A 6-year-old is in critical condition after her mother allegedly beat in her skull with a hammer, but how she apparently involved her son in the attack will keep you up at night.
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Dominique Thorne Reveals Why She Almost Passed on <em>Ironheart</em>
Dominique Thorne Reveals Why She Almost Passed on <em>Ironheart</em>
When Louisville Metro Police Department arrived at Zeinab Abdi’s home on June 19, police discovered the 40-year-old had allegedly beat her young daughter with a hammer, leaving her unconscious, according to a report by WDRB.com.
The child was transported to Norton Children’s Hospital where she remains in critical condition suffering from skull fractures and brain bleeds.
Police arrested Abdi and charged her with attempted murder. Police interviewed Abdi’s son, who said he tried to restrain their mother while she was assaulting his sister. Police said Abdi’s mother yelled, “Let me finish her,” to her son.
The mother reportedly agreed to speak to the police after being informed of her rights; she apparently admitted that she has difficulty controlling her anger and she struck her child “in the head with a hammer for an unknown amount of times.” She told police she “frequently becomes extremely angry and has difficulty controlling herself.”
Abdi is currently being held at Louisville Metro Corrections, where a judge set her bail at $500,000. The 40-year-old, who does not yet have legal representation, will appear in court on June 30 for a preliminary hearing.
Disney+ just dropped the first half of “Ironheart,” the latest series to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe — and it’s pulsing with tech, magic, and unapologetic Blackness. Starring Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams, the series exhibits Black brilliance on screen and behind the scenes– a move executive producer Ryan Coogler says was intentional.
In a sit-down with theGrio, Coogler opened up about what it means to intentionally build space for diverse stories in one of the world’s most recognizable franchises.
“For a long time, comic books were for people who felt like they didn’t have a place in other spaces. But over time, it’s grown through the movies and through how ubiquitous [the Marvel universe is],” Coogler told theGrio. “But there still are elements of the club feeling exclusionary, like, maybe it’s not a safe space for everybody.”
He continued: “For this industry, you know, the comic book, movies, comic books in general, for it to survive, you know, it has to expand, it has to make space for new types of for new types of fans, for new types of voices, for new types of people.”
Coogler’s entry into Marvel with “Black Panther” in 2018 cracked open the door. Since then, Black creatives, particularly Black women like Eve Ewing, who penned the “Ironheart” comic book series, have been walking through it front and center and bringing a whole new audience with them.
“For us, it was an opportunity to do the same thing through the language of filmmaking and television,” Coogler said of his decision to entrust the show’s vision to three Black women Chinaka Hodge, Sam Bailey, and Angela Barnes, to spearhead the storytelling of the “Ironheart” television series. “[Viewers are] gonna see and feel these incredible women communicating how they feel about the world, how they feel about themselves, the emotions they want folks to feel, and the lessons they want [people to learn].”
Hodge, the series lead writer, explained that she saw the series as a door that allowed viewers to explore their creativity, different worlds, and versions of Black womanhood.
“My goal for Riri was to create as many open doors as possible for all of our fans to walk through, and also to create as many different versions of Black womanhood, Black femininity, and Black femmes as you could see on screen,” she told theGrio.
In addition to Thorne, the show features Black stars like Lyric Ross, Cree Summer, Regan Aliyah, Anji White and Shea Couleé who each depict unique versions of Black femininity and womanhood. That diversity trickles into the rest of the cast, which includes Anthony Ramos, Manny Montana, Shakira Barera, Matthew Elam, and more.
“We put Riri in the center, and then allow who would naturally be around her to populate the rest of the show. And it feels to me not just like the America I inhabit, but like the comic book stories I used to go into when I was 15, 16, 17 years old,” Hodge explained.
Barnes, who directed the second half of the series, echoed this sentiment. “Riri’s world looked like what my world looks like,” the director shared, explaining how everything from the cast to the characters to the set design “all felt very intentional.” She also celebrated fellow “Ironheart” director Bailey, a Chicago native who worked meticulously to include details and Chicago actors into the show, which is set in the “Windy City.”
“I think the more intentional and the more specific you are with your details, the more universal things become,” Barnes added. “We’ve all had [moments] of going out and trying to get something and being underestimated, or having people blow you off when you have a lot to offer, and them not recognizing that. Everyone’s had that experience. So the more specific and intentional we can get with that, the easier it is for people to grab hold of that character and hold onto it.”
Inspired by Ewing’s original comic series, “Ironheart” follows Riri Williams, a 15-year-old engineering prodigy who builds her own high-tech suit and forges her own path as a superhero. The show brings her origin story to life while weaving in themes of grief, identity, and culture — all through a distinctly Black lens — making Riri the kind of hero Black girls don’t just root for, but see themselves in.
“To know I had a small part in that is incredibly rewarding,” Coogler concluded.
Somewhere between Britney Spears’ low-rise jeans and Paris Hilton’s Motorola Razr, a spiritual successor has risen, and her name is Zara Larsson. The Swedish pop enchantress just dropped the music video for her new single “Midnight Sun,” and honey… this isn’t just a song. This is a solar-powered manifesto for glittery girls with seasonal depression. A serotonin-infused serve for anyone who ever cried under a tanning bed in Juicy Couture.
Zara didn’t come to play. She came to drown us in electro-pop ecstasy, with a title track that melts like a popsicle in the midnight Scandinavian heat. And yes, that’s a real thing. While the rest of us are rotting in artificial lighting, Zara is bathing in 2 a.m. sunshine and looking like a goddess reincarnated from a 2002 Abercrombie campaign.
“I really am proud of my Swedish pop heritage,” Zara purred in a statement so on-brand it might as well have been stitched in rhinestones. “I wanted the whole album to feel like it’s a summer night and it never ends.”
Can someone tell the climate crisis we’re busy dancing? Thanks.
“Midnight Sun” Is the Pop Anthem We’ve Been Starving For
It’s giving Robyn in a halter top, it’s giving ABBA if they had TikTok, it’s giving sunburns and heartbreak under the same pink sky.
This isn’t just a song. It’s a seasonal rebirth. And if Zara’s vision is true, then summer never really ends, babe. Not in Sweden. Not in your soul. Not in your Bluetooth speakers.
Pop’s Ice Queen Is Heating Up: Here Comes the Midnight Sun Album
Set your glittery calendars: Zara’s upcoming album Midnight Sun drops September 26, and if the title track is any indication, it’s about to become the Y2K pop renaissance moment we’ve been begging for. Her last teaser single, “Pretty Ugly,” already had us in a chokehold, but Midnight Sun sounds like the moment Zara stops being humble and starts being The Moment.
Zara’s never been a “maybe.” She’s always been a yes, and this record is sounding like her biggest HELL YES yet.
The Midnight Sun Tour Is About to Eclipse Every Other Girl’s Wig
Before you even finish that cocktail, Zara will be headlining the European leg of her Midnight Sun Tour this fall, and it’s giving international domination. She’s hitting iconic venues like London’s OVO Arena Wembley (Nov 5), Dublin’s 3Arena (Nov 7), and Stockholm’s Avicii Arena (Nov 28). Swedish excellence circling the globe like a Louis Vuitton suitcase on a baggage carousel.
And because one world tour isn’t enough for this hyperpop high priestess, she’ll also be:
Supporting Tate McRae on the Miss Possessive Tour across North America (Aug 4–Sept 27),
And joining OneRepublic in Australia and New Zealand in February 2026, yes, even the Southern Hemisphere deserves to bask in Zara’s ultraviolet rays.
Zara Larsson’s Midnight Sun 2025 Tour Dates Are Hotter Than a Tanning Booth in July:
EUROPEAN LEG
October 28 – Munich, Zenith (Germany) October 30 – Vienna, Gasometer (Austria) October 31 – Berlin, Tempodrom (Germany) November 2 – Antwerp, Lotto Arena (Belgium) November 3 – Paris, Salle Pleyel (France) November 5 – London, OVO Arena Wembley November 7 – Dublin, 3Arena November 9 – Manchester, O2 Victoria Warehouse November 11 – Düsseldorf, Mitsubishi Electric HALLE (Germany) November 12 – Amsterdam, Ziggo Dome (Netherlands) November 16 – Riga, Xiaomi Arena (Latvia) November 18 – Copenhagen, Royal Arena (Denmark) November 19 – Malmö Arena (Sweden) November 21 – Oslo, Unity Arena (Norway) November 22 – Gothenburg, Scandinavium (Sweden) November 26 – Helsinki, Icehall (Finland) November 28 – Stockholm, Avicii Arena (Sweden)
Tickets are on sale now, so unless you want to spend the fall crying into your expired glitter eyeliner, you might wanna secure your seat at the altar of Zara ASAP.
Although Beyonce, Blue Ivy and Rumi Carter have been taking over our timelines thanks to the “Cowboy Carter” tour, Jay-Z has seemingly now entered the chat. And when we tell you why, it’s sure to crack you up.
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Dreaming of NYSE? Adopt an Entrepreneurial Mindset First, Loren Douglass says
Dreaming of NYSE? Adopt an Entrepreneurial Mindset First, Loren Douglass says
If you missed it, in now-viral footage, the “4:44” rapper made a surprise appearance in Paris over the weekend during his wife’s tour and joined her to perform “Crazy In Love” and “Niggas in Paris.” This marked the first time in seven years that the famous couple had been seen onstage together. It also marked a noticeable change in some fans who took seeing the legendary rapper as a newfound opportunity to bask in how cool and handsome he appeared during the entire tour thus far.
Ain’t no fucking crumbling!
JAY-Z performs Crazy In Love & Niggas In Paris at the Cowboy Carter Paris stop.
Jay-Z’s appearance has often been a topic of public discussion, with many women online expressing a lack of attraction to him. However, a recent shift in sentiment is evident. His tall, lanky coolness, quiet demeanor, protective watch over Rumi, dynamic Paris performance, the sun glasses, the hair and the resurgence of other videos have undeniably turned the tide, leaving women hot and bothered by Hov.
“Beyonce I get it. I always said he has swag and is handsome. Seeing him for On the Run II made me a believer, wrote one user on TikTok.
“Not even gonna lie, he been looking kinda fine lately,” said another.
“The hate is only on [the] internet. The ladies like him whenever he steps out,” said one other user.
“He gets more handsome the older he gets!!!” one user commented. “Along with being smart, charismatic and about his BREAD?! I get it Bey.”
In a separate video, a young woman is taking pictures at a concert venue where Bey and Jay are–but what she didn’t know was that the “Encore” rapper was walking right behind her. Being the cool guy that he is, he says something inaudible to the shocked woman before she begins to flip out after realizing who she was talking to.
“I know he said something funny, that man hilarious,” wrote one user in the comments.
“The way I love that man omgggg, security would’ve had me in a damn headlock,” one other user said.
On the verge of resting their sex trafficking case against Sean “Diddy” Combs, federal prosecutors on Monday showed jurors more videos of the drug-fueled sex marathons at the center of allegations that could put the hip-hop mogul behind bars for life.
The clips, totaling about 20 minutes of footage of so-called “freak-offs” or “hotel nights,” bookended a prosecution case that began seven weeks ago with jurors seeing security camera footage of Combs brutally beating his former longtime girlfriend Cassie at a Los Angeles hotel in 2016.
Prosecutors are set to rest their case on Tuesday once Combs’ lawyers finish cross-examining the final government witness — Joseph Cerciello, a Homeland Security Investigations agent whose testimony included spending hours reading aloud text message exchanges, some of which involved Combs or other people in his orbit.
As they questioned Cerciello, Combs’ lawyers played excerpts from the videos, which were shown only to the jury and the parties — not reporters or public observers of the trial — because of their graphic nature.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Maurene Comey sometimes referred to the mostly 1- or 2-minute clips filmed by Combs as “explicit” videos, a signal for jurors to put on headsets that enabled them to hear and view the recordings without them being seen or heard by spectators in the Manhattan courtroom.
Prosecutors have cited the drug-fueled multiday events as evidence of sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy, saying Combs relied on employees, associates and his business accounts to fly male sex workers to Miami, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and New York, where his staff set up hotel rooms for the encounters and cleaned up afterward.
Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty. He’s been active in his defense, writing notes to his attorneys and sometimes influencing when they stop questioning witnesses.
Last week, prosecutors showed jurors about 2 minutes of footage from 2012 and 2014 involving Cassie, a male sex worker and Combs. Cassie, an R&B singer whose real name is Casandra Ventura, earlier testified that she participated in hundreds of the “freak-off” events. She and Combs were in a relationship from 2007 until 2018.
Cassie sued Combs in 2023, alleging years of abuse. He settled within hours, and dozens of similar lawsuits followed.
The Associated Press doesn’t generally identify people who say they are victims of sexual abuse unless they come forward publicly, as Cassie has done.
Defense lawyers last week showed the jury about 18 minutes of video clips from the sex performances involving Cassie after a lawyer said in opening statements that the videos prove sexual activity was consensual and not evidence of a crime.
On Monday, prosecutors aired nearly 20 minutes of recordings from 2021 and 2022 of a single mother who was identified only by the pseudonym “Jane,” male sex workers and Combs. Jane testified earlier in the trial for six days that she was romantically involved with Combs from 2021 until his September arrest at a New York hotel.
Cerciello, the federal agent, testified that dozens of the recordings from late 2021 until last August lasted many hours. Comey finished questioning Cerciello in the early afternoon on Monday. After a cross-examination by the defense, the prosecution was expected to rest.
Closing arguments were tentatively scheduled for Thursday after what was expected to be a brief defense presentation.
Welcome to Love Island USA: Casa Amor Edition, where the sun is hot, the bikinis are microscopic, and apparently… the memes are lethal.
Just days into the drama-fueled chaos of Love Island USA Season 7’s Casa Amor twist, bombshell Savanna “Vanna” Einerson from Salt Lake City has gone viral, and not for the reason she hoped. Social media users are eating her alive, comparing her to Jigsaw from the Saw horror franchise in a meme that has already racked up over nearly a million views. And girl… it’s only Monday.
It all started when Twitter user @hughart_michael shared a savage side-by-side of Vanna’s Casa Amor debut glam with a photo of the infamous puppet-faced villain Jigsaw, captioning it simply:
“Vanna girl… #LoveIslandUSA”
And just like that, the internet turned into a roast session hotter than the Vegas sun.
“This Why I Love the Internet. We’re All on One Accord.”
Once the tweet started gaining traction, the replies spiraled into full Bravo-reunion energy. Someone quote-tweeted with:
“She needs to dissolve that shit ASAP cause she’s only 3 years older than me but she’s looking mid-thirty at best.” OOP.
The girl didn’t fly all the way from Utah to flirt with someone’s leftovers.
Who Even Is Vanna?
Savanna “Vanna” Einerson, 21, strutted into Casa Amor looking like a Bratz doll fresh off the surgeon’s table, and she’s owning it. Vanna is representing Salt Lake City, Utah, and she introduced herself as the new bombshell ready to stir the pot and make the original girls sweat. And the mission? Accomplished.
But the internet? The internet said, “Let’s play a game.”
The comparisons to horror icon Jigsaw weren’t just visual. They were vibe. Twitter users suggested that Vanna’s intense eye makeup and filler-heavy features made her look like she was about to roll in on a tricycle with a death trap proposal.
Was it shady? Yes. Was it accurate? That’s between you, your Botox injector, and your group chat.
President Donald Trump said Monday on social media that Israel and Iran have agreed to a “complete and total ceasefire” to be phased in over 24 hours.
The U.S. president said on Truth Social that the ceasefire would bring an “Official END” to the war, a major change in the hostilities that follows a U.S. strike over the weekend on three Iranian nuclear sites.
“On the assumption that everything works as it should, which it will, I would like to congratulate both Countries, Israel and Iran, on having the Stamina, Courage, and Intelligence to end, what should be called, ‘THE 12 DAY WAR,’” Trump posted.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump thanked Iran for giving the U.S. and allies “early notice” of Monday’s retaliatory missile strike aimed at a major U.S. military installation in the Gulf nation of Qatar.
The president expressed hope that Tehran — with its reprisal for the U.S. bombardment of three key Iranian nuclear facilities — had “gotten it all out of their ‘system’” and that the moment would lead to a de-escalation in the Israel-Iran war.
“I am pleased to report that NO Americans were harmed, and hardly any damage was done,” Trump said on social media. “I want to thank Iran for giving us early notice, which made it possible for no lives to be lost, and nobody to be injured. Perhaps Iran can now proceed to Peace and Harmony in the Region, and I will enthusiastically encourage Israel to do the same.”
The Iranian attack on U.S. forces at Qatar’s Al Udeid Air Base marked Tehran’s first act of direct retaliation against the U.S. since Trump ordered strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Leon Panetta, who served as CIA director and defense secretary under former President Barack Obama, said Iran’s restrained response suggests that “their ability to respond has probably been damaged pretty badly.” He also said it’s a potential signal “they’re not interested in escalating the war, either with Israel or the United States.”
Trump said Iran launched 14 missiles at the base, a sprawling facility that hosts the forward headquarters of the U.S. military’s Central Command and was a major staging ground during the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The base houses some 8,000 U.S. troops, down from about 10,000 at the height of those wars.
The president said 13 of the Iranian missiles “were knocked down,” by U.S. air defense systems while one was “’set free’ because it was headed in a nonthreatening direction.”
Hours before Iran launched its attack on Monday, the U.S. Embassy in Qatar issued an alert on its website urging American citizens in the energy-rich nation to “shelter in place until further notice.” The Qatari government issued an extraordinary order to shut its busy airspace.
The attack came as global markets were trying to ascertain what lays ahead after the U.S. struck key Iranian nuclear facilities over the weekend with a barrage of 30,000-pound bunker busting bombs and Tomahawk missiles.
Iran’s parliament has approved cutting off the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow shipping lane in the Persian Gulf that about 20% of global oil and gas passes through. It’s now up to Iran’s national security council to decide whether to move forward with the idea, which could lead to a spike in the cost of goods and services worldwide.
So, far the markets appear to be a responding with a relative measure of calm. By Monday afternoon, oil prices were nearly back to where they were before the fighting began over a week ago.
Trump earlier Monday called on the U.S. and allied oil producing nations to pump more oil and “KEEP OIL PRICES DOWN.”
Many energy industry analysts are skeptical that Iran would go forward with a full closure of the strait, something that it has threatened to do in the past.
Iran would face the possibility of retaliation against its own shipments and the possibility that the move would upset China, the biggest purchaser of Iranian crude.
The U.S. and allies pressed Russia in the leadup to Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine with threats to its oil industry, and then followed through as many Western oil companies pulled out of the country and the U.S. and Europe imposed sanctions on Russian industry.
But Iran is far less integrated into the global economy than Russia, which was reliant on European markets for its oil and gas exports and still went forward with the invasion despite U.S. warnings.
Colby Connelly, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, cautioned that “if the 2020s have taught us anything so far, it’s that economic ties don’t always prevent conflict.”
As for Iran’s future, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Monday appeared to play down Trump calling into question the future of Iran’s ruling theocracy, seemingly contradicting his administration’s earlier calls on Tehran to resume negotiations and avoid an escalation in fighting.
“It’s not politically correct to use the term, ‘Regime Change,’ but if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn’t there be a Regime change???” Trump posted on social media. “MIGA!!!”
Leavitt said Trump’s “posture and our military posture has not changed.”
“The president was just simply raising a question that I think many people around the world are asking,” Leavitt said.
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Dreaming of NYSE? Adopt an Entrepreneurial Mindset First, Loren Douglass says
Dreaming of NYSE? Adopt an Entrepreneurial Mindset First, Loren Douglass says
In yet another instance of Black hair being policed, the Supreme Court has agreed to hear the case of Damon Landor, a devoted Rastafarian whose dreadlocks were shorn by prison officials in 2020. This comes after Landor, who was serving a five-month sentence for drug-related charges at Louisiana’s Raymond Laborde Correction Center, filed a lawsuit arguing that the incident violated his religious expression.
Monday, the Supreme Court agreed to take up the case of Landor, who filed a lawsuit based on the 2020 incident when he had his dreadlocks cut off by prison officials in the Correction Center. There, he was serving a five-month sentence for drug-related charges, per NBC News.
Landor filed his suit upon his release from prison, arguing that his locs should have been protected under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act. Since then, Louisiana Attorney General Elizabeth Murrill stated new changes were made to ensure this doesn’t happen again to another Rastafarian. However, the report says she challenged the possibility of him being able to claim monetary damages. Both a federal judge and appeals judge also ruled against his claim for damages, per court documents. However, the Supreme Court decided to hear the case.
Landor’s case could have major implications on how hair is protected legally for inmates. The CROWN Act, aimed toward creating statutory protections for hair based on race (not religion), is still fighting its way through national legislation. Though Landor’s case is focused on defending his religion instead of arguing racial discrimination, could his argument still thrust hair protections to the next level for Black inmates in general? The Root asked CROWN Act Champion and scholar Dr. Adjoa B. Asamoah to weigh in.
“The CROWN Act extends statutory protection to everyone when passed and becomes law. There is not a specific environment in which the crown act you know we are we are seeking to make sure people have their rights,” Dr. Asamoah said. “From a personal perspective, protecting people’s civil rights is not something that should have limitations in my view. It’s important for us to always center people’s humanity like especially now there should be an increased focus on acknowledging fellow humans independent of incarceration status, independent religious beliefs, gender – let’s treat humans like humans and protect people civil rights. That’s why we have them.”
Cases like Landor should garner hair protections for people not just based on religion, but also race as locs are consistantly a point of contention for most hair discrimination cases. He plans to argue his right to damages based on the Court’s previous ruling on the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, per the report. The Court will hear the case on their next term which begins in October.
Let’s go! The live-action reboot of Street Fighter has just gotten a gigantic slice of the puzzle, and Capcom’s iconic franchise fandom has every reason to start spamming the hype emotes. According to a fresh report from Deadline, rising star Callina Liang has been officially cast as Chun-Li, the First Lady of Fighting Games, in Legendary Pictures’ upcoming adaptation.
And yes, this one’s actually in development. It’s no longer just a Ryu-shaped rumor floating through development hell. Fists are being thrown, the cast is getting bulked up, and this new Street Fighter film is booked for a March 20, 2026, release date. Get the quarters ready.
Chun-Li Is In: Liang Steps Into the Lightning Legs
Casting Chun-Li is no easy feat. She’s one of gaming lore’s most iconic characters. A legend, a feminist legend, a cosplayer’s wet dream, and just the hardest Interpol agent ever to hurricane kick a dictator onto a helicopter. Today, that duty falls to Tell Me Everything and Foundation vet Callina Liang. And if she continues the trend from her roles in Presence(Steven Soderbergh’s unsettling mind-bender) and Bad Genius, she’s got the chops.
Liang isn’t just bringing acting talent to the table. She’s bringing precision, power, and potential to those Yuen Woo-pinglevel fight sequences we’ve been starving for since the days of The Matrix and The Raid. And let’s be real: after decades of Chun-Li’s botched portrayal in everything from the Van Damme cult classic to The Legend of Chun-Li (we don’t talk about that one), it’s about time she got the respect she deserves.
The Roster: Koji, Centineo, Momoa, Reigns & Peck Unite
Chun-Li is not going to go it alone in this fight. Legendary’s roster is taking shape, much like the EVO finals, with Andrew Koji, Noah Centineo, Jason Momoa, Roman Reigns, and Orville Peck all already rumored to be on board.
Let’s break that down for the lore nerds:
Koji (Warrior, Snake Eyes) would be a foregone conclusion if he were to play Ryu or Fei Long’s part. Guy’s got the martial arts skillset and the screen presence.
Roman Reigns? Zangief or E. Honda, depending on whether they’re going to have him grappling or slamming.
Orville Peck? We’ll see, but if they cast him as Vega, I’m screaming.
New Director, New Energy: Kitao Sakurai at the Helm
The film’s trajectory hadn’t been without its stun locks. First, Talk to Me breakout directors Danny and Michael Philippou were set to direct a horror crossover that had fans speculating wildly. But in early 2024, the brothers backed out of the project because of scheduling conflicts. That left Legendary in a temporary spiral kick mode of uncertainty.
Then came on board Kitao Sakurai, the twisted mastermind behind The Eric Andre Show, Bad Trip, and Twisted Metal. If one thing Sakurai can do is chaos, then Street Fighter is the ideal franchise to use it. This individual knows how to create the absurd, the over-the-top, and the bombastic. If there’s hope of bringing Street Fighter’s iconic arcade flair, high-speed aesthetic, and totally bananas storylines (M. Bison is a dead warlord specter fueled by psycho energy, right), Sakurai could very well be the man.
The Power of Capcom’s Support
Capcom is not just licensing this out and raking in a stack of yen. The publisher is actively developing the movie, which bodes well considering how carefully they’ve protected their IP recently. And with Street Fighter 6 tearing through the gaming world, crossing the threshold of 5 million units sold this month, it’s clear the brand is far from disappearing.
The studio’s insistence on the March 2026 release date means they’re already well down in pre-production, maybe scouting locations, stunt choreographers, and for goodness’ sake, actual martial artists instead of stunt-doubled celebrities: no more floaty cuts and off-screen spin kicks. We want raw, we want practical, we want Hadoukens that actually look painful.
What We Still Don’t Know (And What We Want)
We still don’t know:
Who’s playing M. Bison? (Giancarlo Esposito, please.)
Will we have Cammy, Guile, Dhalsim, or Blanka?
Is it going full tournament saga or the Shadaloo infiltration route?
Will they ever give Chun-Li a real arc and not just a revenge-based one for my dad?
And above all, will the movie respect the lore and the absurdity? Will it nod to the heart-stopping, quarter-gobbling energy of Street Fighter II while bringing the mythos up to date for today’s crowds?
If you’ve been watching the race for mayor of New York City, you know that there are two Democratic frontrunners the media has zeroed in on: Andrew Cuomo and Zohran Mamdani.
As the former governor of the state of New York and a longtime politico before his resignation in 2021 over sexual harassment claims, Cuomo has an astronomical lead with Black voters in the primary race—with one Emerson College/PIX11/Hill poll putting him at 62% with would-be Black voters and Mamdani at 38%.
Black New Yorkers make up the second-largest population in the city after Caucasian residents, with the U.S. Census counting non-Hispanic Black residents as 20.2% (or 1.78 million) of the population.
Why is Cuomo polling so strongly with Black voters, especially with a historic number of Black candidates in the race?
Could it be name recognition, nostalgia, or a practical calculation that more experience will equate to better governance? Have mixed feelings over the Eric Adams mayoral administration and its associated scandals taken the luster out of rallying for representation?
Whatever the reasons, the strong return of Cuomo and the fresh enthusiasm for Mamdani have dominated media attention for the past few weeks, overshadowing other candidates’ platforms, particularly other Black candidates in the race.
With ranked-choice voting in NYC’s Democratic primary election, voters can choose up to five candidates—so even with Cuomo and Mamdani in the lead, knowing about other candidates’ platforms matters.
Here’s a recap of who is in the race on the Democratic side (Eric Adams is now an Independent) and policy proposals that are worth attention:
Michael Blake: Son of New York, Democratic insider
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 4: Democratic mayoral candidate Michael Blake speaks during the New York City Democratic Mayoral Primary Debate at NBC Studios on June 4, 2025 in New York City. Nine candidates are taking the stage for the first debate of the primary election for mayor. (Photo by Yuki Iwamura-Pool/Getty Images)
Michael Blake is the son of Jamaican immigrants who was born and raised in the Bronx. He served as a state assemblyman in New York’s 79th District from 2015 to 2021. Blake is also a reverend who has focused on economic empowerment in his advocacy work.
His biggest claim to fame is working in the Obama administration and serving as vice chair at large of the Democratic National Committee.
Blake has taken big swings at Cuomo, dedicating ads to getting Black voters to vote #NoCuomo.
“You do not need an Andrew Cuomo to help you,” Blake told theGrio in an interview. “Andrew Cuomo has failed Black folk. Cuomo had 13 women who said that he had sexually harassed them and had a toxic environment. I’ve been a feminist my entire life, including a husband, a bonus father, and a reverend. The current administration is failing you. A Cuomo administration would fail you.”
Blake’s policy agenda centers around affordability, stable rent, and guaranteed income as a strategy for helping people stay out of poverty. He points to childcare and housing as the largest expenses that impact everyday New Yorkers.
“I believe we should have a guaranteed income to help close the gap for New Yorkers to pay those bills,” he told theGrio. “If someone knows that that gap is there to help them in a time of need, you reduce the anxiety and stress that happens in life, and you actually give people an opportunity and a chance.”
Blake says that with a city budget of $115 billion and a reduction of NYPD overtime charges—which recently totaled $1.4 billion—the funds could be reallocated.
Blake has been endorsed by former NY Congressman Jamaal Bowman and, interestingly enough, by Zohran Mamdani. The two cross-endorsed each other in a strategic move that works given NYC’s ranked-choice voting option.
Adrienne Adams: No drama, serious business and could be NYC’s first woman mayor
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 10: City Council Speaker and New York City mayoral candidate Adrienne Adams speaks during a press conference outside of City Hall on April 10, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
Adrienne Adams is one of the few candidates in the race whose day job most closely resembles the job she’s running for. As the speaker of the New York City Council, she’s the first Black person ever elected to the position.
As of this article, she was in the midst of trying to balance the city’s $115 billion budget.
Adams has no family ties to the current mayor, Eric Adams, but she’s been unapologetic in her criticism of him.
“It has become clear that Mayor Adams has now lost the confidence and trust of his own staff, his colleagues in government, and New Yorkers,” Adams said back in February, accusing him of mismanagement in the wake of his Turkish scandal. “He now must prioritize New York City … step aside and resign.”
Adams has been able to point to her record of creating 80,000 affordable housing units and advocating for zoning reform to show she can help residents find a place to live.
She’s also created pathways for people to finish their college education if they had credits but weren’t able to cross the finish line through her CUNY Reconnect Program, resulting in 40,000 students served.
Adams promises to focus on affordability and housing and participate in the Trump resistance on a local level. She’s been endorsed by New York Attorney General Letitia James and Texas Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett.
Zellnor Myrie: Brooklyn’s very own—attorney-turned-state senator championing housing
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 4: Democratic mayoral candidate Zellnor Myrie speaks in the New York City Democratic Mayoral Primary Debate at NBC Studios on June 4, 2025 in New York City. Nine candidates are taking the stage for the first debate of the primary election for mayor. (Photo by Yuki Iwamura-Pool/Getty Images)
Zellnor Myrie is a 38-year-old three-term Brooklyn State Senator who is also Afro-Latino (his parents immigrated from Costa Rica). A graduate of Fordham and Cornell Law School, Myrie worked as an attorney before launching his career in public service.
He can boast wins in the realm of helping to pass affordable housing laws that favored renters and has done notable work on increasing access to voting—it was Myrie who introduced a bill to make early voting a statewide right in New York.
“I’m just like every other New Yorker who takes the subway every day, who is still trying to pay back student loans, who is still trying to make my way,” Myrie said in an interview with NY1.
Myrie notably has a Black agenda specifically for Black voters, in addition to his larger policy agenda, which includes building intergenerational wealth through homeownership, increasing mental health services, Black maternal health resources, and a Black Business Accelerator Fund.
Myrie is polling in the middle of the pack of the eleven candidates in the race, but he’s earned endorsements from former New York Congressman Jamaal Bowman, New York Attorney General Letitia James, New York Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who represents New York’s 14th Congressional District.
Dr. Selma K. Bartholomew: Harlem-raised educator and community engager
Dr. Bartholomew (also known as Dr. B) is a self-described outlier who has entered the race with a diverse range of experiences as a businesswoman and educator. A graduate of Lehman College, where she focused on math and physics and earned advanced degrees at Fordham and Adelphi, Dr. Bartholomew’s vision for NYC includes increased public safety, cleaner streets, stronger educational programs, and free Metro cards for 18–to 21-year-olds who are still in the building phase of young adulthood.
Dr. Bartholomew has also stated a desire for a quality-of-life assessment that goes zip code by zip code to report how residents’ needs are being met.
“I am not a traditional candidate,” she told The Amsterdam News in an interview. “I have always pretty much voted Democrat, and I think the people have to be the change that they want to see…My mission is clear: I want to bring our children back. I work in schools in New York and across the country, and I see the slow, slow death of our children. They are pushing this synthetic marijuana on our kids. I wanna be able to bring a bigger, bolder vision to New York City.”
Although Dr. Bartholomew’s website lists no endorsements page or major fundraising initiatives, she spoke to her getting on the ballot as a reflection of her grassroots vision:
“New York City has had 108 white men as mayors and 110 men. Our election process is really about selection, not election,” she told The Amsterdam News. “The people with money are the ones who were able to afford the attorneys. They are able to pay people to go out and collect signatures, and they know the process because they might have that historical knowledge. I just did it all on the strength of love and my army of volunteers, and faith.”
Paperboy Prince: Artist-turned-candidate
Paperboy Prince’s ad campaign features them dressed in a suit, clown shoes with clown face paint, entering a New York City finance committee meeting with a message to share. At the end of the ad, it reads: “A clown you can trust.”
This isn’t Paperboy Prince’s first electoral rodeo. They (their pronouns are they/them) also ran against Nydia Velázquez in the 2020 congressional race and were considered a longshot, but didn’t succeed in the race, but managed to get 20% of the vote. Nevertheless, Paperboy Prince, who is also a rapper and activist, campaigns with a focus on a $2,000 universal basic income, housing for all, health care for all, and spreading love.
A native of Baltimore, Maryland with Puerto Rican, Colombian, and Panamanian roots, Paperboy Prince has built a community in NYC, a following on social media, and uses media spotlight in clown attire to press politicians about why they can’t accomplish anything.
“The people that are in office right now, they’re focused on division. They’re focused on polarizing sides so they can gain more power. For me, I want to bring everybody together. It doesn’t matter what race you are, what gender you are … We need to come together as a family, as a city now … because that’s what’s humane.”
Polls for NYC’s Democratic primary open on Tuesday, June 24, at 6:00 a.m. and close at 9:00 p.m.
