::THE SLICE REPORT WITH MONA AUSTIN

  Following the Afghanistan Withdrawal Special Review Panel’s recommendation and at the direction of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, the United States Marine Corps has upgraded the valor awards for the Marines of Company G, 2d Battalion, 1st Marines, who stood at Abbey Gate on 26 August 2021. After reviewing the original awards and determining that several had been inappropriately downgraded, these awards have now been upgraded to levels that more accurately reflect the extreme risk these Marines knowingly accepted and the lives they saved under direct enemy fire.   The Marines at Abbey Gate were positioned in the direct blast zone with minimal cover, fully aware of an imminent suicide attack, yet they held their ground to keep evacuation operations running. Their actions that day were heroic. The original awards did not reflect that reality. Today’s upgrades correct that injustice.   This outcome would not have happened without the personal leadership and commitment of Un...

  More than 21,000 student loan  borrowers have just had their federal student loans forgiven, according to the U.S. Department of Education—signaling that long-stalled relief under income-driven repayment plans is moving forward again. But even as that relief resumes, major changes are on the horizon that could reshape how millions repay their loans. New data filed in federal court shows the department is following through on its promise to restart forgiveness processing for eligible borrowers enrolled in income-driven repayment plans. These plans base monthly payments on income and family size, with any remaining balance forgiven after 20 to 25 years, depending on the program. The Trump administration had previously paused all discharges tied to these plans, citing legal challenges surrounding the future of the SAVE plan. That pause sparked lawsuits, ultimately forcing the department to resume relief for qualifying borrowers—though forgiveness under the SAVE plan itself rema...

Pres. Donald Trump has been criticized for using the Bible as a prop and selling his own Bible, but will read a scripture from the holy book from the Oval Office tonight as a part of the "America Reads the Bible" event taking place this week. The event engages clergy and politicians reading the Word of God from cover-to-cover.   The moment comes when the faith of the POTUS has been questioned by his evangelical base after he posted an image of himself in the likeness of Christ and repeatedly engaged in negative banter with Pope Leo, a global religious leader who is directly tied to the lineage of the Christian church. Notably Trump will be reading 2 Corinthians 7:14, the very book of the Bible that he presumably flubbed in 2016. Gospel artists had criticized him for pronouncing the number two instead of saying second, the common way the book is mentioned in the U.S. They took it as a sign that he was not familiar with the scripture he was quoting. However, in other parts of t...

  WARNER RECORDS RECEIVES THE RECORDING ACADEMY ®  AND GRAMMY MUSEUM ® ’S VISIONARY OF MUSIC AWARD PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED PERFORMERS INCLUDE GEORGE CLINTON, HEART’S ANN AND NANCY WILSON, LUCINDA WILLIAMS, NORAH JONES, AND TAKE 6, WITH MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED SOON LOS ANGELES, CALIF. (APRIL 21, 2026) —  Five-time Grammy ® -nominated singer, songwriter, and actor Josh Groban and Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Teddy Swims will perform at the Recording Academy ®  and Grammy Museum ® ’s 2026 Grammy Hall Of Fame ®  Gala in a special tribute honoring Warner Records. The label is this year’s recipient of the Visionary Of Music Award, recognizing its enduring contributions to recorded music and its long history of supporting artists and recordings that have left a lasting mark on music and culture. The Gala will take place on Friday, May 8 at The Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles. “Artist development has always been at the heart of Warner Records and remains our greatest stre...

A suspect killed 8 children in a domestic violence related dispute in Shreveport Sunday between the ages of 18 months and 14 years old. The suspect, who attempted to flee by car jacking a vehicle, is also dead after being shot by a responding officer at a separate scene in Bossier Parish. There are 3 crime scenes related to this incident -- 2 in Shreveport and 1 in Bossier. Police said 2 adult women who were shot in the head survived their injuries. A young boy was also hurt after jumping from a roof.

  President  Donald  J.  Trump  signed  an  executive  order  to  accelerate  access  to  treatments  for  patients  with  serious  mental  illness,  including  psychedelics.  The  order  directs  the  FDA  to  provide  National  Priority  Vouchers  to  psychedelic  drugs  with  Breakthrough  Therapy  designations,  ensuring  a  streamlined  review  process.  It  also  allocates  $50  million  through  the  Advanced  Research  Projects  for  Health  (ARPAH)  program  to  support  state  investments  in  psychedelic  research.  The  order  aims  to  increase  clinical  trial  participation  and  generate  evidence ...