NC Targets DEI. Trump Blocks Housing Bill. Minority Banks Face New Rules. Kohen Wiley Protests

The Trump administration changed the definition of a Minority Depository Institution (MDI) to allow banks to qualify if 51% or more of ownership is held by someone from a 'socially or economically disadvantaged group,' rather than specifically by racial minorities. The National Bankers Association argues this dilutes the MDI status, making it harder for genuinely minority-owned banks to qualify and access crucial support, thereby attacking Black economic infrastructure and access to capital.

Nicole Elim, President/CEO of the National Bankers Association, states this replaces a 30-year-old clear standard and opens 'floodgates' for non-minorities, creating a 'chilling effect' on new and existing Black banks. Roland Martin cites a decrease in federal contracts and SBA lending to Black businesses under Trump, contrasting it with growth under Biden-Harris.

Senator Ted Cruz's proposed bill to regulate Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals for college athletes is framed as a direct attempt to curb player paydays and leverage. The bill seeks to reduce the share of athletic revenue going to athletes from 50% to 20% and grants the NCAA antitrust liability exemptions without guaranteeing employee status or union rights for athletes. This is seen as bailing out the NCAA for decades of exploitation.

Demar Smith, former Executive Director of the NFL Players Association, explains the Cruz-Cantwell Act revives parts of the defunct SCORE Act. He highlights that the bill gives the NCAA more power than professional leagues without corresponding player protections, and criticizes the continued use of 'student-athlete,' a term originally created to deny workers' compensation.

The Trump administration is refusing to spend billions of dollars in foreign aid that Congress has already allocated and authorized. This action is described as a 'huge grab of power' and a 'remarkable infringement on Congress's authority over federal spending,' effectively undermining the constitutional 'power of the purse.'

ProPublica reporter Anna Maria Barry-Jester details how the administration, particularly through OMB Director Russell Vought, has labeled funds 'unallocated' or is spending them very slowly. This has directly impacted programs like PEPFAR (HIV/AIDS relief in Africa), leading to reduced rations in refugee camps in Kenya and a resurgence of cholera in South Sudan, causing thousands of deaths.

The Postmaster General, David Steiner, proposed that the Postal Service would not deliver mail-in ballots to states that refuse to share their voter lists with the federal government. This is seen as a coercive tactic by the Trump administration to gain control over state-level voter information and suppress voting. Concurrently, Trump blocked a widely supported bipartisan housing bill to force Congress to pass his 'Save Act,' a voter suppression bill.

A clip of Postmaster General David Steiner confirms the proposal, stating, 'Under our proposed regulation, no. We would tell the state that we need the manifest.' Robert Patillo and Jalanda Jones argue the 'Save Act' is a 'Jim Crow law' designed to suppress votes, particularly impacting women, military, disabled, senior citizens, and college students due to stringent ID and name-matching requirements.

Following the death of one-year-old Kohen Wiley, who was shot and killed in Centopia, Mississippi, community activists are organizing protests and a boycott of Walmart. The protests demand accountability from the Centopia Police Department, which has a history of brutalizing Black residents, and from Walmart, which called the police leading to the incident.

Markeel Bridges, founder of Building Bridges Coalition, details the police's history of brutality, including tasing an elderly Black woman and arresting Black children for minor infractions. He states the boycott has successfully shut down the Walmart three times, costing the store $200,000-$300,000 per shutdown, and calls for creating Black-owned store chains to reduce dependence on hostile businesses.