Category: News + Notes

In a moment that stunned many and surprised too few, Dr. Carla Hayden, the first Black woman and first professional librarian to serve as Librarian of Congress, was abruptly fired by President Donald Trump on May 8, 2025. Let that sentence breathe. Because when we talk about the erosion of democratic ideals and the targeting…

In an era where political theater often takes center stage, the subtleties of grammar and syntax rarely go viral. But this week, Harvard University decided to remind the nation that punctuation still matters—especially when it’s coming from the desk of a public official. On May 5, 2023, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon (yes, that Linda…

Every first Monday in May, the Met Gala reemerges like a phoenix—feathers, sequins, and all—to dominate the fashion conversation and redefine what luxury, rebellion, and storytelling look like through dress. This year, the Met Gala’s theme, “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion,” invites guests to explore the tension between preservation and reinvention, between archive and fantasy. And…

In a stunning move late Thursday evening, the Trump White House issued an executive order seeking to block all federal funding to PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) and NPR (National Public Radio)—two of the nation’s most respected and longstanding public media institutions. The order accuses both organizations of engaging in “biased and partisan news coverage,” a…

In a society obsessed with transformation, semaglutide has emerged as the new miracle fix—praised as a weight-loss “game changer” and blasted as a shortcut for the vain. Known commercially under names like Ozempic and Wegovy, this drug—originally developed to treat type 2 diabetes—is now the center of America’s growing infatuation with being thin again. But…

It began, fittingly, with a text message—because in Detroit politics, if the name Kwame Kilpatrick is involved, there’s usually a text trail behind it. This time, the message came from Michigan State Rep. Karen Whitsett, who sent investigative reporter M.L. Elrick a surprisingly candid note: “You were so right about him.” She was referring, of…

Dear Black Americans, Before the ink dried on new national constitutions and before independence parades took over the streets of nations newly minted, we had a flag. A declaration. A symbol. A claim to a lineage too often overlooked, diluted, renamed, and erased. In 1967, while most of the world was still watching colonial empires…

In an increasingly chaotic online world, it feels like every comment section is a classroom — just without the teacher, the syllabus, or the critical thinking skills necessary for meaningful discussion. A recent exchange captured perfectly by Franchesca “Chescaleigh” Ramsey on social media spotlights the real-time effects of a crumbling educational system, unchecked anti-intellectualism, and…

In a digital world where screenshots have become both receipts and reckonings, Franchesca “Chescaleigh” Ramsey recently offered up a chef’s kiss example of internet irony with the simple caption:“A tale in 2 screenshots #studentloans #Trump #MAGA #leopards” followed by a leopard and skull emoji — a nod to the famous phrase, “the leopards are eating…