by Mitti Hicks

August 8, 2025

U.S. Air Force Denies Retirement Pay To Transgender Service Members Who Qualify

The move from the U.S. Air Force comes as the Trump administration cracks down on transgender service members.

U.S. Air Force members who identify as transgender will not be eligible for early retirement benefits. The U.S Air Force announced that it would deny all transgender service members who have served enough years to retire early.

According to MyArmyBenefits, service members who entered the military on or after Aug. 1, 1986, are eligible for early retirement at the 15-year mark under Temporary Early Retirement Authority (TERA). The program allows for retirement with a minimum of 15 years of active duty service but requires approval from the Secretary of each branch.

However, transgender U.S. Air Force service members will not be eligible for TERA benefits, even those who served between 15 and 18 years under both parties. According to the Associated Press, the announcement means that transgender service members will only have a choice of either taking a lump-sum separation payment offered to junior troops or being removed from service.

An Air Force spokesperson told the outlet, “Although service members with 15 to 18 years of honorable service were permitted to apply for an exception to policy, none of the exceptions to policy were approved.”

Trump Administration Cracks Down on Transgender Service Members

The move from the U.S. Air Force comes as the Trump administration cracks down on transgender service members. On Jan. 27, President Donald Trump signed EO 14183 titled, “Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness.” The executive order directed the Department of Defense (DoD) to adopt policies that would prohibit transgender, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming people from serving in the military.

From there, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth issued a memo on Feb. 7 that immediately paused all gender-affirming medical procedures for service members. Then, on Feb. 26, the DoD issued the most significant blow by declaring that transgender and nonbinary individuals will no longer be eligible to join the military and directed all trans people currently serving to be separated from service.

Two federal courts previously issued nationwide orders to block the implementation of this ban. Then, on May 6, the Supreme Court lifted those orders, giving the DoD the right to remove trans people, willing and ready to serve the United States, from military service.

ice cream, Pittsburgh — Two friends eating ice cream from an ice cream parlor on a warm day.

by Mary Spiller

August 8, 2025

Frida Unveils Breast Milk–Inspired Ice Cream

Frida has churned up its most controversial product yet — a breast milk–inspired ice cream made without a single drop of the real thing.

Frida, a baby products company known for inventive parenting solutions, has teamed up with Brooklyn-based ice cream maker OddFellows to launch a breast milk–flavored ice cream without including actual breast milk. Available nationwide through Aug. 10, the limited-edition flavor aims to mimic the real thing using cow’s milk ingredients and nutrient-rich bovine colostrum powder.

“The flavor is freshly expressed and oddly familiar – sweet, salty, and smooth – with hints of honey,” Frida said in its announcement.

The OddFellows ice cream features a pale yellow hue reminiscent of colostrum, the nutrient-packed early milk produced by mammals, and combines sweet and salty notes for what the brand calls a comforting yet unique taste.

Frida says the creation is “packed with similar nutrients to breast milk and formula,” including Omega-3s, lactose, protein, vitamins, and minerals.

According to the company, it was developed after multiple tastings to perfect the balance of flavor and nutrition, making it a novelty treat.

The Breast Milk Ice Cream can be sampled in person at an OddFellows pop-up location in Brooklyn, New York, or shipped nationwide via Frida.com.

Founded in Sweden by a pediatric ear, nose, and throat doctor, Frida originally gained popularity by expanding into a wide range of maternal and baby care products before moving operations to the US.

Now, with this unconventional OddFellows ice cream, the brand is leaning into playful innovation, and users online have been buzzing about it.

breast milk ice cream but has no breast milk in it https://t.co/he65FKzdFQ pic.twitter.com/RKgLqBiLbG
— Mason (@mpregbucky) August 6, 2025

"NGL it hits…It's very accurate…I hope my wife's not mad at me…"

— Josh Hart eats breast milk ice cream pic.twitter.com/ObbLaDnJNn
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) August 7, 2025

Most notably, New York Knicks shooting guard Josh Hart lined up to try the Frida Breast Milk Ice Cream at its New York pop-up location. His taste test came after going viral 2 years ago for stating online that he had tried his “significant other’s breast milk.”

Hart described in the clip — posted by New York Basketball — after trying the ice cream, “I’m not gonna lie, it hits. Super sweet and kind of like vanilla… it’s very accurate in terms of flavor of breast milk.”

He continued, “I hope my wife’s not mad at me for saying there’s a hint of salt.”

Can somebody unplug New York and plug it back in please
— Cloakdale (@Cloakdale) August 8, 2025

pic.twitter.com/Bu4YNDSAb1
— Madame Colette ✨ (@JTStixx) August 8, 2025

black media, Black journalists — (Photo: Aleksandar Georgiev/Getty Images)

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

August 8, 2025

The National Association of Black Journalists Aims To Combat Trump’s Anti-DEI Movement

The National Association of Black Journalists marked its 50th convention with a spotlight on challenges to DEI efforts.

The National Association of Black Journalists’ (NABJ) 50th convention brought Black media professionals from across the nation together with a focus on protecting marginalized communities amid ongoing attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts under the Trump administration.

NABJ members gathered in Cleveland, Ohio, for the association’s first-ever convention in Northeast Ohio, and the first since Donald Trump returned to office. One of Trump’s earliest actions was signing a wave of executive orders aimed at dismantling DEI efforts, including penalizing federal agencies that work with companies supporting diversity initiatives.

With the increasingly hostile climate plaguing industries nationwide, the mission and advocacy of NABJ members have become more vital than ever.

“DEI means it’s a chance for all people,” NABJ President Ken Lemon, a reporter at WSOC-TV in Charlotte, North Carolina, told Cleveland. “Diversity, equity, and inclusion simply means that we’re going to work to make sure that nobody of value is overlooked.”

Last year’s convention commenced in Chicago and coincided with headlines around Trump’s controversial remark that then-Vice President Kamala Harris “happened to turn Black.” This year’s gathering comes as corporate America faces a divide, with some yielding to mounting pressure from conservative groups to scale back, or completely abandon, DEI efforts altogether, while others stand firm in their commitment to fostering inclusion.

“I think that in times like this, you see what companies really did value and still do value DEI,” said Jalea Brooks, a broadcast journalist from Indianapolis.

Contributing to the corporate divide is an unsteady economy marked by inflation, rising tariffs, and a high cost of living, factors that have affected attendance at this year’s convention.

“Anti-DEI and fear of what could happen… backlash from that… It’s caused revenue to be down for almost every group,” Lemon said.

Amir Vera, who has spent seven years at CNN, has observed a noticeable shift in how companies are approaching diversity efforts, changes he says are creating a “trickle-down effect” beyond the workplace.

“I think my company takes DEI very seriously,” Vera said. “But they are also rebranding it because of the atmosphere, so companies like mine will just call it inclusion.”

Uber — (Photo illustration: Rafael Henrique/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

by Sharelle B. McNair

August 8, 2025

NYT Investigative Report Highlights Uber’s Alarming Number Of Unreported Sexual Assaults

Uber’s sexual assault victims, both drivers or passengers, are women, and the vast majority of attackers are men.

Investigative reporter Emily Steel is blowing the lid off of Uber’s staggering number of unreported accounts of sexual misconduct after it was revealed the rideshare company received a report of sexual assault or misconduct in the U.S. close to an average of every eight minutes between 2017 and 2022, the New York Times reports.

For years, Uber has publicly labeled itself as one of the safest commuter travel options, but privately, with sealed court documents, a different story was painted. Over 400,000, a total of 400,181, Uber trips ended with reports of sexual assault and sexual misconduct in the U.S., while the company’s reports once disclosed only 12,522 reports of serious sexual assaults during the same timespan.

Steel’s shocking report was supported by a tragic tale of a woman in Houston, posted on Instagram, who was failed by the rideshare company after what was supposed to be a 22-minute trip turned into a five-hour nightmare. The unidentified woman called Uber to report that the driver had taken her to a hotel and sexually assaulted her. In December 2023, she was picked up roughly before 9 p.m. with two unidentified stops.

Uber noticed and sent an automated notification to make sure she was OK, but she never responded. The ride eventually ended near a Motel 6, around 2 a.m., when the company sent another notification that the woman never responded again.

The company has failed to release reports outside of the 2017-2022 time period, despite the number of incidents having increased. Uber has since released a statement on having a no-tolerance policy toward such claims. “There is no ‘tolerable’ level of sexual assault,” Uber’s head of safety for the Americas, Hannah Nilles, said in a statement.

According to About Lawsuits, Uber’s sexual assault victims, both drivers and passengers, are women, and the vast majority of attackers are men. In addition, most attacks take place late at night, often happening in close proximity to bars and involving intoxicated passengers.

Niles did confirm that 75% of the massive number of reports were of “less serious” offenses such as unwanted comments about a rider’s appearance, flirting, or use of explicit language. The popular rideshare company even attempted to address the issue by testing options, such as placing cameras in cars, but no action has been taken. However, Uber put a tool called Safety Risk Assessed Dispatch in place with attempts to predict which driver-rider pairings could result in a risk of sexual assault.

Even the company has admitted that the platform is not doing much.

Unwanted advances — regardless of how serious or minor they may be deemed — have resulted in a number of lawsuits against the company, some at the state level and others at the federal level. In May 2025, U.S. District Judge Charles R. Breyer from the Northern District of California selected six Uber driver sex assault lawsuits that will serve as the first cases of bellwether trials, designed to help predict just how juries may respond to evidence and testimony that may be repeated throughout the trial.

With the first bellwether trial scheduled for Dec. 8, 2025, decisions will be closely watched as lawsuit payouts, on average, awarded by juries could potentially have an impact on future Uber sexual assault settlement negotiations.

harlem renaissance — photo credit: pexels

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

August 8, 2025

Harlem Week Jobs & Career Fair 2025 To Offer Resume Support And Workshops

New York City's fourth annual Jobs and Career Fair is returning to Harlem on August 13, 2025.

Harlem Week 2025 is back with its annual Jobs and Career Fair that has new offerings for job seekers of all ages, experience levels, and backgrounds.

Set to take place on Wednesday, Aug. 13, at The Great Hall in Harlem from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., the career fair returns for its fourth year in a row and will bring together more than 60 employers across all industries. Organized in partnership with The City College of New York, the fair offers job seekers the chance to pursue careers in healthcare, hospitality, finance, social justice, construction, and so much more.

“The great thing with this event is that with the broad range of exhibitors that we have, there are always opportunities for anyone…We have folks from construction. We have folks from technology, transportation, banking and finance, hospitality, restaurants, and state and federal agencies,” Michael Flanigan, a board member of Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce (GHCC), told amNewYork.

The GHCC introduced the career fair in 2022 as a response to the economic impact of COVID-19, which left many New Yorkers out of work and rethinking their career paths. What began with just 350 attendees grew to 1,500 in 2023, and surged to over 5,000 last year.

Now celebrating its 51st year, Harlem Week runs from Aug. 1 to Aug. 17, an impressive expansion from the single-day event it began five decades ago. The GHCC originally launched the celebration to help challenge and change the negative perceptions surrounding Harlem.

“Uptown Manhattan was not getting the economic support that it deserved relative to the rest of the city and maybe in the rest of the state,” Flanigan said. “So the group of founders came together and said, let’s create a day of pride. A day of celebration.”

Since then, Harlem Week has grown into a two-week cultural “institution,” as Flanigan describes it, dedicated to empowering the community through concerts, educational forums, and career fairs. This year’s fair will also feature a resource hub with résumé support and workshops designed around attendees’ interests. Sessions will cover topics like careers in tech, pathways to public sector jobs, and more.

Flanigan noted the workshops are particularly impactful for younger job seekers who are still exploring their career paths. They’ve watched people secure jobs on the spot.

“We’ve had people literally get jobs on the spot,” Flannigan said. “I remember this retail store telling us at the end of the day that they had hired about 200 people that day.”

More information on the NYC Jobs & Career Fair can be found on harlemweek.com, as well as from the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce.

Knoxville, Black-Owned Restaurant — Photo by Luis Alvarez/Getty Images

by Kandiss Edwards

August 8, 2025

Women Of The Petworth Neighboorhood In Washington, DC, Are Building A Business Eco-System

Black women are creating a blueprint for community building and business collaboration on Upshur Street in Washington.

In the Petworth neighborhood of Washington, D.C., a single block of Upshur Street is home to multiple Black woman-owned businesses.

The women are redefining what community entrepreneurship looks like. Primarily Washington natives, the Black women’s establishments are rooted in both legacy and collective empowerment.

For Alexes Haggins, founder of Flowers by Alexes, entrepreneurship is generational. The women of Upshur Street spoke to WUSA 9 about their business endeavors and connections to the community.

“I’ve been here since I was 9 years old. My father moved to the other end of the block, and that’s where Flowers by Alexes was born,” she told WUSA 9. “We reopened the shop, and we’ve been here and doing really well since then.”

Local creatives and side hustlers regularly use Haggins’s event space. It’s more than just a storefront. It’s a springboard.

Across the street from Flowers by Alexes, Petworth Cigars blends tradition infused with neighborhood pride. Dyane Johnson, the shop’s owner, sees cooperation, not competition.

“It’s excellent to be able to have the support and integration of different businesses,” she said. “Shops that offer clothing, flowers, food.”

That mix includes Elephant in My Room, a lifestyle boutique owned by Tisha Brown, who went from styling racks in her apartment to claiming her own brick-and-mortar space.

“I started selling clothes with a single rack in my two-bedroom apartment five years ago,” she said. “From there, I did pop-ups. I was in Fia’s middle room when she was here, so it’s full circle to be back, and this is now my space.”

Just a few doors down, Michelle Smith’s Cookie Wear has clocked 25 years of business.

Haggins moved away from the area but has returned and is excited to reconnect with the community.

“Just coming back, reaching out and reconnecting with the community and how they receive me, it was just a good feeling,” she said. “So the things that we do is we host all different types of events–-we do yoga, Pilates, crocheting, just something where the community will have a place to come and just enjoy the space.”

Black women now own nearly 40% of Black-owned businesses in the District, according to the city’s Department of Small and Local Business Development.

Washington leads the nation in the number of Black-owned businesses per capita. While these women are part of the growing statistics, the way they do business creates the blueprint for others to follow.

The Black women of Upshur Street are working collaboratively and locally. Their presence boosts economic activity and helps the surrounding community in its ecosystem-building.

google, discrimination lawsuit — Photo credit: 400tmax/iStock

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

August 8, 2025

Former Google Exec Warns That AI Will Soon Replace ‘Incompetent CEOs’

AI is coming for everyone's jobs, including "incompetent CEOs," one tech leader says.

As the growing AI wave rocks the workforce, one ex-Google exec is warning corporate CEOs that they could be next.

Mo Gawdat, former chief business officer at Google X, recently appeared on the Diary of a CEO podcast, where he issued a stark warning to business leaders who believe the AI-driven job crisis predicted for the next 5 to 15 years will only affect lower-level employees. According to Gawdat, CEOs could be just as vulnerable to AI disruption as their staff.

“CEOs are celebrating that they can now get rid of people and have productivity gains and cost reductions because AI can do that job. The one thing they don’t think of is that AI will replace them too,” Gawdat said. “AGI is going to be better at everything than humans, including being a CEO. You really have to imagine that there will be a time where most incompetent CEOs will be replaced.”

Gawdat joins a growing chorus of tech leaders sounding the alarm on AI’s impact on the workforce. Companies like Duolingo, Workday, and Klarna have already laid off large numbers of employees or paused human hiring altogether in preparation for an AI-driven future. Meanwhile, fast-food chains and hotels are adopting contactless ordering and kiosk-operated check-ins.

The rapidly changing landscape is why Gawdat is pushing back on the idea that AI will create new jobs. He argues it’s a dangerous myth that downplays the very real threat of widespread job loss.

“My belief is it is 100% crap,” Gawdat said. “The best at any job will remain. The best software developer, the one that really knows architecture, knows technology, and so on, will stay—for a while.”

However, Gawdat argues that AI itself isn’t the true culprit behind looming job losses; it’s the profit-driven CEOs who are choosing the technology at the expense of human workers in their pursuit of greater financial gain.

“There’s absolutely nothing wrong with AI—there’s a lot wrong with the value set of humanity at the age of the rise of the machines,” Gawdat said. “And the biggest value set of humanity is capitalism today. And capitalism is all about what? Labor arbitrage.”

Clipse, Hip-Hop,Pusha T, Vatican — Clipse at Pepsi Dig In Day Block Party in Chicago/Courtesy of Pepsi Dig In

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

August 7, 2025

Clipse, Paper Planes Become ‘CULTURALLY INAPPROPRIATE’ With Latest Merchandise

T-shirts and baseball cap dropped less than a month after their latest album release

Virginia brothers, Gene and Terrence Thornton, better known as Malice and Pusha T, have joined together as a rap duo once again to release their latest album, Let God Sort Em Out, and with all eyes on them, they have also released some merchandise with Paper Planes named “CULTURALLY INAPPROPRIATE.”

Less than a month after reuniting and dropping their latest recording project on July 11, they have partnered with Paper Planes to release some clothing for fans and fashionistas, Aug. 4. The collection consists of two T-shirts and a baseball cap. Keeping it simple, people can purchase either a white or black T-shirt that showcases the duo’s Clipse insignia on the back while the words “culturally inappropriate” are seen on the front.

The baseball cap is a classic New Era snapback, embroidered with the Paper Planes logo on the front and the brothers’ hometown of Virginia in yellow block letters on the back. The New Era symbol sits on one side, while the Clipse logo adorns the other side of the cap.

VIRGINIA to the WORLD
CLIPSE x Paper Planes Tee + Crown
Limited quantities available In-store TOMORROW 8.7.25 — 11AM
252 Lafayette St, NYC#PaperPlanes #Clipse #CulturallyInappropriate pic.twitter.com/jz7ek6Yz27
— Paper Planes (@planes) August 6, 2025

The hip-hop world was elated when the duo informed the masses last June that they had a pending project produced by Pharrell Williams, who introduced us to the brothers when they dropped their classic hit record, Grindin. The last time the Clipse dropped an album was in 2009, with Til the Casket Drops, leaving fans in limbo for over 15 years. Malice turned to religion, although he did not really leave hip-hop; he decided to record under the “No Malice” moniker and got away from the street/drug-referenced raps. Meanwhile, Pusha T continued assaulting microphones and keeping Clipse fans partially satisfied until the duo returned as a team.

Malice said last year that he got the blessing from his father, who was a deacon, to reunite with his brother.

“My dad was instrumental in my decision-making,” Malice reveals. “I asked him what he thought about me rapping again, and he said, ‘You still have to make a living. You still have to take care of your family. I understand where you’re coming from, but I think you’ve been too hard on yourself.’ And that meant so much to me because over the years, the Clipse years, our family really went through a lot. For him to give me his blessing, him being a deacon in the church and loving God, I had to open my eyes and reevaluate.”

remote work, microsoft — (Image: iStock/gorodenkoff)

by Jameelah Mullen

August 7, 2025

The Global State Of Relief Fund Offers A Lifeline For Black Women In Need

Black women have been disproportionately affected by the current unemployment crisis in the U.S.

Black women experiencing financial hardship may soon receive some relief through emergency cash assistance from The Global State of Relief Fund. Sponsored by Teknique Cares, a nonprofit organization focused on beauty and wellness, the Global State of Relief Fund is a one-time grant that centers Black women with financial need.

Applicants can receive a gift ranging from $500 to $1,500 to help cover everyday expenses. The fund prioritizes Black women facing unemployment who are caregivers, single mothers, or working in industries that have recently experienced high layoff rates. Jobs most affected by layoffs include those in the government, retail, and tech industries, according to Visual Capitalist.

The Global State of Relief aims to lighten the load for some women.

“We can’t wait for systems to fix this. We’re taking action now,“ the organization says on its website.

To support as many Black women as possible, the organization is accepting donations. Additionally, job seekers can join the organization’s free Patreon community to receive peer support and career advice.

According to a report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics released last month, Black women’s unemployment rate sits at a staggering 6%, twice the rate of their white counterparts. Earlier this year, the Trump administration implemented policies that made sweeping job cuts in the federal workforce, disproportionately affecting Black women. Nearly 300,000 women have lost their jobs since May 2025.

”The layoffs at the federal level where Black people are more represented, the impacts of the tariffs, particularly on small businesses that hire Black women, and the overall use of DEI as a slur, which may be contributing to a lack of hiring of Black women, all of these factors are probably at play,” Andre Perry, a senior fellow and director of the Center for Community Uplift at the Brookings Institution, told Bloomberg News.

Those interested in receiving emergency cash assistance can fill out the questionnaire and allow 5-7 business days for review.

high school, NIL deals, Mississippi college — (Photo: David Madison/Getty Images)

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

August 7, 2025

Teddy Bridgewater Explains Decision To Accept Donations To Provide For High School Athletes

'When I decided to coach, those players became my sons, and I just wanted to protect them in the best way I can.'

As a football coach at Miami Northwestern High School, NFL player Teddy Bridgewater was suspended in July for providing his players with financial benefits. In a recent interview, he shared why he felt the need to help the kids with the money he used.

According to ESPN, the football player was suspended after he made a Facebook post asking for donations to help host a camp for the boys. In the post, he asked for people to help pay (he shelled out $14,000) for the players to be fed with “three hot meals a day from local black owned restaurants and a snack on some of those days.” He also mentioned that $9,500 went toward matching clothing, $300 per week to paint the field, $1,300 every week for recovery trucks, $2,200 for the team’s weekly pregame meal, and $700 per week on Uber rides.

Seven days after placing the post on social media, he was suspended by the Florida High School Athletic Association for providing for his players.

The team won a state championship this past season.

A reporter asked him about the suspension, and he explained why he ensured the kids were safe and able to participate in the tournament.

“I think everyone knows that I’m just a charitable guy and I’m a father first before anything,” Bridgewater said. “When I decided to coach, those players became my sons, and I just wanted to protect them in the best way I can.”

He goes on to explain that the neighborhood the boys are from is tough, and he felt the need to make sure they got home safely.

“Miami Northwestern is in a tough neighborhood, and sometimes things can happen when kids are walking home and different things like that. So, I just tried to protect them, give them a ride home instead of them having to take those dangerous walks. I just want people to continue to see me for the person that I’ve been from the time I arrived in the NFL, from the time that I arrived at the University of Louisville –- just a humble guy who has a big heart and a cheerful giver.”

Teddy Bridgewater talks about his suspension from coaching high school due to impermissible benefits that included Uber and meals for players. “Miami Northwestern is in a tough neighborhood. Things can happen when kids are walking home. I was just trying to protect them.” pic.twitter.com/7NH3U9bTIz
— JennaLaineESPN (@JennaLaineESPN) August 6, 2025

Bridgewater just recently signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.