By Stacy M. Brown Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent
America is no longer drifting toward authoritarianism. It is living it. Project 2025 has been instituted, and the results are clear. Donald Trump has put forth racist policies that strip away protections, empower white supremacists, and turn Washington, D.C., into a militarized zone. His followers have taken the flag of racism and run wild with it, building whites-only communities and terrorizing Black neighborhoods under the cover of his administration.
The Thurgood Marshall Institute at the Legal Defense Fund warned last year that Project 2025 was “a direct, boundless, pregnant threat to the interests and well-being of Black people and our democracy.” The Institute detailed how the plan would consolidate executive power, dismantle civil rights enforcement, suppress the Black vote, gut public education, and eliminate safeguards against discrimination. “Our democracy stands at a crossroads, a path of infinite promise towards a more inclusive, equitable, and durable democracy on the one hand, and one of immeasurable and irretrievable demise on the other,” Janai S. Nelson, President and Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, said in 2024. “The assault on Black communities envisioned by Project 2025 will almost certainly condemn us to demise.”
Trump’s Militarized State
Since his return to office, Trump has turned the nation’s capital into what residents describe as an occupied city. Military vehicles patrol neighborhoods, checkpoints dominate downtown, and police with expanded immunity operate with near total control. Trump has threatened to “clean out” cities like Chicago, Baltimore, and Philadelphia, targeting majority-Black communities as justification for federal crackdowns. Immigration raids have surged, ripping apart families across Black and Latino neighborhoods. The atmosphere exploded this week when CodePink protestors confronted Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance, and Cabinet members Marco Rubio and others. Standing within inches of Trump, they shouted “Free D.C. Free Palestine, Trump is the Hitler of our time” before being hauled away by security.
Signs of Jim Crow
Across the country, the evidence of regression is mounting. In Rockdale County, Georgia, children walked into Honey Creek Elementary School to find “Whites Only” and “Colored Only” signs taped over water fountains and posted in the cafeteria. Officials claimed it was part of a history lesson about Ruby Bridges. Parents said their children were traumatized. One mother recalled her son being mocked by classmates when he drank beneath a sign reading “For Colored Only” and said, “to me that’s not a history lesson.”
Building a White Nation
Trump’s policies have also emboldened groups openly constructing whites-only settlements. In Arkansas, a compound called Return to the Land has built a 160-acre enclave restricted to people of European ancestry. Its leaders praise Adolf Hitler and the Ku Klux Klan while raising hundreds of thousands of dollars to expand into Missouri. “You want a white nation? Build a white town? It can be done. We’re doing it,” Eric Orwoll, Return to the Land co-founder, said. “We don’t need to get back to the Jim Crow era,” countered Barry Jefferson, NAACP Arkansas State Conference President. “We’ve been through that before. I think no one should be discriminated against because of their skin color.”
A Nation Pushed Backward
From the militarization of Washington to racist raids in Black cities, from schoolchildren forced to relive segregation to whites-only communities legally testing America’s civil rights laws, the consequences of Project 2025 are undeniable. Trump has institutionalized racism at the highest levels of government, and his supporters are enforcing it on the ground. “This organization wants to return us to sundown town, and we are not that,” said Susan Schmalzbauer, pastor of the United Methodist Church in Missouri. “There’s really no place for hate. Hate divides, but love unites.”
People demonstrate outside the main campus of the CDC on April 1.
Photograph by Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images
Editor’s Note: The names in this story have been changed to protect anonymity of former federal workers.
The sun hadn’t yet come up when Charles’s phone started ringing on the morning of April 1. A colleague at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told him employees were receiving reduction in force (RIF) notices as they arrived to work at the Clifton Road campus. Charles found one waiting in his inbox, too.
That morning, 2,400 CDC employees were given RIF notices with no explanation of which positions were being eliminated or why. “It was surreal—nobody knew who was in and who was being let go,” Charles told me during our first conversation, just a few weeks after the mass cuts.
Charles, who worked at CDC for 15 years as a data scientist focusing on preventable injuries, spent hours on the phone that day trying to find out who else had been affected. He soon pieced together that his entire team had been let go. “I’m a big Marvel fan, and I liken it to when Thanos snapped his fingers [in Avengers: Infinity War] and random people started disappearing,” he says. “That’s what it felt like.”
Alice, another CDC worker, woke up that morning to a text from her manager telling her to check her email, because both her manager and her manager’s boss had received RIF notices. Alice had, too. She drove straight to the office to clean out her desk before losing building access. “I was doing fine, and then about three-quarters of the way through the drive [to work], I just started sobbing,” she says.
For Alice, the CDC was a dream job: she moved to Atlanta for the position, and excitedly bought a condo a few miles from CDC’s campus. “I was convinced I was going to retire from the CDC,” she says, adding that many of her colleagues, some of whom had worked there for decades, were planning the same. “People are devastated . . . it has been a life’s passion for us.” In her role, Alice collaborated with external research partners to study and address issues like bicycle helmet safety, teen dating violence prevention initiatives, naloxone efficacy for opioid overdose, and traumatic brain injury guidelines. “These are real-world things we can think about that have made people safer,” she says. “And without funding to continue researching these things, people will die or be severely injured.”
If April 1 was chaotic, the months following it were even murkier. “There were so many questions, but no one was able to answer them,” Charles says; the CDC’s Human Resources department was also gutted by the cuts. Charles, Alice, and their RIFed colleagues were told they’d be placed on administrative leave until June 1, when their termination would be made official. Instead, they lingered in limbo through the summer as their fates played out in the judiciary system—unable to do their jobs yet still being paid to do them (despite the cuts being made in the name of government efficiency), and with no clear answers about severance pay or health insurance. “There was absolutely zero communication,” Charles says. “We were left in the dust.”
In the absence of HR support, former CDC employees like Charles and Alice resorted to group texts, Signal chats, subreddits, and crowdsourced Google docs to piece together information.
Many of the RIFed workers spent their administrative leave searching for employment, entering a bleak job market in a field beset with funding cuts, struggling to figure out how to translate their professional skills to the private sector. (“We don’t often build skillsets that can drive profits for private companies,” Charles explains.) In June, several hundred RIFed CDC workers were reinstated. Many others still on leave chose to hold off on job-hunting, hoping the courts would allow their RIFs to be rescinded, too—and if not, hoping for termination benefits, something they would be ineligible for if they voluntarily resigned for another job before being officially let go. Meanwhile, the legal status of their RIFs went back and forth through preliminary injunctions, appeals, and stays across multiple concurrent legal cases.
Then in August—just weeks after an active shooter fired 500 bullets on the CDC campus and killed a DeKalb County police officer—a federal judge narrowed an injunction that had temporarily protected all CDC workers. Only six centers remained shielded, leaving the door open for the administration to fire CDC employees in other departments.
A few days later, Charles was invited to a last-minute Zoom call in which he was told that his position was being reinstated—and he had until the end of the day to decide whether or not to return. It had been nearly six months since the April cuts, and Charles had finally secured a new job in the private sector just a few weeks prior. “I was just in shock,” he recalls. He decided not to return to the CDC.
“It was much more emotional for me to quit than to have been fired originally,” Charles says. “It’s one thing to be fired outside of your control. It’s another to decide to walk away from your career.” The reinstatement news came during the same week that the White House abruptly fired the CDC’s director after her clash with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over vaccine policy, prompting several other CDC leaders to resign in protest. What Charles saw as a vacuum of trustworthy, principled leadership was a grave concern. “Now, no one’s up there that is advocating for us or advocating for our science,” he says. “That’s a really bad situation.”
Charles was one of a relatively small group who were offered their jobs back in August; other workers in the six agencies protected by the injunction are still on administrative leave until the legal challenges are resolved. The rest—about 600 people—were finally terminated in August, about a week after the revised injunction. Alice, who worked in the Injury Center, was among them, bringing several painful and confusing months to a close. In late August, her termination letter arrived, just shy of her two-year anniversary. “Honestly, I knew it was coming,” she says, “but I was a lot more sad that week than I thought I was going to be.”
Following her RIF in April, Alice had already begun job-hunting, but the market was grim. Of her CDC network, she only knows two people who have found jobs in the field. Others have taken minimum-wage jobs to get by or moved back home to save money. “It’s a really bad market, and people are not having good luck,” she says.
Public health is where Alice finds a sense of purpose, and, as demoralizing as the last few months have been, she’s choosing to believe that the CDC will eventually be able to rebuild. After her termination was finalized, she decided to work with an attorney to file an appeal with the Merit Systems Protection Board, which handles wrongful termination complaints for federal workers, in hopes that she might be reinstated. “I don’t know what the chances are of that actually happening, but I figured I might as well try,” she says. “I really hope that we’re going to take the best things about public health from before, and improve on the weaknesses, and come back better and stronger.”
When we spoke in April, Charles described a sense of “overarching sadness”—sadness for his colleagues, but also for the country. Speaking with him again in August, he said that while he felt personally fortunate to have found employment, the past six months left him and his colleagues feeling “stripped of our dignity and our passion.” From the leadership shakeups to the gutting of the CDC’s vaccine advisory panel to a misinformation-fueled shooter attacking the agency’s headquarters just months after its firearm experts were RIFed, Charles felt “like a ghost in the room” watching the hollowing-out of public health from the sidelines.
“When you dismantle public health institutions, you don’t see an immediate effect,” Charles told me back in April. “There is no instant sort of consequence of removing public health institutions. But public health institutions have always been focused on the future. The impact may not be felt by the public immediately, but it will definitely affect the public, in ways that are now potentially unmeasurable.”
Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani will meet with members of the Trump administration in Washington, D.C. on Friday. CBS News senior foreign correspondent Imtiaz Tyab has more details.
According to a lawsuit, Lenisha Janea Parker, a Harris County court clerk, was arrested in January 2023 by Deputy Kenneth “Daniel” Price while she was on her lunch break at a Chipotle restaurant. Price, dressed in plainclothes, failed to specify the reason for the arrest and placed Parker in an unmarked vehicle before driving to her home, per the lawsuit.
Upon arrival at the home, Parker allegedly claimed he was searching for her ex-husband, who was wanted for ATM theft. Officers retrieved Parker’s key and searched the home without a warrant or proper consent.
Parker was then brought to the Harris County Jail and told she was wanted in Fort Worth for burglary, even though no such warrant existed. Parker’s case wasn’t entered into the county system, making it impossible for a bondsman to locate her and post bail. Parker remained in custody from Friday to Sunday without charge or contact with her children.
The lawsuit describes the incident as a “kidnapping” that left Parker with severe trauma.
“She had to go see a psychiatrist. She was just absolutely paralyzed by the whole situation,” her attorney, U.A. Lewis, said.
The lawsuit also notes a broader pattern of unlawful arrests in Harris County. According to the suit, roughly 5 percent of the Sheriff’s Office’s 1,800 annual arrests are unlawful, with more than 83 percent of such arrests targeting Black or Hispanic individuals. The suit accuses the office of fostering “a culture of silence, concealment and toleration” and failing to discipline deputies who engage in false arrests.
Price’s defense argued that he “believed valid warrants existed” and was performing his duties in pursuing a wanted individual.
The lawsuit names Price, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, and Magistrate Judge Lisa Gail Porter, who approved the $5,000 bond despite the absence of any documented warrant, as defendants.
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Jerrion McKinney, 28, pleaded guilty in a Fulton County court on Wednesday, Sept. 10, to being responsible for the 2020 shooting death of 8-year-old Secoriea Turner. Reportedly, McKinney accepted an Alford plea for gang and firearm charges in the case of 8-year-old Secoriea Turner’s death in Atlanta. The plea was entered on September 10, 2025, and resulted in a 40-year sentence, with 20 years to be served in prison.
McKinney admitted to taking a loaded rifle to a makeshift blockade set up near the Wendy’s restaurant on Pryor St. and University Avenue during protests triggered by the police shooting of Rayshard Brooks. McKinney and his co-defendant Julian Conley were among a group of armed individuals blocking a Wendy’s parking lot entrance when gunfire erupted.
The Wendy’s, which was set ablaze during the weeks-long protests, burned down five years ago. McKinney was scheduled to begin trial next week, but the guilty plea prosecutors said he did not kill her.
The death of Turner followed the police killing of Rayshard Brooks, which spawned protesting and rioting across the city.
Brooks was asleep in the parking lot of a Wendy’s restaurant on the night of July 10, 2020 at University Ave. and Pryor Rd. When two police officers aroused the sleeping, but affable Brooks, they suspected that he may have been drinking and proceeded to place him under arrest. Brooks attempted to evade police and grabbed an inactive taser while running from the two officers. Officers maintained that Brooks was killed in self-defense, even though bystander video shows the officers collecting bullet casings before calling for help or rendering assistance to the dying man. Neither officer was charged in the shooting.
In the aftermath of active protests and massive marches the Wendy’s was burned to the ground and the site became ground central for rallies and protest organizers.
Rapper Young Thug, who was cleared of RICO charges and released from prison in the fall of 2024, is on an apology tour of sorts through the release of his new rap song, “Man I Miss my Dogs.”
Fans were shocked when, over the passed couple of weeks, telephone calls Young Thug made during the time he was incarcerated surfaced on the Internet. In a number of those calls, the rapper is heard being critical of other rappers and his girlfriend at the time Mariah the Scientist.
Since the calls at the heart of the matter went viral, the Cobb County jail system has stopped allowing access to Young Thug’s calls. However, the “Digits” rapper suspects someone “been had” them long before they leaked.
In the prison calls, Young Thug discussed relationships and other artists, making controversial statements about Gunna’s plea deal, alleging he purchased fake streams for Gunna, and criticizing Gucci Mane, claiming he “turned soft” after jail . He also made comments about artists like Future and Drake, and a disparaging remark about GloRilla which he later apologized for. These calls have generated significant attention, particularly within the hip-hop community, leading to a public discussion and Young Thug’s own subsequent apology for his words.
On Gunna: Thug allegedly stated that Gunna’s plea deal was a betrayal and that he purchased fake streams to boost Gunna’s album sales, though he claimed Gunna was unaware of this. He also suggested that Gunna’s lawyer believed he would have been the first to be released due to a lack of evidence against him.
On Gucci Mane: In one call, Young Thug claimed Gucci Mane “turned soft” and “started fing with that na” after his own stint in jail.
On Other Artists: Thug called GloRilla “ugly AF,” a comment he later apologized for, and also made disparaging remarks about Future and Drake. He even ranted about a failed attempt to get a verse from Kendrick Lmar.
On Personal Life: He had private conversations with a reported girlfriend and another woman, advising her to “move on” and “find love.”
The seven-minute track has the rapper apologizing to Mariah the Scientist, Drake, Lil Baby, Future, 21 Savage, and Gucci Mane, although sources allege that Mariah the Scientist insists that her relationship with Young Thug is over.
Dr. Tashinea Bernadin, DO, a board-certified family medicine physician, is excited to announce the upcoming opening of The Healthy Woman Primary Care Newnan. This new primary healthcare practice will serve patients in the South Metro Atlanta community, offering a unique blend of compassionate care in a spa-like environment.
Located at 1111 Highway 34, Suite 7, Newnan, GA 30265, the facility is scheduled to open its doors at the end of October. The practice will provide comprehensive primary care services with a focus on creating a welcoming and comfortable patient experience.
“I am incredibly excited for this new chapter. As a physician, it is my joy to make an impact on my community through healthcare, and The Healthy Woman Primary Care Newnan will allow me to provide a different level of excellence that my patients deserve,” Dr. Bernadin said. “My goal is to create a welcoming environment where patients feel heard and empowered to manage their health. By offering a blend of comprehensive primary care and specialized services, we can help the community not only treat illness but also focus on long-term wellness.”
The practice will provide comprehensive primary care, including chronic disease management, preventive care, same-day acute care visits, and behavioral health support. Dr. Bernadin will also offer specialized services such as aesthetic treatments, osteopathic manual manipulation (OMM), weight management, and regenerative medicine to help patients achieve their health and wellness goals.
Dr. Bernadin, who previously served at Piedmont Healthcare and the Gwinnett Medical Center, brings extensive clinical expertise in chronic disease management, women’s health, and the treatment of musculoskeletal disorders. She earned her Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree from the Georgia campus of the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (Ga-PCOM) and completed her family medicine residency at Northside Gwinnett Hospital.
The Healthy Woman Primary Care Newnan is the fifth location in The Healthy Woman franchise, a metro Atlanta healthcare brand founded by Dr. Jocelyn D. Slaughter, a board-certified Obstetrician-Gynecologist. The franchise offers a unique approach that blends Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Primary Care services with a patient-centered philosophy. The other four locations are OBGYN Snellville, OBGYN Lawrenceville, PCP Lawrenceville, and PCP Atlanta East.
“We are thrilled to partner with Dr. Bernadin to bring The Healthy Woman’s unique brand of patient-centered care to Newnan,” Dr. Slaughter said. “Our goal has always been to return to the intimate, patient-provider relationship that is often lost in modern healthcare. We believe that Dr. Bernadin embodies that mission and can empower others to take control of their health and well-being. We look forward to the grand opening of this new location.”
The Healthy Woman Primary Care Newnan is currently accepting patients and scheduling appointments ahead of its October grand opening. To schedule an appointment or for more information, new patients can call 770-809-1100 or visit https://www.the-healthywoman.com/.
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Applications are due by October 1st 2025 at 11:59PM ET
NEW YORK – Broadway Across America (BAA) and Black Theatre Coalition (BTC) announce the launch of applications for their fifth annual regional apprenticeship program. This nationwide, educational paid apprenticeship takes place over 14 weeks from January-April 2026, offering college students and early career professionals across North America the opportunity to receive first-hand experience with the inner workings of the commercial theater business and Broadway touring. “We are proud to see the continued impact of our partnership with BTC, as alumni of the program go on to build meaningful careers across the Broadway industry, not just in New York, but across America,” said Lauren Reid, president of the John Gore Organization (JGO). “This initiative both prepares the next generation of theater professionals and enriches our industry with fresh perspectives.”
“Five years in, our partnership with JGO continues to create real access points for early-career professionals. We’ve seen firsthand how this program can help them build connections, with a national reach, and take meaningful steps toward furthering their careers in the industry,” said T. Oliver Reid and Warren Adams, BTC co-founders. The intensive educational program will feature 13 weeks of in-depth learning in one of the following Broadway Across America offices: New York City, Atlanta, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Fort Lauderdale, Houston, Louisville, Minneapolis, Ottawa, and Seattle, where apprentices learn about topics including presenting, ticketing, marketing strategy, operations, and more. To close out the semester, the apprentices will collectively travel to New York City for a week of networking, on-the-job learning, and to see Broadway shows.
The BAA BTC Regional Apprenticeship works to equip participants with the tools necessary to be successful in the industry. It also provides a foundation of mentors and colleagues to whom they can turn for support as they pursue a career beyond the stage. Several apprenticeship alums hail from HBCUs, including Albany State University, Coppin State University, Howard University, and Spelman College. Past alumni of the BAA BTC Regional Apprenticeship program have gone on to work at Tony Award Productions, Foresight Theatrical, Daryl Roth Productions, Situation Group, Disney Theatrical Productions, Hippodrome Theatre in Baltimore, Broadway Across America/John Gore Organization, and more. Students pursuing degrees in fields including Arts Administration, Business Administration, Marketing, Public Relations/Communications, Theatre Studies, Finance/Accounting, Human Resources, Pre-Law, Arts Ticketing/Sales/Operations, and other fields of study that relate to commercial theater presenting are welcome in the program. A variety of perspectives, backgrounds, abilities, and opinions are encouraged to apply.
Take a look at the 2025 apprentices’ testimonial video here.
Carter Sr. (above) was the founding dean of the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel and a professor of religion since 1979. Photo by Tabius McCoy/The Atlanta Voice
For nearly half a century, the Rev. Dr. Lawrence Edward Carter Sr. has stood at the heart of Morehouse College’s spiritual and intellectual life. Now, the founding dean of the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel & professor is preparing to close one chapter of his storied career.
Carter, 76, announced he will retire from his deanship on June 30, 2026, after 47 years at the historically Black men’s college. His tenure, which began on July 1, 1979, when he was appointed by then-President Hugh Gloster, makes him one of the longest-serving leaders in Morehouse history.
“This is my 46th year, and I will retire from the deanship June 30, 2026,” Carter said in an interview with The Atlanta Voice. “I will maintain my professorship and go on sabbatical for one year, which will complete 47 years with Morehouse College.”
Carter (above) was selected unanimously from a pool of 500 candidates. Photo by Tabius McCoy/The Atlanta Voice
From Dawson to Morehouse: Transforming the Chapel
Born in Dawson, Georgia, Carter’s journey to the ministry started early. His mother later told him that his grandmother had prayed over him as an infant, asking God to “make this boy a preacher.” Carter didn’t learn of that prayer until after earning his doctorate at Boston University School of Theology.
“I was wrestling with my calling from ninth through twelfth grade, and finally announcing it publicly my senior year, as something just between me and God,” he recalled. “So when I heard my mother say that, it stunned me.”
Before coming to Morehouse, Carter served as acting director of the Martin Luther King Jr. African American Cultural Center at Boston University while completing his doctorate. Though some doubted he could lead the Morehouse chapel without being an alumnus, Carter was selected unanimously from a pool of 500 candidates.
One of his earliest acts was persuading the Board of Trustees to rename Memorial Chapel as the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel. Carter said he didn’t want to preside over “a museum for battles that are no longer being fought.” The board eventually approved the change unanimously.
Over the next four decades, Carter led the chapel’s evolution into a hub for global ethics, peacebuilding, and interfaith dialogue. He launched the Chapel Assistants Pre-Seminarians Program, widely regarded as a top feeder program for divinity schools nationwide. He also introduced initiatives like the Gandhi–King–Ikeda awards and the Community Builders Prizes, which brought international leaders to Morehouse’s campus.
Photo by Tabius McCoy/The Atlanta Voice
The chapel itself transformed under Carter’s leadership, both physically and philosophically. Beyond renaming the building for Martin Luther King Jr., he oversaw the installation of historic stone tablets on its facade, salvaged from a King monument at Boston University. Carter recalled being present when the monument was first dedicated: “The President himself dedicated it, and I was in the crowd. When he finished delivering his speech, he stepped from behind the podium, and walked three rows back, and handed me his speech, and said, ‘You’re the only one here who will appreciate this.’”
Years later, when Boston University renovated the monument with marble and gold lettering, the original stones were offered to Morehouse. Carter accepted them, seeing their arrival as divine confirmation of his calling to remain at the college. The chapel’s Thurman Tower also houses a time capsule with artifacts spanning thousands of years of African and world history, further grounding the space in a global legacy.
Praise from Morehouse Leadership: A Lasting Legacy
Carter’s influence has stretched well beyond the campus gates. Generations of Morehouse students trained under his mentorship have gone on to leadership in churches, seminaries, and public life. Recruiters from divinity schools, he said, often prefer Morehouse graduates because they “rise to the top of the class all over the nation.”
In moments of national crisis, major media outlets have sought out Morehouse pastors and alumni, a testament to the chapel’s reach under his stewardship.
Still, Carter’s path was not without challenges. In his 19th year, he nearly resigned, facing a crisis of faith, telling his wife Marva that he felt “burnt out” and “lonely.” A weeklong trip that included preaching in Los Angeles restored his sense of purpose.
“When I landed in Atlanta, everything said, you’re home,” he remembered.
Preparing for the Next Chapter: A Scholar’s Passion
Away from the pulpit, Carter is known as a voracious reader and collector of books, boasting what he believes to be the largest personal library of any Morehouse faculty member. His love of knowledge began as a child, flipping through books he couldn’t yet read but sensed contained “secrets, answers to the problems of the world.”
His passion for education also connects him to the roots of Morehouse. Carter has written about the college’s founder, William Jefferson White, a journalist who risked his life by opening clandestine schools for enslaved people before establishing what became Morehouse in 1867.
“There’s a reason why during slavery there were laws on the books against teaching enslaved Africans to read,” Carter said. “And there’s a reason why the founder of Morehouse College was considered the greatest Black journalist of his era.”
Morehouse College plans an international search for Carter’s successor, chaired by trustee and alumnus Rev. Dr. Delman Coates, Class of 1995. Photo by Tabius McCoy/The Atlanta Voice
Carter’s career has spanned multiple eras in Morehouse history, from Gloster to the present. His work helped redefine the chapel not only as a place of worship but as a platform for leadership, service, and global vision.
As the college begins its search for a new chapel dean, Carter is looking ahead to a sabbatical and a slower pace. But he said the affirmation he has received since announcing his retirement has been both humbling and reassuring.
The college plans an international search for his successor, chaired by trustee and alumnus Rev. Dr. Delman Coates, Class of 1995.
Since announcing his retirement, Carter said his life has changed. Visitors from around the world have come to see him, offering thanks and reflections on his legacy.
“Since July 1, my life has not been the same,” he said. “They’ve been telling me that I did it. And then the strange thing is, they’re saying nobody else could have done this, but you’ve done it.”
Warsaw — Poland’s most senior officials on Friday dismissed President Trump’s suggestion that a major Russian drone incursion into Polish airspace could have been a mistake by Vladimir Putin’s military.
“We would also wish that the drone attack on Poland was a mistake. But it wasn’t. And we know it,” Prime Minister Donald Tusk said in a message posted on social media.
Polish authorities said they had recovered parts of 17 Russian-made drones, which fell without causing any injuries or major damage in the east of the country on Wednesday.
Polish and allied NATO fighter jets from Holland were scrambled to intercept the drones — a first such response to aerial Russian military incursions into NATO airspace since Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than three years ago.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stands in front of Polish Air Force F-16 fighter jets as he holds a news conference regarding the threat posed by Russian drones in Polish airspace, at the 32nd Tactical Air Base in Lask, southwest of Lodz, Poland, Sept. 11, 2025.
Agencja Wyborcza.pl/Tomasz Stanczak via REUTERS
Poland’s relatively new, conservative President Karol Nawrocki, in a social media post on Thursday, called the Russian drone incursion “nothing more than an attempt to test our capabilities and response. It was an attempt to test the mechanisms of action within NATO and our ability to respond.”
Other European capitals and the European Union also labelled the raid a Russian test of the NATO alliance’s resolve in the face of Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine, but Mr. Trump suggested otherwise.
“It could have been a mistake,” he told journalists late Thursday when asked about the incident. A day earlier, Mr. Trump issued a brief reaction to the incident, saying on his Truth Social platform: “What’s with Russia violating Poland’s airspace with drones? Here we go!”
The White House did not offer any clarification of Mr. Trump’s remarks.
Previously, U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said in a social media post that the U.S. stood “by our NATO Allies in the face of these airspace violations and will defend every inch of NATO territory.”
A map graphic shows in dark blue the European nations which, along with the United States and Canada, are members of the transatlantic NATO defense alliance.
brichuas/Getty Images
Poland’s Deputy Minister of Defense Cezary Tomczyk also rejected Mr. Trump’s suggestion on Thursday that the drone incursion could have been inadvertent.
“I think this is a message that should reach President Trump today: there’s no question of a mistake – this was a deliberate Russian attack,” he told the Polsat News television network.
“On the night that 19 Russian drones crossed into Poland, 400 (drones) plus 40 missiles crossed into Ukraine,” added Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski in a video message shared on social media, ahead of a visit to Ukraine’s capital. “These were not mistakes.”
Poland has requested a meeting of the United Nations Security Council to discuss the Russian drone incursion, which is set to take place Friday afternoon.
New images of “person of interest” in Charlie Kirk killing – CBS News
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Officials in Utah have released new images of a “person of interest” wanted in connection to the killing of Charlie Kirk. CBS News’ Anna Schecter and Nancy Cordes have more.
Hunt, previously MARTA’s Chief Legal Counsel, was appointed interim GM/CEO by the MARTA Board of Directors at the August board meeting after the retirement of Collie Greenwood.
During the press conference, Hunt shared his vision for restoring operational safety and reliability, advancing key projects, and preparing for next summer’s World Cup.
Hunt said Atlanta has a good transit system, however MARTA staff patrons and the region isn’t satisfied with “good.”
“This is why we’re going to go from good to great, which will require some short-term discomfort for long-term gain,” Hunt said. “Our vision is to deliver safe, clean, and reliable transit through routine excellence every day.”
The vision, he says, will build consistency and delivery, which will result in building and enhancing the public trust in MARTA. An example of this, he said, is the excellent delivery of service they provided during the Labor Day weekend downtown.
“Atlanta was packed with Dragon Con, College Football goers, as well as folks at the Pride events. We had over 420,000 customers that passed through our system in three-and-a-half days,” he said. “We did so without one violent crime or incident of any kind.”
Additionally, Hunt said his near-term goals for the authority includes improving operational efficiency, improving safety and security of the transit system, working to advance and deliver key projects, and ensuring MARTA is World Cup ready for next year.
Some of the first concrete steps that MARTA will be taking around each one of these goals, he said, is MARTA working to improve operational reliability.
“We recently hired an operational consultant who is embedded with MARTA to go through our systems and look at areas for improvement and efficiency, which will help us enact the same,” he said. “We will continue to recruit, hire, and train some of the best bus and rail operators in the region, as well as mechanics and technicians, officers, and field protective specialists.”
MARTA is also looking for innovative ways to reduce operator absenteeism and reduce several bus cutouts and terminations. Hunt also addressed concerns of MARTA’s safety, which he said, “MARTA is one of the safest transit agencies in the country.”
“MARTA Police Department (MPD) has increased patrols and visibility, and hopefully you’ve seen more officers and field protective specialists on our system,” he said. “We’re going to add 10 more field protective specialists and 30 more sworn officers.”
He also says MPD will be fully staffed at approximately 250 officers by the end of Q4 of this year. Violent crime has also been reduced by half in the last five years and down by 16% year over year, from last year to date.
“We know data doesn’t make people feel safe, and if the perception is that the system is unsafe, then we have work to do,” he said.
Another goal Hunt says is to advance and deliver key projects, such as a next-generation bus network redesign, which will deliver 15-minute headways to more than 245% of people who have access to the system.
“We’re going to introduce 12 on-demand zones within a program we’re calling MARTA to reach small zones to allow folks to take more of a micro transit experience,” he said.
Also, they will be implementing their new Automatic Fare Collection System 2.0, which is going to be an easier, more flexible new evolution of Breeze. The fare gate installation will also begin mid-September in Lindbergh.
Additionally, the transition from their old Breeze System to a new, better system will happen second quarter around April 2026 at five-point station, according to Hunt. The rehabilitation project work, which includes tiling, lighting, beautification, and more has also been ongoing and should be completed by spring of 2026 as well.
Also, the first bus rapid transit line in the region will be ready and online in Spring 2026. MARTA is also working on an O & M facility in Clayton County, coming soon. For the Garnet station, they will also be doing a rehabilitation project that will cause a six-week skip stop beginning in the next few days.
“This work is needed because we’ve got to improve the tile work at that station, some of which are over 40 years old,” he said. “We want to be World Cup ready.”
Speaking of the FIFA World Cup 2026, this is the fourth goal for MARTA, preparation.
“We’re going to be adding additional shuttle trains in our system to reduce headways at or below the levels we saw on Labor Day, which were at a five-minute interval,” he said.
They also will be introducing more load and go teams to help mitigate overcrowding on the platforms. MARTA will enhance their escalator work to ensure there will be no issues, and everyone has the same experience over the six-week period.
Other points MARTA are introducing include:
· Enhanced crowd control measures
· Metering to allow folks to have safe and enjoyable passage between stations, trains, buses, and venues
· MPD will introduce enhanced safety measures including the addition to the Mobile command unit, drone surveillance units, canine units, and sort units
Hunt also said he’s excited about the CIM group developing Centennial Yards and reshaping the Gulch with a multi-billion-dollar project.
“Many of our peer agencies are facing devastating financial outlooks, deep cuts to service personnel, and capital projects to make ends meet,” he said. “I’m happy to report MARTA’s financial house is in order and we’re going to remain budget conscious.”
Furthermore, Hunt says he is not interested in a permanent position as general manager.
“I’m passionate about MARTA and have been here over 12 years, and I want to see MARTA win. When MARTA wins, Atlanta wins. I really enjoy my job, and I will still be here, but not as your permanent general manager or CEO,” he said.
Judge cuts off Ryan Routh’s opening statement in unusual day at Trump assassination attempt trial – CBS News
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The trial for the Florida man accused of attempting to assassinate then-candidate Donald Trump began on Thursday. CBS News legal reporter Katrina Kaufman has the details.
Photo: Andrew Harnik / Getty Images News / Getty Images
President Donald Trump and his allies are calling for a crackdown on the left following the death of Charlie Kirk, a conservative figure who they’re framing as a target of political assassination.
On Wednesday (September 10), Kirk, 31, was fatally shot during a speaking event at Utah Valley University. The shooting unfolded on the same day as a separate shooting at Evergreen High School in Colorado, where a teen gunman died from self-inflicted wounds after injuring two others.
Flags flew at half-mast in Kirk’s honor. While lawmakers on both sides condemned the killing, Trump and other high-profile conservatives accused the left of inciting violence.
On Wednesday, a moment of silence for Kirk on the House floor became a flashpoint of partisan hostility.
Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert interrupted the silence, saying, “I believe silent prayers get silent results,” and called for a spoken prayer. Some Democrats booed, pointing out that the Colorado victims had not received a similar tribute.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) shouted across the aisle, “You all caused this,” to which a Democrat responded, “Pass some gun laws!”
Trump suggested that Democrats were “directly responsible” for Wednesday’s gun violence.
“Radical left rhetoric — comparing wonderful Americans like Charlie to Nazis and the world’s worst criminals — is directly responsible for the terrorism we’re seeing in our country today,” the president said in a speech following Kirk’s death.
Trump went on to blame the left for the 2024 assassination attempt against himself, the 2017 shooting of Rep. Steve Scalise, and the 2023 murder of a healthcare executive in New York.
“Radical left political violence has hurt too many innocent people and taken too many lives,” Trump said. “My administration will find each and every one of those who contributed to this atrocity — including the organizations that fund and support it.”
Prominent right-wing voices took to social media to call for federal crackdowns and retribution against Democrats, with some even invoking “war” rhetoric.
“The Left is the party of murder,” Tech billionaire Elon Musk posted.
“Charlie Kirk being assassinated is the American Reichstag fire,” right-wing influencer Matt Forney wrote.
“The left must pay,” he added.
Christopher Rufo, a senior fellow at the conservative Manhattan Institute, urged authorities to “infiltrate, disrupt, arrest, and incarcerate” left-wing activists.
Blaze Media host Auron MacIntyre wrote, “They shot the voice of reason through the throat. So now it’s time to become unreasonable.”
An investigation into Kirk’s death remains ongoing. The shooter remains at large.
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Morehouse-James Hall, which was built in 1901 and last renovated in 1979. Photo by Noah Washington/The Atlanta Voice
Several Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) across the U.S. initiated a lockdown or shelter-in-place order on Thursday morning after receiving potential threats made against the universities. As of Thursday afternoon, those schools included Virginia State University, Hampton University, Alabama State University, Southern University, Bethune-Cookman University, and Georgia HBCUs Morehouse College, Spelman College, Morris-Brown, and Clark Atlanta University.
Spelman, Morris-Brown, and Morehouse announced their lockdowns after Clark Atlanta received a direct threat. Out of precaution and due to their close proximity, the schools initiated their own lockdowns and increased security presence around campus. The shelter-in-place for Morehouse, Spelman, and Clark Atlanta has since been lifted.
In a statement made by Clark Atlanta to The Atlanta Voice through text, the university said:
“We were addressing a situation on campus that requires a shelter-in-place notice as a precautionary measure. That shelter-in-place mandate has been lifted.
We appreciate the understanding and cooperation of the campus community. Updates will be provided as more information becomes available. Our priority is the safety of all students, faculty and staff.”
Schools advised faculty, staff, and students to shelter in place and avoid the campus. Southern University in Louisiana, Virginia State, and Hampton University have canceled Thursday and/or Friday classes, disrupting the academic year less than a month in. These threats come on the day of remembrance for the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and a day after American right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk was shot and killed at a Utah Valley University event.
In several social media posts, officials urge students to remain alert and report anything suspicious. CAU campus police, in conjunction with the Atlanta Police Department, are actively investigating threats made to the campus.
More than 500 veterans, first responders, and community members climbed 2,071 steps at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Thursday morning to honor the 2,977 people killed in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
The second annual 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb, organized by Emory University’s Goizueta Business School, brought participants together to ascend 110 stories through the stadium stands, symbolizing the height of the Twin Towers.
“We will never forget,” said Lorenzo Suarez, managing director of the Master’s in Business for Veterans program at Goizueta Business School and the event’s organizer. “Even though it’s been 24 years, we will never forget, and it’s important to bring everyone together.”
The event drew a diverse crowd that included Atlanta police officers, firefighters, ROTC cadets, and civilians from across the metro area.
Atlanta Police Assistant Chief Carven Tyus, who was an investigator assigned to the Special Victims Unit on Sept. 11, 2001, spoke during the opening ceremony at the stadium before the run, citing that he felt compelled to participate in the memorial climb.
“I was at work when every television station went to what was happening with the Twin Towers,” said Tyus, who has served 32 years with the Atlanta Police Department. “It just gave us pause. It changed the way America looked at security.”
The climb honored the 343 firefighters and paramedics and 72 law enforcement officers who died responding to the attacks, as well as all victims of the terrorist strikes in New York, Washington, and Pennsylvania.
Retired Maj. Gen. Matthew D. Smith, executive director of veterans initiatives at Emory University, served as the master of ceremonies during the opening ceremony, noted the unity displayed at the event contrasted with today’s political divisiveness. Participants encouraged their fellow man throughout the climb, with strangers & loved ones cheering on fellow climbers as they ascended the stadium steps.
“The unity that existed in our country after the tragic events of 9/11 was really very special,” Smith said. “When contrasted with the divisiveness we see today, it’s something to strive for.”
Photo by Tabius McCoy/The Atlanta Voice
Smith, who started working at IBM in Atlanta on Sept. 4, 2001, said the attacks changed the trajectory of his life. He was called to active duty with the Georgia Army National Guard 15 months later for the invasion of Iraq and served almost 25 years on active duty.
Mercedes-Benz Stadium donated the use of its facilities for the event, while BlackRock provided financial support to allow free participation. Other sponsors included Metropolis Parking and OneLife Fitness.
The memorial even brought out those who were not yet born during the attacks, including University of North Georgia (UNG) ROTC cadets who said they participated to represent something larger than themselves and support the first responder community.
Photo by Tabius McCoy/The Atlanta Voice
Jaden Wilbur, a 21-year-old UNG senior, an infantry cadet in army, said the event represents unity in a divided time.
“9/11 symbolizes us as a country coming together,” Wilbur said.
Jordan Narhmartey, an 18-year-old UNG freshman studying to be a chaplain in the Army with plans to transfer to the Air Force, said the memorial held personal significance despite his young age.
“I want to represent something bigger than myself,” Narhmartey said. “With the events happening on 9/11, I want to support my country even more.”
For Tyus, the memorial serves a crucial purpose for future generations.
“We have to keep this memory alive for the people coming behind us,” he said. “Some knew that they were never going to come down. So I would be remiss if I didn’t come here and just help keep that memory alive in some way.”
Four HBCUs have gone into lockdown due to “terroristic threats” targeting the campuses, per USA Today.
As of Thursday (September 11) morning, Clark University, Alabama State University, Hampton University, and Virginia State University were on lockdown after unspecified threats were made against all three HBCUs.
Virginia State issued an “urgent alert” at around 8:30 a.m. ET, noting that the campus was closed and advising students, faculty, and staff to check their email. A school representative said the closure was “due to a potential threat.” The rep warned that students who are on campus should remain indoors.
In a statement, Alabama State said it had shut down campus operations out of an abundance of caution after receiving “terrorist threats.”
“We are working in close coordination with the appropriate law enforcement agencies to assess the situation and to ensure the safety and security of our students, faculty, staff, and the broader ASU community,” the statement read.
Hampton University also released a statement, saying classes were canceled for Thursday and Friday (September 12) due to a “potential threat.”
“Hampton University has received notice of a potential threat and has ceased all non-essential activity, effective immediately,” the school said.
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Each fall, the Detroit Black Film Festival (DBFF) transforms Southeast Michigan into a buzzing hub for filmmakers and movie lovers. From September 25–28, film enthusiasts from across the country are invited to experience one of the nation’s top showcases dedicated to Black creative voices, groundbreaking storytelling, and next-level cultural festivities.
Now in its sixth year, DBFF has earned its place as a must-attend destination on the festival circuit—screening 72 dynamic films from 30 countries, representing the most exciting and authentic voices in Black cinema today. Whether viewers seek bold documentaries or inventive dramas, the festival offers a spectrum of fresh perspectives and cinematic excellence that resonates well beyond Detroit’s borders. Attendees come not only to watch films but also to join vital, in-depth discussions with filmmakers and storytellers who are shaping the cultural narrative.
“The DBFF serves as a vital platform for Black voices in cinema, and we can’t wait to share these powerful films with our audiences,” says Marshalle Favors, co-founder of Trinity Films Entertainment Group. Lazar Favors, co-founder, adds, “Our events mirror Detroit’s hustle and determination. It’s about elevating the narrative and rewriting the rules.”
Festivalgoers can also explore the renowned “Taste of Black Spirits” Collective Behavior Tour, a one-of-a-kind event pairing the festival’s bold cinematic lineup with premium Black-owned spirits from across the U.S., featuring over 100 brands and expert mixologists.
