Sr.’s attorney, Bradford Cohen, said it wasn’t “a substantial violation in terms of the law and in terms of what the accusations are.”

Hunter Sr. is currently on probation for three years in Palm Beach County after he was convicted of gun and drug charges in 2024. In May, he requested to have the court convert his remaining sentence of community control supervision to a less restrictive form of probation. He made the request so he could “assist his son with furthering his very promising career with the National Football League.”

Coates denied the request because he did not want it to appear that Hunter Sr. was receiving special treatment.

by Sharelle B. McNair

July 25, 2025

Former Memphis Cops Who Killed Tyre Nichols Receive New Sentencing Dates

The former officers were scheduled to be sentenced in June 2025

The five former Memphis Police officers who were convicted on federal charges related to the brutal beating of Tyre Nichols are set to receive new sentencing dates, Fox 13 reports.

Tadarrius Bean and Justin Smith, both hit with obstruction of justice charges, will be sentenced Dec. 15 and 16 while Demetrius Haley, convicted of obstruction and using unreasonable force resulting in injury, will learn his fate Dec. 17. Emmitt Martin and Desmond Mills Jr., who accepted plea deals before the federal trial, will be sentenced Dec. 18 and 19.

The delay in sentencing comes as a result of the abrupt recusal of Judge Mark Norris, as the former officers were scheduled to be sentenced in June 2025. Norris stepped away from the case just days prior. U.S. District Judge Sheryl H. Lipman is the new judge on the case, and, according to CNN, noted that some dates are subject to change or be canceled contingent on how she rules on sealed motions, including one pushing for a new trial for three of the men.

Speculation flew as Norris stepped away from the case without any explanation, and it is not normal for a judge to recuse themself from a case between the trial and sentencing. He was the head judge of the case since the federal indictments were issued in September 2023. Norris also accepted guilty pleas from two of the officers and presided over the trial for the others. In addition, Norris recused himself from a $550 million lawsuit filed by Nichols’ mother against the city of Memphis, the police chief, and the five officers.

Lipman also took that case over. Another sealed motion she is considering ruling on is unsealing the recusal notice left by Norris.

The Jan. 7, 2023, case of Tyre Nichols sent shockwaves throughout the nation after the five now ex-officers were seen yanking, pepper-spraying, and tasing the 29-year-old Black man. Nichols fled, but when the Black officers caught up with him, they punched, kicked, and hit him with a police baton. The victim was heard calling for his mother during the beating as it took place just steps from his place of residence. Nichols died Jan. 10, 2023, as a result of his injuries.

Unlike other police brutality cases that took the lives of Black people like Mike Brown, Alton Sterling, Breonna Taylor, and others, Bean, Haley, Martin, Mills, and Smith were fired from the police force and indicted in state and federal court.

In two years, the case has continued to make questionable moves and turns, including Bean, Haley, and Smith being found not guilty of all state charges, including second-degree murder, causing a wave of disappointment from spectators.

Mills testified during that trial after he and Martin pleaded guilty to the state charges, admitting that he regrets the incident, as he should have stepped in to intervene. However, he did push a narrative that Nichols allegedly resisted arrest and failed to comply with orders to give officers his hands to be handcuffed.

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

July 25, 2025

Alicia Keys Launches Kaleidoscope Dreams Foundation Inspired By ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ Musical

Alicia Keys is drawing from her Tony-winning musical to launch her newest nonprofit.

Alicia Keys’ Tony-winning Hell’s Kitchen isn’t just dominating Broadway; it’s now sparking something bigger, inspiring the launch of her newest nonprofit, the Kaleidoscope Dreams Foundation.

The foundation will partner with local community groups to create spaces of belonging, boost educational opportunities, and open career pathways for historically underrepresented communities. As part of its launch, a fellowship program is set alongside the Hell’s Kitchen national tour.

“With Kaleidoscope Dreams, we are creating something that makes people and communities feel empowered, inspired, and engaged. We want people to know that their stories and their voices matter, that we all belong here,” Keys told The Hollywood Reporter. “Our mission is to expand access to the arts, support creatives, and diversify the people at the table. We can create spaces where dreams come true.”

Born out of the energy and impact of Key’s two-time Tony-winning Hell’s Kitchen in 2024, the foundation is dedicated to opening doors, sparking dreams, and creating spaces for joy onstage and beyond. As part of the launch of the Kaleidoscope Dreams Foundation, following a test run through a pilot program, Asad Ali Jafri was appointed as its first executive director.

“Kaleidoscope Dreams Foundation is rooted in the belief that creativity is a powerful force for connection, healing, and transformation. We’re proud to build programs that expand access to the arts and support communities that have long been left out of these opportunities,” Jafri said. “We’re creating spaces where dreams can take root and thrive.”

The foundation’s mission centers on four pillars: cultural access, educational enrichment, professional pathways, and community engagement. After launching programs like the Hell’s Kitchen 2024 fellowship (training 10 emerging artists), a cultural access initiative (3,077 free student tickets), and an enrichment pilot (engaging 183 students in creative learning), the foundation is now poised to grow under Jafri, a cultural producer and organizer with 20+ years of experience.

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

July 25, 2025

Spike Lee And His Wife Appointed Benin Ambassadors For African Americans In The US

Spike Lee and Tonya Lewis Lee will work to unite the diaspora as Benin ambassadors to African Americans in the U.S.

Spike Lee and Tonya Lewis Lee will be bridging gaps between West Africa and the United States after being named Benin’s official ambassadors to African Americans in the U.S.

The Academy Award-winning filmmaker and his producer-author wife have been appointed by Benin’s president as “thematic” ambassadors to the U.S., tasked with strengthening ties between Benin and the Afro-descendant diaspora, Business Insider Africa reports. The power couple finalized the role during their visit to Cotonou, part of Benin’s push to reconnect with descendants of Africans impacted by the transatlantic slave trade.

The Lees’ appointment follows Tonya’s 2024 visit to Benin and her application through the country’s new Afro-descendant initiative, which lets descendants of enslaved Africans apply for citizenship. She was among hundreds who applied and received a positive response as part of Benin’s outreach to its global diaspora.

Their new ambassador roles will help reconnect “people of African descent around the world to their historical, cultural, and spiritual roots,” the government stated. They also view it as a means to promote cultural tourism in Benin.

Spike Lee has traced his father’s roots to Cameroon and his mother’s to Sierra Leone; Tonya Lewis Lee’s ancestry remains private.

The couple, married since 1993, hs spent decades championing civil rights and social justice through their work. Lee’s films often center on the African-American experience, tackling race, identity, and justice, while Lewis Lee most recently executive-produced She Runs the World, a documentary on Olympian Allyson Felix’s fight for maternal protections in sports.

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A post shared by Tonya Lewis Lee (@tonyalewislee)

“Through their long-standing commitment to justice, their exceptional creativity, and their global reach” both have “profoundly shaped the contemporary narrative of the African diaspora,” Benin’s government said.

Benin’s initiative echoes efforts like Ghana’s 2019 “Year of Return,” which invited the African diaspora to reconnect with their roots. But Benin’s program is even more deeply tied to history, as the West African country was once a major hub of the transatlantic slave trade. Through its infamous port of Ouidah, millions of Africans were captured, imprisoned, and shipped to the Americas over centuries.

by Mitti Hicks

July 25, 2025

Anxiety Looms Among Haitian Community Amid 2026 TPS Extension

There are an estimated 521,000 Haitian nationals living in the U.S. under TPS. Many have lived in the United States for years.

Angst is brewing nationwide among the Haitian community despite a federal judge’s ruling that extends their Temporary Protected Status (TPS).

U.S. District Judge Brian M. Cogan’s ruling comes after the Trump administration said it would roll back the Biden-era TPS extension from February 2026 to Aug. 3, 2025. However, the judge ruled that the administration had overstepped its authority and extended the status for Haitians until 2026.

A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson claims that conditions in Haiti have improved, even though a recent report from the United Nations found that Haiti is just as dangerous for children as the Gaza Strip.

Even with the extension, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem is doubling down that deportations will begin in September, causing both fear and anxiety for Haitians in South Florida.

“It’s difficult, heartbreaking,” a woman, whose identity is unidentified, told CBS News. The woman has lived in South Florida for a decade. Her father was killed in Haiti, and her mother, who is now deceased, helped to bring her to the United States.

She adds, “It’s been hell. Can I drive? Can I go to work?”

TPS For The Haitian Community Remains Uncertain

TPS is a humanitarian immigration program that allows foreign nationals from designated countries facing unsafe conditions to live and work in the United States. Some of the conditions include natural disasters, armed conflict, or extraordinary instability that prevent nationals from safely returning. TPS does not provide a path to lawful permanent residency.

According to the Miami Herald, there are an estimated 521,000 Haitian nationals living in the U.S. under TPS. Many have lived in the United States for years.

President Barack Obama first designated Haiti for TPS following the catastrophic 2010 earthquake near the capital of Port-au-Prince. The quake killed more than 300,000 people and wreaked havoc on the country’s infrastructure. TPS for Haitians has been repeatedly renewed due to chronic instability, gang violence, economic collapse, and the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021.

Beyond South Florida, which is the heartbeat of Haitian culture in the United States, other communities nationwide remain cautiously optimistic. In central Pennsylvania, a pastor of a Haitian church says that while he is relieved by Judge Cogan’s ruling, the decision still falls short of broader protections from deportation.

“(T)his decision also raises pressing questions about what will happen after February 2026,” Pastor Roussel Costume of First Haitian Christian Assembly in Enola told Pennlive. “As much as we rejoice today, many in our community remain deeply concerned about the future.”

Leonie Hermantin of the Haitian Neighborhood Center told CBS News that some families are packing up and relocating to countries such as Canada and Brazil.

“Returning to Haiti is not an option because we know the situation is worsening. It’s not a place for those with children to return,” she said.

Google Chrome, Laptop, US chamber of commerce, small business, entrepreneurs,

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

July 25, 2025

Google’s AI Overviews Having A ‘Devastating Impact’ On Website Traffic

Media owners are calling out Google's AI Summaries for slashing their website traffic.

Google’s AI-generated summaries are slashing traffic to news and information sites, creating a “devastating impact” on their clicks.

A new study revealed Google’s AI Overviews has triggered an 80% drop in website click-throughs, alarming media owners, The Guardian reported. By summarizing search results in a single text block, the feature provides users with the answers they need without requiring them to visit the original sites, while pushing links further down the page.

The trend is raising concerns that the tool could pose an existential threat to outlets that rely on search-driven traffic. A new analysis by Authoritas reveals that sites once ranked first in Google searches can lose nearly 80% of their traffic when results are placed below an AI-generated overview.

The study from Pew Center Research also found that YouTube, owned by Google’s parent company Alphabet, gets boosted visibility compared to standard search rankings. These findings were submitted as part of a legal complaint to the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority by Foxglove, the Independent Publishers Alliance, and the Movement for an Open Web, citing concerns over the impact of Google’s AI Overviews on fair competition.

Foxglove director Rosa Curling said the new research highlights the “devastating impact that Google’s ‘AI overviews’ are already having on the UK’s independent news industry.”

“It would be bad enough if Google were simply stealing journalists’ work and passing it off as their own,” she said. “But worse still, they are using this work to fuel their own tools and profits, while making it harder for media outlets to reach the readers they rely on to sustain their work.”

Owen Meredith, the chief executive of the News Media Association, accuses Google of trying to keep users “within its own walled garden, taking and monetising valuable content – including news – created by the hard work of others”.

“The situation as it stands is entirely unsustainable and will ultimately result in the death of quality information online,” he said. “The Competition and Markets Authority has the toolkit to tackle these issues. It must do so urgently.”

A Google spokesperson dismissed the study as “inaccurate and based on flawed assumptions and analysis,” arguing that users simply prefer AI-powered summaries over the traditional search experience.

“People are gravitating to AI-powered experiences, and AI features in search enable people to ask even more questions, creating new opportunities for websites to be discovered,” the spokesperson said. “We continue to send billions of clicks to websites every day, and we have not seen dramatic drops in aggregate web traffic as is being suggested.”

by Sharelle B. McNair

July 25, 2025

Heads Up: Seven Southern States Team Up To Create Anti-DEI College Accreditor Format To Please Trump

The new accreditor will operate as a nonprofit, headquartered in Florida, and already has a $4 million fund from the Sunshine State’s legislature.

Seven southern states–Louisiana, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Texas, North Carolina, and South Carolina–are in the midst of developing a new accrediting agency for public colleges and universities to “move away from DEI-driven mandates,” NOLA reports.

In June 2025, Florida’s Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the new accreditor to compete with the “accreditation cartel.” In support, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry signed an executive order forming a task force to explore the parameters of adding an accreditor, offering “an alternative to the out-of-touch accreditation system.” “This task force will ensure Louisiana’s public universities move away from DEI-driven mandates and toward a system rooted in merit-based achievement,” he said of the July 22 statement.

The new accreditor will operate as a nonprofit headquartered in Florida and already has a $4 million fund from the Sunshine State’s legislature. The group’s target date to start accrediting institutions is 2026, while it attempts to obtain approval from the U.S. Education Department by 2028. The orders also target private-sector partnerships with historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) — in states where a majority of HBCUs are located — to create more apprenticeships and strengthen requirements for colleges to report gifts and contracts from foreign governments.

Nonprofit accreditors are recognized by the federal government but operate independently to assess school quality by investigating finances, curriculum, faculty, student achievement, and other relevant factors. An executive order signed by President Donald Trump defined “the accreditors’ job as to determine which institutions provide a quality education — and therefore merit accreditation.”

He pointed the finger at the agencies, claiming they lacked the guarantee of academic quality with standards requiring conversations around diversity, equity, and inclusion, and “improperly focused on compelling adoption of discriminatory ideology.”

Several university and college administrators label the accreditation process as an unnecessary expense that doesn’t significantly improve student life or educational outcomes. Trump’s supporters claim some accreditors abuse efforts to enroll students from diverse backgrounds and guarantee they feel welcomed and supported on campus, as he promised to “fire the radical left accreditors” during his presidential campaign.

John Przypyszny, a Washington D.C.-based attorney specializing in higher education law, believes the accreditation field is getting caught up in the growing DEI and culture wars of America. “When you start looking at accreditation through an ideological lens, it’s just not a healthy dynamic,” Przypyszny said.

While the new accreditor must still be approved by the U.S. Department of Education, which takes approximately two years, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, an association of major accrediting groups, “firmly reject President Trump’s mischaracterization of accreditors’ role” and warn the ideologies of Trump, DeSantis and Landry, could “be escalated to federal court.” “The proper way to change those policies is through negotiated rulemaking that considers voices and insights from the broader public,” President Heather Perfetti said in a statement.

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

July 25, 2025

Sean Kingston’s Mother, Janice Turner, Sentenced To 5 Years In Prison

Turner and her son had been found guilty earlier this year of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and four counts of wire fraud

Janice Turner, mother of recording artist Sean Kingston, was found guilty, along with her son, after the government charged them with several crimes, including grand theft and identity theft, and she was sentenced to five years in prison and three years of probation.

According to CBS News, the 63-year-old woman was given her prison sentence July 23 in the case that involved her and Kingston committing crimes totaling more than $1 million. Turner and her son, real name Kisean Anderson, had been found guilty earlier this year of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and four counts of wire fraud. The recording artist is scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 28.

Before learning her fate, she expressed to the judge that she was trying to help Kingston after blaming the music industry for using and abusing him.

“I’m sorry. My intention was to keep my son afloat in this difficult industry. They used him and abused him. I am begging for mercy for me and my son.”

6 South Florida reported that Turner may face deportation to her home island of Jamaica after she completes her sentence.

Turner’s attorney, Humberto Dominguez, spoke to the media outlet after the sentencing.

“It was a hard-fought sentence, so we have mixed feelings on it,” Dominguez said. “We won on some points and obviously, lost on some points. All of which will be handled on appeal. So, we have mixed feelings on it. Overall, the judge tried to do what was right and what was fair.”

Turner’s next scheduled court date is October 16, when she will have a restitution hearing.

Turner was arrested during a raid in May 2024 at the Southwest Ranches mansion that Kingston lived in. Kingston was arrested the same day in California after warrants were issued for him and his mother. The pair was accused of defrauding several businesses, including a jewelry store, a luxury furniture manufacturer, a high-end automobile dealer, and a company specializing in television and entertainment systems.