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Stephen Graham, the star and co-creator of Netflix’s Adolescence, sat down for an interview with The Sun and talked about the racial abuse he faced as a child. The 51-year-old star said he often faced racial slurs as a mixed-race child.

“I was called horrible words that I don’t even want to say, and little monkey boy,” Graham told The Sun.

The Netflix star previously opened up about racism when he spoke to BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs and reflected on his role in the 2006 film This Is England. Graham told the outlet that he was taken back to his childhood experience as he played the role of a racist character who attacked a Black man.

What did Stephen Graham say about facing racism and mental health struggles?

“It was life-changing. I lost myself quite a bit within that character,” Graham said at that time, according to the Daily Mail.

The 51-year-old actor said he came home crying after filming the movie and struggled with his mental health for a while. Graham also spoke in detail about his mental health struggles when he sat down for an interview with The Sunday Times in 2019. The award-winning actor said at that time that he faced “really bad depression” and tried to cope with alcohol. He also added that he tried to take his own life.

“Thankfully, the rope snapped and I’m here today,” Graham told The Sunday Times, per the Daily Mail.

After filming This Is England, Graham said he struggled to find another role and nearly quit his acting career.

“For about eight months, I couldn’t get an audition,” he said. “I almost packed it all in. I was going to be a youth worker.”

Who supported Stephen Graham when he faced mental health struggles?

Graham, who has a Jamaican grandfather, was raised by his mother and stepfather, Mike, who worked as a head pediatric nurse. Graham’s mother, who worked as a social worker, died in 2022. The Adolescence star also remains close with his biological father. Graham said his family was his biggest supporter as he faced mental health struggles.

“They supported me throughout everything,” he said.

“A lot of people, their early experiences with seafood were at a Red Lobster,” Adamolekun told CBS News. Adamolekun became CEO in September 2024 He was appointed the company’s new CEO in September, following the closure of more than a […]

The Social Security Administration has announced that the next round of payments will go out on April 9 as part of its staggered distribution system, which schedules checks according to people’s birth date and the date they started to receive benefits. According to the administration, the beneficiaries who will receive the next round of payments are people born between the 1st and 10th of any month and those who began receiving payments after May 1997, per Newsweek.

How does the Social Security Administration distribute payments?

The SSA issues payments in three waves every month. If a person started receiving benefits after May 1997 and their birthday falls between the 1st and 10th, they get their payments on the second Wednesday of the month.

For people born between the 11th and 20th, payments arrive on the third Wednesday. Those born between the 21st and 31st get their payments on the fourth Wednesday.

People who started receiving benefits on or before May 1997 follow a different schedule. Those beneficiaries receive their checks on the 3rd of the month regardless of their birth date.

What is the latest COLA adjustment for 2025?

The payments issued in 2025 will include a 2.5% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA). The COLA, which went into effect in January, aims to offset inflation and rising costs of living.

How much can beneficiaries expect to receive?

For people who retire at age 62, the maximum benefit they can receive is a monthly payment of $2,831. People who wait until the full retirement age of 70 can get a maximum monthly payment of $5,108.

What happens when there is a delay in Social Security payments?

Beneficiaries who are missing payments are advised to wait three business days before contacting the administration. They’re also asked to check their My Social Security account for updates. Beneficiaries experiencing delays can contact the SSA at 1-800-772-1213.

Singer/rapper Sean Kingston and his mother, Janice Turner, learned on Friday that a Florida court found them guilty of defrauding several businesses. During the hearing in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the court found the pair guilty on all counts in their federal wire fraud trial, NBC News reported.

Kingston and Turner were accused of defrauding various businesses, including a jewelry store, a luxury bed company, a used luxury and exotic car dealership and a microLED TV provider.

Kingston allegedly used fake wire transfers for years

According to the indictment, Kingston persuaded the businesses to deliver the items he wanted before making any payments. He and his mother then used fraudulent wire transfers to pay for the items, repeating the scheme for years, the indictment stated.

Kingston, whose legal name is Kisean Anderson, was arrested in Fort Irwin, California, in May after the Broward County Sheriff’s Office in Florida issued a warrant. His home in Southwest Ranches, a Broward County community, was raided by a SWAT team. In July, a federal grand jury indicted the mother and son.

What’s next: house arrest, jail time and sentencing

They were both left in tears after hearing the verdict. While Kingston did not testify during the hearing, defense attorney Humberto Dominguez spoke in Turner’s defense, saying she was trying to protect her son from people who wanted to take advantage of him. According to Dominguez, she was suspicious of the businesses mentioned in court.

“This case is about a woman’s intuition,” Dominguez said in court, per NBC News.

However, Judge David S. Leibowitz said Turner’s testimony “makes it impossible to believe she wouldn’t do anything for her son.” The judge added that her statements amounted to obstruction, which is why she was remanded into federal custody.

While Kingston was ordered to house arrest, Turner was taken into custody, where she will remain until sentencing. Both are scheduled to be sentenced on July 11.

Kingston was born in Miami but raised in Jamaica. He broke out in 2007 with the hit song “Beautiful Girls.” His other notable songs include “Fire Burning,” “Eenie Meenie” and “Beat It.”

Bank of America is informing customers that their accounts may be closed if they haven’t been used for an extended period.

“If you have not accessed your account for an extended period (typically 3 years or more), you may receive a letter from us letting you know your account is considered abandoned and may be turned over to the state under escheat laws,” Bank of America stated, according to Penn Live.

Why is Bank of America closing customer accounts?

According to Bank of America, inactive accounts will be closed because certain states have their own escheatment law. The bank describes escheatment as “the process of reporting and remitting abandoned/unclaimed property to the appropriate state agency for custodial safekeeping,” per Penn Live. In Pennsylvania, for example, the law states that banks, utilities, medical institutions and other similar entities have to report and turn over assets that are lost or abandoned for an extended time.

“The legislation of each state defines when an account is considered inactive and at what point we must transfer it to the state,” the bank stated, per Tododisca.

The policy applies to checking and saving accounts. Other assets such as IRAs and Certificates of Deposits, as well as uncashed cashier’s checks, securities, stocks, and safe deposit boxes may also be affected.

What do customers need to do to keep their Bank of America accounts open?

Bank of America has informed customers that they need to follow the instructions on the letter they receive “to contact the bank and prevent escheatment.” Customers are advised to log into their account and use it on a regular basis if they want to avoid losing access. The bank is reminding customers to regularly make transactions, check their balance frequently, keep their personal information updated and cash checks to keep the account open.

The “Queen of Tejano” Selena Quintanilla-Pérez‘s family is relieved that Yolanda Saldívar, the woman who was charged with murdering her in 1995, was denied parole.

Soon after the decision on March 27, Selena’s family released a statement via the late singer’s Instagram account. 

Here’s what Selena’s family said in a statement

“Today, we are grateful that the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles has chosen to deny parole for Yolanda Saldívar,” the message read. “While nothing can bring Selena back, this decision reaffirms that justice continues to stand for the beautiful life that was taken from us and from millions of fans around the world far too soon.”

The family also shared their life goal is to always keep Selena’s memory alive.

“Selena’s legacy is one of love, music, and inspiration. She lived with joy, gave selflessly, and continues to uplift generations with her voice and her spirit,” their statement continued. “As her family and loved ones, we remain committed to preserving her memory and ensuring that her story is honored with the dignity and respect it deserves.”

The statement concluded with an appreciation for the fans: “We thank Selena’s fans for their unwavering support throughout the years. Your love has been a source of strength and healing. We will continue to celebrate Selena’s life — not the tragedy that took her from us — and we ask that all who cherish her do the same.”

Why did Selena and her family fire Yolanda Saldívar?

According to People, Saldívar fatally shot Selena at a Days Inn motel in Corpus Christi, Texas, on March 31, 1995. At the time, Saldívar managed her clothing stores, Selena Etc., and served as both the founder and president of her official fan club. Just prior to the shooting, Selena and her family had dismissed Saldívar from these roles after accusing her of forging checks and embezzling over $30,000 from the businesses and fan club.

Former Nueces County District Attorney Carlos Valdez, who led the prosecution in the widely publicized case, warned that releasing Saldívar would be “a serious mistake,” according to KHOU.

“Lord knows what will happen if she is released,” Valdez said. “Based on what I’ve seen so far, I think it would be a serious mistake to grant her parole. I believe, I really believe, that the safest for Yolanda would probably be where she is.”

Saldívar has always maintained that fatally shooting Selena was a mistake.

Did the CIA use psychics to locate the Ark of the Covenant, one of the world’s holiest objects, lost for thousands of years? The claim made in declassified documents has resurfaced recently, drawing attention online.

The Daily Mail recently reported on a CIA program to use people who claimed psychic abilities to locate the Ark of the Covenant, the chest described in the book of Exodus of the Old Testament of the Bible that contained the Ten Commandments God gave to Moses.

Finding the biblical ark containing the Ten Commandments

As detailed in the biblical account, the holy object was once housed within the temple that King Solomon built during his reign over the ancient kingdom of Israel, with only the high priest allowed to view the ark once per year during the Day of Atonement. The ark has been lost for thousands of years, with the circumstances of its disappearance or eventual fate uncertain. There have been numerous legends and speculations about its location, ranging from it being hidden in Ethiopia or somewhere in the Middle East to the fictional account that placed the object in a government warehouse after being recovered by Indiana Jones in the Raiders of the Lost Ark film.

A psychic claimed to find the ark through visions

According to CIA documents initially declassified in 2000, the agency employed purported psychics during the 1980s to conduct “remote viewings,” the use of extrasensory perception to find distant or hidden targets, The Daily Beast reported. One of these psychics claimed to have seen visions of the ark “somewhere in the Middle East” in the vicinity of Arabic-speaking individuals. According to this psychic viewer, the ark was hidden in an “underground, dark and wet” location, guarded by mysterious “entities,” with drawings of people and other creatures accompanying the report in the CIA files. Project Sun Streak, the program that used these psychics, was discontinued in 1995.

The fact that this information is decades old did not stop it from becoming a trending topic on social media on Thursday. Some people naturally referenced Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Some saw the trending story about the ark as a distraction from current scandals, such as Trump officials’ accidental leak of secret military plans.

Everyone: “that Signal chat seems to be a pretty big screw up by someone in the administration.”Administration: “well uh… ya know… ummm… HEY EVERYONE! THE CIA FOUND THE ARK OF THE COVENANT! WOW, WOULD YA LOOK AT THAT!”— 🪨🇺🇸🦅 (@BravesAndStuff) March 26, 2025

Even though the CIA did not recover the Ark of the Covenant based on these psychic reports, the story that the top U.S. spy agency used such unusual means fuels speculation and interest online. As the Trump administration continues to release previously secret information, from sharing files on the assassination of President John F. Kennedy to transmitting attack plans to journalists accidentally, such speculation will continue about what other secrets the government holds.

Jeanne Whitefeather, 63, was sentenced to up to 215 years in prison and will be eligible for parole in 49 years, according to The New York Times. She received additional charges over a civil rights violation for calling the children […]

Bishop T.D. Jakes opened up about his health scare that happened in front of his congregation in the fall of 2024.

In a recent appearance on the Today, the pastor was candid about what caused his medical emergency in November 2024 while preaching on stage. He told journalist Craig Melvin that he was unaware of what was happening to him in real-time. He later found that what he experienced was a heart attack.

“I didn’t really realize what was happening to me onstage until I got to the hospital in an ambulance and fussing that it happened onstage, by the way, because I didn’t want it to happen, and the doctor leaned over my ear and said, ‘You had a massive heart attack,’” Jakes told Melvin according to the news outlet.

The preacher went on to share that he ultimately wasn’t aware of what happened because he didn’t feel any physical indicators.

“The reason I didn’t realize it was because I had none of the symptoms that they say,” Jakes explained. “No numbness, no sharp pain, no anything. I just kind of drifted off to sleep. I didn’t know what it was, but I almost died.”

“(The doctor) said five minutes later, I’d have been dead on arrival,” he added. “The right side of my heart had completely stopped getting blood at all.”

Additionally, the 67-year-old described what he recalled at the moment. 

‘I was on my way out’

“As long as I was up preaching, I felt fine,” he said. “But when I sat down, the adrenaline dropped, and it exposed the fact that I was preaching with half of my heart closed through a clot. And they had to go get it.” 

Despite the pastor’s not being a fan of rewatching the live stream video of the alarming occurrence, he briefly discussed what he could recall at that moment. 

“It’s hard for me to look at that video,” he mentioned. “They had to claw the microphone out of my hand. But in my mind, I was in a quiet, peaceful, serene, white-enveloped, cloud-enveloped space.

“I was on my way out,” he remarked to elaborate. “Afterwards in retrospect, it was such a privilege to stand on the other side, to get a little glimpse of what it might be like, or at least what it was like in that moment for me. I think it was absolutely amazing.”

T.D. Jakes suffered a near-fatal heart attack.

As Blavity reported, after about an hour of delivering a sermon during a typical Sunday service at his nondenominational church, The Potter’s House in Dallas, TX, members and visitors were alarmed as they witnessed Jakes encounter a threat to his health shortly after he prayed the biblical scripture of Psalms 19:14, per Christian Post.

The same day, a spokesperson for the religious organization released a statement on its social media channels to update and soothe the public’s worries.

“During today’s service, Bishop T.D. Jakes experienced a slight health incident and received immediate medical attention following his powerful hour-long message. Bishop Jakes is stable and under the care of medical professionals,” the statement read. “The entire Potter’s House family is grateful for the outpouring of love, prayers, and support from the community. Thank you for your understanding and continued prayers.”

On Dec. 1, just one week after he underwent emergency surgery, Jakes uploaded a self-recorded video to his Instagram that was played for his churchgoers during service. The caption read: “I’m incredibly grateful to have shared an update with you earlier this week, and today brought another special moment. Please take a moment to check out my brief message—I eagerly anticipate the day when we can worship together in person once again. #TPHOnline.”   

Jakes preached again for the first time since his heart attack at the annual New Year’s Eve service The Potter’s House hosts.