Delroy Lindo addresses racial slur aimed at him and Michael B. Jordan

PASADENA, California −Delroy Lindoaddressed a recent controversial moment when he and his "Sinners" costarMichael B. Jordantook the stage at the 57thNAACP Image Awards, their first public appearance since a racial slur was hurled at them during theBAFTAs.

At the British awards show on Feb. 22, Tourette's syndrome advocateJohn Davidsonhurled a racial slur while Lindo and Jordan, who are Black, were presenting an award for visual effects. Davidson has cited hisTourette's syndromeas the reason why he yelled the slur and condemned the racial slur he used.

The two "Sinner" actors returned to the spotlight at the NAACP awards on Feb 28 in Los Angeles County, where the talent behind the Oscar-nominated film was celebrated. While presenting best supporting actress in a movie alongside "Sinners" directorRyan Coogler, Lindo expressed gratitude.

"I'd just like to officially say, I appreciate, we appreciate all the support and love we have been shown in the aftermath of what happened last weekend. It means a lot to us," he said at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium.

Lindo added that he felt honored to receive "incredible support" after the distressing incident at the U.K. ceremony, calling it "a classic case of something that could be very negative becoming very positive."

Jordan did not address the moment during the broadcast, though he and Lindo had an untelevised conversation shortly after Lindo's speech. During the exchange, Lindo, 73, playfully shoved Jordan, 39, who was seated in front of him.

The "Creed III" actor accepted the award for best actor in a movie, dedicated the win to his late"Black Panther" co-star Chadwick Boseman, and said, "I love being Black." Jordan later took the night's top prize, entertainer of the year, where he urged anyone hoping to find success to keep working hard, be a good person and "lead with love and kindness."

"The world needs more unity, more grace, more empathy," he said.

Regina Hall, Deon Cole address BAFTAs incident at NAACP Image Awards

Host Deon Cole quipped about the controversy at the start of the broadcast, reminding everyone to remember Saturday was the last day of Black History Month.

"Lord, if there are any white men out there with Tourette's, I advise you to tell them to read the room tonight." Cole said.

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"One Battle After Another" actressRegina Hallcommemorated Jordan and Lindo while presenting the first award of the night. "I'd like to take a moment to thank the two kings who are in this audience and just send you so much love for your class."

The biggest names in Hollywood stepped out to honor Black excellence at the 57th NAACP Image Awards on Feb. 28, 2026. See the night's head-turning looks, starting with Halle Bailey.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Halle Bailey

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Kerry Washington

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Viola Davis

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Julius Tennon (from left), Viola Davis and Genesis Tennon

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Issa Rae

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Chloe Bailey

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Colman Domingo

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Chase Infiniti

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Sterling K. Brown

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Quinta Brunson

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Janelle James

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Don Lemon

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Uzo Aduba

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Regé-Jean Page

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> JaNa Craig

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Michael Jai White and Gillian White

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Lovie Simone

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> DomiNque Perry

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Malinda Williams

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Cheryl James (aka Salt)

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Sandra Denton (aka Pepa)

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> DJ Spinderella

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Edwina Findley

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Tyler James Williams

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Jayme Lawson

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Trevor Jackson

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Eva Marcille

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Maurice Johnson

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Ryan Michelle Bathe

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> KJ Smith

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Malcolm Barrett

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" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Bree Webber

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Celeste Seda

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Miranda Rae Mayo

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Tyriq Withers

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Jennifer Sears

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Danielle LaRoach

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Aiyana-Lee

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Porscha Coleman

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Jhone Lucas

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Crystal Renee Hayslett

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Jordan Coleman

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Claudia Jordan

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Branden Wellington

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Tyla

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Ledisi

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Ms. Pat

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See Halle Bailey, Kerry Washington arrive on NAACP Image Awards carpet

The biggest names in Hollywood stepped out to honor Black excellence at the57th NAACP Image Awardson Feb. 28, 2026. See the night's head-turning looks, starting with Halle Bailey.

Later, "Abbott Elementary" star and creatorQuinta Brunsongave a shout-out to the "Sinners" cast and crew during her acceptance speech, saying, "We see you" and "We're behind you."

John Davidson, BAFTAs and BBC apologize

Following the moment at the BAFTAs, Davidson said his use of the slur was a symptom of Tourette's with Coprolalia, which involves involuntary outbursts of obscene words or socially inappropriate and derogatory remarks, according to theTourette Association of America.

"I want to be really clear that the intent behind them is zero. What you're hearing is a symptom − not my character, not my thought, not my belief," he said in an email interviewVarietypublished on Feb. 24. "The most offensive word that I ticked at the ceremony is a word I would never use and would completely condemn if I did not have Tourette's."

Davidson, 54, was at the U.K. ceremony as executive producer and subject of a BAFTA-nominated film titled "I Swear," which chronicles his own experiences with the condition for nearly four decades.

BBC also faced backlash as the moment was not edited out of the broadcast, which aired with a two-hour delay and remained on the BBC's streaming service the morning after.

In an internal memo shared with USA TODAY on Feb. 25, BBC chief content officer Kate Phillips wrote, "I'm so sorry that a racial slur was not edited out of our broadcast. We understand how distressing this was." She added that a different racial slur was removed from the broadcast. "This one was aired in error and we would never have knowingly allowed this to be broadcast."

The BAFTAs also issued an apology for "putting our guests in a very difficult situation" in a lengthy statement published byThe Hollywood Reporter.

Contributing: Taijuan Moorman, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Delroy Lindo, Michael B. Jordan attend NAACP Image Awards after BAFTAs

byVaclavien Pynzarien

in

February 28, 2026

Delroy Lindo addresses racial slur aimed at him and Michael B. Jordan

PASADENA, California −Delroy Lindoaddressed a recent controversial moment when he and his "Sinners" costarMicha...

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Iran fires missiles at Israel and Gulf states after US-Israeli strike kills Khamenei

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran fired missiles at targets in Israel and Gulf Arab states Sunday after vowing massive retaliation for the killing of Supreme LeaderAyatollah Ali Khameneiby the United States and Israel, prompting U.S. PresidentDonald Trumpto threaten Tehran against further escalation.

Iran US Israel

Iran acknowledged Khamenei's death in the joint Israeli-American airstrike Saturday at his Tehran office hours, which has thrown the future ofthe Islamic Republicinto question and raised the risk of regional instability.

The 86-year-old's death at his office "showed that he consistently stood among the people and at the forefront of his responsibilities, confronting what officials call global arrogance," Iranian state TV said.

Trump said the killing of Khamenei gave Iranians their "greatest chance" to "take back" their country.

"Khamenei, one of the most evil people in History, is dead," Trump wrote in a social media post.

Iran's Cabinet vowed that this "great crime will never go unanswered" and the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard threatened to launch its "most intense offensive operation" ever, targeting Israeli and American bases.

"You have crossed our red line and must pay the price," Iran's parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said in a televised address Sunday. "We will deliver such devastating blows that you yourselves will be driven to beg."

"Iran just stated that they are going to hit very hard today, harder than they have ever hit before," Trump fired back in a social media post. "THEY BETTER NOT DO THAT, HOWEVER, BECAUSE IF THEY DO, WE WILL HIT THEM WITH A FORCE THAT HAS NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE!"

Iran retaliates

After the initial strikes, Iran immediately launched missiles and dronestoward Israeland U.S. military installations in Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar. The Israeli military said Iran fired dozens of missiles at Israel, with many intercepted. The Magen David Adom rescue service said Saturday night that a woman in the Tel Aviv area died after being wounded in an Iranian missile attack.

Flights across the Middle East weredisrupted, and air defense fire thudded over Dubai, the United Arab Emirates' commercial capital, with explosions continuing into Sunday morning. Shrapnel from an Iranian missile attack on the UAE capital killed one person, state media said, and debris from aerial interceptions caused fires at the city's main port and on the facade of the iconic Burj Al Arab hotel.

The attack on Iran opened a stunning new chapter inU.S. intervention, and carried the potential for retaliatory violence and a wider war, representing a startling flex of military might for an American president who swept into office on an "America First" platform andvowed to keep out of "forever wars."

The killing of Khamenei inthe second Trump administration assaulton Iran in eight months appeared certain to create a leadership vacuum, given the absence of a known successor and becausethe supreme leaderhad final say on all major policies during his decades in power. He led Iran's clerical establishment and the Revolutionary Guard, the two main centers of power in the governing theocracy.

"This is the single greatest chance for the Iranian people to take back their Country," Trump said.

Iran quickly formed a council to govern the country until a new supreme leader is chosen.

State media also reported the deaths of the head of Iran's Revolutionary Guard and a top security adviser to Khamenei in airstrikes. Maj. Gen. Mohammad Pakpour took over as the Guard's top commander after Israel killed its past commander in the 12-day war last June. The adviser, Ali Shamkhani, had long been a figurehead within Iran's security establishment, IRNA said.

As reports trickled out about Khamenei's death, eyewitnesses in Tehran told The Associated Press that some residents were rejoicing, cheering from rooftops, blowing whistles and letting out ululations.

Mourners raised a black mourning flag over the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad, Iran's second-largest city and a major pilgrimage site for Shiite Muslims. The Iranian government declared 40 days of public mourning and a seven-day nationwide public holiday to commemorate Khamenei's death.

Citing unidentified sources, the semiofficial Fars news agency, believed to be close to the Revolutionary Guard, reported that several relatives of Khamenei were also killed, including a daughter, son-in-law, daughter-in-law and grandchild.

Strikes were planned for months

The joint U.S.-Israel operation, which officials say was planned for months, took place Saturday during the Muslim holy fastingmonth of Ramadanand at the start of the Iranian workweek. It followed stilted negotiations and warnings from Trump, who last year trumpeted his administration's success in incapacitating the country's nuclear program but nonetheless cast the latest round as necessary to head off its potential resurgence.

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About 12 hours after the attacks began, the U.S. military reported no U.S. casualties and minimal damage at U.S. bases despite "hundreds of Iranian missile and drone attacks." It said targets in Iran included Revolutionary Guard command facilities, air defense systems, missile and drone launch sites, and military airfields.

Israel, for its part, said it had killed the commander of the Revolutionary Guard Corps and the country's defense minister, as well as the secretary of the Iranian Security Council, a close adviser to Khamenei.

An Iranian diplomattold the United Nations Security Councilthat hundreds of civilians were killed and wounded in the strikes. Iran retaliated by firing missiles and drones toward Israel and at U.S. military bases in the region, and exchanges of fire continued into the night.

Some ofthe first strikeson Iran appeared to hit near the offices of Khamenei, the second leader of the Islamic Republic who succeeded Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Israeli officials confirmed the death, followed by Trump.

Democrats decried that Trump had takenaction without congressional authorization. White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said the administration had briefed several Republican and Democratic leaders in Congress in advance.

Tensions soared as US built up military forces

Tensions have soared in recent weeks as the Trump administration built up thelargest force of American warshipsand aircraft in the Middle East in decades. The president insisted he wanted a deal to constrain Iran's nuclear program while the country struggled withgrowing dissentfollowingnationwide protests.

Though Trump had pronounced the Iranian nuclear program obliterated in strikes last year, the country was rebuilding infrastructure that it had lost, according to a senior U.S. official who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity to discuss Trump's decision-making process. The official said intelligence showed that Iran had developed the capability to produce its own high-quality centrifuges, an important step in developing the highly enriched uranium needed for weapons.

Iran had said it hoped to avert a war, but it maintained its right to enrich uranium.

Iran has said it has not enriched since June, but it has blocked international inspectors from visiting the sites the U.S. bombed. Satellite photos analyzed by AP haveshown new activity at two of those sites, suggesting Iran is trying to assess and potentially recover material.

Attack was coordinated between Israel and US

Israel said the operation had been planned for months with the United States. Air Force pilots struck "hundreds of targets across Iran," Israeli military chief of staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said in a statement.

Targets in the Israeli campaign included Iran's military, symbols of government and intelligence targets, according to an official briefed on the operation, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss nonpublic information on the attack.

Trump acknowledged Saturday that there could be American casualties, saying "that often happens in war." He said he was aiming to "annihilate" the Iranian navy and destroy regional proxies supported by Tehran. He called on the paramilitaryIranian Revolutionary Guardto lay down arms, saying members would be given immunity or face "certain death" if they did not.

In southern Iran, at least 115 people were reported killed when a girls' school was struck, and dozens more were wounded, the local governor told Iranian state TV. U.S. Central Command spokesperson Capt. Tim Hawkins said he was "aware of reports" that a girls' school was struck and that officials were looking into them.

Iran's state news agency IRNA said at least 15 people were killed in the southwest, quoting the governor of the Lamerd region, Ali Alizadeh, as saying a sports hall, two residential areas and a hall near a school were hit.

Effects could extend to markets and other countries

The strikes could rattle global markets, particularly if Iran makes the Strait of Hormuz unsafe for commercial traffic. A third of worldwideoil exportstransported by sea passed through the strait in 2025.

Saudi Arabia said Iran targeted its capital and eastern region in an attack that was repelled. Bahrain said a missile attack targeted the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet headquarters in the island kingdom, and three buildings were damaged in the capital, Manama, and Muharraq city by drone strikes and debris from an intercepted missile.

Kuwait's civil aviation authority said a drone targeted the main international airport, injuring several employees. Kuwait's state-run news agency said three troops were injured by shrapnel from strikes that hit Ali Al-Salem air base. Explosions could also be heard in Qatar. Jordan said it "dealt with" 49 drones and ballistic missiles.

Lidman reported from Tel Aviv. Boak reported from West Palm Beach, Florida. Tucker reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Joe Federman in Jerusalem, Aamer Madhani and Konstantin Toropin in Washington, Sam Mednick in Tel Aviv, Farnoush Amiri in New York, David Rising in Bangkok and AP journalists around the world contributed to this report.

byVaclavien Pynzarien

in

February 28, 2026

Iran fires missiles at Israel and Gulf states after US-Israeli strike kills Khamenei

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran fired missiles at targets in Israel and Gulf Arab states Sunday after vowing mass...

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