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Department of State Health Services reports first measles case of 2025 in Bexar County

Department of State Health Services reports first measles case of 2025 in Bexar County

BEXAR COUNTY, Texas – The Texas Department of State Health Services reported the first case of measles in 2025 in Bexar County.

The agency announced the new case in its weekly update published on Tuesday.

Officials said the Bexar County measles case is connected to the West Texas outbreak.

KSAT reached out to DSHS for additional information on the Bexar County measles case. Bexar County Metro Health acknowledged DSHS’ reported case to KSAT on Tuesday, but the local health department has yet to provide additional context.

In total, DSHS said 753 measles cases were reported statewide since late January. More than 400 cases (414) have been confirmed in Gaines County.

Ninety-nine people have been hospitalized with the virus this year. Two unvaccinated school-aged children who lived in West Texas outbreak area died of measles, DSHS said.

In April, the state confirmed the first measles case in the San Antonio area. The DSHS reported that an unvaccinated resident who was in their infectious period attended an event at Shearit Yisrael Qahal Yehoshua on April 13.

A measles case that was unrelated to the outbreak was reported in May in Hays County.

Exposure guidance and symptom monitoring

Measles is an airborne illness and can infect anyone, Atascosa County officials said in a news release when its April case was confirmed. Complications can be severe and include ear infections, diarrhea, pneumonia, or, in rare cases, brain inflammation.

Infants and children under five years old, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems are at the highest risk, the release said.

Common symptoms for measles include:

  • High fever

  • Cough

  • Runny nose

  • Red and watery eyes

  • A rash that typically starts on the face and spreads downward, two to five days after initial symptoms

Vaccination with the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine is the most effective way to prevent measles, the release said.

Atascosa County officials released the following guidance for those who may have been exposed or are experiencing symptoms:

  • Watch for symptoms, which typically develop seven to 21 days after exposure

  • Isolate immediately to prevent spreading the virus to others

  • Contact a health care provider before going in to arrange testing

  • Receiving a measles vaccine within three days or immunoglobulin (IG) within six days of exposure can prevent illness; contact a health care provider for more information

This is a developing story. Check back for more updates.

More recent measles coverage on KSAT:

Copyright 2025 by KSAT – All rights reserved.

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Trump, Rwanda, and Who Gets Treated Like Luggage

 

Let’s break this down—because I’ve been watching it too, and if your eyebrows are raised, you’re not alone.

 

 

Donald Trump has been name-dropping Rwanda more than usual lately. Not because he’s suddenly invested in African development or diplomacy, but because Rwanda is now being positioned—again—as a dumping ground for Western political agendas. And folks need to understand the full picture, not just the headlines.

 

First, What’s the Deal?

 

Back in his presidency, Trump pushed hard to limit immigration, especially from Black and brown countries. You might remember the “shithole countries” comment. Yeah—he said that. And he meant it.

 

Now, fast forward to 2024–2025, Trump and his allies have circled back to a plan that looks a lot like what the UK tried with Rwanda: pay the Rwandan government to take in asylum seekers—mostly from Latin America, the Middle East, or Africa—so they never set foot on U.S. soil. In plain terms, it’s a way to offshore human beings. To outsource empathy.

 

Rwanda would get millions in foreign aid to hold people the U.S. doesn’t want to deal with.

 

Let that sink in.

 

Why Rwanda?

 

Because Rwanda has become the go-to face of “stability” in East Africa, at least on paper. The president, Paul Kagame, runs a tight ship—too tight, if you ask human rights experts. He’s built an image of order and growth, but under the surface, there’s deep control, little dissent, and serious questions about freedom. Still, Western nations love him because he plays ball. He makes deals. He doesn’t push back.

 

And the U.S. government—under both parties, let’s be real—has a long history of partnering with regimes that will do the dirty work for us in exchange for money, weapons, or political clout.

 

Trump’s interest in Rwanda isn’t about the people. It’s about using Rwanda as a shield to avoid accountability. So the U.S. can still say it’s “handling” migration—just without offering actual refuge.

 

But here’s the twist that no one’s really talking about: Trump has also hinted—more than once—that deals like this make him worthy of a Nobel Peace Prize.

 

Yes, you read that right.

 

In his mind, getting another country to “help” with migration—even if it means warehousing asylum seekers thousands of miles from where they sought safety—is a diplomatic achievement. He wants credit. He wants headlines. He wants the prize.

 

So Rwanda isn’t just a partner. It’s a prop in the performance.

 

A transaction dressed up as peace.

 

An agreement that lets him claim he’s solving global problems, while never actually addressing the root of any of them.

 

Now Let’s Talk About the South Africa Ambush

 

Trump didn’t stop with Rwanda. In May 2025, he ambushed South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in the Oval Office, blasting him with claims of “white genocide” against Afrikaner farmers. He dimmed the lights, showed a video (which turned out to be from Congo), waved printouts—he made it a spectacle.

 

  • Reuters breakdown: https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/under-attack-by-trump-south-africas-ramaphosa-responds-with-trade-deal-offer-2025-05-21/
  • Fact check: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-makes-false-claims-white-genocide-south-africa-during-ramaphosa-meeting-2025-05-21/

 

Ramaphosa pushed back calmly: there’s no genocide. Everyone is affected by violent crime. White farmers aren’t being singled out.

 

  • Politico report: https://www.politico.com/news/2025/05/27/donald-trump-south-africa-fight-00371510

 

Yet Trump spun it as proof. He fast‑tracked asylum for white South Africans, while blocking mostly Black and brown refugees from other countries.

 

  • Reuters: https://www.reuters.com/world/first-white-south-africans-fly-us-under-trump-refugee-plan-2025-05-12/
  • Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/2025/06/27/trump-afrikaners-refugees-travel-ban/

 

This isn’t just selective empathy. It’s racist transactionalism. Trump sees a story that inflames his base, gains him international attention, and gives him another photo op to deploy as proof of his “global influence” and moral high ground. Again, legacy theater.

 

Let’s Call It What It Is

 

This isn’t just policy. It’s racism packaged as strategy. It’s the idea that poor, brown, desperate people fleeing violence don’t deserve to stand on American soil—but can be corralled somewhere far away, as long as the checks clear.

 

And it’s not just Trump. We have to be honest—Biden has quietly allowed deportation and border enforcement policies that echo the same logic. The system is broken across the board.

 

But Trump? He’s loud about it. He says the quiet part out loud.

 

His obsession with Rwanda is not admiration—it’s transactional. He sees deals. Leverage. Optics. And most importantly—a shortcut to legacy. Something to point at and say, “Look what I did. Give me the medal.”

 

Same with the South Africa standoff. He turned it into a show of white victimhood—amplifying the “white genocide” myth, resettling white Afrikaners, and ignoring the pain of Black and brown refugees who get shut out.

 

  • New Yorker: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/06/09/trump-makes-americas-refugee-program-a-tool-of-white-racial-grievance

 

It’s never about the people. It’s about the performance.

 

Here’s the Bigger Question

 

What kind of nation do we become when we treat people like cargo? When we offload the vulnerable to countries we once colonized, exploited, and destabilized—only to act like we’re doing them a favor by tossing them a few million in hush money?

 

We can’t keep calling it “policy” when it’s really displacement, dehumanization, and distraction.

 

And we, the people—especially those of us who care about justice, who show up for our neighbors, who believe in actual freedom—have to pay attention to these deals, even when they seem far away. Because they say everything about who’s considered human—and who’s considered disposable.

 

So What Do We Do?

 

We ask better questions. We name the game. We stop pretending this is about “national security” or “border control.”

 

This is about power. About fear. About a system that has always found ways to keep certain people out while pretending to stand for liberty and justice for all.

 

If you’ve ever felt like something wasn’t right about these immigration debates, you’re not wrong. You’re paying attention. Keep watching. Keep asking.

 

Because this isn’t just about Rwanda or South Africa.

 

It’s about us.

 

The man accused of killing 2 Idaho firefighters had once aspired to be one

COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho – COEUR D’A 20-year-old man’s life appeared to have begun to unravel in the months before authorities say he fatally shot two firefighters and severely wounded a third as they responded to a wildfire near Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.

Wess Roley was living out of his vehicle and his former roommate, T.J. Franks Jr., said he shaved off his long hair and started to “kind of go downhill.” The two lived together for about six months in Sandpoint, Idaho, until Roley moved out in January, Franks said Monday.

Roley, who authorities say took his own life after Sunday’s shootings, is suspected of killing two battalion chiefs whose firefighting carriers in Idaho spanned nearly half a century combined. The deaths of Frank Harwood, 42, with Kootenai County Fire and Rescue, and John Morrison, 52, with the Coeur d’Alene Fire Department, have left their colleagues reeling, resulting in their departments adding law enforcement to every call, no matter how routine.

“I don’t know that we’re ever going to be able to guarantee people’s peace of mind, at least for a while after an incident like this,” Kootenai County Fire and Rescue Chief Christopher Way said. “But we are taking every measure we can to ensure safety of our responders.”

Roley had set a fire using flint at Canfield Mountain, a popular recreation area, according to authorities. The firefighters who rushed to the scene found themselves under fire and took cover behind fire trucks.

“There was an interaction with the firefighters,” Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris said. “It has something to do with his vehicle being parked where it was.”

Two helicopters converged on the area, armed with snipers ready to take out the suspect if needed, while the FBI used his cellphone data to track him and the sheriff ordered residents to shelter in place. They eventually found Roley’s body in the mountains, his firearm beside him. He had killed himself, the sheriff said.

Roley had once aspired to be a firefighter and had only a handful of minor contacts with area police, Norris said. A motive was still unknown, he said.

He had ties to California and Arizona and was living in Idaho “for the better part of 2024,” although it was unclear why he was there, Norris said.

When Roley was living with Franks, his apartment cameras caught Roley throwing gang signs at them, which worried Franks to the point that he called police.

The landlord also called Franks one morning because neighbors reported that Roley’s vehicle had been left running for about 12 hours. Franks said Roley was asleep in his room and said he forgot about the vehicle.

Hours after Sunday’s shooting, people gathered along Interstate 90 holding American flags to pay their respects as the two fallen firefighters’ bodies were taken to the medical examiner’s office in Spokane, Washington, about 35 miles (56 kilometers) from Coeur d’Alene.

Gov. Brad Little ordered U.S. and Idaho state flags to be lowered to half-staff to honor the firefighters until the day after their memorial service.

“All our public safety officers, especially our firefighters, bravely confront danger on a daily basis but we have never seen a heinous act of violence like this on our firefighters before,” he said in a statement.

Harwood, one of the victims of the shooting, had been with the county fire department for 17 years, Kootenai County Fire and Rescue Chief Christopher Way said during a news conference Monday. Harwood was married and had two children, and he also was a veteran of the Army National Guard.

Morrison, who was also killed, started his career with the Coeur d’Alene Fire Department in 1996 and had also worked as a paramedic.

Coeur d’Alene Fire Department Fire Engineer David Tysdal, 47, sustained gunshot wounds and was in critical condition. Authorities said he had two successful surgeries.

“We still are in shock and are struggling to understand why someone would target unarmed, selfless public servants,” said Coeur d’Alene Mayor Woody McEvers.

By Monday afternoon, the fire was “reasonably contained,” and responders had “stopped significant forward progress,” Way said. The Idaho Department of Lands said it had burned about 26 acres (10.5 hectares).

___

Associated Press journalists Hallie Golden and Martha Bellisle in Seattle and Ed White in Detroit to this report.

Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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SAPD officer suspended for 5 days in June after body camera shows him repeatedly saying expletives

SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio police officer was suspended for five days without pay for violating SAPD procedures.

While responding to a call for a suspicious vehicle in April 2025, Eric Padilla became very agitated. According to body camera video from Padilla and fellow responding officer Jaren Falcon obtained by KSAT 12 on Monday, Padilla used various expletives at least 19 times in approximately four minutes to a man involved in the call.

“The reason that we’re here is because someone called in a suspicious vehicle,” Padilla said in the video. “The window is rolled down. It looks suspicious here.”

When the vehicle’s owner tried to interject, Padilla quickly responded by saying, “I’m not done f—— talking.”

When Padilla finished his sentence, the vehicle’s owner said, “Everyone in the complex knows that that’s my vehicle.”

“I don’t give a f— who you know. I don’t give a f— who knows you,” Padilla said to the vehicle’s owner. “We got a call for someone saying the vehicle looks suspicious.”

While the officers attempted to open one of the doors of the reported suspicious vehicle, the car’s alarm went off.

The blaring car alarm caused its owner to come out of his third-floor apartment balcony to turn the alarm off. The car owner then started yelling at the officers to figure out what was going on.

A few minutes later, the car owner came downstairs to speak with Padilla and Falcon. He explained to them that the car had brake issues. The owner said he left the vehicle on the public street to avoid the risk of attempting to drive it into his complex’s lot with other cars.

“Did I commit a crime?” the car owner asked Padilla.

“Look m—–f—–.” Padilla began to answer.

“I’m telling you, did I commit a crime?” the vehicle owner asked.

“I’m telling you, go back inside your apartment,” Padilla said. “Nothing is going to f—— happen with your f—— car.”

“Is my vehicle going to be towed?” the vehicle owner asked.

While KSAT only shared parts of the body camera footage, the car owner started the interaction with police when he heard his car alarm and then said, from a distance, “It’s my own f—— car. What does it matter?”

However, that was the only expletive word the car owner said during the entire interaction with both SAPD officers. According to the body camera footage, Falcon did not utter an expletive during the officers’ interaction with the car owner.

According to the suspension paperwork obtained by KSAT, Padilla violated SAPD’s Rules, Regulations, and Procedures, which states, “Members shall at all times be courteous, kind, patient and respectful in dealing with the public, and shall strive to merit the esteem of all law abiding citizens by an impartial discharge of their official duties.”

“Members, on- or off-duty, shall be governed by the ordinary and reasonable rules of good conduct and behavior, and shall not commit any act tending to bring reproach or discredit on themselves or the department,” the rules continued.

According to Padilla’s suspension paperwork, “The nature of the call did not justify the use of expletive language and unnecessarily escalated the situation.”

Padilla was suspended from June 5 to June 9.

Copyright 2025 by KSAT – All rights reserved.

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Al Hilal stuns Manchester City 4-3 in Club World Cup on Marcos Leonardo’s extra-time goal

ORLANDO, Fla. – Marcos Leonardo scored his second goal on a rebound in the 112th minute, and Al Hilal stunned Manchester City 4-3 on Monday night, eliminating the Premier League power from the Club World Cup in the round of 16.

In a back-and-forth thriller at Camping World Stadium, the Saudi Arabian club took the lead three times, including twice in extra time. Kalidou Koulibaly put Al Hilal ahead 3-2 in the 94th minute, but Phil Foden — who entered as a substitute four minutes earlier — equalized in the 104th.

Leonardo finally put Man City away. Goalkeeper Ederson saved a header by Sergej Milinkovic-Savic from inside the penalty box and the ball deflected to Leonardo, who redirected it with his right foot as he fell to the pitch near the left post.

Al Hilal moves on to face Fluminense of Brazil, which took down another European power, Inter Milan, earlier Tuesday.

Leonardo also scored in the 46th minute to even the match at 1-1.

Bernardo Silvan opened the scoring in the ninth minute for Man City. Malcom put Al Hilal ahead in the 52nd, and Erling Haaland found the net in the 55th to make it 2-2.

Key moment

Manchester City nearly won it regulation in the final seconds of added time on a counterattack that was thwarted by a hard challenge. Referees did not call a penalty, and Man City coach Pep Guardiola ran onto the field to argue the decision after the whistle.

Takeaways

Al Hilal will face Fluminense on July 4 at Camping World Stadium for a spot in the semifinals.

___

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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Philadelphia city workers strike after contract talks fail

PHILADELPHIA – Nearly 10,000 city workers in Philadelphia who collect trash, answer 911 calls, maintain city pools and perform other jobs went on strike Tuesday after contract negotiations broke down.

District Council 33 President Greg Boulware said the city hadn’t agreed to a high enough wage increase, WPVI-TV reported.

Mayor Cherelle Parker said the city would suspend residential trash collection, close some city pools and shorten recreation center hours, but vowed to keep the city running. Police and firefighters are not on strike.

Parker, a pro-labor Democrat, promised that Fourth of July celebrations in the nation’s birthplace would go on as usual.

“Keep your holiday plans. Don’t leave the city,” she said at a Monday afternoon news conference that followed hours of last-minute negotiations.

City officials urged residents to be patient and not hang up should they need to call either 911 or the city’s non-emergency helpline. They said they would open drop-off sites for residential trash.

Parker said she had offered raises that amount to 13% over her four-year term and added a fifth step to the pay scale to align with other unionized workers. District Council 33 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees is the largest of four unions representing city workers.

“We believe it’s a fair offer and still fiscally responsible for the people of this city,” said Parker, who took office last year.

Union leaders, in their initial contract proposal, asked for 8% annual raises each year of the three-year contract, along with cost-of-living hikes and bonuses of up to $5,000 for those who worked through the pandemic. The union also asked the city to pay the full cost of employee health care, or $1,700 per person per month.

“District Council 33’s members contribute as much blood, sweat and tears as does anyone else,” they said in a demand letter. “We all make the city work. Our contract must reflect that reality.”

In November, the city transit system averted a strike when the parties agreed to a one-year contract with 5% raises.

Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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Bexar County commissioner reveals possible cause for Beitel Creek flood

SAN ANTONIO – As San Antonio leaders continue their investigation into what made the June 12 floods so severe, a Bexar County leader pointed KSAT towards a possible culprit.

“It’s all the concrete,” said Bexar County Precinct 4 Commissioner Tommy Calvert.

On June 30, KSAT anchor Stephania Jimenez spoke with the commissioner in a follow-up to their conversation on June 13, the day after the flooding.

Calvert’s precinct covers the northeast side, where 11 of the 13 people died in the floods earlier this month.

Calvert said his information on the cause of the flooding came from engineers, who looked at a five-mile radius along the Beitel Creek area and shared their preliminary findings.

They told him the concrete in the area, rather than vegetation, is what made the water rise so quickly.

Calvert said the preliminary findings also show that the infrastructure along the Beitel Creek area is “not designed to handle the June 12 storm or smaller flooding events.”

City leaders are expected to provide an update on their findings from the flooding in late July.

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Fun activities and new Sunday market hours this summer at Pearl

Pearl will offer free fitness classes, kids dance sessions and workshops

Pearl San Antonio (Pearl)

San Antonio – Pearl has announced a full list of activities for the remainder of the summer.

The Pearl Makers Market will be open with new summer hours from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sundays from July 6 to August 31.

Sunday’s Makers Market is held for local craftsmen and artisans, where there are culinary goods, pottery and wooden kitchenware.

The following events are scheduled for the summer:

  • San Antonio CowParade: From now to Aug. 31, Pearl will auction off cow statues created by San Antonio artists with proceeds benefiting the CHRISTUS Children’s Foundation.
  • Miss Anastasia’s Wild and Wacky Pre-Weekend Twiglet Storytime: Every Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 10 a.m., the Twig Book Shop will host a storytime and craft session for kids.
  • Dance classes: On July 8 and 22, The Vegas Group is hosting free adult line dancing classes from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
  • Kids dance sessions: Starting July 11, Art in Dance Studio will host Disney-themed dance sessions every Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Esta Noche Dance Studio will hold a kids dance session at 9:30 a.m. on July 4.
  • ACTIVATE Boot Camp: The free one-hour fitness class series will return Mondays at 7 p.m. starting July 14. Click here to RSVP.
  • Pullman Market’s Latte Art Workshop: On July 15 and Aug. 19, market baristas will teach the fundamentals to making latte art. The workshop begins at 7 p.m. and is $50 per person. Click here to sign up.
  • Children’s Entrepreneur Night Market: An evening market that features 80+ young business leaders showcasing their creativity and talent on July 16. The market will also host a donation for school supplies from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. The first 100 people to donate will receive a sweet treat. The night market will happen from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Click here for a calendar of full events and here to sign up for Pearl Markets’ weekly newsletter and community updates.

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Hollywood actors demand answers from Amazon on its treatment of pregnant workers

Published

2025-06-30 12:46
12:46
June 30, 2025
pm

A group of Hollywood actors is calling on Amazon to respond to allegations from pregnant workers that the company is failing to offer them accommodations in their warehouses, leading to severe health complications and even miscarriages. 

Jane Fonda, Rosario Dawson, Cynthia Nixon, Sally Field, Lilly Tomlin, Chelsea Handler and Pamela Adlon signed onto the letter, which was sent Friday to Edith Cooper, the chair of Amazon’s Leadership Development and Compensation Committee. The actors signed onto the letter after labor rights leader Erica Smiley won an award in June from the Women’s Media Center, which is co-founded by Fonda, and used the platform to speak about the issues facing pregnant Amazon workers.

In the letter, the actors reference the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, which went into effect in the summer of 2023. It requires employers to work in good faith to accommodate pregnancy-related needs, including time off for doctor’s appointments or workplace accommodations like a stool to sit on or more frequent breaks. But pregnant workers in Amazon’s warehouses have alleged that Amazon refused to accommodate them when they asked for lighter duty. They say the company refused to hear their concerns, forcing them to quit or firing them. 

“These are not isolated incidents,” the letter said. “Instead, they are part of a pattern of Amazon workers being seriously injured, and then being treated as disposable — pushed into medical debt and poverty because Amazon refuses to take responsibility and, in many cases, simply fires them, leaving them without income or an ability to secure new work as they struggle to heal from their Amazon-induced disabilities.” 

Amazon told The 19th in a statement that the safety of its workers is extremely important.

“We have comprehensive policies and programs for employees who may need accommodations or restricted work. We’re committed to ensuring that they have the assistance they need to perform their jobs through our robust accommodation process,” Amazon said. “If an employee believes that these policies have been violated, they should report it immediately.”

According to the letter, workers have been requesting a meeting with Cooper, the company’s board of directors and Sarah Rhoads, the vice president of safety, since July 2024. Amazon has not responded, according to the Expose Amazon campaign, an effort that has been spotlighting stories of workers injured on the job, including one worker who died, for several years.

Last year, Amazon shareholders requested that the board commission an audit of working conditions inside company warehouses. But the proposal was rejected in May. In its response, Amazon said the proposal relied on “false, misinformed and misleading claims about our injury rates made by outside groups with ulterior motives,” and added that the company has improved its incident rates — a measure of how often injuries occur at work — by 34 percent from 2019 to 2024. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos set a goal of reducing incident rates 50 percent by this year.

Amazon added that the Leadership Development and Compensation Committee, which Cooper leads, has direct oversight of workplace safety issues and “regularly reviews these matters.” 

It’s not the first time Amazon’s alleged treatment of pregnant workers has drawn attention. In 2021, a group of six senators also sent a letter to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), calling for a federal probe into Amazon’s treatment of pregnant workers in its warehouses. That investigation appears to be ongoing, according to an attorney representing a pregnant Amazon worker in a recent lawsuit. 

That was before the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act went into effect, however. Now, the EEOC, which is charged with enforcing the act, would also be tasked with investigations that fall under the new law. But after President Donald Trump fired two members of the agency earlier this year, the EEOC lacks a quorum to enact any policy directives, and its acting chair, Andrea Lucas, is opposed to some of the protections established in the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act that would allow workers to take time off to seek an abortion. That means it’s unclear how much enforcement the agency is currently taking on on behalf of pregnant workers. 

For the past several years, the Expose Amazon campaign has also been highlighting stories of incidents inside Amazon’s warehouses, painting a picture of strenuous working conditions where worker needs are rarely met. More recently, the group has been collecting dozens of stories from pregnant workers who say they have been denied reasonable accommodations at work. Some of those charges have been filed with the EEOC.

The actors’ letter came ahead of Bezos’ lavish Venice wedding to Lauren Sanchez Bezos, which was met with protests and demonstrations from hundreds who called it an exploitation of the city.

Smiley, the executive director of Jobs with Justice, a labor rights organization, said they’ve seen a pattern of reports among Amazon workers who say they are being asked to climb tall ladders with their baby bumps, speed across the shop floor, and often work with few or no bathroom breaks — even with the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act now in effect nationwide.

The new law was designed to help workers in these exact kinds of jobs, but, Smiley said, “no matter how good the law is, if the companies are not going to enforce it … it’s just words.”

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Slander or ‘trash-talking’? Drake-Kendrick Lamar feud has a day in court

NEW YORK – A federal judge is pondering the nature of rap battles and the cutting wordplay in Kendrick Lamar ’s “Not Like Us,” the megahit diss track that spurred a defamation lawsuit from his fellow superstar Drake.

Drake sued Universal Music Group — both his and Lamar’s record label — over “Not Like Us,” saying the company published and promoted a song he deems slanderous. Universal says the lyrics are just hyperbole in the tradition of rap beefing, and the label is trying to get the case dismissed.

Judge Jeannette Vargas didn’t immediately decide after a lively hearing Monday, when the raw creativity of hip-hop brushed up against the staid confines of federal court.

“Who is the ordinary listener? Is it someone who’s going to catch all those references?” Vargas wondered aloud, addressing a legal standard that concerns how an average, reasonable person would understand a statement. “There’s so much specialized and nuanced to these lyrics.”

Neither artist attended the hearing.

The case stems from an epic feud between two of hip-hop’s biggest stars over one of 2024 biggest songs — the one that won the record of the year and song of the year Grammys, got the most Apple Music streams worldwide and helped make this winter’s Super Bowl halftime show the most watched ever.

Released as the two artists were trading a flurry of insult tracks, Lamar’s song calls out the Canadian-born Drake by name and impugns his authenticity, branding him “a colonizer” of rap culture who’s “not like us” in Lamar’s home turf of Compton, California, and, more broadly, West Coast rap.

“Not Like Us” also makes insinuations about Drake’s sex life, including “I hear you like ’em young” — implications that he rejects.

Drake’s suit says that the song amounts to “falsely accusing him of being a sex offender, engaging in pedophilic acts” and more. Contending that the track endangered him by fanning notions of vigilante justice, the suit blames “Not Like Us” not only for harming Drake’s image but for attempted break-ins and the shooting of a security guard at his Toronto home. The mansion was depicted in an aerial photo in the song’s cover art.

“This song achieved a cultural ubiquity unlike any other rap song in history,” Drake lawyer Michael Gottlieb said. He argued that Universal had campaigned and contrived to make it “a de facto national anthem” that didn’t just address hip-hop fans who knew the backstory and were accustomed to over-the-top lyrical battling.

The average listener could be “a 13-year-old who’s dancing to the song at a bar mitzvah,” Gottlieb suggested.

“That would be a very interesting bar mitzvah,” the judge opined. (The song has indeed been played at some such celebrations.)

Universal, meanwhile, has emphasized that “Not Like Us” was part of an exchange of barbs between Drake and Lamar.

“Context is key,” label lawyer Rollin Ransom argued Monday, at one point apologizing for having to use profanity while reciting some of the lyrics Drake aimed at Lamar in a track called “Taylor Made Freestyle.”

“What you hear in these rap battles is trash-talking in the extreme, and it is not, and should not be treated as, statements of fact,” the attorney said.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages.

Drake also went after iHeartMedia, claiming in a Texas legal petition that the radio giant got illegal payments from Universal to boost airplay for “Not Like Us.” IHeartMedia has denied any wrongdoing. That dispute was resolved in March.

Drake hasn’t sued Lamar himself.

Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

Great Job Jennifer Peltz, Associated Press & the Team @ KSAT San Antonio Source link for sharing this story.

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