An educational oversight organization has called upon the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights to probe the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). This request stems from allegations that the district has earmarked tens of millions of dollars for services exclusive to Black students.

The group, Defending Education, claims that LAUSD initiated the “Black Student Achievement Plan” (BSAP) in 2021. This initiative aims to tackle persistent inequalities in educational outcomes between Black students and their peers from other racial backgrounds. The district has indicated that this program is a step towards achieving “racial equity,” with resources being distributed to various schools based on a “race-based tiered system.”

According to Defending Education, LAUSD plans to allocate $50 million for the BSAP during the 2025-2026 academic year. This amount adds to the $125 million already spent on the program.

Superintendent Alberto Carvalho was seen addressing an event at the LAUSD headquarters in downtown Los Angeles on October 30, 2025. (Photo by Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

One of the focal points of the BSAP’s resource distribution is the provision of staff support specifically tasked with meeting the academic and social-emotional needs of Black students.

On July 11, 2023, Defending Education filed a complaint with the Office of Civil Rights over the policy, saying it violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution.

But that complaint was dismissed exactly a year later, after LAUSD represented that it had “substantially changed its criteria for resource allocation to a race-neutral standard and that BSAP’s resources would be available to all students regardless of race,” and the Office of Civil Rights agreed that any potential violation had been rectified.

LAUSD board member Jackie Goldberg sits in a board meeting on Oct. 22, 2024. (Los Angeles Unified School District)

However, Defending Education alleges that only months after the complaint was dismissed, LAUSD Board of Education members said the program had not changed.

In a board meeting on Oct. 22, 2024, activists who opposed LAUSD’s changes to BSAP caused a ruckus, chanting slogans in opposition to the board’s announcement.

During those chants, according to Defending Education, board President Jackie Goldberg and LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho were caught on a hot mic agreeing that “nothing has changed.”

“Do they not know that nothing has changed?” Goldberg asked Carvalho in reference to the protesters.

“Nothing has changed,” Carvalho agreed.

Students backing the Black Student Achievement Plan during a Los Angeles Unified School District school board meeting on Oct. 2, 2024. (Los Angeles Unified School District )

“How do they not know that?” Goldberg replied.

Armed with this exchange, Defending Education has filed a new complaint.

“It’s concerning when a board of education member and the superintendent both promise in a public meeting that nothing has changed in the context of a race-based program that the district knows is in violation of federal law. It’s an admission that they have knowingly lied to the federal government about what is actually going on in the district as it relates to race-based programming,” said Erika Sanzi, senior communications director for Defending Education.

Los Angeles Unified School District yellow school bus taken on Oct. 22, 2025. (Walter Cicchetti/Getty Images)

“It is also worth noting that LAUSD’s school board added $50 million more to the BSAP program in its 2025-26 budget, bringing the total for the program to $175 million,” she said. “Not sure what it’s going to take for public school districts to accept the fact that it is against the law to include and exclude students in programs on the basis of race—hopefully reopening the civil rights investigation can help with that.”

LAUSD did not return a request for comment.

When Samie Elishi and Ciaran Davies clinched the Love Island All Stars title last month, many viewers believed they were witnessing the dawn of a true romance.

However, in an unexpected turn of events, this seemingly promising relationship has quickly unraveled, leaving fans in disbelief.

Despite winning the £50,000 prize in February, the newly anointed champions decided to part ways just three weeks later, revealing they were more suited as friends.

In the aftermath, a new figure has swiftly emerged in Samie’s personal life, capturing the spotlight.

Observant followers have noted a deepening connection between the 26-year-old influencer, who first captivated audiences on Love Island’s ninth season in 2023, and fellow contestant Tyrique Hyde from the show’s tenth season.

And now insiders tell me Samie’s connection with Essex-born semi-professional footballer Tyrique may have been brewing long before she ever decided to try her luck again on the All Stars version of the show.

Love Island alumni Samie Elishi and Ciaran Davies, who lifted the season three All Stars trophy last month but have since called it quits

Indeed, according to a source close to the situation, the cracks between Samie and Ciaran appeared almost immediately after the show wrapped.

Samie, who is from Islington in north London, worked as a senior estate agent coordinator prior to the show while Ciaran hailed from the rural town of Pencoed in South Wales – and the cultural differences became impossible to ignore. Meanwhile, Tyrique, from Chafford Hundred in Essex, was already embedded in Samie’s social circle and aligned in terms of lifestyle and outlook.

‘Samie and Ciaran came out of Love Island and went to visit Wales almost instantly,’ the source said.

‘When they got there, Samie decided Ciaran wasn’t for her as he came from a small town. She realised their lives were too different.’

It was a stark realisation for a couple who, on screen, had appeared aligned in both ambition and affection. But thousands of miles away from the South African villa where All Stars was shot, reality quickly set in and the pace of their lives and upbringings reportedly clashed.

‘She came back from Wales, and went on a date with Tyrique,’ I’m told.

‘And the pair have been spending a lot of time together. They have even booked a trip in a few weeks’ time to see if they get on well.’

The revelation has raised eyebrows among fans, particularly given Tyrique’s very public admiration for Samie in the months leading up to her All Stars appearance.

Long before rumours of their romance surfaced, Tyrique had made no secret of his attraction.

It was a stark realisation for Sami and Ciaran who, on screen and out drinking in London shortly after the show, had appeared aligned in both ambition and affection

Samie’s rumoured new beau and fellow alum from season nine and Love Island games, semi-professional footballer Tyrique Hyde

In an online clip months before Samie entered the villa, when asked hypothetically who he would most like to share a bed with, Tyrique didn’t hesitate: ‘Samie, she’s very good looking.’

Then, days before the latest All Stars season started, he admitted: ‘I rate Samie. She’s a good-looking girl. I’ve seen her in real life and I have been around her at events and she is so cool.’

In another small but telling gesture the 26-year-old went on to comment ‘Happy New Year’ under Samie’s Instagram post on January 5 alongside a heart emoji.

Even casual interactions at the beginning of this year hinted at his interest. When invited to lunch by fellow Love Islander Whitney Adebayo, his first question was reportedly: ‘Is Samie going to be there?’

For some, these moments suggest Tyrique’s feelings were not only genuine but long-standing. And for others, they add fuel to speculation that Samie may have been aware of his interest all along.

‘Tyrique made his feelings clear before she even went in the villa,’ the insider claimed. ‘Some close circles are wondering if this was her game plan all along.’

Samie was photographed on Monday night at a Baller League match with Tyrique following months of him complimenting her online

Last week Tyrique confirmed that ‘Samie is a special person in my life right now’ 

Still, Tyrique himself has been quick to shut down suggestions that he played any role in Samie and Ciaran’s split.

Last week he confirmed that ‘Samie is a special person in my life right now,’ and later said: ‘She supports my rights and wrongs. I just want to finish up here so that I can FaceTime her.’

And he has since doubled down on distancing himself from the break-up timeline: ‘People are saying I’m the reason her and Ciaran broke up. How can I be the reason? I’m in Essex, she was in New York, and he was in Wales.’

It’s a fair point. Geographically, the trio were worlds apart in the immediate aftermath of the show. Following her split from Ciaran, Samie flew to New York on a trip with fashion brand River Island. During her time abroad, Tyrique posted an Instagram story asking her to ‘hit him up’ once she is back in London.

At the same time he conspicuously unfollowed Ciaran on Instagram – and Ciaran reciprocated the gesture a few hours later.

Of course, whether Samie and Tyrique’s budding romance proves to be lasting remains to be seen.

They were pictured on Monday night at a Baller League match – and appear to be taking things seriously enough to test their connection beyond the UK, with a planned trip on the horizon.

It’s a messy love triangle indeed – but what else can you expect from three Love Islanders?

Senate Democrats are mounting a vigorous opposition to the SAVE Act, voicing concerns that the requirement for Americans to present a photo ID at voting polls, even when provided free of charge, could impede eligible voters from participating in elections.

Their primary argument is that the necessity of proving citizenship could create barriers for millions who do not have straightforward access to essential documents like birth certificates or passports. They assert that this could lead to the disenfranchisement of minority groups, particularly among Black and Hispanic communities.

Across the globe, however, many democracies enforce similar voting regulations. Countries in both affluent Western regions and the developing world have implemented these rules without significant controversy.

For instance, every nation in Africa mandates government-issued identification to vote, with 51 out of 54 requiring prospective voters to provide proof of citizenship during registration.

Furthermore, Mexico and all 12 nations in South America require voters to present government-issued photo IDs and verify citizenship as part of the voter registration process.

Mexico’s rules, similar to those proposed in the SAVE Act, require voters to prove their citizenship with an original birth certificate issued by a civil registry, a naturalization certificate or a Mexican passport.  

Our southern neighbor even requires a thumb stain when casting a ballot, to prevent double-voting.

All 47 European countries require government-issued photo identification at the polls.

Virtually all of them check voters’ citizenship against national databases, though France requires them to submit documentation, too — and the United Kingdom, Cyprus and Ireland reserve the right to demand documents when citizenship is in doubt.

Why the tight security? To combat widespread vote fraud.

Mexico enacted major reforms in 1991 after election fraud became endemic there.

The government required biometric photo voter-IDs, banned absentee ballots and mandated in-person registration.

And despite the tighter rules, turnout rose.

In the next three presidential elections, average participation reached 68% of eligible voters, up from 59% in the prior three.

As confidence in the system increased, so did participation.

Similarly, in Northern Ireland, decades of intense sectarian conflict fueled aggressive electoral tactics, and observers described voter fraud as “widespread and systemic.”

Both Conservative and Labour governments acted.

In 1985, under Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, the United Kingdom began requiring voters to show identification at the polls, but that failed to solve the problem: Investigators found that individuals could easily forge medical cards — the accepted ID — or obtain them fraudulently to cast illegitimate votes.

IRA Belfast commanders subsequently admitted to complex scams that had volunteers donning disguises — wigs, different clothes, glasses — to vote multiple times, and running taxis to transport fraudulent voters between polling stations.

By 2002, a UK Electoral Commission survey found that 64% of voters believed fraud in some areas was significant enough to change election outcomes. Only 10% disagreed.

That year, the Labour government strengthened ID requirements, introduced harder-to-forge identification and implemented rules to prevent multiple registrations — and voter confidence rose.

Rep. Henry Cuellar, the only House Democrat supporting the SAVE Act, says he does so “because I believe in a fundamental principle: American citizens should decide American elections.”

Seven states already require proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate, passport, tribal documentation, or naturalization papers, to register to vote — similar to the SAVE Act’s proposed rules.

And polls show strong support for voter-ID requirements among all voters, both Democrats (71%) and Republicans (95%).

Even though Democrats like Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer damn the legislation by claiming it “would impose Jim Crow-style restrictions on voting,” minority voters don’t seem see any danger: significant majorities of black Americans (76%) and Hispanic Americans (82%) favor voter ID.

“The bottom line is this: voter ID is not controversial in this country,” CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten recently noted.

Nor does it spark controversy virtually anywhere else.

Yet despite voters’ own preferences, only one Democratic House member and one possible Senate Democrat, Pennsylvania’s John Fetterman, support the SAVE Act.

Unless seven more of the Senate’s 47 Democrats step forward, their filibuster will kill the bill.

But if voter ID and proof of citizenship destroy democracy, Democrats would have to label virtually every other democracy in the world as undemocratic.

John R. Lott, Jr. is the president of the Crime Prevention Research Center.

The individual accused of murdering Loyola University freshman Sheridan Gorman is set to appear in court for a detention hearing this Friday.

According to police reports, Jose Medina allegedly confronted Gorman, aged 18, and her friends last week at the Tobey Prinz Beach pier in Rogers Park.

ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch

Authorities claim that Medina, clad in black and wearing a mask, brandished a firearm and opened fire on the group. Tragically, Gorman was struck in the neck and succumbed to her injuries.

The Department of Homeland Security has identified Medina as an undocumented immigrant from Venezuela. They state that he unlawfully entered the United States in 2023 and was previously detained for shoplifting in Chicago during the same year.

Related Coverage: The murder of a Loyola student has intensified debates over the state’s sanctuary policies.

Court records also show that Medina never showed up to court for that retail theft charge. He is now facing first degree murder and weapon charges.

Medina was not in court for his initial hearing earlier this week.

The court was told that he was at the hospital for tuberculosis. A judge ordered him to be detained pending Friday’s hearing.