Few Black women have chipped away at the glass ceiling of political journalism as Gwen Ifill did in her decades-long career. The veteran journalist succumbed to cancer at 61, PBS Newshour confirms.

Ifill became the first Black Woman to host a political talk show when she took over as host of PBS' Washington Week in Review  in 1999. Ifill was a skilled debated moderator. She led Vice Presidential Debates in 2004 and 2008 as well as a presidential primary debate between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders in February.



In 2013, Ifill was named co-host of the PBS NewsHour.

Paula Kerger, president and CEO of PBS, said Ifill was "a fundamental reason public media is considered a trusted window on the world."
"Her contributions to thoughtful reporting and civic discourse simply cannot be overstated," Kerger said.

She noted her commitment to empower Black girls who want to enter the field of journalism as she accepted the 2007 NPF Taishoff Award for Excellence in Broadcast Journalism.

"If it's a young Black girl I feel a special responsibility," she said, "because I know that when I was a young Black girl I didn't see a lot of people who looked like me on television. And so it's important that she has something that she can look at and say, "Oh that's something I could do."

The New York-Native is the author of The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama.

The Los Angeles Police Department claims 36-year-old Wakiesha Wilson killed herself.

Wilson was found hanging in her Los Angeles jail cell the morning of March 27, according to coroner's spokesman Ed Winter. Her death has been ruled a suicide.

Wilson suffered from Bipolar Disorder, but her family says she would not have killed herself. "All I want to know is what happened," said her mother Lisa Hines. "Because I know she didn't take her life. She had too much to live for. She was coming home."
Wilson's mother last spoke to her on Easter morning. They reviewed the details of Wilson's battery case, and Wilson promised to call back that evening. She did not.

Hines is outraged by the LAPD's delay in alerting her of her daughter's death. She and and other family members went to court the following Tuesday because they believed Wilson would be set free. But Wilson did not show up. Hines was not given any information about her daughter's death until Wednesday, when she was told to contact the coroner's office.

"They knew when I was at court. They knew Monday when I called. They knew Monday because she died Sunday," Hines said.

Attorney Jaaye Person-Lynn says Wilson had a altercation with an officer during her time in jail and wants to see the video.

"Forgive us if we do not believe that an LAPD officer would have accepted Wakiesha's defiance and walked away and then somehow Wakiesha decided to take her own life," he said.

She told the LA Times that delay and relaying news of Wilson's death to her family is inexcusable.

"We want the facts. If the facts came out that she did this, we will accept that," he said. "The death is tragedy No. 1. The amount of time it took for the family to become aware is tragedy No. 2."


Wilson is survived by her 13-year-old son.

Photo credit: Family of Wakiesha Wilson

Brittanie Johnson, 17, Jade Robinson, 17, and Brianna Robinson, 19, were killed in a car accident coming from a spring break trip in South Padre Island, Texas, while the another young woman remains in critical condition. Officials say the crash was the result of distracted driving.

According to the Texas Department of Safety, the driver, who has not been identified, was looking at her cellphone's GPS for driving directions when the vehicle veered left. As she attempted to regain control, she over-corrected and moved into oncoming traffic. The Hyundai Elantra that carried the four young women collided with an 18-wheeler.

Sisters Jade and Brianna Robinson were in the backseat wearing seatbelts at the time of the accident.

“I will miss, I will miss both of my daughters so much," said their mother, Stacey Robinson.

Jade was a high school senior and the captain of the girl's volleyball team. She had plans to play college volleyball at Tennessee Wesleyan University where she received a scholarship.
"Jade was courageous with the heeart of a lion and Brianna was sweet with a heart of gold," Robinson said.

The vehicle's driver remains in critical condition.

A GoFundMe account has been set up to help with expenses for the Robinson family. Another GoFundMe account has been set up for Brittanie Johnson.

Police believe a body found in a deep freezer over the weekend is 11-year-old Janiya Thomas.

Janiya has not been seen since August 2014.

Emma Didlake, 110, was the oldest know veteran in the United States of America. She died on Sunday, one month after meeting President Obama.

Another woman has died after receiving illegal butt injections. 22-year-old Daysha Phillips died just four days after getting the illegal procedure in a Missouri hotel room.

Detectives say a recent college graduate was on the phone with her mother when she was brutally attacked and murdered.

On Friday, James Harris was charged with murdering 27-year-old Jasmine Wright.

Authorities allege Harris was waiting for Wright inside her apartment on July 16. When Wright came home, she was on the phone with her mother, who heard a scuffle before the phone went dead.

On Thursday, July 16, Sandra Barnett was kidnapped by her husband’s girlfriend and taken away from her home in a black Dodge Durango according to police.