#RolandMartinUnfiltered - 12.27 Roland in Ghana; Trump outs whistleblower; Bloomberg camp used prison labor to make 2020 calls

Episode Date: December 30, 2019

12.27.19 #RolandMartinUnfiltered: Roland travels across Ghana; Trump outs whistleblower on Twitter; Bloomberg camp used prison labor to make calls for his 2020 presidential run; West African countries to stop using CFA franc; Crazy woman who ran over a Mexican girl also hit a Black boy; In Memoriam: ESPN Reporter, Ed Aschoff #RolandMartinUnfiltered partner: 420 Real Estate, LLC To invest in 420 Real Estate’s legal Hemp-CBD Crowdfunding Campaign go to http://marijuanastock.org Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an iHeart Podcast. Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. Listen to Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Glott. And this is Season 2 of the War on Drugs podcast. Last year, a lot of the problems of the drug war. This year, a lot of the biggest names in music and sports. This kind of starts that a little bit, man.

We met them at their homes. We met them at the recording studios. Stories matter and it brings a face to it. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

We asked parents who adopted teens to share their journey. We just kind of knew from the beginning that we were family. They showcased a sense of love that I never had before. I mean, he's not only my parent, like, he's like my best friend. At the end of the day, it's all been worth it. I wouldn't change a thing about our lives. Learn about adopting a teen from foster care. Visit adoptuskids.org to learn more. Brought to you by AdoptUSKids, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Ad Council. Thank you. Thank you.. I wish I was in gently right now. Thank you. I don't know what it is. I feel like I'm walking through an earth.

Oh, wow.. Bye. Thank you. 1 tbs. salami 1 tbs. salami 1 tbs. salami Thank you. Să facem o pătrunjelă. Să facem o pătrunjelă. Să facem o pătrunjelă. Să facem o pătrunjelă. Să facem o pătrunjelă. Să facem o pătrunjelă. Să facem o pătrunjelă. Să facem o pătrunjelă.

Să facem o pătrunjelă. Să facem o pătrunjelă. Să facem o pătrunjelă. Să facem o pătrunjelă. Să facem o pătrunjelă. Să facem o pătrunjelă. Să facem o pătrunjelă. Să facem o pătrunjelă. Să facem o pătrunjelă. Coming up on Roland Martin Unfiltered for Friday, December 27, 2019.

Roland is continuing his pilgrimage in Ghana this week. I'm so jealous. I'm Dr. Julianne Malveaux, your host for today. Rowan sat down with the president of Ghana. We hope to connect with him live. Meanwhile, Trump goes on a tweet storm after Christmas, ousting the alleged Ukrainian whistleblower and attacking Nancy Pelosi over the impeachment process.

He don't understand this guy is going to be scratched like no kitten. Nancy Pelosi is time enough for him. Michael Bloomberg is still cleaning up his campaign and severed ties with a firm that hired prison laborers to make campaign calls. Great optic for Mr. Stop and Frisk. West African countries will stop using the CFA franc, ending a 75-year-old controversy.

And we have an update on a crazy-ass white person. ESPN reporter Ed Ashcroft dies of pneumonia at only age 35. Hey, it's time to bring the funk on, road monitor unfiltered. Let's go, Let's do it. He's got it. Whatever the piss, he's on it.

Whatever it is, he's got the scoop, the fact, the find. And when it breaks, he's right on time. And it's rolling. Best belief he's knowing. Putting it down from sports to news to politics. With entertainment just for kicks He's rolling It's Uncle Roro, y'all It's Roland Martin

Rolling with Roland now He's funky, he's fresh, he's real The best you know, he's fresh, he's real, the best You know he's Roland Martin Now Roland Martin Unfiltered. Roland is in Ghana this week for the year of the return. We were able to connect with him, so that's exciting. Our role, you know Ghana is my favorite place on the African continent.

I know you're enjoying it. What's up? Tell us what's going on. All right, Julianne, certainly glad to talk with you. This is my last night here in Ghana. We got here December 19th. We head out tomorrow night back to the States. It has been a fantastic visit here, traveling all over the place, talking with all kinds of different people. Today, there was a breakfast that was put on by the bridge for the year of return in honor of the year of return.

And so afterwards, I got a chance to sit down and talk with President Abdo. Mitch, you came to the United States in 2018 to announce a year return. Are you even shocked with the response this initiative has gotten, not just from African Americans, but folks in the UK, folks in Canada, and from other countries?

I don't know if shock is a word, but certainly, let me say, it's more than I expected. I hoped that it would have a big resonance, but it has, I think, had a much bigger resonance than I had anticipated. It's a very welcome, if you want us to use the word shock, all right, but it's a very welcome shock, and I'm very happy that the initiative

has evoked the response that it has. Obviously, there's an economic piece. The President of the United States, Mr. President, is a very welcome person. Of course, that was a small piece of the interview with President Adel. We need a much longer interview. We're going to, of course, have that four-hour special on Roland Martin unfiltered, this two-hour special we're putting together on the year of return. One of the folks I caught up with was Dr. Kambon. He's a professor at the University of Ghana, who moved here a number of years ago from Chicago. He got sick and tired of the police in terms of attacking Black men. And we had a great conversation outside

of his office at the University of Ghana. Here's some of that conversation. So you're living in Chicago, and the climate there, we're talking about, you know, police brutality, shootings, all those different things. And that just got to you. And you say, you know what, I got to get out of here. Yeah, you know, it wasn't so abstract either. You know, I actually had a situation where I was arrested on Trump charges. You know, me, you know, having two master's degrees.

They didn't ask me about any of that. Teaching at Chicago State, Malcolm X College, Betty Shabazz, all these different schools. But when they see you, they just see a black person. So, you know, they send you out to Bridgeview, have 99.99% eviction rates. And, you know, tens of thousands of dollars later, beat the charge.

But I realized that as long as I'm in their jurisdiction on a whim at any time, they can do the same thing over again. So I had already been to Ghana. I did a year of study abroad here. And again, I can't wait for you all to actually I can't wait for you all to actually see all of these amazing interviews and these great visuals that we've been able to get here in Ghana. So today, I had the opportunity, Julian, to chat with somebody who you know very well. And you know what? So instead of me going introducing, I'm going to go ahead and let her introduce. So she had a shout out for you. You know I'm here in a crowd on I'm told you are extremely loud like really really loud. How are you.

How are you. Where is he. He about you like yes, he's still crazy. OK, do you know who has the hots for her? Who? Method Man. And who is Method Man? Rapper. A rapper?

Oh, my god. I'm not disconnected from him. No, no. You don't understand. Oh, really? You don't understand. I have to Google Method Man. No, no, no.

You got to Google Method Man and Julian Malvaugh. What? Then me? No, I interviewed. No, no. Oh, OK. Julian wishes she to Google Method Man and Julianne Malvaugh. What? No, I interviewed, no, no. Julianne wishes she was dating Method Man. So I interviewed him at the Shaft at the American Life

Film Festival. He goes, oh, man, I love your show. He said, no, who's the red bone? What? He says, the red bone. She really smart. He said, the older sister. Yeah, man, I really like her.

Oh. Oh, yeah. So they're making some promise there. Uh-oh. Uh-oh. Look at you, rocking the cradle. See you soon in Ghana. Holla.

Again, we had a great conversation with Rose Whitaker today, and so look forward to folks seeing this. What's happening now, a number of big name celebrities, they are coming into a crowd. Donna, Rick Ross got here earlier. Ludacris is here. Richard Lawson, Tina Knowles, so many other people here. The folks with Essence Festival, they're bringing their full circle event here as well. So lots of people are going to be coming to Donna in the next 24, 48 hours for New Year's. We'll be heading out. Time to go home and get some rest, see the family.

What's also happening here, of course, at Rochella. Tomorrow is a huge day of concerts. There are festival events taking place all tonight, all across Ghana. Hotels are jam-packed. Folks are flying in. More than 750,000 people, 750,000 visas were issued by Ghana this year. There were so many people who were coming to Ghana this week and for Afrocella and for the other events. What the government did, they created a visa on arrival program.

Normally, you have to go to the embassy, request the visa, wait for it, get it. No. Folks literally are flying in, and they're doing visas right there, get it. No. Folks literally are flying in and they're doing visas right there at the airport. And so when you look on social media, it's going to be all kinds of stuff. Like I say, parties and events, you name it. And so all those things are happening. Paragon is absolutely hot right now, not just the temperature itself, but also with what's going on with so many people here. So many people, I can tell you, Julian, so many people have been emotional. The comments that we're getting on our Instagram, my Instagram page, Twitter page and Facebook page as well. People who are people who are learning so much, who didn't know a lot of this stuff.

We're presenting them about the history, not just transatlantic slave trade, but it's the history of the country itself. And so I think people are really going to learn a whole lot when they see this special that we are putting together. And I purposely, just so folks understand, I purposely did not want to come here and make our special about celebrities. That's great. That's wonderful. I came here with Sheena Meade, Desmond Meade, and some of the actors they work with. We really wanted to make this educational piece about Donna itself, about the history. And so that's really what our focus was. And so I think people are really going to be blessed by it. And so we've had an absolute great time just seeing everybody. I have traveled all around and I have run into numerous people, people who watch Roller Martin Unfiltered, folks from the UK, folks from Canada. I ran into two journalists today from the Bahamas.

I ran into a brother who's an Omega who lives here in Accra who watches the show. And so that's the other beauty about what we do. People literally here in Ghana and also the African diaspora have really been able to participate and watch the show and learn so much and so it's been absolutely fabulous but yes i'm ready to get home uh ready to see my family to relax i'm gonna relax 48 hours and then we go right into it putting this special together and so trust me i think people are going to be blown away when they see the amazing stuff, the visuals, but also the content of what we shot here in this 10-day trip to Ghana itself in the year of return. And so if you're coming in, look, I'm telling y'all right

now, expect lots of traffic. It is crazy, the traffic here. And lastly, I went to the village where they make the Kente cloth. Some videos on my Instagram page. You can see me trying my hand at making some of that. I bought a whole lot. And so, yeah, brother got a lot of outfits being made here in Ghana as well. So looking forward to it. So like I say, it has been absolutely fabulous.

And I just want to thank all of our fans who have been enjoying what we've been covering so far. And we've got lots more to show y'all. And so back to everybody there in D.C. Julianne, take it away. So, Roland, what you got for me? You got a nice piece of kente for me? See, see, right there. Right there.

Yeah, I got a good head wrap for you. I want a piece of kente, Roland. Anyway. I'm going to give you a kente head wrap we're gonna take what we can get i know you're loving it i love ghana it's my favorite place on the african continent i used to tell people that i was once married to wb the boys not really but i'd love to go to his uh grave and just kneel down and deal with my ancestor so i'm a little jealous but i know you're doing a great job. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

I appreciate it. Thanks a lot. Thank you, Roland. Now, joining me on our panel is Julian Boykin. He's the founder and chairman of Young Republicans for Southern Maryland. And also Erica Savage-Wilson. She's the host of Savage Politics Podcast. So, Roland's

in Ghana. What are you all thinking? This is the second day of kwanzaa um what are your thoughts julie and i were just chatting and i told him it's been about four years since i've been to ghana so i shared my experience um actually walking through customs and having one of the brothers tell me that i was home that i was his sister and i just wailed in tears and then walking out of the terminal and it a crowd looks like L.A., just walking from out of the terminal in and of itself. But I shared with Julian, also traveled to the township of Pone and saw how the oil had been pilfered by the Chinese and seeing all of us working. And I say us meaning black folks

working the oil fields. But then you also see the beauty of our people that have made their houses. And you see the Minister of Education coming, Minister of Health rather, coming up and down the street to ensure that children have had their shots and things of that nature. Then we traveled to Abaree,

which is a beautiful mountainous region of Ghana, and then onto the slave castle. So Ghana is home for me. You expressed how you felt about Ghana. I feel the exact same way. And I think that it is something that every black person should save up, should make sure that that's something that they do with their bonus to travel home and to have that experience in Ghana. Well, especially to be at W.E.B.'s grave. Oh, my God. I mean, for me, I guess as an intellectual, an economist, which W.E.B. sometimes claimed, he was such a fascinating man with his degrees from Harvard and his intellectual acumen. So I remember going once

and my sister friends were like, what do you want to do today? I'm like, I'm going once, and, uh, my sister friends were like, what do you want to do today? I'm like, I'm going to CWB. Y'all do whatever y'all want to do. Right. They were like, you going to talk to a dead man? I'm like, uh-huh. Because dead man's sometimes better than alive, man.

Ah! Dot, now. Okay, let me stop. Anyway, Roland is having a great time. We're excited about it. We're looking forward to hearing what he's put together. And I know that he, um, has been to all the places where our hearts break and our spirits rise.

Now, that man in the house that enslaved people built, he, uh, tweets out both the alleged whistleblower and Nancy Pelosi. He retweeted a post that outed by the alleged whistleblower and Nancy Pelosi. He retweeted a post that outed by name the whistleblower who first filed a complaint about his phone call with the Ukrainian president. The tweet he promoted from the Trump War Room account said, it's pretty simple, the CIA's whistleblower is not a whistleblower. The clip embedded in the tweet produced by the right-wing Washington Examiner includes the name of the whistleblower,

which is supposed to be off-limits, which mainstream news sources have refused to publish in the interest of protecting federal-recognized whistleblower safeguards against retaliation. But people in the president's inner circle, including Ivanka and Pat Cipollone, warned him not to promote content renaming the whistleblower. It's just wrong. But, panel, what do you all think? I mean, we have been caught in this imbroglio now

for a couple of weeks. Nancy Pelosi is not turning over, uh, the, um, indictment, which may or may not be good strategy. But meanwhile, the madness continues. I mean, literally, the madness continues. Julian, what are you thinking? I don't think it's a good idea to... to blow the whistleblower like that. I mean, because at the end of the day, you don't know what type of retaliation can come towards that whistleblower being exposed. It's just like when you have a

witness in protective custody, you want to make sure that witness is protected at all times. So I don't agree with what the president did by doing it. But, you know, at the end of the day, the president is an individual. He's an adult. He's entitled to whatever he wants to say or do. So, I mean, if people in his own circle will give him fair warning of, hey, that might not be the best approach, and he still makes it up in his mind

that he wants to do that, then hey, you know, it is what it is. I don't agree with it. I don't think it's the right thing to do, because it puts a person's life at stake. You know, by having a president of the United States do that, I think now you become public enemy number one with the entire world as far as those who support the president and things of that nature.

So you don't, it's like you literally got to just, I mean, fall off the earth just to go to hide and protect, just to ensure protection. Because now you put a lot of stress on people to protect this individual. But now you are, you've led a Republican group in Southern Maryland. Republicans seem to have drank a whole lot of Kool-Aid around this president. Where are you on this whole issue of impeachment and the contempt of Congress? Does it shake you from your Republican roots or are you still loyal to Trump no matter what? I don't like a lot of things that's going on. I mean I don't I look at it

like this if Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats had any faith in the candidates running for the Democratic primary, we wouldn't have an impeachment hearing. They would focus on putting together whoever candidate that they're going to support and vote the president out of office. But I understand the whole purpose behind the impeachment, you know, to tarnish the president's legacy and to put doubt in the voters' mind for 2020. So now she's holding the articles of impeachment because she wants to ensure a fair and reasonable trial that's going to be conducted by the Senate. So I understand her approach, but I think it may backfire on her for the simple fact you don't have the numbers in the Senate.

So at the end of the day, she can hold those articles as long as she wants to. But at some point, you're going to have to turn it over to the Senate and entrust that the Senate is going to do what's fair and reasonable by the people, for the people, and just see it through. At the end of the day, if you don't have the numbers, you don't really have the control. Do you think that there is a case for impeachment? No, I don't.

Well, see, and I take point to what you just, the latter part of what you just said. Again, we talked about this a couple weeks ago. Segregating re-election from impeachment. So impeachment was justified. He made a phone call to the president of Ukraine on July 25th. Which he admitted to.

Well, he had no choice but to admit to it. What are you saying? No, I'm saying he admitted to the president of Ukraine on July 25th. Which he admitted to. Well, he had no choice but to admit to it. What are you saying? No, I'm saying he admitted to the phone call. Right, but he said it was perfect. And many look at that phone call and say there was implicit quid pro quo, that there was implicit bribery, that there was a heavy-handed approach

to the president of Ukraine. So he says it's perfect. A whole lot of other people, including people he appointed, don't see it the same way. Right, and so you have to segregate both of those things. So this re-election campaign is not about 2020. It is about holding a person that was supposedly duly elected to be president into account.

And so if it is said that the president can make a phone call whereby he stands in front of $400 million that was appropriated by Congress for military aid and for security for the country of Ukraine, who has been attacked, right? And who has been occupied and has been our ally and said that they want a democracy. And so they went through the process of having a democracy and they elected President Zelensky as their president. So he stands in front of the $400 million and said, listen, though this has been appropriated by Congress and also obligated, those were federal funds that were obligated, meaning that they were legally bound

funds. He steps in front of those funds and says, you can have those funds if you'll do me a favor, though. He cannot do that. And so it is important for the little bit of democracy. Well, you know, for a segment of the population, would appear so but he can't he has to be checked and so and that's for anybody that's in office that is president and so the way that he was checked was by impeachment and this is something that though there were members of the House of Representatives that long ago said that he should have been impeached Nancy Pelosi said that listen Donald Trump is going to impeach

himself. And he did that on July 25th with that phone call to President Zelensky. So this is nothing to do with personality. This has nothing to do with reelection. It is to do with if you were president, if I were president, that we are held into account for acts of high crimes and misdemeanor. And he did commit that on July 25th, loud and clear with not only himself, but with at least a dozen other people on that phone call. And the person that did say that rose and said that this was an inappropriate phone call is the person who has, and I believe that this would have happened at any time because that is the type of person that we're dealing with, whose now name on December the 3rd was tweeted out by not only the Washington Examiner, but then by those allies of Donald John Trump. So in order for us to move forward in what we

are still saying is a democracy, there has to be a level of checks and balances. And unfortunately for him, that is impeachment. Okay, Erica, I want to get Julian back in here because I'm sure he has plenty to say. But you know what? Before you jump in there, because I know what you got to say, pretty much. I mean, you like a ride or die Republican. And if you keep riding, you might be dying. Just saying. But in any case, Erica has laid out a very strong case for why so many people, not only Democrats, but increasingly some Republicans, are looking askance at what's going on. What can you say? You're a Republican.

Like I said, you're a ride-or-die Republican. But I know you know that some of this spit is wrong. I said spit. I don't curse on the air. Um... So... Just saying. So, help us figure out why you are

still so ride or die. I have a choice. I'm a registered voter. It's no different than... You think what's going on is right? No, I don't. I don't think this impeachment is right. I don't but I don't I don't think this impeachment is right I think it's a sham I think it's trying to tarnish the president's legacy and putting doubts in the voters mind for 20 don't think what

happened in Ukraine was wrong who said it was illegal let's start there oh mr. meters you had to dip you had two Democrats who said this was a waste of time. The Constitution? Two out of how many? Come on, dudes. Two out of how many? You had two Democrats. So when Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats, when Nancy Pelosi put together this impeachment inquiry to impeach the president, she was at the point of no return. She had no other choice than to keep going forward with this.

But we just talked about this is not about personality. This is about owning the person that was elected into office for our county. So how is it a sham? This was about tarnishing somebody's legacy. How is it a sham? Listen, he did that all on his own. How is it tarnishing a legacy when he

made a phone call that should have been a congratulatory phone call. On the phone call, he decided that he was going to say that instead of you getting the $400 million that was appropriated by Congress, I need for you to look into something

for me. And it is about a Joseph Biden, and it is about a Hunter Biden. You tell me how is that a sham? Guess what, guys? We're going to move on just a little bit. We could come back to this, but let's move on for just a sec. So 45 fired off a stream of tweets Thursday, blasting Democrats and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi amid the impeachment impasse. Quote, the radical left do nothing Democrats, said they want to rush everything through the Senate

because President Trump is a threat to national security. Quote, they are vicious, they will say anything, but now they don't want to go fast anymore because they want to go very slowly. Liars. This is a Trump tweet. Trump tweets come after Pelosi has said she will wait until the Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announces a process by which the chamber will conduct Trump's trial before transmitting the articles of impeachment the House passed last week. As it stands, McConnell has said he wants a Senate to confirm the precedent set in 1999 during then-President Bill Clinton's impeachment trial, which included a two-resolution process. First,

an initial agreement to first hear the case, and then a later vote on whether to call witnesses. McConnell's counterpart, Senator Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, has pushed for a single resolution that would set parameters for presenting the case and allow for the calling of witnesses. Schumer has said he wants the Senate to call four witnesses, including former National Security Advisor John Bolton, Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, to testify about Trump's conduct towards Ukraine. So, guys, I mean, this is going on and on and on and on and on.

People just don't agree about whether this was wrong or whether it was right but clearly the majority does agree there has been contempt of Congress and this frankly to me it slaps us in the face of everything we know to be I Right. Y'all might not agree with me, about the separation of powers. Right. Because we have three co-equal branches of government. Absolutely. You have the legislature, you have the president,

and you have the Supreme Court. Right. And somehow the president does not believe that he has to respect his other co-equals. Julian, help me out with this. And don't be making them faces, because it ain't working. I think the longer this goes on, the more it takes away from the people.

You know, it's to a point now where people are tired of hearing about this Ukraine. People are tired of hearing about the impeachment. People are ready to just say, hey, let's go ahead, let's take this before the Senate, let's see what happens in the Senate so we can move forward and get ready for 2020. I think the longer you drag it out,

it just starts to run its course to the point where people just start turning their back on it like, okay, nothing's gonna come from it, so why continue to make light of it? Well, so are you diminishing the energy that young people, women, others have to see this president at minimum reprimanded and perhaps at maximum released from office? But there are young people, people that we don't always talk about.

You may be the youngest one on this panel. I don't know. I know I'm the old girl, and I love it. But some of these younger people are very disturbed. At the end of the day, it should go ahead and run its course and follow whatever process that needs to be followed. So the articles of impeachment need to be turned over to the Senate so the Senate can do their due diligence

and make a decision however they're going to make. That's what I mean by when Nancy Pelosi is holding back and saying, no, I want to make sure you guys are going to be fair and reasonable with this trial, I understand her reason. She's entitled to that, but at some point you've got to turn those articles over and let everything happen that's going to happen as far as if he's going to that, but at some point, you've got to turn those articles over and let everything happen that's going to happen as far as if he's going to be removed from office,

the votes will show it. If he's not going to be removed from office, the votes will show it. And he will always have a permanent black mark on his life because he has been impeached. One of three presidents. So which is more important? Tarnishing his legacy or making sure he doesn't get re-elected? Well, I think he's done that all on his own.

And I just want to bring forward as we talk about this that the reason that those articles of impeachment are not being turned over is because Mitchell McConnell went on Hannity and said the following. We'll make a decision about the way forward. And everything I do during this, I'm coordinating with White House counsel. There will be no difference between the president's position in our position as to how we handle this To the extent that we can so But here's what I'm saying The black American experience right so our What our?

Relationship usually not usually but our relationship with the courts has been fractured somewhat, right? So it's usually someone that we know that's been incarcerated, someone perhaps in our family, or there's just been, we've all experienced kind of like, yeah, the rollout of justice really kind of even before we got to the court steps. So when we think about this in terms of impeachment, it would behoove all of us to understand that this, just like anything else, is a process, right? The way with which this alleged president got to office was a process. So, while we're thinking about that, this is not a game. This is ensuring that those checks and balances

absolutely stand, that whomever assumes that office, be it a Republican, be it a Democrat, be it independent, that they're held to a standard. I understand that. So when we talk about the relationships of courts, particularly as black Americans, and we think about this whole impeachment process, her holding those articles of impeachment

to ensure that per Mitch McConnell goes on Hannity and says this in front of a camera to millions of viewers, then do you not think that it would not be in the interest of the American people that folks go on TV and talk about the American people, the American people all the time to ensure that the process forward is not going to be rigged as has been identified by the Senate majority leader and echoed by the echo chamber of Republicans as well. And I'm saying that would be for whomever was in office, be it Republicans or Democrats.

She has no control over this. But Mitch McConnell just said that he has control. He also said... This is his verbatim statement. This is his verbatim statement on December the 12th. You have no control over it. But Mitch McConnell said that he has absolute control.

He said he's coordinating with the White House. At the end of the day, Mitch McConnell said he has absolute control. Julian, stop a minute. At the end of the day, Mitch McConnell said he is in a cahoots with the White House. So therefore, this is not anything that's unbiased.

Do you have control over it? No. Do I have control over it? No. Do I have control over it? No. Does she have control over it? No. So that's a rhetorical point. That is a rhetorical point that means nothing, my brother. Nothing, nothing, nothing. Let me finish, please.

Honey, don't holler over me. Nancy Pelosi has no control over that. I understand her reasoning for holding the articles of impeachment, like I said before, to ensure that this trial will be fair and reasonable. She has no control over it. The Republicans control the Senate. So at the end of the day, it's going to be what it's going to be. I don't see no Republican putting him out of office since we have election year coming up, and a lot of them are up for reelection, I don't.

And some of them are up for reelection in swing states where Democrats will spank them in the behinds. And you have a lot of Democrats who are up for reelection in red states that was won by President Trump. So it goes both ways. So we're going to see how it all turns out. But at the end of the day, they have lost seats. They have lost seats. 400. They have lost seats. They have. Excuse me. have lost seats. They have lost seats. They have lost seats.

They have, excuse me, I'm talking. They have lost seats. They have disrespected the American people. Now, y'all folks may not think that, but a lot of people, white, college-educated, even non-college-educated women are tilting D because they're tired of this. At the end of the day, we don't know how people are going to vote.

We don't. Is that your strongest argument? We don't know how people are going to vote? 2016 election, everybody thought Hillary was going to win. It was a landslide victory for her. Look what happened. The votes showed people thought otherwise. So at the end of the day, what looks like a shoe-in may not be a shoe-in.

But we have to also factor in active voter suppression that happened, and that was in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. So we cannot discount those votes. Those are very real things. Okay, let her. No, no, no. All I'm saying is it's going to play out. House is going to play out. But we want to make sure that it's

fair and balanced, right? Have I not stated that? Have I not stated that? No, no, no. But you're not predicting that, well, we don't know how it's going to turn out. You don't! No, nobody does, but at the same time... But that's what I'm saying. But that's a weak point. That's not a weak point. It is a weak point. I just supported the fact that Nancy is holding

on to these articles, so she can... Speaker Pelosi, please. Speaker Pelosi is holding on to these articles to ensure that a trial is going to be fair and reasonable. Have I not said that? At the end of the day, no one is going to predict how this is going to come out. So she can hold on to those articles as long as she wants. At the end of the day, it's going to be what it's going to be,

whether he's going to be removed or not removed. We have no control over it. So we can sit here and talk all day and yell at each other until we're blue in the face. But at the end of the day, whatever the outcome is gonna be, that's what's gonna happen, regardless of how we agree or disagree on that fact. Okay, I'm gonna take a break.

Our brother man here is tripping. So we... So we're gonna take a break. I'll be right back. Hey, fam, I want you to like, share, and subscribe to our YouTube channel, youtube.com forward slash Roland S. Martin. And don't forget to turn on your notifications. Martin! funding goal for the hemp CBD investment. That's right. If you want to take advantage of this great opportunity, you need to do it now because it won't last much longer. If you don't know, I'm talking about the hemp plant, the good cousin to marijuana

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Again, $200 up to $10,000. Again, $200 up to $10,000. Now, you must do so before the fund is closed. To invest, go to marijuana stock.org. That's marijuana stock.org. Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg says his presidential campaign has cut ties with the firm that used prisoners to make calls on the candidate's behalf. Bloomberg said his campaign used a third-party vendor to contract a call center company named ProCom to conduct calls for his 2020 presidential

campaign. But when a report by The Intercept noted that two of the company's Oklahoma call centers operate out of prisons, Bloomberg said his campaign immediately ended the arrangement. Earlier today, a news outlet accurately reported that a subcontractor for one of our vendors was using prison workers to make phone calls on behalf of my campaign. After learning this, we immediately ended our relationship with that company. Too little, too late. A source said the intercept that some of the female inmates at the women's prison, Dr. Eddie Warrior Correctional Center in Oklahoma, have made calls for his campaign. Soon after announcing his Democratic presidential run,

Bloomberg apologized for his support of the stop and frisk strategy employed by the New York Police Department while he was mayor. Y'all know this whole thing cracks me up because it's not just about Bloomberg. It's about the prison convict labor system, which allows let's let's just break this down. So this pro procom company bids to pay the minimum wage. But the working wage for a call center people is between 11 and 12 an hour so the minimum wage is 722 so right there there's about a four dollar an hour profit that somebody's getting then

let's add to it the fact that the prison pays pro-com $7.25 an hour, but the inmates get about $1.45 an hour. So there's another gap here. So basically, this is called predatory capitalism at its best. And Bloomberg, who already has black marks on his face, as far as I'm concerned, with stop and frisk, is yet again colluding with the oppression of black people.

Now, that's my opinion. What do you think, Julian? I would ask Bloomberg staff, did they do their due diligence in finding out who are you contracting out with? So it paints a bad picture for Bloomberg and makes it look like, hey, you're looking for cheap labor. But at the end of the day, when

you solicit services, you got to do your due diligence and say, hey, how are you going to provide these services for us? Can we go and see this so-called call center that's going to be making calls for the Bloomberg campaign? So at the end of the day, Bloomberg has to take the hit for it because his name is tied

to it. And any other candidate who's running for office, if this was to come about, they would have to take the hit as well. You're just not doing your due diligence and researching to say, hey, we found a company, but we need to go see the facilities to make sure that they're going to represent us and it doesn't come back to bite us in the butt. And as you see right now, he has to take this negative hit because you're using, you know, convicted con, felons, whatever the case may be, to make phone calls on your behalf.

And it's not a good look for them. It's not that you're using the felons so much as you're participating in the exploitative system. It's not, I mean... If it was a legitimate call center outside of a prison, we probably wouldn't be having this discussion. No, but in a legitimate call center outside of a prison, we probably wouldn't be having this discussion. No, but in a legitimate call center, the workers would get about $11 an hour, $10, $11, $12 an hour.

True. Whereas the call center subcontractor is paying $7.25. But the workers are still getting something like $1.50. So there's a whole lot of exploitation built into this. Now, that's just my opinion as an economist. Y'all can shoot me down. Will we still talk about it if it wasn't a prison? So is it the fact that it was at a prison, or is the fact of the capitalism that's being broken down as far as the pay? The fact that it is a prison, which means you have created captive labor

and made it possible to exploit people. And this goes back to enslavement and the way that convict labor was used during enslavement to extract surplus value from black people and especially black men. And we have to basically look at that and look at the many ways that our people were re-enslaved and re-enslaved.

And so I'm not picking on Bloomberg particularly because anybody who subcontracts has a risk of doing this, and the point is that everybody who subcontracts has to use due diligence. Erica? And I also believe that this is almost par for the course for Bloomberg. This is a person who entered the race very late, just about a month ago. And then when he entered in... Spent about 70-some million dollars already. Absolutely. And has been running as who's not participating in debates because he does not have to. He's pretty much bought his way into this

contest much of the same way that he bought his third term as mayor of New York City. So this also says to me that it's not the politics where there is a talking to your voter base, there's reaching out to people, there's talking about issues, because where does he stand on the school-to-prison pipeline, right? Where does he stand in criminal justice reform? We know where he stands on gun reform, because that was a platform that he laid out largely before he threw in his hat for the presidency but this to me reeks of a candidate not really genuinely reaching out to the voter base in talking to people and so for a person that jumped into the race as a now Democrat who had previously been a Republican.

Oh, yeah, very much so. Boy, I'm going to say in the fourth quarter. And the only outreach that he's done is going to a black church and simply saying, I'm sorry, history can't be undone, which we very well know. But the same community, which is the prison community that he's impacted, it's very interesting that this whole call center story came about because though it's in Oklahoma, a women's detention center in Oklahoma, it is still that same fragrance of him just not really having a connection with his wrong. Well, being tone deaf, tone deaf around black people and their issues.

And even though, you know, well, more than half of the people incarcerated in this country are African-American. Right. So when we start talking about convict labor, we really are talking about black people. Other people too, of course, but disproportionately us, we're 13% at best of the population, but perhaps half of those who are incarcerated. Many, especially women incarcerated behind BS, you know, they boo with slinging drugs and they happen to be in the house, you know. But in any case, Mayor Bloomberg has a lot to answer for,

but so do many others around this convict labor issue. Who should take the weight on this, Julian? Who should be doing leadership on this? I think that if Bloomberg was serious, he might use some of the millions to deal with this convict labor issue. What do you think? I think he should if he's trying to get the vote.

You know, when you talk about stopping Frisk, he has a lot to answer for. And I think just a simple apology is not going to cut it. So when I saw the one-on-one interview, he didn't seem remorseful to me as far as, hey, look, you know, it is what it is. I'm sorry. I think it was just one of those things where, okay, you got me cornered. Let me say what I can say to try to pacify it. And let's move forward. Let's go ahead and move forward with the interview. But at the end of the day, if you're trying to run for office, the highest office that is,

you should do more than just show up at a black church. You should address the issues as far as, yes, African Americans make up less than 15% of the population, but we're more than 50% of the population when it comes to incarceration. So, yes, you have this prison pipeline that needs to be addressed. You know, what about talking about the prison reform?

How do you plan to, you know, rehab that and add to it? How do you plan to reduce the prison rate as far as young African Americans going to prison for peddler's crimes? Whether it can be for a misdemeanor, things of that nature. How do you plan to fix the issue of how much money you have depends on

what kind of sentence you're going to get. Versus if you don't have any money, they can do whatever they want. Versus if you have a little money... He's throwing around millions to get elected, but he's not dealing with some of the foundational issues of his own candidacy. Erica? And I don't feel like he feels like he

needs, that he has to either. I mean, let's be very honest. I mean, I think about the way that he entered the campaign. It says a lot about who he is and who he believes that he has to, very much so privileged, who he feels like he has to market to. He is, for me, a product of the donor class.

And so that is why I say, and I continue to say that it is incumbent upon all of us as Americans to over index in this election. That is what's going to show who we say should be in that highest office. That's the land, as Julian said, because there are a segment of the population that don't feel like they have to reach out to everyone, that feel like it will suffice to do kind of like that to reach get out the vote outreach where you go to black churches or you disseminate people to go and talk to people. They come in on a Sunday morning, stand up,

say something and they exit out. The next time you see them, you really don't see them. You see their name on the ballot. So I think it is for us to really push and to be very attentive coming up to 2020 to understand that we have to be informed on anybody's name who's on that list that's saying that they are running for the highest office of the language. To add to what she's saying, I wish more young people would get involved, regardless of race. Get involved.

You know, if you don't like the person that's in office, vote the person out. If you don't like the person that's running for office, why not run yourself? I think when it comes to us as black people we are quick to to nominate somebody in office or we quick to put our faith in somebody else's hands that may not understand our struggle but we know we know what what our values are we know what needs to be done but why not

just run for office because I guarantee you if one person of color runs for office and you have a few people that can agree with this person that's all it why not just run for office? Because I guarantee you, if one person of color runs for office and you have a few people that can agree with this person, that's all it takes to get the ball rolling for you to start seeing change within your community instead of just waiting on somebody to do something. I see, especially around climate change, I see a lot of younger white people increasingly involved

around a series of issues. I see less of that among young African-Americans. You lead a young Republicans group. Tell me what I'm missing. I think for the black community, politics, you know, it's a class called civics. You know, if it's not being taught in the schools, it needs to be taught at home. I was raised a Democrat, but I didn't get serious about politics

until I got as an adult out of college until I realized how politics dictates everything. It dictates how one side of the county has smooth roads, the other side has potholes everywhere, how one school system is thriving. How one school system is still striving to get a dollar. How these houses over here are nice and beautiful. These

houses over here are older. How the money flows. You know, a lot of people don't understand that. It's your city councilman, your county commissioner, and your local mayor. So your job, Mr. I was woke before I was born. No, ma'am.

My job is to get people to think about politics. So basically it's excite and incite and incite. Ignite, incite your young people, your young Republicans and young Democrats. Not to be Republican. I tell people this. If I can't get you excited in something, it doesn't matter if I tell you to vote Republican or Democrat. An individual has to see value.

It's just like when you were the president of the university. You have to show that young person something for that school, and they have to see value in being a part of that school and going to the school and getting education. If they don't see value in it, it doesn't matter what you do, what type of package you present to them. At the end of the day, they're either going to go to the school, get a degree, or they're going to go somewhere else. So I'd rather for you to be honest with yourself and say,

hey, you know what, thank you, Julian. I don't think I'm conservative. I'm going to look elsewhere at a Democrat or the independents. I'm fine with that. Well, as long as you vote. Right, right. As long as you vote. And so I'm going to commend you on, um,

being in a different lane. Not my lane, but a different lane. And I'm hoping that you are going to excite and incite young people to be more participatory. As I know, this is one of your missions. You talk about it all the time. Absolutely. So we're going to flip, we're going to leave these shores to just go across the pond a bit.

West African countries will stop using the Financial Community of Africa, CFA franc currency, beginning sometime in 2020, according to French President Emmanuel Macron. The ECO is supposed to replace the CFA franc, which is currently being used in eight West African countries and six countries in Central Africa. During a trip to Ivory Coast on Saturday, in cooperation with eight West African countries, Benin, Burkina Faso, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Mali, Niger, Senegal, and Togo, Macron announced at a joint news conference with the Ivorian president that France is working to loosen up the supervision of the currency. The move to drop the CFA franc

is part of France's plan to rebuild relations with its former African colonies. Rowland interviewed former African Union ambassador, amazing sister, Erickana Chimbori, about the controversial relationships between France and Africa last month. Let's take a look. This is this cause. I mean, this has been lots of discussion back and forth, obviously, from your supporters. And they say that your breakdown of the history of how modern day Africa was created, colonization, and the control or impact France has had on many African countries is why you were let go. My supporters feel that way and there's some suggestion and some evidence.

Like I said, I'm not privy to that information. But I would, there is some evidence to that effect, yes. So you believe that France is still trying to silence you? Do you believe that? Let me put it this way. Maybe I lasted longer than I probably would have based on my views on France. And it's not even my view.

It's basically stating the facts in terms of what France is doing to Africa. What they're currently doing. What they're currently doing and have been doing for decades since the quote-unquote independence of the former French colonies, yes. So what is happening? Because, look, the reality is a lot of Americans are not necessarily hearing about what's happening in African nations.

Seven of the top ten fastest-growing economies come from Africa, but you also have a significant impact of the Chinese in many African countries as well. And so, do you believe that the government of France still has a lot of control over a number of African nations, of their former colonies? They have significant control over all of their former colonies? They have significant control over all of their former colonies, specifically 14 of them. Just to give you the highlights of what they did when they were giving the independence, so to speak, to their former colonies, they forced them to sign a document which they are calling the

pact for the continuation of colonization you have to understand on one hand they are saying we're giving you independence which turned out to be mostly political independence but that you also have to sign this document which is titled the pact for the continuation of colonization so you're going to be independent but you have to agree to continue to be colonized so So two countries said, absolutely not. We are not going to sign those two, that document. Those two countries? Mali and Guinea. Okay.

And what the French did, they went into those two countries, took everything that they thought they had brought to those two economies, poured concrete into the sewage pipes and completely devastating the two economies. This was done as a way of letting the other countries know that if you do not sign this document this is the fate that awaits you. How has that negatively impacted those African countries? It has impacted them terribly terribly terribly. If you look at it you give up your the pact for the continuation of colonization said those countries were expected to deposit 85% of their bank reserves

back then with the French central bank under the control of the French minister of finance. And should those countries wish to request some of those monies, because remember, they were only left with 15% of their reserves, then they would have to submit a financial statement for the country. And if approved, they could only access up to 20% of whatever they had deposited the year before, as alone at commercial interest rates. The only difference now is the 85% deposits have now been lowered down to maybe between 50% and 60%. But the countries are still forced and required to deposit their bank reserves with the French central bank. So picture this situation. You

are depositing all your monies with France. Should you need some of your money, you get it as a loan at commercial interest rates. So immediately, you have a credit with France, should you need some of your money, you get it as a loan at commercial interest rates. So immediately, you have a credit with France, but you begin to owe France. This has been going on and continues to this day. So combined, the 14 countries are giving to France cash, cold hard cash, over $500 billion every year. And France takes that money and invests it in its own stock market under the French name, and the countries may or may not know the returns.

Currently, for every $14 billion that France takes out of Africa, by the time they finish investing it in the French stock market, they are realizing upwards of $300 billion. So you do the math to see how much money France is taking out of Africa every year. And yet France has the audacity to then look at African countries and call them poor countries. Why would poor African countries give 500 billion dollars to France year in and year out? What really gets me the most is how does the world sit back and watch this carnage take place in Africa? Where is the United Nations? This is the body that's supposed to be looking out for any violations of human rights.

It is my humble opinion that singularly what France is doing to Africa is the biggest violation of human rights. Women and children are dying of starvation, youth unemployment, when the same poor countries are giving $500 billion to France. It simply does not make any sense and I don't know how the world can sit back and watch all this unfold and nobody is saying anything. This is an amazing woman. She has been such a passionate advocate for Africa in the time that she has been the ambassador from the African states to the United States.

She's been a pan-Africanist. She has been amazing. And her attack on the use of the franc really put her in hot water with Europeans who could not stand a black woman who stood up for not only for herself, but for her people. The CFA franc was established in 1945. It's been tagged as a controversial currency because of its control by France. In other words, French colonies have had to put 50% of their foreign currency reserves with France in return for France guaranteeing their currency,

which means they've had to deposit without knowing what the returns would be. The new currency revamp announced by Macron will not require African countries in the ECOS economic bloc to keep half their reserves with France or have a representative sit on their currencies board. However, their money will still be pegged to the euro and guaranteed by France. This is called a ripoff. This is called a colonial relationship that has transcended colonization. So, I mean, Sister Ericana has been passionate, and she had a three-year term, but because of her passion, she was removed early from her term

and basically attempted to be silenced. But what we know, if you saw her, and Roland did a great job with her, she is passionate about black liberation. Absolutely. And she is going to keep telling that story. Erica, what do you think? Yeah, and Julie and I were having a really good discussion over here. Y'all over there whispering in my ear.

Spirited discussion. And, you know, out of that, to be quite honest with you, that in her interview that she did with Roland, the longer interview, she talks about that this is one of the number right human rights abuses in the world that is really not being talked about. And so when we talk about the things that are impacting our community, right, when we get down to the bread and butter issues, it really is economics. It really is economic issues. Absolutely. That is our bottom line. And so that she has been the voice of talking about how France has continued to take away from African nations to the tune of $500 billion and then has the audacity to call these African nations poor countries?

Well, just like your president. Oh, well, listen. Listen, it is something that, in our discussion, it's something that has to be broken out much more, that we have to have an awareness as a people of all of these different economic issues that are happening worldwide because they do impact all of us and we can see how they mirror what we're experiencing here in America as black people.

Black people are at the bottom of the totem pole where we're looking internationally or nationally. Worldwide. That's what we need to pay attention to. Julian? Like Erica was saying, we had a conversation and I ask people from time to time when we want to go back and forth

about Trump this, Trump that, and I ask them, how do you feel about Asia having a heavy investment into Africa? And their response would be what does that have to do with what we're talking about? I said, if you don't understand where I'm coming from, you don't understand how the game is played. I said, the politics is just a distraction. I said, if you don't understand where I'm coming from, you don't understand how the game is played.

I said, the politics is just a distraction. I said, if you ever get a chance to go to Africa, you'll see that a lot of things we are not in control of. When it comes to the minerals, all our minerals come from Africa. Like Erica was saying, you have the Chinese that's over there drilling oil out and putting us at work 15, 18, 20 hours a day. But at the same time, I don't think we are educated to understand what is going on when it comes to our issues. You know, sometimes we have a tendency, we want to put our issues in other people's hands and say, hey, can you fix this for us? Black people's problems are not just with Trump. It goes back past Obama, past Clinton, Bush Sr., Bush Jr., Reagan, Kennedy. I truly believe our issues are grassroots, like I was telling Erica.

And once we fix our issues at the grassroots level, the federal stuff will take care of itself. Well, I disagree with you for any number of reasons, but I'm going to move on. I'm going to be caved. I'm going to move on. I'm going to be cave. I'm going to move on. But, you know, it's not just federal. There's a lot of stuff going on, and I don't think anything began with Trump. I think Trump is a manifestation of 400 years of evil.

I agree. That's what I think. But you know what? On that note, it's time to go to crazy-ass white people. On that note, I ain't saying nothing about your president. I'm just saying. Okay. I'm white. I got you, girl.

...legally selling water without a permit... On my property. Whoa! Hey! ...give us your ID... You don't live here? I'm uncomfortable. I'm uncomfortable.

So, like, you may remember Nicole Marie Poole Franklin from Monday's show. She told police she intentionally ran over a 14-year-old girl on a sidewalk because she thought the teenager was a Mexican, according to the Clive, Iowa Police Department. Well, now, police say there's surveillance video of her running over a 12-year-old black boy. The second incident occurred about an hour before the initial incident with the 14-year-old girl.

Amidst her previous charges, Franklin may also be charged with a felony hate crime. Her bail is set at $1 million. Let's make it $10 million. Uh, $20 million. Let's just... Anyway, y'all, what up with that? I think Belle should have been revoked

because when a person knowingly and willingly says something, they're not under the influence, I ran over this individual because of the color of their skin or whatever the case may be. They shouldn't have a bond because of the fact if a GoFundMe account get started and enough money is raised She should they should get her up under the jail. Yeah, but they're trying to figure out, you know, they you know Somebody's gonna say she hates free speech rights to run over people. No, you can't just go out

That's just like going out killing people that will you can't do that. So She should be charged with a hate crime. Right now it's attempted murder charge. I hope it doesn't lose ground, because cases like this, they tend to lose ground when another big case takes precedence over it. But this is something that needs to be addressed. This is almost equivalent to kids coming up missing

for when it comes to organ trafficking or for sex trafficking, whatever the case may be. You know, you got people out here that are running over kids, and this is just the one that we heard about. Yes. So, what would make, Erica, what would make somebody think

that it would be okay to run your automobile over somebody because they were Mexican or because they were black? Well, we could always go back to 2015 when a person descended down a golden escalator and then in his announcement to the world that he was going to run for president, he talked about how Mexicans were rapists.

We can also talk about how hate crimes have really ramped up since a person who was supposedly elected president. We could talk about all of those things. We could also talk about that this happened in Iowa. And the first thing that came to mind with me is that this is something... First presidential prime minister. Absolutely, absolutely, that this is something that should be put before everybody that's running for president on how to deal with this

because this did happen, what, a couple of weeks ago? So this is something that should definitely not lose ground, as you said, because there are other incidents that happen, but every candidate, absolutely. Every single one of them. This happened to children, A 14-year-old and a 12-year-old child. They're children. And they're just minding their business. Out the gate. They're not bothering anybody.

Right. Absolutely. Guys, I'm going to move on. We could talk about this one all day. I'm looking for the lady. No, I'm not. Don't take me seriously. But I'm going to go to a break. I'll be right back. A lot of the times, people look at them as juvenile delinquents. But everybody has a past.

Nobody's perfect. My name is Tanishia Barnes. I work at New Beginnings Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services. And I'm a cook there. At 3.15, I get up, get myself ready. I have to leave out by, you know, later than 4.25 to get to work. When I get to work at 5 o'clock, I cook, prepare breakfast, prepare lunch.

The population is 30 males, and I just try to let them know that it's okay. We all make mistakes, but it's where you go and what you do after your mistakes to make everything better. When I cook for the kids, and they say, I know you cook this because you cook this with love, didn't you, Ms. B? You put this love in that. Having children and then becoming a union member shows me that it's more that I can fight for. Better education, better paying jobs, safety. You're helping develop something more meaningful in the workforce.

I even got my kids involved. We do rallies, we do door knocks. I'm working for myself, I'm working for my children, and I just want them to be proud of me for going after what I believe in and follow my dreams as I try to push them to do the same thing. I love my kids and I love the kids I serve and I'm glad that I can go and make a positive impact on their lives every day. We are grateful for ASPE's support of Roland Martin Unlimited

and shout out to the sister who told her overcoming story. Now we've got some bad news. ESPN reporter Ed Ashcroft, who covered the Southeastern Conference College Sports for the Network, died Tuesday after a battle with pneumonia. He was only 34 years old. He had recently announced on social media that an illness he had contracted

while covering the Ohio State Michigan football team had progressed into multifocal pneumonia. Ashcroft grew up in Oxford, Mississippi, where his father was a professor at the University of Mississippi and his mother was a special education public school teacher. He attended the University of Mississippi, and his mother was a special education public school teacher. He attended the University of Florida, where he studied journalism and played bass drum for the school's Pride of the Sunshine marking band.

Upon graduation in 2008, he covered Gators football, basketball, and baseball for the Gainesville Sun and joined ESPN in 2011 to blog about the Southeastern Conference. He rose quickly through the ranks and relocated from Atlanta to LA in 2017 to take on a national role that included more television appearances while also working as a TV and radio sideline reporter doing football broadcasts. There will be a small memorial held in Ashcroft's honor in his hometown of Oxford, Mississippi, followed by a main service in Atlanta.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the family. So that's it, y'all. That's it for this edition of Roland Martin Unfiltered. I want to thank Erica Savage-Wilson. I always love being with her. And also Julian Boykin. I always love messing with her. And also Julian Boykin. I always love messing with him. And Roland will be back in studio on Monday.

I'm Dr. Julianne Malveaux. Filling in for him. Have a great weekend. A happy new year. And holla. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Martin! Thank you. I know a lot of cops. They get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes.

But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. This is Absolute Season 1. Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. Listen to Absolute Season 1. Taser Incorporated, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Glod.

And this is Season 2 of the War on Drugs podcast. Yes, sir. Last year, a lot of the problems of the drug war. This year, a lot of the biggest names in music and sports. This kind of starts that names in music and sports. This kind of starts that a little bit, man. We met them at their homes. We met them at their recording studios.

Stories matter and it brings a face to them. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. We asked parents who adopted teens to share their journey. We just kind of knew from the beginning that we were family.

They showcased a sense of love that I never had before. I mean, he's not only my parent, like, he's like my best friend. At the end of the day, it's all been worth it. I wouldn't change a thing about our lives. Learn about adopting a teen from foster care. Visit AdoptUSKids.org to learn more. Brought to you by AdoptUSKids, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Ad Council. This is an iHeart Podcast.