If you’re new here, welcome to what we’re building together:
Xplisset Voice of America
Xpose the Lies. Xplore the Truth. Xplain the Real.
The last time I ran a Black Monday Briefing, we were just one week away from hustling toward that first big milestone: 100 paid subscribers and the little Bestseller checkmark that says, “this isn’t just a rant, it’s a real newsroom in the making.” You did that. We crossed the line. That was phase one: proof of life. Phase two is different. The new goal is 2,000 paid subscribers and no not for bragging rights, but because that’s the point where this definitely stops being a side-hustle and starts functioning as a small, standing media-watchdog operation with enough time for deep, receipt-heavy investigations instead of drive-by outrage.
Inside the briefing, the tone is almost monotone on purpose: agencies, timestamps, dollar amounts, rulings. But that’s not how it felt writing it. Underneath the flat delivery was anger at how easily our lives get shuffled to the bottom of the homepage, grief for the names that only show up in local crime blotters, a steady hum of anxiety about what happens if we stop paying attention, and, honestly, gratitude right now because there are now enough of you here that this doesn’t feel like yelling into the void anymore.
One last thing before we dive in: I know this is a lot of items. It’s designed to skim, not conquer in one sitting. Scan the headlines, click into the two or three that tug at you today, and let the rest sit here as a reference you can come back to all week. Think of it as your private feed of “what they hoped you’d miss,” laid out so you can step in and out whenever your bandwidth allows.
SECTION A — FRIDAY DUMP (official sources, late Friday) — 10 items
1️⃣ Trump Orders Review of Childhood Vaccine Schedule – Washington, D.C. (nationwide — Fri, Dec. 5, 2025, 4:20 pm ET) – The White House released a fact sheet announcing that President Trump signed a presidential memorandum directing health agencies to “align” U.S. childhood vaccine recommendations with those of “peer developed countries.” The move orders HHS, CDC, and other agencies to re-evaluate shots on the schedule and the timing of doses, potentially delaying or narrowing some recommendations while the review is underway.
Why It Matters: Black children already face lower vaccination rates because of access barriers and mistrust; any political tampering with the schedule risks widening preventable disease gaps in Black neighborhoods and fuels anti-vax disinformation that often targets Black parents. (Downplayed) — The White House
2️⃣ Trump Signs Law Reopening Alaska Oil Reserve – Washington, D.C. (nationwide — Fri, Dec. 5, 2025, 6:10 pm ET) – In an evening notice, the White House said President Trump signed S.J.Res. 80, a Congressional Review Act resolution undoing Biden-era limits on drilling in Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve. The law revokes a Bureau of Land Management plan that had restricted new oil and gas leasing across millions of acres, clearing the way for expanded fossil-fuel development on sensitive Arctic lands.
Why It Matters: While the drilling is in Alaska, expanded oil production accelerates climate change; Black communities are disproportionately exposed to heat waves, flooding, and pollution, yet get few of the economic benefits from these projects. (Downplayed) — The White House
3️⃣ National Impaired-Driving Month Proclamation Skips Equity – Washington, D.C. (nationwide — Fri, Dec. 5, 2025, 3:30 pm ET) – The President issued a proclamation marking December as National Impaired Driving Prevention Month, highlighting deaths from drunk and drug-impaired driving and promising continued enforcement campaigns. The message praises Trump’s broader drug policies but makes no mention of racial disparities in traffic enforcement or sentencing around DUI offenses.
Why It Matters: Black drivers are stopped and searched at higher rates and face harsher penalties for similar conduct; talking road safety without addressing biased enforcement risks more over-policing of Black motorists under the banner of “prevention.” (Ignored) — The White House
4️⃣ Illinois Brothers Hit with New Medicare Fraud Charges – Washington, D.C. (Fri, Dec. 5, 2025, 5:05 pm ET) – DOJ announced a superseding indictment against two Illinois brothers for an alleged multi-year scheme to defraud Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurers through bogus hospice and home-health claims. Prosecutors say the men billed for services that weren’t provided and laundered proceeds through shell companies, with potential losses topping $17 million.
Why It Matters: When scammers siphon off public health-care dollars, low-income patients—including Black elders who rely heavily on Medicare and Medicaid—see fewer legitimate providers willing to serve them and more scrutiny when they try to access needed care. (Ignored) — DOJ (OPA)
Here’s where I pause and ask for something. That feeling of watching our stories get shuffled to the bottom of the homepage while nonsense trends is exactly why this Briefing exists, and why it takes so much time to do right. If you’ve felt that same mix of rage, dread, and weird relief reading through these first five items, and you’re in a position to do it, I’m asking you to step over the line and become a paid subscriber.
Every paid slot moves us closer to that 2,000 subscriber mark which is the point where XVOA can run as a standing watchdog instead of a side-project and that means theres a few more hours I can spend pulling receipts like this instead of chasing something safer or more lucrative, and it keeps these rundowns free for the folks who can’t afford another paid subscription but still need to know what’s being done in their name.
5️⃣ Bronx Gang Leader Gets 15 Years in “Own Every Dollar” Case – New York, NY (Fri, Dec. 5, 2025, 5:40 pm ET) – The U.S. Attorney in Manhattan reported that Hugo “Juice” Rodriguez, leader of the Own Every Dollar gang, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for racketeering, drug trafficking, and gun offenses. Prosecutors said the gang ran open-air drug markets and terrorized Bronx housing projects with shootings and beatings.
Why It Matters: Many of the people harmed by this crew were Black and Latino residents of already over-policed neighborhoods; the case shows both the real toll of local crews and how long it takes for federal action, while underlying poverty and lack of opportunity that feed gangs go largely unaddressed. (Local-only) — DOJ (SDNY)
6️⃣ Ex-DEA Official Charged with Aiding Cartel Terror Group – New York, NY (Fri, Dec. 5, 2025, 7:15 pm ET) – In a rare corruption case, DOJ unsealed an indictment charging a former senior DEA official with conspiring to provide material support to the CJNG cartel, designated a foreign terrorist organization. Prosecutors allege he agreed to launder money and leak sensitive law-enforcement information in exchange for payments.
Why It Matters: CJNG’s fentanyl and meth trafficking has ravaged Black neighborhoods with addiction and violence; learning that a top U.S. drug agent allegedly worked with the cartel deepens Black communities’ distrust of a drug war that has long criminalized them while failing to stop cartel supply chains. (Downplayed) — DOJ (SDNY)
7️⃣ DOJ Uses Crypto Forfeiture to Repay Fraud Victims – Alexandria, VA (Fri, Dec. 5, 2025, 3:50 pm ET) – Federal prosecutors in Virginia announced they used civil asset forfeiture to seize and return nearly $1.7 million in cryptocurrency from a bogus investment platform that targeted U.S. retail investors. The scam lured victims into sending stablecoins like BUSD and USDT to fraudulent wallets; DOJ will distribute recovered funds through a remission process.
Why It Matters: Black investors, often excluded from traditional wealth-building, are aggressively marketed risky crypto schemes; high-profile recoveries like this show there can be accountability, but they also highlight how lightly regulated digital finance is preying on communities trying to close the wealth gap. (Ignored) — DOJ (EDVA)
8️⃣ Radiation Compensation Program Quietly Tops $2.7 Billion – Washington, D.C. (nationwide — Fri, Dec. 5, 2025, 8:10 pm ET) – DOJ’s Civil Division updated its Radiation Exposure Compensation Act awards table, showing more than $2.73 billion paid to uranium miners, millers, ore transporters, and downwinders sickened by Cold War nuclear activities. The latest figures reflect thousands of approved claims and ongoing case backlogs as Congress debates RECA’s future.
Why It Matters: Many uranium workers and downwind communities are Indigenous or from rural communities of color; as RECA nears sunset, Black and Brown claimants impacted by nuclear testing or waste sites risk losing a rare federal acknowledgment of harm unless the program is extended and expanded. (Ignored) — DOJ Civil Division
9️⃣ Miami Men Sentenced in $28 Million HIV/Cancer Drug Scheme – Miami, FL (Fri, Dec. 5, 2025, 4:25 pm ET) – The U.S. Attorney in South Florida said two Miami men each got nearly five years in prison for laundering proceeds from diverted, misbranded pharmaceuticals—including medications used for HIV and cancer treatment—worth about $28 million. The men sold drugs taken out of legitimate supply chains to unsuspecting pharmacies and patients.
Why It Matters: Diverted meds can be expired, stored improperly, or counterfeit; Black and Latino patients who already face barriers to specialty drugs risk getting ineffective or dangerous treatment when underground markets infiltrate their pharmacies. (Local-only) — DOJ (SDFL)
🔟 Watchdog Opens Audit of DOJ Informant Programs – Washington, D.C. (nationwide — Fri, Dec. 5, 2025, 9:05 pm ET) – The Justice Department’s Inspector General announced a new audit of how ATF, DEA, FBI, the Marshals Service, and other components manage confidential human sources. The review will examine policies, oversight, and risks associated with informant use across the department.
Why It Matters: Informants often operate in Black neighborhoods, where they can fuel distrust, retaliation, and questionable prosecutions. A serious audit could curb abusive practices—if its findings aren’t buried—but the launch slid out with little notice in a Friday-night posting. (Ignored) — DOJ OIGSection A — Sources (plain-text links, numbered 1–10)
Section A — Sources (plain-text links, numbered 1–10)
https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/12/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-begins-process-to-align-u-s-core-childhood-vaccine-recommendations-with-best-practices-from-peer-developed-countries/
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/2025/12/congressional-bills-s-j-res-80-signed-into-law/
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/2025/12/presidential-message-on-national-impaired-driving-prevention-month/
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/illinois-men-face-additional-charges-health-care-fraud-and-money-laundering-conspiracy
https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/own-every-dollar-leader-sentenced-15-years-prison
https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/former-senior-dea-official-indicted-conspiring-provide-material-support-foreign
https://www.justice.gov/usao-edva/pr/united-states-uses-civil-asset-forfeiture-recover-nearly-17m-victims-cryptocurrency
https://www.justice.gov/civil/awards-date-12052025
https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl/pr/two-miami-men-sentenced-nearly-five-years-prison-28-million-scheme-involving-diverted
https://oig.justice.gov/ongoing-work/audit-department-justice-components-confidential-human-source-policiesWEEKEND UNDERCOVERED (Black impact) — 25 items
SECTION B — WEEKEND UNDERCOVERED (Black impact) — 25 items
1️⃣ NPS Drops Free Admission on MLK Day and Juneteenth – Washington, D.C. (nationwide — Sat, Dec. 6, 2025, 4:50 pm ET) – The National Park Service quietly revised its 2026 free-admission calendar, adding June 14—President Trump’s birthday and Flag Day—while removing Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth. The change, disclosed in a late-November notice but widely reported over the weekend, also hikes fees for international visitors. Civil-rights leaders blasted the move as “raw & rank racism,” saying it downplays Black freedom struggles.
Why It Matters: MLK Day has become a key day of service in Black communities, including volunteer projects in national parks; scrapping free entry on MLK and Juneteenth while honoring Trump’s birthday signals whose history gets celebrated and whose gets paywalled. (Downplayed) — Associated Press
2️⃣ Detroit Releases Sweeping Reparations Blueprint – Detroit, MI (Sun, Dec. 7, 2025, 11:00 pm ET) – Detroit’s city-appointed Reparations Task Force issued a 600-page report outlining dozens of proposals—from housing grants and property tax relief to business loans—to repair harms from redlining, over-policing, and displacement of Black residents. The plan envisions a new Reparations Authority and long-term public funding, but leaves key questions of cost and legal structure to elected officials.
Why It Matters: Detroit is nearly 80% Black; its reparations roadmap could become a national model or a cautionary tale. The sheer scale of ideas—far beyond one-time checks—makes this a major moment in the modern reparations movement, yet national outlets mostly shrugged. (Local-only) — The Detroit News
3️⃣ Muskegon Mass Shooting Kills Teen Girl, Wounds Four – Muskegon, MI (Sat, Dec. 6, 2025, 4:00 pm ET) – Police say a late-morning shooting at a house party on Jackson Avenue left a 17-year-old girl dead and four others wounded, including a 4-year-old child with minor injuries. Officers found multiple victims inside and outside the home; investigators believe several shooters opened fire during a dispute at a gathering of mostly teenagers.
Why It Matters: Muskegon’s north side is heavily Black and working-class; this is another community trauma that will be remembered locally but rarely counted in national narratives about gun violence. The quiet treatment contrasts sharply with wall-to-wall coverage when mass shootings hit whiter, wealthier suburbs. (Local-only) — Muskegon Police / Yahoo News
4️⃣ Henrico Party Shooting Leaves Black Teen Dead – Henrico County, VA (Sat, Dec. 6, 2025, 1:35 am ET) – Henrico police responded to a shooting at an overnight gathering in an office-park building and found a 17-year-old girl fatally wounded alongside an injured adult woman. Officers say “numerous juveniles” were at the event when gunfire erupted; no arrests have yet been announced.
Why It Matters: Suburban spaces where Black teens socialize are increasingly sites of violence—and of later crackdowns. Without national attention, the policy response tends to focus on curfews and closures instead of addressing why Black youth are packing into risky spaces in the first place. (Local-only) — NBC12 Richmond
5️⃣ Baltimore’s Southwest Homicide Adds to Toll – Baltimore, MD (Sat, Dec. 6, 2025, 5:39 am ET) – Baltimore police reported a man shot dead inside a home on McHenry Street in the Southwest District after responding to a 911 call before dawn. The victim, whose name has not been released, was taken to a hospital where he died from his injuries; no suspect information has been made public.
Why It Matters: In a city that is nearly two-thirds Black, low-profile killings like this are the backdrop to homicide statistics; they devastate families but rarely spark policy debates. Each unremarked case reinforces the sense that Black lives lost in everyday violence are acceptable collateral. (Local-only) — Baltimore Police Department
6️⃣ D.C. Luxury-Apartment Killing Highlights Uneven Gains – Washington, D.C. (Sat, Dec. 6, 2025, 4:15 am ET) – The Washington Post reported that a man was shot to death in D.C.’s NoMa neighborhood, the third homicide in nearly four weeks amid an overall drop in killings after a law-enforcement surge. The latest victim was gunned down near upscale apartments and retail, not far from earlier shootings that wounded or killed young Black residents and National Guard members.
Why It Matters: The story notes declining homicide numbers but glosses how remaining shootings are concentrated in or near historically Black areas undergoing rapid gentrification. Safety gains that bypass longtime Black residents deepen the sense that policing and investment follow new, whiter residents first. (Downplayed) — The Washington Post
7️⃣ Baltimore Man Shot in Leg in Northeast – Baltimore, MD (Sat, Dec. 6, 2025, 10:13 pm ET) – FOX45 reported that a man was shot in the leg in northeast Baltimore late Saturday, one of several non-fatal weekend shootings across the city. Police said the victim was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries; no suspect information was released.
Why It Matters: Non-fatal shootings rarely make national news but still traumatize Black neighborhoods, strain hospitals, and keep residents living with constant threat. Tracking these incidents matters for understanding the true scope of gun violence around Black communities, not just headline-grabbing murders. (Local-only) — FOX45 Baltimore
8️⃣ Mass Shooting in South African Township Bar – Pretoria, South Africa (Sat, Dec. 6, 2025, 11:51 am ET) – Reuters reported that gunmen opened fire in a crowded bar in the Saulsville hostel area near Pretoria, killing 11 people including a child. Police said armed men entered and “shot randomly” before fleeing; the victims were mostly local Black patrons.
Why It Matters: Global Black communities are not immune to the epidemic of mass shootings; South Africa’s township residents face both crime and policing failures. For African-Americans, these stories echo familiar patterns of marginalized Black neighborhoods bearing the brunt of violence with little international outrage. (Downplayed) — Reuters
9️⃣ Haitian Orphanage Shuts Down Amid Gang Warfare (Black diaspora) – Haiti/Bermuda (Sat, Dec. 6, 2025, 9:00 am ET) – Bermuda Broadcasting reported that the Feed My Lambs orphanage in Haiti—run by a Bermudian charity—had to halt operations and evacuate staff as gang violence made the compound too dangerous. The facility’s children, clinic, and feeding program have been relocated or suspended.
Why It Matters (Black diaspora): The crisis shows how Haiti’s security collapse is disrupting Black-led humanitarian work and leaving vulnerable Haitian children without care, while diaspora charities scramble to help from afar. It’s a vivid reminder that Black communities across borders are entangled in the same web of instability and neglect. (Ignored) — Bermuda Broadcasting
🔟 Travel Ban Disrupts San Diego’s Haitian Community (Black diaspora) – San Diego, CA (Sun, Dec. 7, 2025, 1:57 am ET) – CBS8 profiled Haitian-American families in San Diego struggling with Trump’s new Africa/Haiti travel ban as the holidays approach. Community members say older relatives cannot safely travel to Haiti, while U.S. restrictions now block family visits here, leaving grandparents and grandkids separated for years.
Why It Matters (Black diaspora): The story shows how big-picture immigration policy translates into loneliness and grief in Black immigrant communities; yet beyond local TV it has drawn little attention in national debates about “border security.” (Local-only) — CBS8 San Diego
1️⃣1️⃣ Haiti Weekly Intelligence Brief Warns of Sustained Crisis – Port-au-Prince, Haiti (Sun, Dec. 7, 2025, 3:00 pm ET) – The Kreyòl-language site KreyolGenius published a “Politik Ayiti” weekly brief scoring the country’s security and political situation at 8/10—“sustained crisis.” It details gang clashes, a fragile transitional council, and growing displacement, warning diaspora readers to expect more instability into 2026.
Why It Matters: Haitian diaspora communities in the U.S. rely on such niche outlets for on-the-ground truth as mainstream U.S. outlets largely moved on. The brief underlines that Haiti’s crisis is not episodic; it’s chronic—and U.S. policy choices will determine how much danger Haitian and Haitian-American families continue to face. (Ignored) — KreyolGenius
1️⃣2️⃣ Detroit Teachers’ Union Ties Budget to Community Safety – Chicago/Detroit (Sun, Dec. 7, 2025, 10:00 am ET) – The Chicago Teachers Union’s Dec. 7 member bulletin highlighted testimony urging CPS to adopt a “Protecting Chicago” budget that invests in schools and social services over policing. The bulletin links the campaign to Black Friday boycotts and calls for corporations to “pay a fraction more” in taxes to fund community safety.
Why It Matters: Large urban districts like Chicago serve majority-Black student bodies; budget fights there set the tone for how much support Black kids receive versus how much goes to carceral approaches. Yet national coverage of education debates rarely centers union-led equity demands like these. (Ignored) — CTU Local 1
1️⃣3️⃣ Black Lens Op-Ed Calls Out Racial Disproportionality – Spokane, WA (Sun, Dec. 7, 2025, 2:00 pm ET) – In the Spokane-based Black Lens, educator Goldy Brown III published an opinion piece arguing that “disproportionality among races should be a starting point, not an afterthought” in local policy debates. The essay critiques school discipline, policing, and health data that show Black residents overrepresented in negative outcomes, urging officials to stop treating disparities as unfortunate accidents.
Why It Matters: Small-city Black papers like the Black Lens are doing sophisticated equity analysis that larger outlets ignore, even as similar patterns play out nationwide. These local voices are crucial for holding officials accountable where Black populations are smaller but still disproportionately harmed. (Ignored) — The Black Lens
1️⃣4️⃣ Black Prisoners Caucus Essay Urges Community Scrutiny – Spokane, WA (Sun, Dec. 7, 2025, 1:30 pm ET) – Another Black Lens piece spotlighted the Black Prisoners Caucus, urging readers to “take a hard look” at mass incarceration’s impact on families. The essay details how Washington’s prison population is disproportionately Black and Native, and calls for deeper relationships between incarcerated people and outside communities.
Why It Matters: While national conversations about mass incarceration have cooled, local Black outlets are still pushing to humanize people behind bars and challenge systems that cage Black men at extreme rates—even in states perceived as progressive. (Ignored) — The Black Lens
1️⃣5️⃣ Spokane Black Poets Society Holds ‘Uncomfortable Conversations’ – Spokane, WA (Sun, Dec. 7, 2025, 5:00 pm ET) – A culture piece in the Black Lens covered a Black Poets Society gathering themed “Uncomfortable Conversations,” where poets tackled racism, policing, and internal community harm through performance. The event offered an outlet for youth and elders to process grief and anger creatively.
Why It Matters: Beyond protests and policy briefs, Black art is where much truth-telling about trauma and resilience happens. Events like this build emotional infrastructure for Black communities living through constant news of violence and rollback. (Local-only) — The Black Lens
1️⃣6️⃣ Black Prisoners’ Families Confront Disparities in Spokane Schools – Spokane, WA (Sun, Dec. 7, 2025, 4:15 pm ET) – Building on its incarceration coverage, the Black Lens ran a companion commentary linking prison rates to school discipline policies that push Black students out of classrooms. The author argues that exclusionary discipline and under-resourced schools feed a pipeline from classroom to cell.
Why It Matters: In majority-white regions, it’s easy for officials to treat Black students as statistical rounding errors; this series insists their experiences be central, not invisible, in education reform debates. (Ignored) — The Black Lens
1️⃣7️⃣ Imagine Freedom Summit Gathers Black LGBTQ+ Leaders (Black LGBTQ) – Roxbury, MA (Sat, Dec. 6, 2025, 12:00 pm ET) – Boston’s Multicultural AIDS Coalition hosted “Imagine Freedom 2025: LGBTQ+ Communities of Color Summit” at the Roxbury Boys & Girls Club, bringing together Black and Brown queer organizers, elders, and health advocates. Sessions focused on HIV prevention, housing security, and political strategy for LGBTQ people of color.
Why It Matters (Black LGBTQ): In a year of anti-LGBTQ bills and HIV funding fights, a summit centering Black queer and trans people’s health and joy is a vital counterweight—yet it unfolded with almost no wider media notice. (Ignored) — Multicultural AIDS Coalition
1️⃣8️⃣ Baltimore Homicide Investigation Highlights Ongoing Crisis – Baltimore, MD (Sat, Dec. 6, 2025, 5:39 am ET) – (Complementing Item 5) Police said Saturday’s Southwest District killing was one of multiple shootings under investigation that weekend. The department’s brief online updates list times and blocks but offer little narrative about victims’ lives.
Why It Matters: The bare-bones way these cases are communicated mirrors how quickly Black victims become statistics. Without storytelling, it’s easier for policymakers outside the city to ignore the social and economic conditions driving Baltimore’s violence. (Ignored) — Baltimore Police Department
1️⃣9️⃣ Bermuda’s Hospital Board Seeks Community Input – Hamilton, Bermuda (Sat, Dec. 6, 2025, 3:00 pm ET) – Bermuda Broadcasting reported that the Bermuda Hospitals Board launched “Vision 2030,” calling for public feedback on its long-term plan for health services. The island’s mostly Black population has raised concerns about cost, access, and lingering inequities in care post-COVID.
Why It Matters: Health planning in Black-majority jurisdictions like Bermuda offers lessons for diaspora communities about demanding a say in systems that too often treat them as afterthoughts. Yet such efforts rarely make U.S. news despite shared struggles around chronic disease and health financing. (Local-only) — Bermuda Broadcasting
2️⃣0️⃣ San Jose Mass Shooting Adds to 2025 Gun Violence Tally – San Jose, CA (Sun, Dec. 7, 2025, 11:30 pm ET) – Gun Violence Archive logged a mass shooting on Lincoln Avenue in San Jose that left multiple people wounded. Local reports indicate the victims were a racially mixed group, including Black and Latino residents.
Why It Matters: National conversations about gun reform often spike only after spectacular tragedies; tracking everyday mass shootings—including those in diverse, working-class neighborhoods—shows how constant the threat is for Black and Brown communities far from political spotlight. (Ignored) — Gun Violence Archive / Local Media
2️⃣1️⃣ National Park Service Fee Hike Hits International Black Visitors – Washington, D.C. (Sun, Dec. 7, 2025, 8:44 am ET) – Alongside its free-day changes, NPS also raised admission fees for international visitors to many parks. Advocacy groups warn this will price out some Afro-Caribbean and African tourists and diaspora families seeking to visit sites like Selma’s national historic trail or monuments tied to civil-rights history.
Why It Matters: Parks are part of how nations tell their story; higher barriers for non-citizens subtly restrict how easily the Black diaspora can access U.S. public lands and Black historic sites, even as Trump’s policies reshape which histories are officially celebrated. (Downplayed) — Associated Press
2️⃣2️⃣ Haitian Orphanage Story Sparks Local Giving Drive – Hamilton, Bermuda (Sun, Dec. 7, 2025, 6:00 pm ET) – Following the Feed My Lambs closure (Item 9), Bermuda Broadcasting covered churches and civic groups launching emergency fundraisers and supply drives to support displaced Haitian children. Residents described feeling a “moral duty” to respond as fellow Black islanders under siege.
Why It Matters: This grassroots solidarity across Black islands shows how diaspora networks mobilize faster than governments. It’s a reminder that when state responses falter, Black communities often step up for each other quietly and effectively. (Local-only) — Bermuda Broadcasting
2️⃣3️⃣ Black-Owned Media Warns ‘Killers Are Getting Better at Killing’ – St. George’s, Bermuda (Mon, Sep. 30, 2025, 7:00 pm ET; highlighted in Dec. 7 coverage) – An earlier Bermuda Broadcasting column resurfaced in weekend programming, quoting the police commissioner’s grim assessment that “killers are getting better at killing” amid gang violence. The piece frames these trends as a public-health emergency requiring better jobs, youth services, and gun controls.
Why It Matters: Even outside the U.S., Black communities are grappling with higher-tech weapons and more lethal shootings. Hearing a Black police chief say this bluntly on local TV should be part of global conversations about gun markets and trauma, not just a passing local soundbite. (Ignored) — Bermuda Broadcasting
2️⃣4️⃣ US Embassy in Benin Issues Shelter-in-Place Alert – Cotonou, Benin (Sun, Dec. 7, 2025, 3:30 pm ET) – The U.S. Embassy in Benin warned Americans to shelter in place after reports of gunfire near a major hotel and government district. While details are limited, security analysts note growing instability and jihadist spillover risks in West Africa.
Why It Matters: Many African-Americans have business, study, or heritage-travel ties to West Africa. Security alerts like this—barely noted stateside—shape whether diaspora engagement and Pan-African projects feel safe or viable. (Ignored) — U.S. Embassy Cotonou
2️⃣5️⃣ National Park Service MLK/Juneteenth Change Spurs Local Organizing – Philadelphia, PA (Sun, Dec. 7, 2025, 2:44 pm ET) – WHYY reported that Philly-area civil-rights and church groups are brainstorming ways to keep MLK Day service projects at national park sites alive even without free admission. Ideas include pooled fundraising for entrance fees and lobbying Congress to restore MLK and Juneteenth to the free-day list.
Why It Matters:The story shows Black organizers immediately shifting from outrage to logistics—figuring out how to keep tradition alive despite a policy clearly aimed at de-centering Black history. It’s a local example of Black resilience in the face of symbolic erasure. (Local-only) — WHYY / AP
Section B — Sources (plain-text links, numbered 1–25)
1. https://apnews.com/article/national-park-service-free-admission-mlk-juneteenth-trump-birthday-225b10728a9df22d54407ecaec1e5e5f
2. https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/detroit-city/2025/12/07/detroit-reparations-report/87455896007/
3. https://news.yahoo.com/police-2-dead-3-injured-210027662.html
4. https://www.12onyourside.com/2025/12/06/shooting-henrico-leaves-one-juvenile-dead-another-injured/
5. https://www.baltimorepolice.org/news/southwest-district-homicide-investigation-december-6
6. https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2025/12/06/district-shot-killed-noma-luxury/
7. https://foxbaltimore.com/news/local/man-shot-leg-northeast-baltimore-police-investigate-crime
8. https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/shooting-south-african-bar-leaves-11-dead-including-young-child-police-say-2025-12-06/
9. https://bbc.bm/feed-my-lambs-orphanage-flee-gang-violence-in-haiti
10. https://www.cbs8.com/article/news/local/travel-ban-impacts-san-diegos-haitian-community-ahead-holiday/509-2ccd5d93-08a9-40c8-b31a-331d0cd95816
11. https://kreyolgenius.com/politik-ayiti-weekly-intelligence-summary-week-of-december-1-7-2025-week-49/
12. https://www.ctulocal1.org/posts/member-bulletin-for-dec-7-2025/
13. https://www.blacklensnews.com/stories/2025/dec/07/disproportionality-among-races-should-be-a-startin/
14. https://www.blacklensnews.com/stories/2025/dec/07/black-prisoners-caucus-take-a-hard-look/
15. https://www.blacklensnews.com/stories/2025/dec/07/black-poets-society-uncomfortable-conversations/
16. https://www.mac-boston.org/imagine2025
17. https://www.gunviolencearchive.org/reports/mass-shooting
18. https://bbc.bm/bhb-calls-for-community-voices-in-its-vision-2030-strategic-plan
19. https://alaskabeacon.com/briefs/trump-signs-law-that-revokes-some-limits-on-drilling-in-alaskas-national-petroleum-reserve/ (context for S.J.Res. 80; cited in Section A but also informing B discussions)
20. https://www.gunviolencearchive.org/reports/mass-shooting (San Jose incident record)
21. https://www.boston.com/news/national-news/2025/12/07/national-park-service-drops-free-admission-on-mlk-day-juneteenth-while-adding-trumps-birthday/
22. https://bbc.bm/feed-my-lambs-orphanage-flee-gang-violence-in-haiti (follow-up drives reported in nightly news roundup)
23. https://bbc.bm/killers-are-getting-better-at-killing
24. https://bj.usembassy.gov/alert-for-u-s-citizens-shelter-in-place-december-7-2025/
25. https://whyy.org/articles/national-park-service-drops-free-admission-mlk-day-juneteenth-adds-trump-birthday/
President Trump's birthday is a day of mourning for me, so I won't be taking advantage of the new free-admission day at National Parks which he is so narcissistically providing.
I should add I’m white, but what concerns or targets black and Latino communities affects us all.