#RolandMartinUnfiltered - George Santo Expelled, Jussie Smollett Loses Appeal, Menthol Ban: Pros & Cons, World AIDS Day

Episode Date: December 2, 2023

12.1.2023 #RolandMartinUnfiltered: George Santo Expelled, Jussie Smollett Loses Appeal, Menthol Ban: Pros & Cons, World AIDS Day In a historic vote, Congress expells that lying Congressman from New York. George Santos is out! We'll look at today's vote and talk to Maryland Representative Glenn Ivey, who is on the House Ethics Committee. The attorneys for Donald Trump and the remaining defendants try to get their charges thrown out in today's marathon motion hearing. We'll tell you what happened in Georgia.  Actor Jussie Smollett is returning to jail after an Illinois appeals court upholds his conviction.   Tonight, we're having the menthol cigarette ban. We will hear the pros and cons of the impending ban on the product specifically aimed at the black community.  And it's World AIDS Day. I'll talk to a doctor about why it's difficult for black people to get the drug designed to lower HIV rates when we are leading the in the new HIV diagnoses.  Download the Black Star Network app at http://www.blackstarnetwork.com! We're on iOS, AppleTV, Android, AndroidTV, Roku, FireTV, XBox and SamsungTV. The #BlackStarNetwork is a news reporting platform covered under Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an iHeart Podcast. to, yeah, banana pudding. If it's happening in business, our new podcast is on it. I'm Max Chastin. And I'm Stacey Vanek-Smith. So listen to Everybody's Business on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I know a lot of cops. They get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun?

Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. This is Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. Listen to Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Glott. And this is Season 2 of the War on Drugs podcast.

Last year, a lot of the problems of the drug war. This year, a lot of the biggest names in music and sports. This kind of star-studded a little bit, man. We met them at their homes. We met them at their recording studios. Stories matter, and it brings a face to them. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. 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. Thank you. today is friday december 1st 2023 coming coming up on Roller Martin Unfiltered, streaming live on the Black Star Network, broadcasted from St. Troy. Folks, we'll be talking with actor, director, producer. He does it all, Tim Reed. The work that he is doing here, but also on the continent of Africa.

Some amazing work. Everything is not about Hollywood, folks. It's a world we're living in, and so he was taking advantage of that. And so we'll chat with him about that. We'll also talk about economics here, research, what's happening with technology. That's right, St. Croix, a critical place in the world when it comes to the Internet. You know that, huh? Well, we'll talk about that as well.

Congressman George Santos packed this shit up. He got kicked out. We'll talk with Congressman Glenn Ivey about him being booted from Congress. That was pretty wild today. Also, Donald Trump and his other imps trying to get their charges thrown out. We'll tell you what's happening with that in Georgia. Actor Jesse Smollett headed back to jail after the Illinois Appeals Court upholds his conviction. Also, menthol. There are folks who want to get menthol cigarettes banned by the FDA.

Big Tobacco is fighting back. We'll have folks who support and against the menthol ban on tonight's show. Plus, today is World AIDS Day. We'll have that conversation as well. Lots to discuss. It is time to bring the funk. I'm Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Black Stud Network, live from St. Croix. Let's go. Whatever the biz, he's on it. Whatever it is, he's got the scoop, the fact, the fine.

And when it blips, he's right on time. And it's rolling. Best belief he's knowing. Putting it down from sports to news to politics. With entertainment just for kicks. He's rolling. It's Uncle Roro, y'all. It's rolling Roro, y'all It's Rollin' Martin Rollin' with Rollin' now

He's funky, he's fresh, he's real the best You know he's Rollin' Martin Now Martin I'm gonna die Martel! Să ne urmăm în următoarea mea rețetă. Hey, folks, Roland Martin here. I am broadcasting live from St. Croix. You may be saying, man, why are you down there in the islands? Well, a couple months ago, actor Tim Reed hit me up and he said, hey, I'm doing some stuff down here and it'd be great to show you what's going on and talk to the folks

down here. I was like, well, of course, let's do it. And so that's why I am here. And speaking of actor, producer, director producer director filmmaker all that stuff you name it he's done it all he'll scoop the floor he'll shoot the movie he'll edit do all of it I know the feeling he joins us right now Tim Reed Tim how you doing man I'm blessed man I'm blessed here in this warm weather and enjoying myself yeah I did I left the the cold if you will of Virginia and I'm like glad to be here. And of course, you've been in Virginia for quite some time, so it's great to be around black people when it's 85. Oh, yeah. And I just come from Africa. It was very warm. And

I came home, changed bags. I was there a couple of days, and it was cold. I said, I got to get out of here. So I'm now back here at my second home in St. Croix. So what are you doing here? I'm here with working on trying to make use of this fiber optics world that's being created. And St. Croix happens to be one of the most important areas for fiber optics. They have a main center here, a data center here. And so when I discovered that about a year and a half ago, I talked to the guy who you'll meet, the CEO of RT Parks, and I said, you know, I'd like to be involved. I'd like to put a server here because if I get in this fiber optics, I can go around the world from my own server.

And so we started working on that, and that's why I'm here our server will be up and running in another month or so and we'll be able to stretch our signal beyond the Caribbean and go to Africa and Europe with our signal the thing that people don't understand and I'm always trying to explain to people to understand the mechanics of our business. Yes. And I remind people sort of like when you had Motown. There were hundreds of record labels. But what the record folks figured out was we ain't going to let that happen again.

So we need to control the distribution. Yes. And the reality is it's the same thing in Hollywood. It's a bunch of people who are producers and they have, quote, studios or they're independent. But those who control the distribution, that's how you're able to get to the people. Yes. And also how you're able to control and own your intellectual property rights. And so when streaming came in during the COVID and it expanded, I found myself in a decent situation because I had a lot of content from my time owning a studio. A lot of it was evergreen and we're always shooting. I got a small studio now, but we're always shooting around the world.

So I went, I got all this content. This thing called streaming may work for me. Got stuff sitting on hard drives. Yes. So I decided to go in the streaming business and we've had a couple platforms, but I wanted my own platform. I wanted to control my distribution. I didn't want to put it in the cloud. I wanted it on a server, and I wanted to be able to reach people around the world.

And so along comes people now's attention to fiber optics. It's a faster signal. It's all, but there are not a lot of places you can go. I'm here vacationing, and I came here to speak at this organization, and they took me on a tour, and I said, what is that building? They said, that's the building for fiber optics. You look out about 50 feet from the building, there's this huge cable that goes to the rest of the world, and this is one of the more important stations in this hemisphere.

So that's why I'm here. And one of the things that, I mean, we've talked over the years, and you spent a lot of time... And money. A lot of time and money, but a lot of time interfacing with brothers and sisters in France, in England, but also on the continent. And what we are seeing now in Africa is an explosion where because people understand the power of media I've long said I've long

said that and I was it was interesting we were driving around I remember when we want to pound together a congressional caucus where I said media is the second most powerful institution in the world right by the military yes and if we understand the power of media and how to use it and then empower it, we can actually... And control it. There you go. And control the message. Yeah, I spent a lot of time on the continent of

Africa, and I've been going there since the late 70s. And Ethiopia, South Africa, Nigeria, Capo Verde, and now Togo. I've never been to Togo, and I go over, and guess what? They have fiber optics in Togo.

One of the few countries in the entire continent of a 1.3 billion people, they have fiber optics. So connecting with these people and connecting with the continent is very important and now people are taking their stuff out of the cloud putting in their own servers and and containing their content and controlling it. To be a part of that is exciting. Look I obviously understand the importance of controlling the platform, controlling the content, and it's establishing the narrative. And that's the thing that I think people need to understand. When I went to Ghana in 2019, it was still stunning to me how many people were commenting on my social media pages about, oh my goodness, I didn't realize they had that.

I didn't realize they had that. I didn't realize they had that. Black people, just like white folks, when we think of the motherland, we still think of them damn food commercials where the kid is thottled with a fly all around in their eyes. People literally have that belief. And so when you start showing them, no, they're in the case.

They go, I didn't know that. It's a different world. What's going on in Africa now is exciting. There's an energy there that reminds me of America during the late 60s in the Civil Rights era. There's an excitement and a hunger to tell their story. Also because it's so young. Yes. I mean, the Raleigh is the youngest continent.

And in many of these countries, the average age is 17, 18. That's exactly it, Togo. 17 and four months is the medium age for all the people there. Another thing that excited me about being in Togo is that the idea of education can change my life is running rampant through these young people. The University of Lomi in the capital, they have an enrollment of 72,000 students. And every morning they needed these centers to sign up for next semester.

They believe in education. They believe in education as your life and my life was changed by education, historically black colleges. Their lives are being changed. And they know media is important. As we talked about in the class, I do these master classes wherever I go. They were talking about it's time for the lion to speak. The hunter has had too much to say. The lion now must speak.

And they want to do that. There are more young people, women in particular, going into media production than ever before. There are small studios springing up all over Uganda. Six or seven years ago when I was in Nigeria working during a master's class, I told them, I said, be careful if you guys don't control your content because if not, Netflix will be in charge. Well, it happened. Netflix is in charge. You want to see a movie from Nigeria? You don't go to the guy on the blanket selling knockoff Louis Vuittons and oils.

You got to go to Netflix. Also, I think that in terms of our folks who are watching at home, again, when I was in Ghana in 08, 19, in Liberia last year, it's trying to get our people beyond media to understand the economic opportunities that exist outside of the United States. And it's hard for people to grapple with that.

So many people are focused on, well, what's happening in Atlanta or Alabama or what's happening in Chicago and not thinking global. You've got to think global. It's a different world we live in now. I mean, you can, and with fiber optics and Elon Musk, the crazy man, his sky program, you can move a message instantaneously in wonderful resolution anywhere in the world now in a split second. And so what we're going to do, if we're not careful, our message will have to go be sent by someone else. I want to be a part of sending my message,

and I want to be with people who want to do that. And also, we've got to think about the size of the audience. People don't realize there's 1.3 billion people on the continent of Africa that are predominantly all black. Yep. We do everything for 40, 42 million black folks in America. Well, there's 8 to 10 million in the Caribbean. Well, look, I mean, if you look at, in terms of Afrobeats, how that's dominated the music scene, hip-hop culture and what was exported played a role there as well.

And so if our folks can understand that if our music can travel, if our movies can travel, then guess what? Other things can travel too. They should, and if not, Afrobeats has taken over the music world. I mean, I met just a few weeks ago a couple of multi-millionaires who made that money. I've never heard that music here, but they're all over Africa. You know, television shows and things like that. So it's a big world. Not everybody now is waiting for rice to be dropped out of a helicopter. There's some multi-millionaires

over there that are doing great business in businesses that we normally... A lot of times the big economic forces we hear about on the news show up in our lives in small ways. Three or four days a week, I would buy two cups of banana pudding. But the price has gone up, so now I only buy one. The demand curve in action. And that's just one of the things we'll be covering on Everybody's Business from Bloomberg Businessweek. I'm Max Chavkin. And I'm Stacey Vanek-Smith.

Every Friday, we will be diving into the biggest stories in business, taking a look at what's going on, why it matters, and how it shows up in our everyday lives. With guests like Businessweek editor Brad Stone, sports reporter Randall Williams, and consumer spending expert Amanda Mull, we'll take you inside the boardrooms, the backrooms, even the signal chats that make our economy tick. Hey, I want to learn about VeChain. I want to buy some blockchain or whatever it is that they're doing. So listen to Everybody's Business on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

I know a lot of cops, and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. Across the country, cops call this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that Taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multibillion-dollar company

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

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

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

We got B-Real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corvette. MMA fighter Liz Karamush. What we're doing now isn't working and we need to change things. Stories matter and it brings a face to them. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new

episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. Don't see black folks getting involved. Absolutely. Well, Tim, always good to see you. Look forward to this weekend. I look forward to the conversations.

Play some golf? Yeah. I said, listen, if y'all trying to get me to come to St. Croix, look, I gotta play golf at least one time. I said, that was like the second thing. I'm like, hold up, we gonna meet first. Golf gonna be a part of this conversation. And it will be.

Alright, I appreciate it. Thanks a bunch. All right, folks, hold tight one second. We'll come back. We're going to chat with Congressman Glenn Ivey of Maryland about George Santos, kicked out of Congress, expelled. Even Republicans wanted him to go. We'll also talk about

researchers and technology here in St. Croix. What will it take to actually grow this huge, huge opportunity in this country to benefit black folks here and, of course, around the Caribbean as well? So we'll talk about that in this hour. In the second hour, we'll have a conversation about menthol banning, menthol cigarettes. Some black folks are for it, others are against it. I'm absolutely for it. Plus, it's World AIDS Day. so it's a jam-packed show we got for you right here rolling my unfiltered right here on the black star network youtube folks hit that like button

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There's a lot of talk about the inevitability of another civil war in this country. Next on The Black Table with me, Greg Carr. There's a lot of talk about the inevitability of another civil war in this country. But on our next show, we'll talk to a noted author and scholar who says we're actually in the middle of one right now. In fact, Steve Phillips says the first one that started back in 1861, well, it never ended. People carrying the Confederate flag, wearing sweatshirts saying MAGA Civil War, January 6, 2021, stormed U.S. Capitol, hunted down the country's elected officials, built the gallows for the Vice President of the United States, and to block the peaceful transfer of power within this country. On the next Black Table, here on the Black Star Network. Hi, I'm Dee Barnes and next on The Frequency,

have you ever heard of Pinkster? If not, you aren't alone. It's an African-American holiday that predates Juneteenth by a hundred years. This week, we're talking with my special guest, the founder and CEO of Trans Art and Cultural Services, Greer Smith, to talk about Pinkster and why it's so important.

Those exhibitions really got the most play because we don't know about this. Other people have been telling our stories for so long. When we have the opportunity to find people that tell our stories. It's an easy sell. A fascinating conversation about Black culture on The Frequency with me, Dee Barnes, right here on the Black Star Network. I'm going to go ahead and close the show. On this vote, the yeas are 311, the nays are 114, with two recorded as present.

Two-thirds voting in the affirmative, the resolution is adopted, and a motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. The clerk will notify the governor of the state of New York of the action of the House. Under Clause 5D of Rule 20, the Chair announces to the House that in light of the expulsion of the gentleman from New New York Congressman George Santos, got to go, got to go, got to go. He was expelled from Congress. Dude has been lying, making stuff up. He has been indicted, you name it, he has done it. Even Republicans were sick and tired of him. And so now he has been indicted. You name it, he has done it. Even Republicans were sick and tired of him.

And so now he has been expelled. There's going to be a special election, more than likely. A Democrat is going to win that. That's going to be a pickup for Democrats there in New York State. Joining us right now is Congressman Glenn Ivey of Maryland. He's a member of the House Committee on Ethics. It was their report that led to today's developments. Congressman, I'd be glad to have you. You're also a former federal prosecutor. This guy's been indicted on federal charges as well. There were some people who said, you know what, this is just not right. The voters should decide. He should be found guilty. But what was it about your ethics committee that swayed folks to say enough is enough, Santos has got to go? Yeah, I mean, I think the ethics committee did a lot of work to put together a strong report. We

did over 40 subpoenas, interviewed like over 40 witnesses. We had 172,000 pages of documents we went through. It was a very thorough investigation. And at the end of all of that, we reached a unanimous bipartisan report that had findings that laid out the sorts of things you're talking about, fraud, money laundering, ethics violations of other types, using campaign finance money for his own personal benefits. I think by now everybody's heard about the Botox and the, you know, using campaign finance money for his own personal benefits. I think by now everybody's heard about the Botox and the, you know, the trips and what is it, only adults or only you, I think, is the site. So, you know, I think people know what was going on there. And I think for most of us, after we were able to lay it out in the report and send

it to our colleagues, I think they joined us in deciding it was time for him to go. Even one of the Republicans said that he and his mother actually had their credit card, money was taken off of their credit card by the Santos campaign. And he was like, I'm sorry, y'all may not want this guy to go, but he got to go. I think it was Congressman Max Miller. Yeah, it's nothing like personal experience to help people get religion. And I think that was one of those things. And apparently he sent an email around to his Republican colleagues to let them know. And I think he did that after, because, you know, the speaker came out and said

he was going to vote against expulsion. And the number two in the House, Scalise, did as well. So I think they you know, I was actually thinking there might that might turn the tide. But when their colleague came out and said, yeah, I got ripped off as well with one of these credit card scams. I think that was a nail in the coffin there. In addition to the report and in addition to the indictment, in addition to all these other things that sort of grew out around his trail of misconduct. It is, again, it's all quite interesting when you look at this. I mean, look, he lied about everything. And a lot of Republicans were standing with him. Speaker Kevin McCarthy

was standing with him. But this ethics report, look, when this dropped, that's what that's really where the tide turned. What do you say, though, to the people who say it's unfair, if you will, to expel someone? It really needs to rise to a level where someone is convicted first. Well, the Constitution is very clear. To expel, you need two-thirds votes of the members of the House. There's no requirement for anybody to be even charged with a crime, much less convicted of one. And here, in addition to all the evidence about the criminal misconduct and the ethical misconduct, we gave him a chance to come in and give an explanation for, you know, the $500,000 that disappeared and, you know, all of the money that was taken and misused and ended up in his personal accounts. He declined to do so,

even though he did dozens of interviews, even though he did a floor statement, even though he did a press conference on the morning of the vote yesterday, I'm sorry, this morning, about, you know, what he was going to say with respect to, you know, his criticism of his colleagues. But he never addressed any of the misconduct. He never gave a plausible explanation for what we found in the report. And I think for a lot of people, that was the death knell. He had all this evidence, overwhelming evidence of misconduct on the one hand, and he had a microphone in his hand and used it, but never to explain what he had done or why what he had done was legal or appropriate.

I've got a panel here joining me with me. I'm sure they have some questions for you with regards to this. It's obviously huge news. It is not often that a member of Congress is actually expelled. Michael M. Hotep is host of the African History Network show, a Detroit Calabathea communications strategist out of Washington, D.C. Michael, you go first. Representative Glenn Ivey, thank you so much for your work in shedding

light on these falsehoods. What we have seen with former representative now George Santos is pretty unprecedented. We know that politicians may have a knack for exaggerating the truth, but this goes well beyond that.

What do you want into the 2024 presidential election and seeing the consequences of having the wrong people in public office? We look at the kangaroo caucus with the Republicans can't govern properly in the House of Representatives. How do you think the expulsion of George Santos and exposing these lies, how do you think that will help frame the 2024 presidential election, as well as House and Senate elections, and show people what happens when the wrong people get into office? Yeah, it's a great question. I mean, I think one of the things that we should carry away from this is that we really need to vet candidates more carefully, because a lot of this stuff was right at the surface. And I think a local newspaper found it first, but it was after he'd been elected. And once they started putting the information out, as soon as they started pulling on the thread, the whole thing unraveled. So if that had happened before, then voters would have seen that, you know, basically his whole campaign, you know,

his information about his background and his prior experience and all of it was false. He got elected on false pretenses. So vetting up front would be important. The other piece here, too, though, is you may recall, you know, Trump kept talking about, you know, Washington is the swamp. He's going to clean up the swamp. And Democrats basically, well, the ultimate swamp monster, you know, was George Santos. And, you know, the key point, I think, for the House next year is the Republicans had voted to expel him right now. Next year, if they're in the majority, they're going to vote to put the same speaker back in place who voted to keep him there.

And the number two, Scalise, as well. So if they're concerned about what they saw with Santos, it's time to move off of that party and make sure we have ethical people put in place who are going to fight against this sort of thing. And then the other part I'll say here is the New York races. One of the reasons we lost the House, we being the Democrats, was because we lost, you know, five seats or so around the New York City area that really should have been Democratic pickups. Biden won those by significant percentages. I think this is going to help us pick up those seats. In fact, one of the reasons that those Republican congressmen led the push to get Santos out because they were feeling the heat and they wanted to try and get him off the stage and move him away. I think it's important for us to remind the voters not just about this. I think there's a lot of things that the administration's

done that's been positive, you know, rolling out for infrastructure, you know, prescription drug costs, especially insulin. There's a lot of things that he's done that he hasn't gotten full credit for. But we need to remind them that George Santos is a product of the Republican Party. And the bigger version of that is Donald Trump. And you don't have enough time on the show to go through all of the stuff that Donald Trump's done. Or even the recent statement. The recent statements he's made are astonishing. You know, it's just it's incredible to think that this guy is going to be the nominee for the Republican Party and they're not doing anything to stop it or try and redirect it.

That's the state of the Republican Party right now. All right. Thank you. Kelly. Hi, Congressman. One of the things that I noticed in reading articles about this today was the fact that Speaker Johnson or Majority Speaker Johnson talked about how this would set bad precedent because there hasn't been a full criminal investigation, et cetera, et cetera. Can you talk about that in the sense of this is really a place of work and you don't have to have a criminal investigation necessarily to be fired from your place of employment if you decide to break, you know, ethics violations within your place of employment? I feel like the Republican Party and the powers that be like to move the goalposts as far as what the standard is, so long as that they're in power. So can you speak on that, please?

Absolutely. I think it's a great point. You know, wherever you work, if you get caught stealing, except Congress, if you get caught stealing, you're gone that day. You know, they're packing you up. And if you're lucky to let you walk out, you may get escorted out. So I think that it's a fair point about that. Additional points on this, though. I mean, some people were saying the voters in New York put him there. They should be the ones to decide. But remember, he got there based on false pretenses. Everything was fraudulent about his campaign, including the finances that he used to pay for some of his campaign events and campaign activities. So, you know, you got to take it with

a grain of salt. And by the way, if the voters of New York decide they want him back, they can always put him back in. Remember the Tennessee three? They got expelled from the Tennessee state legislature, but the voters there saw that it was illegitimate, and they put him back in the next election. George Santos isn't coming back. In fact, he knows he's not coming back, and that's why he announced, you know, like it was some big concession that he wasn't going to run for re-election. The voters in New York couldn't wait to get rid of him. And then the other point that I want to make on that front, too, is this was a bipartisan report. It got a unanimous vote, a two-thirds vote, unanimous vote out of the committee, two-thirds vote to expel him from the

House. That's a very high bar to reach, and it doesn't happen very often. That's why he's only the sixth in American history. One quick point, though, I know that there were concerns, and I share some of these with the motions to censure. The Republicans have gotten fast and loose with some of those. For example, Adam Schiff, they censured Adam Schiff, but he didn't get anything remotely approaching due process. The censure vote, they penalized him before he even got referred to the Ethics Committee for us to do an investigation. And that was, it was a totally illegitimate piece too. You know, I defy people to look at all of the scope of what George Santos did here, the breadth of it, the scope of it, the venality of it, and to say they're okay with that,

that there's some kind of misunderstanding or that's free speech or legitimate conduct. Nobody says that. Matter of fact, George Santos didn't even say that. So I think I understand people have concerns about due process, but yeah, due process, you know, six ways to Sunday on this. And I think the outcome is the right one. You had to be held accountable. All right. Carson, Glenn, Avi, I appreciate it. Thanks a lot. Thank you. Have a good one. All right. Folks, I know they don't play this here. Let me play this here. I just saw this video here. This is a video of them literally changing the locks on George Santos's office in Congress. And we already know he's nuts as well.

Do y'all realize he sent out a statement? Check this out, y'all. He sent out a statement that this is what it said, George Santos, I was not expelled today. I thank my colleagues for standing by me. I look forward to being back at my desk on Monday morning. Have a fun weekend, everybody. Okay.

Sure do. That ain't going to happen. But, look, the guy has lied about a whole lot. And I think what you're seeing is even Republicans saying, look, you got to go, got to go. And it's greatly reduced their majority. And remember, you got an Ohio congressman who just accepted the job as president of Youngstown State University. That drops even further. So they are going to be hanging on by a thread to a very slim majority there in the House.

So they cannot lose any more defections. So we'll see what happens next. All right, folks, got to go to a break. We come back. We're going to talk about research and and investment here in saint croix what could it mean not only for the people uh on this island in this country but also for the african diaspora we talk a lot of times about technology in our tech talk segment uh and others and we really need to be focusing on how do we create and build wealth uh in technology space. And so we'll discuss that next right here on Roland Martin Unfiltered,

live from St. Croix are losing their damn lives. 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 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. A lot of times the big economic forces we hear about on the news show up in our lives in small ways. Three or four days a week, I would buy two cups of banana pudding. But the price has gone up, so now I only buy one. The demand curve in action. And that's just one of the things we'll be covering on Everybody's Business from Bloomberg Businessweek. I'm Max Chavkin.

And I'm Stacey Vanek-Smith. Every Friday, we will be diving into the biggest stories in business, taking a look at what's going on, why it matters, and how it shows up in our everyday lives. But guests like Businessweek editor Brad Stone, sports reporter Randall Williams, and consumer spending expert Amanda Mull will take you inside the boardrooms, the backrooms, even the signal chats that make our economy tick. Hey, I want to learn about VeChain. I want to buy some blockchain or whatever it is that they're doing. So listen to Everybody's Business on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 1. Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad.

It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st, and episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th. Ad-free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg 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. Real people, real perspectives. This is kind of star-studded a little bit, man. We got Ricky Williams, NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner. It's just a compassionate choice to allow players all reasonable means to care for themselves. Music stars Marcus King, John Osborne from Brothers Osborne.

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

Stories matter, and it brings a face to them. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free

with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I'm Faraj Muhammad, live from L.A. And this is The Culture. 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 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. Farquhar, executive producer of Proud Family. You're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered. Thank you. All right, folks, welcome back to Roller Mark and Unfiltered right here on the Black Star Network. You know what? I should have had us play our tech talk stinger. We talk about technology a lot on this show. We have that segment, of course, where we focus on African-Americans and technology. And when you understand what's happening in this country, how wealth is being created, technology is playing a huge, huge role, not just in the United States, but all across the globe. Unfortunately, we are on the user end of this as opposed to on the ownership end.

So how do we change that? And also, what are the opportunities that exist for us? Joining us right now is Peter Chapman. Peter is the CEO here of the Research and Technology Park Corporation here in St. Croix. Peter, glad to have you here. Thanks for inviting me down here. So what exactly is this? Gotcha. Roland, first of all, thank you for setting up here and thank you for joining us

this weekend. So the Research and Technology Park Corporation is a very specialized, unique institution. We were created 21 years ago as a vehicle for really diversifying and strengthening the economy of the Virgin Islands beyond, you know, oil refining, tourism, things that you normally associate with this region. And so we were established to really harness opportunities in the tech sector, which we'll talk about, in ways that would support the growth of the economy. So because we have some very unique challenges and opportunities, we focus not just on technology, which I'll explain, but we also focus on what we call comprehensive economic and

community development. So for example, we provide services to early-stage entrepreneurs, right, including black and brown entrepreneurs, right, to help them get traction in the tech sector. Only here or all over? In the region, in the US Virgin Islands, which primarily includes St. Thomas, St. Croix, where we are, and St. John, but there are a bunch of smaller islands as well. We also engage in what we call physical redevelopment, community development. We have a project across the street, the first phase of which will be about $50 million that will build new mixed income housing, office space for businesses, so forth and so on. We also have talent development and talent

attraction programs. We have a STEM education program, right, to bridge the divide between the haves and the have-nots in terms of STEM education. So we do a lot beyond the traditional work that you associate with tech-based economic development groups like Y Combinator and institutions like that out in Silicon Valley. So is this government-run? Is this private? No. This is what we call in the United States, mainland United States, public-private partnership. So we were established through the very visionary work of some folks at the University of the Virgin Islands 21 years ago. In 2002, there was a substantial investment by the government of the Virgin Islands through the legislature, but we operate independently of the government. So we can do everything that private institutions do, such as taking an equity

position in businesses, right, harnessing private sector capital to do real estate development, so forth and so on. So it's a very unique organization in terms of its structure and its purpose. We also have a 501c3 arm. We provide benefits, tax benefits, to companies that are companies that are looking to operate in this territory bringing certain technologies here 90% corporate income tax exemption 90% personal income tax exemption we are a lending institution we do a lot of different things that private for-profit entities do but we are a mission-based organization we have to make money,

but we also have to make an impact on the local and regional economy. How has that gone in terms of what has been the successes, and how have you been able to have a positive impact economically on the folks here? Good question. So when I got here five and a half years ago and built a high-performing team, we only had about 28 companies in our portfolio. We're now up to well beyond 100 companies. I think the number is 105, 106. So we are impacting the economy

through the work of those companies that generate jobs, that invest in the community, so forth and so on. We impact the community through the money that we are able to invest in the University of the Virgin Islands, which is an HBCU. A lot of people don't think about it that way, but it is an HBCU, and it's really an anchor institution here, Roland, which generates a significant amount of the talent that comes out and works in the tech sector and in other sectors. So through the money that we make through our private ventures, we were able to invest

$3 million in the university last year. Over the last five years, we've invested $12 million in them. So that's another way that we have a very tangible, appreciable impact on the economy and institutions here. We hope to get our big real estate project off the ground in a few months. We've had a little hiccup there. We have a tremendous need for housing across the economic spectrum, and so that will add additional residential units for low, moderate-income people, market-rate people. We need more office space for tech and knowledge-based enterprises so that they can grow and scale. And so that project will also serve that need in the form of a 20,000 square foot research and development facility. point out that as a non-traditional tech sector focused organization, we also focus on areas

like sustainable agriculture. We import, unfortunately, 90% of our food product, which is not a good thing. 90% into the Virgin Islands. 90% into the Virgin Islands, which contributes to food being extremely expensive, which is a burden for many folks here. So the average household income is about $38,000, $40,000. Here, the unemployment rate, I'm sorry, the labor force participation rate is 49%. The poverty rate is 23%. So we tell it like it is, right? And we are focused on improving those conditions, addressing those conditions head on as we help companies grow and scale. Now, when we talk about the future, you talk about that real estate development. I get housing as well.

Do you have the labor force here that's ready for the future? We have. It depends on the companies, right? If you have a company, right, a cybersecurity company, right, that has limited needs in terms of the number of people that they require, you know, 10, 15, 20, we can generally fill those staffing needs with people that we have in the territory. If you're talking about a larger employer that is employing 50, 100, right, 250 people. Then we have to expand, right, what we call our labor shed. And we look at Puerto Rico, we look at the mainland U.S., we have a portal that we call

VISTA Plus, which stands for Virgin Islands STEM Talent Archive, which is designed to connect people within the Virgin Islands diaspora. They could be in the mainland United States. They could be in Europe, Asia. Connect them to companies here that are looking to grow and scale. And so that's not the panacea, but that's one very practical thing that the RT Park does to help address the staffing needs of companies operating here. Now, are you looking to attract people to open their businesses for investment? We are. We are aggressively, right?

So we are looking to attract what we call high-performing companies, right? These are companies that can employ significant numbers of people. But we are also looking for early-stage companies, right, that have a great deal of potential. We operate a program among several others that we call our accelerator program. It's called Accelerate Virgin Islands. It's modeled heavily on Y Combinator in Silicon Valley. The architect of that program is a graduate of Y Combinator, and that program attracts people, attracts applicants literally from all over the world, right?

So we provide them with intensive technical assistance and funding to help grow and scale their businesses, and the expectation is that they will at least locate part of their business in the Virgin Islands. So when we look at data from Brookings, Urban Institute, places like that, we see that roughly 90 percent of economic impact in any region comes from expanding businesses and startups. So that's why that robust startup program is critical to us. In fact, you'll be interested in knowing that one of our potential unicorns is actually run by a young brother from Houston. He has a company called Grind, which is an automatic rebounding machine. I know you're a sports fan as well. So this is a product that's made for the consumer market as opposed to just institutions. So he was nurtured right here at the RT Park.

He was on Shark Tank a few years ago. And so that's an illustrative example of the caliber of early-stage firms. So you're all invested in that company? We are. We are. We're a business, right, mission-based business, so we have an equity stake in the early stage companies. So if they do well... And define early stage. So... Yeah, good question. So if you've been in existence for two to three years and you have some demonstrated staying power, if you have

what we call minimum viable product, which basically means a prototype, right, that we have determined has merit, has value, then you have a good chance of being accepted into our accelerator program. So it has to be product-based? It doesn't have to be product-based, but that's where our strengths lie as an economic development institution, right? So we have those type of companies, but then we have companies that want to be here because of all the competitive advantages, some of which Tim Reid mentioned, and they don't really need any help,

right? They're coming here because they want to take advantage of the tax benefits or because they want to take advantage of the fiber optics network. We have the second biggest concentration of fiber optics in the Americas, right here in the Virgin Islands,

and there's a pipe leading from that infrastructure to this building where we're sitting. So if you have a server like Tim's and you need a place to house your server, you can house it right here at the RT Park headquarters. So there are lots of benefits that accrue to high-performing companies that are in the United States and other places that want a good place to operate and to grow and scale. And what many of them do is they may leave their core operation in the United States but establish a secondary operation to take advantage of all these benefits,

particularly the tax benefits. All right. Hold tight one second. We come back. I think I have some questions for you as well. So we'll look forward to doing that, folks. We're talking entrepreneurship, economics, technology, you name it. We cannot, we cannot talk about wealth creation if we're only thinking about it through working for somebody else and so uh we're continuing this conversation live here in saint croix when we come back don't forget if you're on youtube hit the like button folks we should easily be over a thousand likes and also don't forget you can also support us in what we do by joining our bring the funk fan club

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So now I only buy one. The demand curve in action. And that's just one of the things we'll be covering on Everybody's Business from Bloomberg Businessweek. I'm Max Chavkin. And I'm Stacey Bannock-Smith. Every Friday, we will be diving into the biggest stories in business, taking a look at what's going on, why it matters and how it shows up in our everyday lives. But guests like Business Week editor Brad Stone, sports reporter Randall Williams, and consumer spending expert Amanda Mull will take you inside the boardrooms, the backrooms, even the signal chats that make our economy tick. Hey, I want to learn about VeChain. I want to buy some blockchain or whatever it is that they're doing. So listen to

everybody's business on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I know a lot of cops and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes, but there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. Across the country, cops called this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission.

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

I'm Greg Glod. And this is Season 2 of the War on Drugs podcast. Yes, sir. We are back. In a big way. In a very big way. Real people, real perspectives. This is kind of star-studded a little bit, man. We got Ricky Williams, NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner.

It's just a compassionate choice to allow players all reasonable means to care for themselves. Music stars Marcus King, John Osborne from Brothers Osborne. We have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote drug man. Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from 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. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two

on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. M-O-S-R-M, unfiltered, Zell. Roland at RolandSMartin.com. Roland at RolandMartinUnfiltered.com. We'll be right back. On the next Get Wealthy with me, Deborah Owens,

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In fact, Steve Phillips says the first one that started back in 1861, well, it never ended. People carrying the Confederate flag, wearing sweatshirts saying MAGA Civil War, January 6, 2021, stormed the U.S. Capitol, hunted down the country's elected officials, built the gallows for the vice president of the United States, and blocked the peaceful transfer of power within this country. On the next Black Table, here on the Black Star Network. I'm Faraiji Muhammad, live from L.A.,

and this is The Culture. 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 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 Hi, I'm Dee Barnes and next on The Frequency, have you ever heard of Pinkster?

If not, you aren't alone. It's an African American holiday that predates Juneteenth by 100 years. This week, we're talking with my special guest, the founder and CEO of Trans Art and Cultural Services, Greer Smith, to talk about Pinkster and why it's so important. Those exhibitions really got the most play because we don't know about this. Other people have been telling our stories for so long, but we had the opportunity to find people that tell our stories. It's an easy sell.

A fascinating conversation about black culture on The Frequency with me Dee Barnes, right here on the Black Star Network. network. I'm Faraji Muhammad, live from L.A. And this is The Culture. 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 talk about it and see what kind of trouble we can get into. It's the culture. Weekdays at 3, only on the Black Star Network.

Me, Sherri Sheppard, and you know what you're watching, Roland Martin unfiltered. All right, folks, welcome back to Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Black Star Network here in St. Croix, talking with Peter Chapman. He's the CEO of this research park here. Panel, let's go. Michael Imhotep, what's your question for Peter? Hello, Peter. Hey, thanks for this conversation.

Earlier in the show, Roland spoke with veteran actor Tim Reed. And I know there's a partnership between Tim Reed's Legacy TV as well as the University of Virgin Islands Research and Technology Parks that you're part of. Can you talk about, and it's been going on about a year, can you talk about maybe some of the things that have been accomplished so far with that partnership? And what do you think would be one of the most important things or myths that he can dispel when it comes to the African diaspora projecting these images? Michael, ask the question again. Okay. Earlier in the show, Roland spoke with veteran actor Tim Reed about his Legacy TV. And I know there's a partnership between Legacy TV as well as University of Virgin Islands

Research and Technology Parks that you're part of. Can you talk about what has maybe happened, some significant things that have happened in the past year in that partnership? And what would be one of the most important things dealing with projecting the African diaspora that you would asked to talk about what I view as the critical elements of the partnership with Legacy Media. So let me take a step back and say Legacy Media is critically important to us because it specializes in quality content drawn from throughout the African diaspora. So that makes it very unique in terms of its cultural benefit. It also makes it unique in terms of its potential Liberty Media, which is another portfolio company of ours, which gives him access, gives him a platform from which to reach markets throughout myriad parts of the Caribbean and Latin America. So that's very, very important to the vi parts of the Caribbean and Latin America. So that's very, very important to the viability of the business. I think that is a critical achievement of our

partnership with Tim thus far. We are in the process of helping Tim establish his server here in the building. That's a technical issue, but that will position him to continue to do good things in this market. So hope that makes sense to you. All right. Thank you. All right. Kelly, your question. Sure. So I heard a lot in the conversation regarding major companies and incentives for them to come to the island to promote economic growth, wealth, et cetera. Do you have any similar incentives for smaller businesses, minority-owned businesses, both indigenous to the island and

indigenous to stateside? We do. So those incentives that I talked about, those are not peculiar to, quote, unquote, larger or hyper-mature businesses, right? So if you are a smaller business, right, that let's say is tax benefit program, our tax incentive program, which would give you all of the benefits of the, you know, of the larger, higher revenue generating companies. Does that answer your question, Kelly? It does. Thank you. Michael, Kelly, you have another question before we go? Yeah, very quickly. When we look at the U.S. Virgin Islands, we see a – this is still, I would say, still part of the African diaspora, even though sometimes people may not look at it that way.

When it comes to African Americans, what are some things that you think are important for us to know historically about the U.S. Virgin Islands so we can connect with those brothers and sisters there? BRUCE BALLARD, U.S. Virgin Islands President and President of the United States of America Brothers and sisters. Yeah. So I think you answered your own question at the beginning. We are part of the African diaspora, just like the mainland United States.

We have similar histories, right? So we've inherited the legacy of slavery, you know, different forms of Jim Crow. It's not called Jim Crow here. But we have more in common than not. In fact, we are making a concerted effort to elevate our profile among African Americans on the mainland because we want them to see this as a viable place to locate their businesses just as Mr. Reid has with Legacy Media. So there's a lot there, but the bottom line is that we have a lot in common, and this should be a place where African Americans from the mainland feel very, very comfortable socially, culturally, and in terms of operating their businesses. Okay. As you're looking on the horizon, as you're looking at, this has been around 21 years, where do you see this research development corporation being five, ten years from now?

Where do you want it to be? Yeah, I mean, first of all, that's a great question. So, first of all, I want us to have even more portfolio companies than we have now. So in another five years, I would like to be at somewhere closer to 140, 150 portfolio companies. I want us to be a major contributor to what we call physical infrastructure, so housing, office space. We have a lot of technical capabilities there. And we also want to increase the number of businesses that are owned by black and brown people operating here. We've taken some steps in the right direction in that regard, but we still have a lot more work to do. Because I want us to be seen as really a hub for tech-based economic development in the Americas.

And by the way, we were designated in 2020 as one of the highest performing economic development organizations in the Americas. And that's by the International Economic Development Council. And that's a very prestigious designation. So I want us to continue making strides toward making us a tech hub in the in the region and the region for us is 44 million people throughout the Caribbean not just you know the hundred thousand people or so in the Virgin Islands. All right then. Peter Chapman, we appreciate it man. Thanks so much.

Appreciate it. All right thanks a lot. Thank you. All right folks we come back we'll talk about the fight to get the FDA to ban menthol cigarettes. There are others who do not want that to happen. Also, World AIDS Day. Plus, the inmate that stabbed Derek Chauvin 22 times will tell you what they're charging him with. And actress Julianne Margiles,

she is apologizing for some wild comments she made about black folks with regards to Israel and Gaza. Plus, Jesse Smollett headed back to prison. We'll tell you why. All of that in the next hour. Roland Martin unfiltered right here on the Black Star Network.

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Scan the QR code to complete the application show up in our lives in small ways. Three or four days a week, I would buy two cups of banana pudding, but the price has gone up. So now I only buy one. The demand curve in action. And that's just one of the things we'll be covering on Everybody's Business from Bloomberg Businessweek. I'm Max Chavkin. And I'm Stacey Vanek-Smith. Every Friday, we will be diving into the biggest stories in business, taking a look at what's going on, why it matters, and how it shows up in our everyday lives. But guests like Businessweek editor Brad Stone, sports reporter Randall Williams,

and consumer spending expert Amanda Mull will take you inside the boardrooms, the backrooms, even the signal chats that make our economy tick. Hey, I want to learn about VeChain. I want to buy some blockchain or whatever it is that they're doing. So listen to Everybody's Business on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I know a lot of cops, and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. Across the country, cops called

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

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

In a big way. In a very big way. Real people, real perspectives. This is kind of star-studded a little bit, man. We got Ricky Williams, NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner. It's just a compassionate choice to allow players all reasonable means

to care for themselves. Music stars Marcus King, John Osborne from Brothers Osborne. We have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote drug thing is.

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

Stories matter, and it brings a face to them. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. It's a horrific scene, a white nationalist rally that descended into deadly violence. You will not regret that.

White people are losing their damn lives. 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 more of this. Here's all the Proud Boys guys. 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 Beat. Hi, I'm Dee Barnes, and next on The Frequency, have you ever heard of Pinkster? If not, you aren't alone.

It's an African-American holiday that predates Juneteenth by a hundred years. This week, we're talking with my special guest, the founder and CEO of Trans Art and Cultural Services, Greer Smith, to talk about Pinkster and why it's so important. Those exhibitions really got the most play because we don't know about this. Other people have been telling our stories for so long. When we have the opportunity to find people that tell our stories, it's an easy sell. A fascinating conversation about Black culture

on The Frequency with me Dee Barnes, right here on the Black Star Network. Hey, it's John Murray, the executive producer of the new Sherri Shepherd Talk Show. You're watching Roland Mark. Unfiltered. Să facem o pătrunjelă. Să punem un pic de ulei de ulei. Să punem un pic de ulei de ulei. Să pun urmăm. Să facem o pătrunjelă. We'll be right back. about the call for the FDA to ban menthol cigarettes. African Americans have a higher propensity to smoke menthol cigarettes than anyone else.

We have been participants with the effort to get the FDA to do that, but you also, of course, you have Big Tobacco, who is flexing their muscles, and they are also saying, folks are saying that, well, it actually should not happen. Got a couple of people here joining us right now to discuss this here. First and foremost, Carol McGruder. She's the co-founder and co-chair of the African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council. We have retired NYPD Deputy Inspector Corey Pegues, who opposes the ban. Glad to have both of you here.

First off, I'll start with you, Corey. I've heard different folks with law enforcement suggest this is going to have a negative impact on African-Americans, criminal prosecution. We saw Senator Tom Cotton talk about how this is going to create an opportunity for the cartels to target Black folks. How? Well, all you really have to do is look at 1993, the World Trade Bombing, it was funded, you know, on tobacco. You know, that's, you can just look that up. So what we're talking about, me being a 21-year law enforcement executive, I understand that there will be unintended consequences in the form of this will be the new stop and frisk. Police officers don't know the difference between a menthol cigarette and a non-menthol cigarette, but it would be a precursor for them to engage.

And we look at YouTube all over Twitter now. You see what the young people are doing with the police. When we was younger, the police told you to get off the corner. You got off the corner. Now it's engagement, and disengagement can lead to devastating consequences, such as three people that died at the hands of police with a menthol cigarette. Sandra Bland refused to put her cigarette out.

Her Newport and Dallas taxes allegedly hung herself. Eric Garner was allegedly selling Lucy cigarettes, menthol Newport cigarettes. He was choked up by the police. And George Floyd was allegedly buying Newport Menthol cigarettes with a counterfeit $50 bill. And we only know about those things because of this. No, no, Corey, Corey, Corey, Corey, Corey, hold on one second, Corey, Corey, one second. First of all, I deal with facts. And so let me unpack those. Out of the three that you're talking about, the only one where there was a direct correlation between so-called loose cigarettes and police interaction was Eric Garner.

That was the only one. Sandra Bland took place. No, no, Corey, Corey, Corey, Corey, Corey. I'm stating facts. Sandra Bland took place in Prairie View, Texas, with a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper. She was smoking. The officer told her to put the cigarette out. She said then, why?

She opposed that. When he then ordered her out of the car, he then said he gave a lawful command, and she was arrested not because of her cigarette, because she disobeyed the lawful order to get out of the car. The dash cam video after she was arrested showed the officer on the radio with his supervisor trying to determine what she should be charged with. As it relates to George Floyd, again, the initial reporting was not about him trying to buy cigarettes. What they said was that he was allegedly using a counterfeit money to purchase.

So it wasn't like the cops recall because of the cigarettes. It was because allegedly he was trying to use counterfeit money. Those are the facts. I like how you unpack that, but you're still missing the point that there was a menthol piece to all three of those. Well, you know, kind of a big deal in NYPD. And we talk about Sandra Bland in Texas. That cop had already wrote the summons.

What I'm saying was if she never had the menthol cigarette roll, if she did not have the menthol cigarette, he gives her the summons and she's on her way. Right? George Floyd. No, that is, Corey, that is wrong. Corey, that is flat out. Corey, I don't understand what you're talking about.

I really don't because, again, I showed that video on this. Follow me here, Corey. I showed that video on this. Follow me here, Corey. I showed that video numerous times. I know that video by heart. I've been to Prairie View, Texas. I stopped at the point where she was actually stopped at. I've talked to her mother, Sandra Bland. I actually met her. And so what you're talking about, again, a ban on menthol cigarettes has no impact in this year. Carol, please step in here because I want to bring you in here as well. Because, again, we're talking about this and I'm still trying to, again, figure out the correlation there. Carol McGruder, go ahead. Well, I welcome this conversation because we rarely get to be in the same space with the detractors who are trying to prevent us from taking off of the U.S. market the number one killer and targeter of black men and black people, which is the tobacco industry.

And so the tobacco industry, they're pulling out all the stops because they feel that our community, that we are their property. And they have had their hooks in our community for so long and killed so many people and that they do not want to let us go. So I want to correct a few things. The first thing is that the FDA is going to take these products off of the market. So there won't be anything to smuggle because they're going to be gone. And that's what they're fighting for. This is not about the individual. It will not be illegal to have a menthol cigarette. It will not be illegal to smoke a menthol cigarette. It will be illegal for Reynolds American Tobacco, Newport Cigarettes, British American Tobacco. It will be illegal for them to distribute these products.

That's what the fight is about, and that when President Barack Obama signed the Tobacco Control Act back in 2009, these products were they were, FDA was mandated to do something, and they did not. And our organization, along with Action on Smoking and Health, the American Medical Association, the National Medical Association, the National Medical Association, our nation's doctors and Black doctors, sued the federal government to make them take this deadly product off the market.

And it was only left on because we were a negotiation and it stayed on. They've been taken off in Canada. They've been taken off in the European Union, which is made up of multiple countries. There was no conversation about what Black people wanted. Black people live all over the world. There was no conversation about what Black people wanted. Black people live all over the world. There was no conversation about

Black people want their menthols because those countries have not experienced the racist, pernicious, relentless targeting of our people, including giving these products away to children as young as nine years old. And they are, in fact, federally adjudicated racketeers. And I find it so interesting that police officers, and they are, in fact, federally adjudicated racketeers. And I find it so interesting that police officers, retired or otherwise, decide to associate themselves with federally

adjudicated racketeers. They are the criminals that you should be running from, and that while we're fighting for something, let's fight for reparations for our people, for health equity reparations. And I'd like to ask our officer here, what does he think about the tobacco industry targeting of our people for all these decades of giving these products to children like Dave Chappelle? I'd like to ask you, sir, what do you think of that? Well, what I think about that is,

I think of Marilyn Monroe. I think of Bill Cosby. I think of John Wayne. All think of Bill Cosby. I think of John Wayne. All of those white actors and actresses that was posing and selling tobacco also. So some kind of way, black people had came up with this, that the tobacco industry. So let me give a disclaimer. I don't work for the tobacco industry. All right.

So these are my personal thoughts. They have stopped targeting. We know it was the Cool Jazz Fest and all that. Like, today, you'll never see LeBron James, Steph Curry. They'll never be able to endorse that. The only way they can do, you know, advertisement is that point of sale. So we know that. And let me tell you why you said, why does law enforcement want to get involved? Let me tell you why I want to get involved. Because I have Black babies, OK? The number one killer from the age of 1 to 25 in the Black community is homicide, OK? And we do know since the crack era, the difference between the crack—

A lot of times the big economic forces we hear about on the news show up in our lives in small ways. Three or four days a week, I would buy two cups of banana pudding. But the price has gone up, so now I only buy one. The demand curve in action. And that's just one of the things we'll be covering on Everybody's Business from Bloomberg Businessweek. I'm Max Chavkin. And I'm Stacey Vanek-Smith. Every Friday, we will be diving into the biggest

stories in business, taking a look at what's going on, why it matters, and how it shows up in our everyday lives. But guests like Business Week editor Brad Stone, sports reporter Randall Williams, and consumer spending expert Amanda Mull will take you inside the boardrooms, the backrooms, even the signal chats that make our economy tick. Hey, I want to learn about VeChain. I want to buy some blockchain or whatever it is that they're doing. So listen to Everybody's Business on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I know a lot of cops, and they get asked all the time, Have you ever had to shoot your gun?

Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. Across the country, cops call this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multibillion-dollar company

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

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

reasonable means to care for themselves. Music stars Marcus King, John Osborne from Brothers Osborne. We have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote drug man. Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown. We got B-Real from Cypress Hill.

NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine 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. 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. And crack, we know what happened. Now we have an opioid issue. Guess what they're doing with the opioid issue? Counseling, treatment, and education.

And I love it because those young, most of the white kids that's, you know, strung out on opioids, they should be... So, Corey, Corey, Corey. And so that's the... Corey, I gotta stop you. Corey, Corey, Corey. Please, please. I'm still trying to understand. No, no, hold on one second. Corey, I'm still trying to understand

because it's not clear. Why are you against a ban on menthol cigarettes? I mean, again, this will be stopping the production and the distribution. That means they're gone. So are you saying that you're in support of menthol cigarettes? Well, what I'm in support of is for them to do it equally. Menthol is not even the addiction. Nicotine is the addiction in cigarettes,

and nicotine is in all cigarettes. Menthol makes the poison go down easier. I live in New York State. Menthol numbs your throat. It dilates your lungs. 60% of cigarettes sold in New York already is on the illegal market. It's on the underground. So as police officers, we do know.

Corey, one second. Corey, you just made a statement about menthol and being addictive. Carol, go ahead. I want to say this. I'm in New York right now. I just left the Social Justice Coalition Summit that's put on by Roth Nation, the second one.

And so I'm here with my sister colleague, Manu Jones from Detroit, who's getting this handled in Detroit. And our hearts are full because we've had a full day of seeing what Sandra Bland, what Eric Gardner, what Oscar Grant, what they had in common is that they are Black people who live in America. And so leaving the deadliest product on the market that kills 45,000 Black people, that's not going to help our community. And I want to ask the police officers

who just have the time to protect menthol cigarettes and the tobacco industry, where was their presence today at a conference that's talking about solutions, that's talking about all of the people who are wrongfully convicted in this country? That's what needs to happen. And that's where our officers who know where their bodies are buried, because they you know, they'll tell you that. Well, I know because I'm an officer. I challenge you, sir, go back and clean up your departments. Go up and really participate in true police reform in this country. Let's get to the surface of the root of this, because Amadou Jalloh was standing on his stoop and he was shot 44 times.

Oscar Grant got off a BART train in Oakland, California, and he was shot in the back. So these issues are real. I mean, one second. I get that part in terms of police accountability. But, Corey, I'm still trying to understand. This is what I'm confused by. If the FDA bans menthol cigarettes,

which we're targeting black people, the numbers show the percentage of black people smoking menthols and the percentage of black people who have been impacted and dying as a result are extremely high. So are you saying, Corey, ban all cigarettes? Or are you saying you don't like them? Okay, but here's my whole point.

If you start with menthol, you can move to the next. So are you saying that by banning menthol, somehow that's negative on black people? I'm literally confused with your argument. Exactly what is it? The argument is this, Roland. Why ban something for one segment

of the community? When you talk about 45,000 people die a year of black people from menthol, no one gives the numbers of the white people dying from non-menthol cigarettes. So if you're going to do it, when we look at smoking sensation over the last 30 years, it has gone down.

Hey, Corey, I give a damn about black people. Hey, Corey, you know who I care about? Black people. Do you know who I care about? I care about black will. I give a damn about my people, too. As a law enforcement executive, I care about all people. I care about Black will. I give a damn about my people, too. As a law enforcement executive, I care about all people.

I care about all people, but I'm going to start with mine. I'm going to start with mine. I don't want no unintended consequences. I know policing well. And what are the unintended consequences? The unintended consequences

is going to be more engagement, Roland. It will be more engagement with the black and brown community with young people over smoking these cigarettes. But the illicit market in the underground, all you got to do is look at Chicago. Hold up, Cory, Cory. Hold up, Cory. Hold on. Let me get this out, Roland.

Cory, one second. It's so bad. No, no, Cory. Cory, I need to establish facts. Corey, I need to establish facts. Corey, I need to establish facts. Are you saying, and I'm trying to understand, is it your belief that a ban on menthol cigarettes means that they are illegal?

When you ban them, that's when the underground is going to explode. But the underground is already exploding. And we talk about a health issue, and I'm on record talking and saying that cigarettes... I don't smoke. Smoking is bad for your health. I know that. The ban is about the manufacturers. It is about Reynolds American. It's not about Reynolds American.

Listen, ma'am, listen to what I'm saying. It's not about Reynolds American. Listen, ma'am, listen to what I'm saying. I'm just giving you... It's not about the individual. I'm giving you... I'm only giving you a law enforcement perspective. I can only give you a law enforcement perspective. That's my point. I know that the criminal element

will make a ton of money and we will have more shootings in our community. The gangs will start selling all of these unauthorized cigarettes. Like you said, I know the ban is for the manufacturer, right? They won't be there to sell. The ban is for the manufacturer. Corey, Corey, Corey, Corey, hold on one second. Corey, Corey, I got to ask you a question.

You say they're going to be selling unauthorized cigarettes. How are they selling unauthorized cigarettes when they're not going to be allowed to be manufactured or distributed? They're coming in by the busloads. They're coming in by ships now, China and India. The U.S. government is grabbing these. They're grabbing millions of cartons of cigarettes. They're going to be making them, Roland.

And if we think, and my main issue is we think we have a health problem now with a regulated cigarette for over 80-something years. Imagine when they ban the cigarettes. Everybody's going to be making cigarettes. They're going to have fentanyl and everything in the cigarettes. It's just like alcohol, Roland. It's just like prohibition. Prohibition didn't work.

Wow. They all went and started making illegal moonshine, right? It's going to be the same thing with the cigarette. We already seen this movie before. Don't be bamboozled by saying 45,000 black people died a year. Don't be bamboozled by industry that doesn't want to let go of the black people.

One second, Cory. Carol. Don't be bamboozled. One industry that doesn't want to let go of the black market. One second, Cory. Carol, let me ask you this question. When big tobacco was sued and states were winning and we began to see a curtailing of advertising and things along those lines, did we not see a dramatic drop of smoking rates in this country? We have seen a dramatic drop, but there has always been a disparity. And so there was no bigger demonstration of the disparities when we had COVID. It just magnified the disparities. And so our position, along with Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People,

100 Black Men, Make It Count, the NMA, Black Center for Health Equity, all of these groups have studied this issue, and we all agree that these products need to come off the market. Now, to my officer's point, the policy is one piece, but there needs to be cessation. There needs to be health equity. There needs to be reparations from the tobacco industry to our community. And so this brother, he wants to defend Marilyn Monroe and John Wayne, God bless him. I'm concerned about my brother on the corner who has been, who in our community has been

seeded with addiction for decades and decades. And I'd like to ask your position. How do you deal with addiction? Do you feel that the tobacco industry holds its preparation? Don't put words in my mouth. I never defended John Wayne and Marilyn Monroe, but you guys keep saying they targeted the black community.

They targeted all. They did target. Tobacco wasn't going to get rich just in the black community. Everybody was smoking cigarettes. Everybody. Actually, Corey, one second, one second, one second, one second. One second, one second, one second, one second. Corey, again, I deal with facts.

It is established that the tobacco industry specifically target target African Americans, sponsoring not just jazz festivals, sponsoring tables, sponsoring events. They literally had psychologists studying African Americans to figure out how to increase the sales. So what you're saying is wrong because there literally is empirical data to show that. Now, final point from both of you, and I'm still trying to go back to this basic point, Corey. You keep suggesting that if you ban

menthol cigarettes, all of a sudden, we're going to see a dramatic increase of killing of black people in the country. Well, if you don't ban menthol cigarettes, Corey. There's going to be an increased engagement in the black and brown community with the police. I know that for a fact because they're going to—cigarettes, illegal cigarettes will be the new drug. So they'll be selling cigarettes.

If you can get a carton of cigarettes and you can make $700 and you only paid $100 for the cigarette, why would you sell cocaine, crack, heroin, opioids? I'm telling you, that's what's going to happen. The mafia is going to get involved. All of the drug games, all of these low-level blood scripts, M13s, I know that's going to happen because they're going to be on the corners in our low socioeconomic neighborhoods selling illegal cigarettes. And listen, the only thing I can say is...

But I hope... ...that they don't ban it, but I really hope and pray if they do ban it that we don't see this increased engagement in the black and brown community. But you can look at, like, in Delaware, there's been three cases of people, the police choking people for not smoking on the boardwalk.

We got a 12-year-old kid in L.A. that was stopped. They thought he was smoking marijuana. He was smoking a Swisher cigarette. So there's pockets of these crimes, these engagements already. They're only going to magnify if you have this ban. But again, I appreciate...

Carol, final comment. Carol, final comment. No, one second, one second. Carol, final comment. My final comment is that this is the beginning of a process. We're still fighting for our right to vote and that there are African Americans who are leading this charge to get the tobacco industry out of a process. We're still fighting for our right to vote and that there are African

Americans who are leading this charge to get the tobacco industry out of our community. And that is combined with many of the things that people are talking about with cessation, with dealing with structural racism, with criminal reform, which is why I'm in New York today. And I encourage all the police officers who like to hang out with the federally adjudicated racketeers under RICO. All of these tobacco companies are racketeer-influenced corrupt organizations. The mafia is already doing it, except they're white men with suits on who belong to country clubs.

And so they get a free pass. So people not to be afraid, to know that our communities can be healthy, that we will no longer continue to support the biggest wolf, the biggest targeter coming in and seeding the seeds of addiction in our community, generation after generation after generation. The day is over for that. And it's time for people to get on the right side of this issue to demand that our government support our people and that we get reparations from the tobacco industry for the million Black people who have died in the past 20 years from tobacco induced diseases. We need

reparations. So let's get with that. Let's get with that. The brother won't have to sell cigarettes on the corner if he gets reparations. I got you. We're out of time. I appreciate both of you joining us on today's show. Thank you so very much. When you come back,

I'm going to chat with my panel. We'll also talk about World AIDS Day as well. You're watching Roller Mark Unfiltered on the Black Star Network. 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. There's 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.

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All right, folks, welcome back. Roller Mart Unfiltered. Let me bring in Kelly and Michael. Kelly, first off, what do you make of the comments that Corey was making there that by banning menthol cigarettes somehow that's going to lead to this dramatic increase with law enforcement? I think he was trying to make a point that is valid, but he was going about it the wrong way by pulling, you know, grasping at straws for a solid argument. But I do understand the notion of when something

is all of a sudden illegal across the board, and it is known that mostly Black people have been partaking in that, then it is, you know, it is a pattern for police to target Black people and to, you know, use their bias against Black people to, you know, meet quotas, to, you know, up arrests, et cetera, et cetera. So I understand his concern. Be that as it may, that doesn't mean that the cigarettes

should be on the market because they are deadly and there is no benefit to them being on market. So, you know, should they get off market? I agree with that. But I also understand his concern about an increase in harassment towards Black people who once upon a time, should this become illegal, at one point was doing something legal. I do

understand his point in that regard. I just feel like he went about it the wrong way in your conversation. Michael. Yeah, Roland. So I have been following this for a couple of years, but that conversation there with the police officer was very, very confusing. I was following along, also trying to understand his logic here. We know that 80 percent of African- Americans who smoke smoke menthol cigarettes. Now, from my understanding and research in this world, like the past year or so, it would this would ban the manufacturing of menthol cigarettes here in the U.S. But I haven't found anything saying it would ban the actual sale of menthol cigarettes.

And then I haven't seen anything saying it would ban possession of menthol cigarettes, say an individual having menthol cigarettes. So I'm trying to follow the logic. And I think you had that sister on the show previously a few months ago, something like that, because I remember us having this conversation. I think maybe someone was sitting in for you. I'm still trying to follow the logic. How do we go from a ban on menthol cigarettes to increasing the overall engagement and deaths of African Americans

at the hands of police officers because I haven't seen anything saying possessing menthol cigarettes will be illegal. I'm still trying to find the evidence of all of that. police officers because they haven't seen anything saying possessing menthol cigarettes will be illegal. I'm still trying to find the evidence of all of that. And that was precisely my point. And so that's why I was just sitting here and then trying to bring up Sandra Bland by saying, well, if she didn't have a cigarette, she was a rich kid. She would. It was that was that was that was a reach. That was a big-ass reach. So it was like a whole lot of that going, and I was just like, I'm confused.

And let's just be real clear. What you do have here, you got big tobacco. They're doing all they can. They do not want to see menthol cigarettes banned. Why? Because they're making billions. They're making billions. And you know what's happening? We know

for a fact African Americans and how they are used to target African Americans. Look, I got no problem to say, look, we're with the coalition, tobacco-free kids. We understand what's going on. I despise cigarette smoke. And the

bottom line is this here. It's killing our people. It'sise cigarette smoke. And the bottom line is this here. It's killing our people. It's killing our people. And if we want to say black lives matter, well, then we damn sure may be talking about it when it comes to those who are dying as a result of cigarettes. So I am flat out in support of the FDA banning menthol cigarettes. All right, folks. Hold on one second. We'll go to a break.

We're going to come back and talk about World AIDS Day. Also, Justice Smollett headed back to prison. We'll tell you what's up with that as well. You're watching Rolling Martin Unfiltered live from St. Croix right here on the Black Star Network. On the next Get Wealthy with me, Deborah Owens, have you ever had a million dollar idea and wondered how to bring it to life? Well, it's all about turning problems into opportunities.

On our next Get Wealthy, you'll learn of a woman who identified the overload bag syndrome and now she's taking that money to the bank through global sales and major department stores. And I was just struggling with two or three bags on the train, and I looked around on the train and I said, you know what, there are a lot of women that are carrying two or three bags. That's right here on Get Wealthy, only on Black Star Network.

Next on The Black Table with me, Greg Carr. There's a lot of talk about the inevitability of another civil war in this country. But on our next show, we'll talk to a noted author and scholar who says we're actually in the middle of one right now. In fact, Steve Phillips says the first one that started back in 1861, well, it never ended. People carrying the Confederate flag, wearing sweatshirts saying MAGA Civil War, January 6, 2021,

stormed U.S. Capitol, hunted down the country's elected officials, built the gallows for the Vice President of the United States, and to block the peaceful transfer of power within this country. On the next Black Table, about on the news show up in our lives in small ways. Three or four days a week, I would buy two cups of banana pudding, but the price has gone up. So now I only buy one. The demand curve in action. And that's just one of the things we'll be covering on Everybody's Business from Bloomberg Businessweek. I'm Max Chavkin. And I'm Stacey Vanek-Smith. Every Friday, we will be diving into the biggest stories in

business, taking a look at what's going on, why it matters and how it shows up in our everyday lives. But guests like Business Week editor Brad Stone, sports reporter Randall Williams and consumer spending expert Amanda Mull will take you inside the boardrooms, the backrooms, even the signal chats that make our economy tick. Hey, I want to learn about VeChain. I want to buy some blockchain or whatever it is that they're doing. So listen to Everybody's Business on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I know a lot of cops, and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. Across the country, cops called this taser the revolution.

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

Taser Incorporated, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st, and episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th. Ad And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast. Yes, sir. We are back. In a big way. In a very big way. Real people, real perspectives.

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

NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corvette. MMA fighter Liz Karamush. What we're doing now isn't working, and we need to change things. Stories matter, and it brings a face to them. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two

on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for good plus on apple podcast you All right, folks, welcome back to Roller Martin Unfiltered right here on the Black Star Network. Today is World AIDS Day, and it doesn't get the attention that it used to. The reality is it still is a significant problem in this country, also in the world, and it still impacts African Americans in a huge way.

In 2022, African Americans accounted for 42% of all new HIV diagnoses. Dr. Maya Green, as the founder of Onyx Medical Wellness, joins us from Chicago. Glad to have you here. Dr. Green, how has the new drugs that have come on the market, how has that impacted HIV and AIDS in America? Well, you know, thanks for having me, firstly. There are two ways that the new drugs on the market impact the field of HIV tremendously. I just want to say my hope with these newfound innovations is that as the medicine has advanced, and I'm going to talk about that, that providers, healthcare providers, advance our conversations, update our conversations about what HIV is and what it's not.

So now we have for treatment, we have once a day pills, but we have once every other month injections and coming out is a once every six month injection that people can take as part of a regimen to treat HIV. But let me also mention the once a day and then once every other month prevention medicine, meaning if you're not living with HIV, there's medicine you can take to prevent getting it. So those are just some of the ways that new medical advances have happened in our field. And my hope is that we move towards advancing the conversation.

Well, and one of the things that we also are seeing is on a federal level, you still are seeing how Republicans want to actually make cuts. They try to cut the minority AIDS programming out of the federal budget in order to get a new budget deal. And so here we are seeing African-Americans being most impacted, and Republicans want to cut that money that specifically targets black folks and other minorities. Absolutely. I'm sure you're familiar with the book by Daniel Dodds The Political Determinants of Health that mention how

these factors play into why historically minoritized communities, specifically the black community, stays underserved and continually overlooked. So just to give some numbers to what you've already said,

African-Americans or Black people make up 13% of the population. You've already mentioned that 42% of new infections are among this African-American and Black group that only make up 13% of the population. But also, when it comes to prevalence of all the people living with HIV, 40 percent of them are African-American. And let's talk about who dies of HIV or AIDS-related illness, something that doesn't even have to happen nowadays.

Forty-three percent of deaths from AIDS-related illnesses were among African-Americans. And I just want to recall us, too to we're only 13 percent of the population. So, yes, the political determinants of health play a big role in this, a huge role. And I'm excited that you're one of the people that are turning equity talk into equity action. JOHN B. Questions from our panel. Kelly, you first. So, my understanding is that under the Affordable Care Act or Obamacare,

we must have access to PrEP under many health insurance providers. And yet and still that is still, we still have a barrier to those who need this medication, not because of legislation per se, but lack of clinics, lack of doctors who can administer it,

things like that. Can you speak to that and the barriers outside of legislation and policy? Because it sounds to me that legislation and policy has done its job to an extent outside of Republican interference, of course. But when it comes to the now, legislation and policy for the most part has worked, but it's administrative stuff. It's, frankly, racial bias stuff and lack of access due to racial bias that is preventing access. So can you expound upon that? Yeah, the barriers, thank you for saying that. The barriers are on all levels, intercommunity, interpersonal,

community-wide and federal. Thank you for mentioning PrEP because it pushes me to mention, of all, when we look at who can benefit from PrEP, only 8 percent of Black Americans or African Americans that can benefit from PrEP are on it. When you look at overall population, 23% of people who can benefit from PrEP are on it. So there's another disparity. So you mentioned some of the things that I want to talk about, which is health care provider access. Those actually go into political determinants of health,

but it go into stigma too. Like, so there was a study published in the Journal of American Medical Co-Association that showed when black patients go to black providers, they actually get better care. They're more likely to be prescribed PrEP and other things when the provider understands your community and the care comes

from a culturally appropriate space. So yeah, there are all kinds of barriers. Stigma is on the rise. I'll just, you know, mention stigma for one second for if this is the first time you've heard it. Stigma is when you believe a false narrative about someone, a community or something, and it's so strong that you actually act on it, even though that narrative is not real. Right. And I always say stigma is an infectious disease of the mind. It infects more people than HIV ever could. Kelly kind of gave a segue to my question. When, you know, I see commercials on TV for PrEP, and sometimes in the commercial, they may have African American men who may be portrayed as being bisexual or part of the LGBT community. In trying to protect the entirety, the whole of the African-American community from HIV, how does that perceived stigma that you talked about, maybe it being associated with gay Black men or something like this, how does that cause a barrier in trying to protect the entirety of the African-American

community from HIV? Thank you for saying that. Y'all are getting into it tonight. The barriers are in the box, right? And so HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. It's a virus that attacks the immune system of humans. HIV is not looking for a sexual orientation. We're looking for a sexual orientation. HIV is not looking for a lived experience. That's us. We built these boxes that have now closed us in. In fact, most African-American women that get HIV get it from their heterosexual partners. So now, because the healthcare industry has put HIV in a box, people feel like they have to fit in the box,

the imaginary box that we created, before they get screened, before they get screened. And the national screening guideline is we start screening at 13. So, you know, I posted something early on my IG, blow up the box, y'all. Blow the box up because the box is not helping us at all. If you have an immune system, you should get screened. Just like if you have breasts, you get screened. If you have a cervix, you get screened. If you have a prostate, you get screened.

If you have an immune system, get screened for HIV. Know your status and protect our community. All right. Thank you. All right, then. Doc, we certainly appreciate you joining us. Dr. Green, thank you so very much. And keep up the good work.

Thank you for having me. Protect your tribe, y'all. Thanks for having me. Protect your tribe, y'all. Bye. All right, folks. When we come back, we're going to take a quick break and come back to what's happening with Jesse Smollett. Not good news in his case.

That's next on Roller Martin Unfiltered on the Black Star Network. Hi, I'm Dr. Jackie Hood Martin, and I have a question for you. Ever feel as if your life is teetering and the weight and pressure of the world is consistently on your shoulders? Well, let me tell you, living a balanced life isn't easy. Join me each Tuesday on Blackstar Network for a balanced life with Dr. Jackie. We'll laugh together, cry together, pull ourselves together, and cheer each other on. So join me for new shows each Tuesday on Blackstar Network, aanced Life with Dr. Jackie. I'm Faraiji Muhammad, live from L.A., and this is The Culture.

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 PM Eastern and let your voice be heard. Hey, we're all in this together. So let's 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. on network I'm Dr. Robin B, pharmacist and fitness coach, and you're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered. One, go. Josiah Vanover has been missing from Cranston, Rhode Island, since November 3rd. The 16-year-old stands 4 feet 5 inches tall, weighs 110 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. Anyone with information about Josiah Vanover should call the Smithfield, Rhode Island Police Department at 401-231-2500. 401-231-2500. Folks in Georgia, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee heard a series of motions from attorneys for Donald Trump and several of his co-defendants, including a motion to throw out the charges in the Georgia 2020 election case. Defense attorneys tried to poke holes in the case of D.A. Bonnie Willis.

First of all, again, trying to keep these folks from being able to prosecute them. The hearing comes as prosecutors push for an August 2024 trial start date for Trump and the remaining 14 co-defendants. I'll tell you about the case out of the election

out of Louisiana where the black sheriff won by one vote with the Louisiana parish sheriff. Election results be officially uncalled out of Louisiana with a black sheriff won by one vote, with Louisiana Parish Sheriff election results being officially uncalled until a judge announces a ruling sometime next week. And they're already to recount the brother won by one vote. Well, the Republican, the white Republican who lost, he still is not satisfied by that.

He thinks that he beat Democrat Henry Whitehorn in the November 18th runoff. Nicholson challenged the election results, alleging a number of voting irregularities. Ad hoc judge Joseph Bleich did not rule during a hearing today and instead has taken the matter under advisement until noon Saturday to respond to evidence presented in Thursday's

hearing. He said he would rule after reviewing their submissions. The Illinois Appeals Court has upheld the conviction of Justice Smollett that took place in 2021. A jury convicted the Empire star was staging a racist homophobic attack in 2019. Smollett's attorneys challenged the role of a special prosecutor. The jury selection, evidence, and other aspects of the case.

He will now have to finish the 150-day sentence in jail. He spent just six days in jail while pending his appeal, which he just lost. Also, the first woman to serve on the 96th Supreme Court has died. Republican President Ronald Reagan appointed Sandra Day O'Connor to the U.S. Supreme Court as the first woman ever. She was confirmed by a Senate vote of 99-0. She was a trailblazer for women in the law, educated generations about the rights and duties of citizenship, was a crucial figure in landmark Supreme Court cases involving abortion, affirmative action, as well as civil rights. She retired in 2006 to care for her husband, who was dying in 2018.

She had been diagnosed with dementia. She was 93 years old. So that's the news there. Also, the inmate who attacked Derek Chauvin, a former cop who killed George Floyd, well, guess what? He's now facing attempted murder charges. Chauvin was stabbed 22 times. He has survived that attack, but again, that inmate is now going to be facing attempted murder charges. And I must say, Michael, you got people in prison who say, look,

I ain't never getting out. So they said, I ain't got nothing to lose. Yeah. You know, it's going to be interesting to find out more details. I was reading the article from NBC News on this, and the person who allegedly stabbed him said that the reason why he did it on Black Friday was to be an alliance. It was in reference to Black Lives Matter. This is an article from NBC NBCnews.com on this. So and on the other hand, you know, now some people may say this is karma.

And I don't mean a song by Taylor Swift either. But I do also agree that when you are in the custody in prison or what have you, your safety is the responsibility of, you know, the prison guards, et cetera. So it's going to be interesting to see how this happened and how he was able to use this makeshift knife and stab Derek Chauvin 22 times also in federal prison. Kelly, bottom line is Derek Chauvin, he better be looking over his back for the rest of his time in prison. I mean,

God don't like ugly and he ain't too fond of cute either, as evidenced by this incident. I think it's interesting because a couple weeks ago when I was on the show, we were saying how cops kind of beg to go into federal prison because state is so much worse. Exhibit A.

I don't know what else to say to that. Like, I'm sorry? No. What, I'm sorry? No. No, again, I mean, bottom line is, you know, he gonna, look, look, he in prison, he gonna have to deal with the realities of being in prison.

And that's what happened when you do wrong. All right, folks, that is it for me. Before I go, I forgot yesterday. I was so busy doing this stuff on yesterday. Did not give a shout out to my mom for her. Oops, oops, hold up. Let's see here. Did I get this right?

Give me one second. I need to make sure. Make sure I get this right. I forgot yesterday. We were so busy. We were so busy with other news of the day that I did not give a shout out to my mom. She turned 76 years old on yesterday. Dad turned 76 in April. And so she was hanging out, having a good time. Recently saw her and her family, of course, for Thanksgiving. And so, Mommy Melvin Martin, 76 years young on yesterday. Yeah, she's Sagittarius, but she birthed Scorpio, so that's the most important thing. So, they all right. We'll tolerate Sagittarius. All right, Mama, happy birthday.

Y'all know she sent me a text last night. You ain't giving me a birthday shout-out. And I was like, the iPad died. So we got it straight today. All right, folks, that is it for me from St. Croix. I've got meetings this weekend. Looking forward to that. A lot of stuff going on.

Can't wait to chat with folks here. We are, of course, steady, focused, building what we are building. Of course, five years of RollerMart unfiltered in September. Then, of course, two years of Black Star Network. Lots of little stuff we got planned ongoing. So we appreciate all of you being on the ride with us. Please support us in what we

do. First and foremost, download the Black Star Network app. Apple phone, Android phone, Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Xbox One, Samsung Smart TV. That's first. You can also, of course, support us by joining our Bring the Funk fan club. Your dollars are critically important for us to do what we do. We're about $230,000 behind last year's goals. So senior check and money order, P.O. Box 57196, Washington, D.C., 20037-0196. Cash app, dollar sign, RM Unfiltered.

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And don't forget, you can check out our 24-hour, seven-day-a-week streaming channel on four fast channels. You can check us out on Amazon News by going to Amazon Fire and going to Amazon News. You can tell Alexa to play news from the Black Star Network. Also, Plex TV, Amazon Freebie, and go to Amazon Prime Video.

Click Live TV, and you will see us right here on the grid on Amazon Prime Video. All right, folks, that is it. Again, I'll see y'all Monday. I'll be back in D.C. Do not forget, y'all know it's going to be an ice cold show. It's going to be an ice cold show on Monday where we will be, of course, celebrating Founders

Day of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated. So y'all know what's going to happen on Monday. It'll be a lot of black and gold. And so look forward to that. And then I will be in L.A. on Wednesday for the world premiere of The Color Purple. That's right.

Got a couple of invites, and so look forward to being out there with Oprah Winfrey and the cast of The Color Purple. Folks, y'all have a fabulous, fabulous weekend. I'll see you on Monday. Holler! A lot of times, big economic forces show up in our lives in small ways. Four days a week, I would buy two cups of banana pudding. But the price has gone up, so now I only buy one. Small but important ways. From tech billionaires to the bond market to, yeah, banana pudding.

If it's happening in business, our new podcast is on it. I'm Max Chastin. And I'm Stacey Vanek-Smith. So listen to Everybody's Business on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I know a lot of cops. They get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future

where the answer will always be no. This is Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. Listen to Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Glott. And this is Season 2 of the War on Drugs podcast.

Yes, sir. Last year, a lot of the problems of the drug war. This year, a lot of the biggest names in music and sports. This kind of star-studded a little bit, man. We met them at their homes. We met them at their homes. We met them at their recording studios. Stories matter and it brings a face to them. It makes it real.

It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an iHeart Podcast.