Michael Jordan, lawsuit, NASCAR, antitrust

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

July 7, 2025

Michael Jordan Played With Washington Wizards For ‘The Game Of Basketball That I Love’

The six-time NBA champion just wanted to play basketball again

Six NBA Championships, six NBA Finals MVPs, 10 scoring titles, and countless accolades had already been bestowed upon Michael Jordan, but when he returned from a second retirement to play for the Washington Wizards, he did so for the love of the game.

According to The Basketball Network, the NBA Hall of Famer shared the reason he left the Washington Wizards’ executive office to suit up after retiring from the Chicago Bulls two times previously. Arguably, the greatest basketball player had already set his legacy through his legendary playing career. When he announced that, not only was he coming back to play in the league again, he was doing so for the Wizards, who, at the time, were one of the worst teams in the NBA.

Some critics questioned why he would ruin his legacy by coming back, but, as far as Jordan was concerned, this would not tarnish it. However, if he were able to revitalize the franchise on the court and through his play, that would actually create a bigger legacy.

“If I can do it, great. If I can’t, great, that’s great too,” Jordan told reporters when deciding to return. “But you can’t take my six championships away; you can’t take all the things that I’ve done as much as you probably want to. I just want to play the game of basketball that I love. I’m not about the money. I don’t care if I’m paid a single dime; I’ve said that many years.”

Jordan was an NBA executive this time around, but expectations were mixed because it had already been several years since he last played, plus there was no Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, or Steve Kerr around him to complement and complete his game. Nevertheless, he took the court with the same expectation as in previous years to win a championship.

The team attracted more people due to “Air Jordan” lacing up again, but his play and teammates weren’t enough, and he only played two seasons and hung up his sneakers for good this time. Missing the game took him back, but the realism of where he stood at the time made him realize that this time, it was really over.

“I came to Washington because they gave me an opportunity to play here,” Jordan said. “It kind of fits because of where my job was. I’m gonna play the game of basketball.”

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

July 7, 2025

U.S. Travelers Embrace New Online Passport Renewal System

Americans are happy with the newly launched online passport renewal system.

The results are in, and U.S. travelers are praising the revamped online passport renewal system led by a team of bureaucrats.

The Bureau of Consular Affairs has revamped the online passport renewal system after its initial rollout last September, and 94% of users surveyed have given it positive reviews, The Wall Street Journal reported. Spearheaded by Chief Information Officer Luis Coronado and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Matt Pierce, the updated process has made renewing a U.S. passport significantly more accessible.

Gone are the days of filling out paper forms, attaching checks or money orders, making trips for printed passport photos, and mailing everything in, only to wait weeks or even months for a new passport to arrive. Now, U.S. travelers can complete the entire passport renewal process online, submitting the application from a computer, uploading a photo from a smartphone, and paying with a credit card, no printing or mailing required.

In less than a year since its launch, online passport renewals now make up nearly half of all U.S. passport renewals, according to the State Department. The program’s success even earned the Bureau of Consular Affairs a 2025 Service to America Medal for its efforts.

Ben Cohen of The Wall Street Journal described the new process as “weirdly efficient and unexpectedly refreshing,” a stark contrast to the long, frustrating mail-in system Americans became accustomed to. After testing it himself, Cohen praised the 15-minute application and the quick two-week turnaround, despite being told it could take four to six weeks.

The service launched just as summer 2024 wrapped up, opening to adults renewing a standard 10-year passport that either expired within the past five years or is set to expire within the next year. It’s currently available only to Americans with a U.S. address.

“This is a new service which will allow Americans to pay to upload a photo and to apply completely online, with no need to appear in person or to send documents through the mail,” Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Rena Bitter said, noting that it “will be available 24/7.”

As summer travel ramps up and families start planning for the holidays and winter getaways, those needing a new passport can breathe easier knowing that there’s now a faster, just-as-efficient way to renew without ever leaving home.

RESHAD JONES, MILLIONS, settlement, Merrill Lynch

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

July 7, 2025

Former Miami Dolphins Player Reshad Jones Bilked Out Of $2.58M, Woman Arrested

Former financial advisor Isaiah Williams has been implicated in the scheme as well

A woman has been arrested after allegedly helping a former financial advisor to bilk former Miami Dolphins player Reshad Jones out of approximately $2.5 million.

According to Local 10, $2.58 million was stolen from Jones, who played for the Miami Dolphins, over the course of two years by 49-year-old Octavia Monique Graham and his former financial advisor, Isaiah Williams (at the time of the alleged crimes, Williams was an employee at Merrill Lynch). Graham was arrested and charged with two counts of money laundering and one count of first-degree grand theft.

The woman appeared in court on June 27, and after facing a judge, her bond was set at $75,000. She is currently incarcerated at Paul Rein Detention Facility and was scheduled to be arraigned July 7. She was instructed not to contact Jones and Williams. Although Williams is accused of participating in the scheme to channel money from Jones, he has yet to be arrested.

Attorneys for Jones, Chase Carlson of Carlson Law, and Jeff Sonn of Sonn Law Group responded to the alleged crimes committed against their client.

“This is yet another troubling example of a professional athlete being exploited by a wealth management firm he trusted. In this case, the wrongdoer was a Vice President at one of the world’s largest financial institutions — Bank of America’s investment management division, Merrill Lynch. We have filed a lawsuit to hold Merrill Lynch accountable and are working to recover all damages our client has suffered.”

Based on reports from Fort Lauderdale police, Williams, who was Jones’ financial advisor between January 2022 and March 2024, allegedly took advantage of his privileged access to Jones’ bank account. They accuse him of stealing approximately $1.58 million in 133 wire transfers to pay off two of his American Express credit cards.

He also used Jones’ money to embellish his own lifestyle by purchasing first-class airline tickets, paying for hotel stays with multiple women, and spending money at nightclubs and strip venues. He also used the football player’s funds for car rentals, designer clothes, jewelry, and legal fees, as well as to pay for his child support bill.

Williams is also accused of laundering a little over a million dollars from Jones’ account with the assistance of Graham, although the former Dolphins player stated he never met her. Between October 2019 and September 2021, 16 checks totaling about $435,000 were pulled from Graham’s account and deposited into Williams’ Chase bank account.

Additionally, a reported 88 Zelle transfers, totaling approximately $184,000, were made from Graham’s Bank of America account to Williams.

The total amount siphoned from Jones’ account came to approximately $2.58 million, police said.

by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

July 7, 2025

Bless Their Hearts: Fragile Confederacy Group Sues Stone Mountain For Daring To Acknowledge Slavery

The confederacy group claims that the exhibit will undermine the mountain's initial purpose and history.

A Confederate group has sued Georgia officials over plans to debut an exhibit focusing on white supremacy, slavery, and segregation at Stone Mountain Park.

The Georgia Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans filed the lawsuit July 1, claiming that the state park’s association broke state law with its plans to install the exhibit. Prompted by the racial justice protests of 2020, the Stone Mountain Memorial Association voted in 2021 to develop an exhibit that tells the history behind the infamous mountain. According to the Associated Press, they also removed the Confederate flags once located on the park’s walking grounds, which the Sons also sued about in May.

Stone Mountain has a dark history in Georgia. The state park features the largest Confederate monument in the United States, an enlarged engraving of Confederate generals on its side. The park, a popular hiking destination, also has ties to the Ku Klux Klan’s re-emergence. The same year the carving was created in 1915, commissioned by the United Daughters of the Confederacy, the Ku Klux Klan held a comeback celebration on top of the mountain.

The exhibit aimed to inform visitors of the mountain’s connection to this racist past, while also exposing how the monument contributed to the “Lost Cause” ideology that attempts to romanticize the Confederacy and its white supremacist values. Georgia’s General Assembly approved an $11 million budget to curate the exhibit, which would also highlight a Black community that resided in the area following the Civil War, as well as renovations to the park’s Memorial Hall.

“The interpretive themes developed for Stone Mountain will explore how the collective memory created by Southerners in response to the real and imagined threats to the very foundation of Southern society, the institution of slavery, by westward expansion, a destructive war, and eventual military defeat, was fertile ground for the development of the Lost Cause movement amidst the social and economic disruptions that followed,” the exhibit proposal stated.

The exhibit has yet to open, however, as the new legal challenge hopes to prevent its unveiling. In the filing, the Sons of the Confederate Veterans believe the exhibit will “completely repurpose” Stone Mountain and its purpose in maintaining a specific part of Georgia’s history.

by Sharelle B. McNair

July 7, 2025

Zohran Mamdani Checked African-American On College App, Now Black NYC Voters Are Dialing Back Support

Mamdani defended his actions saying he had no choice since there is no box that aligns with his ethnicity.

Just days after speaking in front of leaders like Rev. Al Shaprton to garner support in the New York City mayoral race, front runner Zohran Mamdani is receiving backlash for allegedly claiming to be Black on his college application, The New York Post reported.

A bombshell report from The New York Times highlighted claims that the Democratic primary winner checked the “black or African American” and “Asian” boxes on his 2009 application to Columbia University — a time when affirmative action was still plausible. Critics feel the move was Mandani’s attempt to take advantage of the past policy at the Ivy League institution where his father is a professor. Unfortunately, his plan was unsuccessful as his application was denied.

Almost 20 years later and ahead of a major political run, Black voters are calling the identity claim “shameful.”

“I always knew something was off about him,” Maria R. of The Bronx said. “Why are you claiming something that you are not? He could’ve potentially took away an opportunity for someone else.”

“He’s just trying to get over,” another 86-year-old old Harlem resident said. “You can look at him and see he’s not” black. Absolutely not.”

In a viral video of a woman calling him out while walking, Mamdani says he would “never” claim to be African-American while stating to be an Indian, Ugandan New Yorker. When she asked why, the politician claimed that he felt it would be misleading.

A Black woman asked Zohran Mamdani if he identifies as Black or African American and Mamdani replied he would never do that. Turns out he would and did. Circumventing “bourgeois truth” is always justified in the service of socialist revolution. pic.twitter.com/W7K0xdDn5p
— Rob Henderson (@robkhenderson) July 4, 2025

Voters aren’t the only ones that feel a way over the claims. New York City Mayor Eric Adams is pulling a move out of President Donald Trump’s book — who demanded proof of ethnicity and U.S. citizen status for former President Barack Obama — demanding Columbia University to release admission records. He called the move “deeply offensive” and “an insult to every student who got into college the right way.” “The African American identity is not a checkbox of convenience. It’s a history, a struggle and a lived experience. For someone to exploit that for personal gain is deeply offensive,” Adams said.

According to The Washington Examiner, Mamdani defended his actions saying he had no choice since there is no box that aligns with his ethnicity. “Most college applications don’t have a box for Indian-Ugandans, so I checked multiple boxes trying to capture the fullness of my background,” Mamdani said.

Former New York governor and once popular Democratic candidate, Andrew Cuomo, who Mamdani beat by 12 points, wants an investigation into the matter, pushing a narrative of fraud and said this could “just be the tip of the iceberg.”

by Jameelah Mullen

July 7, 2025

Angélique Kidjo Becomes First Black African Honored On Hollywood Walk of Fame

The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce announced Kidjo as one of the 2026 Walk of Fame Honorees.

West African singer Angélique Kidjo made history as the first Black African artist to be inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The Grammy-winning artist from Benin is one of 35 inductees chosen by a committee of industry insiders.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Angelique Kidjo (@angeliquekidjo)

“Thanks to all my fans who brought me here,” Kidjo wrote on Instagram.

Kidjo was born in 1960 in the country then known as Dahomey (now Benin), where she studied music, drama, and dance. She released her debut album, Pretty, in 1981. Two years later, she moved to Paris to escape the civil unrest caused by the country’s then-communist government.

“From the moment the communist regime arrived in Benin, I became aware that the freedom we enjoy can be snatched away in a second,” she told the BBC.

Kidjo moved to Brooklyn, New York, where she released a trilogy of albums: Oremi, Black Ivory Soul, and Oyaya!, which drew inspiration from the music of the Caribbean diaspora and South America. In 2021, the singer was named one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People. She received the Polar Music Prize in 2023, often referred to as the music equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize.

The singer also appeared in The Woman King, the story of the real-life female Agojie warriors of the 19th century, starring Viola Davis. “Keep Rising,” Kidjo’s duet with Jessy Wilson, appeared on the movie’s soundtrack.

The singer-songwriter joins 35 artists in the 2026 class of Walk of Fame inductees, which includes Shaquille O’Neal, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, The Clark Sisters, and ABC News anchor Robin Roberts.

After the committee selects recipients for a star, they have two years to schedule their induction ceremonies. Kidjo’s team has yet to announce when the singer will unveil her star on the Walk of Fame.

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

July 7, 2025

Incarcerated Supporters Gave Diddy A Standing Ovation For ‘Beating’ The Government After Partial Trial Victory

Diddy received a split decision

The attorney for embattled music executive Sean “Diddy” Combs stated that after his client received a split decision, avoiding a potential life sentence, incarcerated folks at the jail where he is being detained gave Diddy a standing ovation for beating the odds of securing what some consider a victory against the federal government.

According to the Associated Press, Marc Agnifilo, lead attorney for the defense team for Diddy during his federal RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act) trial, made the admission during an interview discussing his client’s partial victory. He stated that the inmates, presumably mostly Black, acknowledged the accomplishment of “beating” the government as the acquittal from RICO charges was the best thing that could have happened for incarcerated Black men.

“They all said: ‘We never get to see anyone who beats the government,’” attorney Marc Agnifilo stated to the media outlet.

As much as people are claiming that Diddy won, he still faces jail time of up to 20 years when he is sentenced for the guilty verdict of a Mann Act violation (two counts of transportation for purposes of prostitution). He was acquitted July 2 of federal charges of sex trafficking and operating a criminal enterprise. The not-guilty verdicts saved the former Bad Boy Records CEO from serving a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years to life.

Diddy’s attorneys requested that he be immediately released until his sentencing; however, Judge Arun Subramanian denied the request, stating that the entertainment mogul will remain imprisoned until he is sentenced later this year.

The 55-year-old entertainment mogul and fashionista has been imprisoned since being arrested and charged in September. After charges were brought against Diddy, he pleaded not guilty to one count of racketeering conspiracy, two counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion, and two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. Since the accusations were made, he has steadfastly denied being guilty of any of the charges against him.

ICE, Jamaica, Jermaine Thomas,, soldier, father,

by Sharelle B. McNair

July 7, 2025

‘Shamed’ Lady Liberty Mural Revealed In France In Response To America’s Current Political Climate

Leeuw said revealing the work on the 4th of July was also intentional as the Statue of Liberty was a birthday gift from France to the United States on July 4, 1884.

As America celebrated Independence Day, France revealed a bold depiction of the Statue of Liberty to express its disdain for what is happening in the land of the free and home of the brave, BuzzFeed reports.

The mural, titled “The Statue of Liberty’s Silent Protest,” was created by Dutch artist Judith de Leeuw on a building in the city of Roubaix. Seen by more than 16 million people, the goal of the viral mural is to illustrate the “shame” of the Trump administration’s controversial immigration policies, with Lady Liberty covering her face with her hands and her torch lying on her chest.

With the mural’s location being intentional, Leeuw chose Roubaix due to its “large migrant population” who live day to day with difficult circumstances. “The values that the statue once stood for — freedom, hope, the right to be yourself — have been lost for many,” the artist said.

For the 4th of July, Dutch artist Judith de Leeuw unveiled a mural in France titled “The Statue of Liberty’s Silent Protest” depicting Lady Liberty covering her eyes in shame pic.twitter.com/Awu9UApVaK
— Marco Foster (@MarcoFoster_) July 4, 2025

Leeuw said that revealing the work on the 4th of July was also intentional, as the Statue of Liberty was a birthday gift from France to the United States on July 4, 1884, as a way to celebrate the country’s independence and democracy. However, given the turn of events over the last six months of President Donald Trump’s second term, feelings have changed.

The timing of the mural came hours after Trump signed the “Big, Beautiful Bill” — a GOP-supported legislation that is getting massive backlash for its cuts to Medicaid, additional funding for border security, and tax benefits for the country’s wealthy one percent. American voters seemed to support the artwork, laughing at how America has become an international joke.

“I feel this right to my core,” one social media user wrote.

https://twitter.com/drodvik52/status/1941168758665662560

Another social media user decided to give America both a history and math lesson. The Trump administration and others were pinpointing Independence Day 2025 as America’s 250th birthday. However, the math isn’t mathing.

”It’s July 4th, and this sums up how I feel. Not only shame, but also fear of being seen. Will we even be able to make it to our 250th anniversary on July 4th, 2026… God help us all,” another user said.

It’s July 4th and this sums up how I feel. Not only shame but fear of looking. Will we even be able to make it to our 250th anniversary, July 4th 2026… God help us all
— Shawn (@AIHLIMF) July 4, 2025

Of course, several people used the opportunity to spout racist rhetoric toward the French nation, dragging issues of homelessness and anti-Muslim views into it.

This isn’t the first time other countries have mocked the United States for its radical ideologies. According to The Guardian, artist and British immigrant Izaac Zevalking showcased a mural of the Statue of Liberty, handcuffed and slammed on the hood of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) police car in downtown Las Vegas in 2019.

The artwork came days after then-Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Ken Cuccinelli suggested making an amendment to the sonnet inscribed on the statue to read: “Give me your tired and your poor who can stand on their own two feet and who will not become a public charge.”

by Daniel Johnson

July 7, 2025

Activists Push For Black Church Group To Return Target’s $300K Donation

It’s considered a betrayal of the boycotts

After Target made a $300,000 donation to the National Baptist Convention (NBCUSA), one of the largest Black church groups in the country, some of the organizers who helped push for national boycotts of the company over its rollback of its stance regarding diversity, equity and inclusion are asking them to return the funds.

According to USA Today, Nekima Levy Armstrong, a Minnesota-based activist, and Pastor Jamal-Harrison Bryant, in separate statements, called for the group to return the money because they see it as a betrayal of the boycotts they worked to organize, particularly among members of the Black Baptist church community.

The National Baptist Convention, an institution that claims over 31,000 churches and the moral leadership of our people, just pocketed $300,000 from Target during a nationwide Black boycott. Let that sink in. While the masses stood in solidarity, the pulpit took a payday. And… pic.twitter.com/re8BVQB5vN
— IG: RahiemShabazz (@rahiemshabazz) June 21, 2025

Pastor Jamal Bryant criticized the National Baptist Convention (NBC) for accepting a $300,000 donation from Target, accusing the denomination of “selling out” Black America amid his ongoing boycott of the retailer. https://t.co/SZHWulPXEV pic.twitter.com/0fo0bZ4MYs
— Black Enterprise (@blackenterprise) June 25, 2025

Some national leaders in the Black community have denounced the National Baptist Convention USA's decision to accept a $300,000 donation from Target Corporation. Report by Tribune staff writer Marco Cerino. https://t.co/4PSBcmF9cJ
— Philadelphia Tribune (@PhillyTrib) June 24, 2025

Both Target and the NBCUSA characterized the donation as part of a larger commitment to shared values, including access to education, economic development, and entrepreneurship programs.

According to a Target spokesperson, “We’re proud to be sponsoring NBCUSA’s conference series as one of the many ways we invest to make a meaningful impact in communities across the country by supporting access to education, economic development initiatives and entrepreneurship programs.”

Meanwhile, a press release from the NBCUSA contained a statement from National Baptist Convention President Boise Kimber that emphasized the “shared commitment to community empowerment through small-business and entrepreneur development, investments in education and student support, and workforce and skill development that unlocks growth across our communities,” between Kimber’s organization and the Minneapolis-based retailer.

In their statement, Kimber also added that Target’s donation will help “provide scholarships, support senior citizens, and invest in entrepreneurship programs that uplift our people and the future.”

From his church pulpit, the Atlanta-area megachurch made famous by the late Bishop Eddie L. Long, New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, Bryant accused Target of going around him to take meetings with Rev. Al Sharpton and get to the National Baptist Convention.

“Are you crazy to think we’re going to sell out for chump change?” Bryant said.

In an interview with USA Today, Bryant clarified that the donation to the organization was actually four donations of $75,000 to Black church organizations which the NBCUSA had received and then divided up. Bryant also described the donation to the news outlet as “really a slap in the face and an insult,” and called for the organization to return the money.

Bryant also indicated that his primary asks of Target, which include the organization honoring its own $2 billion pledge to the Black business community, calling for Target to invest in Black-owned banks, establish retail centers at HBCUs, and to fully restore its diversity initiatives.

“The black eye for us is that they (National Baptist Convention) walked away with nothing that we asked for,” Bryant pointed out.

Based on a May 28 statement the company released in response to Bryant’s boycott, Target appears to have a different view.

“Target is absolutely dedicated to fostering inclusivity for everyone – our team members, our guests and our supply partners,” Target’s press release read. “In the last five years, we have: committed to invest $2 billion in Black-owned businesses and brands within five years; supported students at over 20 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs); invested $100 million to Black-led community organizations; given scholarships to over 30,000 members of our team to advance their careers; committed 5% of our profits to the communities we operate in; volunteered millions of hours to organizations across the country and created meaningful opportunities for our team members to thrive both personally and professionally.”

Levy Armstrong, who has clashed with Bryant over which of them deserves credit for starting the boycott, issued her own statement via an open letter she sent to the NBCUSA and shared with USA Today. In the letter, she called for the group to “reconsider its alignment with a corporation that has caused such profound harm.”

Levy Armstrong continued, “This $300,000 payment does not heal – it deepens the wound. It appears to be a payout for silence and an attempt to regain Black consumer trust without accountability.”

Bryant also responded to Levy Armstrong’s criticism of him, as he told USA Today, “My focus was singularly to align with the Black churches as Black churches were not involved or engaged. I’d say everywhere from the rooftops that we were not the originators of it, but it was our intention to bring out the Black church alongside.”

Inaugural Youth Business Camp In Minnesota Helps Young Black Entrepreneurs Be Bosses

by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

July 7, 2025

Inaugural Youth Business Camp In Minnesota Helps Young Black Entrepreneurs Be Bosses

The camp will teach attendees about various sectors of business.

A new summer camp in Minnesota will teach its campers more than the typical activities.

The first ever “I’m a Boss” Youth Business Camp will begin the second week of July. According to CBS News, it aims to help young Black entrepreneurs get a leg up in the industry.

Its mission stems from a need for more Black businesses in the state. A 2023 Annual Business Survey found that only a little over 2,500 businesses in Minnesota identified as Black-owned. However, the state has nearly 6 million Black residents, according to 2024 Census data.

LeBrent Speed founded the camp to address this gap while inspiring Black youth interested in becoming business owners. Speed forged the idea after seeing summer camps for the arts or basketball training, wanting a space for young dreamers with business plans.

As the founder of Better Black Business Project, or B3P, his efforts gear toward championing Black entrepreneurship no matter the age.

“B3[P] it is a professional network of Black entrepreneurs and those who support them. It’s open to anyone, but our focus is how do we support Black entrepreneurs and close the wealth gap by empowering Black businesses,” Speed said.

Thus far, B3P has grown into 120 members, all dedicated to this lofty mission to build Black entrepreneurs. At the camp, campers will learn from presenters teaching about credit, trades, and real estate. Volunteers will also help connect with attendees, building new relationships to help the young entrepreneurs as they develop their brands.

“We have over 15 presenters on a variety of subjects: credit, finances, real estate, trades but then we have another 15 to 20 volunteers who will just be there with them going through the courses with them, eating lunch and breakfast with them just hanging out sharing stories, information access and mentorship,” added Speed.

Speed hopes that the representation will encourage Black youth as they scale their dreams. One upcoming camper already has a plan for her experience.

“I’m hoping to learn about investment and just growing and putting back into my business and just grow it and being surrounded by encouraging people like youth entrepreneurs like me to just help grow me,” shared Ella Beard, a teenage visual artist and owner of Vibe Art.

Speed still encourages sponsors to reach out as they hope to spark change in the business industry of Minnesota and beyond. The Youth Business Camp will take place at Bethel University from July 9 to 11, with more information on its programming available on its website.