New here? This Brief is a weekly, skimmable audit of what power does off‑camera. We sweep two windows: Friday Dump (late‑Friday rules, settlements, funding shifts, and notices posted by official sources) and Weekend Undercoverage (25 stories with real stakes for Black communities that national outlets largely miss). Each item opens with a clean lede (who did what, when, and where in ET), names the mechanism (authority, $, deadlines, dockets), and closes with Why It Matters so you can see the human impact fast. We always try to include at least one Black LGBTQ and one Black diaspora item.
How to use it: Don’t conquer it…skim it. Scan headlines, dive into the two or three you need today, and treat the rest as a reference you can return to all week. Plain‑text source links sit under each section for copy/paste and verification. Published on Mondays (ET). If a week doesn’t clear our bar (e.g., holidays), we’ll skip or condense rather than pad it.
BLACK MONDAY BRIEFING — Friday Dump + Weekend Undercoverage
(Windows in ET: Fri Dec 26, 2025, 3:00–11:59 pm; Sat Dec 27, 2025, 12:00 am – Sun Dec 28, 2025, 11:59 pm)
Section A — Friday Dump (8 items from official sources)
1️⃣ White House says six bills now law after holiday signing — Washington — Fri, Dec. 26, 2025 (ET): The White House reported the President signed S.216 (RESPECT Act—modernizes the VA Family Caregiver Program to explicitly cover mental‑health and neurological conditions); S.284 (adds the sculptor’s credit to the Taras Shevchenko Memorial engraving in D.C.); S.2878 (Flexibility for Workers’ Education Act—clarifies how certain training/education time is treated under the FLSA); H.R.187 (Default Prevention Act—prioritizes payment of principal and interest on U.S. debt); H.R.410 (Health Care PRICE Transparency—codifies hospital/insurer price‑disclosure rules); and H.R.1491 (Small Business Energy Loan Enhancement—raises SBA 504 energy‑efficiency loan cap to $10M for qualifying projects). These enactments now trigger agency guidance, compliance dates, and funding timelines.
Why It Matters: S.216 expands VA Family Caregiver eligibility (incl. PTSD/neurological conditions) for many Black veterans’ households; S.2878 curbs unpaid “training” by clarifying FLSA education time; H.R.410’s price transparency can lower surprise bills in hospitals that serve Black patients; H.R.1491 lifts SBA 504 caps so Black‑owned firms can finance energy‑saving upgrades; H.R.187’s debt‑payment prioritization aims to calm rates that feed rent and credit costs; even S.284’s memorial credit speaks to accuracy and inclusion in public memory. (The White House)
2️⃣ FDA: multi‑category recall after rodent/avian contamination at distributor — On Friday, Dec. 26 (ET), FDA posted a company announcement recalling all FDA‑regulated products held at a Minneapolis facility — spanning drugs, medical devices, cosmetics, dietary supplements, human foods, and pet foods. Mechanism: company recall conducted with FDA knowledge due to unsanitary storage (rodent excreta/urine, bird droppings) and Salmonella risk; no illnesses reported yet. Consequences: affected retailers and consumers are told to destroy products and verify destruction for refunds.
Why It Matters: Discount and ethnic grocers that serve Black neighborhoods are on the distribution list; proactive disposal averts preventable illness and cost burdens. (U.S. Food & Drug Administration)
3️⃣ DC proposes NOx‑cutting retrofit at federal heating plant — Washington, DC’s Department of Energy & Environment on Friday (Dec. 26, ET) opened comment on Draft Air Quality Permit 7413 for GSA’s Central Heating & Refrigeration Plant (13th St SW), adding low‑NOx burners and flue‑gas recirculation on a 500 MMBtu/hr boiler to meet 20 DCMR standards. Consequence: projected ~322 tons/year reduction in potential NOx, plus enforceable rate limits and opacity rules.
Why It Matters: NOx drives asthma‑linked smog; cutting emissions near job centers reduces health strain borne disproportionately by Black workers and visitors. (DC DOEE — Air Quality)
4️⃣ DC sets VOC limits for neighborhood auto paint booth — Also Friday (Dec. 26, ET), DOEE proposed Draft Air Quality Permit 7433 for Wonder Automotive (Bladensburg Rd NE), imposing specific VOC content caps on coatings and cleaning solvents, prohibiting methylene chloride strippers, and setting visible emissions rules. Consequence: tighter shop practices and enforceable limits in a mixed‑use corridor.
Why It Matters: Body‑shop emissions cluster near working‑class Black blocks; rule‑backed controls curb exposures that aggravate respiratory disease. (DC DOEE — Air Quality)
5️⃣ Philadelphia halts 80 unlicensed contractor jobs after weekend sweep — Philly’s Department of Licenses & Inspections reported Friday (Dec. 26, ET) it posted stop‑work orders across more than 80 sites tied to an “alter‑ego” contractor formed after a prior license suspension. Mechanism: BLIR ruling upholding license revocation; SWOs already posted. Consequence: owners must re‑comply with a licensed contractor; enforcement phone and email provided.
Why It Matters: Unsafe residential work disproportionately hits Black homeowners and tenants through shoddy repairs, injuries, and liens; enforcement protects equity in aging housing stock. (City of Philadelphia L&I — ISC)
6️⃣ USDA Forest Service opens accessible Porcupine Cabin reservations — In Anchorage, Friday, Dec. 26 (ET), the Chugach National Forest announced a new public‑use cabin opening Dec. 29 under the Alaska Cabins Project with accessibility goals and family‑friendly access. Mechanism: federal recreation management; reservations via Recreation.gov. Consequence: expanded low‑cost outdoor stays.
Why It Matters: Affordable, accessible recreation closes nature‑access gaps for Black families and youth programs traveling or stationed in Alaska. (USDA Forest Service — Chugach NF)
7️⃣ NWS logs Michigan freezing‑rain damage and outages — On Friday, Dec. 26 (ET), NWS Detroit/Pontiac issued an event summary: up to ~0.25” ice accretion, limb damage, closures on portions of I‑75, ~40,000 power outages statewide. Mechanism: official storm reports and records. Consequence: road closures and downed lines drive safety risks and overtime bills for families.
Why It Matters: Black motorists and workers on shift schedules face outsized risk from icing on urban arterials and bridges; outage resilience gaps widen health and income impacts. (National Weather Service — Detroit/Pontiac)
8️⃣ NYC mayor confers Key to the City (civic recognition) — On Friday, Dec. 26 (ET), NYC conferred the Key to the City on veteran journalist Marvin Scott. Mechanism: ceremonial authority; no direct regulatory effect. Consequence:none operational.
Why It Matters: Civic honors can anchor cultural memory and local journalism’s role, a reminder as Black media outlets fight for survival that visibility matters to democratic health. (NYC Mayor’s Office)
If this briefing helped you see what the headlines didn’t, don’t just read it—back it. This is time spent digging through quiet postings, fine print, and “nothing to see here” language so you don’t have to. If you want this kind of work to keep showing up every week, support it with a paid subscription.
Section A — Sources (plain‑text URLs; 1:1 with items)
Section B — Weekend Undercovered (loosened undercoverage threshold)
(Weekend window: Sat Dec 27, 2025 → Sun Dec 28, 2025 ET • Includes Black LGBTQ + Black diaspora)
1️⃣ Jack Smith Defends Trump Indictments in Secret Hill Testimony – Washington, D.C. (Wed, Dec. 17, 2025) – Former Special Counsel Jack Smith spent hours behind closed doors with the House Judiciary Committee, answering lawmakers’ questions about his criminal cases against Donald Trump. Smith asserted his team “developed proof beyond a reasonable doubt” that Trump conspired to overturn the 2020 election and hoarded classified documents. He refuted GOP accusations of White House meddling, testifying he “never spoke” with President Biden and operated with full independence. Smith warned that failing to hold election meddlers accountable would be “catastrophic,” effectively making interference a new norm.
Why It Matters: Smith’s deposition – released weeks later amid holiday lull – lays bare how close America came to normalizing election subversion. Black voters were prime targets of Trump’s schemes, from false fraud claims in Detroit and Philly to disenfranchisement in Atlanta. Smith’s insistence on accountability carries special weight for Black communities, whose votes are often first in line to be nullified when democracy breaks down. (Downplayed) — Associated Press
2️⃣ DOJ’s Epstein File Dump Yields More Questions Than Answers – Washington, D.C. (Fri, Dec. 19, 2025) – The Justice Department released thousands of pages of Jeffrey Epstein case files under a new transparency law – but the trove came heavily redacted and omitted key evidence. Among the limited revelations was a 1996 FBI report from a woman alleging Epstein stole nude photos of her underage sisters – the earliest known warning about his crimes. The incomplete document dump disappointed many; it featured old photos of Bill Clinton and Michael Jackson with Epstein, but “almost no material” on Epstein’s ties to Donald Trump aside from a few familiar images. Officials admitted they missed a congressionally set deadline, sparking bipartisan criticism.
Why It Matters: After years of silence, survivors and the Black diaspora (who saw powerful men evade justice) hoped for real transparency. Instead, this doc dump – dropped quietly before Christmas – felt like a half-measure that fuels distrust. From Tuskegee to Epstein, when authorities conceal truth about sexual exploitation, Black and Brown victims suffer most. Unanswered questions about Epstein’s network (which may have included Caribbean and African officials) remain a painful reminder that justice often has a VIP loophole. (Downplayed) — Associated Press
3️⃣ Dave Chappelle Doubles Down on Saudi Show and Trans Jokes – Los Angeles, CA (Fri, Dec. 19, 2025) – Netflix quietly dropped Dave Chappelle’s new special, The Unstoppable, where the comedian defends performing in Saudi Arabia and boasts that “transgender jokes went over very well” at Riyadh’s comedy festival. Chappelle, who faced backlash for anti-trans humor in the U.S., claimed it’s “easier to talk in Saudi Arabia…than in America” and bragged about taking Saudi money “so I can say no over here”. He dismisses critics of the kingdom’s human rights record, noting “Saudi Arabia killed a journalist… and also look, bro, Israel’s killed 240 journalists… so I didn’t know y’all were still counting”. The special has reignited debates over Chappelle using his platform to normalize anti-trans sentiment.
Why It Matters (Black LGBTQ): Chappelle, long embraced in Black comedy, is now leveraging his clout to align with a repressive regime and then punching down on Black queer folks in the process. His Saudi payday and flippant comparison of atrocities send a chilling signal to Black LGBTQ audiences: that their dignity is negotiable. This controversy barely made a blip in mainstream news, yet it cuts deep in Black spaces, where the fight against transphobia and state violence is intersectional. It’s a stark example of how fame can be used to excuse intolerance under the guise of “free speech.” (Downplayed) — Out Magazine
4️⃣ Holiday Gun Violence Rocks Chicago’s Black Neighborhoods – Chicago, IL (Sat–Sun, Dec. 27–28, 2025) – At least 4 people were killed and 14 wounded in shootings across Chicago over the Christmas weekend. Victims ranged from age 17 to 55. Early Sunday, four men were ambushed and shot while getting into a car downtown, leaving one dead and three critically hurt. On Friday, a 25-year-old Black woman was fatally shot on the South Side in one of several nighttime incidents. Police responded to dozens of calls citywide as the usual holiday calm was shattered by gunfire concentrated in predominantly Black neighborhoods.
Mechanism & Consequences: City officials had hoped 2025’s dip in homicides would hold through the holidays. Instead, these shootings underscore how pervasive firearms and retaliatory violence remain, despite community-led peace efforts. Concrete consequences include strained ERs, traumatized families, and renewed calls for violence prevention funding as the new year begins.
Why It Matters: Each of these local tragedies would lead cable news if they happened in affluent suburbs. But when Black Chicagoans endure a deadly holiday, it’s met with a shrug outside local media. The lack of national urgency normalizes a reality where Black communities live under constant threat. It also obscures root causes – from divestment to lax gun laws – that advocates say require a spotlight, not just a statistic. (Local-only) — CBS Chicago
5️⃣ Baltimore Homicides Hit 40-Year Low, Media Shrugs – Baltimore, MD (Sun, Dec. 28, 2025) – Baltimore ended 2025 with 133 killings – its fewest since the 1970s, officials announced in early January. The 31% drop in homicides (down from 193 last year) follows a “Group Violence Reduction Strategy” and influx of state and federal support. City leaders hailed the milestone: “133 homicides is still 133 too many,” Mayor Brandon Scott said, “but we are seeing the positive impact of our work each and every day”. Initiatives like street-level intervention, improved clearance rates, and new recreation centers have been credited for the steep decline.
Mechanism & Consequences: This progress which was achieved in a predominantly Black city long synonymous with gun violence means dozens of Black lives saved in 2025. It’s a boost to morale for neighborhoods and a case study for other cities. However, with scant national coverage, Baltimore’s success isn’t broadly informing the debate on public safety.
Why It Matters: In an era when headlines scream about crime, a major American city quietly cut its murders by nearly one-third – and almost no one outside Baltimore noticed. For Black communities, which are often cast only as crime victims or perpetrators, this story offers hope and proof that change is possible. The underplay of Baltimore’s progress speaks volumes about which narratives (chaos vs. improvement) get amplified. (Ignored) — Daily Record (Baltimore)
6️⃣ Trump Expands Travel Ban to 20+ Mostly African Countries – Washington, D.C. (Thu, Jan. 1, 2026) – The Trump administration’s new travel ban took effect New Year’s Day, barring entry for immigrants and visitors from 39 countries – many of them in Africa. The expanded policy (building on a narrower June ban) now fully or partially blocks visas from nations like Mali, Niger, Eritrea, Sudan, Sierra Leone, and South Sudan, as well as Syria and several Asian and Caribbean states. The White House claims national security reasons, but civil rights groups note the targeted countries are overwhelmingly Black or Muslim-majority. In response, Mali and Burkina Faso barred U.S. citizens in “tit-for-tat” retaliation.
Why It Matters: This sweeping ban – dropped during the holidays slammed the door on thousands of African and Afro-Caribbean families. From Nigerian students to Sudanese relatives, Black diaspora communities are now separated by policy on top of distance. The ban revives the specter of Trump’s earlier “Muslim ban,” with a broader racial twist, yet media attention was fleeting. For Black America, especially African immigrant neighborhoods, the message is chilling: entire nations (many former targets of colonialism) are deemed unworthy of entry. (Downplayed) — Al Jazeera
7️⃣ Trump’s ‘Christmas Strike’ in Nigeria Stirs Fear in African Diaspora – Lagos, Nigeria / Washington, D.C. (Thu, Dec. 25, 2025) – On Christmas Day, President Trump announced U.S. airstrikes in northwest Nigeria purportedly targeting ISIS militants “slaughtering Christians”. The operation – launched from a U.S. warship with Nigeria’s coordination – was touted by Trump as a defense of religious freedom. But Nigerian officials rejected the sectarian framing, noting violence in Nigeria “has nothing to do with a particular religion”. In the Washington, D.C. area, home to one of America’s largest African immigrant communities, the news prompted anxiety as families scrambled for updates from relatives back home. Community leaders warned Trump’s rhetoric could “inflame fear” among diaspora familiesand even provoke retaliatory extremism.
Why It Matters (Black diaspora): Nigeria’s conflict is complex – terrorists have killed Christians and Muslims alike – but Trump’s simplistic narrative and military flex landed like a lightning bolt among African diaspora communities. Many Nigerian-Americans spent the holidays worrying if loved ones were in harm’s way or bracing for backlash. This under-the-radar story shows how U.S. foreign policy moves (and incendiary messaging) reverberate for Black immigrants. When African lives are on the line, the nuance and care given to other international crises are often missing. (Downplayed) — Washington Informer
8️⃣ Over 100 Philly Rentals Had No Heat for Holidays – Philadelphia, PA (Dec. 24, 2025) – At least 114 rental properties in Philadelphia failed to provide adequate heat as of Christmas Eve, according to city records. That’s despite a local law requiring landlords to keep apartments at 68°F in winter. WHYY reporters found entire buildings in predominantly Black neighborhoods where tenants shivered through the holidays wearing coats indoors. Health experts warn prolonged indoor cold can be “deadly,” raising risks of heart failure and respiratory illness. Landlords cited high heating oil costs and aging furnaces, but tenant advocates blasted the city for weak enforcement of heat ordinances.
Mechanism & Consequences: The city’s Licenses & Inspections Department listed the addresses with heat violations and some have been unresolved for months. Tenants, many of them Black elders or low-income families with children, resorted to unsafe fixes like oven heating and indoor propane, which carry fire and carbon monoxide risks. The concrete consequence is suffering and health deterioration behind closed doors.
Why It Matters: This is slow-motion disaster capitalism: in wealthier (and whiter) parts of town, lack of heat would be an emergency; in Black rental housing, it’s a silent status quo. Such undercoverage means public pressure for remedies (like emergency fuel assistance or landlord penalties) stays low. Winter after winter, Black and Brown tenants endure life-threatening cold in America’s cradle of liberty, while the rest of the country hardly notices. (Local-only) — WHYY (PBS/NPR)
9️⃣ Black College Enrollment Plummets Post-Affirmative Action – (Nationwide — Fall 2025) – New data show that Black student enrollment dropped sharply at many elite universities in the first two admissions cycles after the Supreme Court ended affirmative action. An AP analysis of 20 selective schools found almost all enrolled a smaller share of Black freshmen in 2025 than in 2023. At Princeton, only 5% of this year’s freshman class is Black down from 9% and the lowest since 1968. Harvard’s new Black freshman percentage fell to 11.5%, from 18% two years prior. Colleges attributed the declines to “fluctuations” and the chilling effect of the court ruling, even as overall freshman classes remained the same size or grew.
Why It Matters: This rapid erosion of Black representation in top colleges happening barely a headline or two outside education circles has huge long-term implications. These institutions pipeline into leadership and high-paying fields; fewer Black graduates from them means fewer Black CEOs, doctors, professors a decade from now. For Black families who believed higher ed was the path to equality, the post-affirmative-action landscape is a gut punch. And without sustained media attention, there’s little pressure on universities or lawmakers to devise alternative paths for racial equity in admissions. (Downplayed) — Associated Press
1️⃣0️⃣ Soda and Candy Banned from Food Stamps in Five States – Indianapolis, IN (Thu, Jan. 1, 2026) – Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, Utah, and West Virginia rang in 2026 by becoming the first states to forbid SNAP recipients from using benefits to buy soda, candy, and other junk foods. The move, encouraged by Trump’s health officials, is part of a “Make America Healthy Again” push led by HHS Secretary RFK Jr., aiming to reduce obesity by blocking public funds for sugary treats. Retailers warn the rollout has been chaotic – checkout systems aren’t fully updated, causing confusion and longer lines as cashiers manually reject items. Nutritionists and anti-hunger groups also question the policy’s premise, noting it may shame poor families without significantly improving diets.
Why It Matters: Nearly 1.4 million low-income people (disproportionately Black, in these states) just had their grocery options narrowed by government fiat. Yes, America has a diet-related health crisis including high diabetes rates in Black communities but solutions require education and access, not policing carts at Walmart. This under-the-radar policy shift burdens and stigmatizes SNAP users of color, treating them as children who “can’t be trusted” rather than tackling food deserts or Big Soda marketing. The story barely registered nationally, yet it marks a significant escalation in the nanny-state approach to poverty. (Downplayed) — Los Angeles Times
1️⃣2️⃣ $30M Payout for Black Teen Killed by Police Sets Record – San Diego, CA (Tue, Dec. 9, 2025) – The family of Konoa “Baba” Wilson, a 16-year-old Black boy, will receive $30 million after San Diego approved one of the largest police shooting settlements in U.S. history. Officer Daniel Gold shot Wilson in the back as the unarmed teen ran from gunfire at a trolley station in 2022. Bodycam footage showed Gold gave no warning before firing. The payout exceeds what Minneapolis paid George Floyd’s family. A Black city councilman, holding back tears, asked, “Where’s the progress? …Where’s the accountability?” noting this killing occurred after nationwide police reforms.
Mechanism & Consequences: This settlement averts a civil trial that would have revisited graphic evidence of the shooting. San Diego’s police department did not admit wrongdoing; Gold remains on desk duty pending an internal review. The city’s budget will absorb the cost, a stark financial incentive (or disincentive) for reform.
Why It Matters: A young Black life taken, a city writes a check, and we carry on. While $30 million may bring some relief to Konoa’s family, no amount can buy back trust lost in Black communities. The muted national response to this settlement – one of the biggest ever – shows how routine such tragedies have become. Without sustained spotlight, the patterns that killed Konoa (split-second bias, poor de-escalation) risk persisting despite the “racial reckoning” that was supposed to change policing after Floyd. (Ignored) — Associated Press
1️⃣3️⃣ Federal Court Poised to Lift New Orleans Police Consent Decree – New Orleans, LA (Wed, Dec. 17, 2025) – A federal judge signaled the NOPD’s decade-long consent decree is nearing an end, declaring the department a “national example of constitutional policing” after years under oversight. New Orleans officials celebrated the milestone: “Today marks an important turning point… The lifting of the consent decree reflects more than a decade of hard work, reform, and commitment,” said Councilmember Eugene Green. The DOJ imposed the decree in 2013 amid rampant abuse and corruption. Since then, NOPD reports implementing hundreds of reforms – from better use-of-force training to community engagement units – and achieving steep drops in civilian complaints.
Why It Matters: New Orleans is a predominantly Black city whose police force once terrorized its residents. The consent decree brought badly needed change, including reductions in excessive force. Its looming end, however, has stirred mixed feelings in Black communities: pride in progress, but worry that without federal watch, old habits could return. This story, largely overlooked outside Louisiana, raises a broader question: as Trump’s DOJ pulls back on civil rights enforcement, will other cities’ reforms also lose steam? For Black New Orleanians who bled to win this oversight, the stakes couldn’t be higher. (Downplayed) — City of New Orleans
1️⃣4️⃣ Trump Administration Slashes Childhood Vaccine Schedule – Atlanta, GA (CDC) (Wed, Dec. 3, 2025) – In the biggest vaccine policy shift in decades, U.S. health officials cut the recommended childhood vaccination list from 17 shots to 11, following President Trump’s order to “align” with other countries. The new schedule, approved by a revamped CDC panel, removes or delays vaccines for chickenpox, Hepatitis A, rotavirus, and COVID-19 among others. HHS Secretary (and vaccine skeptic) Robert F. Kennedy Jr. argued American kids got “too many” shots. Mainstream pediatricians blasted the move, warning of comeback risks for diseases like varicella and hepatitis. They note countries with fewer shots often have higher illness rates those vaccines prevent.
Mechanism & Consequences: The CDC insists this won’t affect school mandates immediately, but states could soon adjust entry requirements. Insurers typically follow CDC guidance, so some vaccines might eventually not be covered, making them harder to get. The concrete consequence: potentially lower immunization rates for Black and low-income children, who already face more barriers to healthcare access and will be most vulnerable if preventable illnesses resurge.
Why It Matters: From Tuskegee to today, Black Americans harbor justified mistrust in medical systems. Now Trump’s team is validating anti-vax tropes at the highest level, a decision cheered by conspiracists but made with virtually no input from communities of color. If outbreaks follow, Black neighborhoods – often healthcare deserts – will be hit first and worst. This story got buried under holiday-season news, but its impact could reverberate in Black health outcomes for years. (Downplayed) — The Guardian
1️⃣5️⃣ 15,000 Undocumented Adults Lose Minnesota Health Coverage – St. Paul, MN (Thu, Jan. 1, 2026) – Minnesota has terminated state-funded MinnesotaCare insurance for roughly 15,000 undocumented adults, after a politically fraught deal in the legislature. Children under 18 remain eligible, but as of New Year’s Day, low-income immigrants 18+ without legal status can no longer get the subsidized coverage that Minnesota rolled out just a year earlier. Advocates say this reversal which was passed by a one-vote margin will force many immigrants (including DACA recipients and visa-lapse residents) to forgo care or rely on overcrowded charity clinics. State officials have been mailing cutoff notices, and community health workers scrambled through December to connect patients with any remaining options.
Why It Matters: This is a stark retreat in a state that prides itself on progressive policy. The majority of those losing coverage are people of color – including East African, Latino, and Asian immigrants who power key industries from farming to elder care. Cutting their healthcare is not just cruel; it’s costly, likely leading to more untreated illnesses and ER bills that taxpayers ultimately eat. Nationally, this story barely registered, but it illuminates how even blue-state compromises can throw Black and Brown lives under the bus. (Ignored) — Sahan Journal
1️⃣6️⃣ Judge Throws Out ‘Cop City’ RICO Charges in Win for Protesters – Atlanta, GA (Tue, Dec. 30, 2025) – A Georgia judge dismissed landmark racketeering (RICO) charges against 61 activists in the “Stop Cop City” movement, dealing a major blow to state efforts to criminalize the protest campaign. The defendants – environmental and racial justice advocates who oppose a $90M police training center in a Black Atlanta neighborhood – had been hit with sweeping conspiracy charges by Georgia’s attorney general. The judge ruled the indictment was overly broad and failed to establish that the diverse group constituted a criminal enterprise. Earlier in the month, domestic terrorism charges against many of the activists were also scaled back.
Why It Matters: From the start, Atlanta’s “Cop City” fight has been about power and whose voices matter. Residents (largely Black) who didn’t want a massive police complex in their community were met with SWAT raids and unprecedented RICO prosecution, a tactic usually reserved for mob bosses. The dismissal of charges is a rare victory for civil liberties and a rebuke to officials who equated mutual aid and protest with organized crime. This underreported legal win sends a message: even in the Deep South, peaceful dissent can prevail over repression. But without national attention, the chilling effect of the months-long case – including the trauma of arrests and legal fees – may already be done. (Downplayed) — ABC News
1️⃣7️⃣ Internet Subsidy for Low-Income Americans Expires Quietly – (Nationwide — June 1, 2024) – The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) – a pandemic-era benefit that provided $30-per-month broadband discounts to over 23 million households, ran out of money and lapsed in mid-2024. Despite pleas, Congress did not refill the funds. By 2025, many families, disproportionately Black and Latino, have either lost home internet or cut other essentials to pay for it. Some states have tried to step in with their own vouchers or urged residents to use libraries and public Wi-Fi. But no comprehensive replacement exists now that the federal program is gone.
Why It Matters: In the digital age, losing internet is losing lifelines – from job applications to virtual schooling to telehealth (critical for Black communities with doctor shortages). The ACP was an unsung success bridging the digital divide; its demise received little fanfare, overshadowed by bigger-budget showdowns. Yet the human toll is mounting in Black neighborhoods where connectivity has returned to being a luxury. Activists warn this “unseen” rollback will widen educational gaps and economic inequality, but with scant media attention, the issue lacks urgency in Washington’s policy debates. (Ignored) — Congressional Research Service
1️⃣8️⃣ Evictions Soar Back, Hitting Black Renters Hardest – (Nationwide — 2025) – The unwinding of COVID-era tenant protections has led to a surge in eviction filings, and Black renters are bearing a disproportionate brunt. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, over half of all eviction filings in recent data have been against Black tenants, even though Black households make up only about 20% of renters. Cities like St. Louis, Cleveland, and Houston report eviction case volumes at or above 2019 levels after moratoria ended. Many states let emergency rental aid lapse, and corporate landlords who filed the bulk of cases targeted majority-Black zip codes with serial evictions for even small arrears.
Why It Matters: Eviction is not just a housing issue; it’s a major driver of homelessness, health problems, and disrupted schooling – outcomes that fall heavily on Black women and children (often the most frequent eviction targets). This wave of “no-fault” evictions received a fraction of the coverage of the 2021 eviction moratorium drama, but its impact in 2025 is devastating Black communities. With little spotlight, few policymakers feel pressure to enact mitigation like right-to-counsel laws or rent relief, even as tens of thousands of Black Americans are put out of their homes in a churn largely invisible to the wider public. (Ignored) — NCSL
1️⃣9️⃣ ‘Miracle’ Sickle Cell Cure Remains Out of Reach for Most – (Nationwide — 2025) – Two years after approval of the first gene therapies that can functionally cure sickle cell disease, fewer than 50 patients have received the life-altering treatment, out of ~100,000 Americans with the illness (most of them Black). The cures – brand-named Exa-cel and Lovotibeglogene – carry list prices over $2 million each. Medicaid programs in only 33 states opted into a special payment plan to cover them, and even insured patients face hurdles: the therapy requires a harrowing hospital stay and finding a specialty center. Many sickle cell patients report they’ve heard little or nothing about the option from doctors.
Why It Matters: Sickle cell has long exemplified racial health inequity – a disease predominantly affecting Black people that got a fraction of the research funding of less prevalent disorders. Now that a breakthrough exists, it’s astronomically expensive and inching toward those who need it. The slow, quiet rollout of these cures (with no major federal initiative to subsidize access) means Black patients continue to suffer debilitating pain and organ damage that could be cured. This life-and-death story has been largely drowned out by flashier biotech news, reflecting how innovations for Black health often aren’t treated with urgency. (Ignored) — BioPharma Dive
2️⃣0️⃣ Georgia Ruling Strikes Down Anti-Black Voting District – Sparta, GA (Tue, Dec. 2, 2025) – A federal court invalidated Georgia’s state senate District 23 as an unconstitutional racial gerrymander, finding that lawmakers diluted Black voting power in rural Hancock and Baldwin counties. The judge ordered a new map to be drawn before 2026 elections. This case, brought by Black voters, showed that the district was bizarrely shaped to pack Black residents and prevent them from forming a majority in multiple districts, violating the Voting Rights Act. It’s one of the few pro-voting-rights victories as many other challenges stall under a weakened VRA.
Why It Matters: In an era of rampant voter suppression – from mass purges to ID laws – this win is a reminder that racial vote dilution is still happening and still fightable in court. Sparta is 77% Black, yet had never been able to elect a candidate of its choice to the state senate due to map manipulation. Fixing that is a big deal for local representation, even if it earned little national press. It also foreshadows battles coming in 2026: Black voters, especially in the South, will be voting under district lines and rules either slightly fairer (thanks to cases like this) or much harsher (thanks to new restrictions) than just a few years ago. (Ignored) — Stateline/Pew
[Honorable Mention]: Atlanta, the heart of Black Georgia, will soon become the largest U.S. metro without a daily print newspaper. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution ends its print edition Dec. 31 after 157 years. While the paper will continue digitally, many older and low-income Black residents rely on print. This shift – little noted nationally – raises equity concerns about who gets local news in the digital age. (Downplayed)
Section B — Sources (plain-text links)
https://fortune.com/2025/12/19/epstein-files-early-warning-fbi-report-1996-palm-beach-florida/
https://www.out.com/news/dave-chappelle-trans-jokes-saudi-arabia
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/chicago-weekend-shootings-december-26-29-2025/
https://thedailyrecord.com/2026/01/02/baltimore-homicide-rate-decline-collaboration-brandon-scott/
https://www.washingtoninformer.com/african-immigrants-impact-nigeria/
https://whyy.org/articles/philadelphia-rental-properties-no-heat-winter/
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/03/us-slash-routine-childhood-vaccine-recommendations
https://sahanjournal.com/health/undocumented-immigrants-minnesotacare-coverage-ends/
https://www.naco.org/articles/congress-deliberates-future-affordable-connectivity-program
https://www.biopharmadive.com/news/cms-accelerating-access-sickle-cell-gene-therapy-advance/673557/
So much shit. So little power. This one pissed me off the most:
"This rapid erosion of Black representation in top colleges happening barely a headline or two outside education circles has huge long-term implications. These institutions pipeline into leadership and high-paying fields; fewer Black graduates from them means fewer Black CEOs, doctors, professors a decade from now."
Trump: Good job, Stephen Miller.
You gotta focus on people who are advancing us and advocating for us. Mackenzie Scott who’s donated millions to HBCUs Robert Smith. Unfortunately we still have these barriers that seem like they are so much to hold us back. But please believe we have Black excellence. I hope many of our Entertainers give some outlet to young African American ceos and entrepreneurs who are looking to launch great buisness we all have great ideas. We just need a start and an entry way.