Bliss Collective,

Happy Monday!

Some weeks hand you a clean story to tell. This wasn't one of them and if I'm honest, most weeks aren't. But I've learned that staying informed isn't about having the energy to process everything at once. It's about picking one thread, following it far enough to actually understand it, and letting that be enough for today.

So here's my ask of you this week, and of myself: don't try to hold all of it. Pick one thing from this memo one date, one number, one name and let it move you to do something. That's how we turn information into power.

Now Let's get into it.

A quick programming note:

Starting this week, the Melanin Memo now lands in your inbox twice a week on Mondays and Thursdays so you're never more than a few days behind on what actually matters. And each week, we're adding a new closing feature: Behind the Bliss. This is where I pull back the curtain on what's coming next for Melanin Bliss Media because the Bliss Collective doesn't just get the finished piece. You get the process and the experience.

In the weeks ahead, expect:

Exclusive interviews, conversations with the people closest to the systems we cover: nurses, patients, policy insiders, founders, and advocates who rarely get the mic.

Explainers the plain-language breakdowns that turn confusing policy, billing, or health-system jargon into something you can actually act on.

Analysis and deep memos longer, sourced dives into the stories that need more than a headline, delivered straight to you before they're anywhere else.

Exclusive event and conference access behind-the-scenes coverage from rooms the Bliss Collective wouldn't otherwise be in, from health-equity summits to policy conferences.

Concept to print a look at how an MB story actually gets built: the tip, the research, the sourcing, the drafts, the fact-check, and the final piece.

There's a lot in store, and I couldn't be more excited to build it with you.

The Storm That Wouldn't Leave

An early-season nor'easter parked itself off the East Coast from Friday through Monday, dumping up to 5–7 inches of rain in parts of southern New England and driving coastal flooding from Virginia to Massachusetts.

  • More than 100,000 customers lost power at the storm's peak; over 400 flights were canceled. New York and New Jersey governors declared states of emergency in affected counties; Atlantic City saw its highest water levels since Superstorm Sandy.
  • The storm was still lingering into Monday, with flood watches active across Massachusetts and Rhode Island through late Monday night.

Why it matters: Storm response and recovery infrastructure power restoration timelines, flood insurance access, emergency shelter historically underserves lower-income and Black and Brown neighborhoods first and worst. Worth watching which communities are still without power by midweek.

Politics: A Press Ban That Isn't Going Away

Last week's story didn't end when the weekend started it's still the story. President Trump's move to ban CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House press pool was still leading national news roundups as of Friday, September 25.

Meanwhile, in a separate but related fight over what information the public gets to see: a federal judge on September 17 struck down the Education Department's anti-DEI grant policy, ruling the administration's directive was "arbitrary and capricious" in part because officials couldn't clearly define what "DEI" even meant well enough to justify canceling $600 million in teacher-training grants.

MB's take: This isn't the administration "restoring" DEI as an election-season gesture it's the courts checking a policy the government couldn't legally defend. The administration is expected to appeal. Don't mistake a judicial rebuke for a change of heart.

Economy: Six Weeks to the Midterms, and the Math Isn't Working

  • Gas prices are averaging around $4.31–$4.47 a gallon nationally, with diesel over $6.20 both sharply higher since the start of the year.
  • The Fed raised interest rates this month for the first time in three years, pushing mortgage rates to their highest level in over a year.
  • Trump's approval sits at a second-term low 39% in NBC's polling average, with 59% disapproving and most voters say his policies have hurt the economy.
  • Congress fares even worse: just 22% of Americans approve of Congress overall, and only 28% approve of their own representative.
  • Democrats currently hold their largest generic-ballot lead of the cycle, 52%–43%, with six weeks until Election Day.
  • On September 17, 2026, U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley (a Biden appointee) struck down the Education Department's anti-DEI policy that had been used to cancel roughly $600 million in teacher-training grants, ruling the government's action was "arbitrary and capricious"
  • This ruling vacates a directive, not the administration's stance. Trump's underlying executive orders EO 14173 ("Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity") from January 2025, and a follow-up EO in March 2026 requiring federal contractors to certify they don't run DEI programs remain the administration's active policy.civilrights+1
  • The administration is very likely to appeal Judge Kelley's ruling rather than accept it, based on its pattern of litigation on this issue over the past 18 months.partly because the administration couldn't even define what DEI is or justify why the targeted programs were discriminatory.

Why it matters here: "Republicans are staring at a midterm disaster of their own making $4.50 gas, a Fed hike, and a president at 39% approval. At the same time, the courts just told the administration it couldn't even define what 'DEI' means well enough to legally justify canceling $600 million in teacher grants. Congress's approval is at 22%. None of this is coincidence t's what happens when a government stops being accountable to the people it serves."The affordability squeeze gas, groceries, mortgages hits Black and Brown households hardest and first. The anger you're hearing about Congress "just holding seats instead of being the voice of the people" isn't just a vibe; it's the lowest congressional approval rating in recent memory.

Health Policy & Public Health

September is closing out as both Suicide Prevention Awareness Month and National Sickle Cell Awareness Month and the conversation on both doesn't end just because the calendar flips to October.

  • Sickle cell disease remains the most common inherited blood disorder in the U.S., disproportionately affecting Black communities, and blood banks nationwide are still urging more diverse blood donors because closely matched blood is critical for patients who rely on regular transfusions.
  • Globally, the sickle cell awareness conversation is active too in Uganda, a September 26 community "Sickle Cell Awareness Run" combined free screening and blood donation, part of a broader Ministry of Health push toward newborn screening.
  • On suicide prevention: MB's ongoing "Screened, Then What?" reporting continues the question isn't just who gets screened for suicide risk, but who actually gets the follow-up care, safety planning, and support after.

As September ends: October brings new awareness months including Breast Cancer Awareness and Domestic Violence Awareness(which is deeply personal for me) but MB isn't dropping suicide prevention or sickle cell coverage just because the month changes. Both deserve year-round attention, not a 30-day news cycle.

Across the Diaspora: Underreported This Weekend

  • Sudan's refugee crisis is accelerating. More than 400 Sudanese people a day crossed into Chad over the past week about twenty times the recent rate as fighting between Sudan's army and the Rapid Support Forces continues to displace people from Darfur, Kordofan, and Blue Nile.
  • A Nigerian civil servant's death sparked a labor strike. Delta State's organized labor declared an indefinite strike after 54-year-old Unity Ekpevbughe Adeda died following an alleged beating at a government commissioner's office a story with almost no coverage outside Nigerian outlets.
  • The Caribbean diaspora is organizing around economic self-determination. The Caribbean Canadian Investment Summit & Trade Forum, held September 25–26 in Toronto, brought diaspora leaders, financial institutions, and government representatives together around the theme "Bridging Markets, Unlocking Opportunities and Building Sustainable Prosperity."
  • South Africa's femicide crisis continues to make international headlines a tenth woman's body was found in a South African suburb this week as police investigate a string of killings, sparking national outcry over violence against women.

The Bottom Line

Storms recover. Power comes back on. But the pattern under this week's news who gets counted, who gets covered, who gets left displaced, and who gets screened but not treated is the same pattern MB has been tracking all year. That's still the beat.

Have a tip, a question, or an underreported story for MB? Reply to this newsletter or reach out at [MB contact].

If you or someone you know needs support, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available 24/7 — call or text 988.

Next up: Thursday, October 1 — the first official Behind the Bliss. You'll just have to open it.