Author: Gesi Lloyd

The 2026 NBA postseason field came together on Friday night when the Phoenix Suns held off the Golden State Warriors 111 to 96 to claim the Western Conference’s No. 8 seed. Jalen Green carried Phoenix with 36 points while Stephen Curry was held to just 17 points on 4 of 16 shooting, ending Golden State’s postseason run before it could begin. Earlier that same evening, the Orlando Magic left no doubt against the Charlotte Hornets, pulling away 121 to 90 to secure the Eastern Conference’s No. 8 seed. Orlando led 38 to 16 after the first quarter and never let…

Black communities across America are navigating a period marked by shrinking safety nets, challenged rights, and widening systemic gaps, and Stand Up Speak Out was built precisely for this moment. Presented by Mass Konsciousness on April 26 in New York, Stand Up Speak Out draws together Grammy-nominated artists, industry veterans, and community organizers around a shared conviction: that music has always been one of the most reliable tools Black communities have had for resistance, and right now it needs to be picked back up. Pandemic-era protections have expired, access to healthcare and food assistance has narrowed, and the disparities that…

The case traces back to Charles Littlejohn, a former government contractor who stole and leaked confidential tax records belonging to Donald Trump and dozens of other high-profile Americans, including Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk. Littlejohn pleaded guilty and was sentenced to five years in prison in 2024. The IRS publicly described his conduct as unacceptable. Trump responded by filing a $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS and the Treasury Department, arguing that both agencies failed to adequately protect his financial records from unauthorized disclosure. His sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, and the Trump Organization are named as co-plaintiffs.…

Ice Spice had no security with her when she walked into a Hollywood McDonald’s in the early hours of Wednesday morning. She sat down in a booth with a friend, ordered her food and, by all appearances, wanted a quiet night. That is not what she got. A woman approached the booth and tried to start a conversation. Ice Spice was not interested. She asked the woman to leave. The woman, who later identified herself to TMZ as Vayah, kept pushing. When Ice Spice told her to go, Vayah asked where she was from. Ice Spice’s response was simple and,…

Oil prices dropped sharply Today after Iran’s foreign minister declared the Strait of Hormuz open to commercial shipping for the duration of a newly announced ceasefire, delivering an unexpected jolt to energy markets that had been under severe strain for weeks. Brent crude, the global benchmark, fell 13% to $86.30 per barrel. West Texas Intermediate, the American benchmark, declined by the same margin to $79.20. Both contracts hit their lowest levels since early March, though they still trade above their pre-war figures of $73 and $67 per barrel, respectively. What Iran’s foreign minister said Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi announced…

Ford is recalling nearly 1.4 million F-150 pickup trucks in the United States after a transmission defect was linked to at least one crash and two injuries. The recall, announced April 14 on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website, covers 1,392,935 trucks built between 2015 and 2017. At the center of the problem is a signal failure between the transmission range sensor and the powertrain control module. When that connection breaks down, the truck can unexpectedly drop into second gear while moving, which can cause drivers to lose control. Ford confirmed that by April 2 the company had tallied…

While most of the crypto market has been sitting on its hands, XRP has been doing something unusual. It went up. The token posted a roughly 6.4% gain over the past seven days, making it the top weekly performer among major cryptocurrencies. Bitcoin, ether, and BNB all trailed behind during the same stretch. That kind of relative strength would be notable in any environment. In the middle of a market where the global Fear and Greed Index has collapsed to a reading of 23, a level classified as extreme fear, it stands out even more. XRP climbed to around $1.43…

 Coco Gauff did not make it easy on herself. But she made it through. The American No. 2 seed defeated World No. 21 Liudmila Samsonova 7-5, 6-1 on Thursday at the 2026 Stuttgart Tennis Grand Prix, punching her ticket to the quarterfinals despite spending much of the first set looking like she might not. For a player who has spoken openly about trying to break a cold streak at this particular tournament, surviving an early storm mattered just as much as the scoreline. Gauff dropped three consecutive games early in the opening set, handing Samsonova an edge she appeared ready…

Martin Lawrence did not just turn 61 on April 16. He broke the internet doing it. Videos of the comedian circulating across Instagram and TikTok showed a noticeably slimmer, more energetic version of the man fans have followed for decades. The reaction was immediate. Birthday tributes, shocked comments, and side-by-side comparisons flooded timelines throughout the day, with many fans saying he looks younger now than he did in his prime. Lawrence has been open about making changes to his health and lifestyle in recent months, and the results have clearly landed. For a comedian who built his career on commanding…

KaShawn Nicola Roper had been running for nearly six years. Then, within 24 hours of the FBI plastering her name and face across the country’s most notorious fugitive list, someone made a call. On Wednesday, law enforcement arrested her in High Springs, Florida, a small town about 20 miles northwest of Gainesville. The arrest came one day after the FBI added her to its Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list and announced a reward of up to $1 million for information about her whereabouts. Roper was booked into Alachua County jail around noon and remained held without bond as of Thursday…