#RolandMartinUnfiltered - FTC Bans Non-Compete Agreements, CA DA Reviews 35 Death Penalty Cases, Black Ohio Man Attacked by K9

Episode Date: April 24, 2024

4.23.2024 #RolandMartinUnfiltered: FTC Bans Non-Compete Agreements, CA DA Reviews 35 Death Penalty Cases, Black Ohio Man Attacked by K9 #BlackStarNetwork partners:Fanbase 👉🏾 https://www.starteng...ine.com/offering/fanbase Non-compete clauses are a thing of the past, thanks to the Federal Trade Commission banning the practice.  We have an employment attorney to explain what this means.  A federal judge in California found that the Alameda County prosecutors decades ago intentionally excluded Black and Jewish jurors.  The current Alameda County District Attorney, Pamela Price, will join us to discuss the 35 cases her office must now review.  Wednesday, the Supreme Court will be hearing arguments about abortion again.  This time, they will decide if the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act can preempt a state's abortion ban.   The Director of the Women's Initiative at the Center for American Progress will be here to explain how this case will impact reproductive care.  Toledo, Ohio, police officers mistakenly pulled over a black man who was attacked by a K9 before they realized the automated plate reader misinterpreted the numbers on his stage. We have the video.  And former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich had the audacity to compare Donald Trump's hush money trial to "some of the civil rights workers in Mississippi in the 1960s."  Yeah, we'll break that down.  Download the #BlackStarNetwork app on iOS, AppleTV, Android, Android TV, Roku, FireTV, SamsungTV and XBox 👉🏾 http://www.blackstarnetwork.com #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.

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Starting point is 00:00:00 This is an iHeart Podcast. Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. Listen to Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Glott. And this is Season 2 of the War on Drugs podcast. Last year, a lot of the problems of the drug war. This year, a lot of the biggest names in music and sports. This kind of starts that a little bit, man.
Starting point is 00:00:48 We met them at their homes. We met them at the recording studios. Stories matter and it brings a face to it. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.
Starting point is 00:01:08 We asked parents who adopted teens to share their journey. We just kind of knew from the beginning that we were family. They showcased a sense of love that I never had before. I mean, he's not only my parent, like, he's like my best friend. At the end of the day, it's all been worth it. I wouldn't change a thing about our lives. Learn about adopting a teen from foster care. Visit adoptuskids.org to learn more. Brought to you by AdoptUSKids, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Ad Council. Thank you. Folks, today's Tuesday, April 23rd, 2024, coming up on Roland Martin Unfiltered,
Starting point is 00:02:17 streaming live on the Blackstar Network. Non-compete clauses are now a thing of the past. Thanks to the Federal Trade Commission banning the practice, we will talk to an employment attorney on how this will completely change the game in numerous industries. A federal judge in California found that the Alameda County Prosecutor's Office decades ago intentionally excluded black and Jewish jurors. The current Alameda County DA Pamela Price will join us to
Starting point is 00:02:53 discuss exactly what happened here. Folks Wednesday, Supreme Court will be hearing arguments about abortion again. This time they will decide if the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act can preempt a state's abortion van. Also on today's show, Toledo, Ohio, police officers mistakenly pull over a black man who was attacked by a canine before they realized the automated plate reader misinterpreted the numbers on his license.
Starting point is 00:03:27 You serious? And Newt Gingrich says some dumb stuff. Ooh, I got to deal with this fool. Plus, Hollywood screenwriter David Mamet, he hates DEI. You okay? I got to deal with him as well. It's time to bring the funk. I'm rolling by the unfiltered on the Black Star Network.
Starting point is 00:03:43 Let's go. to politics with entertainment just for kicks he's rolling he's funky fresh he's real, he's real, the best, you know he's rolling, Martel. Martel. A huge decision for the Federal Trade Commission. In a 3-2 vote, they have banned non-compete agreements. These agreements have prevented millions of employees from working for competitors or starting a competing business after leaving a company or even being fired. The FTC estimates that non-compete agreements cover some 18% of the U.S. workforce. Joining me now from Chicago is employment attorney Chiquita Hall Jackson. Glad to have you on the show, Chiquita. This is, I don't think people really understand how major this is in this industry. It is common practice for television anchors, folks in radio. I remember
Starting point is 00:05:17 Tom Joyner had, I think it was like an 18-month non-compete when he worked in Dallas that kept it. So when he left KKDA FM to get a national syndicated radio show, they kept him off the air in Dallas, like his first 18 months of FTT. The FTT says, guess what? That's out the window. Thanks for having me. Good evening. Good evening. It is definitely major for a lot of employees. And a lot of people do not understand when they get those welcome packages, they'd be so excited. They finally got the job and they just sign and sign and sign and disguise in their welcome packages, not compete arbitration agreements, all type of agreements that people are signing their rights away to. So this is definitely major because now you can now go across the street and work for your competitor.
Starting point is 00:06:08 So when you say they banned this, that means that no company can now enforce a non-compete, so there's no longer a delay, so if somebody leaves a job, they can start the next day? That's what the goal is. Now, I'm pretty sure there are going to be some challenges raising this up to the Supreme Court and a few others, but this is the Federal Trade Commission. This is as high as it can get, so hopefully they have more of an impact. But this is something that I do see a lot of companies might come in
Starting point is 00:06:37 and try to challenge through litigation. Oh, there's no doubt in my mind we're going to have some lawsuits here because there are many companies that use these non-competes in a very punitive way. Like I said, there used to be some non-competes. There was longest two years. For the most part, we look at non-competes down there about six months. But what what happens, I know in my industry, it's actually kept people on the sidelines where they couldn't get a job. And some states, though, require if you have a non-compete and you want to enforce it, you've got to pay that person to sit on the sidelines. A lot of other places, they don't.
Starting point is 00:07:16 That's correct. And Illinois actually changed, called ourselves making an effective change by making a requirement of $75,000. You have people in the domestic world couldn't go across the street and work for their competitors. You have AutoZone, now you can't go to O'Reilly's and different things like that. And they're not even making $50,000 a year. So in Illinois, we scratched the surface by making a minimum threshold of $75,000. But like you said, you do still have to pay, but it's plenty of people that just can't move. And if so, they're going to take a job outside of their field in the meantime and between time until their opportunity comes where they can now exhaust their remedy. And then some people just opt in to pay the difference because with a non-compete, it usually lets you know that if you do violate it, then it comes with a nominal cost or some kind of financial cost. And most people,
Starting point is 00:08:06 if you want to stay in that area of expertise, then they might be willing to pay that over a payment plan or some kind of long-term payment option. This here is the document the FTC when it laid out the proposed changes. And they say here that according to the FTC estimates, the proposed rule could increase workers' earnings across industries and job levels from $250 billion to almost $300 billion a year. That's what it's all about. Someone wanted, they talked to their good friends that sit in these nice seats
Starting point is 00:08:48 and they said, look, you guys are holding up my money, and I saw they're including patents, now it's going to have opportunity for people to take their patents and get what they're working at, and get a patent themselves, versus paying it through a third-party company where they're not getting paid. Their salaries
Starting point is 00:09:04 remain the same regardless. I had one client, he had 21 patents from one company over 21 years, and his name was on none of them. It was all owed to the company. But it was his invention, his idea. And now you open up the floodgates for those opportunities where people can now own their own patents regardless. If they leave this company, now I can go across the street
Starting point is 00:09:23 and start my own competing company and also get my idea padded. His was crazy. They actually listed a few examples here. Here we go back to my iPad. Michael, a single father, found work as a security guard for a Florida firm. A few weeks after accepting the job, which paid around $11 an hour, his overnight child care failed through and he resigned. Months later, he took a job
Starting point is 00:09:46 as a daytime security guard at a bank, making almost $15 per hour. But his new employer let him go when the previous employer sent a letter stating that Michael had signed a two-year non-compete for an $11
Starting point is 00:10:01 an hour job? The next one here says, Gene, a vice president at Amazon, who had signed a non-compete, left the company to serve as head of product for a tech startup, Smartsheet. Amazon sued to block him from taking the job. After unfavorable media coverage,
Starting point is 00:10:20 Amazon dropped the suit. Under the leadership of Gene and others, Smartsheet thrived and exceeded $500 million in annual revenue. Gene left the firm in 2021 for a new startup. And so people might think, well, these are, you know, high-paying jobs as vice president. Stu was a security guard and a, who the hell signs a security guard to a two-year non-compete?
Starting point is 00:10:43 What trade secrets does he have yeah it's just greed and power and it's that's what it boils down to but i tell people all the time and i actually wrote a book talking about how to navigate workspace because people just sign sign sign i'm pretty sure he wasn't even aware that he signed that agreement you get a welcome package it's a hiring package all you're looking at is your pay, what days you need to report, and that you're actually going to be starting work somewhere, and you're just signing away. You don't know what you're signing. Absolutely crazy. So we'll certainly see what happens next if there are lawsuits, but this is a huge, huge
Starting point is 00:11:20 win for workers' rights. Jaquita, we appreciate it. Thanks a lot. Thanks for having me. Enjoy your week. All right, got to go to break. We come back. We'll talk about this with my panel. I'm sure they can't wait to weigh in. You're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Black Star Network.
Starting point is 00:11:33 Be sure to support us in what we do by joining our Brena Funk Fan Club. Our goal is to get 20,000 of our fans contributing on average 50 bucks each. That's $4.19 a month, 13 cents a day. If you want to help us build this network, build this show, and the multiple shows that we have, please do so by sending a money order or check to PO Box 57196, Washington, D.C., 20037-0196. Cash app is dollar sign RM Unfiltered.
Starting point is 00:12:01 PayPal, RM Martin Unfiltered. Venmo is RM Unfiltered. Zelle, Roland at RolandSMartin.com. Roland at RolandMartinUnfiltered.com. Download the Black Stud Network app. Apple Phone, Android Phone, Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Xbox One, Samsung Smart TV. And, of course, you can be sure to get my book, White Fear, The Browning of America's Making White Folks Lose Their Minds, available in bookstores nationwide.
Starting point is 00:12:29 Fanbase is pioneering a new era of social media for the creator economy. This next generation social media app with over 600,000 users is raising $17 million and now is your chance to invest. For details on how to invest, visit startengine.com slash fanbase or scan the QR code. Another way we're giving you the freedom to be you without limits. I was just in my backyard. I just said I was manifesting about life.
Starting point is 00:13:02 I said, I would love to come back because it was a great time. And these kids need that right now. They need that male role model in the schools, I think. Even on TV. People are scared to go into the high school. You know, the high school, you know what I mean? I would love to bring it back, and I think we could bring it back.
Starting point is 00:13:21 You know, what do you think? I think we'll ask the people. We'll ask your people. We'll do a poll. Y'all want to hang with Mr. Cooper? Yeah, I say let's go. We all look good. You know, Holly look good. You know, Raven look the same.
Starting point is 00:13:32 Marquise, Don Lewis. It'd be funnier than half the bullshit you see out there on TV now. God damn. What the fuck? What happened to TV? Yeah, yeah. Damn. Yeah. It's some. I'm like, oh my god. What the fuck? What happened to TV? Yeah, yeah.
Starting point is 00:13:47 It's some... I'm like, oh, my God. Hello, I'm Marissa Mitchell, a news anchor at Fox 5 DC. Hey, what's up? It's Sammy Roman, and you are watching Roland Martin Unfiltered. All right, time for my panel. John LaCroix Neal, a trial lawyer for the John LaCroix Neal firm out of Atlanta. She got her Beyonce blonde hair coming back from her vacation for her birthday. Yeah. Oh, you didn't think I was going to say anything? You didn't think I was going? I did not.
Starting point is 00:14:29 Really? Okay. Yeah, sure. I see everything. Dr. Mustafa Santiago Ali, former senior advisor for environmental justice at the EPA, also out of D.C. Joy Chaney, founder of Joy Strategies out of D.C. Glad to have all three of you here. John, I want to start with you. As I said, I don't think people realize how huge this is, but some of these things are crazy. Here, go back to my iPad. Let's hear this story right here. This is from FTC. Keith,
Starting point is 00:14:56 a factory manager for a textile company, saw his paycheck drop up after the 2008 financial crisis. A rival textile company offered him a better job and the big raves. A non-compete blocked him from taking it. Keith fought the non-compete, but the three-year legal battle wiped out his savings. Now, this is the one that is a trip.
Starting point is 00:15:16 A phlebotomist, a technician who draws blood from blood testing, drove long hours around upstate New York, performing physical exams and collecting specimens. She was offered a job by a clinical lab that offered more regular hours, long hours around upstate New York performing physical exams and collecting specimens. She was offered a job by a clinical lab that offered more regular hours, higher pay and no travel requirements. But the offer was rescinded when the company discovered she was subject to a non-compete. The thing is, again, is in so many industries and this is so pervasive. And so this FTC decision by the 3-2 vote has far-reaching implications in every job field. That's absolutely correct. The only field that I'm aware of where non-competes are not a general
Starting point is 00:16:00 practice is in the field of law because we're generally restricted by state already. So one of the things as it relates to non-compete agreements, this is a huge win for employees all across the country. I mean, essentially what the findings show from some of those case summaries are that every state, well, a lot of states, they regulate non-compete agreements, right? There are certain provisions in non-compete agreements that it can be found unconscionable, right? But just like that summary said, that case study, who, with the people that they're using these against, right? Who has the resources to fight
Starting point is 00:16:47 the legality, the enforceability of the 9-10? A guy making $11 an hour cannot fight a company, and he's going to a job making $15 an hour. And the companies don't want to get into it.
Starting point is 00:17:03 That's why the hiring companies will rescind those offers, right? Because they don't want to get involved and entrenched in a legal battle over prospective employees when they can just hire someone that doesn't have the same restrictions. excited about it. I'm cautioned a little bit about what the potential lawsuits about Congress not giving them the explicit authority to promulgate this or whether there's implicit authority. So it'll be interesting. Mustafa, I'm going to go to you. They say, FTC, one in five Americans, about 30 million people are bound by a non-compete. That is a huge number of folks. It most definitely is. You know, I've even had to sign a couple of non-competes over the years, and luckily I had great attorneys who could take a peek at it.
Starting point is 00:17:56 But this is really something for the everyday person. As has been stated earlier, it is not just for the wealthy or those who are making those larger sets of salaries. So it's important. I think I would be remiss if I also didn't bring into our conversation that we need to make sure that these types of things can't be rescinded or amended, because often when we're dealing with one administration, then we move into another administration, individuals will try and find a way to take away rights, because this actually gives everyday working class people rights. And we know that there has been an attack on that. So those who have a specialization in this area, hopefully they can help us to understand, is this locked in? Or will we have to
Starting point is 00:18:41 continue to fight to make sure that these rights stay in the hands of people? Joy, that was a point I was about to make is because this is a perfect example that people need to understand. This is a difference when it comes to elections, who gets elected and who does not. And so what you have here is a Biden-Harris administration that has been far more aggressive in support of workers' rights. You've had the FTC and the DOJ being very aggressive against mergers that have led to job losses and led to consolidation, higher prices as well. And I'll give you an example. Right now, you've got some folks looking at this potential sale of Paramount or their parent company,
Starting point is 00:19:27 National Amusement, and they say, hey, maybe we wait until after November because a Republican win by Trump means a far more lax Federal Trade Commission and DOJ when it comes to these issues, as opposed to a Democrat Biden Harris administration that's far more likely to stand with the workers as opposed to the big company and the owners. That's right. When we say elections matter, we mean economic rights. We mean what the FTC, maybe a commission you didn't even know about or hear about, but it impacts your ability to make money. So much of this is about workers, but it's also about small business owners who are now going to be able to innovate and perhaps create new innovations that we had not
Starting point is 00:20:17 originally thought of because they're not saddled with the non-compete clause. So this is really important. And let me just say, one of the best things about the 1619 Project is it really talked about and broke down how slavery bleeds into not just what impacts people of color, but what impacts all sorts of people, working class people, the little guy. The fact that we believe that companies should control everything and that you are lucky to have a job and that they can do almost anything they want to you unfettered and can prevent your ability to earn a living beyond them and to build your own legacy for your own family. Yeah. 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. I know a lot of cops, and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun?
Starting point is 00:21:09 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 multibillion-dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 1.
Starting point is 00:21:38 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.
Starting point is 00:22:11 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,
Starting point is 00:22:24 Heisman Trophy winner. It's just 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.
Starting point is 00:22:48 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,
Starting point is 00:23:04 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. Sometimes as dads, I think we're too hard on ourselves. We get down on ourselves on not being able to, you know, we're the providers. But we also have to learn to take care of ourselves. A wrap-away, you've got to pray for yourself as well as for everybody else. But never forget yourself. Self-love made me a better dad because I realized my worth.
Starting point is 00:23:41 Never stop being a dad. That's dedication. Find out more at fatherhood.gov. Brought to you by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Ad Council. Slavery. That impacts us all, regardless of race. I mean, it's just absolutely crazy. And again, we'll see. I'm quite sure you're going to have some lawsuits that are going to be filed as relates to this. All right, folks, going to go to break. We'll be right back. Roland Martin, unfiltered on the Black Star Network.
Starting point is 00:24:08 Back in a moment. Next on A Balanced Life, we're talking everything from prayer to exercise to positive affirmations and everything that's needed to keep you strong and along your way. That's on a next A Balanced Life with me, Dr. Jackie, on Blackstar Network. Fanbase is pioneering a new era of social media for the creator economy. This next generation social media app with over 600,000 users is raising $17 million and now is your chance to invest. For details on how to invest,
Starting point is 00:24:49 visit startengine.com slash fanbase or scan the QR code. Another way we're giving you the freedom to be you without limits. Grow your business or career with Grow with Google's wide range of online courses, digital training, and tools. out when is. Complete the online certificate program on your own terms. Stand out to employers, get on a path to in-demand jobs, and connect with top employers who are currently hiring. Take one professional career certificate program, or all six. Earn a Google Career Certificate to prepare for a job in a high-growth field like data analytics, project management, UX design, cybersecurity, and more. All professional career certificate programs must be completed by December 31st, 2024.
Starting point is 00:25:49 Scan the QR code to complete the application. There are 1,000 scholarships available. Grow with Google and J-Hood and Associates. Be job ready and qualify for in-demand jobs. Hello, I'm Jamia Pugh. I am from Coatesville, Pennsylvania, just an hour right outside of Philadelphia. My nameameah Pugh. I am from Coatesville, Pennsylvania, just an hour right outside of Philadelphia. My name is Jasmine Pugh.
Starting point is 00:26:09 I'm also from Coatesville, Pennsylvania. You are watching Roland Martin Unfiltered. Stay right here. All right, things got a little testy today in New York City where Donald Trump was on trial. The judge of the case really went after Donald Trump's lawyers by saying, you really want to play with me when it comes to this gag order
Starting point is 00:26:29 and his constant outbursts on social media. That took place earlier in the day because when testimony began, David Pecker, former leader of the National Enquirer, took the stand and admitted that they struck a deal in 2015 to help the Trump campaign by locking up or locking down stories
Starting point is 00:26:46 of people who were alleging affairs with Donald Trump. They call these highly, highly confidential situations. Go to my iPad. This is from the Yahoo story here. It says that Trump's then-lawyer Michael Cohen fed the tabloid negative stories about rivals like Senator Ted Cruz when they sensed him gaining momentum on Trump in the GOP primary, Pecker testified. Steve Bannon also pitched negative stories about Hillary Clinton to Pecker that the Enquirer published.
Starting point is 00:27:13 But they had a deal called Catch and Kill, where the National Enquirer paid $30,000 to Trump Tower doorman so he could not discuss a story of Trump fathering a child out of wedlock. The story was not true. But Pecker said, quote, I made the decision to buy the story because of the potential embarrassment it would have to the campaign of Mr. Trump. They also had a catch-and-kill example involving former Playboy model Karen McDougal, who was shopping a story about her having a sexual relationship with Trump. Quote, I think you should buy it, Pecker said, he told Trump, who was mayor at the time during
Starting point is 00:27:49 the 2016 campaign. The thing that's really interesting here is when you look at all these crazy Trump folk who act as if this is no big deal, Mustafa, is that it shows you how they don't care. How they don't care. And one of the things, though, that folks have been talking about is the impact on potential independent voters.
Starting point is 00:28:15 He's a perfect example. Now, Fox News loves doing these, what I call dumb folks in diners stories. So what they do is they send out Lawrence B. Jones, who, bruh, you need a haircut, send him out to interview these folks in these diners. They sound like idiots.
Starting point is 00:28:32 If you want to see a true MAGA idiot, watch this woman who's wrapped in a Trump flag like she's in need of a blanket just move to tears about how much we really need this thug back in the Oval Office. Listen. I was talking to this young lady right here. Hey, how you doing? Good morning. We're talking about the former president being under prosecution right now. What do you make of it? Do you think that is fair? No, I don't think it's fair. It's ridiculous. They're just trying to
Starting point is 00:29:01 keep him busy so he can't run. You were telling me yesterday that as you thought about the case and you were watching about what was going on in New York, it brought you to tears. Why is that? Tears because we need Trump back or else we're going to lose our country. We're going to lose our country. And what's happening with these protesters is heartbreaking. It's history happening all over again,
Starting point is 00:29:24 and they don't understand how bad it could get or will get if we don't get Trump back in. Thank you so much. Let's talk with some more folks here. Sir, how you doing? Good. I see you got your MAGA shirt on. I do.
Starting point is 00:29:35 The president is... You know what? Let's go back and listen to another idiot. I just got to listen to another idiot. How do you feel about it? Do you think that it's fair? Not at all. They're going after him just to keep him
Starting point is 00:29:45 off the trail. And if it was anybody else, it wouldn't even be a case. But just because he's the president, they're going after him. It's the only way they can win. So the question is, guys, can Donald Trump get a fair process in New York City? Sir, what do you think about that? You got Donald Trump, he's in Manhattan, you got a DA that made a campaign promise to go after him. The area that is seating the jury, only 80% of them are Democrats and only 20% of them voted for Donald Trump. Do you feel like they can be fair? Absolutely not. I think that the media as a whole has made it their mission to try and come together against Donald Trump. And that's all they're concerned about is beating him. I was talking to this young lady.
Starting point is 00:30:38 Let's see here, Mustafa. You notice Lawrence never asked the question, hey, do you think Donald Trump should have paid off a porn star who he cheated on his wife with? You notice that actually wasn't asked. So we'll talk about a fair trial. He's also, Mustafa, on trial for the exact same thing that Michael Cohen pled guilty to under the Trump Department of Justice? Well, you know, the Republicans used to label themselves as the party of family values. And when you have both reporters who won't ask the poignant questions, really they're just basic, straightforward questions,
Starting point is 00:31:18 then that sort of shares the framing that they're approaching this from. The other part of it is you see individuals who wrap themselves in privilege. And privilege means that you don't have to actually deal with the facts, because the facts, the law, whatever the situation might be, no longer really apply to you, because they definitely got it wrong, because if it had been anybody else, they would be in jail. Some would say under the jail for the things that Trump has done over the years. So to ask the basic question, is it all right for you to pay off a porn star as your wife has just
Starting point is 00:31:53 had a baby? When you don't ask the basics, then that pretty much tells us exactly where you're coming from. But the deeper part is about the values of the Republican Party or the lack thereof, when you are willing to, in many instances, call yourself people of faith, but yet the individual whom you're willing to give your vote to has no reflection of any of the major religions, maybe if you're doing something with some Trump occultism or something like that. But it's just a shame to see the erosion of basic values that have happened for at least a percentage of our country. The thing that just really cracks me up, Joy, is that he's admitted,
Starting point is 00:32:38 yeah, we paid her off because we didn't want the public to know, so it's going to hurt my campaign. They never bring that stuff up. Yeah, I mean, look, when we wonder why is Trump doing all these antics, why is he threatening jury pools, why is he challenging the judge, why is he threatening a judge's daughter, why is he behaving so outrageously, when we ask why, it's because he's feeding red meat to his followers, people who would believe him. And he's trying to create a narrative that it doesn't matter
Starting point is 00:33:12 what happens. It's a fait accompli. We are out to get him. That is, and that it won't matter. He's going for voter nullification, not just jury nullification. Right. Because the fact, he's lost on the fact, on the merits. So he has to be on everything but the merits. That's why he keeps up these antics. And you are right. He's doing it for his cult. I just think it's hilarious, John Quayle, how he and his attorneys go, this is no big deal.
Starting point is 00:33:43 I mean, this is really no big deal. Actually, it's against the law. And again, his own attorney has already gone to jail. His own attorney got charged by his Department of Justice. So if the case against you is bogus, well, wasn't the case that your Attorney General Bill Barr prosecuted him on, wasn't that bogus too? Well, you know, it's interesting because, you know, I've noticed that a lot of the Trump supporters make it a partisan issue, right? Because he's the president, however, the former president. However,
Starting point is 00:34:27 just because of whatever position that you have in society, that does not make you above the law. And if you committed crimes, you should be prosecuted for those crimes. You should not be treated differently because of whatever position that you have in society. And frankly, not just that lawyer, tons of Trump's lawyers, right? And we even talk about the Georgia indictment. It's tons of his lawyers have been charged with felonies, and tons of them have pled already. And so it's insane to me that a criminal trial is about what party you are associated with, when it has nothing to do with that. This is the criminal justice system.
Starting point is 00:35:10 This has to do with pursuing justice. And you cannot commit crimes. And just because of whatever position you hold, that you're not held accountable to those crimes, including the violation of that gag order that was instrumented through the court. Yep. And how about this here? If you don't want to be prosecuted, don't break the law. I know that sounds like a novel concept, but it's kind of basic. It's kind of basic.
Starting point is 00:35:41 All right, folks, hold tight one second. We're going to come back. We're going to talk about this case. I mean, there's this one county where they've been screwing over black and Latinos for decades. Now they're trying to fix the issue because the federal judge said, get it done. We'll discuss that next and also talk about the continuing attacks on DEI. This time from a major Hollywood screenwriter. Y'all gonna love this here.
Starting point is 00:36:07 He claims that his daughters were not, they were not actually beneficiaries of nepotism because they sat next to me on set many a time. Ooh, whiteness is a powerful thing. And also, Newt Gingrich, did he actually invoke the work of civil rights workers in the 60s
Starting point is 00:36:34 in an effort to defend Donald Trump? I've got a couple of things to say about that idiot as well. You're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Black Star Network. Be sure to join our Bring the Funk fan club. Your dollars make it possible for us to do the kind of coverage that's necessary. This show is a daily show.
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Starting point is 00:37:16 Dallas and RM unfiltered PayPal or Martin unfiltered Venmo is RM unfiltered sale rolling at Roland S Martin dot com rolling at RolandSMartin.com Roland at RolandMartinUnfiltrate.com We'll be right back. I'm Faraiji Muhammad, live from LA. And this is The Culture.
Starting point is 00:37:39 The Culture is a two-way conversation. You and me, we talk about the stories, politics, the good, the bad, and the downright ugly. So join our community every day at 3 p.m. Eastern and let your voice be heard. Hey, we're all in this together, so let's
Starting point is 00:37:55 talk about it and see what kind of trouble we can get into. It's The Culture, weekdays at 3, only on the Blackstar Network. Oh, hey, folks. Roland Martin here. And so if you go to my website, of course, you can check out our wonderful pocket squares.
Starting point is 00:38:14 I know some of y'all, when I'm wearing suits, I get emails from different people about different things. And so this is one of the shibori pocket squares that I'm wearing right now That actually looks like a flower, but we also have a custom-made Feather pocket squares cuz y'all know what we can't be we got to be different when I remember when I was battling Steve Harvey at Essence I say you know what I can't just keep wearing the same boring bland silk pocket squares So all of these feather pockets where are custom-made. They're all individual. So you can check those out on Roland Martin, RolandSMartin.com. You can also get the Shibori Pocket Squares on RolandSMartin.com.
Starting point is 00:38:54 And so go to the website, folks, and get your latest Shibori Pocket Square today. If you're going to look clean, you've got the summertime coming up, you'll be wearing linen suits, it's time to look a little fly. And so you might as well ditch the silk and go with the shibori or the feather custom-made pocket squares. of social media for the creator economy. This next generation social media app with over 600,000 users is raising $17 million and now is your chance to invest. For details on how to invest, visit startengine.com slash fanbase
Starting point is 00:39:36 or scan the QR code. Another way we're giving you the freedom to be you without limits. Thank you. Folks, Avion White has been missing from Suwannee, Georgia, since March 11th. The 15-year-old is 5 feet 3 inches tall, weighs 120 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. Anyone with information regarding Avion should call the Gwinnett County, Georgia Police Department, 770-513-5700, 770-513-5700. A misidentified number read by an automated license plate reader in Toledo, Ohio, led to a canine dog attacking a black man who's now facing charges. This took place on April 11th when 38-year-old Brandon Upchurch was taking his cousin home when several officers stopped his truck with guns drawn. Brandon began recording the stop on a cell phone. He asked the officers why they stopped him.
Starting point is 00:42:07 And we're about to show you what happened when Brandon exited his vehicle. Now, if you don't want to see this, now is the time to turn away or leave the room because it is certainly quite an uncomfortable video to watch. Here it is. Get out of the truck for now. Driver out. uncomfortable video to watch. Here it is. 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.
Starting point is 00:43:00 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 One, 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,
Starting point is 00:43:33 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 2 of the War on Drugs podcast. Yes, sir. We are back. In a big way. In a very big way.
Starting point is 00:43:58 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.
Starting point is 00:44:22 Brent Smith from Shinedown. We got B-Real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corvette. MMA fighter Liz Caramouch. What we're doing now isn't working, and we need to change things. Stories matter, and it brings a face to them.
Starting point is 00:44:36 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 podcast. And to hear episodes one week early and ad free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. Sometimes as dads, I think we're too hard on ourselves. We get down on ourselves on not being able to, you know, we're the providers,
Starting point is 00:45:08 but we also have to learn to take care of ourselves. A wrap-away, you've got to pray for yourself as well as for everybody else, but never forget yourself. Self-love made me a better dad because I realized my worth. Never stop being a dad. That's dedication. Find out more at fatherhood.gov. Brought to you by the U.S. Department of Health
Starting point is 00:45:29 and Human Services and the Ad Council. What is all this for? What did y'all put me over for? Turn around. Passager, keep your hands where I can see them. Ma'am, go this way. What did y'all put me over for? What am I stuck for? Y'all had to tell me where I get stuck. can see him. Ma'am, go this way. What did y'all put me over for?
Starting point is 00:45:49 What did I stop for? Y'all had to tell me where I get to stop. So y'all ain't gonna answer? That's f***ing big. Well, y'all ain't finding nothing. Y'all, watch y'all get sued. All this s***. Y'all doing too much. Y'all doing too f***ing much. I ain't getting s***. Look at this. All I did is cancel the store. Turn around. Turn around. Face away.
Starting point is 00:46:10 You're going to get bit. On the ground, dude, now. Zach, passenger in the car. I got him here. You're going to get bit. Get on the ground. Get on the ground. Get on the ground.
Starting point is 00:46:22 What is y'all doing this for? Flip over! Get the f*** off of me, man! What is y'all doing, man? What is y'all doing, man? What is y'all doing? Put your hands behind your back. Put your hands behind your back. Don't you f***ing move.
Starting point is 00:46:42 Don't you f***ing move. What did I do? What did I do? Can you answer that, please? Wow. Ain't nobody dog biting you. Wow. Open up your door slowly.
Starting point is 00:47:02 Right here. I can't wait for this lawsuit. Sit up. All right, I'm going to have to back you up. All you have to do is get off the ground and listen. Your car has a stolen license plate on it. I promise it, though. Yeah, it does.
Starting point is 00:47:17 I promise it, though. All this for a stolen license plate? And I promise it's not. And I promise it's not in my name. Stand up. I promise it's not in my name stand up Face this car this car is not stolen separate your face is not stolen All this could y'all think my life's a place to
Starting point is 00:47:46 Think my life's a place of stolen. All this because y'all think my life's a place of stolen. I stay up to speak. Now, folks, my producer has been in contact with Brandon. He was supposed to come on the show tonight, but his attorney advised him against it. The resisting arrest and obstruction charges still stand against him. Brandon has a May 9th court hearing. He says that he hopes the charters will be dropped then. The Toledo chapter of the NAACP is demanding an investigation into the incident. It's crazy to me, John Quayle, that they screw up, sick a dog on them, but you still want to hit them with obstruction charges on a bogus arrest.
Starting point is 00:48:36 Yeah, you know, certain commands that the police give you, they do want you to follow those, but it is absolutely insane that we have an improper detention, right, of this young man. And then you all are going to move forward with these charges. But let's not even talk about the use of excessive force. First of all, they were taunting him, telling him that you're going to get bit when his behavior didn't warrant a dog to be let loose on him, essentially. And so it was inhumane. It's very difficult to even watch that. I watched it earlier today and watching it this time, I don't know, it gets harder and harder for me to even watch that because it's absolutely horrendous behavior. And as you heard him on the video, he said, this is going to be a lawsuit and you can count on it. As you just
Starting point is 00:49:30 stated, his attorney, that's a violation of his fourth amendment rights. And he has a, they have a federal lawsuit against them as it relates to this. And it'll be in their best interest to drop those charges against them for sure. I don't understand how he can even still be facing charges, Joy. I mean, this is a massive screw-up. They should be saying, hey, please, pretty please, don't sue us, drop everything, because we're going to have to pay him some serious money. With apologies.
Starting point is 00:49:56 Who's the prosecutor? Drop this case. I'm sure that is what will happen. But here's the thing. I was disturbed even before the dog came out. Why did they approach his car with guns blazing like that? I mean, every time it's a black person, every time there's a black person, it feels like an over response. Multiple people. I can't, I would have to watch it again to see how many cop cars were there.
Starting point is 00:50:26 But, I mean, guns blazing. And where's the compassion? Because, to be honest with you, when you know that you have not done anything wrong and you have people coming at you with guns out and a dog, which is threatening, and you know that you have done nothing wrong, that is hurtful and that is infuriating. You're just trying to go home. They need to drop this case and we need to reevaluate the dignity that is shown black people in this country because it is sincerely lacking. Absolutely. Mustafa, go ahead. I mean, it is what we talk about. It is about stripping power away from folks of color. It is about the dehumanization. I am very aware that it is difficult to be a member of law enforcement. But at the same time, you have to also understand that you cannot strip away people's
Starting point is 00:51:21 civil rights, their human rights. And we continue to see this time and time and time again. I'm also reminded of how folks have used certain types of dogs to threaten us. We've all known and seen with the civil rights movement, but not just civil rights movement. There have been other protests where folks have brought dogs in to push people back, to attack them, to make sure that they understood that you don't have any power in this situation. At any time, we can release this animal to attack someone who we see as less than human. So we've got to understand all the various dynamics that are at play here, because it is about mentally, spiritually, and physically stripping away a person's humanity when we see these types of situations.
Starting point is 00:52:06 So, yes, there will be a case that moves forward. And, yes, this individual will find some form of remuneration. But you can never give somebody back that dignity that you stripped from them. You can never make them not be afraid the next time that there is an officer that's in their vicinity following behind them or whatever the situation may be. So you can never return that to this individual. But you can, as we say, hit them in the pockets to make sure that they do something in these police departments. One, strengthening whatever particular system that they have and the information that's in there, but also on how you engage underneath the paradigm of serve and protect.
Starting point is 00:52:50 Well, and that's the thing right there, John Quayle, just these cops' decisions. And what was still as crazy is, and they go, oh, my bad. It was a mistake. I remember that was another story. It was involving a black cop where she punched in the wrong number. And they had guns drawn. They had scared the hell out of the husband, the wife, his son. They think they were returning from a basketball or a football game. And, I mean, hell, that's traumatic.
Starting point is 00:53:17 And so, I mean, even my bad ain't good enough when you've had guns put in your face and you've been slammed against a hood of a car and handcuffed. In this case, dude was bitten by a dog. I mean, my bad, just don't cut it. It certainly doesn't, and frankly, that kind of trauma could affect him for the rest of his life. And that is why these lawsuits, these civil rights lawsuits, are so important that I urge everyone in the community when approached by law enforcement and you are dealing with these kinds of cases where they have used excessive force,
Starting point is 00:53:52 whether that is tasing you or a dog being sick on you or the excessive force by the hands of them physically to seek counsel and seek it immediately so that they can be sued. Because you're right. You know, your mental health is at stake, right? Your dignity is at stake. How you even drive or operate will no longer be the same, right? However, one of the ways that can assist you is winning a million-dollar lawsuit against them. That can assist you is winning a million-dollar lawsuit against them. That can assist you in some way and hopefully be a deterrent for these law enforcement agencies and hold them
Starting point is 00:54:31 accountable for their behavior. Well— I have to say, we also— Go ahead. We also need to be able to sue individual police officers. There has to be some hit in the pocket for individual police officers. And, yes, we know that they were just being covered. You know, they would have some kind of professional insurance. That's fine.
Starting point is 00:54:50 But there's a reason why in every other profession, when you're out there doing your work, if you're a doctor, if you're a lawyer, whatever, you can be sued for malpractice. You can be sued for these mistakes. We have got to change the equation. When they're out there thinking, how do I approach this person? Do I approach them as if they're some kind of known terrorist over a potential car theft? Or do I make some inquiries before I get that far? Do I put them face down in wet grass and trash? Do I stick a dog on them? What is my responsibility? What might be the consequences to me? We've got to make sure that people just can't go, get suspended, get reprimanded, move on to the next town, or as if nothing happened. There has to be something,
Starting point is 00:55:44 and it won't happen often. It'll just take one or two people to change the equation, make them rethink. Absolutely. All right, folks, let's go to Alameda County, California, where a federal judge has ordered the California DA there to review more than 30 death penalty cases after uncovering evidence that prosecutors may have wrongfully worked to systematically exclude black and Jewish folks from juries of homicide cases. U.S. District Court Judge Vincent Chabria says there is strong evidence that, quote, in prior decades, prosecutors from the Alameda County District Attorney's Office engage in a pattern of serious misconduct.
Starting point is 00:56:28 Joining us right now is the Alameda County DA, Pamela Price. Pamela, glad to have you back on the show. You know, folks have been trying to recall and get you thrown out of office. They were pretty damn quiet when this stuff was happening under your predecessors. Absolutely, Roland. Thank you for having me back. It is clear that there were serious evidence or evidence of serious misconduct by some of the deputies who served in this office before I got here. When I was elected on a reform platform, it was because our community did not trust this office, had many questions about some of the injustices that we had seen, the double standard.
Starting point is 00:57:10 And so I came into the office with a mandate to clean it up, to reform the office, to bring ethical and culturally competent and compassionate service to the people of Alameda County. And Judge Chambria's direction to me is consistent with the direction that any ethical prosecutor would feel mandated to follow in light of the evidence that we found in Mr. Dykes' case. And so was this evidence, was this discovered after you took over and y'all began to review cases? Absolutely. In January, Judge Chambria invited me to attend a settlement conference that he was convening in the case of Ernest Dykes. Mr. Dykes was convicted of murder in 1995 and sentenced to death. And Judge Chambria was assigned the case. In California, we have a moratorium on the death penalty. So we have many people on death row who still have the
Starting point is 00:58:13 opportunity to appeal their sentences. And Mr. Dykes had appealed his sentence to the federal court. It was assigned to Judge Chambria, and he invited me. And once I got into the case, I assigned a deputy to review the matter. And within a week, she found that there were these notes of prosecutors who clearly appeared to have targeted Jewish people and Black people and removed them from serving on a jury. This is a long-kept secret, unfortunately, in Alameda County. There were other cases before me where death verdicts were overturned because the remedy is to, the verdict cannot stand if it is constitutionally infirm. And so that had occurred, but none of my predecessors had taken the appropriate action. One of the things that we often do not see when these things happen,
Starting point is 00:59:08 we don't see any action taken against those prosecutors. There's a prosecutor in Kansas, Tara Moorhead, who has been just evil for four decades and forcing confessions in cahoots with rogue cops. She now has to give up her law license, give it up voluntarily because she's going to get disbarred. Does your office plan on going to the state bar and actually seeking the disbarment of any of these previous prosecutors and forbidding them from practicing law? Not at this time. Fortunately, all of the people whom we believe engage in misconduct left the office before I was elected some time ago. Some of them may be deceased. We are not focused on them at this time. Our focus is to assist the families because there's no question that these folks committed these
Starting point is 01:00:07 heinous crimes or crimes that hurt other people. But the problem is, it does not matter if they did not get a fair trial. We have to do it right. And so our focus has been on, first and foremost, supporting the victims and the survivors or family members who thought these cases were over 30 years ago, 20 years ago. And to get a call out of the clear blue sky because of some misconduct of prosecutors that now the case is reopened and has to be reviewed, that's a terrible phone call to get. And so we first had to create a process by which we could support the families of those who lost their lives. And then ultimately it's our duty to cooperate with the court and follow his direction and
Starting point is 01:00:53 work with defense counsel to identify what is the evidence, what is the remedy, and how do we fix this long before we get to trying to find these prosecutors. Questions from the panel. John Quill, you're first. Yes. First, I'd just like to say that kudos to you for turning over that evidence and stopping the cycle right where it was happening. You know, as a prosecutor, and I'm a former prosecutor, you have an oath to dutifully and impartially, without fear, favor, to do justice, right? And kudos to you for doing
Starting point is 01:01:35 that. One of the things that, as you alluded to initially, was that the proper remedy, if this did happen, is overturning the case. And so 35 potential cases to be potentially overturned that would potentially have to be retried, or maybe some kind of lesser charges or sentence recommendations. I mean, some people do plead to life sentences. However, so I'm just wondering, is there a plan in place with if there is a voluminous of these trials that have to be retried? Is there a plan in place to deal with that? Of course. Yes.
Starting point is 01:02:16 Thank you. You're absolutely correct. I ran for this office in 2022 and was elected as a minister of justice. And I take very seriously the mandate under the California state bar rules that a prosecutor is not an advocate, is not simply an advocate. A prosecutor is a minister of justice, and it is my responsibility to make sure that the Constitution is followed and is respected in every way and in every case. And we have recognized 35 cases is a huge number of cases. These cases are old. Some of the cases, the case files are not complete. Some of the cases, we have not been able to identify the survivors or to locate them. So,
Starting point is 01:02:59 I quickly convened a team, and Judge Chambria gave me the grace and the time to work through that. We had to create a process to identify and contact the victims. We had to create a process to locate the files. And then we now have a process in place where we are starting the review. And Judge Chambria has been very clear that this process, we are going to get to the bottom of this. And he wants to know who knew, who knew what when. And we are fully committed to following that direction. Joy.
Starting point is 01:03:38 First of all, God bless you. We are so glad that you are in this role. Two questions. Have you talked to other prosecutors about your process and how they could do the same or why they should do the same? I know you're focused. You're busy. But, you know, you're a woman of power and influence. And I know that you won't want to just stop here. Have you, you know, offered to talk to them about how they can show the same level of leadership? Not at this time. I am one of only three African-American women elected prosecutors in the state of California.
Starting point is 01:04:19 And I'm newly elected still, so I am still very much gaining the trust of the deputies in my office who did work under my predecessors and changing the culture in our office. And I often tell my law enforcement partners, I don't tell you how to do your job. Don't tell me how to do mine, OK? And I won't help you clean your house, because I'm busy cleaning mine. And so I will continue to clean my own house and to manage my own organization in a way that, again, comports with the Constitution and our ethical obligation to protect public safety while advancing justice. That is the message to my prosecutors.
Starting point is 01:05:03 We do have compassion. We have compassion for our victims, for our survivors, for our witnesses. And we have to have compassion even for those who committed the worst crime. Bryan Stevenson says none of us want to be judged by the worst thing we've ever done. And in California, we are moving away from the death penalty. Our governor has declared a moratorium on the death penalty. We have not executed anyone in more than a decade. I believe 2020 was the last time. But across the state, prosecutors are getting that message. And most recently in Santa Clara County, which is one
Starting point is 01:05:40 of our neighboring counties, the district attorney in that office did essentially say that he is going to move to remove the death penalty sentence from all of the cases in his jurisdiction. He has 15 cases. Our situation is a little different. We—obviously, we have 35 cases that we know about. We know that it could be more. As we dig more, we are prepared to follow the trail wherever it leads.
Starting point is 01:06:06 But we have to do that on a case-by-case basis. We can't just do a blanket change. We now have to evaluate, because every conviction that is not constitutionally solid and did not comply with the mandate of California law will have to be fixed. Mustafa. Mr. Caterity Price, thank you. And I'm just going to leave it at thank you, and folks can fill in the blank. You know, we often talk about a right to a jury of our peers is enshrined in the Constitution. Can you share with folks how important it is to actually be a part of a jury? Because lots of times folks will find reasons not to participate. And for me, voting, both, that's important.
Starting point is 01:06:55 And then the other side of the equation is the jury, the opportunity to actually do your civic duty. So could you just share with folks why that's important? Everything in the law depends on the jury. It is the one place where everyday people can come together and make a decision about how to hold someone in their community accountable. As a trial lawyer for 40 years, I tried dozens, hundreds of cases, both up and down in the state of California and in federal court, and I rarely had a jury that was diverse. But when I did, and even when I didn't, I understood the value of having diverse points of view. When people go in that jury room, they need to understand some of the things that have impacted the person who is accused of crime
Starting point is 01:07:46 and is so important that there be some level of cultural competence. That helps people to understand the facts. And you can't understand facts just based on one single life experience. You have to have a diversity of thought, a diversity of experience, a diversity of culture. All of that is what helps people get to the truth. And I do believe in the jury system. I do believe that juries can get to the truth. But it has to be done—it has to be fair.
Starting point is 01:08:20 And you have to allow people who are able and willing to serve to serve. That's from the lawyer's perspective, from the person's perspective. This is a civic right that few places in the world have, that we are unique in our country, that we have this. And it is as precious as the right to vote. For women and Black people, we couldn't serve on juries. People had to die for us to serve on juries. And we still fight the stigma in our criminal justice system that we are not considered credible. The word of a black woman often is not given the same weight as a white man. And unless and until we have black people,
Starting point is 01:09:01 black women, other people of other cultures and other experiences on a jury, we're not going to get over that kind of bias and discrimination in our criminal justice system. Absolutely. Well, look, we certainly appreciate you being on the case and continue the good work and keep us updated what happens here. 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.
Starting point is 01:09:37 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, But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. 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.
Starting point is 01:10:06 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 Lott. And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast.
Starting point is 01:10:35 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
Starting point is 01:10:50 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.
Starting point is 01:11:06 NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corps vet. MMA fighter Liz Caramouch. 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.
Starting point is 01:11:19 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. Sometimes as dads, I think we're too hard on ourselves. We get down on ourselves on not being able to, you know think we're too hard on ourselves. We get down on ourselves on not being able to, you know, we're the providers, but we also have to learn to take care of ourselves. A wrap-away, you've got to pray for yourself as well as for everybody else,
Starting point is 01:11:56 but never forget yourself. Self-love made me a better dad because I realized my worth. Never stop being a dad. That's dedication. Find out more at fatherhood.gov. Brought to you by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Ad Council. All right, thank you.
Starting point is 01:12:13 All right, folks, got to go to break. We'll be right back. I'm Roland Martin-Unfilter on the Black Star Network. Back in a moment. Next on The Black Table, with me, Greg Cullman. Dr. Kwasi Kanadu, author, scholar, and healer. He is one of the truly representative thinkers and activists of our generation. I had a dream, you know, a particular night.
Starting point is 01:12:37 And when I woke up, several ancestors came to me. And they came to me and said, I really like what you're doing, but you have to do more. His writing provides a deep and unique dive into African history through the eyes of some of the interesting characters who have lived in it, including some in his own family. The multi-talented, always fascinating Dr. Kwesi Kanadu on the next Black Table here on the Black Star Network. On the next Get Wealthy with me, Deborah Owens, America's Wealth Coach, have you ever had that million-dollar idea and wondered how you could make it a reality? On the next Get Wealthy, you're going to meet Leska Ask-A-Lease, the inventress, someone who made her own idea a reality and now is showing others how they can do it too. Positive, focusing in on the thing that you want to do, writing it down and not speaking to naysayers or anybody about your product until you've taken some steps to at least execute.
Starting point is 01:13:47 At least got Ask Elise on the next Get Wealthy right here, only on Blackstar Network. Hey, yo, what's up? It's Mr. Dalvin right here. What's up? This is KC. Sitting here representing the J-O-D-E-C-I. That's Jodeci. Right here on Roland Martin Unfiltered. All right, folks. Supreme Court will be hearing oral arguments on another case dealing with the issue of abortion. This time, Idaho versus United States.
Starting point is 01:14:25 The issue is whether medical providers can give emergency abortion care under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, the federal law requiring hospitals to provide stabilizing treatment to patients who show up in emergency rooms. Idaho has an abortion ban that only includes an exception to save the life of the pregnant person. It contends that the law does not preempt its abortion ban because there's no conflict between the state and federal law since that federal law requires physicians to do everything in their power to preserve the life of both the pregnant person and the fetus.
Starting point is 01:15:09 Sabrina Tluchter is the director of Women's Initiative at the Center for American Progress. She joins us right now. Sabrina, glad to have you here. So walk us through this here, because we saw stories last week where women showed up at an emergency room in Texas. They refused her care. One of the women died as a result. And we're seeing hospitals that are saying, hey, we're handcuffed by these state laws because we don't know if we should treat these patients. If we make a decision on the spot to actually abort the fetus, then they could be prosecuted. And so some doctors are saying, hey, I can't do anything. And that's endangering the lives of folk. And I thought these conservatives were pro-life. That's a really great way to end it. And thank you so much for having me. The heart of this case is about an untenable conflict that Idaho's near total abortion ban
Starting point is 01:16:11 places physicians in. Idaho's near total abortion ban says that abortion is outlawed in every single circumstance except for three very narrow instances, which as you said, includes the life of the patient. However, EMTALA, the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, says that stabilizing medical treatment has to be provided to anyone that enters an emergency department, even if they can't pay. And for 40 years, for as long as EMTALA has been around, abortion care has always been considered stabilizing medical treatment. And this isn't a workaround of the Dobbs decision. And this isn't, you know, something new. This has been going on for 40 years.
Starting point is 01:16:57 And the reality is that what the Idaho state legislator could not have fathomed because of their political views is that abortion care is health care, and abortions are sometimes necessary to prevent the deterioration of health for a mother. And at every point in this case, from when this case started two years ago, physicians, medical associations and provider advocacy organizations have submitted testimonies, have provided evidence that what is happening in Idaho and what requires of them from Intala puts them in an irreconcilable conflict. And the people that bear the consequences are patients, but also the entire health infrastructure
Starting point is 01:17:44 of the state of Idaho. Since this ban has been written over two years ago, we've seen multiple maternity wards shut down in rural parts of Idaho, and we've seen one in five obstetricians stop practicing. And what that means is Idaho's maternal mortality rate has doubled. And we've just seen how things like the state abortion ban have made places like Idaho unsafe for pregnant women. And the reality is that the Supreme Court sides with Idaho. Other states will see a similar pattern. Well, and that's really what we see here. And then what you hear from conservatives, from Republicans, is that, oh, well, the bottom line is everything is good. Yeah, but they can't explain, one, the increase in deaths.
Starting point is 01:18:37 Absolutely. And also just the increase in the long-term health consequences of a pregnant woman not getting the care that she needs. You know, abortion care isn't just necessary to save the life of someone. It could be for reasons like preserving future fertility options, for preeclampsia, for ectoptic molar pregnancies, for hemorrhaging that happens. Being pregnant is a dangerous situation and women are really vulnerable to so many long-term health consequences. And that's why this case is so important, because the outcome of Idaho v. United States impacts every single pregnant woman, medical provider, and Antala-certified medical facility in the United States, regardless if abortion is legal in that state. Questions from our panel. Joy, you're first.
Starting point is 01:19:29 Well, first of all, thank you so much for being on tonight. And I would want to give you time to talk about, CAP has another report out, I believe this on how far people have to drive. So I don't know, to get abortion services, which is really unbelievable and how it tracks with the poorest people in the nation. They have to travel the farthest to get abortion. Their reproductive health care has been severely limited. But I also want to ask, what are the implications outside of abortion to a bad Supreme Court ruling here? That's a great question. And the implications are far-reaching and profound. We've already seen, as I mentioned,
Starting point is 01:20:10 the state of Idaho, just a complete change to access to healthcare. Maternity wards have shut down. One in five obstetricians have stopped practicing. There are 50% less OB-GYNs applying for training and to do their residency in Idaho, and half of all of the maternal care specialists in Idaho have left. And that's because no one wants to practice in a state where your job is subjected to criminal and civil sanctions. And this is a trend that we're
Starting point is 01:20:41 seeing across the entire United States, that, you know, people just can't work in places that criminalize their oath and criminalize their job. And the people that are directly impacted by this, it's not the Idaho state legislature, it's vulnerable pregnant women. And Idaho already ranks last in the country for provider to patient ratio. And what we'll see is just profound consequences on women's access to basic health care, to maternity care, prenatal care, etc. And another really important consequence that I feel like people aren't talking enough about is about the potential for carve-outs to EMTALA. If the Supreme Court signs with the Idaho state legislature, it'll send a message and create a legal precedent for state legislatures to carve out EMTALA for a variety of things. It could be based on a population. It could be for
Starting point is 01:21:46 high-cost conditions. The list really goes on, and it's really scary because EMTALA is the bedrock of emergency care in the United States. It could be for aid-related emergencies. It could be for chronic conditions. State legislators can just say, I don't like that. I think we should take it out. And pregnant people will already be rendered second-class citizens if the Supreme Court sides with Idaho. They will not have the same degree of federal protections as anyone else. And the horrific consequence is that even more populations and even more conditions will be subjected to potential carve-outs. Jean-Claude? Yes. So as, and thank you so much for being here. Studies have shown, of course, that African-American women have a high maternal mortality rate and actually one of the highest in the world.
Starting point is 01:22:46 And so with that being the case, if in fact the Supreme Court does side with Idaho, what effects, disproportionate or not, will that have on minority women and their access to health care while pregnant? Thank you so much for bringing it up. We are absolutely in the midst of, and we have been for a long time, in a Black maternal mortality crisis, and also a crisis of maternal morbidity, where even if someone does survive birth, they have to endure long-term health consequences because the prenatal and postnatal care they received, if anything, was so minimal and, quite frankly, pathetic. And what will happen in Idaho versus the United States is, of course, groups that have already been given less access to care will suffer even more and the impacts will
Starting point is 01:23:48 be disproportionate. And what we're also dealing with is the criminalization of care. We've already seen Brittany Watts being taken into court in handcuffs because she was rejected from an emergency department four times because she was going through a miscarriage. And that's something that we don't talk about enough, that yes, there will be horrific maternal health consequences, an increase in infant mortality rates, etc., because Black, brown women are going to be—the access, the critical access point will be even less than it is today. But there's also the fear of criminalization. People don't want to go to the hospital anyway because of the discrimination and, you know, sometimes just violence that they're subjected to. Why would someone want to go when they're scared that abortion might be illegal in their state?
Starting point is 01:24:43 Or they think that going to an ER department is now illegal in their state. And this issue really highlights the intersectionality of the criminal legal system and how it is used now in an abortion context. And as history has shown, it will be used disproportionately against Black and brown women. And that's why this case is so important, that this case does not impact just Idaho. It impacts every single pregnant person in the United States. Mustafa. Sabrina, thank you for everything you do and everything that CAP does. You know, America has always wanted to control women's bodies.
Starting point is 01:25:23 We saw what they did with Black women, Brown women, Indigenous. 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.
Starting point is 01:25:53 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,
Starting point is 01:26:13 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.
Starting point is 01:26:38 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,
Starting point is 01:26:51 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.
Starting point is 01:27:07 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.
Starting point is 01:27:22 It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. Listen to does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeart radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear episodes one week early
Starting point is 01:27:35 and ad free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple podcast. We asked parents who adopted teens to share their journey. We just kind of knew from the beginning that we were family. They showcased a sense of love
Starting point is 01:27:56 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.
Starting point is 01:28:12 Brought to you by AdoptUSKids, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Ad Council. ...this women for, you know, for hundreds and hundreds of years. Can we talk about the strategy for everyday people getting engaged to make sure that we can get wins in this space? Because we often talk, and we should, about the impacts that are happening and the disparities. But there are a lot of folks who want to know, how do I get engaged and how do I become a part of a movement for change? That's such a great question. I'm so grateful that you asked that. I think that hope is a verb. And in a situation like this, where the intersectionality of abortion access, the politicization of a judiciary system so disproportionately impacts
Starting point is 01:28:58 marginalized communities of color, this is such a wonderful question. To me, there are so many ways to get involved to improve access to basic care for marginalized communities within this space of abortion access. I think first advocating for Black women-led centers of care, whether it's doula care, community care, et cetera, that allow people to safely access culturally competent and trauma-informed services. And this is part of federal legislation, state legislation that's been happening across the country. I think second is, you know, across the country, we've seen in red, purple, and blue states that abortion wins. And we've seen far-right state legislatures do everything in their power to make it really difficult to put a ballot on the—
Starting point is 01:29:56 I'm sorry, to put a ballot initiative on the agenda. And we've seen in states like Ohio that people have really banded together, organized, and overcome those hurdles that state legislators have put in. And I do think that abortion access has become a rallying cry for women across political ideologies in a way that we haven't seen recently. And I'm really hopeful that through storytelling, people can understand that regardless of your zip code and regardless of what party you come from, that lack of access to abortion care is lack of access to health care. We have a really incredible storytelling series on our website that goes into, you know, for medical providers in states with abortion bans and what it means to provide care, what it means to be able to be safe
Starting point is 01:30:52 from criminal sanctions because of EMTALA, and what it means for them to turn away patients or wait for their legal department to tell them, oh, now it's okay, your patient is bleeding out in front of you and you're at the point of dying, like they're at the point of dying. Now you can operate and abide by your oath. I think these are the stories that need to be shared because they, it brings a lot of other people to the table because this is not, this is not normal. And, you know, providers and patients deserve basic access to care, basic confidential communications, and that's why, again, EMTALA is so important for every person in this country.
Starting point is 01:31:35 All right, then. Well, Sabrina, we appreciate it. Thank you so very much for your perspective. Thanks a lot. Thank you so much for having me. All right, looking forward to having you back. All right, folks, got to go to break. When we come back, we're going to talk about some crazy stuff from Newt Gingrich and also attacks on DEI from Hollywood screenwriter
Starting point is 01:31:55 David Mamet. But before we do that, a lot of y'all have been asking me about, of course, the pocket squares that we've available on our website. You see me rocking the Shibori pocket square right here. And it's all about looking different. And look, summertime is coming up. And so, y'all know, I keep trying to tell fellas, change your look, please. You can't wear athletic shoes every damn where. And so, if you're putting on linen suits, if you're putting on some summer suits,
Starting point is 01:32:23 have a whole different look. The reason I like this particular pocket square, these shiboris, because it's sort of like a flower and looks pretty cool here, versus the traditional boring silk pocket squares. But also, I like being a little different as well. So this is why we have these custom-made feather pocket squares on the website as well.
Starting point is 01:32:45 My sister actually designed these after a few years ago. I was in this battle with Steve Harvey at Essence. And I saw I saw this at a St. Jude fundraiser. I saw this feather pocket square and I said, well, I got some ideas. So I hit her and she sent me about 30 different ones. And so this completely changes your look. Now, some of you men out there, I had some dudes say, oh, man, I can't wear that. Well, if you ain't got swagger, that's not my problem.
Starting point is 01:33:10 But if you are looking for something different to spruce up your look, fellas, ladies, if y'all looking to get your man a good gift, I've run into brothers all across the country with the feather pocket squares saying, see, check mine out. And so it's always good to see them. And so this is what you do. Go to rollinglessmartin.com forward slash pocket squares. You can order shibori pocket squares or the custom-made pocket squares. Now, for the shiboris, we're out of a lot of the different colors.
Starting point is 01:33:38 And I think we're down to about 200 or 300. So you want to get your order in as soon as you can, because here's what happened. I got these several years ago and the Japanese company signed the deal with another company and I bought them before they signed that deal. And so I can't get access to any more from the company in Japan that makes them. And so get yours now. So come summertime when I see y'all at Essence, y'all could be looking fly with the Chibori pocket square or the custom-made pocket square. Again, rollinglessmartin.com forward slash pocket squares. Go there now. Hatred on the streets, a horrific scene, a white nationalist rally that descended into deadly
Starting point is 01:34:20 violence. White people are losing their damn minds. There's an angry pro-Trump mob storm to the U.S. Capitol. We're about to see the rise of what I call white minority resistance. We have seen white folks in this country who simply cannot tolerate black folks voting. I think what we're seeing is the inevitable result of violent denial. This is part of American history. Every time that people of color have made progress, whether real or symbolic, there has been what Carol Anderson at Emory University calls white rage as a backlash. This is the wrath of the Proud Boys and the Boogaloo Boys. America, there's going to be
Starting point is 01:35:01 more of this. This country is getting increasingly racist in its behaviors and its attitudes because of the fear of white people. The fear that they're taking our jobs, they're taking our resources, they're taking our women. This is white fear. Fanbase is pioneering a new era of social media for the creator economy. This next generation social media app with over 600,000 users is raising $17 million
Starting point is 01:35:44 and now is your $17 million. And now is your chance to invest for details on how to invest. Visit start engine.com slash fan base or scan the QR code. Another way we're giving you the freedom to be you without limits. What's good y'all. This is Doug E. Freshen watching my brother Roland Martin unfiltered
Starting point is 01:36:08 as we go a little something like this. Hit it. It's real. It really gets on my nerves when I see conservatives, especially white conservatives, say some of the most outlandish things when it comes to comparing the plight of thug-in-chief Donald Trump to the revered veterans of the Black Freedom Movement, also known as the civil rights movement. Newt Gingrich, the disgraced former Speaker of the House, who should not give anybody any marital advice whatsoever,
Starting point is 01:36:51 was on Fox News, and this idiot actually said this. I think in terms of the court, something that Speaker Mike Johnson said really struck home with me when he said about the decision on whether or not to help Israel and Ukraine, that this is not a game. Let me tell you, I am deeply worried that tomorrow a totally corrupt judge and a totally corrupt district attorney are going to try to put a former president of the United States, candidate of his party, and frontrunner in the polls in jail. Now, I think this is so horrendous that there has to be some way to reach out to the Supreme Court. I mean,
Starting point is 01:37:39 this is literally like some of the civil rights workers in Mississippi in the 1960s. The New York system is now so deeply corrupted and it is so bitterly, deeply anti-Trump. The absurdity of the judge's daughter, who made millions and millions of dollars doing anti-Trump politics, and the judge would like us to believe, much like Joe Biden, he had no idea what his children were doing. THE FACT THAT THE JUDGE WOULD LIKE US TO BELIEVE, MUCH LIKE JOE BIDEN, HE HAD NO IDEA WHAT HIS CHILDREN WERE DOING. THE WHOLE THING, FRANKLY, RESEMBLES ON THE WATERFRONT STANDING KUBLICK'S GRILLIAN
Starting point is 01:38:13 FILM. THIS IS ABOUT CORRUPTION. IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH HONESTY. AND WHAT WORRIES ME IS IT'S A GENUINE THREAT TO DONALD TRUMP. I MEAN, I THINK ANY STEP would put him close to a New York prison is an extraordinarily dangerous step. And I would hope that there's some legal way to block
Starting point is 01:38:31 it and make sure that it never happens, because the thugs he's dealing with are totally out of control, have total contempt for the rule of law, and frankly are— 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.
Starting point is 01:39:05 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,
Starting point is 01:39:28 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
Starting point is 01:39:44 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.
Starting point is 01:40:00 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.
Starting point is 01:40:25 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.
Starting point is 01:40:40 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. Sometimes as dads, I think we're too hard on ourselves. We get down on ourselves on not being able to, you know, we're the providers.
Starting point is 01:41:10 But we also have to learn to take care of ourselves. A wrap-away, you've got to pray for yourself as well as for everybody else. But never forget yourself. Self-love made me a better dad because I realized my worth. Never stop being a dad. That's dedication. Find out more at fatherhood.gov. Brought to you by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Starting point is 01:41:31 and the Ad Council. Unworthy of being in the offices they hold. New Gingrich literally said on Fox News with a straight face and compared what this rich, privileged, demon-possessed individual Donald Trump is dealing with in a New York City courtroom is akin to what civil rights workers went through in some of the most brutal conditions of racial hatred in American history. Cheney, Schwerner, and Goodman were beaten, shot to death,
Starting point is 01:42:52 mutilated, bodies disposed. What's crazy is that when the FBI was searching for their bodies, they uncovered other bodies of folks who had been disposed of. When we start talking about the homes of black people that were blown up in Florida, in Mississippi, in Alabama, numerous places, when we talk about folks who were brutalized, who were sodomized, who were sexually assaulted, who were lynched, who had their private parts cut off. You actually have the audacity to crap on their legacy by comparing them to
Starting point is 01:43:52 this charlatan who comes to court in a blue suit and a long ass red tie who comes in with secret service protection who goes and sleeps in his 10,000 square foot home, who travels to Florida on his private plane to Mar-a-Lago to pal around with a bunch of other rich-ass folks and celebrate giving them tax breaks. You knew Gingrich, a so-called historian,
Starting point is 01:44:27 literally goes on Fox News and tries to compare with this shameless individual who paid off a porn star who he cheated on against his wife, had his attorney Michael Cohen make the payments, a man who has lied, who has cheated on his taxes, who tried to overturn an election, who continues to lie about the election, and you have the audacity to compare him to black civil rights workers and white folks of conscience around the country who were
Starting point is 01:45:07 fighting for the right to vote. Black people who were prevented from being a part of the Democratic delegation at Atlantic City in 1964. The folks who were shut out of public office all across Mississippi. The people who were condemned, who were chastised, who had their crops destroyed, folks who were thrown in jail. When you talk about some of the most heinous things, when you had black young folks put in parchment prison, when you had a young black woman who was viciously beaten so bad, her face was double the size of her face normally. Her eyes were almost coming out of her head.
Starting point is 01:45:50 Her lip was busted. And all she could simply say was freedom. When they sang songs in jails, when they came up missing, when parents prayed if their kids would come home every single night out of fear they would run into Klansmen. You, Newt Gingrich, you have the audacity to invoke those people. Shame on your punk ass for having the gall to raise that. All the things that black folks have done in this country, putting lives on the line and this sorry, no good son of a bitch who couldn't even go to the war because he faked so
Starting point is 01:46:33 called a bone spurs in his feet. The man who has shamed POWs, the man who has spit on the folks who have died, according to his former chief of staff, John Kelly, when he wouldn't even go to their graves. You literally raised that when Army veteran Medgar Evers was shot and killed, assassinated, getting out of his car, and he died on his doorstep with his wife and children yelling
Starting point is 01:47:04 and screaming, and it was Byron Della Beckwith who actually did it you literally said that crap oh hell no there's no way in the world I could sit here as a conscious black man and allow you Newt Gingrich, a truly pathetic individual, to invoke those people. They are American heroes. They are American sheroes. They are the individuals who made this country truly live up to, as Dr. King said, be true to what you put on paper. And you are not going to sit there on Fox News and make that type of comment and invoke their name and their fight
Starting point is 01:47:47 and their legacy to compare it to this, yes, son of a bitch Donald Trump, because that's exactly what he is. That man has no morals, no valuables, no values, no principles, no ethics. He stands for nothing. He fights for nobody. He only cares about himself. And you sit here and actually say somebody need to call the Supreme Court to put a stop to this? I thought y'all cared about law and order. I thought y'all cared about what's right. Y'all sure as hell kept wanting to put Hillary Clinton in jail.
Starting point is 01:48:25 But I hope everybody now understands what we're dealing with. So all y'all folk out there who are like, hey, you know what? I kind of like Trump. When DJ Academic sits there and interviews Donald Trump Jr. and talks about, oh, I like how he talks tough. That man don't give a damn about you or nobody else. And Newt Gingrich, you say that, nah, nah. You are not going to even remotely associate those heroes with this gutless piece of crap.
Starting point is 01:49:00 And that's... 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
Starting point is 01:49:26 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.
Starting point is 01:49:42 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.
Starting point is 01:50:12 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
Starting point is 01:50:25 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.
Starting point is 01:50:42 Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown. We got B-Real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corps vet. MMA fighter Liz Caramouch. 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.
Starting point is 01:50:57 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. Here's the deal. We got to set ourselves up. See, retirement is the long game.
Starting point is 01:51:28 We got to make moves and make them early. Set up goals. Don't worry about a setback. Just save up and stack up to reach them. Let's put ourselves in the right position. Pre-game to greater things. Start building your retirement plan at thisispreetirement.org. Brought to you by AARP and the Ad Council.
Starting point is 01:51:51 Who Donald Trump is. Mustafa. You know, Donald Trump is devoid of light. It's like a black hole that continues to pull everything because its gravitational pull becomes stronger and stronger and stronger because it's feeding on the energy around it. And for Newt Gingrich, who has been around for a long time and who has actually seen talented individuals who may have been in the Republican Party, to continue to uplift
Starting point is 01:52:21 this individual who, as you said, cares about no one, speaks volumes about where their party currently is and how if they don't begin to address it, that it will continue to unravel this country. So, you know, there's nothing wrong with being supportive of a party if it is not doing things to deconstruct, to bring havoc, to actually put people's lives in danger. You know, Donald Trump has never had to sacrifice for anything, but has sacrificed many individuals for his own personal gains.
Starting point is 01:52:58 And for Newt Gingrich to continue to feed into this, once again, speaks to how the particular party at the moment's moral compass is broken at best or no longer has any moral value to add to this democratic thing that we are trying to figure out how we get it right. So, you know, I hope folks will educate themselves, and I hope that they will begin to actually look for individuals who are focused on trying to uplift our country, who are trying to make sure that those who have never had a voice now have a voice and try and make sure that we're creating something better for our children and our children's children. But by the current sets of activities they're doing, they're falling short at best. Donald Trump has absolutely no redeeming value whatsoever, Joy, not one. And the reason this even ticks me off, because when I talk about the black civil rights workers, when you talk about Fannie Lou Hamer, when you talk about Bob Moses,
Starting point is 01:54:00 when you talk about all these individuals, it's not just black people. It's so many other folk who put their lives on the line, who actually were willing to stand up and fight to end Jim Crow, to end segregation in this country. And so this so-called fight Donald Trump is in, paying off a porn star, you can't even remotely compare that to the battle against Jim Crow. Go to my iPad, Henry. This is a white man, y'all, who on this day in 1963, his name is William Moore. He was from Mississippi, but he had moved to Baltimore. He was found dead, as you see right here. This is from the Equal Justice Institute.
Starting point is 01:54:41 On April 23, 1963, William L. Moore was found dead on U.S. Highway 11 near Atala, Alabama, four days shy of his 36th birthday. He was a white man in the midst of a one-man civil rights march to Jackson, Mississippi, to implore Mississippi Governor Ross Barnett to support integration efforts. He wore signs that read, End Segregation in America, Eat at Joe's, both black and white, And equal rights for all, Mississippi or Abus. He was a resident of Baltimore, A member of the Congress of Racial Equality. On his first protest, he walked to Annapolis, Maryland,
Starting point is 01:55:15 From Baltimore. On his second march, he walked to the White House. For what proved to be his final march, He planned his walk from Chattanooga, Tennessee, To Jackson. Donald Trump, in no where, from Chattanooga, Tennessee to Jackson. Donald Trump in nowhere, anywhere, anyway, anyhow, Joy,
Starting point is 01:55:29 should ever be mentioned in the same breath as this courageous white man, William Moore. That's right. And keep in mind, Newt Gingrich was an older man. So he's not talking about a bygone era that he doesn't remember. He was a contemporary
Starting point is 01:55:48 of some of these civil rights leaders, champions, people who marched or who was immediately their junior, right? Immediately the inheritor of that generation. And while he often tries to erase it from his resume, he started off as a Rockefeller Republican, right? A more moderate Republican, an era that we don't even think about now. Mr. Rockefeller would be appalled at who he has become and would have known at that time, as the young Newt knew at that time, that Donald Trump and anyone in his league, including the current version of Newt Gingrich, are not fit to utter the names across their lips of any of the people who died, who fought, who bled, who cried during the civil rights movement.
Starting point is 01:56:40 He ought to be ashamed of himself. John Quayle, he's from Georgia. He knows better. Now, if he wants to look like a fool and go defend Donald Trump, I don't care. You can do whatever. But what you're not going to do is invoke
Starting point is 01:57:00 civil rights workers in Mississippi in the 60s and nobody say a thing. Listen, that was another difficult thing to watch. Right. Because the civil rights movement, you know, Donald Trump has during the course of his campaign, has made references about why the Blacks support him, right, is because he is facing discrimination by all of these lawsuits. However, the civil rights movement, we were fighting for basic humane rights, right? The ability to walk in the front of a restaurant, the ability to be able to
Starting point is 01:57:47 sit and eat at a restaurant with people that look diverse to us, right? The ability to attend universities, to be a part of anything, right? To be able to do, we were fighting to be able to do anything, to even be able to drink from the same water fountain as someone else, right? And amongst others, you know, you have Emmett Till, which was a teenager that was castrated and dragged by a vehicle. And so, you know, it's very difficult to watch. It's very insulting to even make that comparison. The two shouldn't even be in the same sentence because you're comparing someone who is privileged and someone who has committed crimes, allegedly, right, until he's found guilty. And he's going through the criminal justice system like everyone else that commits crime. But you can't compare these crimes that he is being prosecuted for with us fighting for basic human rights.
Starting point is 01:58:57 There's nothing similar. Nothing. And frankly, you know, the fact that there are any types of mentions that black people support him because of the discrimination that he's facing is. It's it's a horrific thing to even have to listen to or to watch. Well, actually, it's insane. All right, folks, I got to go to break. We come back. We're going to talk about David Mamet and his outlandish take on DEI, which I played for y'all what he had to say. And I got a couple of things to say to him as well. But before we go to that, when I had my last book signing,
Starting point is 01:59:40 I, of course, had my book, White Fear, how the browning of America is making white folks lose their minds. And so folks stopped me. They said, Rolla, I want to get all your other books. Well, the reality is the other books are all out of print except the book that I did on the election of President Barack Obama. It was called The First President Barack Obama's Road to the White House. And I told the folks, I said, you know what? I said, I got about, I said, let me go back and check. And so we got about 500 copies of the book available. And so this actually is all of the coverage of the 2008 election.
Starting point is 02:00:13 But the other thing is, is here I talked to folks like Malik Yoba, Hill Harper, Eric Alexander, Kevin Lowe, Spike Lee, Tatiana Ali. There's a lot of behind the scenes stuff in here as well, where I talked about some of the stuff that went down at CNN. Also, when you go through here, a lot of the photos that you see in here are photos that I actually shot, photos that were my time at CNN. And so what I decided to do, because one, I published the book and I own it myself, is that so I say, you know what, I'm going to slash the price to 10 bucks. And so we're going to have shipping and handling $599. I'm going to personally autograph every copy. So if you actually want to order this book, if you want to order this book,
Starting point is 02:00:55 I'm going to personally autograph every single copy. I'm not reprinting the book. So once we are sold out of these $500, that's it. They're gone. I'm not going to reprint it again. So you can go to rollinglessmartin.com forward slash the first to get a copy of this book. And as I said, everybody who orders this book through the Web site, not on Amazon, only through Roland S. Martin dot com. I will personally autograph and mail you a copy of this book. And so, as I said, it's all of the coverage they actually interviews that I did with him and
Starting point is 02:01:26 Just to show you of course when it came out. There's actually even in here the Interviews that I did with him and Michelle Obama Which won TV one? Cable networks his first two NAACP Image Awards and so all of that for ten bucks shipping and handling is $5.99 So if you go to rolling this Martinin.com forward slash the first. Again, I got 500 copies. After that, that's it. I will not be publishing anymore. And again, this is for the folks who keep stopping me and they said, hey, I would love to get your other books.
Starting point is 02:01:56 And so go to rollingnessmartin.com the first and order your copy today. Back in a moment. When you talk about blackness and what happens in black culture, we're about covering these things that matter to us, speaking to our issues and concerns. This is a genuine people-powered movement. A lot of stuff that we're not getting, you get it. And you spread the word. We wish to plead our own cause to long have others spoken for us.
Starting point is 02:02:33 We cannot tell our own story if we can't pay for it. This is about covering us. Invest in black-owned media. Your dollars matter. We don't have to keep asking them to cover our stuff. So please support us in what we do, folks. We want to hit 2,000 people, $50 this month, wait until $100,000. We're behind $100,000, so we want to hit that.
Starting point is 02:02:50 Y'all money makes this possible. Checks and money orders go to P.O. Box 57196, Washington, D.C., 20037-0196. The Cash App is $RM Unfiltered. PayPal is RMartin Unfiltered. Venmo is RM Unfiltered. Zelle is Roland at RolandSMartin.com Fanbase is pioneering
Starting point is 02:03:12 a new era of social media for the creator economy. This next generation social media app with over 600,000 users is raising $17 million and now is your chance to invest. For details on how to invest, visit startengine.com slash fanbase
Starting point is 02:03:28 or scan the QR code. Another way we're giving you the freedom to be you without limits. What's up, everybody? It's your girl Latasha from the A. And you're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered. Isn't it amazing to keep listening to white men whine and complain about diversity, equity and inclusion? Well, recently, screenwriter David Mamet did so at the Los Angeles Book Festival, and he really sounded like a complete ass with his whining.
Starting point is 02:04:09 And so I saw this story and I said, oh, my goodness, we got to go ahead and play for this. I got a few words. Check this out. You sort of allude shifted too far and that you know there are people who say agree with you who are sort of boxed out because of the sort of because of the thinking behind diversity, equity, inclusion initiatives, do you feel like it is putting limits on the quality of the work or on other groups making an impact in Hollywood? I don't know what groups make an impact in Hollywood.
Starting point is 02:05:05 People talk about movies and the movies have to change our lives. No movie ever changed anybody's life. They're flickering images on a screen. They existed originally so that we could go, so that some Jew who got tired of being a tailor would put up a screen and he would show the movie and eventually they came out here and started the movie business. They're there to entertain us.
Starting point is 02:05:26 I don't need someone to educate me. It's the same thing as a sign that says gender-neutral bathroom. What's the difference between gender-neutral bathroom and bathroom? Who does bathroom exclude? So what does gender-neutral bathroom do, right? It politicizes the human excretory function. It's the same thing with DEI. It's, you know, it's fascist totalitarianism.
Starting point is 02:05:52 Leave me a fucking loan. That's what I say. So he actually said a lot more than that. The folks at the L.A. Times actually have a story on that where he talked about a variety of things. And so one of the things he said that, go to my iPad, Henry, he talked about the Academy Awards now requiring having some diversity standards. He goes, the idea that I can't give you a stupid effing statue unless you have 7% of
Starting point is 02:06:22 this, 8% of this, it's intrusive. Now, it says here that Mehmet acknowledged that discrimination barred groups from participating in Hollywood for years. He thinks the pendulum has swung too far in the opposite direction. He describes the leaders of these diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives as diversity capos and diversity commissars. And I love this here. The film industry has little business
Starting point is 02:06:47 improving everybody's racial understanding, as does the fire department. Mehmet said to a few loud laughs in the crowd. He argued that his colleagues are better off selling popcorn than trying to improve representation for women, queer talent, and other marginalized groups. Hmm. Okay. Complaining about bathrooms. We heard that and then
Starting point is 02:07:09 Then then he went on to talk about some other deals But he's also was interesting does Mehmet think all of it think of his children as Nepo babies who benefited from his illustrious career Not at all. He said he feels gratified that they've learned from being on set with him. Quote, they earned it by merit, he said, of daughter Zosia Mamet, who starred in Girls. They haven't benefited from any type of privilege, he said. 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.
Starting point is 02:07:56 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.
Starting point is 02:08:18 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
Starting point is 02:08:36 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 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.
Starting point is 02:08:54 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.
Starting point is 02:09:18 Brent Smith from Shinedown. We got B-Real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Cor 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.
Starting point is 02:09:33 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.
Starting point is 02:10:04 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. And he thinks that DEI initiatives are taking away hard-earned opportunities. Quote, nobody ever gave my kids a job because of who they were related to. Okay, allow me to unpack this.
Starting point is 02:10:47 So I'll start here. You heard in the clip he talked about how a Jew created Hollywood, how they came out west. In fact, there's a book that's really a great book, which is an award-winning book. It's called Empire of Their Own is How the Jews Innovated Hollywood. Fantastic book. It's called Empire of Their Own. It's how the Jews invaded Hollywood. Fantastic book. Takes you through the history of Hollywood. But you know what's going to happen when you read that book? You're going to read about how those same founders of Hollywood actually had considerable racism
Starting point is 02:11:20 in Hollywood. How they froze out African Americans, not just in front of the camera, but behind the camera. Those same individuals blocked advancement of African Americans. The early portrayals of black folks, you had folks in blackface, white actors in blackface. And then when you did have black actors, you had them as some of the most clueless individuals
Starting point is 02:11:44 talking like this. And then you also had the black people When you did have black actors, you had them as some of the most clueless individuals talking like this. And then you also had the black people who just played maids and butlers. Yep, that was that same Hollywood. And those things continued through the decades. You begin to see these things change when you begin to see advancement with civil rights. But see, here's the thing that's interesting that you would think a screenwriter who's 76 years old would understand. Do you realize that movies and music is really America's greatest export?
Starting point is 02:12:21 What I mean by that is, as we do this show right now, there are people who are watching this show who are not in the United States. There are people in this show who are watching in India, who are watching in the UK, who are watching from Canada, who are watching from Jamaica or the Bahamas, who are watching from different countries. If I pulled up the YouTube dashboard, I will show you the folks who are watching all around the world. And do you know what media has done? Media has actually shaped the perspective of how people view Americans through the mediums.
Starting point is 02:13:00 And so if you lived overseas in the 40s and the 50s and the 60s and 70s and 80s and the 90s of the present day, your view of America was shaped through what you saw in the movies. This is the same Hollywood that when 12 Years a Slave came out, Chiwetel was removed from the poster overseas and Brad Pitt was put on the poster. I'm sorry wasn't she would tell E.G.O. for the star of the film because he was the one who was 12 years a slave. So even in that movie he took the brother off and put Brad Pitt on. Because for so long, Hollywood said, yeah, we can't market black people overseas. We can't market black movies. But two-thirds of the world is people of color.
Starting point is 02:13:54 Hmm. That thing called racism in Hollywood. And so what David says here is that I think the pendulum has swung too far. I'm sorry. You mean to tell me when you have movies that are largely, and when I say largely, I'm talking 80 and 90% directed by white men. And then when you have all white writers' rooms, and then when you have all white production rooms,
Starting point is 02:14:24 and when you have folk who hire their friends and they lock people out, I'm sorry, explain to me the pendulum has swung. Let me help you all out. If the pendulum is over here and it's 90% white, if you say the pendulum has swung too far, that means it's now 90% black Latino. That's not the case. See, really what David is saying is, damn it, we don't have all the jobs
Starting point is 02:14:57 anymore. Damn, we now got to compete. They now are creating programs that are forcing us to have to now talk to other people who don't look like us in order for them to get hired. And it is driving white people crazy. There's a reason I wrote my book, White Fear, how the browning of America
Starting point is 02:15:21 is making white folks lose their minds. Because they now have to compete. And so David Medmet, who's 76 years old, he can't stand the fact that a young black writer, who in the history of Hollywood was frozen out and the only way he could get onto a lot was if there was a broom in his hand, now has access. See, he says in here that, oh,
Starting point is 02:15:54 it's taking away hard-earned opportunities. Really? Really? In the same breath? How he says his kids earned it. Watch me now. Watch me now. His kids earned it by merit from being on set with him. So you mean daddy brought daughter to work every day or sons to work they now have access to the system because of daddy then he says nobody ever gave my kids a job because of who they were related to.
Starting point is 02:16:51 Do y'all understand that the best way for you to get a job in the NFL to be a coach is to be related to one? The tree of NFL coaches that are sons and nephews of other coaches is tremendous. It even happens in the booth, the broadcast booth. Phil Simms followed by his son Chris Simms who flamed out at quarterback but now he's a top announcer. Multiple folks named Albert, who are announcers. Multiple people named Buck, who are announcers. How many black people, David, have an opportunity to come to the set every day? And let's just be real. David Mamet, I think that's how his name is pronounced, is a legendary screenwriter. Are you trying to convince me that if your last name was Mamet and you asked for a meeting in Hollywood,
Starting point is 02:17:56 the first question they would not ask is, is your daddy David? You damn right you're going to get a meeting. Oh, you're probably going to get a meeting because you're going to receptions and parties with your daddy. And you now are meeting the elite of Hollywood. You're now meeting the folks who greenlight films. You're now meeting the folks who produce films. You're meeting the folks who direct films. And so there's no doubt that they are going to hook up David Mamet's daughter with an opportunity because of who her daddy is. And see, I love this here. I love this.
Starting point is 02:18:38 They learned from me. They learned from me. But being on set every day, quote, they earned it by merit. Michael Jordan had sons. He's arguably the greatest basketball player ever. They sat next to him every day. They went to games with Michael Jordan. Michael Jordan's sons
Starting point is 02:19:11 can't play like Michael Jordan. So this idea that just because your kids came with you, just somehow that makes them amazing and highly talented because they came to work with you. See, what the David Mamets don't want to confront is your family is getting the hookup because of you. And Hollywood is all about the hookup. Who do you know? What the Mad Men cannot stand.
Starting point is 02:19:48 See, I'm staying on that. The pendulum has swung too far. Y'all, this is the pendulum. This is how far it swung. Oh, let me go back. This is the pendulum. This is how far it swung. Not here. Not halfway. Not here. Not here.
Starting point is 02:20:12 It was here and it swung right here. Oh, they're taking away hard earned opportunities. What the haters of DEI don't like is that they have had this thing to themselves. Y'all, I'm in the media business. You think I'm lying? If I ask Henry to come out here right now
Starting point is 02:20:42 and say, Henry, you worked in production for 30 years here in D.C. You've worked at all of these places, NBC, ABC, CBS, C-SPAN, all of these people. And we had the TV One show, y'all, over at, during TV One. We contracted the studio out with News Channel. And I was in there one day. Now, mind you, we're a TV, a TV, we're a black-owned network. And I'm sitting here and I had to ask the question,
Starting point is 02:21:09 why is nearly everybody I see as a technician non-black? Now we had a couple of black folks who ran cameras, but the folks in audio, the folks in video playback, the folks in lighting, the folk in other areas of production, there were very few black people. Because you know why? Because so-and-so would say, well, I got a buddy. I got a buddy. I got a buddy.
Starting point is 02:21:39 That's how jobs get filled. We've frozen out of those economic opportunities. Very few African-Americans, look, I'm going to be straight up. When we launched this show, all of my audio technicians were black. I said, Henry, you got to tell my man he going to have to hire some black people to train them how to do audio. Here's my whole point. You cannot change the game unless you bring in folk
Starting point is 02:22:15 and you can't depend on folks' good nature to do it. John Landgraf, who is the president of FX, he said that. I've talked about him beforehand. John Landgraf saw it. John Landgraf, who is the president of FX, he said that. I've talked about him beforehand. John Landgraf saw it. He said, I cannot have 90% of my showrunners and directors being white men. He said, quote, I love my white men. He said, but my job is to produce content for a diversified audience. If all of my content, if all of my writers, my showrunners, my directors are coming from the same perspective, then I'm not going to be able to appeal to a broader audience and they will not be able to watch my shows.
Starting point is 02:23:00 Therefore, my ratings will not be able to go up. My shows will not win awards. I will not be able to go up. My shows will not win awards. I will not be able to generate ratings. I will not be able to increase advertising. And then I'm going to be out of a job. So John Landgraf said, this got to change. And within a year, numbers had changed. Because you know what happened?
Starting point is 02:23:21 Because they were forced to do so, they were forced to go talk to women, white women. They were forced to go find black folks and Latinos. Chris Rock called out Lorne Michaels at Saturday Night Live. Chris Rock said, y'all keep going to the same two places to get the same people to be on Saturday Night Live. Y'all go to Second City or y'all go to the same white comedy clubs. He said, y'all don't go to the black comedy clubs. Y'all don't see the amazing black talent.
Starting point is 02:23:56 He said, because y'all keep going to the same people and the same places. Chris said, y'all are going gonna have to go to some other places in order to do that. I don't have the name of it right now, y'all find it for me, but there was a famous black comedy club in Los Angeles. And guess what? All the white comedy clubs, Laugh-In, Laugh Factory,
Starting point is 02:24:17 that's where all the white comics. The black comics couldn't go there. If you go to, actually, if you go to Amazon Prime Video, I think it's Amazon or Hulu, my man, Guy Torrey, they have a documentary called Fat Tuesdays because what happened was the black comedy club where Robin Harris was, that's where all the black talent was.
Starting point is 02:24:35 They couldn't get to the white comedy club. They were frozen out of the white comedy club except for a few black people. Guy Torrey created Fat Tuesday, which allowed the black comedians to have one night and for the white talent folk to come see them. That's how many of them got shows. If God doesn't create that, then you don't put them in front of the folk who are picking the people to do television shows, sitcoms and movies.
Starting point is 02:25:02 And also field writers rooms. See, the David Mamet's, what they can't stand is they can't stand the fact that what the Academy is now saying is, y'all have to do this. We're going to force you to do this, because David, we can't depend on folk doing this thing the right way. And that's really what DEI does. And see, this is very simple to anybody
Starting point is 02:25:27 white who opposes DEI. Do the right thing. Do the right thing. See, now, don't come talk to me about hard-earned opportunities and how some folks getting frozen out.
Starting point is 02:25:44 Well, y'all been freezing us out for more than 100 years. Now, all of a sudden, y'all want to talk about merit. Now, all of a sudden, y'all want to talk about, oh, so-and-so deserves it. Do you really want to have that conversation? The number of talented, smart, black people who were kept out of medical schools, kept out of law schools, kept out of writer's rooms, kept off of the stage, kept out of numerous jobs, and now all of a sudden, a couple of black people and Latinos, and let's be real clear, the greatest beneficiary of DEI has been white women. Now, because the room is no longer white male faces, oh, my God, the pendulum has simply swung too far.
Starting point is 02:26:36 Really? Is that what you're saying? Now, a lot of these DEI initiatives are BS because the leadership is not fully committed to making it possible. Nelson Peltz, who was one of the folks investing, he was trying to take down Bob Iger at Disney. Why do I have to see movies with an all-female cast? Why do I have to see movies with an all-black cast? But your white ass sure didn't mind them black dollars for Black Panther when it hit a billion dollars. See, y'all, he was upset because they said, maybe we should start making movies and folk
Starting point is 02:27:16 actually see themselves on it and they might be interested. Everybody swore Barbie was going to be a massive failure. It's too feminist. You know what's not feminist? Green. You know what's not racist? Green. It's amazing how money sure can change
Starting point is 02:27:45 a lot of people's view but here's the crazy thing about Hollywood David Mehmet a study was done that said Hollywood could generate an additional 10 billion dollars a year if they embrace diversity and there are still people fighting it
Starting point is 02:28:01 so what does that tell you what they're saying is well hell if that means more money we still don't give a damn and there are still people fighting it. So what does that tell you? What they're saying is, well, hell, if that means more money, we still don't give a damn. My last point before I go to my panel on this, and that is I need y'all to understand that DEI only works when leadership says it's a priority. When leadership says this is going to happen. So David Mamet, if you don't like the standards that the academy has put in,
Starting point is 02:28:33 why don't you sit down with your friends who are writers and showrunners and directors and producers and studio heads and say, why have y'all been blocking black and Latino and Asian and Native American and white female talent all these years? Why is this a boys club? Why do we have writers rooms for movies, the comedy movies, where they only would go to the hasty pudding at Harvard and draft them?
Starting point is 02:28:59 They wouldn't go to some of the great HBCUs and say, man, there's some funny people writing down here. No, they will only go to the folks who were there at Harvard. That became, literally, if you wrote there, you got hired in Hollywood. It was just automatic. They have been freezing us out of the opportunities and the money for decades. And the David Mamets are now mad because the door is open. You say well earned. It's real simple.
Starting point is 02:29:33 James Brown said it best. Don't hand me nothing. Open the door and get it myself. The David Mamets of the world hate the fact that the door is now opened. Well, guess what, David?
Starting point is 02:29:49 We here. And when that door gets cracked open, we're going to swing that son of a bitch real wide. And we're going to bring in a whole bunch of folk with us. And you know what else, David? We now have access to our own platforms. We don't have to go through the traditional Hollywood film industry. Ask George Lucas when he made Red Tails. George Lucas, Mr. Star Wars George Lucas, George four billion dollar Lucas. He literally went to the top, the big seven.
Starting point is 02:30:29 And every single Hollywood studio turned him down because they said Red Tails did not have white heroes. And George Lucas said, but the heroes are the black soldiers. And they said, we need white heroes. And that is why George Lucas invested $60 million of his own money to finish Red Tails. I now know for a very small moment what it feels like to be a black director in Hollywood and have the door slammed in front of you because the heroes of your movie are not white. They are black. But I guess David Mamet, I guess he didn't read that story Because probably if you're talking about black subjects. I know a lot of cops and they get asked all the time. Have you ever had to shoot your gun?
Starting point is 02:31:35 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 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.
Starting point is 02:32:16 Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes one, two, and three 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.
Starting point is 02:32:42 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.
Starting point is 02:33:08 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.
Starting point is 02:33:23 It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. Listen to does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,
Starting point is 02:33:32 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.
Starting point is 02:33:48 Here's the deal. We got to set ourselves up. See, retirement is the long game. We got to make moves and make them early. Set up goals. Don't worry about a setback. Just save up and stack up to reach them. Let's put ourselves in the right position,
Starting point is 02:34:06 pregame to greater things. Start building your retirement plan at thisispreetirement.org, brought to you by AARP and the Ad Council. He's not interested. Final comment from my panel. John Quayle, you first. Well, you know, the whole thing with DEI is that there's this assumption that because the door is open, that you lack the skills and the talent to do that job and be the best at that job. I think that's one of the things that's left out quite often. And secondarily, media is one of the most powerful forms of influence in the world, right? We're talking about television, film, music. I mean, what is portrayed on television, what we consume on a daily basis affects how we view each other, and it affects how others across the world view us.
Starting point is 02:35:06 And it is very important that there is diversity on screen and that I respectfully disagree with his sentiments about movies don't change people's lives. There are people that have—there's articles that I have written where music has saved people. Movies, television series have saved people. People have learned emergency techniques from from the media just for watching scripted television shows. And so I just said all that to say that diversity is important. And just like you stated, just because the door is open, you're just giving me the opportunity. But that does not mean that I am not the most qualified to do that job.
Starting point is 02:35:53 Joy. Let me tell you, the door isn't open far enough, but it's open just enough for us to know what to do with people like David. David, I wish you difficult times in getting your movies made. Not only is he a screenwriter, he's also a director. Who would want to work with a person like that? If you are over one of these major productions, you are an employer. Who would believe that he is not discriminating against them with language and talk like that? Any insurance company that's looking to support one of his films should think
Starting point is 02:36:37 twice. David is from a bygone era, and maybe his last movie has been made. Mustafa closes out. Black excellence and black talent has always scared many people in America. As we came out of the Reconstruction period, then they began to create these films like Birth of a Nation, first one ever shown at the White House, that began to reframe who we are and our experiences and the value that they did not see us bringing to America. Then you fast-forward to modern times.
Starting point is 02:37:15 We remember the words of Miss Fannie Lou Hamer when she said, I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired. That is a set of experiences that many people of color in Hollywood had to go through. No matter how talented they were, no matter how excellent they were, they still couldn't get the sets of opportunities. But the pendulum is slowly swinging, and we find opportunities now, as you said, on so many different types of platforms to make sure that people cannot deny the excellence that we bring forward, the ingenuity, the innovation. So as we have always, when we began to make progress, folks have tried to find ways, either both subtly or in your face, to slow that down. But no, not no longer are you going to be able to do that because we are going to not only embrace our excellence, but we're going to make
Starting point is 02:38:02 sure that the world knows it in every form and fashion that it exists. Gotta love it. The pendulum has swung too far. All right. Joy, Mustafa, John Quayle, I certainly appreciate y'all being on today's show. Thank you so very much. Folks, that is it for us.
Starting point is 02:38:19 I went over a little time, but I need to take some time to smack some folks around, because I just want take some time to smack some folks around. Because I just want you all to understand, this is why this show matters. The stuff we talk about, they're not talking about on MSNBC, on CNN, on Fox News. I guarantee you, they wall-to-wall Trump and his trial. I ain't spending much time on that damn thing. This is why we got to have our own platforms. We got to have our own shows. Well, we own and control and we are telling our story. Your support is critical. So when I'm
Starting point is 02:38:52 asking you to go to to get this book, again, we got 500 copies. All that money from here is coming right back into the show. And so you can get, of course, autographed copy of the first. Some of y'all are saying the site is slow. That means a lot of people are on the site. So please take your time. Just go to rollingnessmartin.com forward slash the first. When I'm saying, hey, hey, get our pocket squares, whether it's the shibori pocket square or whether it's the feather pocket squares, same thing. What you do is you go to rolling this martin.com forward slash pocket squares. The money from that coming back into the show. You also have an opportunity to join our bring the funk fan club, folks.
Starting point is 02:39:33 And your support is critically important. So you can see your checking money order. P.O. Box five seven one nine six. Washington, D.C. two zero zero three seven zero one nine six. Cash app is dollar sign. R.M. unfiltered. PayPal are Martin unfiltered. Ven app is DollarSign, RM Unfiltered, PayPal, or Martin Unfiltered.
Starting point is 02:39:47 Venmo is RM Unfiltered. Zelle, Roland at RolandSMartin.com, Roland at RolandMartinUnfiltered.com. And of course, download the Black Star Network app, Apple Phone, Android Phone,
Starting point is 02:39:57 Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Xbox One, Samsung Smart TV. And of course, as I said, get White Fear,
Starting point is 02:40:07 how the browning of America is making white folks lose their minds. Available at Ben Bella Books, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, IndieBound, Bookshop, Chapters, Books A Million, Target. Download the audio version on Audible. Folks, that's it. I'll see y'all tomorrow right here on Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Black Star Network. Watch our content on our YouTube channel.
Starting point is 02:40:26 Go to the Black Star Network app as well. I'll see y'all tomorrow. Holla! Black Star Network is here. Oh, no punches! I'm real revolutionary right now. Thank you for being the voice of Black America. All momentum we have now,
Starting point is 02:40:41 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? I know a lot of cops. They get asked all the time,
Starting point is 02:41:28 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. 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.
Starting point is 02:41:54 I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Lott. And this is Season 2 of the War on Drugs podcast. Sure. Last year, a lot of the problems of the drug war. This year, a lot of the biggest names in music and sports. This kind of starts that in a little bit, man. We met them at their homes.
Starting point is 02:42:09 We met them at their recording studios. Stories matter and it brings a face to them. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. We asked parents who adopted teens to share their journey.
Starting point is 02:42:28 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,
Starting point is 02:42:51 the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Ad Council. This is an iHeart Podcast.

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