Dr. Linda Birnbaum, a prominent toxicologist and former head of the National Toxicology Program, has sounded the alarm about the presence of harmful chemicals in bandages from some of the most trusted brands on the market.

According to Dr. Birnbaum, bandages from well-reputed companies such as Band-Aid and Curad contain dangerous levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), commonly known as forever chemicals.

PFAS chemicals, which are often utilized in the production of bandage adhesives, have prompted major health concerns due to their carcinogenic potential. Investigators are concerned that these chemicals may be leaking into open wounds, posing a considerable risk of cancer to anyone who uses these bandages.

So, what does this mean for consumers? Essentially, it means that people who use these bandages to prevent and cure wounds may be unintentionally exposing themselves to dangerous compounds. PFAS chemicals can enter the bloodstream through a variety of methods, including intake of contaminated water or food. Once in the bloodstream, PFAS can accumulate in healthy tissue, causing harm to the immune system, liver, kidneys, and other critical organs.

The discovery that several well-known bandage brands contain significant amounts of fluorine, a critical indicator of PFAS contamination, emphasizes the urgency of the situation. Band-Aid, Care Science, Curad, CVS Health, Equate, First Honey, Rite Aid brand, Solimo (Amazon brand), and Target’s brand Up & Up have all been found to have fluorine levels above 100 parts per million.

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Mustering his inner Beyoncé, J. Cole threw everyone for a loop Thursday evening and dropped a surprise mixtape, “Might Delete Later,” the appetizer leading up to his much anticipated “The Fall Off” album.

Few of us have had enough time to analyze the full 12-track project because of its final track, “7 Minute Drill,” in which Cole takes headshots directly at Kendrick Lamar.

 

A brief history on the J. Cole-Kendrick squabble: Largely considered two of the three best rappers of their generation (Drake being the third), Cole and K. Dot have appeared on several tracks together, mostly near the nascent parts of their careers in the early 2010s. Cole also produced “HiiPower,” the best track from Kendrick’s first album, 2011’s “Section.80.” Their last official appearance together is on Jeezy’s 2017 track “American Dream.”

If I had to dig up and analyze all the subliminal disses that Cole, Kendrick and Drake have leveled at each other and everyone else, you’d be reading this until June. But, like most respectable lyricists worth their battle rapping salt, Kendrick has never been comfortable being “buddies” with the men with whom he’s compared. We first saw this with his buzzy, shot-taking 2013 guest verse on Big Sean’s “Control.”

Kendrick has been mostly quiet following his highly anticipated yet tepidly received 2022 album “Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers.” But he woke up a somnambulant Hip-Hop by channeling the spirits of Katt Williams and Stephen A. Smith and talking shit in 2024 on “Like That,” from Future and Metro Boomin’s March 22 album “We Don’t Trust You.”

“Motherf**** the Big Three, n***a, it’s just Big Me,” he rapped.

 

Everyone has been waiting for Drake and Cole to respond; the latter got right to it inside of two weeks.

“He still doing shows but fell off like ‘The Simpsons’ / Your first shit was classic, your last shit was tragic / Your second shit put n****s to sleep but they gassed it / Your third shit was massive and that was your prime / I was trailing right behind and I just now hit mine,” Cole rapped.

“He averaging one ‘Heart’ verse like every 30 months or something / If he wasn’t dissing, then we wouldn’t be discussing nothin’ / Blood don’t make me have to smoke this n***a ’cause I f**k with him / But push come to shove on this mic I will humble him,” he also rapped.

As it’s wont to do, Twitter/X went banoodles over the bars — both men have been trending all day Friday. Because many fans love J. Cole or Kendrick, but not both, divisions are sharp.

Some have a valid complaint about Cole’s non-committal, wishy-washy response in the bloodsport that is Hip-Hop beef.

 

 

 

Some folks are dealing with the realization that we’ll never see that joint Cole/Kendrick album everyone has been waiting for.

Of course, several tweets tied Friday morning’s east coast earthquake to the response that dropped just a few hours prior.

 

So, who wins this “round” of the battle? Cole’s diss won’t likely change anyone’s allegiance to either rapper. The true winners of the battle are the fans: We need a little spice dropped on the genre from time to time, and what better rappers than those in “The Big Three?” But the true loser of the battle…? Drake.  

 

 

 

After searching through a record number of nominations from our readers, we are proud to announce theGrio Heroes for 2024!

These 10 honorees are activists, educators, doctors and entrepreneurs who work tirelessly to uplift the Black community. Their hard work and dedication set an example that we all should follow, and theGrio is honored to recognize their achievements.

TheGrio Heroes for 2024 are: 

Osei Boateng: Chief executive officer of OKB Hope Foundation, an organization that delivers health care and education to rural areas of Ghana.

Rhiannon Carnes: Co-founder and executive director of Ohio Women’s Alliance, a reproductive rights organization that worked tirelessly to get an amendment added to Ohio’s Constitution to protect access to abortion care.

Marvin Dunn: Professor emeritus in the Department of Psychology at Florida International University, who launched a series of historical tours to protect the teaching of Black history.

Angela Ferrell-Zabala: Executive director of Moms Demand Action, one of the nation’s largest gun safety organizations.

Angel Gregorio: Founder of The Spice Suite and Black + Forth, a 7,500 square foot commercial space in Washington, D.C.’s Langdon Park neighborhood that supports Black-owned businesses.

Jacqueline Hubbard: President of the St. Petersburg, Fla., chapter of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, who launched a Freedom School to teach Black history to students in Florida.

Chris “CJ” Matthews: Founder of the Atlanta-based Blankies 4 My Buddies, which provides blankets, clothes and other necessities for homeless or sick children. 

Kwane Stewart: Veterinarian, co-founder and board president of The Street Vet, an organization that provides veterinary care for pets of the unhoused in San Diego, Calif.

Mychal Threets: Librarian and TikTok influencer from Fairfield, Calif., who advocates for reading.

Jabee Williams: Founder of Oklahoma City-based Live Free OKC, a subsidiary of Live Free USA, the national gun violence prevention organization.

Alley Bardfield, a longstanding substitute teacher, was arrested after being accused of engaging in an inappropriate connection with a kid. Bardfield was arrested and charged with grooming and predatory criminal sexual assault, according to officials from Decatur Public Schools.

The unsettling situation began when the mother of a sixth-grade student saw her son acting strangely after visiting Bardfield’s home. After reviewing her son’s phone and social media accounts, the concerned mother discovered disturbing details. In an honest talk with her son, he revealed an unsettling experience with Bardfield during a March 29th visit to her Mt. Zion home.

The distressing news prompted an immediate response from law enforcement. Officers from the Mt. Zion Police Department and Deputies from the Macon County Sheriff’s Office conducted a thorough investigation, which included reviewing text messages and social media contacts and conducting a search warrant at Bardfield’s apartment. The inquiry produced corroborating evidence, providing probable cause for Bardfield’s arrest on counts of Predatory Criminal Sexual Assault of a Child Under the Age of 13 and Grooming.

Decatur Public Schools swiftly terminated Bardfield’s job following the serious charges. Although none of the reported misconduct occurred on DPS property, the school district is working collaboratively with law enforcement agencies, including the Mt. Zion Police Department, to guarantee a comprehensive investigation and support for students and staff affected by the event.” This is an ongoing story, and we are committed to providing updates as further information emerges,” stated a spokesperson for Decatur Public Schools.

Alley Bardfield’s arrest highlights the critical significance of attention and swift action in ensuring pupils’ well-being. Decatur Public Schools maintains its unshakable commitment to providing a secure and conducive learning environment for all students, emphasizing its zero-tolerance stance toward any type of misconduct or abuse.

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The who’s who of wealthy MAGA Billionaires are reportedly heading to Palm Beach, Fla. this weekend for a massive fundraiser for former President Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, hosted by hedge fund founder John Paulson.

According to CNN News and other reports, notable fundraiser guests will include Robert and Rebekah Mercer, Robert “Woody” Johnson, Wilbur Ross, John Catsimatidis, and Todd Rickets.

While they all share their passion for another Trump presidency, another bond connects some of Trump’s most avid supporters. Over the last several years, many of them have landed in hot water for allegedly controversial statements and actions related to race.

Billionaire Robert “Woody” Johnson is a prime example. In 2020, CNN reported that Johnson, a top donor who was serving as Trump’s ambassador to the United Kingdom, was being investigated by a State Department watchdog organization for racist comments about Black men.

Sources reportedly told CNN News that ahead of a Black History Month event, Johnson was agitated to have be around a “whole bunch of Black people” and said the “real challenge” for the Black community was Black fathers who didn’t want to stay with their families.

For his part, Johnson denied making “insensitive remarks.”

“I have followed the ethical rules and requirements of my office at all times. These false claims of insensitive remarks about race and gender are totally inconsistent with my longstanding record and values,” he tweeted from his then-account.

Johnson isn’t the only guest with a controversial story. Hedge Fund billionaire Robert Mercer and his daughter Rebekah Mercer have come under fire for their multi-billion dollar investment in Breitbart, whose founder Steve Bannon called the website “a platform for the alt-right.” Paulson, who is reportedly throwing the event, also faced criticism after he denounced his daughter’s school for teaching about racism, arguing that they were engaging in “anti-white indoctrination. 

Then there are folks like John Catsimatidis, who said it was “reverse racism” that Black Americans voted for former President Barack Obama in large numbers. And Wilbur Ross, who came under fire for reportedly attending an annual secret society dinner where in year past, a guest wore on a confederate flag hat and danced around to the “Tune of Dixie.”

For their part, The Biden campaign blasted the fundraiser in an exclusive response to The Root.

“Donald Trump is holding a dinner with a few of his closest billionaire friends who danced around wearing the Confederate flag, advocated for stop and frisk, and said it was ‘racist’ for Black voters to support President Obama,” said Biden-Harris Campaign Senior Spokesperson Sarafina Chitika. “This is more of what we’ve already seen from Trump, who smeared Barack Obama, dined alongside a white supremacist, said there were ‘very fine people’ on both sides of a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, and spent his time as a landlord screwing Black tenants out of housing. Black voters are watching as Trump is making it clear who he is and who he’ll fight for if he’s given a second term – and it isn’t them.”

Tennis legend. Serial entrepreneur. Venture capitalist. Serena Williams holds many titles, but since giving birth to her first child, Alexis Olympia Ohanian, Jr., in 2017, her favorite is “Mom.”

In August 2023, Serena and her husband, Alexis Ohanian, welcomed a second daughter to the fold, Adira River. “I have to say I am obsessed with her,” Williams gushed during an interview on “Today with Hoda & Jenna” on April 4 (per People magazine). “Oh my gosh, she’s so yummy. She’s like the best, I love her.”

The founder of the newly launched Wyn Beauty also discussed the transition from parenting one child to two, noting: “Two is different, but I haven’t experienced it yet because they’re six years apart. So Olympia is in school most of the day, and I get to hang out with the baby most of the day. And then when Olympia is home, I get to hang out with her.”

Williams is apparently following sage advice she received ahead of welcoming a second child. 

“Someone gave me the best advice; they said, ‘Spend more time with the oldest cause they’ll remember,’” she recalled. “Isn’t that the best advice? But I do. Because the little one won’t remember. So whenever Olympia’s home, I’m with her.”

As for the dynamics between her two daughters, Williams says it happily reflects her own upbringing, growing up the youngest of five sisters.

“That’s one thing Olympia would always say — I want a sister,” she told hosts Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager. “So I was so happy when we had the opportunity to have another little girl — I was like, ‘Yes!’ … I’m so used to girls.”

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The tennis prodigy-turned-icon is also getting used to life after the sport, a pivot that allows her to be a hands-on parent, regardless of the season.

“I love sports and being active,” said Williams in a recent interview with Byrdie magazine, where she also discussed how motherhood has changed both her perspectives on beauty and achievement. “Leaving something I was still good at to be a mom was such a difficult decision. But I wanted another kid, so I had to do that. Now it’s about finding balance and doing other things I’ve always loved.”

As Williams told the outlet, that balance has included some new wins. “I can’t say that a Wimbledon trophy holds a candle to volunteering at my kid’s school.”

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Fans of the Star Wars universe rejoice as Disney+ drops the thrilling trailer for Lucasfilm’s latest original animated series, “Star Wars: Tales of the Empire.” Following the success of 2022’s critically acclaimed “Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi,” this new installment promises to immerse viewers in the heart of the fearsome Galactic Empire.

On May 4, the iconic Star Wars Day, “Star Wars: Tales of the Empire” will make its exclusive Disney+ premiere. With six episodes examining the complex storylines of characters navigating the ever-changing Imperial administration, the drama is sure to intrigue audiences.

The series takes viewers on a gripping journey through the eyes of two warriors, each embarking on their own path within the expansive Empire. Young Morgan Elsbeth, portrayed by the talented Diana Lee Inosanto, seeks vengeance after facing devastating losses, while former Jedi Barriss Offee, voiced by Meredith Salenger, must navigate a galaxy in flux to ensure her survival. Their choices will shape their destinies in a galaxy where loyalty and betrayal are ever-present.

Rya Kihlstedt as Lyn, also known as Fourth Sister, Wing T. Chao as Wing, Lars Mikkelsen as Thrawn, Jason Isaacs as the Grand Inquisitor, and Matthew Wood as General Grievous complete the superb voice cast. With such a talented cast, fans can expect fascinating performances that bring the Star Wars universe to life.

Dave Filoni, renowned for his work on “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” and “Star Wars Rebels,” spearheads the series as the creator and supervising director. Serving as executive producers are Athena Yvette Portillo and Carrie Beck, with Josh Rimes as co-executive producer and Alex Spotswood as senior producer.

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Subway riders in New York City might notice some heavily armed military forces standing around on platforms after the state’s Gov. Kathy Hochul deployed the National Guard into the subway system last month — along with hundreds more New York State and MTA police officers.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams then announced an additional 800 New York Police Department officers would also be flooding into the transit system.

However, policy experts warn that the influx of law enforcement and military forces will do little to address violent crime, and it may be Black subway riders who end up paying the ultimate price.

“[Based on] what we know about subway crime rates right now, there doesn’t seem to be a need for this kind of response,” says Jullian Harris-Calvin, director of Greater Justice New York for the Vera Institute.

In fact, ahead of the deployment of the National Guard and the surge in subway police, the number of major felonies, shootings, and overall crime in the transit system dropped, says Harris-Calvin, pointing to February data from the NYPD. She also noted that the proportion of violent arrests among all arrests that occurred within the transit system hit a four-year low in 2023.

“It’s not as if we’ve reached some high point or precipice with respect to transit crime over the last year or two,” she explains. “Having this kind of dramatic response, in particular, having the military flood the subway, isn’t a solution that’s in line with what the data is showing are the crime trends in the subway.”

Why an Increased Police Presence in NYC Now?

Governor Hochul says the surge and National Guard deployment isn’t about crime data. It’s about getting subway riders to “feel” safe.

“I can show you all the statistics in the world and say you should feel safe because the numbers are better,” said Hochul on “Morning Joe.” “But you’re the mom on the subway with your baby in a stroller. You’re the parent putting your kid on the subway to go to high school. You’re the senior citizen going to a doctor’s appointment. If you’re anxious, then I’m the Governor of the State of New York. I’m concerned about it.”

She added, “And if you feel better walking past someone in a uniform to make sure that someone doesn’t bring a knife or a gun on the subway, then that’s exactly why I did it.”

Not all of Hochul’s fellow New York Democrats agree with her assessment.

“I thought it was ridiculous, sensationalism that it would make people feel less safe,” says New York State Sen. Jabari Brisport (D-Brooklyn). “And I was proven right when hearing stories from people seeing that the National Guard had been deployed and saying, oh, I didn’t know New York City had gotten that bad.”

Lindsey McLendon, a senior fellow for Criminal Justice Reform at American Progress, agrees with Sen. Brisport that the increase of police forces may have the opposite of its intended effect.

“They’re professional soldiers, so there’s a good chance that they’re going to communicate the opposite signal intended,” says McLendon, “which is that public transportation is far less safe than people think it is because you have a militarized force deployed.”

Sen. Brisport says this recent development is about politics. “I think the Governor wants to try to convince New Yorkers that she’s serious about crime and safety, and she is going through this cheaper and easier method of tossing National Guard members into the subway,” he says.

Sen. Brisport says Mayor Adams’s political motivations are similar. “I think this is very clear evidence of the mayor not wanting to be outdone by the Governor as being the most pro-carceral,” he says. “We’ve seen in previous cases under Cuomo that this is ineffective and that we have spent more money on police to combat fare beating than was recouped.”

Black Subway Riders in the Crosshairs

Beyond the policy and politics surrounding Gov. Hochul and Mayor Adams’ flex of military and police forces, there is also a very real danger that Black subway riders could face increase instances of police harassment and brutality.

Lindiwe Rennert, senior research Associate at the Urban Institute, says Black youth are likely to be disproportionately impacted by a surge in police forces.

“Bringing in this entity that we know has a negative disproportional prejudicial and targeted relationship with folks of color,” she explains, “we would expect youth of color specifically… Black youth to be disproportionately victimized by this move.”

There’s also the question of whether additional policing would effectively prevent crime. McLendon says there is no good evidence to suggest that more police alone would be enough to prevent the types of incidents like the recent highly publicized shooting on the subway in Brooklyn.

“If you look at the Brooklyn shooting,” says McClendon. “The police were present on the platform as the train was pulling in. And I understand there’s a precinct located in that station. So just the simple presence of police there isn’t sufficient to prevent something like what happened.”

The Adams administration would argue that their policing strategy is working based on the decrease in subway crime in February and March following two separate surges in subway officers.

However, Rennert says that even if we assume that more police would lead to a decrease in violent crime, at least against transit workers, we can’t ignore the tradeoffs.

“There’s a world in which the increased presence of law enforcement or purely the increased presence of people, like increased eyes on the street, eyes in a space, correlated with decreased instances of violent crime,” says Rennert. “I still think it’s the wrong way to go because the tradeoff is too costly, which is a likely increase of assaults made by law enforcement on members of the public.”

Harris-Calvin says the primary impact of increasing law enforcement presence on the subway so far has been arrests for non-violent crimes like fare evasion, which she says mostly impacts Black and brown subway riders.

“We know that fare evasion tickets went up dramatically, and it’s most Black and brown people who are being ticketed and arrested,” she says, “And we’re not seeing any real kind of public safety benefits to having thousands of more police on the subways.”

Black Americans and The National Guard

The impact of the National Guard conducting “bag checks” on Black riders is a separate and slightly more complicated story.

In 2020, the National Guard was repeatedly brought in to quell Black Lives Matter protests throughout the United States.

Antonio Mingo, a Black Lives Matter protester in Washington, D.C., says his interactions with the National Guard in 2020 were significantly more positive than his interactions with law enforcement.

“They wasn’t out there harassing us, he says, “The ones that were actually out there doing the harassing and the ignorant plays that they were doing, that was more so the D.C. Police Department.”

However, Mingo still disagrees with the decision to deploy the National Guard in NYC’s subway system because of the message it sends. “I don’t understand why they would be sending the National Guard,” he says. “That’s nothing but an intimidation tactic.”

Mingo says the presence of the National Guard sends a signal to Black and other minority groups that they are the enemy that people need protection from.

“We as people of color, we thinking like wait a minute, all of us know the National Guard to be on the front line when it comes to if it’s a war or something,” he says. “So, when you’re sending them here, that’s supposed to protect us, but now it’s kind of like putting them in some shape or form against us … that does not make sense. And that angers people even more.”

New Yorkers have readily voiced their concerns about the new bag check policy and its implications for Black riders.

What Will Make NYC’s Subway System Safer?

Rider and transit worker safety is an issue that we need to care about, says Rennert at the Urban Institute. But she says the previous methods of dealing with violence (i.e., flooding transit with law enforcement) haven’t fixed the problem.

Rennert’s research at the Urban Institute on transit safety suggests that things like improving the quality of the transit system, increasing free/reduced fare transit programs, and other ways of reducing tension would go a long way in reducing incidents of violence—particularly those directed at transit workers. But Rennert says solving the significant drivers of violence, like lack of civic trust and income inequality, can’t fall entirely on the shoulders of the transit system.

Sen. Brisport says it’s time for bolder action across the board.

“The actual way to make us safer is deeper investments into those resources that our communities need,” he says. “That’s better housing, that’s better education, jobs, and better mental health care. These all things require taxing the rich who donate heavily to the Governor and she doesn’t want to do that.”

He added, “She wants the cheaper and easier and less effective method of tossing National Guard members at the situation.”