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TikTok influencer Raymond Harper, known on social media as “Rolling Ray,” has died. He was 28. According to Fox 5 DC, Harper’s mother, Sazola Nay, shared the news on her private Facebook account.

“It is with a heavy heavy heart that I let you know that my son Ray Ray iamrollingray has gone home to be with the Lord…I thank everyone who has called or texted, this is going to be a long road,” she wrote.

Harper’s cause of death is currently unknown.

The Zeus Network broke the news to the public

The Zeus Network confirmed news of Harper’s passing on social media, including screenshots of Nay’s Facebook post. He appeared in several shows on the network.

“😢💔 Gone way too soon. #RestInPeace to the BIG hearted, most Raw, & Real FRIEND & #Zeus Star #RaymondHarper aka @iamrollingray,” the network wrote along with a picture of the social media star. “🙏🏾 Your Laughter, Light, & Loving Spirit will Live on FOREVER! ♾️ From #BobbyILoveYouPurrr to #TheConversation, you were Unapologetically & Authentically your TRUEST Self. From your ZEUS Fam, we Love, Thank, & will Miss you Always! 🕊️”

The network concluded its message by sending “Prayers & Condolences” to the 28-year-old’s loved ones.

Fans of Harper have been shocked to hear about the content creator’s death just days before his 29th birthday. Many shared their reactions to the sad news on TikTok.

How did Rolling Ray die?

At the time of publication, the cause of his death is unknown.

According to Love B Scott, Harper lived with paralysis since he was a child. He had experienced health issues over the past few years, including injuries sustained from a fire in 2021, COVID and pneumonia the following year, and a blood infection in 2024.

Harper became best known for his viral “purr” sound and appeared in shows like MTV’s Catfish: Trolls, Divorce Court and Bobby I Love You, Purrr.

Survivors of the abuse at the hands of deceased disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein are demanding that the Justice Department release all criminal investigative files tied to Epstein, including unredacted files that could expose his enablers and other pertinent information regarding the case. A press conference was held on Wednesday featuring the victims.

What are lawmakers saying about the Epstein files?

The push for complete transparency and accountability has divided Washington. According to USA Today, Republican congressional leaders have called for the release of Epstein’s records for years but have recently backtracked on those demands.

Some lawmakers, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., have stated that releasing sensitive information could hurt those victims. He told reporters that a House committee released more than 33,295 pages of subpoenaed records on Tuesday, and that pressuring the Justice Department to release more files was unnecessary.

However, some Democrats and Republicans have agreed on the issue, pushing for the files to be released. A bipartisan bill sponsored by Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif., the Epstein Files Transparency Act, seeks to force the disclosure of all federal records related to Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, including flight logs, criminal activities, financial ties, settlements and immunity agreements.

The bill states, “No record shall be withheld, delayed, or redacted on the basis of any of the following: embarrassment, reputational harm, or political sensitivity, including to any government official, public figure, or foreign dignitary.”

How the release of Epstein documents could affect survivors

Massie said he is only two Republican signatures short of the 218 needed to move forward with a discharge petition, bypassing House leadership and bringing the measure to a vote.

Victims met Tuesday with the House Oversight and Reform Committee, expressing their demands and recounting the years of abuse they sustained from Epstein. Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., herself a survivor of sexual assault, was visibly moved by it.

For these women, the withheld documents illustrate the full scope of Epstein’s sex trafficking network. Releasing the evidence not only highlights the severity of his crimes but also helps the victims move forward in their respective healing journeys.

Here’s everything to know about the Epstein documents and the victims who shared their harrowing experiences of abuse.

Sexual abuse survivors speak out at Capitol rallies

On Wednesday, rallies were held outside the Capitol as survivors shared painful testimonies. Brazilian accuser Marina Lacerda revealed she was just 14 or 15 when Epstein abused her in New York. She is one of many victims calling for the release of the files to help move on with their lives.

“I never thought that I would find myself here. The only reason that I am here is because it feels like the people who matter in this country finally care about what we have to say,” Lacerda said.

Anouska De Georgiou, who once moved in Epstein’s social circles and knows President Donald Trump, urged him to use his influence to support victims.

“I chose to come because this bill really matters,” De Georgiou said outside the Capitol. “I speak today not only in service of my own recovery from trauma inflicted by Maxwell and Epstein, but to honor the lives the courage and sacrifices of Virginia Giuffre, Carolyn Andriano and others who could not continue.”

Theresa Helm, another survivor, described being trafficked across the country by Maxwell and solely blamed her because she trusted her.

“I was systematically recruited, trafficked across this great nation, groomed and assaulted,” Helm said. She currently works with the National Center on Sexual Exploitation in Washington, D.C.

Lisa Phillips, a podcaster who interviews survivors of sex trafficking, said she initially thought Epstein could help her with her modeling career, but he abused her instead. Meanwhile, abuse survivor Liz Stein demanded that Epstein and Maxwell’s accomplices, wealthy and politically connected figures, be named and held accountable.

‘No more slow-rolling’

Attorneys for victims say the unreleased records from agencies such as the FBI and CIA will shock the public, showing who protected Epstein and helped him operate for decades.

“None of you should have to be here today because they should just release the files,” Arick Fudale, an attorney representing 11 of Epstein’s survivors, said. “No more slow-rolling. No more meetings. No more strategy. No more interviews behind closed doors. Release the files.”

Epstein died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Maxwell, his longtime associate and accomplice, is serving a 20-year federal prison sentence for her role in recruiting and abusing young girls.

Amazon is ending a program that allows members of its Prime subscription program to share free shipping benefits with people living outside their household.

The company recently announced the move on its customer service website, stating that the Prime Invitee Program will end on Oct 1. Affected members are encouraged to sign up for their own Prime subscription membership.

“We are writing to inform you that the Prime Invitee Program, which allowed sharing Prime’s fast, free delivery with others, will end on October 1, 2025,” the notice states, according to CNBC. “Your invited guests will be notified directly about this change by September 5, 2025.”

The program allowed Prime members to share their free two-day shipping with one other adult in the household, even if they lived at a different address.

Affected customers are encouraged to enroll in the program at a discounted rate of $14.99 for one year. After that, they will pay $14.99 per month or $139 annually. The promotional offer starts Sept. 5 and ends Dec. 31, according to The Associated Press.

Amazon is also replacing the phased-out Prime Invitee Program with Amazon Family. This new initiative offers shared free benefits and digital content with another adult, up to four teens (who were added to the account before April 7), and up to four children in the household. The company insists that this is the best way for everyone to manage all the key perks of the program while maintaining separate accounts, according to the website.

According to reports, Amazon’s Prime Day fell short this year

The online retail chain has been making changes to its operations and services following an exclusive report from Reuters, which stated that Amazon’s Prime subscriptions have decreased in the U.S.

This decline occurred during the three weeks prior to Prime Day and its four-day sales event. There were 116,000 fewer subscriptions than last year — a 2% decline in metrics — and 106,000 less subscriptions than Amazon’s own goal.

Despite this, Amazon reported that this year’s event had large turnout numbers in both the U.S. and internationally. “Prime membership continues to show strong growth and customer engagement in the U.S. and internationally,” the company said in a statement to Reuters.

Artificial intelligence model ChatGPT will soon add parental controls for teenagers who use the platform. OpenAI, the company that owns ChatGPT, said on Tuesday that it is part of a 120-day plan to add safeguards for its users who turn to the chat model during times of mental and emotional distress. The news comes a week after OpenAI received a wrongful death lawsuit from California parents who claim ChatGPT is to blame after their 16-year-old son died by suicide.

ChatGPT offers a new set of safeguards for users experiencing mental distress

OpenAI shared a 120-day plan on Tuesday that aims to help ChatGPT models to “recognize and respond to signs of mental and emotional distress, guided by expert input.” New safeguards will include expanding interventions to more people in crisis, making it even easier to reach emergency services and get help from experts, enabling connections to trusted contacts and strengthening protections for teens, the company said in a news release.

The company said it will receive input from its “Expert Council on Well-Being,” which comprises experts in youth development, mental health and human-computer interaction. It will also work with its “Global Physician Network,” a group of over 250 physicians it will consult to develop new safeguards.

“While the council will advise on our product, research, and policy decisions, OpenAI remains accountable for the choices we make,” the company wrote.

ChatGPT adds parental controls

OpenAI also acknowledged the important role of artificial intelligence chat models in teenagers’ lives: “Many young people are already using AI. They are among the first ‘AI natives,’ growing up with these tools as part of daily life, much like earlier generations did with the internet or smartphones,” the company wrote. “That creates real opportunities for support, learning, and creativity, but it also means families and teens may need support in setting healthy guidelines that fit a teen’s unique stage of development.”

Starting in October, parents will be able to link their account with their teenager’s account via email invitation if they are over 13. They will also have the ability to control how ChatGPT responds to their teenager with age-appropriate model behavior rules, which the company said “are on by default.” Parents will also be able to disable features such as memory and chat history, as well as receive notifications “when the system detects their teen is in a moment of acute distress.”

OpenAI’s wrongful death lawsuit

Last week, OpenAI received its first wrongful death lawsuit from California parents who say ChatGPT helped lead to their 16-year-old son’s death by suicide. The lawsuit states that the chatbot discouraged Adam Raine from seeking human connection, offered him advice to write a suicide note and set up a noose, according to NBC News. ChatGPT also shared a suicide hotline number several times but was easily bypassed, Raine’s parents said.

Shortly after the lawsuit was filed, OpenAI said safeguards did exist on ChatGPT, including giving empathetic responses and rerouting conversations to human reviewers. 

“For example, ChatGPT may correctly point to a suicide hotline when someone first mentions intent, but after many messages over a long period of time, it might eventually offer an answer that goes against our safeguards,” the company wrote in an Aug. 26 news release. “We’re strengthening these mitigations so they remain reliable in long conversations, and we’re researching ways to ensure robust behavior across multiple conversations.”

Jay Edelson, the lead counsel for the Raine family, said OpenAI only made “vague promises” and that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman “should either unequivocally say that he believes ChatGPT is safe or immediately pull it from the market,” per NBC News.

“Don’t believe it: this is nothing more than OpenAI’s crisis management team trying to change the subject,” Edelson added.

Altman acknowledged that users have developed “different and stronger” attachments to AI chatbots compared to other technologies. 

“I can imagine a future where a lot of people really trust ChatGPT’s advice for their most important decisions,” he tweeted in August. “Although that could be great, it makes me uneasy. But I expect that it is coming to some degree, and soon billions of people may be talking to an AI in this way.”

The U.S. Embassy in Nigeria has quietly revoked visas for numerous Nigerian citizens without prior notice, affecting professionals, entrepreneurs, frequent travelers and families.

According to Business Insider Africa, the federal facility has annulled these documents, citing “new information” under Title 22, Code of Federal Regulations, Section 41.122, but provided no further explanation, evidence or appeal process.

This latest move in the immigration crackdown affects Nigerians holding valid visas that were issued months or even years ago, many of whom had previously traveled to the United States without difficulty.

The revocations highlight ongoing tensions between the U.S. and Nigeria regarding immigration policies. Olufemi Soneye, the former chief corporate communications officer of Nigeria’s national oil company, NNPC Ltd, first noticed the action and described how longtime Nigerian travelers have now been blocked from re-entering the United States.

Nigerian citizens face humiliation following visa revocations

“Each had to abruptly cancel engagements, refund tickets, and explain to partners abroad why they could no longer show up. In some cases, the humiliation has been unbearable: travelers discovering at the airport, sometimes even at boarding gates, that their visas had been quietly invalidated,” Soneye wrote in an article for The Cable, a Nigerian-based newspaper, per Business Insider Africa.

He continued, “A few were briefly detained by immigration authorities before being sent home in shame,” noting that they were humiliated at local airports due to the revocation of their documents.

The sudden visa cancellations appear to be the latest in broader U.S. visa restrictions enforced by the Trump administration. In late August, Blavity reported that the U.S. Department of State had revoked over 6,000 international student visas, citing law violations like assault, driving under the influence, burglary and “support for terrorism.”

The effects of national U.S. visa cancellations

In June, the administration also rolled out new guidelines for international students looking to study in America on visas, which include having their social media accounts public to screen for “any indications of hostility toward the citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles of the United States.”

In May, Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke out about the thousands of visas revoked for international students in an effort to protect colleges and universities.

“I don’t know the latest count, but we probably have more to do,” he said at the time. “We’re going to continue to revoke the visas of people who are here as guests and are disrupting our higher education facilities.”

NBA YoungBoy recently went viral for giving back to local communities, including New Orleans. In his latest effort, he donated to several Dallas organizations ahead of his Make America Slime Again Tour.

The rapper, born Kentrell DeSean Gaulden, made rounds throughout the city before kicking off the highly anticipated tour Monday night. The tour already has three sold-out shows at the American Airlines Center, according to HotNewHipHop.

Which two nonprofits did NBA YoungBoy donate to?

YoungBoy donated a total of $50,000 to two Dallas-based nonprofits that support residents and public safety efforts. The first $25,000 went to Manifest Freedom, which his former attorney, Brittany Barnett, founded to help formerly incarcerated individuals launch their own careers through entrepreneurship, advocacy and reshaping narratives.

According to her website, she employs “effective investment models” to support people affected by the criminal legal system. Having grown up with a formerly incarcerated mother, Barnett has dedicated her life to advancing criminal justice. She also works to help incarcerated women and girls who are impacted by maternal incarceration.

YoungBoy gave the other $25,000 to Urban Specialists, a national nonprofit that recruits and trains local leaders from diverse backgrounds to drive positive change and strengthen communities. Since its inception in 1997, the organization has dedicated itself to combating violence and crime, creating safer neighborhoods for area residents.

‘I just want to help in any way I can’

WAFB reported that Atong Lucky, founder of Urban Specialists, said the 25-year-old Baton Rouge native’s support “sends messages throughout America that redemption and transformation are real for these young people.”

“You know, a lot of people be getting hurt, so it ain’t really cool at this point to me,” YoungBoy told WFAA about the donations. “I just want to help in any way I can.”

In May, Blavity reported that YoungBoy was the latest person to be pardoned by President Donald Trump after being cleared of a federal gun charge, for which he was sentenced to 23 months in prison.

“I want to thank President Trump for granting me a pardon and giving me the opportunity to keep building — as a man, as a father, and as an artist,” YoungBoy said in a statement shared online. “This moment means a lot. It opens the door to a future I’ve worked hard for and I am fully prepared to step into this.” 

Former Vice President Kamala Harris has a new security detail, courtesy of the California Highway Patrol. The move comes as Trump continues to use his power to target political adversaries.

The reported new security arrangement comes just after President Trump cancelled Secret Service protection for Harris, his opponent in the 2024 presidential election. As Trump continues to target political rivals like Harris, officials within the state have stepped up to guarantee the vice president’s safety.

Newsom, Bass reportedly coordinate a new security detail for Harris

The Los Angeles Times reported Friday that the California Highway Patrol has come up with an arrangement to provide protection for Harris, who resides in Los Angeles. The reported security arrangement came one day after the Trump administration announced that it was ending the Secret Service detail for Harris. The exact details of the arrangement, including how long it will last, have not been made public, as the Secret Service, California Highway Patrol and Los Angeles Police Department do not generally share such specific information about their operations.

The new security agreement was reportedly created in consultation with California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. nd A spokesperson for Newsom said that “our office does not comment on security arrangements,” but added that “the safety of our public officials should never be subject to erratic, vindictive political impulses.” A statement by Mayor Bass describes Trump’s decision to cancel Secret Service protection for Harris as “another act of revenge following a long list of political retaliation in the form of firings, the revoking of security clearances and more.” Bass added that “this puts the former Vice President in danger and I look forward to working with the governor to make sure Vice President Harris is safe in Los Angeles.”

Trump targeting political opponents

As Blavity previously reported, the Trump administration issued a letter on Thursday that cancelled Secret Service protection for Harris, effective September 1, 2025. Vice presidents typically retain a Secret Service detail for six months after leaving office, but President Biden granted Harris an additional year of protection, as allowed by federal law.  Cancelling the extended protection for Harris appeared to many to be a vindictive act by Trump, especially as it comes weeks before Harris begins a multi-city tour to promote her new book, 107 Days, a memoir reflecting on her 2024 presidential campaign.

Since returning to office in January, Trump has used the power of the presidency to go after political opponents. In March, Trump cancelled Secret Service protection for Hunter and Ashley Biden, the adult children of President Biden, breaking with tradition. Trump and other officials within his administration have made accusations of criminal wrongdoing against various figures, including Presidents Biden and Obama, as well as Federal Reserve Board governor Lisa Cook, whom Trump is attempting to fire based on an allegation of mortgage fraud made against Cook by one of Trump’s appointees. In addition to Harris, other California politicians have been targeted by Trump, including Mayor Bass, one of several Black women in positions of leadership who have been singled out by Trump. Newsom, a potential 2028 presidential candidate, has been trolling the president with Trump-like posts on social media as part of a months-long feud between the governor and the president.

Now, Newsom and Bass appear to have worked together to protect Harris, even as all three continue to face the wrath of President Trump. For now, at least, an arrangement has been made to try and guarantee that Trump’s apparent vindictiveness does not compromise the safety of the former vice president as she prepares to tell the world more about her campaign against Trump.