#RolandMartinUnfiltered - DOJ drops 'Cancer Alley' lawsuit, States sue Trump admin over mass firings, BLM Plaza dismantled 

Episode Date: March 11, 2025

3.10.2025 #RolandMartinUnfiltered: DOJ drops 'Cancer Alley' lawsuit, States sue Trump admin over mass firings, BLM Plaza dismantled  The Department of Justice drops its lawsuit against a Louisiana petrochemical plant accused of poisoning a majority-Black neighborhood. The move has been framed as an attempt to dismantle what are referred to as "radical DEI programs." We'll speak with those directly affected. Maryland's Attorney General is leading the charge in suing the Trump administration over what he describes as the illegal mass firings of federal probationary employees. We'll dive into the details of this legal battle. Crews from the District Department of Transportation have begun removing Washington, D.C.'s Black Lives Matter mural. We'll bring you footage straight from outside our studio. Also, during the House Oversight Committee hearing on sanctuary city policies, Representative Jasmine Crockett took on the mayors of Boston, Chicago, Denver, and New York City on immigration. We'll show you the highlights. ✨Get your "Don't Blame Me ... I Voted for the Black Woman" tee and #FAFO 2025 tee TODAY #RMU Merch 👉🏾 https://rolandmartin.creator-spring.com/ #BlackStarNetwork partner: Fanbasehttps://www.startengine.com/offering/fanbase This Reg A+ offering is made available through StartEngine Primary, LLC, member FINRA/SIPC.  This investment is speculative, illiquid, and involves a high degree of risk, including the possible loss of your entire investment. You should read the Offering Circular (https://bit.ly/3VDPKjD) and Risks (https://bit.ly/3ZQzHl0) related to this offering before investing. Download the #BlackStarNetwork app on iOS, AppleTV, Android, Android TV, Roku, FireTV, SamsungTV and XBox  http://www.blackstarnetwork.com The #BlackStarNetwork is a news reporting platform covered under Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an iHeart Podcast. I wouldn't change a thing about our lives. 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 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 star-studded 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. 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. Folks, today's Monday, March 10th, 2025, coming up on Roller Martin Unfiltered, streaming live on the Black Star Network. The Department of Justice drops its lawsuit against a Louisiana petrochemical plant accused of poisoning a majority Black neighborhood.

The move has been framed as getting rid of radical DEI programs. We'll talk to the folks there who've been fighting this for a very long time. Well, guess what? Maryland's attorney general is leading the charge in suing the Trump administration over what he describes as the illegal mass firing of federal probationary employees. We'll break down the details. Plus, Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington, D.C. is being torn apart after Republicans threatened to withhold funding from the D.C. budget. Also, during the House Oversight Committee hearing on sanctuary city policies, Congressman Jasmine Crockett took on the mayors of Boston, Chicago, didn't break New York City on immigration.

We'll show you that uh and a young president congressman ayanna pressley got into it with chair james colmer in the same hearing and he literally tried to have her removed from the hearing these republicans have lost their minds and donald trump wrecking the economy now won't even commit to saying there won't be a recession. We told you these people were crazy. It's time to bring the funk. I'm Roland Mark Dunn Filcher on the Black Star Network. Let's go.

Peace. He's got the scoop, the fact, the fine. And when it breaks, he's right on time. And it's rolling. Best believe 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 rolling, Martin. Yeah.

Rolling with Roland now Yeah He's funky, he's fresh, he's real The best you know, he's Roland Martin Now Martin Well, folks, we've been covering this issue about Cancer Alley in the state of Louisiana, and residents there have been trying to fight petrochemical companies for a very long time, and they thought they finally were getting some justice when the Department of Justice,

under President Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, made a decision that they were going to sue Petrochemical Company. Well, guess what? Donald Trump's Department of Justice, they're now dropping that lawsuit under the guise of getting rid of radical DEI programs. Again, for years, residents in Reserve Louisiana have been sounding the alarm about toxic waste from Dinka Performance, Ellis Stoneware Plant, which, of course, which experts say has increased the dramatic chance of getting cancer in St. John the Baptist Parish. Yo, that's real. And significant cases of cancer impacting African-Americans. As I said, the Biden DOJ in 2023 moved forward. But now Trump, they're trying to protect the chemical company.

That's what you see that's going on. So, folks, with environmental justice efforts being rolled back, 170 staffers have been removed from their roles. Many are asking what the hell happens to those black communities. We told you Donald Trump doesn't give a damn about black people. Joining us now, Tish and Robert Taylor from the Concerned Citizens of St. John Parish. Tish and Robert, glad to have you on and stunning to you to have to deal with this news of the Trump DOJ tossing out this lawsuit and, frankly, saying the hell with the residents. It was devastating.

It is. I mean, the effects of that, we haven't realized yet the terrible effects of that move. So how did y'all find out? Did they even notify y'all or did you find out through the media? We found out through the media. Reporters just started calling and asking if we knew. It's unbelievable. Well, kind of believable.

And, you know, what has been happening, this goes beyond just your case. I mean, look, they're dropping cases in the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. They're dropping EPA cases and others. And so these folks now in D.C., these Republicans, these MAGA Republicans,

they are simply protecting big business. They don't care about the working class. That's basically been the whole attitude since our fight when we started this in 2016. It became clear to us that the government was interested in protecting these industries in these particular communities, especially. So I haven't been talking to the other residents. And so what do y'all have planned? Any sort of response? Go ahead, Tanisha.

Go ahead. Well, we've been talking to a lot of reporters, but we know that we can't stop advocating. We deserve clean air, water, and soil. And this lawsuit had nothing to do with DEI. This lawsuit was about Dinka violating our rights, our rights to clean air, violating the Clean Air Act. And actually, we were being designated as an imminent and substantial endangerment to our public health. So there was already a designation. Dinka was not following the rules. This lawsuit was about Dinka and the air that they're supposed to be taking care of us with.

I'm sorry. Yeah. It's just unreal. And obviously you're not getting any help from the MAGA state government led by Jeff Landry. No, Jeff Landry actually went to the Dinker facility. He passed by Fifth Ward Elementary where over 400 children are exposed to, you know, they exposed to chloroprene and sat with 200 plus employees of Dinker. I guarantee you less than 20 percent of them actually live in our parish and said that he was there to protect those jobs so they don't go to China.

Dinka is a Japanese facility, so there's no reason for the jobs to go to China. But unfortunately, we don't get the jobs at these facilities, but we do suffer the consequences of their emissions, which are deadly. So he says protect the jobs, but not protect the people who are being, their health is being impacted by these chemicals. Yes. That's been the undeniable attitude of the government, local, state, and national since our entrance into this fight as an organization in 2016. That's what we have been up against, the denial of the harm that the petrochemical industry

is putting on the local people. Until President Biden. He sent Michael Reagan out here, the administrator of EPA. He walked the streets with concerned citizens of St. John's, stood on the school ground of Fifth Ward Elementary, and he vowed to make sure that those children

didn't have to breathe poison every day while playing on the playground. And they did that. They signed the Han Rule. My dad was there to speak about it. It was a wonderfully emotional time for us. We thought we really made headway. And this lawsuit would have really just brought it in on home for us. We would have made sure that Dinka, at least, was not poisoning us, that they would have to actually lower their emissions to 0.2 micrograms per cubic meter of air. And they have not. It's right now 14 times that. Wow. 14 times. Well, Tish and Robert, I hate that they are doing this here, but certainly

we'll try to keep us abreast of what happens next, any plans to protest or anything along those lines. And it's unfortunate that the residents there can't get any assistance from the state or the federal government. Not at all. And we welcome you to come. Come on down. Let's give you a tour of Cancer Alley. Let the community, let your people actually

see how we live in a community where we're supposed to be thriving from economic development and jobs. We're not. It's a farce. We'd love to just give you a tour and let you see how we live. We're wonderful people and we deserve

to live a clean, healthy life. But we're dying every day from these emissions. Indeed, indeed. Tish and Robert, we still appreciate it. Thanks a lot. Thank you. I'm going to bring in my pal now, Dr. Alma Congo Dabinga, Senior Papasori Lecture School of International Service at American University, author of Lies About Black People, How to Combat Racist Stereotypes and Wide Matters, joining us from D.C. Kelly Mathia, communications strategist,

joining us from D.C. as well. Mondale Robinson, principal, Black Male Voters Project, mayor of Enfield, North Carolina. Glad to have all three of you here. Mondale, I want to start with you. I mean, it's just beyond shameful that what these residents are having to endure. And this MAGA administration, we've made it clear they don't give a damn about workers. They don't give a damn about regular people. They are about the rich folk. They are about companies. They are about allowing these companies to do whatever the hell they want to do, any way they want to. That's what they are all about.

Yeah, Roland, first of all, thank you so much for having me, man, and let me apologize for missing last week. I was with family, dealing with issues. I just want to say... Yeah, what we've seen in the last under two months from this Trump administration is that they're dead set on making black Americans living in 2025 America remember and also live because they're stripping away basic protections and liberties.

So we're going back to the segregated 50s. That's what it seems like. Black people, DEI now means that black people don't even deserve fresh air and clean water. DEI now means anything that benefits black people will put us on a level playing field. Actually, having clean air and water don't even put us on a level playing field, but it's too much to ask for. And when you see Landry drive past a school where 400 of his young citizens, most of them probably black, are learning, but still going to likely suffer cancer because of these chemicals that he thinks come from China, this Chinese company, which is a Chinese company. He don't need that knowledge. All he needs to know and he needs the

world to understand is I stand with anything other than these Black people who are suffering. And that's what Trump's administration has been about. So when I see these Black Republicans silent on Donald Trump, silent on these type of actions and these motives, then I blame them damn near more than I do Trump and Elon, because these are people that know the long history of our suffering. We are the creators of environmental justice. It happened in one county over from where our mayor in Warren County, North Carolina, Black woman, started that fight. And yet we still suffer more than anybody from not just this cancer alley, but damn near all of them in this country.

And it's absolutely disgusting that you see the richest men in the world doing this to poor people just trying to live. All of those minions, Kelly, all those minions, they were just all just celebrating at the White House. They were just all excited. And them MAGA Negroes are nowhere to be found. They ain't saying nothing. They ain't talking about nothing. And so you don't hear any of them. They were sitting

here waving Jamal Bryant's face at the White House while Donald Trump literally is letting Black people die. He is literally killing Black people by them ending this lawsuit. Well, I don't expect people who support Trump, Black, white, purple, to be against policies such as these, right? I feel like silence is complicity. And if you're not saying anything, then you must be for it, especially when you are aware, especially when you are in those rooms,

quite literally, we saw them in the White House. If you're not saying anything about this issue and you know about this issue and you're in a position to say something about this issue and you're still not saying anything about it, then you're complicit and you're okay with people who look like you dying. I also want to just push back just a little bit on Mondell's point about what DEI means. DEI will always mean diversity, equity, and inclusion. And if we keep saying diversity, equity, and inclusion, as opposed to just DEI, we can reclaim what the original definition of that acronym means.

Just like DEI means diversity, equity, and inclusion, WOKE still means I am aware of what's going on and I want to do something about it. I'm not letting these white racist bigots claim words that we created so that we can have some type of lingo, some type of lexicon within our spaces so that we can understand what's going on. I'm not having it. DEI is always going to be diversity, equity and inclusion. What they want it to mean is irrelevant. What it does mean will always be relevant.

And as far as I'm concerned, it doesn't even matter what they try to define. They will always be what is defined as a racist. Omegongo? I'm a Congo. You know, I find myself thinking a lot about Fred Hampton and the work that he was doing to bring people of diverse backgrounds together. I remember seeing a rural white farmer talking about, you know, he's going to stand with me, I'm going to stand with him.

And when I think about it in this case right now, I'm thinking about all of the poor white people in counties across the country who the Trump administration is going to take a different phrase, a different term, and use to cancel the services that they're getting to help with their health issues as well. And they're not going to use terms like DEI or anything like that. They're going to come up with something else. This is the time for, as Reverend Barber. I know a lot of cops and 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. Across the country, cops called this taser the revolution.

But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 1. Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad.

Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st, and episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th. Add free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Glod. And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast. Yes, sir. We are back.

In a big way. In a very big way. Real people, real perspectives. This is kind of star-studded a little bit, man. We got Ricky Williams, NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner. It's just a compassionate choice to allow players all reasonable means to care for themselves. Music stars Marcus King, John Osborne from Brothers Osborne. We have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote drug man. Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Sh Osborne. We have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote

drug man. Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown. We got B-Real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corvette. MMA fighter Liz Karamush. What we're doing now

isn't working and we need to change things. 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. And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple 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. Has been talking about for years, and you as well, Roland Martin, for people who are in poorer communities to really come together to galvanize because it's just a matter of time before these issues come to them. And I believe that there are enough of them who are ready to be woken up about this, but they don't see it yet. It is tragic, Roland. It's

that we are seeing another Black community abandoned. I remember a few weeks ago, we had another segment about a town that was getting flooded and the houses were falling down and the like. And this community was also looking for assistance. This is going to continue to rise. And we know that there are poor Latino communities, poor all across the country, but they always start with Black people. And they start with Black people first because they know that America cares the least about us. And they feel like they can get away with anything with us in our communities. But if we continue to speak up, galvanize people, we have to be able to fight this.

People talked about, oh, they're banning the USAID. People are dying overseas. We knew it was just a matter of time before their policies were going to start affecting people here. And they're starting with us now. And from what I can tell, Roland, nobody else is talking about it but the Black Star Network. Roland, can I say something? And this... Yeah, go ahead. Go ahead. Yeah, I just wanna... I just wanna... I wanna... I think it's important, uh,

that we acknowledge what the sister said, that DEI has a meaning and we should not... we should not give up that meaning. But what my point was is that Donald Trump's understanding of DEI is a handout for Black people. And we can say that it does not matter what they do, but it does because he's the president and Republicans are in control of the entire legislative branch, both houses in the legislative branch. And that is damning because we see people afraid to push back, which is why I called out Black people, because the

diversity, equity, and inclusion is not asking for a handout. It is saying open the door so that more people have the opportunity to exist. And in this case, exist with clean air. And we should acknowledge how they see us and what they say. Black people breathing clean air to them is something that should not be existing. And they gripped it on the DEI. We should say that. We should say that often so that people understand that this is how far the rightI. We should say that. We should say that often so that people understand that this is how far the right is. We should say that they believe that enforcing environment justice is a liberal tool. That means, by definition, that a conservative tool is let companies destroy environments. And that's their definition of DEI. And we should make them

own that. Oh, absolutely. I think we should make them own that. And again, this is where the challenge should always be. And this is where Democrats should be pushing them. And what they hate, you see with all their keywords, Kelly, oh, if you mentioned justice, you mentioned fairness, You mentioned racial. Hell, they are so stupid that they were deleting images of Enola Gay, which is a plane because it had the word gay. They've been stripping imagery of black and Latino and female folks in the military. What we're dealing with here, we are dealing with racists and sexists right now in the Trump-Mackinac White House, pure and simple. That's what we're going to call it. Absolutely. And to Mondale's point, I understand what you're saying, sir, and I agree. But what I'm saying is when you personally say to them DEI means this, while true, we can't say that because we need to be the truth bearers here.

We need to say they think DEI means this. They think woke means that. But we can't use these terminology, these terms in the way that they use them because then we are complicit in the falsehood. That's all I'm saying. DEI doesn't mean any of what they think it means. We always have to course correct because they are never going to be on course when it comes to anything that Black people need, Black people value, Black people say. So when we talk about these terminologies, we have to be careful about how we say these things and in what context we say these things, because otherwise we will look complicit in so saying that DEI means whatever it means other than diversity, equity, and inclusion.

And I get it, but the bottom line is that's all a smoke screen on the Congo. It's all bullshit. The end of this case has nothing to do with DEI. It is attack on blackness. It is about saying if you are a company that this administration is not going to hold you accountable, they do not care about citizens and they damn sure do not care about black people in Louisiana. Period, bottom line. And that's the part that we need to call out, that all of the cold words is just cold words. I saw a story about how they took $400 million away from Columbia University because of their challenges. They didn't do enough to challenge anti-Semitism. That's a lot. They're good at throwing out trigger words, whether it's CRT, whether it's woke, whether it's anti-Semitism, whether it's DEI.

They throw it out because they know that that's going to get people to take the bait. And the more we speak up about this, the more people are going to realize that it was all BS, that it was all nonsense. Look, I work in the space of diversity, equity, and inclusion. I see clearly the policies that are being targeted specifically for the work that I do in schools and government groups and corporations. This is not that. This is straight-up racism, and they're using a code and trigger word to hide it. Just like when people want to say that, when people say urban, they mean Black, they just throw in more and more code words because they

know that that bait is going to trigger people. And the more we call it out and call people out, similar to what Kelly's saying as well, that's how we're going to show the reclaiming of it, by calling it the real racism and letting people understand that they're identifying with racism when they're identifying with these policies and make them own that too. And let's be real clear, Donald Trump and MAGA, by ending this lawsuit, they are complicit in allowing black people to be infected by these chemicals, to be affected by these chemicals. And the effect is black people die. And I keep telling y'all, these frauds are not pro-life. They do not care about life. They do not care about working class people. They do not care about regular class people. They do not care about

regular ordinary people. Who do they care about? Big business, corporations, billionaires. That's all they care about. All right, folks, got to go to break. We come back more on Roland Martin unfiltered on the Black Star Network, including the Republicans forcing Washington, D.C. to rip apart Black Lives Matter Plaza in the nation's capital, just outside of our offices. They started today. We have video of it. And again, they also are trying to attack the budget of Washington, D.C. by stripping more than $1 billion from their operations. We told you these people are evil, they are sinister, and we're seeing it in real time. You're watching the Black Star Network back in a moment. Hello, I'm Isaac Hayes III, founder and CEO of Fanbase. And right now we're accepting

investors in our $17 million round to revolutionize the future of social media. Today, for just $399, you can own 60 shares of stock in Fanbase at $6.65 a share. Go to startengine.com slash fanbase and invest today. While the big platforms have grown too massive and disconnected from their users, Fanbase is building a platform where creators and users truly come first. We've already raised $8.6 million from everyday investors who believe in this vision, and now you can join them. This is your chance to invest in a social media tech company with over 1 million users that is disrupting media by allowing anyone to reach all of their following and monetize their content from day one. The market is changing.

Big platforms are failing to serve their users. And Fanbase is stepping up to fill the gap. Don't wait until it's too late. Invest now. Invest for yourself and your future. Go to startengine.com slash fanbase and own the future of social media. Hey y'all, welcome to the other side of change only on the Black Star Network and hosted by myself, Rhea Baker, and my good sis, Jameera Burley. We are just two millennial women tackling everything at the intersection of politics, gender, and pop culture. And we don't just settle for commentary.

This is about solution-driven dialogue to get us to the world as it could be and not just as it is. Watch us on the Black Star Network, so tune in to the other side of change. Hey, this is Motown recording artist Kim. You are watching Roland Martin Unfiltered. Boy, he always unfiltered, though. I ain't never known him to be filtered. Is there another way to experience Roland Martin than to be unfiltered? Of course he's unfiltered.

Would you expect anything less? Watch what happens next. Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha. next. Thousands of federal workers are gone just like that. No warning, no notice. They are simply out of a job. And in Maryland, where nearly 10 percent of households rely on federal wages, that is a huge problem. The attorney general there, Anthony Brown, former congressman, is leading the charge. He's now suing the Trump administration for what he calls illegal mass firing of federal probationary employees. A lawsuit backed by 19 other states argues that these workers were let go without

the required notice, throwing families into financial turmoil and forcing states to pick up the pieces. Governor Wes Moore also sounded the alarm, saying these firings could cost Maryland tens of millions of dollars for communities and leave thousands struggling to make ends meet. More than 800 former federal employees have already filed for unemployment in Baltimore alone, and that number is only expected to rise. Now, the MAGA Trump administration claims it's cutting waste, fraud, and abuse by downsizing government, but that's an actual lie. They're not finding lots of waste, fraud, and abuse. Critics say this is nothing more than a massive political purge, one that disproportionately impacts Black workers who make up one out of every five federal employees. A lawsuit is pushing a federal judge to step in, to stop the firings, reinstate those who have been let go. What we need to understand that's going on here, Omicongo, is that this is all about

Republicans trying to create massive chaos. They literally said it. They like this, except when it hurts their work. I know a lot of cops and 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. Across the country, cops called this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission.

This is Absolute Season 1. Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st, and episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th. Add free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts.

I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Glott. And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast. Yes, sir. We are back. In a big way. In a very big way. Real people, real perspectives. This is kind of star-studded a little bit, man.

We got Ricky Williams, NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner. It's just a compassionate choice to allow players all reasonable means to care for themselves. Music stars Marcus King, John Osborne from Brothers Osborne. We have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote drug thing is. Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown.

We got B-Real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corvette. MMA fighter Liz Karamush. What we're doing now isn't working and we need to change things. Be real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corps vet. MMA fighter Liz Karamush. What we're doing now isn't working and we need to change things. 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. And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple 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. What we're now seeing is, and guys, get the clip ready, we're now seeing how it's impacting our economy. There are estimates saying that we are moving towards

a recession. Maria Bartiromo literally asked Donald Trump about that. Now, remember, this is the same guy who before, when the stock market was—when the stock market guys get the clip. When the stock market was doing well, when the stock market was doing well on the Congo, Trump said, oh, it was because of him. But now the stock market is doing awful, and he's saying, oh, it's because of Biden. Now he's saying, you know what? Let's stop looking short term. We should be thinking about the next 100 years. oh, it's because of Biden. Now he's saying, you know what? Let's stop looking short term. We should be thinking about the next 100 years. And so then Trump's national economic advisors said, oh, no, there's not going to be a recession. Well, then Trump, in the interview with Maria

Bartiromo, I'm going to play for you a clip in a bit, then he wouldn't commit to the recession. Here's what we know. The last three Republican presidents put the economy into recession. They were bailed out by Democratic presidents. Numbers don't lie. President George H.W. Bush, President George W. Bush, and Donald Trump, three Republicans, put the American economy, drove it into a recession. President Barack Obama, also, sorry, President Bill Clinton, President Barack Obama, and President Biden all pull America out of a recession.

And it's idiotic for these people who voted, who actually said, oh, yeah, we think that Trump is going to be better on the economy than Vice President Kamala Harris. Well, it didn't take them long to wreck what was the only economy that recovered the best of all industrialized nations in the world than under Biden-Harris. But these idiots are already destroying it. And remember, Elon Musk said, we must all accept some early pain. Well, yeah, that's easy when you got billions of dollars. You know, one of the things I posted today was Trump is basically running a, what had happened was, an economy. He always puts something out, and then when it doesn't work,

he's like, well, there's this. You know, oh, well, I put up the tariffs, but now I have to drop it because I didn't want to hurt Mexico and Canada. Oh, well, the stock market. And now, oh, let's do it like China, wait 100 years. I mean, seriously, this was a guy who said he was going to bring down the price of, quote, unquote, the grocery, right? It was all about the eggs. Look, this man, and this is the thing that also bothers me, Roland, is that people act like he wasn't president before, like he didn't taint the economy before, even outside of what was happening with COVID. And this man is at Mar-a-Lago every weekend. This man is running up taxpayer dollars every weekend while destroying the economy. There's no single policy that he has implemented that has helped any poor person, any struggling person,

anybody with any type of challenge. He's only making more cuts. Look what's happening with the Department of Education. And he's only going to make it worse. Furthermore, when you look at what's happening as it relates to the stock market, this was a man who said, oh, if the stock market drops, the president should be impeached. But now, all of a sudden, the stock market doesn't matter. So what we're seeing with this man is, and this hasn't even been two months, Roland. It hasn't even been two months. And if people aren't going to be waking up to this now, I'm right here in the DMV. Like, I'm seeing it every single day. You're seeing it, Roland. Like, what's happening? Kelly, you know, all of us are seeing it. What's happening? People

losing their jobs, losing their homes. Last time we did a report, there's, what, like, almost 10,000 houses on the market right now, people pulling their kids out of schools. I'm seeing my college students worrying about whether they're going to finish this semester. Chaos is the point, because this man is a chaos agent. So I applaud the Maryland attorney for doing this. And it's interesting that red states are probably going to suffer the most, but no Republican district or state attorneys are going to be behind this effort. Oh, no, absolutely not. And so, I mean, what's crazy, Kelly, is they don't care. And I'm just sitting here saying, oh, South Carolina and all the rest of y'all, y'all screwed. Oh, y'all screwed. And Kelly, don't you find it interesting that all of a sudden the price of eggs really doesn't matter?

Oh, by the way, the Trump Justice Department is now looking into egg companies for price fixing. Hello? Hashtag, we tried to tell you. And so all of these idiots out here who voted for these people under the guise that, oh, the economy was going to get better, this man is literally driving us into recession. And they're trying to say, oh, it was really all Biden. And so we have it. So here's here's this idiot, the twice impeached, criminally convicted felon in chief con man Donald Trump. This is how he answered that nutcase Maria Bartiromo on Fox Business. And I want to ask you about Ukraine and the blow up the other day with with Zelensky.

Let me stay on the economy for a moment because there are rising worries about a slowdown. You've got the Atlanta Federal Reserve saying we're going to have a contraction in the first quarter. Look, I know that you inherited a mess and you said that the other night. I've already been here. But are you expecting a recession this year? I hate to predict things like that. There is a period of transition because what we're doing is very big. We're bringing wealth back to America. That's a big thing. And there are always periods of it takes a little time. It takes a little time. But I don't I think it should be great for us. I

mean, I think it should be great. It's going to be great ultimately for the farmer. You know, don't forget, I mean... Lying, Kelly. They're lying. They did not inherit a mess. It's a lie. It's a flat-out lie. I really... And I was just saying this, I swear, not even an hour before this show happened, I told one of my colleagues, I said,

I feel like stupid people need to feel pain every time they say something dumb. Or like there needs to be like a one-on-one ratio correlation between how dumb you are and how much pain you receive. Because I feel like if you felt the pain points, like actual pain receptors, every time you did something dumb or you said something stupid. I feel like natural selection would take its course a lot more quicker. That aside, we know this game, right? We know that this man is a liar. We know this man is a cheat. He is literally the descendant of grifters and criminals. He doesn't know much else. He's only been mentored by grifters and criminals and con men.

This is all he knows how to do. So it doesn't surprise me that he's lying. It doesn't surprise me in any of these things. Like the headline says, we tried to tell you. We really, really did. And it is frustrating that everybody has to find out just because a couple people fucked around. I think I said that the last time I was on your show. But it is so unfortunate that people like myself and my panelists and you, Roland, have to

experience yet another recession because people were frankly afraid of a black woman running this country. Oh, absolutely. And you're going to love this one here. So, Mondale, check this out. So, Stephen Moore, okay, who wrote a book called Trumponomics, and oh, he's been rah, rah, rah, Donald Trump. Listen to this fool. But we have seen a little bit of market upset. What is your perspective on the way forward? Well, you used the word complicated, and that's exactly what it has been over the last week, Katie, where one day the tariffs are going to go up and then there's going to be a delay in the tariffs and then there's going to be a tariff on another country. And it's been up and down and up and down. And by the way, the stock market went up and down and up and down with these things.

I think that the president's emphasis on terrorists right now is misguided. I think we have a very wobbly economy. We saw a not very good jobs report on Friday. The consumer confidence numbers are sinking. And other indicators are not positive. The economy needs a pick-me-up, and terrorists are not a pick-me-up. What is, is the Trump tax cut. Congress has to get this passed as soon as possible by Memorial Day. That will provide the stimulus the economy needs. Yeah, because if they don't get the cut, it's going to be a tax hike for everybody who got it in the first place. One of the biggest...

Oh, listen to these idiots. First and foremost, OK, going to have tariffs, not going to have tariffs, going to have tariffs, not going to have tariffs, only because when you see his drop, the stock market dropped today 1,000 points. NASDAQ lost 4%, the biggest drop since 2022. We've long said that the stock market is not the only economic indicator. But the bottom line is this here. It's a yo-yo effect because you've got these yo-yos who are in charge. They're just cutting stuff willy-nilly.

And so we're seeing the effects of it. And so Kelly talked about pain. It's about to be a whole bunch of red state white folk who are going to be in pain, screaming left and right because of these cuts. And then we, as black people, we should all say, we tried to tell you. Yeah, but listen, you know, the nature of black people is we're not a we try to tell you people. We'll say it, but we're still going to reach our hand back and try to help people out.

That's what we've been doing for this country since we got here. I'm petty. I'm petty. I am a we tried to tell you dumbasses. I'm going to throw some cuss words in there. And so I am. So I'm petty like that. But go ahead. Yeah, I mean,

we'll be petty, but we still going to get somebody on the couch if they need it. You know what I'm saying? If you look at the poor black community. Do we? Yeah, yeah, we do. And I think that's what make black people. I mean, that's that. And I'm not saying that I was doing it. Hey, hey, hey, I'm saying? If you look at the poor black community. Do we? Yeah, yeah, we do. And I think that's what makes black people, I mean, that's, and I'm not saying that our resilience is cheap. Hey, hey, I'm going to tell you right now, ain't nobody MAGA getting in my couch. Proverbial couch, Roland. Proverbial couch. No, no, no, let me

be real clear. Ain't nobody MAGA't nobody MAGA getting near my proverbial, my hypothetical, or my literal cow. Listen, y'all, Roland, stop it. Yes, he is. Roland cares about democracy, and he understands even when fools vote against their own vision. I don't give a damn about MAGA. Damn it,

Roland. Damn it, Roland. You're not gonna win. You're not going to win. You're not going to win. It's not going to happen. I don't give a damn. Give it up. I don't give a damn about MAGA.

I'm telling you right now. Let me get on Elon Musk because Roland is petty petty. Listen. So listen, Elon Musk has promised these crazy ass people, you know, he's going to cut $2 trillion from the American budget. I want to know how you plan on doing that. And if you think firing the federal workers is going to get you there, you're an idiot who don't understand anything. Because only $400 billion, and that's if you fire all federal workers and all their benefits and all those people who are retired,

you still are way short. I can tell you how we can do it. We cannot do what Stephen Moore just said we need to do. We cannot give another Trump tax cut that added $4.6 trillion to our deficit. We cannot do that and think it's going to work. We've already seen the idea of a trickle-down economy has never, and that is not an exaggeration of that word, it's never worked for the majority people. The people who benefit from that situation when you give them tax cuts and breaks and think they're going to invest it back in the economy, those people are already wealthy.

There are people like Elon Musk who gets $8 million a day from the federal government. And we're not investigating that. We're investigating monies around Social Security. The most vulnerable people, people who work their entire life and living off an average of $64 a day is what we're investigating, not the fact that contractors like Elon Musk and the Defense

Department can't even pass a damn audit. People like Elon Musk seeing the most private and sacred secrets of this country without a security clearance, jeopardizing. And we don't know who he's meeting with in other countries because he won't report that. But people beneath him are saying he's having these meetings. So while Elon Musk continue to data mine, because that's what he's doing with the federal government, data mine for his own riches, we are making poor Americans even poorer.

And white people and black Republicans are going along with it. And now they can't even sleep on a rolling couch. Oh, no, they can't. I'm telling y'all right now okay okay if i see a mega person struggling to lift a suitcase on the plane i ain't getting up i ain't getting up i'm gonna tell you right now, okay? Listen, I don't give a damn about MAGA. MAGA can go to hell as far as I'm concerned. And see, I am so sick and tired, Kelly, of these people saying,

no, we need to be talking. I ain't got shit to say to them. I'm not talking to them. I'm not dealing with them. I ain't looking at them. I'm just going to sit here and say, you fools chose to wreck the country. Y'all chose to wreck the economy. Y'all want to blame everything on DEI. Well, guess what, Elon? Was it DEI, the reason your shitty rockets blew up,

causing 240 flights to be delayed over Florida and the rest of the country? Is it, oh, hey, Elon, is it DEI when the hackers shut down Twitter today, causing a massive outage? And now this fool is sitting here trying to blame Ukraine when it wasn't Ukraine. It was Dark Storm. They took credit for it. Hey, Elon, can you blame DEI for your Tesla stock being down

50% since election day? No, because it's your punk ass. So I'm telling you right now, Kelly, I don't give two shits about MAGA. And you shouldn't. You shouldn't. I am not the one to... I'm not going to be like mondale and

be the bigger person here i'm already a big person i can't be any bigger that's that's just not i'm not being the bigger person i'm down 20 pounds since january 7th i'm gonna get on your level one day when i feel like it. Amen. But to your point, to your point, I would push back on what you said a little bit and that they chose, you know, what they chose. I think they chose themselves. Right. They thought that they would be immune to this. They thought that, oh, Trump's going to do that to other people and I'm going to be OK because I voted for him. Oh, Trump's going to do that to other people and I'm going to be okay because I voted for him. Oh, Trump's going to deport that Hispanic person, that immigrant, because I am a different immigrant and I'm going to vote for Trump so that he can protect me. He don't know you.

He don't know any of us, except the people who line his pockets, like Elon Musk and these other billionaires that are now secretaries of whatever, right? So on that note, you know, they still can't have my couch. You know, I'm not still, I'm still not going to, you know, help them out because at the end of the day, we try to say, we try to tell you, we gave you fact after fact, after anecdote, after parable, after real Bible verses. Let's be clear about that. Everything. We threw the kitchen sink at y'all.

And we had evidence from the previous administration that he held. I know a lot of cops. And 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. We 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. Across the country,

cops called this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission.

This is Absolute Season 1. Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st, and episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th.

Ad-free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Glott. And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast. Yes, sir. We are back. In a big way. In a very big way. Real people, real perspectives.

This is kind of star-studded a little bit, man. We got Ricky Williams, NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner. It's just a compassionate choice to allow players all reasonable means to care for themselves. Music stars Marcus King, John Osborne

from Brothers Osborne. We have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote drug ban. Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown. We got B-Real

from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corvette. MMA fighter Liz Karamush. What we're doing now isn't working, and we need to change things. 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. And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple 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. We had evidence of his bad leadership from the last time he was president. And y'all wanted more because you were like, oh, this time is going to be different. And that is what is frustrating me. It's like the willful ignorance, the selective remembering of what went down. It's like people really still to this day believe that Donald Trump is a better president because

they got a check during COVID, right? It's these small things that end up in a vote that we didn't get because they decided that Trump was better for whatever reason. Omokongo, I'm telling you right now. Ain't no—first of all, I don't need—the only red hats I allow my house is if you a Delta. I don't even let Capas I allow my house is if you a Delta. I don't even let Capas come in my house. But if you think for a second, if you think for a second, if you think for a second

somebody with a Make America Great Again hat, and now they're trying to change the colors to black and white and black and gold, man, y'all can change that shit to pink and gray. It could be blue and gold. Y'all can try every D9, y'all can change that shit to pink and gray. Oh, no. It could be blue and gold. Y'all can try every D9 color y'all want to.

I don't give a damn about Make America Great Again. And see, I just right now, I'm serious. Right now, I have little patience for racist white folks. I mean, because earlier today, man, I was sitting there, so I took a three and a half

mile walk where I am with my twin nieces and my wife and dude, so I had my Texas A&M hat. Y'all may have seen me post this on Instagram. I had a Texas A&M hat on, some shorts and a shirt. Because see, when I travel,

look, I pack easy. All my shit match. That way, we ain't trying to sit here and bring no four or five different pair of shoes. We ain't going through all that. So homeboy going to come up to me. He going to ask me, was I a fan or did I play? Now, I knew what he was asking. I made his ass repeat. I said, what you say?

He says, well, are you a fan or did you play? I said, no. I'm a graduate. And I walked my ass off. See, I got no patience for these damn fools and their microaggressions. So he couldn't see me as a graduate. I either had to be a fan of Texas A&M or had to play ball there.

I mean, I ain't playing shit. But again, I got no time for these people. I got no time. I got no patience. And I'm not trying to help them out. I'm not trying to sit here and offer them all this stuff, how we need to just talk to them and reason with them. No, when you chose to screw this all up,

when you chose to act a damn fool, when you chose to act a damn fool, when you chose to say to hell with the black people and to hell with everybody else, uh-uh. So if y'all get laid off, so for instance, y'all got that video of the white woman holding up her big old Trump flag and her punk ass got laid off, I got no sympathy for her. Matter of fact, matter of fact, I hope she lives in a state

where they have cut unemployment benefits. Damn. Well, well, I mean, wow. Damn,

I was expecting that last part. No, I'm just, I mean, again, no. See, they want to cut everything.

They want to cut unemployment benefits. They want to cut Medicaid. They want to cut everything. Okay, so if your ass gets sick and dies, don't send me a GoFundMe. Because y'all voted for it. See, that's what I'm saying. They

want to see all these MAGA people, these veterans. Oh, my God, I voted for Trump three times. I had three tours of Duke. You didn't pay attention when that fool was there last time. You ignored all that bullshit he said about grabbing women by the vagina. You ignored all that. You ignored January 6th. I don't feel for you getting fired. I don't feel for you because you on and so forth, if he cuts them any type of check or

gives them any type of benefit, or one of his senators or governors are able to get some type of exemption, they're going to be right back on the bandwagon. And so until they get out there and do some real action, some real change, they should not be trusted. And many of them are looking for that. What was it was Elon Musk in that meeting allegedly said, if people have problems, they can call me up and we can talk about exemptions and the like. Everybody got their number. Everyone got Elon or Trump's number. And so these guys who are out there, Magda, losing their job, losing their school, about to lose a lot of the resources that they're getting in schools as well. I'll come back to the Department of Education. They are the ones that need to step up,

step up in their own communities, because people were talking about when Kamala was running, we need to reach out to Republicans, we need to embrace all of them. And everybody kept talking about trying to embrace people that did not want to embrace us and still have no desire to embrace us in any way, shape, or form.

And so they got to do the work in their spot if they really mad, because I don't trust them. And no one has a reason to trust them because as soon as Trump throws out some other type of code word or something else, they're going to be right back in line with him. Listen, listen, listen, I've been

trying not to cuss. I've been trying not to cuss. So let me just give, before I go to Monday, just give y'all a warning. Just go ahead and turn your audio down for about 10 seconds. By 10 seconds, okay? So just turn your audio down. I've been trying not to cuss, but people really getting on my damn nerves. They really getting on my nerves with this nonsense. So I'm going to do a countdown. Five, four, three, two, one.

Turn your audio down. There's a line from Harlem Nights that I love the most, Mondale, when Red Fox says, man, fuck y'all. That's how I feel about all of these Trump voters who getting fired and losing their jobs. I don't feel, I don't care. I'm tired of these people. These people chose this. They chose the violence. They chose the hatred. They chose to overlook. They chose the racism. They chose all of that. and I don't have any sympathy for them. I hope they go broke. I hope they lose everything. I hope they go bankrupt. I hope they get evicted because they chose this. There was an option. They said, to Kelly's point, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah. We don't want the black

woman. We don't want the black woman. We don't want the woman who was the vice president along with the president who saved the economy. No, let's go back to the fool who tanked the economy. Let's go back to him. So let's choose that fool who tried to overthrow the government. Let's do that. So yes, I don't have any sympathy for any of these MAGA people, these farmers who are now losing billions of dollars from USAID, the soybean

crops. I don't feel sorry for any of them. I told, what did I say, Mondale? And I meant it. Every time they cry, I'm just going to go play Scarface's No Tears. No Tears. Listen, I'm from a long history

of understanding white people. White people have, for the longest time, been willing to sell out themselves just to ensure that Black people don't get parity, right? We are, my mother is of the generation where they closed down public schools because they had to immigrate them. So rather than send their kids to school, they just shut them all down.

So there was no school. These people are used to this. White people, white people, and after the Bacon Rebellion did the same thing. Because their idea of whiteness was created, because they could still get married, because they were from places where Christian grandfathers allowed them citizenship into this country. They were willing to let black people go into slavery for hundreds of years because they still were going to be poor. They still weren't going to have shit.

They were okay with it because they still were going to be white. So keeping with the Harlem Night movie, Roland, just like you said, Red Fox said, just like they said about Red Fox, your blind ass can't see shit. And it's because whiteness makes them blind. Absolutely. Absolutely. All right.

Got to go to a break. We come back, y'all. Breaking news update on that young brother who was killed while pledging Omega Psi Phi Paternity Incorporated. They are looking, trying to find another suspect. And guess what? It's Punk Ass on the run. Oh, now you on the run. We gonna give y'all the details when we come back. Be sure to support the work

that we do. Join our Bring the Funk fan club. Y'all, ain't nobody else doing what we do every single day, five days a week. Not only with my show, the other shows on the Blackstar Network. Y'all, we making this thing real. We making it pop. We letting y'all know what's going down all across this country.

And so if you want to support us via Cash Cap, use the Stripe QR code right here on the screen. If you're listening, go to BlackstarNetwork.com. If you want to contribute via Cash Cap, here you go. Our goals get 20,000 of our fans contributing on average 50 bucks each a year that comes out to $4.19 a month, 13 cents a day. If you want to see your check and money, order P.O. Box 57196, Washington, D.C., 2003-710196. PayPal is rmartinunfiltered, Venmo, rmunfiltered.

Zale, Roland at rolandsmartin.com Roland at rolandmartinunfiltered.com We'll be right back We begin tonight with the people who are really running the country right now Trump is often wrong and misleading about a lot of things But especially about history Donald Trump falling in line with President Elon Musk In the wake of the unsettling news that MSNBC has canceled Joy Ann Reeve's primetime show,

The Readout, Roland Martin and the Black Star Network would like to extend an invitation to all of the fans of Joy Ann Reeve's MSNBC show to join us every night to watch Roland Martin unfiltered, streaming on the Black Star Network, for news, discussion of the issues that matter to you, and the latest updates on the twice-impeached, criminally convicted felon-in-chief Donald Trump and his unprecedented assault on democracy, as well as co-president Elon Musk's takeover of the federal government. The Black Star Network stands with Joy Ann Reid and all folks who understand the power of black voices in media.

We must come together and never forget that information is power. Be sure to watch Roland Martin Unfiltered weeknights, 6 p.m. Eastern at youtube.com forward slash Roland S. Martin or download the Black Star Network app. Hey, what's up, y'all? I'm Devon Franklin. I'm Dr. Robin B., pharmacist and fitness coach, and you're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered. Hey, folks, according to

WAFB TV in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the cops have arrested another individual in the death of Southern University student Caleb Wilson. This person was taken into custody this afternoon, but another individual is actually on the run. The story says Baton Rouge police said Kyle Thurman was picked up with the help of U.S. Marshals around 3.34 p.m. from a home in Port Allen. Sources said Thurman was supposed to turn himself in over the weekend, and when he missed the deadline, the law enforcement went looking for him. A third suspect, Isaiah Smith, is still wanted. Our sources said Smith is the son of Todd Smith, who leased the warehouse where the hazing occurred. Smith told WAFB last week that his son is a member of Omega Psi Phi, the same fraternity as the other two men who've been arrested, which Caleb Wilson was also pledging. Smith said his son is also still an active student at Southern University. Of course,

on Friday, the Baton Rouge police said that several individuals were facing misdemeanor hazing charges. And of course, they say that Caleb Wilson and the other individuals who were pledging were punched multiple times in the chest by these various individuals. Caleb McRae was arrested, turned himself in, was arrested last week. Not only did the police say he collapsed and then feel unresponsive, they then, they never call 911. And then they change his clothes before dropping him off at the hospital. And, you know, let me be as clear as I possibly can here, McCongo. And this has nothing to do with me being a life member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated. I can remember my first convention. I crossed April 27, 1989. I know a lot of cops, and 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. Across the country, cops called this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st,

and episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th. Ad-free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Lott. And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast. We are back. In a big way. In a very big way. Real people, real perspectives. This is kind of star-studded a little bit, man. We got Ricky Williams, NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner. It's just a compassionate choice to allow players all reasonable means to care for themselves. Music stars Marcus King, John Osborne from Brothers Osborne. We have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote drug thing is.

Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown. Got B-Real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corvette. MMA fighter Liz Karamush. What we're doing now isn't working and we need to change things. 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. And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple 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. My first Alpha convention was that summer in San Antonio where I stood up and vigorously called out hazing on the floor.

So I have, for the last 36 years of my life, condemned hazing in all forms, whether it's a fraternity, whether it's a sorority, whether it's the band cheerleader. Look, they tried to, you know, when I was a freshman at Jack Yates High School, the band took on the same characteristics of TSU's Ocean of Soul, and they tried to haze. But they had a rule that if you were first chair, you couldn't get hazed, and I was first chair, and they were mad as hell. They couldn't haze me. And I thought it was stupid as hell then as well. And I know we talk about the importance of the criminal justice system and not having brothers locked up. But let me be real clear. If these individuals are found guilty, if they plead guilty or found guilty, throw their asses under the jail. I don't give a damn about them.

And let me be real clear, I don't give a damn if they were alphas or capas or iotas or sigmas. This is a 20-year-old black man who's now dead. He was returned to his parents. My understanding, his dad is an omega, but this kid was a legacy. He is returning home in a body bag. And in fact, he will never even be called a brother because he didn't finish the play's process. And so I am sick of these people who think it's cute and okay to punch, to run people until they collapse, to essentially waterboard them, to make them drink water when you got water poisoning. We've heard all sorts of crazy, ridiculous things. And all of these people, all these people, yeah, you know, you ain't no real brother. You know, you paper, you skated,

you didn't pledge like I pledged. You are stupid. You are an idiot. You are asinine. You are killing our black fraternities and our sororities with your dumb ass stuff. You're killing the bands. You're killing these other groups. And so this is where we must have a zero tolerance attitude. And I do not feel sorry for any one of these members of Omega Psi Phi if they have to go to prison because they killed this kid. Go to prison. Well, the fact of the matter is anybody who knows you knows that you are absolutely consistent on this and wouldn't care if it wasn't Alpha or anybody else. And that's just clear. And when it comes to Black people in the criminal justice system, we're very clear when people are doing things in our community that deserve proper justice, we are all for it. And this is one of those cases. With everything we've been talking about, how we opened up the show, Cancer Alley, we talked about with Trump and what's going on with the budget cuts and what they're doing to destroy Black communities. We're going to

take it upon ourselves to destroy ourselves and kill another one? And these are all promising brothers with possible careers, made it to the college level, really about to possibly do some incredible things with their life, and they take one of our own lives? This is absolutely ridiculous. And there's no way in any way, shape, or form if they found guilty, that there should be any type of leniency whatsoever. There has to be consequences. And again, you don't have to be a college professor seeing college students every day to feel this. If you got kids in your life in any way, shape, or form, you feel this. Cousins, nieces, nephews, grandkids, whatever, you feel this. These young men, and I don't know if the father who rented out the house is going to face any charges as well, but they snuffed out the life of one of our promising figures in this country. And so if anybody thinks that Black people don't want justice when a Black person kills another

Black person, they are sadly mistaken, especially in this case. And see, what's so stupid, Kelly, is this silly shit underground pledging. And see, there's so much of the peer pressure tied to it. You know, I've had people say, because I played four weeks, two days, 16 hours, 38 minutes and 39 seconds. That's it? Oh,

I pledged nine weeks, 12 weeks, 16 weeks. Y'all was stupid as hell. It took y'all that damn long. I mean, it was just dumb. If you need to pledge that long, y'all had no concept of brotherhood on your line. And guess what? We finished pledging on April 27, 1989, because, damn it, we had finals coming up.

See, you can't act like the academics part don't matter. And I've said this numerous times, Kelly, why I think this is stupid. You cannot show me anybody who is considered a great alpha, a great kappa, a great omega, a great sigma, or a great iota based on what they did in college. It's all what they accomplished when they left college. And so that's why this whole thing is just stupid to me. And the other people who I fought, Kelly, are the other brothers who stood around and let it happen. They let it happen. The moment one of them decided to haze,

somebody should have went and snatched his ass and said, no, player, we don't do that. But this is what happens when folks sit around. So every single person who stood around and watched them get punched in the chest, yeah, y'all go to jail too. I mean, I'm sure there's laws about that. I'm not going to get into whether they are liable or not. There are laws. There's a state law in Louisiana that was a kid who was played to some white frat.

I think he died of alcohol poisoning or something along those lines. And so there are laws in the state of Louisiana. So them brothers who, guess what? Say hello to Angola. Because that's where your ass is going. Listen, if it's a way for them to also be found liable and, you know, died as a result of people fighting against that want. Really, I'm not part of D9. I'm not part of a sorority. I am a Sonic.

But we, as far as my chapter and what we've done, we don't do that over here. I don't know anybody else who does. I stand corrected if it's found to be true, but there should be no world in which it takes physical torture or any type of torture, psychological torture, spiritual, emotional torture, in order to do good in this world, in order to join an organization that was literally designed to do good in this world. We have a 20-year-old dead because he wanted to do good in this world and somebody literally stopped his heart from doing it.

You know, that is heartbreaking to me. And they should be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. You know, Mondale, I did an interview, I think it was Vlad TV did an interview and I was talking and I went hard against Hazen. And a young man whose dad is a Kappa, who's a college administrator, the brother reached out to me and he wanted to get my thoughts. And I said to him point blank, I said, brother, let me tell you something.

Ain't no letters of any frat worth you getting your ass whooped. None. None. None. And I said, let me be real clear. none, none, none. And I said, let me be real clear. You have the right in that moment to say,

one of y'all touch me, I'm calling the cops and I'm following charges against your ass. I need every young brother. I need every parent, grandparent listening to the sound of my voice. If you have a grandchild or a child or a niece or a nephew who desires to pledge a fraternity or sorority. And if in that moment, somebody decides that they want to haze them, they should immediately, hell no, walk out, storm out, leave, call 911, turn all their asses in to the organization as well, because it ain't worth it. This kid is dead. He's D-E-A-D. He's not coming back. He's 20 years old. When his dad went to where he lived, he had his Southern University band uniform

laid out to perform in the Mardi Gras parade that he never got to perform in. His mother and father, Mondale, are never going to see him walk across that stage. Do you know how it must feel to be a Black mama and daddy whose child grows up in New Orleans, knowing the death, the homicide rate of young black men. And he survives 18 years in New Orleans and he goes on to an HBCU. And now mama and daddy are having to bury him because of some bullshit hazing. I'm sorry. This is beyond despicable. Yeah. I think, listen, this perversion that you're going to build brotherhood by breaking people down, by punching people, by any of these crazy tactics that are participating or that are put on people during the hazing process,

for me, this trauma is so much. One is this man's life. That's a death. There's so many deaths in this situation. Everybody involved on the other side will definitely be in prison. This is Louisiana. If they catch you, you got life in prison.

That too. But imagine the death his father's going to live for the rest of his life. That boy grew up listening to his dad pride. Talk about legacy, Roland. His pride of being an Omega. And then him feeling like he sent his son to the wolves. He let his son be killed

trying to impress him by some people who have perverted what it means to be an Omega man because they want to be cute dogs. Most of them probably ain't even right on paper. So I don't have words to say. I lost two brothers to street violence, and neither one of them were in college. And it tears my mother up. It tears me up thinking about it. I don't even know what it feels like to have

someone that's trying to do better. 29% or less of Black men in this country have college degrees, and this brother was on his way, trying to join a brotherhood that's one of the less of black men in this country have college degrees and this brother was on his way. Trying to join a brotherhood that's one of the largest of black men that is not a street tribe, that is not a gang member. And we kill them this way? Yeah, everybody involved. Everybody involved deserved the full arm of the war. Hands down. And guess what?

The fools who were in, y'all about to get expelled. You about to get kicked out. You about to get kicked out. Your chapter's about to get shut down, minimum five years. Also, their actions have caused pledging to stop across Southern University's campuses. So imagine you've been doing it the right way, and now you can't even finish the process because of what these folks are alleged to have done. But what we know was not alleged is a 20-year-old kid who is dead. So I don't want to—there are no excuses.

There are no excuses. I don't want to hear, well, you know, a little hazing is good. No. That is not how you take a young man and then turn him into a man. That's not how you introduce him brotherhood. And so it's this stupid-ass

stuff. Because it may have happened, this may have been right a year before or a year after I pledged. Same thing, incident, Morehouse College. Young brother was pledging alpha, got punched in the chest, had a heart ailment, did not know, collapsed. He died. He died. And so we've seen too many examples of black men dying for pledging a fraternity.

And so I'm going to say it again right now to every brother of Alpha, Kappa, Omega, Sigma, and Iota, and every AKA, and every Delta, and every Zeta, every Sigma, Gamma, Rho. You can stop it. You can say it ain't happening. You can say if cats from graduates or people from other campuses want to come and bring that nonsense, no, no, no. You ain't doing that here. You ain't doing it here. You can try that crap

somewhere else. This is where you got to have members of conscience who also have the guts to tell their brother or their sister, you are not going to do that. You're not going to harm them. I know a lot of cops and 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. Across the country, cops call this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that taser told them. From Lava for Good

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Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st and episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th.

Add free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Glod. And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast. Yes, sir. We are back. In a big way. In a very big way.

Real people, real perspectives. This is kind of star-studded a little bit, man. We got Ricky Williams, NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner. It's just a compassionate choice to allow players all reasonable means to care for themselves. Music stars Marcus King, John Osborne from Brothers Osborne.

We have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote drug ban. Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown. We got B-Real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corvette. MMA fighter Liz Karamush. What we're doing now isn't working, and we need to change things.

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. And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content,

subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple 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. You're not going to harm the chapter. You're not going to harm the fraternity or sorority. You're not going to harm the plagie. You're not going to harm yourself. No, that's how you stop it. That's how you end it. And there's no way in the world if I, and listen, I got four nephews, one of them pledged

Omega, and the other three really should pledge Alpha. They really should, even though one of them is still the son of an Omega, but you know, Solomon, you know what I'm talking about. But let me tell you something, my brother's son, Christopher, if Christopher's out to pledge Alpha, I'm telling y'all right now, Ro

is going to meet with the chapter before he go online. Ro is going to tell the whole chapter, if a finger is laid on Christopher, I'm coming back and having all y'all arrested. Then I'm going to sue you and your mama and your daddy. Try me. And they can sit here and they can say, oh, they can talk shit about him all they want to, talk about how his uncle, I'm telling you right now.

I'm telling you right now. I'm telling you right now. And if you are in legacy, that's exactly what you should do. You should go to that chapter and say, let me be real clear. Anybody touch my son or my nephew, you're going to be dealing

with me. We got to end this crap. That boy is dead. His parents are mourning and grieving over some stupid shit. Speaking of stupid, we come back.

We're going to talk about Black Lives Matter Plaza, the nation's capital, being torn apart because Republicans demanded this of the mayor of D.C., and they also want to cut a billion dollars from D.C.'s budget. We have the video of what it looks like.

And these little punks like Charlie Kirk, oh, they're so happy and excited. But it's a damn shame that D.C. is being ordered to do this. We'll talk about that next right here. I'm Roland Martin, unfiltered on the Black Star Network. Hey, y'all, welcome to the other side of change only on the Black Star Network and hosted by myself, Rhea Baker, and my good sis, Jameera Burley. We are just two millennial women tackling everything at the intersection of politics, gender, and pop culture. And we don't just settle for commentary. This is about solution-driven dialogue to get us to the world as it could be and not just as it is.

Watch us on the Black Star Network, so tune in to the other side of change. Now that Roland Martin is willing to give me the blueprint. Hey, Saras. I need to go to Tyler Perry and get another blueprint because I need some green money. The only way I can do what I'm doing, I need to make some money. So you'll see me working with Roland. Matter of fact, it's the Roland Martin and Sheryl Underwood show. Well, it should be the Sheryl Underwood show and the Roland Martin show.

Well, whatever show it's going to be, it's going to be good. Thank you. Well, y'all, this is what it looked like along 16th Street in the nation's capital. For the last five years, it has been known as Black Lives Matter Plaza. It runs right up to Lafayette Park, just outside of our studio. Crews from the District Department of Transportation started reconstructing the mural on the ground there. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced the change last week in response to massive pressure from Republicans in Congress. The work is expected to take about six weeks, and the words will be replaced by an unspecified set of city-sponsored murals created by students and artists across all eight wards. Now, a Republican in Congress demanded that it be changed from Black Lives Matter Plaza to Liberty Plaza.

What's also happening is Republicans in the House are also looking to cut some $1 billion from the D.C. budget as well. This is what it looks like when Republicans seize power. They want to control the nation's capital. They control their budget. They control the citizens there. And so what used to be known as Chocolate City, they don't even have the right to continue to have this Black Lives Matter plaza in D.C. because they have ordered them Republicans. This is MAGA Republicans who are making D.C. do this. And so it was great and wonderful to be able to look outside, to walk along that Black Lives Matter Plaza. We would, of course, do the show from there on the anniversary of the death of George Floyd. We did it there three different times, but it is no more because of these MAGA Republicans. That's what's shameful and despicable,

Mondale. And again, they want to control Black bodies, they want to control black lives, and they absolutely want to control black politicians. 100%. The dastardly thing about this is, they tell us this is not a cultural war. America, but we see it. We see it. MAGA is anti-black

at every step. We've been two months dealing with this now, and people, this so-called mandate that step. It's what, we've been two months dealing with this now, and people, this so-called mandate that Donald Trump had or have, it's unbelievable to me that your mandate is telling you you need to be spending funds on this, not trying to get those egg prices lower,

not trying to get people back to work, not trying to address the problems that you're having with these trade wars you're starting by playing tariff games every other day. This is disgusting behavior. This, the act of them destroying it in this way is the purpose. This is exactly the purpose. They see this in D.C., a city that is 45, 50 percent black, and they think this is what

their mandate is, because it is, Roland. Their mandate is to make sure that blackness, black dignity is destroyed. But they don't know four years and one administration, no administration is strong enough to do that. What you will do, though, is you will continue to show the world, just like the racist white people in the 60s showed when John Lewis and those boys and those women try to march across the bridge. They showed the real character of white America. And we're seeing it right now with the destruction of Black Lives Matter Plaza. This is all about control, Macongo. We control the purse strings. We can tell you what to do, when to do it. That's what these Republicans are doing to Mayor Muriel Bowser in Washington, D.C. Yeah, and it's so unfortunate. And they talk about they want to end wasteful spending. It's

going to cost like over $600,000 to redo whatever they're going to do out there. And is that not a waste? And as you can see from what you said, they're still going after D.C. So it's not even going to make a difference. They're going to figure, they've always wanted to have their hands deeper into D.C.'s pockets and deeper into D.C.'s activities. So it's Black Lives Matter Plaza today. Tomorrow they're going to find something else. They're going to find some other type of mural, some other type of street something, some other type of school name,

some other type of, you know, Mary and Barry, you know, street name after him or something. And they're going to continue to do this. And so I get why Mayor Bowser decided to go along with this. Like you said last week, which was a little bit more of a fight in some way, shape or form. She talked about planning to do it anyway and the like. But this is just a physical example. It's the latest physical manifestation of what they're trying to do to erase blackness in the United States of America, from the history

books to representation at the Pentagon to corporate, whatever. This is just the latest representation of it. And like I talked about earlier, other groups need to pay attention because they're going to be working to erase y'all, too. Well, they are working to erase y'all, too, but they always start with Black people because they think people won't care. You always hear Republicans talk about local control, local control. Kelly, they only care about local control when they are in control. Absolutely. The other example that came to mind was, I think a couple months ago, we talked on your show about Jackson, Mississippi, and how they're trying to control Jackson, Mississippi, because that's like the only major city that Mississippi has, but it's predominantly held by black people.

You know, you have several examples of white people seeing that they are losing control and doing whatever they can to gain it back and retain it. And, you know, symbolic gestures such as demolishing streets that say Black Lives Matter is just yet another example of, frankly, how fragile their egos are when it comes to the kind of control that they desire. So, you know, you can take us off the street, but you can't take us from the street. We will still be on the streets protesting, on the streets fighting, on the streets working. It does not matter. You know, in all fairness, the construction of said plaza was performative in itself. It was symbolic in itself. So taking the symbol away from 16th Street isn't going to take away the meaning of why. It's not going to take away the mentality that Black people have in D.C., myself included, when it comes to this work.

So we're just going to keep going. I keep talking about how I'm resting, but some of us aren't. I have a lot of colleagues who aren't. And this is just one more thing that they have to fight against. Absolutely. All right, folks, we'll talk about fighting. Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, man, last week got into it with that idiot chair, James Comer, when it came to a congressional hearing. Listen to this exchange. Mr. Chairman, I have unanimous consent request. Proceed. I'd like to seek unanimous consent to enter into the record this article, and I'll do

this as a survivor of sexual violence myself. This is from courts, March 2018. Without objections ordered. Data from Texas shows that U.S. born and... Without objection, so ordered. We've put it in the record. I haven't entered it. You have what?

Mr. Jurek, I have several articles. I need to enter them. Let me just go ahead with what the articles are. What's the next article? Let me proceed. Data from Texas shows that U.S. born Americans commit more rape and murder

than immigrants. Listen, this trend of you all trying to get thrown out of committees so you can get on MSNBC is going to end. We're not going to put up with it. This is my procedural right as a member of this committee

to enter documents into the record. I am reclaiming my time. You do not get to dictate how I recite the articles for the record. And I take particular umbrage as a survivor of sexual violence. I will enter into the record. This is my right. Thank you. No, go. I will enter into the record. This is my right. Thank you. No, no.

It is Mr. Subramaniam. Mr. Chair. No, you know the process of unanimous consent. You are not recognized. I have several articles to enter into the record. Mr. Subramaniam, if you don't go, we're going to recognize Mr. Timmons. He was referencing Congressman Subramaniam from Virginia. And you know what?

I'm a Congo. The congressman would not go. He would not step in. I was glad that he actually did that. They called a sergeant at arms on Congresswoman Presley. And this is what they do. This is how they behave. This is how they want to control the opposition party. And shout out to Representative Presley.

That's my home state, you know, representing Boston. And there's going to be more of this. And you never see her animated like that outside of rallies, right? In the House, even though she's challenging them and taking it to them every day to get to that level, it speaks to the level of frustration that so many of us are feeling. And just the outright blatant disrespect. And like you said, I'm glad the other representative had her back, but we know that she's not going to go quietly. She's going to continue to speak up. But these guys, I mean, they...

I know a lot of cops, and 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. Across the country, cops call this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that taser told them.

From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multibillion-dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1,

Taser Incorporated, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st and episodes four, five, and six on June 4th. Add free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I'm Clayton English.

I'm Greg Glod. And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast. We are back. In a big way. In a very big way. Real people, real perspectives. This is kind of star-studded a little bit, man. We got Ricky Williams, NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner.

It's just a compassionate choice to allow players all reasonable means to care for themselves. Music stars Marcus King, John Osborne from Brothers Osborne. We have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote drug man. Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown. We got B-Real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corvette.

MMA fighter Liz Karamush. What we're doing now isn't working, and we need to change things. 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.

And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. 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. They are so small in their minds. And when you look at everything, Russell Vault, like all of these guys, they are so, Edmar and all of these guys feel like they have to control and dominate every aspect of other people's lives to the point where they're going to basically say right there, you shut up, I'm running this show.

And Representative Pressley let them know that she's not having it. And more of us need to continue to do the same publicly, privately in all of our spaces. That's the only way we're going to shut this down is by standing up to bullies exactly like she just did. They're not going to bully us out of this. Mondale, listen, when you have limited power,

when you have limited power, you got to do what you got to do, and so guess what? You got to swing. Roland, let me tell you something about democracy and how stupid people are. And I think this representative, this white boy, and I'm going to call him this white boy. I'm going to call him, call him by his daddy name. He knows exactly what he's doing.

This is not a, this is not a, this is not performative. This is why people who don't understand the importance of Al standing up, Representative Al Green standing up and screaming at Trump. This is not performative. Like you just said, when you have no power in the Senate, in the House, or the executive branch and shit, by the looks of it, the Supreme Court, you must stand up and scream your complaints. Because if you don't, history will say you had nothing to say about how they treated you. Al, for his thing, had to stand up because this is a person who grew up in segregated

South. What, is he not supposed to say anything about what he's seen, the trends he's recognizing? So he's supposed to sit there silent? There's no mandate, just as he said. So when you see Comer believing, not that the rules accommodate her to enter into public record, her articles. But he himself, pointing his gavel, said, I've been accommodating to you. No, the rules of the House gives her the right to put in public record any damn article she deemed necessary. And him cutting her off is because he don't want history.

That don't need to be documented for the people to see that Americans, mostly Americans, commit more violent crimes than these immigrants because it does not fit their narrative. It does not play into what they need their dumb white people to believe. And I said what I said. Voting and supporting this MAGA, you must be an idiot to do it or a flat-out racist. And I don't know if there's daylight difference between the two. Well, I'll tell you what, Kelly, this is the kind of action we need to keep seeing.

And I'm sick of these Democrats and, and you know what, Bill Market kissed my ass too, because he criticized Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett. And, and I'm sorry, this is what open dissent. And this whole deal like, no, you know, even Adam Schiff, well, you know how some Democrats responded, you know, during Trump's speech. Man, damn this. I'm tired of people acting like this man and their actions are normal. No, you've got to sit here and go at them, and you got to stay on their necks.

You really do. I'll take it one step further. I think we need to bring back fighting on the floor, like literally beating somebody's ass. I know it's not necessarily conventional, but it is not unheard of. We have precedent for it, and we have rules as to what can happen when you do it. I think it needs to happen because words are not enough sometimes. Sometimes you need a skin reminder, frankly, to the face. And, you know, if you have the means to do it, by all means, do it. That's all I got. No, indeed, indeed. I'm a Congo. I know you got to go. I still appreciate it. Thank you so very much for joining us, folks.

Presley wasn't the only sister member of Congress who went there. It's time for the Crockett Chronicles. So, last week, Republicans had a hearing dealing with these sanctuary cities, and they brought in the mayors of Boston, Chicago, Denver, and New York City under the House Oversight Committee, where they pretty much, you know, kissed the butt of Eric Adams, praising him left and right, even though Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was all over his behind about the sweetheart deal his attorneys negotiated with the Department of Justice to drop the charges. Well, in that hearing, Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett, let's just say she had a few words for the mayor, as well as that 34-count indicted and convicted felon in chief Donald Trump. Chair recognizes Ms. Crockett from Texas. Thank you so much, Mr. Chair, and thank you so much to our mayors that are here. And I really quickly want to touch on something because I know that many of you prepared for today's

hearing by making sure that you got a little bit of information about immigrants and crime in your cities. Let me ask each of the mayors just yes or no. Have any of you been made aware of any immigrant that has had 34 felony convictions that has still been able to roam around in your cities? Anyone? No, ma'am. 34 felony convictions from the immigrants. Anybody? I'm not aware. Oh, okay. Okay. I'm just curious because we are so concerned about crime and I know that my Republican colleagues would never want anybody with 34 felony convictions roaming around because that

could be a danger to the community, but I will move on. The Republicans put more effort into producing their little propaganda trailer for this hearing than they have into reforming America's immigration system, and that's why we're here today. In fact, Republicans are beating up on the vast majority of you about what you're doing for your citizens. But the last time I checked, you're actually showing up. You may or may not be aware, but the NRCC just instructed Republicans to stop their town hall meetings because their constituents were showing up and telling them to do your jobs. If I had to sum up some of what you have said thus far today, I would sum it up as you have been trying to tell them as politely as you can to do their jobs

In fact, we know that they have not done their jobs And so they're trying to force you to do it for them by turning your local law enforcement officers into ice agents They have this fake outrage about how immigrants are stealing resources and jobs from Americans when residents of Boston, Chicago, New York City, and Denver are subsidizing public services in their districts and their states because the Republicans refuse to ensure that their constituents earn a livable wage. Look, they don't have a plan to fix immigration in America because they don't want to. Mass deportation isn't a plan. Arresting kids in schools or worshipers in church isn't a plan. But there are important points to discuss

as it relates to immigration in America. So Mr. Beer, in January, you testified before the Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Integrity, Security, and Enforcement. During that hearing, we played a little game called Rhetoric or Reality. Do you remember that? I remember, yeah. Okay. Well, let's go ahead for round two, why don't we? Rhetoric or Reality. Immigrants are a burden to the American taxpayers because they deplete our federal resources. That would be rhetoric. Correct. In fact, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that immigrants will lower U.S. deficits

by a cumulative $1 trillion and increase the U.S. economy's size by nearly $9 trillion over 10 years. Is that correct? That is correct. In 2023, 47 million immigrants paid nearly $652 billion in taxes, $58.1 billion in taxes alone into Texas. Rhetoric or reality, during his first administration, Trump improved enforcement of U.S. immigration laws. He did not. In fact, President Trump closed almost all immigration courts for removal proceedings, cut prosecutions for unauthorized entry by 87%, cut ICE removals to the lowest level in the history of the agency,

and released 9,000 people with violent crime convictions back into our communities. Is that correct? That's right. Yes. So rhetoric or reality, President Trump's immigration policies make American communities safer. No, they don't make communities safer. In fact, nearly 100,000 unauthorized immigrants have obtained legal status through their cooperation with law enforcement. And local law enforcement agencies have more than 300,000 pending requests for immigrants seeking legal status based upon their cooperation with law enforcement according to the department of homeland security is that correct that's right

immigrants work with law enforcement to stop and solve crimes thank you that was one of my rhetoric or reality questions sorry the the question was immigrants without legal status can help stop crime that's correct yes that right. And Mr. Beer, isn't it true that Republicans are threatening to illegally strip cities of law enforcement grants intended for local policing and public safety if they don't go along with Trump's immigration agenda? That's right. They want to redistribute the fiscal burden onto the Democratic cities and away from the Republican ones. Which brings me to my next point. Mayor Adams, do you believe that President Trump is weaponizing

the Department of Justice against local governments like New York City? As I stated publicly... Thank you for the question, Congresswoman. And as I indicated previously, this case is in front of Judge Ho, and I'm going to allow the judicial process to go forward. Well, let me ask it a different way. There was a quote from Mr. Well, he had to get advice. So can I just get it?

What's that? He was getting advice. So can I get a it? What's that? He was getting advice. So can I get a little bit of time? I didn't interrupt while he was getting advice. Go ahead. Okay. This is the last one. There was a quote from Mr.

Homan, I believe, where he said he will be in your office and up your butt. If this, if there was a problem with whatever agreement we don't know what it was my question to you I know you've been asked about it a couple of times today is was he lying when he said that you made an agreement that would cause him to be up your butt if you fail to uphold your end of it and generally sounds expired but it's a very well tattered he can Congresswoman I that question, and it appears as though we're asking the same questions over and over and over again. My comments are not going to change. No quid pro quo, no agreement.

I did nothing wrong. Now, of course, Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett, one of the most effective members of Congress, building up a significant following all across the country, and she was also one of the folks who protested the lying speech of Donald Trump with a joint session of Congress. Well, that didn't sit too well with whiny-ass Bill Maher. Boston, here's Jasmine Crockett, who is, I thought, a big leader in the Democratic Party. Her quote is, this is a terrible nightmare. Somebody slap me and wake me the fuck up because I'm ready to get on with it. On with what would be my first question. And also,

this is the way, this is like how a podcaster talks or some shit. Fuck it. Can you imagine, I don't know, Obama saying, oh, man, dude,

this shit is whack and fuck it. Slap me. I'm fucking over it. I mean, come on, man. Also, there are... Talk about bitch assness. That's Bill Maher.

Oh, my God. What must we do? A member of Congress was actually cursing. You got Donald Trump who gave a speech calling Colin Kaepernick a son of a bitch. You got the language that he's used. Bill Maher, go to hell, you asshole. My dear, I am so sick of his whiny ass. He wants he wants he wants, you know, Democrats to fight.

Now he's whining. Oh my gosh, he's talking like a podcaster. Do you know how many members of Congress I've talked to who actually curse? I know preachers who curse. Shut the hell up, Bill Maher. Go smoke a blunt. He can't smoke a blunt because he is an ass. He's a blunt himself. Listen, a blunt tool He can't smoke a blunt because he is an ass. He's a blunt himself. Listen,

a blunt tool for stupidity. Bill Maher, to me, for a long time, has been anti-black. And I know a lot of people say they don't believe that. Bill Maher is racist as hell. This is just a reminder of that. The idea or the audacity of him to have a problem with Jasmine Cracker was the most

who shows up to work more prepared than anybody in every fucking committee she sits on. No one is more prepared than this representative. And I know that. I'm there. I'm watching it. And it is absolutely ridiculous to say something about her saying that when your president talks about grabbing women by their private parts. It's absolutely crazy some of the stuff I've heard out of his mouth. Also, he might want to pay attention to the world. Mainstream media, his network, ain't where most people are getting their news.

They're getting them from people like Roland, who are streaming in different spaces. Digital is real. So she understands the climate that she speaks. Also, most of the voters in this country are no longer his age. They're her age. And they absolutely are listening to podcasters. They absolutely are getting their news from alternative sources.

And his problem is she can reach him and he can't. He's been saying the same bullshit white men speak for so long. And she's new to the scene. And her following is powerful. And he can't stand that. His little white balls are bothered by that. Kelly? I mean, I echo the sentiments of Mondale.

I personally, maybe I'm too young to remember, but I don't recall why Bill Maher is relevant at all. I know a lot of cops, and 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. Across the country, cops called this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that Taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley

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Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st and episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th. Add free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Lott. And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast. Yes, sir. We are back. In a big way. In a very big way.

Real people, real perspectives. This is kind of star-studded a little bit, man. We got Ricky Williams, NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner. It's just a compassionate choice to allow players all reasonable means to care for themselves. Music stars Marcus King, John Osborne from Brothers Osborne. We have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote drug thing is. Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown.

We got B-Real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corvette. MMA fighter Liz Karamush. What we're doing now isn't working and we need to change things. 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. And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple 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, 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.

Why he was ever relevant at all. So let's start there as far as, you know, how much credence I give his words. But also you have to take into consideration that we've also been complaining about the messaging from the Democratic Party, excuse me, essentially being over the head of many of its constituents, meaning, you know, they're too wordy, they sound elitist, et cetera, et cetera. Jasmine Crockett is a very educated Black woman across the board, and she uses language that other people understand. And I can't think of anything that is more effective than that, right? So just because you don't like it doesn't mean it's not going to resonate with anybody else.

Really, it resonates with everybody else except Bill Maher, apparently. It's also not lost on me that, frankly, Black women just get a lot of flack from white men for no reason. This is yet another situation of an overqualified Black woman who, you know, Bill Maher clearly feels threatened by, as far as I'm concerned. You know, like you said, Donald Trump has done God knows what else, like everything else. I mean, grabbing by the pussy should have stopped him from running for president right then and there, and yet he bulldozed over that. It's like all of these things that Donald Trump has done and other Republicans have done and other people have done. But when it comes to Jasmine Crockett

talking about real issues in a way that real people can understand them, that's when he has a problem. Again, I'm not giving credence to Bill Maher. I'm surprised he still has a show. I mean, really. Didn't he host politically

incorrect? Wasn't that his first main show? What the fuck is he talking about? Yeah, right. Now he's whining, whatever. I'm so over his little whip ass. I did his show one time.

I think it was October of 2014. October, November 2014. And this is why I haven't been back on. First of all, I killed it, smoked them. So here's what happened. So during his show, you know, they have two parts. They have the regular show.

Then they have the overtime show. So I knew that Bill Cosby was going to come up, because this is when all the stuff with Cosby was really coming out. So what happened was, first of all, when we came out, I had actually taken a photo of the audience. He's like, oh, stop it. Live in

a moment. First of all, I'm a grown-ass man. Don't fucking tell me I can't take a photo. All right. So what happened was during the show, I looked at my phone. I had taken some notes. On the way there, I had called a rape survivor

and I had called Jeff Gardier, American psychologist, and I asked him some questions. So I wanted just to be sure that I had the right order of your comments. And so I opened up the notes section of my phone, double-checked what they had to say. Well, what happened was when the show was over,

he decides when the show is over, he decides to tell someone that I was surfing the internet during the show. So a producer came up to me at the wrap party and told me that. And I was like, well, that's a lot. You know me, I didn't give a damn. I walked up to his sorry ass. And I actually said, my understanding that you said this, I said, no. And showed him the note. Now, mind you, he's sitting there with blue cards with notes and stuff

on it. So, you can check notes and I can't have been booked since. So, that's how much of a punk-ass Bill Maher is. Okay? He assumed something and I actually showed him what the truth was, and

then the little punk ever since then, oh, no, no, we're not gonna have him back on the show. Man, get your little punk ass on. Anyway, that's it for us, y'all. I mean, I don't want to hear his whining. Congresswoman Crockett, keep doing your thing. Mondale, appreciate it.

Kelly, appreciate it. Thanks a lot. Folks, don't forget, y'all want to support the work that we do. Join our Bring the Funk fan club. Your donations are critically important for us due to the work that we do. The goal is to get 20,000 of our fans contributing on average 50 bucks each a year. That's $4.19 a month, $0.13 a day. Some folk can't give that. We totally understand they give less.

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And also, don't blame me. I voted for the black woman. You can also get my book, White Fear, How the Browning of America is Making White Folks Lose Their Minds, available at bookstores nationwide. Get the audio version I read on Audible. And don't forget, download the app Fanbase. And if you want to participate in the crowdfund, 10.3 million has been raised of the 17 million gold. Go to startengine.com forward slash Fanbase. Folks, that's it.

I'll see y'all tomorrow right here. Roland Mark Dunn-Fulton on the Blackstar Network. Holla! Hold on, hold on. If I go shout out to my sister Zena, her birthday was, shout out to my sister Zaina. Her birthday was on yesterday. And so give her a shout out. She's what, 48?

She was born in 78. I think that's what it is. Something like that. Yeah, 47. That's what it is. All right, y'all. Holla! Black Star Network is here.

Oh, no punches! A real revolution right now. Thank you for being the voice of Black America. All momentum we have now, we have to keep this going. The video looks phenomenal. See, there's a difference between Black Star Network and Black-owned media and something like CNN. You can't be Black-owned media and be scared. It's time to be smart.

Bring your eyeballs home. You dig? 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. 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 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 star-studded 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. This is an iHeart podcast.