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“After careful consideration of what is needed to best position our company for the future, Hooters made the difficult decision to close certain company-owned locations,” a company spokesperson said in a statement to CNN. The company did not reveal the […]

A former cast member of Love and Hip Hop: Atlanta has died

According to Hot 97, Khadiyah Jaleela Lewis, also known as KD, died on May 30. She was 44 years old.

Lewis first appeared on the hit reality television show as a guest during its third season while dating Love and Hip Hop star and rapper Yung Joc. She later became a supporting cast member in season four.

What Khadiyah ‘KD’ Lewis’ family says about her death

“This has been an extremely emotionally devastating time,” KD’s brothers, Jamaal Lewis and Elijah Inegbedion Jay, told The Shade Room in an exclusive statement. “All prayers, condolences, and well wishes are sincerely appreciated.”

“At this time, we have decided to not discuss anything surrounding her death or why she passed away,” wrote the brothers in a social media post.

Beyond her work on Love and Hip Hop: Atlanta, KD also worked as a business and tax consultant, and during an iconic moment on the show, fans learned about her work as a realtor.

One Love and Hip Hop: Atlanta fan took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share condolences.

Rest in Peace to Khadiyah Lewis from Love and Hip Hop. Her brother confirmed she passed away 😔She gagged Karlie Redd on this episode. pic.twitter.com/MztvK4RYx4— Boochie is the Name (@stoppfeenin) June 5, 2025

“Rest in Peace to Khadiyah Lewis from Love and Hip Hop. Her brother confirmed she passed away,” wrote the X user with a clip from the scene in the show where she and Karlie Redd got into a tussle. “She gagged Karlie Red on this episode.”

Fans are invited to attend her memorial. 

In the post shared by Lewis’ brothers, they invited those impacted by her life to attend her funeral services.

“What we would like to do at this time is to offer the many people whose lives she touched an opportunity to celebrate her life through a zoom Memorial Service.”

The services are set to take place on June 14.

The sudden war of words between President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk took several dramatic turns Thursday.

Musk has now accused Trump of appearing in the files of deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, while Trump has hinted that he may cancel billions of dollars in contracts Musk’s companies hold with the federal government.

Elon Musk dropped a bombshell Epstein allegation against Trump

“Time to drop the really big bomb,” tweeted Elon Musk in a Thursday afternoon post on X, the social media site he owns. “@realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!” Musk tweeted to Trump, for whom Musk worked until leaving his White House position last week.

Time to drop the really big bomb:@realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public.Have a nice day, DJT!— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 5, 2025

The message, posted at 3:10 p.m. ET Thursday, indicated that information about Trump appears in the unreleased files of deceased millionaire Jeffrey Epstein, a former socialite and convicted sex offender who died by suicide in 2019 while in jail. Epstein’s death has since been the subject of conspiracy theories, including among many MAGA supporters. Trump supporters are also among those who have demanded the government release the so-called “Epstein files” that they believe detail who else may have been involved in the sex crimes for which Epstein was jailed. Trump is one of the many celebrities known to have been friends with Epstein, and Trump  supporters have expressed anger at delays in the release of information from the Epstein case.

It was all good just a week ago

Musk’s accusation is the latest in the breakdown of his relationship with Trump. The two appeared to be on friendly terms last week when Musk left his White House position to return to running his companies, which include X, SpaceX and Tesla. But over the past week, Musk has stepped up his criticism of Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” arguing that the legislation will significantly add to the national deficit and undo the spending cuts that Musk pushed through via his DOGE agency.

The disagreement between Musk and Trump got increasingly heated Thursday. Trump publicly criticized Musk, saying that the Tesla owner supported the bill until he found out it would cut electric vehicle funding; Musk denied the allegation.

False, this bill was never shown to me even once and was passed in the dead of night so fast that almost no one in Congress could even read it! https://t.co/V4ztekqd4g— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 5, 2025

Musk also claimed that “without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate,” and accused the president of “ingratitude.”

At around 2:37 p.m. Thursday afternoon, Trump escalated things further, posting on his Truth Social network, “The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. I was always surprised that Biden didn’t do it!”

Shortly after this tweet threatening Musk’s government contracts, which have amounted to at least $38 billion over more than 20 years, according to a Washington Post report, Musk made his Epstein tweet.

As of late Thursday afternoon, Musk was still regularly tweeting about this situation. In one post, he responded “Yes” to a suggestion that Trump be impeached and replaced with Vice President JD Vance.

With such heated accusations and threats flying back and forth between Trump and Musk, it’s unlikely that their feud will end soon or that their once close working relationship will be restored.

In a unanimous ruling, the Supreme Court decided Thursday that the case of a straight white woman who sued for discrimination based on her sexual orientation can proceed. The ruling is likely to support other cases of ‘reverse discrimination’ filed by members of majority groups.

In a unanimous 9-0 ruling, the Supreme Court sided with Marlean Ames, a straight white woman who claimed she was passed over for promotion and ultimately demoted because of her sexual orientation. Ames sued, claiming that she had suffered discrimination, but lost in the lower courts. The federal Sixth Circuit, in its ruling against Ames and others, has required members of majority groups to meet an additional burden of proof called “background circumstances” when making circumstantial claims of discrimination. The Supreme Court rejected the “background circumstances” requirement, which Ames’ lawyers argued violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which covers workplace discrimination. Liberal Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson wrote the majority opinion for the Supreme Court, saying that “we conclude that Title VII does not impose such a heightened standard on majority group plaintiffs.”

More ‘reverse discrimination’ cases may be on the way

Experts predict that the Supreme Court’s ruling will lead to additional members of majority groups suing for so-called “reverse discrimination.” This impact will likely be heightened by other recent changes, such as the 2023 Supreme Court ruling striking down affirmative action in college admissions and the Trump administration’s policies against DEI and other diversity-related programs. Conservative Justice Clarence Thomas drew this connection in a concurrent opinion that he authored, claiming that “a number of this nation’s largest and most prestigious employers have overtly discriminated against those they deem members of so-called majority groups.” Thomas also claimed that “American employers have long been ‘obsessed’ with ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ initiatives and affirmative action plans.”

Ames’ case moves back to the lower courts

The Supreme Court’s decision does not answer the question of whether Ames faced discrimination. Ames began working for the Ohio Department of Youth Services in 2004. In 2019, she was passed over for a management position for which she applied, which was given to a lesbian woman instead. Ames was later demoted, and her old job was given to a gay man. Ames continues to claim that her orientation led to her being passed over and then given a lesser role. Her employers, however, say she was not promoted because they lacked confidence that she would perform well in the management position, adding that she was “abrasive” and interviewed poorly.

Ames’ case will return to the lower courts, but the Supreme Court ruling will make it relatively less difficult for her to make her case. It may also encourage a number of other lawsuits by members of majority groups, even as the federal government remains hostile toward policies and initiatives aimed at benefiting members of minority and marginalized groups in the country.

On Wednesday, President Donald Trump announced a new travel ban, similar to the ones he implemented during his first term. Under the new policy, citizens of a dozen countries will be banned from traveling to the United States, while seven additional countries will face restrictions.

Trump travel ban mostly targets Black, Muslim countries

In a proclamation issued by the White House Wednesday, President Trump announced that he had decided to “fully restrict and limit the entry of nationals of the following 12 countries: Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.”

The announcement goes on to state that “People from seven countries will have partial restriction: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.”

Notably, the 12 countries facing total bans, 11 of them have populations that are overwhelmingly Black and/or Muslim. The lone exception is Burma, also known as Myanmar, a country in Southeast Asia with a Buddhist majority.

The country has long been ruled by a military dictatorship, which has brutally repressed various Muslim and ethnic minority groups in the country.  The seven countries facing restrictions are a mix of Black and Muslim-majority countries and nations ruled by socialist or communist parties.

Trump travel ban will likely stay in place despitethe hardships it will cause

The seemingly discriminatory nature of the current ban mirrors controversial aspects of the policy from Trump’s previous term; his initial travel ban was labeled a “Muslim ban” for targeting countries where Islam was the dominant religion.

Trump cites national security concerns for his decision to restrict or ban travel of these countries’ citizens to the United States. In a video announcing the ban, Trump cited a recent attack in which an Egyptian national is accused of firebombing and injuring over a dozen people attending a vigil for Israeli hostages. Egypt, whose President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has close ties with the administration and was once described by Trump as his “favorite dictator” – is not one of the countries covered by the new travel restrictions

“We cannot have open migration from any country where we cannot safely and reliably vet and screen… That is why today I am signing a new executive order placing travel restrictions on countries including Yemen, Somalia, Haiti, Libya, and numerous others.” –President Trump pic.twitter.com/ER7nGM4TO2— The White House (@WhiteHouse) June 4, 2025

The new ban is set to take effect Monday morning. The short delay may have avoided the problems of the first Trump administration’s travel bans, which took effect immediately and left would-be travelers to the U.S. stranded at airports. This new travel ban will restrict or ban access to the United States for millions of people around the world, including potentially banning refugees fleeing crises like the oppression in Myanmar or the civil war in Sudan.

Trump had been expected to announce a new travel ban, as he issued an executive order on inauguration day, tasking several cabinet members to work out the details of such a policy. Despite the controversy and potentially negative impact surrounding these policies, the Supreme Court has previously affirmed Trump’s authority to implement his travel bans, meaning that the current one is likely to remain in effect for some time.

Former White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre is reflecting on her political career and answered some of the public’s most common questions while promoting her upcoming book, Independent: A Look Inside a Broken White House, Outside the Party Lines. Promoting her book in an Instagram video on Wednesday, Jean-Pierre said people often ask her how the country finds a resolution in a time where democracy is threatened.

“How do we get out of this? How do we protect our democracy? How do we protect vulnerable communities among us? What do we do next?” she said, according to Deadline.

Jean-Pierre, 51, then offered her perspective on the crisis, saying the different parties must work together for solutions.

“I think we need to stop thinking in boxes and think outside of our boxes and not be so partisan,” she said, The Hill reported “The way that I see moving forward in this space that we’re in right now is if you are willing to stand side by side with me, regardless of how you identify politically— nd as long as you respect the community that I belong to and vulnerable communities that I respect — I will be there with you. I will move forward with you.” 

She added that the country now finds itself in “an era of disinformation, misinformation, the regressiveness of social policy.”

“What we are seeing currently right now, what I have decided to do, and I really have thought long and hard about this, is to follow my own compass,” she said, per Deadline.

Why did Karine Jean-Pierre switch her party affiliation to independent?

Publisher Legacy Lit explained why Jean-Pierre switched from democrat to independent after working in the White House under Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden. According to the publisher, Jean-Pierre “didn’t come to her decision to be an Independent lightly.”

“In 2020, she joined Biden’s campaign as a senior adviser, becoming Harris’s chief of staff and then, two years later, White House press secretary. She takes us through the three weeks that led to Biden’s abandoning his bid for a second term and the betrayal by the Democratic Party that led to his decision,” the publisher stated in an announcement, according to Deadline.

Karine Jean-Pierre made history during her tenure at the White House

When she succeeded Jen Psaki in 2022, Jean-Pierre became the first Black woman and first openly gay White House press secretary. Jean-Pierre’s new book, Independent: A Look Inside a Broken White House, Outside the Party Lines, will be published on Oct. 21.

Social Security Administration employees are warning of potential delays in processing routine updates, such as changes of address, direct deposit information or Medicaid billing issues, due to the agency’s temporary shift in priorities that need to be completed by July 1.

Why did Asta Jonasson file the sexual abuse lawsuit? The assistant, Asta Jonasson, filed the sexual abuse lawsuit in Los Angeles in December 2023. She accused the Fast & Furious actor of allegedly pinning her against a wall in a […]

Brian McKnight is breaking his silence following the death of his estranged son Niko’s death. McKnight’s brother, Claude, publicly shared the sad news.

As Blavity reported, Niko, who was 32 years old, lost his battle against Stage 4 colon cancer. Claude uploaded a TikTok video in which he mentioned how it was unfortunate that the fractured relationship between McKnight and Niko didn’t get resolved before his death.

Brian McKnight slammed his brother for announcing his estranged son’s death

On June 3, McKnight posted an Instagram reel featuring scenic views of Hawaii, including a photo of Niko’s name written in the sand at a beach. A voiceover of the R&B singer explaining his strained relationship with Niko accompanied the video. 

“A big big thanks to Claude Mcknight’s tasteless and self aggrandizing announcement on TikTok, that frankly was not his to make, in my opinion, he inserted himself and used Niko’s death as an opportunity, instead of letting him pass with respect and dignity. It has instead turned into a circus, a mockery of a life now lost, making this tragedy into a reality show type drama,” he started off saying in the clip

McKnight alleged that he tried to assist Niko with his medical care: “While that was unfolding my family and I flew home to Maui and had a private memorial remembering him, and all the good times.”

“The last time he and I spoke, we offered him all the help we could provide, we had the number one oncologist on deck for him and a team of specialists on standby with private care in our home,” he explained. “He and his mother declined. The door of communication was open and remained open until his death.” 

The 56-year-old father of four added, “To the self proclaimed ‘mama bear’ may God have mercy on your soul for not allowing him to accept that help and not allowing him to use that line of communication.”

McKnight’s post comes as Page Six reported that he allegedly did not attempt to contact Niko before his death.

“There is great comfort in knowing God knows the TRUTH and the totality of the WHOLE story. I am truly thankful for the immense peace God has given me. I’ve left everything in HIS hands. I, have a clear conscience. The only judgement that matters is God’s,” he said. “My wife, our children and I are eternally thankful to Almighty God that the suffering has come to an end and grateful for all of your condolences.”

He concluded the post by expressing gratitude to those who had supported him during a challenging time: “Thanks to those of you have known The truth from the beginning and haven’t let untruths, half truths or slander, prejudice your opinion.”

Brian McKnight receives backlash from fans for his post

The comments section on McKnight’s post is disabled, but that’s not stopping people from speaking their minds on the situation.

“This wasn’t heartfelt at all! This wasn’t written by a father who just lost a son.🥹,” someone commented under The Shaderoom’s post about McKnight’s video.

“Turned into a circus?…Brian, YOU WERE THE RINGMASTER! 🎪🤹🏿,” another person wrote.

“I’ve never disliked somebody so much that I’ve never met,” a third person added.