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The company responded Monday to a Bloomberg report claiming that Chinese officials are considering allowing Elon Musk to acquire TikTok’s U.S. operations, forcing its parent company, ByteDance, to divest its TikTok stake or maintain the existing U.S. ban. The outlet […]

Newly released bodycam footage shows 19-year-old Mackenzie Shirilla of Ohio exhibiting strange behavior after her arrest for intentionally crashing her car into a wall at 100 mph, killing her boyfriend and their friend.

Mackenzie Shirilla’s 100 MPH Crash That Killed Two Friends

The deadly crash occurred on July 31, 2022, at around 6:15 a.m., when Shirilla, then 17, was caught on surveillance driving at 100 mph in Strongsville before crashing her 2018 Toyota Camry into a brick building. Her boyfriend, Dominic Russo, 20, was in the passenger seat, and Davion Flanagan was in the back seat, according to Blavity and Cleveland.com.

Russo and Flanagan were found dead at the scene, and Shirilla was trapped inside the car, unconscious and not breathing, 3News reported.

Mackenzie Shirilla Sentenced to Life in Prison for Deadly Crash

Shirilla was found guilty of four counts of felonious assault and two counts of aggravated vehicular homicide. She was sentenced to life in prison in August 2023 and is eligible for parole after serving 15 years.

“She had a mission, and she executed it with precision,” Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court Judge Nancy Margaret Russo told the court, per Cleveland.com. “The decision was death.”

Mackenzie Shirilla’s Behavior During Arrest Revealed in Bodycam Footage

According to People, bodycam footage released by the Strongsville Police Department shows Mackenzie Shirilla exhibiting unusual behavior during her arrest.

In the video, Shirilla can be seen sitting in the back of a police SUV, talking with an officer at the scene.

“Hi Mackenzie,” an officer said to her, emphasizing that he was there to investigate the deadly accident.

“You’re under arrest for aggravated murder x 2, okay?” he said as she looked at him.

“Do you have any questions?” he asked. “Nobody is going to bother you.”

The officer was about to exchange the handcuffs she had on for another pair when Shirilla stopped him and asked, “Could you please be careful taking this one off so it doesn’t break the bracelet please?”

He replied, “You got it. You got it.”

“Thank you,” she said.

After getting inside the car, she made eye contact with an interior camera, leaned back, and tried to go to sleep, according to the clip obtained by People.

Prosecutors Claim Mackenzie Shirilla Tested Positive for THC

According to Cleveland.com, the trio had been smoking marijuana at a friend’s house, and Shirilla tested positive for THC at the time of the crash. Prosecutors allege she intended to end her relationship with Russo.

Who is Taking Over for Jones and Will She Be There During the Transition? Jones announced that she was immediately stepping down as MSNBC president. In her statement, she told employees that “after four incredible years at the helm of […]

It’s been a difficult week for Los Angeles as wildfires have ravaged the area. Amid its devastating effects, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and Cowboy Bebop star Daniella Pineda, whose own Altadena home was lost in the fire, took to social media to advocate for climate change action and to preserve the neighborhood’s Black community during the rebuilding process.

“Here are my wishes as I pick up the pieces of what just happened,” Pineda began in a carousel post on Instagram, Deadline reported. “Eighty Black families were displaced. I don’t want the rebuild to kick out this historical community.”

She continued in another post, “One of the reasons I wanted to make Altadena my home is that it’s a diverse suburb. So my wish is…KEEP ALTADENA BLACK.”

Pineda praised the “beautiful, historic” neighborhood and emphasized how important it is to preserve its character.

“If you had a craftsman like me, honor it. A friend said he was afraid of the rebuild looking cheesy and tacky. He’s right. F**k that. Let’s make it more beautiful than it was,” she wrote.

She also urged people to support those affected by the fires.

“Please foster someone’s animal. Please, please. Or donate to Pasadena Humane Society,” she asked.

The 37-year-old also reflected on political division, referencing former President Donald Trump’s potential return to office.

“The neighbor who banged on my door to save my life, I know, did not vote my party. I know who he voted for,” she wrote. “That man still saved my life. Divisive politics seems pretty f**king stupid when it’s life or death. Bless that man.”

Pineda added, “Lastly, in all the free moments you have left on this earth, if you can, put that life force toward fighting climate change. Were you about to post some troll-ass comment about someone? Do something for climate change instead. Are you spending time doing fantasy football? Maybe take that 20 minutes toward something climate-oriented.”

“The earth is on fire. This isn’t some conspiracy. No one is exempt from this anymore,” she emphasized.

Pineda concluded her message with a heartfelt note to her community.

“I love you, Altadena,” she wrote.

Last week, Pineda shared an emotional post about losing her home.

“The fire broke out so fast all I could grab was my dog and my laptop and that was it. I lost everything else,” she wrote. “I have one pair of shoes to my name. I’m happy to be alive. Grateful to be alive.”

Pineda is among many celebrities who lost their homes in the Los Angeles fires, including Milo Ventimiglia, Paris Hilton, Billy Crystal, Joshua Jackson, Adam Brody, and more.

As Blavity previously reported, Altadena, one of Los Angeles’ historically Black neighborhoods, has faced significant damage since the fires began on Jan. 7. Many local churches, restaurants, and cultural institutions in Altadena have been destroyed. Additionally, many major insurance providers do not offer fire insurance in the area, forcing residents to rely on California’s basic insurance plan. This limited coverage makes it difficult for locals to rebuild their homes and their neighborhood.

With just one week left in his presidency, President Joe Biden announced a new round of student loan forgiveness for 150,000 borrowers. Although he fell short of his broader promise to cancel student debt on a larger scale, the White House confirmed in a press release that Biden has now forgiven loans for a total of 5 million borrowers during his term.

According to NBC News, Biden stated that he has “forgiven more student loan debt than any other administration in history,” highlighting the administration’s aggressive efforts to address the student debt crisis.

Biden Student Loans: Expansion of Public Service Loan Forgiveness

The most recent round of student debt relief targets specific groups of borrowers:

80,000 borrowers defrauded by their schools

60,000 borrowers with permanent disabilities

6,000 public service workers

Despite the Supreme Court blocking Biden’s initial broad student debt relief plan, the administration found ways to expand existing loan forgiveness programs. One notable example is the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program, which allows public service workers—such as teachers, firefighters, and nurses—who have made consistent payments for 10 years to have their remaining debt forgiven.

Biden also touted the expansion of Pell Grants, which provide essential financial aid to low-income students. By increasing the maximum award amount, the administration aimed to make higher education more affordable for those in need.

Student Loan Forgiveness 2025: What’s Next for Borrowers?

Biden’s administration has made significant progress in canceling debt, but questions remain about the future of student loan forgiveness in 2025 and beyond. Of the 5 million borrowers whose loans have been forgiven:

1.4 million borrowers had been making payments for over a decade before receiving forgiveness.

1 million public service workers, including first responders, educators, and nonprofit employees, had their loans canceled.

1.7 million borrowers who were victims of fraud by predatory schools saw their debts erased.

663,000 borrowers with permanent disabilities had their loans forgiven.

While this progress is notable, many borrowers still await clarity on future forgiveness efforts, especially as the political landscape shifts.

Biden Student Loan Forgiveness Faces Political and Legal Pushback

This latest move by the Biden administration follows the Department of Education’s recent decision to block plans for broader loan forgiveness. President-elect Donald Trump and many of his supporters have been vocal critics of Biden’s student debt relief programs, arguing that widespread loan cancellation would place an undue financial burden on taxpayers and significantly increase the national debt.

Opponents of student loan forgiveness claim that the policy is unfair to those who have already paid off their loans or chose not to take on student debt. They argue that the focus should be on reducing the cost of higher education rather than canceling existing debts.

As Biden prepares to leave office, the future of student loan forgiveness in 2025 remains uncertain. Borrowers and advocates are watching closely to see how the incoming administration will handle student debt and whether relief efforts will continue or be rolled back.

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation is warning residents about a texting scam that’s telling people they owe toll balances when they don’t.

Officials said the scam, which previously targeted drivers in New Hampshire and Rhode Island, has now spread to Massachusetts and is randomly choosing people who are “not uniquely associated with an account or usage of toll roads.” MassDot’s electronic tolling program, EZDriveMA, is now advising people to be careful when they receiving suspicious messages.

“The Massachusetts Department of Transportation was alerted that a text message-based scam, also known as smishing, is fraudulently claiming to represent tolling agencies from across the country,” EZDriveMA said in a press release. “Scammers are claiming to represent the tolling agency and requesting payment for unpaid tolls.”

Afro-Ecuadorians in a community are grieving after four Black boys were killed in December, allegedly following an encounter with the country’s military.

The four boys were last seen alive after being detained by air force personnel

Ismael Arroyo, 15, his 14-year-old brother Josué, Steven Medina, 11, and Nehemías Saúl Arboleda, 14, were from Guayaquil, Ecuador’s largest city. On Sunday, Dec. 8, after finishing a football game, the boys were allegedly forced into a military patrol car by members of the Ecuadorian Air Force, according to The Guardian and Black Agenda Report.

Two weeks after the boys’ disappearance, their parents sought answers from the government but received no information about what had happened to them. However, on Christmas Eve, four burned and dismembered bodies were found near a military base, close to where the boys had been picked up by air force personnel, The Guardian reported.

‘It has completely changed our lives’

DNA tests confirmed the remains were those of the Guayaquil Four, sending shockwaves through Ecuador’s predominantly Black communities and highlighting the country’s deep-rooted racism toward Black people.

Luís Arroyo, 36, father of Ismael and Josué, tearfully spoke out after their tragic deaths.

“We are shattered,” Arroyo said of losing his two sons, per The Guardian. “It has completely changed our lives.”

Hundreds of neighbors and activists joined the grieving parents as they held a chigualo (a funeral ritual) to pay their respects to the four young boys who lost their lives.

A woman holding an image depicting the four Ecuadorian teenagers apprehended by soldiers and found dead near a military base, attends a march one month after their apprehension in Guayaquil, Ecuador on January 8, 2025 | Photo by MARCOS PIN/AFP via Getty Images

A boy wearing a shirt with the picture of Nehemias Arboleda, one of the four Ecuadorian teenagers apprehended by soldiers and found dead near a military base, attends a march one month after their apprehension in Guayaquil, Ecuador on January 8, 2025. Photo by MARCOS PIN/AFP via Getty Images

Women wearing shirts with the picture of Nehemias Arboleda, one of the four Ecuadorian teenagers apprehended by soldiers and found dead near a military base, attend a march one month after their apprehension in Guayaquil, Ecuador on January 8, 2025 | Photo by MARCOS PIN/AFP via Getty Images

Relatives of the four Ecuadorian teenagers apprehended by soldiers and found dead near a military base, attend a march a month after their apprehension in Guayaquil, Ecuador on January 8, 2025. | Photo by MARCOS PIN/AFP via Getty Images

Luis Arroyo and Katy Bustos, parents of Ismael and Josue Arroyo, two of the four Ecuadorian teenagers apprehended by soldiers and found dead near a military base, attend an event a month after their apprehension in Guayaquil, Ecuador on January 8, 2025. | Photo by MARCOS PIN/AFP via Getty Images

Racism was a factor in the deaths of the Guayaquil Four

The boys lived in Las Malvinas, a predominantly Black and impoverished neighborhood in Guayaquil. According to Arroyo, skin color and origin were key factors in their deaths.

“We have endured all of this simply because we are Afro-Ecuadorians and live in Las Malvinas,” he said, per The Guardian.

According to the latest census report, Afro-Ecuadorians comprise only 4.8% of the country’s population. Despite this, they remain marginalized, especially under President Daniel Noboa’s leadership. According to The Guardian and the Minority Rights Group, he has implemented strict security policies targeting organized crime in the past year.

Systemic racism in predominantly Black communities

In response to the killings, the government declared a state of emergency and imposed a curfew in Guayaquil and other areas until March 3. Activists and critics argue that this action disproportionately targets Afro-Ecuadorian communities, perpetuating systemic racism, according to Black Agenda Report.

“In this Ecuador, where racism, inequality, and aporophobia, (fear, contempt, and rejection of people who are poor or disadvantaged) have intensified under the shelter of the State, Black lives continue to be ignored, and impunity grows at the same rate as the cynicism of those who have weaponized power to deteriorate our existence,” Juanita Frances Boone, Afro-Ecuadorian scholar and director of Mujeres de Asfalto, said in a statement obtained by the outlet.

Protestors perform a ceremony in a pacific way for the 4 children during the rally. Hundreds peacefully protested against the country’s violence after four children went missing on December 8, 2024, in Las Malvinas, Guayaquil, Ecuador. Steven (11), Nehemías (15), Josué (14), and Ismael (15) were reportedly intercepted by vehicles with people in military uniforms and taken to the Taura air base | Photo by Veronica Lombeida/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Relatives and friends of siblings Josue and Ismael Arroyo, 14 and 15, respectively, two of the four minors who disappeared during a military operation while playing football, mourn during their burial at the Angel Maria Canals cemetery in Guayaquil, Ecuador, on January 1, 2025. | Photo by MARCOS PIN/AFP via Getty Images

Luis Arroyo (C), father of Josue and Ismael Arroyo, 14 and 15, respectively, two of the four minors who disappeared during a military operation while playing football, mourns during their burial at the Angel Maria Canals cemetery in Guayaquil, Ecuador, on January 1, 2025. The four Ecuadorian teenagers apprehended by soldiers and found dead near a military base were buried on Wednesday in the port of Guayaquil, amid outrage over the event that mourns the country, according to the government | Photo by MARCOS PIN/AFP via Getty Images

Football teammates of Ismael Arroyo, 15, mourn around his coffin during his wake and that of his brother Josue, 14, two of the four minors who had been missing for three weeks since disappearing during a military operation while playing football, in Guayaquil, Ecuador, on January 1, 2025. | Photo by MARCOS PIN/AFP via Getty Images

Relatives react after it was confirmed that the burned bodies found in Taura correspond to the four minors who went missing during a military operation outside the courthouse in Guayaquil, Ecuador, on December 31, 2024. | Photo by MARCOS PIN/AFP via Getty Images

People demonstrate against the disappearance of four minors who went missing during a military operation, outside the courthouse in Guayaquil, Ecuador, on December 31, 2024, during the arraignment hearing against 16 military personnel allegedly involved in the disappearance. | Photo by MARCOS PIN/AFP via Getty Images

The military responds to the boys’ initial disappearance

The military initially denied any involvement in the boys’ disappearance but later confirmed that Air Force personnel had detained them, The Guardian reported. They also claimed the boys were involved in a robbery, though they provided no evidence to support that assertion.

Sixteen soldiers have since been imprisoned as prosecutors launched an investigation into the case. However, the grieving parents believe more should have been done to uncover the truth behind the boys’ deaths.

“The fact that they’re in prison is not enough,” Ronny Medina, 39, the father of 11-year-old Steven, said per The Guardian. “We want to know what they did and why they did it to our children.”

While the future of TikTok in the U.S. remains uncertain, another Chinese-owned app is quickly gaining momentum. Xiaohongshu, known as RedNote in English, has skyrocketed in popularity and recently became the most downloaded free app in Apple’s App Store, Newsweek reported.

Details on the Red Note app

Launched in China in 2013, RedNote was valued at $3 billion and has grown into a multifaceted platform. Similar to TikTok, RedNote is designed for sharing short videos but offers even more features. Users can livestream, post product reviews, engage in social interactions, and shop online—all within the app. Much of the content on RedNote focuses on fashion and beauty tips, travel stories, and personal vlogs, appealing to a young and trend-conscious audience.

Why is RedNote gaining popularity?

RedNote’s rise comes as the U.S. government cracks down on TikTok over national security concerns. Lawmakers argue that TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, could potentially share sensitive user data with the Chinese government, jeopardizing Americans’ privacy.

As Blavity previously reported, TikTok is set to be removed from app stores by Jan. 19. This means new users won’t be able to download the app, though current users can continue using it. However, this poses security risks because they won’t have access to crucial updates.

The Supreme Court has indicated it may uphold the TikTok ban, but it’s still unclear how President-elect Donald Trump will handle the situation once sworn in on Jan. 20. Millions of creators and entrepreneurs who rely on TikTok for business growth are anxiously waiting to see what unfolds.

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