The Department of Justice ignited scrutiny on Monday with an investigation targeting the College of William & Mary. The probe aims to assess whether the Virginia-based public research institution’s scholarships and student benefits inappropriately incorporate race-based criteria, marking another move in the Trump administration’s nationwide focus on educational practices.

Announced by the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, the compliance review seeks to determine if the college potentially breaches Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This landmark law forbids discrimination based on race, color, or national origin within programs or activities that receive federal funding.

“It is illegal to award scholarships or offer valued opportunities to students based merely on skin color. Such practices contradict the pledges of our color-blind Constitution,” remarked Harmeet Dhillon, the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, in a public statement.

Dhillon further elaborated, “We are investigating whether scholarships or other student benefits at William & Mary show any preference towards applicants of specific races. The Department remains vigilant and will not overlook any forms of race-based preferences, regardless of their presentation by universities.”

The “W&M Scholars” program for first-year undergraduate students includes a scholarship that covers at least the full cost of in-state tuition and fees.

While the scholarship is not limited to any particular race, the DOJ said in a notice letter to the institution that applicants with an “interest in diverse people and perspectives” receive “top consideration.” William & Mary’s website lists that consideration alongside academic ability and potential and first-generation or limited-income status.

The W&M School of Education’s need-based Martha L. Muguira Fellowship for graduate students gives a “preference” to Hispanic or Latino women, who have financial need, according to the DOJ. The W&M School of Education’s doctoral-level Holmes Scholars program was described by the DOJ as giving “future education leaders of color” mentorship, access to job fairs and position announcements, as well as national-level professional development benefits, including policy and advocacy training and opportunities to present their research. William & Mary’s current website describes Holmes Scholars as students “from traditionally under-represented backgrounds.”

The DOJ said the W&M Law School offers the Lemon Legal Scholars Program. The DOJ said W&M Law offers up to five full scholarships covering tuition and fees that appear to be exclusively for HBCU graduates. William & Mary’s current website, however, says the law school “will award at least five full scholarships” to HBCU graduates admitted to its J.D. program.

Recipients of this scholarship also receive networking opportunities, one-on-one academic advising regarding course load and bar exam preparation, as well as access to special events with W&M Law School faculty, senior administrators and alumni.

The law school also advertises the “Reaching Back Scholarship,” which is a need-based scholarship that has a “preference” for HBCU graduates or those “who contribute to the diversity” of W&M Law School, the DOJ said.

Some programs at the institution were established to deal with the legacy of slavery and racial discrimination at William & Mary.

The DOJ urged William & Mary to hand over certain documents and information by September 8 as part of the compliance review. The department said ⁠it wants ​to secure compliance by “informal voluntary means” ​but may take formal action such as proceedings that could result in the termination of federal financial assistance if it deems such a move necessary.

Responding to the federal probe, William & Mary said in a statement that it is “committed to nondiscriminatory learning environments across our campus and complying with all state and federal laws.”

The DOJ’s Civil Rights Division said it had not reached any conclusions about the subject matter of the investigation.

This is just the latest effort by the Trump administration to target educational institutions across the nation for issues such as race-based admissions and scholarships, diversity, equity and inclusion programs and alleged antisemitism on campus.

In a troubling trend on the streets of Brooklyn, a woman became the latest unintended victim of gun violence on Monday. Her injury marks the third instance of random bystanders being shot in the area within just 48 hours.

The 52-year-old woman found herself in the path of danger while walking near the Glenwood Houses NYCHA complex in the Flatlands neighborhood. At approximately 1:10 p.m., a bullet grazed her left arm, as reported by the police.

Sources revealed that the incident involved three male suspects who quickly fled the scene, making their getaway on scooters.

Emergency responders swiftly arrived at Ralph Avenue, where they attended to the wounded woman before transporting her to Brookdale Medical Center. Fortunately, her condition is stable.

Authorities later confirmed to The Post that she was an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire.

Year-to-date NYPD data shows shooting incidents in the 63rd precinct — which contains the crime scene — have plunged 60% compared to the same period in 2025.

However, Monday’s shooting follows the tragic death of Sofronie Hartzog, a mother of five who bled out in a Crown Heights bar bathroom after she was hit by a stray bullet during a street brawl over the weekend. 

The deadly gunfire erupted when a fight broke out between a group of about 100 people outside the Ooh La La Lounge near Bergen Street and Howard Avenue around 2:23 a.m. Sunday, according to the NYPD.

An errant bullet struck Hartzog in the back and a 34-year-old man in the gut — both unintended targets, police said.

Hartzog ran into the bar, where she collapsed in a restroom.

First responders rushed her to Brookdale Medical Center, but she died from her injuries.

“They killed her, that’s what happened,” her grieving aunt, Melinda Hartzog, told The Post.

“She was the best person in the world,” she said, adding that her niece left behind five children. 

Neighbor Jennifer Ortiz described the slain victim as a doting mom, always putting her well-behaved kids in nice outfits.

The budding romance between Kim Kardashian and Lewis Hamilton appears to be heating up.

The 45-year-old reality television icon unveiled snippets from her sun-kissed holiday alongside the 41-year-old Formula 1 champion and her children on Monday.

Sharing a trove of vacation photos and videos, the mother of four highlighted a sizzling selfie taken with Hamilton during their trip.

Kardashian showcased her fit physique in a daring pink Gucci bikini top paired with white shorts, as Hamilton embraced her gently from behind.

Another photograph captured the duo in a tender moment as they enjoyed a romantic stroll along the beach.

Kardashian also showed off her hourglass curves in a lilac bikini as she took a dip in the ocean in another photo. 

She accessorized her beach look with a chic belly chain. 

‘Somewhere over the rainbow,’ she wrote in the caption of the post. 

The loved-up pair also posed for a snap with Kardashian’s sister, Khloe, who was on the trip with her two children, daughter True, eight, and son Tatum, four.

There was also a photo of the star relaxing on a beach swing.

Other snaps showed Kardashian’s daughter Chicago, eight, and sons Saint, 10, and Psalm, seven, enjoying the vacation.

There were also shots of a sea turtle and a stunning sunset. 

The SKIMS founder went on to add a few clips that showed her trying to surf while rocking a pink bandana on her head.

Khloe commented on the post, writing, ‘Besties for restie.’

Kardashian’s pal La La Anthony wrote, ‘This dump made me smile.’

‘This makes me so so happy! What magical memories!’ her friend Tracy Romulus wrote.

‘Each slide made me smile even harder,’ Love Island star Jana Craig added.

Hamilton also gave fans a glimpse from the trip. The race driver and Kardashian went public with their romance earlier this year and have been spending plenty of time with each other’s families since.

Among his collection of summer snaps was one that showed Kardashian on a swing. She looked stunning in a backless yellow dress and had a flower in her hair, as Hamilton watched on in the forefront of the image.

He penned in the caption of the post: ‘Only some of my Summer break. Grateful for the days away. I’m heading back to track recharged and ready.’

Other snaps included him with members of his family, enjoying time on the beach and discovering the wildlife on the mystery vacation island where he was staying.

The new post comes after Kardashian and her children kissed Hamilton’s new puppy Halo in sweet family snaps last week, ten months after the death of his beloved English bulldog Roscoe.

The pair, who have been dating since February, took to Instagram to share a series of snaps of the new family member.

The children, who along with daughter North, 13, Kardashian shares with ex-husband Kanye West, were all smiles as they cuddled and kissed the pet pooch.

In July, the British star made a rare comment about his girlfriend at the Silverstone Circuit racing venue during the British Grand Prix.

After a fan observed, ‘You’ve been a happier man recently, why’s that? Could that be a girlfriend?’ Hamilton responded: ‘Yeah, that’s a good one!’

He later added: ‘Of course, of course, it’s Kim.’

Earlier this summer, the sports star joined his girlfriend and her huge family on a lake trip.

He appeared in various photos she shared on social media, revealing he has met and spent time with her four kids.

Hamilton was first romantically linked to Kardashian earlier this year.

The pair enjoyed a trip to Japan together and they are said to have spent a weekend at Estelle Manor in the Cotswolds, England, as well as visiting Paris, France in early February.

They also appeared publicly together during the 2026 Super Bowl in February, when they were shown on the stadium’s big screen during the game between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks.

Hamilton – who has previously been linked romantically with singer Nicole Scherzinger and actress Sofía Vergara – and Kardashian had known each other for several years before getting together.

The murder trial concerning Duane “Keffe D” Davis, charged in connection with the 1996 slaying of hip-hop icon Tupac Shakur, has officially commenced with the conclusion of opening statements in Las Vegas.

While Davis, aged 63, is not accused of directly firing the gun, prosecutors assert his presence in a white Cadillac alongside three others during the infamous drive-by shooting. This assault targeted Shakur and his then-associate, music executive Marion “Suge” Knight, who survived and later faced unrelated legal troubles, landing him in a California prison.

The prosecution points to Davis’s own words, shared in an interview with detectives in 2008 and published in his 2019 book, “Compton Street Legend: Notorious Keffe D’s Street-Level Accounts of Tupac and Biggie Murders, Death Row Origins, Suge Knight, Puffy Combs, and Crooked Cops,” where he allegedly provided details of the shooting.

During the trial, Chief Deputy District Attorney Binu Palal of Clark County emphasized Davis’s purported gang affiliations, labeling him as a leader within a Compton sect of the Crips. Palal depicted Davis as present at Shakur’s murder scene and linked him to a gathering that included Shakur’s musical adversary, Biggie Smalls, on the fateful night Biggie was killed six months later.

“Duane Davis made sure that the shooters were armed and ready to execute their revenge — and remarkably, you will learn that from Duane Davis himself,” Palal said. 

He played several clips of Davis’ interviews during his opening remarks.

Palal said Davis was present at both Shakur’s shooting in Las Vegas and the Los Angeles party where Christopher Wallace, better known under his stage name the Notorious BIG, was killed six months later. Davis shook his head as Palal raised that allegation.

While few people ever spoke about the crimes, Palal said Davis had a hard time keeping quiet — dishing details on Shakur’s murder in three separate interviews with federal investigators, then in a televised documentary and again in his 2019 book.

In promotional material for the book on Amazon, Davis is described as a “former shot caller for the Southside Compton Crips and Kingpin of a Compton based drug operation,” as well as “one of the only living witnesses to the 1996 slaying of rapper Tupac Shakur.”

Davis was a confidential informant for the Los Angeles Police Department during the 2008 interview. However, the judge agreed with prosecutors that his remarks should be allowed at trial because of the public statements in the book.

The defense has argued that Davis embellished and fictionalized claims in the book and challenged the admissibility of statements from the 2008 interview.

“What they are telling you, they’re representing it to be a fact when it really is fiction. And it’s up to you to determine what the facts are in this case,” defense attorney Michael Sanft said in his own opening.

Sanft accused investigators of never properly vetting the claims in Davis’ book — undercutting the authenticity of his statements. 

He said police did not interview another suspected eyewitness after Davis claimed he was present at the time of Shakur’s death. That witness has since died. 

And Sanft accused former LAPD Detective Greg Kading, who is on the witness list, of stealing the LAPD’s case file on the murders of both Shakur and Wallace.

Despite all the interviews with Davis over the years, and the 2019 book, prosecutors didn’t charge him until recently, he added.

Knight, another living witness, has said in recent interviews that he doesn’t intend to cooperate if called to testify. His name appears on the prosecution witness list. He has not responded to messages from News Media.

The assailants struck Shakur four times on Sept. 7, 1996, while he was in a BMW alongside Knight on the Las Vegas Strip. He died from his injuries six days later, at 25 years old.

Three other men believed to have been in the Cadillac with Davis that night have since died.

Hours before the shooting, Shakur, Knight and others were involved in a fight at the MGM Grand with Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson, Davis’ nephew and a member of the South Side Compton Crips. The other two were Deandrae “Freaky” Smith and Terry “Bubble Up” Brown.

More than a dozen members from two Penn State fraternities have been charged for orchestrating a sophisticated cocaine trafficking operation. Prosecutors revealed that underage pledges were coerced into preparing the drugs, which were then sold to fellow students.

A total of 14 individuals, including a leader from Long Island deemed “very top of the food chain,” are facing charges linked to this interstate drug trafficking network. Among those charged, four are current Penn State students, nine are alumni, and one is a parent.

The Sigma Chi and Delta Upsilon fraternities reportedly linked up with suppliers from New York and Philadelphia to smuggle cocaine, targeting primarily the university’s student body for distribution.

“This was a well-coordinated and lucrative drug operation involving key fraternity figures and their pledges,” remarked Attorney General Dave Sunday in a press release on Monday.

“Indeed, the evidence shows that for some pledges, the initiation process into the fraternities included cutting and packaging cocaine,” he added.

Sunday noted during a Monday press conference that 24-year-old Agostino Abbatiello, of Westbury, Nassau County, was “at the very top of the chain.”

Abbatiello and Thomas Robinson — of Sigma Chi and Delta Upsilon fraternities, respectively — were the main suppliers in the scheme, with Abbatiello frequently traveling to New York to acquire large quantities of cocaine between 2023 and 2024, the investigation found.

Abbatiello allegedly distributed cocaine as recently as February 2026, according to court documents. 

When he learned law enforcement was interviewing individuals about Penn State drug dealing, he reportedly “begged them not to talk about his involvement.”

The cocaine was cut and packaged primarily at the off-campus Delta Upsilon and Sigma Chi fraternity houses before being distributed mainly to Penn State students.

Abbatiello, Robinson, Mohammed Huraibi, and Lars Zeepvat face felony charges including corrupt organizations, conspiracy, and dealing in proceeds of unlawful activity.

A second Long Islander — Robert Zanolla, 24, of Manhasset — is also charged with felony conspiracy and criminal use of a communication facility.

Also charged, with misdemeanors, are: Liam Smith, Michael Brogno, Kaden Howe, Connor Hurleigh, Seth Beardsley, Kyle Ridpath, Daniel Price, and Charles Wiseman.

Paul Robinson, Thomas’ father, is charged with felony tampering, hindering apprehension for taking steps to conceal evidence, including a safe containing drugs and cash, and obstructing the investigation.

Penn State has since suspended Delta Upsilon while it investigates the frat and said Sigma Chi is not recognized by the university and opperates outside its supervision.

“We are horrified by these serious allegations against current and former students,” said Andrea Dowhower, Penn State’s vice president for Student Affairs. “Criminal activity, including hazing, such as this has no place at our institution, and we will cooperate with law enforcement in any way we can. We will continue to enhance our efforts around health and safety and hazing educational efforts for all our organizations.”

Neighbors recently disclosed that Hayden Panettiere’s father was on the path to healing from his son’s tragic passing when devastating news struck once more with the discovery of the Heroes actress’s death on Sunday.

Panettiere, cherished for her performances in NBC’s acclaimed series Heroes and the musical drama Nashville, was found lifeless at an Airbnb in Greenville, South Carolina, following a suspected overdose.

The 36-year-old actress’s death comes just three years after her brother, Jansen, succumbed to complications related to an ‘enlarged’ heart. He was 28 when he passed away in February 2023.

Alan ‘Skip’ Panettiere, their father, reportedly ‘withdrew’ from his tight-knit community in Piermont, New York, following the events. A neighbor shared his insights with the New York Post, unveiling the impact on the father.

Another neighbor recounted a glimmer of hope, noting Alan appeared to be ‘beginning to recover’ when the shattering news of his daughter’s death reached him.

She had just visited him the month before, the neighbors said.

A friend of the late actress’s said she had also planned to take a trip to visit her 11-year-old daughter, Kaya, in Ukraine, where she lives with her father, Wladimir Klitschko.

‘She was talking about how she wanted to take a vacation and that she wanted to go and see her daughter,’ Panettiere’s good friend Erick Orellana told Page Six.

‘Her daughter was always her absolute priority,’ he added. ‘She loved her so much.’ 

Orellana, who has worked as Panettiere’s hairstylist for three years, also emphasized that she ‘loved spending time with Kaya’ and would always show off the preteen’s photos and tell him stories about her daughter.

‘Her daughter was the absolute light of her life,’ he said. ‘She lit up whenever she spoke about her.

‘Everything she did revolved around her,’ Orellana insisted.

Speaking of Panettiere’s passing, the hairstylist added that he ‘can’t imagine that this is anything but accidental because she just loves her daughter and would never have left her.’ 

Authorities have not yet released a cause of death, but in audio of a 911 call made at 1.51pm Sunday, a female dispatcher described the actress as suffering a ‘cardiac arrest.’

A few moments later, a male dispatcher could be heard saying that Panettiere had suffered a suspected overdose at the home.

The actress, who was due to turn 37 this Friday, was pronounced dead at the scene at 2.32pm, just over 40 minutes after the first 911 call was made.

The Greenville County Coroner’s Office has since completed the star’s autopsy, with the coroner telling the Daily Mail that ‘no signs of trauma were discovered that would have contributed to the death.’ 

Further investigations will now take place to establish her cause of death, with chief deputy coroner Shelton England telling the Daily Mail that it was too early to discuss the drug overdose theory. 

The actress had a history of suffering from drug addiction, beginning when she was just 15 years old. At the time, she claimed she started taking ‘happy pills’ in an effort to make her seem more ‘peppy’ during interviews.

Her addiction worsened while she was battling postpartum depression following the birth of her daughter Kaya in 2014. 

But Panettiere has been sober in recent years, she said in a 2022 interview, noting that ‘it’s an everyday battle.’

‘It’s an everyday choice, and I’m checking in with myself all the time,’ Panettiere told People at the time. ‘But I’m just so grateful to be part of this world again, and I will never take it for granted again.’

It was just one year after that interview that Panettiere was left grieving the loss of her younger brother.

She was said to be ‘inconsolable’ over her brother’s death, with neighbors telling the Daily Mail that Jansen had been abusing prescription painkillers.     

‘There’s nothing in my life that feels like losing my other half. He was born to be the yin to my yang,’ the actress told Jay Shetty in May while holding back tears. 

‘We were so close, and especially being the older sibling, it’s your job to protect them and keep them safe, and not being able to is… I mean, heartbreaking doesn’t even begin to cover it.’

‘There’s been so many times I want to call him all the time. He was my best friend and when he first died I remember screaming, “I don’t want to live in a world where he doesn’t exist,”‘ Panettiere told the podcaster earlier this year. 

‘That’s something I don’t think I’ll ever get over. I feel him with me. I know that he’s protecting me from where he is and was needed elsewhere, but I wish he could be sent back to me.’

Panettiere has also told how she nearly died during childbirth and later gave full custody of Kaya to Klitschko.

Speaking of the decision, Panettiere said she ‘desperately’ needed help at the time and insisted that Kaya does not feel ‘abandoned’ while appearing in the Jay Shetty podcast.

‘The idea that anybody would think that I would just give away my child and be okay with it is heartbreaking. Couldn’t be further from the truth,’ the Nashville star insisted.

‘I was struggling with mental health and anxiety and postpartum and having to act my way through it, and just feeling like I completely lost myself,’ she added. 

The actress also shared how she struggled with the decision to give Klitschko full custody.

‘It wasn’t a decision I made lightly, nor was it a decision I even wanted to make,’ she said.

‘I was going through a really challenging time in my life… I knew I needed to be able to put her first so that I could get the help I needed and be the mom she needed me to be.’

After giving birth to her daughter in 2014, Panettiere recalled hemorrhaging before she underwent seven blood transfusions and surgery to repair vessels that had begun to fail.

She said: ‘I closed my eyes and just prayed for my daughter to be OK. I truly was ready to go if it was my time. Kaya being safe and healthy was all that mattered.’

However, days later, she recalled feeling ‘nothing’ when looking at her daughter and developed postnatal depression. The actress then turned to drinking.

She said: ‘I turned to wine, which ultimately ended up leading to an alcohol dependency. It was how I would get through each day.’

Although she underwent treatment, Panettiere felt the ‘root cause’ of her drinking, the depression, was not addressed.

‘I wish more people had known what it was at the time. Maybe I wouldn’t have waited so long to get help,’ she said. 

In May, Panettiere released her memoir titled This Is Me: A Reckoning, in which she also detailed being separated from her only child.

‘Not being under the same roof with her every day has been the most gut-wrenching experience of my life, and it’s hard to describe the layers of emotion – including sadness, resentment, and anger – I’ve felt because of it,’ she wrote.

‘I grieve that I’m not the mother I thought I’d be and definitely not the mother I want to be (trust me, no one should ever have to raise a child on FaceTime), and although I miss Kaya so much my heart aches, I know how blessed I am to be her mom.

‘She is the greatest gift of my life, with all the best parts of her father and me.’

CHICAGO (WLS) — As the Chicago White Sox squared off against the Chicago Cubs at the iconic Wrigley Field on Monday, anticipation hung in the air like mist over Lake Michigan. Both teams are not just competing, but vying to etch their names in the World Series conversation—a possibility for any team that claws its way into the coveted October line-up.

Enthusiastic fans from opposite ends of the city filled the stands, their hopes bolstered by an invigorating rivalry that seems to have gained a fresh spark this season. Monday’s thrilling contest extended into the 10th inning, where the White Sox ultimately fell short, succumbing to the Cubs in a close 5-7 defeat.

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Despite this loss, the White Sox came out on top in their May encounter, having clinched two out of the three games in the initial Crosstown Classic series. This backdrop of competition sharpens the stakes of the ongoing skirmish, as fans on both sides see each game as significant with playoff possibilities looming large.

Beyond the walls of Wrigley, the heart of the rivalry beats strong, yet somehow, it also unites Chicago’s baseball enthusiasts under a shared passion for the game. The atmosphere was electric, filled with the energy only a true sports city can foster.

“It can get kind of intense, but this is, this is still a good time,” said Cubs supporter Kellie Foster, capturing the essence of the local rivalry. “It’s a Chicago rivalry, so it’s always going to be a good time.”

Cubs fan Ron Viel said the rivalry has regained some of its prominence.

“For a long time, the Cubs dominated, and then it kind of fell off the map, but I think it’s renewed,” Viel said.

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