July 3, 2022. Moss Point, Mississippi. A car carrying 3 teenage girls drives down the I-10 boat launch and plunges straight into the Pascagoula River.
The driver later tells police she was following her GPS. She had no idea it was leading her off the edge and into the water. By the time she realizes what's happening, the car is already floating. Then sinking.
The vehicle drifts 20 feet from shore. Then more. The girls climb onto the roof of the car as it goes under. The water is black. It is the middle of the night. And the Pascagoula River is known for one other thing most people don't think about until it's too late.
Alligators.
Corion Evans, age 16, a student at Pascagoula High School, is nearby when it happens. He hears the girls screaming for help.
He doesn't hesitate for a single second.
He throws down his phone. Pulls off his shoes. Strips off his shirt. And jumps in.
He later says: I was just like, I can't let none of these folks die. They need to get out the water. So I just started getting them. I wasn't even thinking about nothing else.
The car is nearly submerged. The girls are panicking. The water is deep and dark and moving. Corion swims out — 25 yards from shore — and reaches them.
His friend Karon Bradley, known as KJ, jumps in right behind him. Together they help get the girls onto the surface of the sinking car.
But here is what most people miss: Corion doesn't just help them float. He swims them back. 1 at a time. Into shore. Through the dark water. With legs that are burning and lungs that are working as hard as they ever have.
2 girls make it to shore. The 3rd can't swim. She is still on the roof when a responding officer arrives.
Moss Point Police Officer Gary Mercer swims out to help. He reaches the remaining girl and begins pulling her toward shore. Then the girl panics. She grabs him. She pulls him under. Officer Mercer begins to drown.
Corion turns around.
He sees the officer going under. He hears him calling for help. He is already exhausted. His legs are already spent. He has already pulled 2 people through 25 yards of alligator-infested river in the dead of night.
He swims back out.
He grabs Officer Mercer. He says later: I went and I grabbed the police officer and I'm like swimming him back until I feel myself I can walk.
All 4 people make it to shore alive.
Officer Mercer and all 3 girls are taken to the hospital. All of them recover. Chief Brandon Ashley of the Moss Point Police Department later says publicly: If Mr. Evans had not assisted, it could have possibly turned out tragically instead of all occupants rescued safely.
Moss Point Mayor Billy Knight presents Corion with a certificate of commendation from the city. He says: We are proud of the young man for having the courage to forget about himself and jump into the water. It's not often enough that you see people put others above themselves.
The recognition doesn't stop there. The Mississippi Senate formally commends Corion Evans by name in Senate Resolution 32 of the 2023 legislative session — a rare honor for a teenager from a small town.
His mother, Marquita Evans, speaks to reporters afterward. She says: I was really proud of Corion because he wasn't just thinking about himself. He was trying to really get all those people out the water. I'm glad nothing happened to him while he was trying to save other people's lives.
Corion tells reporters he has been swimming since he was 3 years old.
He is asked if he was scared. He says: Anything could've been in that water. But I wasn't thinking about it.
That is the part that stays with you. He knew the risks. The darkness. The distance. The wildlife beneath the surface. The weight of another person pulling you under. He knew all of it and he swam out anyway. Not once. Not twice. Three times.
4 people are alive today because a 16-year-old boy decided, without hesitating for even a moment, that strangers were worth saving.
I just left court in the second stretch of my fight against Trump's weaponization of DOJ.
We know the process is the punishment, but I will not stop fighting for all of us. This is about how we hold ICE accountable and no one can intimidate me out of standing up for New Jersey.
BREAKING: Trump just said he's not signing the bipartisan housing bill — to address the housing affordability crisis — until the SAVE America Act is passed.
The SAVE Act, designed to help rig elections, does not have the votes to pass.
A Black man created ranch dressing — and most people never knew.
Kenneth “Steve” Henson, born in Nebraska in 1918, was a plumber who cooked for his crew in Alaska. One day he mixed buttermilk, mayo, herbs, and spices… and ranch was born.
In 1954, he and his wife bought land near Santa Barbara and named it Hidden Valley Ranch. Guests loved the dressing so much they begged to take jars home. By 1957, stores were selling his dry mix. Orders exploded. Factories followed.
In 1972, Clorox bought the recipe and the name for eight million dollars. Ranch went nationwide. By 1992, it was America’s #1 dressing.
But the man behind it? Nearly erased.
Every salad, every wing, every fry dipped in ranch — that’s his legacy. He mattered. He was the blueprint.
. ❤️💛💚🖤
Trump wants to create a national database of every registered voter in the country.
Then, he and the GOP want to decide who gets to stay on it.
“It’s a way of essentially taking over the voter registration process,” Marc Elias says, “or, more precisely, taking over the results.”
These are actual Freedom Riders, now elderly, sitting together decades after risking their lives to challenge segregation in the American South.
he original courageous Freedom Riders movement began in 1961.
The first group, organized by Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), had 13 original Freedom Riders:
• 7 Black riders
• 6 white riders
They left Washington, D.C. on May 4, 1961, riding interstate buses into the Deep South to challenge segregation in bus terminals after Supreme Court rulings had already declared it unconstitutional.
After brutal mob attacks in Alabama, including the firebombing of a bus in Anniston and savage beatings in Birmingham and Montgomery, more activists joined. The movement quickly expanded beyond the original 13.
By the end of 1961, more than 400 Freedom Riders had participated across the South. Many were arrested and sent to Mississippi’s notorious Parchman Prison.
Hezekiah Watkins
At just 13 years old, Watkins became the youngest Freedom Rider ever arrested. His involvement happened almost by accident when he went to the Jackson, Mississippi, Greyhound station to see the riders arrive. In the chaos, he was swept up by police and sent to the notorious Parchman State Penitentiary. Initially placed on death row to intimidate him, he spent several days in the prison before being released. This traumatic experience did not deter him; he went on to become a lifelong activist, dedicated to educating others about the struggle for justice in Mississippi.
Joan Trumpauer Mulholland
A rare figure in the movement, Mulholland was a white woman from a privileged Southern background who turned her back on social expectations to fight for racial equality. By the time she joined the Freedom Rides, she was already a seasoned activist involved in sit-ins. In 1961, she was imprisoned in Parchman for over two months. She later became the first white student to enroll at Tougaloo College, a historically Black institution, and was a primary organizer for the 1963 March on Washington. She famously survived a near-lynching during the Woolworth’s lunch counter sit-in.
Ameen Tuunagane (Willie James)
Known during the movement as Willie James, Tuunagane was a relentless civil rights organizer and Freedom Rider. He was part of the waves of activists who traveled to Jackson, Mississippi, to challenge Jim Crow laws. His work extended far beyond the buses; he was deeply involved in voter registration drives and community organizing, often operating in high-risk areas where the threat of police and vigilante violence was constant. His commitment focused on the intersection of political power and basic human dignity.
Carol Ruth Silver
A recent law school graduate at the time, Silver joined the Freedom Rides to put her legal principles into practice. She was arrested in Jackson and, like many others, served time in Parchman Penitentiary. During her incarceration, she kept a secret diary on scraps of paper, documenting the harrowing conditions and the psychological tactics used by guards. Her later career was defined by this experience; she became a prominent lawyer and politician in San Francisco, continuing her advocacy for civil rights and educational reform for decades.
Kredelle Pettway
Pettway was a dedicated activist who participated in the movement during the height of the 1960s racial tensions. As a young woman, she joined the ranks of those demanding the desegregation of public facilities in Alabama and Mississippi. Her contribution highlights the essential role of local youth and women in maintaining the momentum of the movement. She faced the constant threat of the Ku Klux Klan and state-sanctioned violence, standing firm in the belief that the "separate but equal" doctrine was a moral and legal failure.
🚨 If you believe Social Security should be 100% off-limits for Trump and Republicans, smash LIKE and RETWEET right now!
Protect our seniors! #HandsOffSocialSecurity
Today, Hillary and I were honored to be on the South Side of Chicago to celebrate the opening of the Obama Presidential Center. The Obama Center tells the story of eight years of progress, and is a stirring reminder of the power—and responsibility—we have as citizens shape a better future.
Congratulations, Barack and Michelle, on this extraordinary accomplishment!
We're not crying, you are.🥹
Michelle Obama stepped to that podium and gave her husband every single flower he deserved. She spoke directly to Barack and brought him to tears.
This is what love and legacy look like. 🖤
BREAKING: BRILLIANT! A Chicago alderman introduces a proposal to rename Trump Tower's address after Obama in a troll move for the ages!
Support for this idea is spreading like wildfire...
“This would send a small message about the values we uphold as a city, those of inclusivity, resilience, and forward-thinking change, and fighting back in any way possible,” reads a petition to rename N. Wabash Ave., where Trump Tower stands in Chicago, to Barack Hussein Obama Ave.
Alderman Brendan Reilly formally proposed the change after the petition racked over 26,000 signatures. The outspoken support for the petition is hardly surprising since Trump is deeply reviled in Chicago. He eked out just 22% of the vote there in the last election and has frequently demonized the city.
“The spirit of this is really to recognize Obama,” Reilly said. An honorary street sign would be erected outside of Trump Tower. By avoiding officially renaming the street, the city would avoid spending millions on renaming signs, GPS systems, and maps — but the psychological effect on Trump would be just as pronounced.
The honorary signs would be placed at Wacker Drive and Wabash Avenue and at Kinzie Street and Wabash Avenue.
“I’m glad that the alderman put it forward, and we’ll have the debate, but there certainly is no debate to the exceptional leadership of President Obama,” said Mayor Brandon Johnson.
Including the former President's middle name is a particularly inspired bit of trolling, since Trump relishes saying "Hussein" because he thinks that it otherizes Obama and makes him sound "like a terrorist."
Obama spent much of his life in Chicago and it now boasts his beautiful Presidential Center.
This proposal is especially delicious because Trump is obsessed with naming things after himself. He tried and failed to do it with the Kennedy Center so this feels like perfect payback!
Please ❤️ and share to urge the City Council to approve the idea!
Michelle Obama to Barack Obama: You were doing the people's work. Rescuing our economy. Expanding healthcare. Ending a war. Ordering the Bin Laden raid. Saving the auto industry. Winning a peace prize. Keeping us safe from Ebola. Regulating the banks. Standing up for marriage equality. Listening to science. And comforting an entire nation. And you did it all with such grace, and class, and cool.