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The Department of Homeland Security is rolling out a controversial self-deportation program offering undocumented immigrants $1,000 and travel assistance if they leave the U.S. voluntarily. Officials claim the plan will cut costs and reduce risks for law enforcement and migrants alike. Critics, however, say it raises serious questions about fairness, ethics and the future of immigration enforcement.

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According to the Associated Press, a federally funded vaccine awareness study focused on a Black Denver community was abruptly canceled by the Trump administration before researchers could analyze its results.

Pediatrician Dr. Joshua Williams led the project, which featured videos of local families sharing flu shot experiences to build trust and counter vaccine hesitancy.

After two years of community collaboration, the program had just begun sending videos via text to 200 families when funding was pulled.

Community members and health experts condemned the cancellation, calling it a setback for public health and equity.

Community adviser Chantyl Busby said, “It sends a horrible message.”

With flu, measles, and whooping cough rising, doctors say this work is more urgent than ever.

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In a new interview with MSNBC's Kristen Welker, President Donald Trump raised eyebrows — and constitutional alarms.

When asked if undocumented immigrants deserve due process, Trump responded, "I don't know" — not yes or no, but "I don't know." That's the Fifth Amendment he's talking about.

He also refused to commit to following a unanimous Supreme Court ruling. When pressed about possibly seeking a third term — despite the Constitution's clear two-term limit — Trump again said, "I don't know."

On the economy, Trump brushed off rising prices caused by his tariffs, saying, "I don’t think a beautiful baby girl needs — that’s 11 years old — needs to have 30 dolls. I think they can have three dolls or four dolls."

And while Americans face higher costs at the pump and the grocery store, he claims we're doing great — and that a short-term recession is fine.

This isn't just about policy — it's about power. When a president casually questions the rule of law, due process and term limits, we should all be paying attention.

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The largest legal challenge yet to President Donald Trump's federal reorganization plan is now underway. A sweeping coalition of labor unions, cities and nonprofits — including San Francisco, Baltimore, the American Federation of Government Employees, the Service Employees International Union and VoteVets — is asking a federal judge to block what they call an unconstitutional dismantling of the U.S. government.

At the center is Executive Order 14210 — Trump's so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) — which demands massive federal layoffs and agency shutdowns without congressional approval.

The administration calls it a "Manhattan Project" to shrink government. Critics call it an illegal power grab.

The lawsuit argues Trump is violating core separation of powers by ordering reductions in force and agency overhauls that only Congress can authorize. If granted, the restraining order would stop layoffs and protect thousands of federal jobs — many of which directly serve Black, brown and low-income communities.

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(AURN News) — The U.S. economy added 177,000 jobs in April, according to new data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, signaling continued growth amid global tariff tensions and economic uncertainty under President Donald Trump’s administration.

The national unemployment rate held steady at 4.2%, but stark differences remain among racial groups. The unemployment rate for Black Americans stood at 6.3%—the highest among any demographic—compared to 5.2% for Hispanics, 3.8% for Whites and 3.0% for Asians.

Healthcare led job gains last month, contributing 51,000 new positions. Government employment, however, declined by 9,000 jobs.

Wages also rose modestly, with average hourly earnings increasing by six cents to $36.06.

President Trump took to Truth Social to tout what he called signs of a strengthening economy.

“Gasoline just broke $1.98 a Gallon, lowest in years, groceries (and eggs!) down, energy down, mortgage rates down, employment strong, and much more good news, as Billions of Dollars pour in from Tariffs,” Trump posted Friday. “Just like I said, and we’re only in a TRANSITION STAGE, just getting started!!! Consumers have been waiting for years to see pricing come down. NO INFLATION, THE FED SHOULD LOWER ITS RATE!!!”

But the president’s claims appear to overstate the situation. According to AAA, the national average price of gasoline is $3.18 per gallon—down from $3.67 a year ago but still far from the $1.98 figure Trump cited. Meanwhile, egg prices remain elevated. A dozen eggs currently cost more than $2.99, the average price a year ago.

While the labor market remains stable, ongoing questions about inflation, tariffs and income inequality continue to loom over the administration’s economic policies.

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A federal judge just slammed the brakes on President Donald Trump's use of wartime powers to fast-track deportations. In a major legal blow to the administration, Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr., a Trump appointee, ruled that Trump overstepped his authority by using the Alien Enemies Act, an 18th-century wartime law, to deport Venezuelan migrants from South Texas.

The ruling permanently bars this maneuver, calling the administration's justification—an alleged gang invasion—unsupported and unlawful. The Alien Enemies Act, enacted in 1798 during fears of a European war, allows deportations of citizens from enemy nations during declared wars.

But the problem is, the United States is not at war with Venezuela. Rodriguez wrote flat out that the president cannot simply declare an invasion, sidestep immigration courts and throw people out of the country.

More than 130 migrants had already been expelled under the scheme before the courts intervened. For now, the ruling blocks removals under the Alien Enemies Act in South Texas and sends a message that executive power has limits.

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President Trump signed an executive order slashing all federal funding to PBS and NPR, accusing them of pushing radical and "woke" propaganda. The order not only cuts direct funding, but also directs agencies to eliminate indirect support—a move critics say is designed to choke out public broadcasting altogether.

This isn't new. Since returning to office, Trump has aggressively targeted institutions he deems unfriendly—cutting arts funding, seizing control of the Kennedy Center, and threatening law schools that refuse to dismantle DEI programs.

But this latest move goes straight for the jugular of independent journalism. PBS and NPR received nearly half a billion dollars through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

While they have been bracing for cuts since Trump's 2024 campaign, PBS President Paula Kerger warned that yanking support now would disrupt the essential service PBS and local member stations provide to the American people. So who gets silenced next?

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According to Essence Magazine, Clarence O. Smith, one of its four founding pioneers, passed away on April 21 at the age of 92.

Smith helped to launch Essence in 1970 and shaped its legacy for over three decades.

As president of Essence Communications, he led marketing efforts that established the “Black Women’s Market,” revolutionizing how advertisers viewed and valued Black audiences.

His leadership expanded Essence into an empire — including the ESSENCE Festival of Culture, the nation’s largest Black gathering.

Former Editor-in-Chief Susan L. Taylor called him “a mighty mind,” crediting his vision with shifting hearts, minds, and investment.

Smith is survived by his wife Elaine and family.

Rest in peace, Clarence O. Smith.

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Andy Bey, the acclaimed jazz singer known for his remarkable four-octave range, died April 26 at the Actors Fund Home in Englewood, New Jersey. He was 85.

His nephew, actor and singer Darius de Haas, announced his passing.

A Newark native and child prodigy, Bey began his career with his sisters in Andy and the Bey Sisters before collaborating with jazz legends like Max Roach.

His solo albums, including “Experience and Judgment” and “Ballads, Blues & Bey,” earned critical acclaim.

Bey, an openly gay man living with HIV, became a beloved figure in jazz.

He won numerous awards and remained musically vibrant into his 80s, saying in 2019, “The music is always inspiring.”

Rest in power, Andy Bey.

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Former Vice President Kamala Harris is speaking out forcefully for the first time about President Trump's second-term agenda. Appearing at the Emerge Gala, Harris issued a stark warning about what she called a coordinated effort to reshape the nation’s future.

"Certainly true of those tariffs. Tariffs that, as I predicted, are clearly inviting a recession. But friends, please let us not be duped into thinking everything is chaos. I know it may feel that way, but understand what we are in fact witnessing is a high-velocity event where a vessel is being used for the swift implementation of an agenda that has been decades in the making—an agenda to slash public education, an agenda to shrink government, and then privatize its services."

Harris torched Trump's first 100 days of his second term, calling it the greatest man-made economic crisis in modern presidential history and warning that his Project 2025 agenda is taking America to the brink of a constitutional meltdown.

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