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Volume 134 No. 52

THE BLACK MEDIA AUTHORITY • AFRO.COM

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JULY 25, 2026 - JULY 31, 2026

AP Photo

Friends and family are still mourning and questioning the death of college freshman Nolan Wells. The 18-year-old was found dead in Mississippi on July 6, two days after going missing on a boating trip with others. Shown here at the teen’s July 20 funeral, civil rights attorney Ben Crump (left), with parents Elmore and Christine Wonsley, and civil rights leader Rev. Al Sharpton (right).

Family and friends lay Nolan Wells to rest

Independent autopsy results label cause of death as ‘undetermined’ By Ariyana Griffin Special to the AFRO The independent autopsy results of 18-year-old college freshman Nolan Wells were revealed at a livestreamed press conference during the 117th NAACP National Convention in Chicago on July 22. The results were reported by civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump. The release of the results came just days after Wells’

funeral. The ceremony was held at Center Pointe Church in Mississippi on July 20, with hundreds of mourners gathering to celebrate the life of the popular teen who was found dead two days after attending a Fourth of July party with others. Dr. Roger A. Mitchell Jr., the 126th president of the National Medical Association, the largest and oldest group of Black physicians in the United States, performed the independent autopsy and ruled the cause of

death as undetermined, pending investigation. This preliminary autopsy was performed on July 10, after the initial autopsy performed by Mississippi’s medical examiner on July 7. Dr. Mitchell shared that during the initial autopsy the throat region was removed, preventing him from ruling out damage to the throat. The body was also already in a state of decomposition, making it difficult for Dr. Mitchell to also rule out other markings on the body.

The state of Mississippi has yet to release their autopsy findings. Crump explained how the autopsy described head trauma, with the report detailing “a 12-by-eight inch focal area of red discoloration in the deep soft tissues overlaying the occipital bone.” “We stand for justice no matter who it convicts or it acquits. We stand for transparency because we have eyes Continued on A3

Photo courtesy of The Jackson Advocate

Elmore (left) and Christine Wonsley are demanding answers in the mysterious death of their 18-year-old son, Nolan Wells (center).

Medicaid ban on routine care at Planned Parenthood ends By Jennifer Porter Gore Word In Black

afro.com

Healthcare providers, such as Planned Parenthood and similar clinics, are once again eligible to receive Medicaid

reimbursements, enabling low-income individuals to resume routine healthcare services from these providers. Last year, congressional Republicans fell short of their longstanding goal to ban abortion services nationwide during efforts to pass the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act. But they managed to ban Medicaid reimbursements from going to Planned Parenthood and similar reproductive health care providers nationwide for one year. Since Congress didn’t renew the ban before taking its Independence Day recess, the ban automatically expired last week. Medicaid can once again cover non-abortion services such as cancer screenings, birth control distribution and testing for sexually transmitted infections at the clinics that were able to remain open. But individual states must decide to allow the clinics to be reimbursed.

Millions left high and dry

According to a KFF tracking poll from 2025, one in three women reported having gone to a Planned Parenthood clinic for care, as well as

one in 10 men. Nearly half of Black women have gone to a Planned Parenthood clinic. Over four in 10 individuals with Medicaid say they have received services at Planned Parenthood and one-third of those individuals had private insurance. One in five Republican women and four in 10 Democratic women also said they had received care at a Planned Parenthood clinic. A spending bill passed in the 1970s already blocks federal Medicaid dollars from covering abortion in nearly all cases. During the debate over the OBBB Act, Republicans tried to make the abortion funding restrictions permanent, and Democrats tried but failed to get the restrictions removed altogether. In 2025, however, the Supreme Court ruled that states may prevent providers from being paid through Medicaid programs. It also found that Medicaid enrollees can’t challenge the restriction in federal court. Laurie Sobel, associate director for women’s wealth policy at KFF, said the ruling marked a significant departure from longstanding interpretations of the Medicaid “free choice of provider” provision, which guarantees enrollees the

right to obtain care from any qualified and willing Medicaid provider. The ban passed last year forced Planned Parenthood to close nearly 30 of its healthcare centers. Nora Walsh-DeVries, vice president of political and legislative affairs at Planned Parenthood Action Fund, said the impact of the cuts “is really horrible for us and some of it is unfortunately irreversible.” Managing a smaller budget is even more challenging, DeVries said, coupled with “kind of also knowing that there is an intention from Republicans to permanently defund us.” Medicaid covers roughly 96 million Americans and just over 21.4 percent of adult Medicaid beneficiaries ages 19 to 64 are Black Americans. The Trump spending cuts have forced the closure of at least 14 hospitals across 13 states. More than 400 hospitals are at risk of closing or cutting staff and roughly 360 clinics have closed. The Medicaid program also covers roughly 40 percent of pregnancies and births nationwide. Continued on A3

Unsplash/Gayatri Malhotra

The expiration of a temporary federal ban restores Medicaid reimbursement for non-abortion services, including cancer screenings, birth control and STI testing, though individual states will determine whether providers can receive funding.