A 21-year-old Black student, identified as Demartravion "Trey" Reed, was discovered hanging from a tree on the Delta State University campus in Cleveland, Mississippi, at approximately 7 AM UTC on September 16th. Officials are reportedly rushing to state that there was no foul play involved, despite the body being found beaten with broken arms and neck. The body has been taken for an autopsy. Reports from the scene described the student as having a beaten body with broken arms and neck. The discovery was made near pickleball courts. The swiftness of officials in ruling out foul play has drawn skepticism, with questions raised about a potential cover-up in the Deep South, a region historically associated with lynchings. In separate news, a statement attributed to FBI Director Kash Patel's account on X (formerly Twitter) alleged that 5,000+ public servants have been purged from the FBI and characterized the director as inexperienced and unfit to lead, leaving the country unsafe. The statement was posted on September 16th. Separately, Donald Trump reportedly made a statement claiming that "300 million people (Americans) died last year from drugs," a claim widely met with disbelief. Pam Bondi stated, "If you want to go and print posters with Charlie's picture for a vigil, you have to let them do that. We can prosecute you for that. We have right now our civil rights unit looking at that." Additionally, a policy paper on the use of drone technologies in human smuggling operations along the US-Mexico border was published by the Gordon Institute, according to an account on X. Earlier in the reporting window, the DC Circuit Court of Appeals rejected an effort by former President Donald Trump to remove Lisa Cook from the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve, allowing her to participate in an upcoming meeting. This decision means Cook will continue her role, with Judge Garcia issuing a concurring opinion and Judge Katsas dissenting, according to Anna Bower.
