North Carolina Karen Spouts N-Word on School Bus Full of Students, Lip Reader Reveals What Denzel Said in Cannes, Memphis Woman Suffers Tragic Accident While Celebrating College Graduation, Louisiana Couple Dies in Two Separate Car Crashes on Same Day, 5 Things About Nottoway Plantation’s Horrid Legacy and More News From the Week

A collection of our best posts of the week in news.

Screenshot: Instagram

North Carolina Karen Boards School Bus Full of Children, Shouts N-Word at Black Girl, Messes Around and Finds Out

Screenshot: Instagram

What business does a 35-year-old woman have cussing out a Black middle schooler? This North Carolina Karen’s whole racist tirade got caught on video. Her behavior was so nasty, the authorities had to get involved. – Kalyn Womack Read More

Video will return here when scrolled back into view
Tramell Tillman Talks Sparring with Tom Cruise and Bringing That Severance Heat to Mission: Impossible

Lip Reader Reveals What Denzel Washington Said To The Photographer Who Tried Him At Cannes

Photo: Getty Images Pascal Le Segretain

The viral video of Denzel Washington confronting the photographer who tested his patience at Cannes continues to pull comments on social media, but now we have a good idea of what he actually said. – Mahalia Otshudy Read More

Pardoned Capitol Rioter Who Threatened to Blow Up Obama’s House Caught Red-Handed on His Own Livestream

Screenshot: Metropolitan Police Department

On the latest episode of “Jan. 6 rioters in trouble with the law… again,” Taylor Taranto is finally facing the music after a series of careless decisions and violent threats led him right back in front of a federal judge. The 39-year-old was one of the 1,500 Capitol insurrectionists pardoned by President Donald Trump this year, but despite being given a second chance, Taranto couldn’t resist getting in trouble. – Phenix S Halley Read More

This Memphis Woman Was Celebrating College Graduation When Her Vacation Took a Tragic Turn

Screenshot: GoFundMe

A Memphis graduate is fighting for her life after a celebratory trip took a horrifying turn. Hannah Smith graduated summa cum laude on May 3 from Miles College located in Alabama. She and a friend traveled to the Bahamas to celebrate, then the unthinkable happened. – Phenix S Halley Read More

Black Twitter Responds to FAMU Electing ‘MAGA Marva’ Johnson as Its New President, and It’s Far From Pretty…

Photo: Getty Images Jemal Countess

Welp… It’s happening. After concerns that historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are being attacked by President Donald Trump’s MAGA agenda, one of the most prestigious HBCUs in the deep South has selected a new president with direct ties to the MAGA movement. – Phenix S Halley Read More

Louisiana Couple Dies in Two Separate Car Crashes on the Same Night, Leaving a 4-Year-Old Son

Screenshot: YouTube

Two Louisiana families are grieving after experiencing two heartbreaking tragedies on the same night. Engaged couple Alexus Lee and John “JR” Collins were preparing to celebrate one of the happiest days of their lives before their love story was cut short by the unthinkable. – Angela Johnson Read More

A Stranger Helping a Man Move a Box Discovers a Dead Body Inside, and Then Things Get Worse…

Photo: Harford County Sheriff’s Office

Last week, a Houston man was innocently asked to help someone move some furniture out of their house. Not thinking anything of it, the man went over and started moving boxes – until he came across a heavy one that contained a frightening discovery. Now, police are saying the contents were the missing piece to a murder. – Kalyn Womack Read More

5 Things You Should Know About the Nottoway Plantation’s Horrid Legacy

USA, Deep South, Louisiana, Nottoway Plantation & Resort Photo: Getty Images Dukas/Christian Heeb/Universal Images Group

The Black social media-verse has been ablaze with reaction to the burning down of Nottoway Plantation in White Castle, La. Officials believe the cause of the 160-year-old structure’s destruction may have been electrical. But it is a place of history, and what was lost despite what it represented was a window into the past that allows us to examine what the place really was. So here are some things you should understand about the now-burned Nottoway Plantation: – Madison J. Gray Read More

As Tornado Rips St. Louis, Black Neighborhoods Faced Silence After FEMA Was Nowhere to Be Found

Photo: Getty Images Michael Swensen

The city of St. Louis is witnessing the consequences of President Donald Trump’s attacks on the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in real time. And to be expected, it’s the city’s Black residents and other vulnerable groups who are suffering the most. – Phenix S Halley Read More

How This Black Georgia Woman’s 3-Day Solo Camping Trip Turned Into a Weeks-Long Fight for Survival

Screenshot: abcnews.go

What was meant to be a relaxing solo camping trip became a fight for survival for one Georgia woman after her three-day excursion turned into a nearly three-week test of her tenacity in the California mountains. Tiffany Slaton’s parents reported her missing on April 29 after not hearing from her for nine days. – Angela Johnson Read More

Straight From The Root

Sign up for our free daily newsletter.

Latest from The Root

Everything You Need to Watch, Listen To Before You See the New Michael Jackson Movie

Everything You Need to Watch, Listen To Before You See the New Michael Jackson Movie

There’s exactly one week before the new Michael Jackson biopic hits theaters. But if you can’t wait to enter into MJ land, consider this your pre-viewing and listening syllabus! …
A Look Inside Prince's Famous Paisley Park Mansion in Minnesota

A Look Inside Prince’s Famous Paisley Park Mansion in Minnesota

An all-new Prince celebration is set to take place soon, so what better time to revisit the place Prince called home? Let’s take a look! …
Black Law Workforce Hits Decade Low Under Trump Anti-DEI Shifts

Black Law Workforce Hits Decade Low Under Trump Anti-DEI Shifts

Following the 2026 NALP report, experts warn that the systematic dismantling of DEI policies under the Trump administration is reversing a decade of progress for the Black middle class …
Expert Tips to Help Black Families Navigate Dementia Care

Expert Tips to Help Black Families Navigate Dementia Care

In many Black families, caregivers pour their hearts into taking care of loved ones. Here’s what an expert wants families to know about managing dementia care …
5 Things You Won't See In New Michael Jackson Movie

5 Things You Won’t See In New Michael Jackson Movie

‘Michael’ arrives this week—but don’t expect these storylines to make the final cut …
Charles Barkely And Michael Jordan Squash Their Decades-Long Beef

Charles Barkely And Michael Jordan Squash Their Decades-Long Beef

After more than ten years of silence, the two NBA icons have set aside their differences and reconciled …
Why Millions are Risking AI Medical Advice Despite Fading Trust

Why Millions are Risking AI Medical Advice Despite Fading Trust

A new study found that consumer trust in AI as a medical decision-making tool is waning …
No, Janet Jackson Isn't In the New Michael Movie and Here's Why

No, Janet Jackson Isn’t In the New Michael Movie and Here’s Why

Michael and Janet Jackson shared a close relationship, but she won’t be featured in his highly-anticipated biopic. We’re breaking down why she’s not in the film …
Behind the Violent End of Justin Fairfax’s Marriage

Behind the Violent End of Justin Fairfax’s Marriage

They were a Duke University power couple with the world at their feet. But by April 2026, Justin and Cerina Fairfax met a tragic end during tense divorce proceedings …
Everything You Need to Know About the Black Woman Trump Nominated To Lead the CDC

Everything You Need to Know About the Black Woman Trump Nominated To Lead the CDC

Pres. Trump just nominated Dr. Erica Schwartz as the next CDC director. Here’s all you need to know about the Black woman who has been tapped to take over the nation’s top public health agency …
D4vd Arrested in Celeste Rivas Death Case: What We Know

D4vd Arrested in Celeste Rivas Death Case: What We Know

Authorities had been circling D4vd for a while now, but had nothing concrete to bring him in on until now. Here’s what we know …
Why Black Women Continue to Defend Meghan Markle Despite the Online Trolls

Why Black Women Continue to Defend Meghan Markle Despite the Online Trolls

Meghan Markle is opening up about the digital bullying she experienced, but Black women online aren’t letting her fight this fight alone! …
Why Bill Bellamy's Latest Message to Black Women Has the Internet Heated

Why Bill Bellamy’s Latest Message to Black Women Has the Internet Heated

While many people love Bill Bellamy for his comedy, he’s sadly coming under fire for his latest joke and message to Black women. Let’s get into it! …
Hilton Head's Gullah Geechee Community Built A Legacy, Now They're Fighting To Be Heard

Hilton Head’s Gullah Geechee Community Built A Legacy, Now They’re Fighting To Be Heard

The Legal Defense Fund says that the Hilton Head Gullah Geechee community is being shut out of key land talks that could shape their survival …
Dave Chappelle Says Republicans 'Weaponized' His Trans Jokes, But That's Not the Whole Story

Dave Chappelle Says Republicans ‘Weaponized’ His Trans Jokes, But That’s Not the Whole Story

Dave Chappelle is reflecting on his trans jokes and the role some Republicans seemingly played in making things worse—but there’s more to it than that …
Vogue Slammed Online After Trying to Rename The Afro

Vogue Slammed Online After Trying to Rename The Afro

The Black internet is giving Vogue magazine an earful after they tried to rename a classic hairstyle that represents Black pride …
Viral 'Demure' TikToker Jools Lebron Breaks Her Silence on the Brutal Toll of Internet Fame

Viral ‘Demure’ TikToker Jools Lebron Breaks Her Silence on the Brutal Toll of Internet Fame

In a new interview with Tamron Hall, Jools Lebron reveals the dark side of overnight fame after she went viral on TikTok for “demure.” …
LeBron James Should Retire Now While Greatness Still Defines Him

LeBron James Should Retire Now While Greatness Still Defines Him

The only thing left for King James to prove is that he knows when to walk away …
This Georgia Lawmaker's Blackface Photo Was Offensive Enough— But His Response Was Even Worse

This Georgia Lawmaker’s Blackface Photo Was Offensive Enough— But His Response Was Even Worse

Folks say if “tone-deaf” were a person, Georgia lawmaker Kasey Carpenter might be contending for top spot after a photo of him in blackface sparked fury …
Khloé Kardashian Claps Back at Lamar Odom Over His Comments About Her Role in His Recovery

Khloé Kardashian Claps Back at Lamar Odom Over His Comments About Her Role in His Recovery

After allegedly trying to downplay her role in helping Lamar Odom recover from his 2015 brother incident and more, Khloé Kardashian is now pushing back! …