#RolandMartinUnfiltered - Pres. Biden's Clean Energy Funds, Haiti's Extended State of Emergency, Freddie Jackson's Health

Episode Date: September 6, 2024

9.5.2024 #RolandMartinUnfiltered: Pres. Biden's Clean Energy Funds, Haiti's Extended State of Emergency, Freddie Jackson's Health  President Joe Biden unveils the recipients of $7.3B in clean energy funding for rural power co-ops. Former Congresswoman Liz Cheney endorses Vice President Kamala Harris and explains why it's vital to keep MAGA Republicans out of office.  The president of Chicago's Joseph Business School will explain how Vice President Kamala Harris' plan for small businesses will help them create wealth in the community.  Haiti has extended its state of emergency as gangs continue to wreak havoc on the unstable county.  A former Haitian policy adviser will be here to explain why the transitional government doesn't seem to be working.  Download the #BlackStarNetwork app on iOS, AppleTV, Android, Android TV, Roku, FireTV, SamsungTV and XBox  http://www.blackstarnetwork.com The #BlackStarNetwork is a news reporting platforms 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. We asked parents who adopted teens to share their journey. We just kind of knew from the beginning that we were family. They showcased a sense of love that I never had before.

I mean, he's not only my parent, like, he's like my best friend. At the end of the day, it's all been worth it. I wouldn't change a thing about our lives. Learn about adopting a teen from foster care. Visit AdoptUSKids.org to learn more. Brought to you by AdoptUSKids, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Ad Council. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Glott. And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast. Last year, a lot of the problems of the drug war. This year, a lot of the biggest names in music and sports.

This kind of star-studded a little bit, man. We met them at their homes. We met them at their recording studios. Stories matter, and it brings a face to them. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two

on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. We'll be right back. Support this man, Black Media. He makes sure that our stories are told. Thank you for being the voice of Black America, Roland. Be Black. I love y'all. All momentum we have now, we have to keep this going. The video looks phenomenal. See, there's a difference between Black Star Network and Black-owned media and something like CNN. You can't be Black-owned media and be scared. It's time to be smart. Bring your eyeballs home.

You dig? It's Thursday, September the 5th, 2024. I'm Greg Carr, sitting in for Roland tonight. And here's what's coming up on Roland Martin Unfiltered, streaming live on the Black Star Network. President Joe Biden unveils the recipients of $7.3 billion in clean energy funding for rural power co-ops. Former Congresswoman Liz Cheney endorses Vice President Kamala Harris and explains why it's vital to keep MAGA Republicans out of office. The president of Chicago's Joseph Business School will explain how Vice

President Kamala Harris' plan for small businesses will help them create wealth in the community. Quite an ambitious plan, by the way. Look forward to that conversation. Haiti has extended its state of emergency as gangs continue to wreak havoc on the country. A former Haitian policy advisor will be here to explain why the transitional government doesn't seem to be working. Can't wait for that conversation as well.

It's time to bring the fun on Roland Martin Unfiltered streaming live on the Black Star Network. Let's go. And it's rollin' Best believe he's knowin' Puttin' it down from sports to news to politics With entertainment just for kicks He's rollin' Yeah, yeah It's Uncle Roro, y'all Yeah, yeah It's Rollin' Martin

Yeah, yeah Rollin' with Rollin' now Yeah, yeah He's funky, he's yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, President Joe Biden was in Wisconsin today to announce $7.3 billion in spending for clean energy will receive funding from the United States Department of Agriculture to help them transition to clean energy and distribute power to farms, families, and businesses. Here's some of what he had to say. In June of 2021, five months after I came to office, I went to nearby La Crosse, Wisconsin. It was the 65th anniversary of President Eisenhower's signing of the bill that created the interstate highway system. I talked about my vision to do

something just as historic, to invest in infrastructure and clean energy and so much more in rural America, to invest in all America and all Americans, to propel us into the future, creating millions, and I mean millions, of good-paying jobs and positioning America to win the economic competition of the 21st century. I'm back again today to begin a series of trips and events showing the progress we've made together by our Investing in America agenda, an agenda that has come to fruition over the last decade. Invest in America. Invest in American workers. Here in Westby, you know, I'm proud to announce that my investments, that through my investments, the most significant climate change law ever. And by the way, it is a $369 billion bill. It's called the, we should have named it what it was.

But at any rate, the Department of Agriculture is able, from that legislation, to announce $7.3 billion in grants to 16 electrical co-ops nationwide to help rural communities transition to clean, affordable, reliable energy. It's the most significant transformative investment in electricity and electrification and clean energy for rural America since FDR's New Deal nearly 90 years ago. And that's not hype like that's a fact and it includes dairy land power cooperative that will receive 580 million dollars to develop and purchase solar power wind power energy stores right here in wisconsin and all across the midwest and here's why it's a game changer before the new deal private companies refused to provide affordable electricity to rural communities. As a result, 1 in 10 rural households, only 1 in 10, had electricity before FDR came to power. So farmers had to organize electric co-ops to distribute electricity to their families and their communities.

With help from the New Deal, there are now more than 800 rural electric co-ops to provide electricity for 40 million Americans in 48 states. But key challenges, they've overcome them, but the co-ops are still non-profits. They don't have the same resources that private utility companies have to modernize their energy infrastructure. And for decades, they couldn't access tax credits to make clean energy more affordable. That's why Campbell and I ensured that for the first time in American history that these nonprofit co-ops can benefit from clean energy tax credits just like for-profit utilities have for decades. We're also creating new tools for co-ops to refinance prior debts so they can go out there and not be held back from investing in their future. Today's historic announcement of $7.3 billion for rural electric co-ops builds on those steps. It means clean, affordable electricity for over 5 million rural households

and businesses across 23 states. It means 20,000 jobs, good-paying, high-quality jobs, including union jobs, so rural America is empowered to lead our clean energy future. It means covering the upfront cost of clean energy so rural families can save on their energy bills and get just a little more breathing room at the end of the month. And it means rural entrepreneurs and manufacturers who are so fundamental to our economy are powered with reliable, affordable energy, and they can create more job opportunities in their communities. And guess what?

It's also good for the environment as well. Because of our historic actions, we're going to reduce by 43 million tons greenhouse gas pollution every single year as a consequence of these investments. That is the equivalent of removing pollution from more than 10 million gas-powered vehicles. 10 million. It's going to save $265 billion in health care costs because of better, cleaner quality of air. People aren't breathing polluted air and getting sick. That comes from the NIH. It matters, folks. You know it. And folks, I've kept my commitment to be president for all America and all Americans, including rural America. Your communities are the

backbone, and that's not hyper, you're the backbone of this country. You deserve the same resources as folks in our cities and our suburbs. That's what today's announcement is all about, generating rural power for rural America. But that's not all. Last year, I was next door with your good neighbor, Governor Walz of Minnesota. I think the guy's gone places. I talked about we're making the most fundamental and significant investment ever in rural America, creating new and better markets, new income streams that are generators in rural America, creating new and better markets, new income streams that are generators of rural America's that can grow and thrive. For example, we're taking on big corporations, doing everything from

increasing competition in the meat markets to boosting domestic fertilizer production. In fact, here in Wisconsin, that means $12 million to lower fertilizer costs for farmers across the state, which also creates jobs and grows new businesses. Here in Wisconsin, we also invested $47 million to lower energy costs, install renewable and energy efficient technologies like solar panels behind me on farms and rural small businesses. Darren just shared how that's cut his family electricity bill in half. We're helping farmers and ranchers and entrepreneurs tackle the climate crisis. Climate smart agriculture such as cover crops, nutrient management, storing carbon in the soil.

These practices reduce the greenhouse gas emissions and improve overall health of the soil and the water. They put us on a path to continue to grow the food, the fuel, the fiber that will power our nation for decades to come. Through our bipartisan infrastructure law, it's a fancy way of saying that $366 billion for environment, most significant investment in America's infrastructure. And what the infrastructure bill, by the way, the bipartisan bill, that was a trillion, $200 billion. And guess what? We're still lowering the deficit. Anyway, the most significant investment in America since Eisenhower'sTR, we're also making the most significant investment ever in affordable high-speed internet. Because affordable high-speed internet is just as essential today as electricity was a century ago.

In order to be able to do business, and when things are shut down, your kid doesn't have to sit outside of McDonald's, and anyway. That's why we've invested $1.6 billion, just in Wisconsin, to connect everyone to affordable high-speed internet in Wisconsin. Since I took office, 72,000 more Wisconsin homes and small businesses have access to high-speed internet for the first time ever. We're going to keep it going.

We've also invested $200 million to release lead pipes across the state so a kid can drink clean water without worrying about brain damage and changing their schools as well. Well, the president looks to have a lot of pep in his step. He's got his cool sunglasses on. He says this is the biggest investment in rural electrification since Franklin. Delano Roosevelt here to discuss this.

Myself, of course, and our dear sister, Recy Colbert, host of the Recy Colbert Show from Washington, D.C. That's Sirius Channel 126, Sirius XM on the weekends. So, yeah, I'll make sure y'all tune in. Hey, Recy, how you doing, sis? Hey, fellow Sirius XM host. Yes, indeed. Yes, indeed. We holding it down, trying to keep black media going.

There we go. There we go. We trying to do it. Yes, we are. So, well, I mean, Joe Biden looks like he's in fighting form now. Take that reelection campaign off him, and he, moving with a little pep in his step. What do you make of today's announcement? Well, Dr. Carr, you are grading on a curve today.

But you are. But I will say thank you, Joe, for the clean energy. And for stepping aside, because if we were still that up against Trump, we would we would we would be up shit creek right now. But I do appreciate the substantive value of what he was saying. This is undeniably and unequivocally one of the most accomplished administrations in terms of advancing clean energy, in terms of advancing our investment in infrastructure and clean energy. This was something that President Obama certainly ran on, and he made strides, but they didn't really get very far in a lot of things. And obviously, Trump is drill, baby, drill. And so I appreciate this for a number of reasons. Number one, when we have Trump-appointed judges who have basically gutted the Civil Rights Act enforcement of disparate treatment and evaluating that in how companies, for instance, set up shop in Black communities for waste, you know, for their carcinogenic waste and for oil refineries and things of that nature, then we need to create an economy, as Vice President Kamala Harris would say, an opportunity economy that

is more around clean energy and, you know, weaning us off our reliance off of pollution, off of polluting, producing energy. And so I appreciate this. This is also, you know, something that's good for rural communities. Black people are in rural communities as well. They're not just white folks in rural communities. And so this is undeniably the win. Now, sometimes I do twitch a little bit seeing bipartisan law because it was probably like, what, two or three bipartisan people on the infrastructure? I don't know. It could have been more people. But this is a binarist, law because it was probably like what two or three bipartisan people on on on the infrastructure but i don't know it could have been more people but this is a binary democratic congress infrastructure

bill and we're seeing the results and very quickly not 10 years from now but immediately so this is really really great that he's still out there touting the accomplishments of the biden harris administration absolutely if you don't mind you spend a few minutes and help us walk through the politics and how this might even impact the campaign. Like I say, all this money going to rural America. And as you just said, the Inflation Reduction Act got no Republican votes. And by the time you combine that with the $7.3 billion today, they're talking about close to $30 billion of investment in rural America. A lot of those states that are going to benefit, including today, we see Wisconsin with this dairy land power co-op. They're getting, let's say, $573 million. That's Wisconsin. You've got

Pennsylvania, Minnesota. You've got Michigan in here, Nevada, Wisconsin, not to mention places like Florida and Ohio. If you're advising the Harris campaign, how could you make today's announcement perhaps work, not to spend too much time on it, but maybe to emphasize some of this stuff in some of these states that may be nudging towards swing or even toss up or close enough to maybe come in and steal? Well, I would say two words, electoral college. Wisconsin is a must-win state for this electoral college, and it's swinging in Vice President Kamala Harris's direction. And I think it's swinging towards the Democrats. There's, if I'm not mistaken, there's a key. Isn't Tammy Baldwin up? Isn't she Wisconsin? Okay. I think she's up for election as

well this time. And so this is a key must-win state. And so I think what Democrats have gotten better, particularly since President Biden dropped out, bless his heart, is touting their accomplishments, or at least the times that they are touting their accomplishments, penetrating through the ecosystem that wants to have Donald Trump suck up all the oxygen. And so I think one of the strongest messages to your potential voters is specifics. You know, one of the complaints against Vice President Kamala Harris right now on the trail is people don't know what her plans are. She's had a couple of specifics, but you have to get specific to really win over the undecideds.

I think, I don't think that you're going to get people off the couch off of platitudes. You're going to get them off the couch when you talk about the specific ways that they're going to benefit. And it's no doubt that this is going to bring manufacturing jobs, probably union jobs, which would probably be a criteria to not be part of the investment if we were talking about the Trump administration making this announcement. And so this means job. This means opportunity. This means that you're less likely to have to move because of tornadoes or because of

100-degree weather for 100 straight days like Arizona. And so I think they have to be out here connecting the dots and really taking credit for what they've done, which, again, has been quite extraordinary given the fact that they only had a majority for two years. And we're in the fourth year of the administration. what they've done, which, again, has been quite extraordinary, given the fact that they only had a majority for two years. And we're in the fourth year of the administration. And so I think they've done a good job of taking credit. I think they're doing a really good job of contrasting. President Biden didn't necessarily contrast as much in that speech. But I think Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Tim Walz have really been doing an excellent job of contrasting the Biden-Harris accomplishments,

the Harris-Walz plan with what Trump and the havoc that he's wreaked and the habits he's wreaked on our country and what they're planning with Project 2025. I agree. 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. 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 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 ban is.

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

It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. We asked parents who adopted teens to share their journey. We just kind of knew from the beginning that we were family.

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

and the Ad Council. He wholeheartedly, you know, it's fascinating, as you said, he didn't do it there. And of course, you know, he has his bipartisan thing that he's been on for his whole life. That's true.

With segregationists. So, but she is drawing that contrast. It's been interesting over the last couple of days to see her begin to diverge from Biden on some economic policy and talk about things like these taxes on corporations and raising them. So it sounds like I'm sure those legs that she is using now were always under her in terms of the things she wanted to kind of diverge with. But she does seem to be getting bolder in terms of drawing out some of these distinctions. Something you said earlier, and of course, needs to obviously be always highlighted and underscored, is that black people live in these rural communities, too. I mean, you know, might say, you know, what is the administration doing for Detroit or Flint? What is the

administration doing specifically for black Flint? What is the administration doing specifically for black people? Well, when you start talking about a reduction in the power cost of 40 percent over 10 years for a lot of these communities, you know, it's a lot of poor people involved in those communities, too. How do you see this playing out in terms of the next couple of months in this election campaign season of the vice president, beginning to sound more the note of economic populism and the idea that for the poor, echoing William Barber, these things kind of give relief in ways that may make people rethink their decision to go into the voting booth at the same time that this money is coming out.

Like, say, we had two years to be able to do it, and now, you know, she does seem to be really beginning to stress the idea of poor people really benefiting from policies that these Republicans really could care less about. Is she—you feel like she's getting more momentum in that kind of economic populism message? Well, absolutely. It's the economy, stupid, as James Carver— I don't want to care for him but he was right on that the reality is you have to convince people that you have a plan to lower the prices that they are experiencing right now

you can't argue with the $6 bag of chips you can't argue with gas being whatever the price it is you can't argue with higher rents you can't argue with higher interest rates you got to have a plan. You've got to talk about when you came into office with the American Rescue Plan, zero Republican votes, but people got stimulus checks, child tax credit cut child poverty

in half. Then they also had child care tax credits. The investments that have benefited so many people, broadband access has been expanded. It's been made more affordable for tens of millions of families. And so when she talks about her record, because she has 20 years now as being an elected official, her record as attorney general, for instance, of going after people who are price gouging Walmart, for instance, she won a settlement or a lawsuit against them when she was attorney general.

Those are the kinds of things that people are looking to see. Are you going to fight for the little guy? Are you going to be all about the corporations and the rich and the wealthy? And I think that she has so many receipts to prove that she is a person who's going to fight for the little person. The $20 billion mortgage settlement is another thing that comes to mind. And people were losing their homes. Foreclosure, what she did around Corinthian colleges and for-profit colleges that were

preying on veterans and people of color. And we've seen that work continue under the administration. It's important to make that case. And the reality is that the Democrats have always been better on the economy, despite the fact that the perception has always been that Republicans are better on the economy, despite the fact that the perception has always been that Republicans are better for the economy. So I think with Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Tim Walz, I think that they're really going to claim the mantle of the opportunity economy, claim the mantle of being for the

working class. And I think that Vice President Kamala Harris is just getting started, because I remember her 2019 campaign. I remember her Senate tenure, where she put things in place or she proposed legislation called the LIFT Act, which was about giving people $250 a month if you're single, $500 a month if you were a family, a household family, because people can't afford an emergency if it's $500. And that was a monthly tax credit.

And so we've seen some of her policies try to be Columbus by J.D. Vance and others. But the reality is she's been there. She's been singing this tune. And I think that to the extent that she returns to some of those messages, she's talking about $25,000 for first-time homebuyers. She's talking about $50,000 tax write-off for starting new businesses. Again, getting specific and talking about the money, because that's what people want to know. How are my pockets going to get fatter? And how am I going to have cheaper health care, more quality health care? And how am I going to have cheaper health care, more quality health care,

and how am I going to send my kids to school and not let them get shot up by some MAGA person or some radicalized child with an AR-15? That's what is on people's mind, and I think she's the right messenger for that. My God, absolutely, absolutely. Well, today's announcement was quite a moment for those many. We've got a few of our viewers in the Black Star Network who are old enough to remember the 1930s. By the mid-1930s, only nine out of every ten households in rural America were without electric service. People were still milking cows by hand, had kerosene lamps. And I know growing up in Nashville, my father came out of East Tennessee,

and they worked as boys for something called the Tennessee Valley Authority. And the TVA, with the dams and electrification, really changed the lives of untold millions. And so today, those who want to go back and look at the Roosevelt administration, some of y'all remember your grandparents, the great-grandparents will tell you the importance of distributing the resources of this country where they are needed the most. And so there'll be a lot of people going to be happy today. I hope they don't take all that enthusiasm and run up in the box and vote against their class interests. But I guess we'll have to wait and see how that's going to turn out. So this is Roland Martin Unfiltered. We are on the Black Star Network. And recently, I'll be right back.

When you talk about blackness and what happens in black culture, you're about covering these things that matter to us, speaking to our issues and concerns. This is a genuine people-powered movement. A lot of stuff that we're not getting, you get it. And you spread the word. We wish to plead our own cause to long have others spoken for us. We cannot tell our own story if we can't pay for it. This is about covering us. Invest in black owned media. Your dollars matter. We don't have to keep asking them to cover our stuff. So please support us in what we do, folks.

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Venmo is RM Unfiltered. Zelle is Roland at Roland S Martin dot com. 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 6th, 2021, stormed U.S. Capitol, hunted down the country's elected officials, built a gallows for the vice president of the United States,

and to block the peaceful transfer of power within this country. On the next Black Tape, Louder and Prouder. I don't say I don't play Sammy, but I could. Or I don't play Obama, but I could. I don't do Stallone, but I could do all that. And I am here with Roland Martin on Unfiltered. Welcome back to Roland Martin Unfiltered here on the Black Star Network. And everybody will be excited to know that we've got new sessions at the Black Table in the pipeline. So keep your eyes peeled. Everybody has been bothering Roland all over the country.

When is more episodes of the Black Table coming out? They're coming shortly. So we're excited about that. Earlier this week, Vice President Kamala Harris laid out her economic policies for helping small businesses and entrepreneurs. You heard Recy talking about some of that in the previous segment. The Joseph Business School of Illinois will take advantage of Harris's plan, which could help the school achieve its goal of assisting 100,000 entrepreneurs to achieve $1 million as their kind of foundation. I didn't read that wrong.

100,000. Dr. Dolores Thomas, president of the Joseph Business School, joins us to discuss their five-year entrepreneur campaign. Dr. Thomas, welcome to the Black Table. Welcome to Roland Martin Unfiltered. It's good to be here. Thank you for inviting me. The pleasure is ours. Listen, the Joseph's Business School has quite a history and is a story. I mean, a story. This premier Christian business school and you say preparing kingdom-minded entrepreneurs.

But this campus, this 33-acre campus in Forest Park, Illinois, the track record of great success. And just could you walk us a little bit through the history of the Joseph Business School and what this institution has not only meant to us, but what's in the plans for what it's going to mean to us going forward? Certainly. So it was started by a vision of Dr. Bill Winston, who is a pastor and former top gun fighter pilot of the U.S. Air Force and had worked at IBM, got called into ministry and really wanted to provide something for the community that would close the wealth gap and eradicate generational poverty. And he asked my husband

and I, who were members at the time, my husband had worked with him at IBM, to start this program. And so 25 years ago, we proposed to him a plan that, in fact, we told him it would take two years. He told us, God says, two months. And so 25 years ago, we submitted the plan to start the school that is, the namesake is Joseph from the Bible. And now we are fully accredited. We operate in five continents. And we have, over our last 25 years, been able to get 50, five zero entrepreneurs to get to a million dollars in revenue plus some. And so now we're on a mission after we have figured out exactly how to do this on a mission

that we believe that in the next five years we can get 100,000 entrepreneurs to operate businesses at a million dollars or more. And the reason for that is although we have many black and brown entrepreneurs who start and run their businesses, the average revenue is usually under 50,000. So if you could only imagine us building an economy where we can have entrepreneurs operating at a million dollars, it's really a transformative effort where now we are talking about job creators, not just solopreneurs. Thank you, President Thomas. You know, I was looking at the website for the Joseph Business School in Nigeria. I'm assuming that's one of your programs. Yes, it's one of our locations, yes.

Ma'am, and you know, I was looking at the principles, the core values, and number four popped out to me immediately, think and go big. This is quite an ambitious undertaking. Could you talk more about how did y'all come up with the number of 100,000? Well, you know, it creates a billion dollar economy just on the face of it, not to mention how much they would create and create jobs and add to the GDP. But 100,000 entrepreneurs at a million dollars create a billion-dollar economy. And what Dr. Winston had said a long time ago, he wrote a book called The Billion Flow. And it really is a way of endeavoring to eradicate generational poverty, one entrepreneur at a time. But when we talk about think big, we recognize that within the black and brown community, sometimes we're in

jobs that are service jobs, right? Whether that's a hair salon. Well, you can't always get to a million dollars with just doing hair in your kitchen or in a local store. So we tell them to think big, that if hair is your passion, let's scale that. You know, let's create multiple salons. Let's create hair products, right? If you're into baked goods, let's make it huge. And so what we recognize is that these passions are sometimes not developed to where they could be scalable, where they could create jobs for others. And so that's our motto is to think big. And what we find is that most of our entrepreneurs are first generational entrepreneurs and they've never had someone before to kind of walk them through what it means to be an entrepreneur. And our job is to help them to recognize that with God, all things are possible.

And, yes, you can have a big job and you can have a big company and you can create opportunities for others. And so that is our motto. You've got to think big because God only has big ideas. Absolutely. A couple more questions for me, and I'm going to ask Recy Colbert to join us in this conversation, if you don't mind, President Thomas. Your faculty is drawn from everywhere, right? I mean, it's just fascinating to look at some of the areas of expertise they are in, investment bankers, financial analysts. Could you talk about the people when folks are coming to be trained by you and to be in community? What kind of folk will we be encountering as you sign up for this program? Yes. And that's a very good question. So one of

the things that we realize, we're not a typical school where you go to school, you're studying, you know, what happened with Walmart, what happened with, you know, Tesla. And then you graduate and you're trying to figure out, well, what do I do with what I learned? That's not how we approach our program. Every entrepreneur is working on their business and their assignment is their business. So I say, instead of working in your business, let's work on your business. And in doing so, we partner with a number of our faculty members that have specific expertise. So when we're teaching accounting, it's going to be taught by a CPA. When we're talking about investments, it's going to be taught by someone who's a certified financial advisor. Or when we are talking about marketing,

it's someone who has done marketing. And so our faculty is designed of those who are running their businesses successfully or our Fortune 500 executives. we're going to provide you with instructions from experts, whether that's an accountant, a lawyer, or a marketer. That's what we're going to provide as experts to help you with your business plan. Wow. Last question for me, and I'm going to ask Recy to join us in this conversation. In reading some of the materials and really just really kind of sitting with some of the conversations that you have had, some of the work you've already done, I couldn't help but linger over the story of a mother and son, Patricia Grant and Michael Reed. And I thought, man, this is fascinating. Could you tell us a little bit about two of these success stories of folk who've already come through JBS? Yes, absolutely. So she actually grew up in one of the toughest neighborhoods in

Chicago called Cabrini Green. And if you know anything about Cabrini Green, you would know that the story is short of a miracle. But she signed up for our program and has been doing very, very well to the point where she started to influence her children. And her son was so impressed with how she, her life had been transformed that he decided he wanted to also attend the program. And so he attended the school and now they've gone from Cabrini-Green to where Pat was raised to now the son owns and lives in a multimillion dollar home and owns over 30 plus properties. And one of the things that makes that such a successful story for us is because we believe in multi-generational wealth. And also, like I mentioned, closing the wealth gap. We also

have other entrepreneurs, you know, where we have a gentleman who's an ex-offender and he loves barbecue. He launched a barbecue shop and he said, man, I was hustling and hustling and trying to make it to a million. And then I decided to go to the Joseph Business School and he's been able to get his barbecue shop to produce over a million dollars and is now hiring ex-offenders themselves. And so what we tell our entrepreneurs is that they're not starting businesses for their own benefit, but for transforming the community and transforming generations to come. And so there's so many stories, people who've been on public aid, who didn't even, you know, they would tell them in

school that they weren't good at math. And when they come to the program, they learn how to manage their financial statements. They can produce an income statement, a balance sheet, a cash flow. They can understand their ratios. And they can really begin to not just guess about what it means to be in business, but truly command their financials, command their market, and they can grow and scale with great passion and with great agility. 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. Cops believed everything that taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated

on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st and episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th. Ad-free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Lott. And this is Season 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. of love that I never had before. I mean, he's not only my parent, like he's like my best friend.

At the end of the day, it's all been worth it. I wouldn't change a thing about our lives. Learn about adopting a teen from foster care. Visit AdoptUSKids.org to learn more. Brought to you by AdoptUSKids, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Ad Council. Yes, ma'am. If memory serves me correctly, your husband came through Tuskegee, right? So Dr. Winston went through Tuskegee. And so he, yes, Dr. Winston, who is the visionary for this program, he's a pastor and he teaches on the importance of us being the head and not the tail above, only not beneath it. With God, all things are possible. And actually the scripture in which the school was founded on is Isaiah 48, 17. And it says, I'm the Lord, thy God, thy Redeemer, the Holy one of Israel that teaches thee to profit and lead thee by the way that thou shouldest go.

And that word profit, P-R-O-F-I-T kind of shocked him when he first read it, because he always thought that you couldn't, you know, serve God and deal with money. In fact, it says you can't serve God and mammon. But God says you can't serve mammon. But he says he also has given you power to get wealth to establish his covenant. So when he started to think about that differently is when he birthed this vision of having a school, of teaching people that if you don't have money, then you can't help the poor. If you don't have money, then you can't build the neighborhoods. If you don't have money, then you can't really educate your children. And so you're not supposed to love money, but you're supposed to create wealth so that you can really benefit humanity.

Well, that just made me think about it because, you know, it has so many strains of the Booker T. Washington philosophy. We can help build our institutions. And so it's so important to hear you talk about this because the combination of skills and talents all grounded in this spiritual purpose, in this divine purpose, is really quite compelling. And for those out there who are thinking, well, maybe this is just something involved for those who already have all the benefits in life. No, no. You're combining Harvard MBAs like you with that Tuskegee gospel of work and wealth and connecting it all to the Lord. So that's a winning strategy. Always has been for our people. Always has been for our people. If you think about those major companies, they didn't have access to capital. All they had was their Bible. In fact, George

Washington Carver was able to produce over 300 products from a peanut. All they had was their Bible after slavery. And our people, for whatever reason, we're kind of drifting away from that. But that is the competitive edge. That is the difference maker, is when people tell you you can't, but the Bible says, no, I've called you to do great things. And for us to get back to that place, to be innovators, creators, and to be able to do what other people say we can't do, because God says we can. Absolutely. And we all, each generation builds on the previous one, because if George Carver hadn't had that completely selfless approach, he could have been a millionaire, billionaire, but he kept inventing stuff and not patenting it. So this time, you're not going to make that

mistake. No, we're not making that mistake. No, no, no, no. No question. Let's bring in Recy Colbert. Recy, any questions or comments, a conversation for Dr. Dolores Thomas, the president of the Joseph Business School? Yes. Dr. Thomas, thank you for being here. My question is, what's step one for anybody who wants to take advantage of this wonderful initiative? Awesome. So step one is for them to go and visit our website, which is jbs.edu called josephbusinessschool.edu. And when they go on, they can either write us to ask us questions or

they can apply to be one of our students. We have several different programs. We have our four-month program, and we also have a six-week accelerator program. So the four-month is I have an idea, or I've been running my business and it's not working, and I really want to figure out what to do and how to grow. And we have a full ecosystem to support our entrepreneurs. We run a small business development center. We also run an international trade center. And we also run an Apex Accelerator, where we have over our last several years, since we've had the Apex Accelerator, been able to help entrepreneurs with $2.1 billion in government contracts. That's why I'm excited about what Vice President Harris has just released,

which is the policy around providing those funds to help entrepreneurs to have a much easier way of starting their businesses and scaling them. But yes, we do have that full ecosystem to help you from concept all the way to scaling and growing your business and helping you to even do exports through international trade and government contracts with minority certifications and all of the above. Thank you. Yeah. Thank you, Recy.

I'll tell you, Dr. Thomas, this is not only uplifting, it's quite instructive. And hopefully there'll be more applicants than you have room for. But then knowing the Joseph Business School, you'll just expand and get all those people too. That's right. Yeah, this is wonderful. Thank you for joining us, Dr. Dolores Thomas, president of the Joseph Business School. And we'll be checking in because we're going to have updates as we move forward. Thank you for joining us here tonight on Roland Martin Unfiltered.

Thank you so much for having us. Absolutely. Absolutely. Roland Martin Unfiltered will be right back here on the Black Star Network. Back after this. On the next Get Wealthy with me, Deborah Owens, America's Wealth Coach, I'm sure you've seen all those commercials about reverse mortgage and how easy it is to get more money in your pocket. Well, this woman that you're going

to hear from knew it was too good to be true. And because of it, she now has seven figures in net worth. You know, wait a minute. This house is really valuable. And further, you can get money out of it to help you. And more importantly, you can keep your home. That's right here on Get Wealthy, only on Blackstar Network. On a next A Balanced Life with me, Dr. Jackie, we're going to be talking about common sense. We think that people have it, know how to use it, but it is something that people often have to learn. The truth is most of us are not born with it and we need to teach common sense, embrace it and give it to those who need it most, our kids. So I always tell teachers to listen out to what conversations the students are having about what they're getting from social media. And then let's get ahead of it

and have the appropriate conversations with them. On a next A Balanced Life with me, Dr. Jackie, here at Black Star Network. Hello, I'm Paula J. Parker. Trudy Proud on The Proud Family. Louder and Prouder on Disney+. And you're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered. And since we've had our panel from last week, of course, we had the home-going services for our Roland Sister, Kenya Natasha Martin-Williams. And, of course, Pastor Jackie Hood Martin presided over those. So we continue to hold the Martin family in our thoughts and our prayers and embrace them in love.

So it's good to see Reverend Jackie and to watch. Actually, if you want to watch those rituals, they still are on the Roland Martin's social network on YouTube. I watched on YouTube, also Black Star Network. So again, we send that ancestor forth as he starts her journey into eternity. Well, Liz Cheney. What is Liz Cheney doing endorsing Kamala Harris? Former Congresswoman Liz Cheney says she's voting for Vice President Kamala Harris at a Duke University event entitled Defending Democracy.

During the moderated session, Cheney explained the importance of defeating Make America Great Republicans. We have to defeat election deniers. It's not just Donald Trump. It's election deniers. You know, and here in North Carolina, that means defeating the Republican candidate for governor. It means defeating the Republican candidate for superintendent of public instruction here in North Carolina. But we, as a nation, as a republic, we can't elect people who will only certify elections that they agree with the results, that they win.

We have to elect people who are going to be honorable and honest stewards of the public trust. And that's certainly true in this election cycle more than it's ever been. Recy, I promise you, no matter whether it comes out of her mouth, right, wrong or wherever, every time I see that face, I see her father. But I mean, you can't I mean, she's she's now politically we are the two of us probably wouldn't agree with Liz Cheney on much of anything, but she does seem committed to continuing the American experiment. What do you make of Liz Cheney endorsing Kamala Harris and not only endorsing her, but some of the other things she said in North Carolina at Duke?

Well, you know, in the past, I would have said Liz Cheney still ain't shit. But a win is a win. So I'm going to take the win. Thank you, Liz. And anybody else that want to hop on the Harris train, we need all the votes that we can get. I know that Donald Trump is telling people he don't need votes. We need votes over here on this side. But to your point, I don't give out cookies.

But what I will say is I do appreciate intellectual consistency. I do appreciate the ethical consistency and saying that this is something that's important to me. Democracy is important to me. She's had her other stuff we can call out, but I'm saying going forward and saying that we need to protect this country from the tyranny and the lawlessness of a Donald Trump. And so I'm going to put my money where my mouth is and actually support the only candidate in the race that can beat Donald Trump. Third party candidates can't do that. And the candidate that actually embodies the virtues and the values that I hold dear. And, you know, we've been having debates, if you want to call it that, or we've been

having discussions with people whose morals, whose ethics, whose policy priorities are not consistent with the party that they identify with, are not consistent with the candidates that they support. And so anytime a person looks past maybe where they've situated themselves in terms of party affiliation and actually is consistent in their application of their values

and the candidate that they support, I'm going to celebrate that as a win. And so, you know, I ain't going to give her a pass for nothing, but on this one, I will say, welcome aboard the Kamala Harris train. No question. No question. I've been dying to give her a pass for nothing. But on this one, I will say, welcome aboard the Kamala Harris train. No question. No question.

I've been dying to ask you about this ever since Donna Bash asked the vice president if she would be open to appointing a Republican to her cabinet. And all my students had some interesting ideas. I know you probably were in the middle of the conversation. Folk were saying, well, maybe she should appoint Susan Collins so the Democratic governor of Maine could put a Democrat in that seat. But, you know, could you imagine somebody like Lynn Cheney finding her way into it? We're not putting the cart before the horse. Check your voter registration, everybody.

Check your voter registration. So we're not doing that. But could you imagine a Lynn Cheney playing a role in a Harris administration? Hell no. I can't imagine that. That would not happen now she might be ambassador somewhere she might make her ambassador norway or sweden or some white country or something like that i'll be okay but they don't tend to do that republicans when they say bipartisan they mean sydney mccain you can go be a ambassador of some country or whatever is she like london or something like

that wherever she is i don't have a problem with you making her ambassador, honey, but let's go on ahead and keep the cabinet democratic. Okay. I don't think we need to have intellectual diversity in the actual cabinet. Now, if you want her to be an advisor, if you want to make her the borders are, okay, saddle a Republican with the border. I don't have a problem with that, but no, I do not think that she will be part of the ecosystem and think tank and leadership of the administration. But thank you for your support, Liz Cheney. Okay, well, I was just saying, I need to ask Rizky about this. Okay, okay, very good.

Well, speaking of not putting the cart before the horse, there's an election to be won. There's an election to be won, there's an election to be run. Today the Harris campaign has accepted the terms of Tuesday's presidential debate with former President Donald Trump. The rules included muted mics. Remember originally, although Donald Trump claimed, oh, yeah, you know, don't mind them being unmuted, whatever, the candidates' microphones will be off when it is not their turn to speak. However, in a letter to ABC News Wednesday afternoon agreeing to the rules, the Harris campaign again reiterated its objections to the muted mic conditions,

insisting that it believes the vice president will be, quote, disadvantaged, end quote, by the format. You think? Former prosecutor? Oh, my God. She would have that man talking out of all sides of all necks if they kept talking. The moderator will also discourage either candidate from interrupting and will work to explain what is being said to viewers. By the way, be sure to join us on Tuesday, this coming Tuesday. You know how Roland Martin does it. We'll probably be in the studio all night long because it's going to be complete debate coverage beginning at 7 p.m. Eastern Time. Recy, I guess they really have a choice, did they?

Yeah, I mean, Trump has no self-control. And so his team is trying to manage him as best as they can by turning off the microphone. It was something very interesting that President Biden said was that Donald Trump was hollering while he was speaking, and it was just throwing him off. You know, we couldn't hear it in terms of the viewing audience, but he can hear it. And so I can definitely understand why Vice President Kamala Harris, knowing the experience that Biden had would want the audience to understand just how unhinged and out of control Donald Trump is. And so I think the challenge for her, if I were her, I would be like,

y'all can't hear this right now, but he's over here, unhinged, screaming like a maniac while I'm trying to talk. She needs to tell him and say, I'm speaking, you know, we love the I'm speaking part. And I think she's going to have to play referee. She's going to have to play prosecutor, but she's going to have to stay focused and on her score. And please somebody tell her where the camera is because president Biden, I don't know what he was doing. Um, and so it's going to be very much an orchestrated event. You have to really think of all angles. And I don't think that President Biden was gamed out that way or to whatever extent it was gamed out.

It just didn't show up in his performance. But I think that one of the onuses of her during this debate will be to point out to the audience some of the things that we're not going to hear and some of the things that may be happening off camera. I think that her strategy should be to call attention to that and say, listen, while I'm trying to explain to you how I'm going to, you know, bring down the price of oil and da-da-da-da-da, he's over here lobbying insults and having an episode of sorts. You know, like what Trump said, you know, like, like what

Trump said, you know, I don't think he even understood anything. He said, she's gonna have to, to do that. But the caveat is if you can, if that's too much to keep it simple, keep it simple, just stay on message, ignore him. But if you can, if you can multitask, like most black women can, and if you can get your message across and also be like, see crazy all over here, then go ahead and do that. You know, I think Hillary Clinton tried the ignore him attack. President Biden was a little out of it. So he really wasn't fighting back at all this past debate.

And so I think that the expectations are higher on vice president kamala harris's side and so i hope that they've gamed out every scenario game out everything game out he's hollering game out he's quiet game out he says x game out he says y and z sometimes i feel like they haven't fully gained things out like the toasty gabbert moment and that's my only concern that's the only thing that keeps me up at night it's like are y'all gaming all this stuff out because you have to be prepared there should not be one error that should have been anticipated something that you knew you should have known i could have told you if you called me i'd have like, that's what they're going for you at. I don't want even one of those moments

because the stakes are too high and she's going to be graded like she's supposed to knock President Biden's debate performance out of the park. And Donald Trump is going to be graded like Donald Trump. Absolutely. Absolutely. Well, one thing about lawyers, particularly trial lawyers and particularly people with experience like the vice president, who, of course, began her professional life as a public defender and has been on both sides of that, it's hard to knock people like that off their feet. So even if they haven't gamed it out, I suspect that she'll be very hard to rattle, to dislodge, and she'll be able to make the pivot very quickly, certainly.

I'm glad you mentioned Tulsi Gabbard, because if she's the one helping to prep Trump, then God knows he's not going to be prepped at all. But that leads me to another question I want to ask you. ABC reported that they reserve the right to turn the mics on if there's significant back and forth between them. And they said there'll be reporters in the room who can report what is being said. So you know he's going to talk. You know he can't stay quiet. So I guess a couple of questions for you.

One, can you imagine ABC maybe calling an audible and lighting those mics up and us catching some of that? And two, whether they do it or not, do you think this might be the only debate we have between the two? Is Trump maybe going to basically... 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 called this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad.

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

And this is Season 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 ban is. 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. We asked parents who adopted teens to share their journey. We just kind of knew from the beginning that we were family. They showcased a sense of love that I never had before. I mean, he's not only my parent, like, he's like my best friend. At the end of the day, it's all been worth it. I wouldn't change a thing about our lives. Learn about adopting a teen from foster care. Visit adoptuskids.org to learn more. Brought to you by AdoptUSKids, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,

and the Ad Council. Say I've had enough and maybe one is too, one is one too many. If she has, as we all expect, a strong night. I think that I'm 50-50 because look, when you are in a 12-round fight and you need a knockout, you might get your ass knocked out, but you got to go for it anyway. And so if things go well, and we already know governor Ross is going to wipe the floor with JD Vance, he might need to take the swing, you know, before the election, try to stall the momentum. I, I, that's going to

be the only card that he has left to play is another debate and hope that she falls flat on her face. And so I wouldn't rule out another debate if the—especially if she performs well, the momentum is on her side. Governor Walz is going to keep it going. Donald Trump has—he's going to have a sentencing coming up, and he has a lot of things that are going to keep the heat on him. And he's going to need an opportunity to try to shift the narrative and the biggest swings that you have to take are the debates so i wouldn't rule it out completely

uh but if he does better than her then yeah that's it he ain't gonna be on like i'm gonna take the win and i'm i'm gonna walk on but i don't expect that to happen it's gonna be a draw most likely in terms of you know know, because he's going to be great on the curb or she's going to perform, you know, exceptionally well and he's going to have no choice. I think that ABC will also have no choice but to unmute the mics. This is something, Vice President Kamala Harris, a woman, a Black woman, can get under his skin like nobody's business. I mean, we saw how he conducted himself at NABJ. He was unhinged no matter what the question was. He came back to, oh, she's a nasty one. I mean, he dragged Rachel.

Was it Rachel Davis? Rachel, whatever her name is. He dragged her the whole hour. He could not let it go and so i don't think that he has the capacity to conduct himself in a manner that is not going to force abc number one get the ratings get the get the clips get the explosive moments but to have to try to let people in on what he's doing in that room but then the last thing i'll just say is don't underestimate the toasty factor. She's full of shit. She got on that stage and she lied her ass off about vice president Kamala Harris and vice

president Kamala Harris did not have an answer. That was the single most damaging moment of vice president Kamala Harris's campaign. Now the bigger issue was it takes a white man to be the white man, and the donors wanted to go with the white man, and she just had an overlap in who her constituencies were donor-wise and in voting-wise. That's her biggest issue. But the singular most damaging moment of her campaign was Tosa Gabbard. She has to be prepared for the lies. She has to be prepared for the lies in the same way that, uh, because what, what was damaging to president Barack Obama, when he first debated Mitt Romney, he didn't expect Mitt Romney to get up there and lie his ass off. And so that first debate, he was just like not prepared. And so he, she has to be prepared, not just for him to lie, but for him to lie specifically about her, about her record.

And she has to have direct answers. I'm not of the camp that just says keep saying, oh, it's the same old playbook and batting it away. I think that because it's going to be a debate, she has to directly take him to task on the lies that he's going to say on her, his attacks on her blackness. She's going to have to answer as a black woman, not batted across. I think she's going to have to be prepared to be specific and direct. And I, And I'm hoping that the strategy isn't to just be like, oh, that's just Donald. Oh, well, you know,

see how crazy it is. The biggest weakness that I saw was when she was not direct in attacking very specific claims that were made for her. So that's what, and y'all know I love comedy. Y'all know that I'm team ride or die. And if she bombs, I will be like, well, I I'll help assist that. I'll say what she

should have said. But that's what keeps me up at night is I think that people underestimate the specificity and the disinformation that is out there about her that has been out there about her for five years. That's being regurgitated, that's backed up by selectively and deceptively edited clips and memes, and that a lot of people believe. It hasn't been enough to deny her the VP slot. It hasn't been enough to stall her momentum. But she cannot trip and not directly address specific lies about her. I'm not saying that she has to go point by point, but she has to be prepared to get specific, and she has to be prepared for the fact that he's going to be

specific, even in his lies. Absolutely. Absolutely. Well, we'll get deeper and deeper into this on Tuesday night. Again, complete debate coverage here on the Black Star Network, live, beginning at 7 o'clock Eastern Time. You do not want to miss that.

We will be right back here at Roland Martin Unfiltered. You're watching the Black Star Network back after this break. When you talk about blackness and what happens in black culture, we're about covering these things that matter to us, speaking to our issues and

concerns. This is a genuine people-powered movement. A lot of stuff that we're not getting, you get it, and you spread the word. We wish to plead our own cause to long have others spoken for us. We cannot tell our own story if we can't pay for it. This is about covering us. Invest in Black-owned media. Your dollars matter. We don't have to keep asking them to cover our stuff. So please support us in what we do, folks. We want to hit 2,000 people. $50 this month. Waits $100,000. We're behind $100,000. So we want to hit that. Your money makes this possible. Checks and money orders go to P.O. Box 57196, Washington, D.C. 20037-0196. The Cash App is Dollar Sign RM Unfiltered. PayPal is R. Martin Unfiltered. Venmo is RM Unfiltered. Zelle is Roland at RolandSMartin.com. 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 6th, 2021, stormed U.S. Capitol, hunted down the country's elected officials, built a gallows for the Vice President of the United States to block the peaceful transfer of power within this country.

On the next Black Tape, here on the Black Star Network. Carl Payne pretending to be Roland Martin. Holla! You ain't gotta wear black and gold every damn place, okay? Ooh, I'm an alpha, yay! Alright, you're 58 years old. It's over. You are now watching Roland Martin, unfiltered, uncut, unplugged, and

un-damn-believable. Roland Martin Unfiltered. Uncut, unplugged, and undamn believable. Okay, here we go. That's why I love coming down to the mothership, to the main studio, doing it from here. Couldn't get there in time. Otherwise, I wouldn't have had to mute myself like that. Welcome back to Roland Martin and Filter here on the Black Star Network. Remember to support the Black Star Network across our platforms. It is because of you that we have this platform. We have this network. So there you see all the important information, whether you're watching on iPhone, Android, Android or Apple Plus TV or Roku. If you're going through any of the other ways, we're over the top. We're on all digital platforms. So

make sure you support Roland Martin Unfiltered. Let's turn our attention in the world to the first independent republic controlled by African people in the Western Hemisphere, and that, of course, would be the nation of Haiti. In Haiti, there's an extended state of emergency. The world anticipated some stability would come to Haiti—at least a lot of people in the world did—after governmental infrastructure was put in place, some form of stability. However, the Haitian authorities have continued and have expanded, in fact, to the whole nation, a state of emergency, as the government battles the armed militias that have taken control of large parts of the capital and are attempting to move into other regions.

According to the United Nations, nearly 580,000 people have been internally displaced by conflict, with close to five million facing severe hunger. The move to expand the state of emergency comes as the secretary of state, Anthony Blinken, who—I don't know when he stays in the United States. He's been bouncing back and forth in the so-called Middle East for quite some time. But he is planning to visit Haiti, where he will meet with the new prime minister, Gary Kony, to discuss forthcoming steps in Haiti's democratic transition. We are very happy to be joined here at Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Black Star Network by Johanna LeBlanc, a partner at the Adhumi Advisory Group, who has served

as a foreign policy advisor to the Haitian government and recently served as a senior staffer on Capitol Hill, where she worked, among other things, on Haitian matters. She joins us now to give us an update on the world's first independent black republic and what's going on right now. Thank you so much for joining us, Sister Joanna. Could you give us a sense of what's going on in Haiti and through your lens, what needs to happen? Dr. Carr, thank you so much.

Thank you for having me on. I'm happy to see that the Haitian government is taking the right steps announcing a nationwide emergency. The reality is that the country has been in a state of emergency since the assassination of Jovenel Moise, which occurred in 2022. More than 500 people have been displaced due to gang violence in the country. Countless people are homeless as a result. And we're talking about a country that never fully recovered from the earthquake that happened in 2010, where more than 300,000 people lost their lives. Fast forward, 2024, we are dealing with four crises simultaneously.

You have the humanitarian crisis, the economic crisis, a governance crisis, and a security crisis at the same time. And that's the problem here. People across the country have been living in fear, not just those in Port-au-Prince. Studies show that more than 80 percent of Port-au-Prince is controlled by gangs. But those who live in outskirts of Port-au-Prince, in the countryside, have also felt the violence in their respective neighborhoods across the country. But as you know, Dr. Carr, currently you have the Kenyan-led mission on the ground that are supposed to help restore some peace and stability in the country. And recently the United States announced through the media that it is considering turning the

Kenyan-led mission into a U.N. peacekeeping in the country. And I think that's a mistake. I think that what needs to happen is that Kenya has been on the ground now for almost two months. They've made some mistakes, and they've learned the terrain a little bit more. And I think with what has been learned by the Kenyan mission, I think they can make sure that they address the issue properly moving forward. But for the U.S. to go through the U.N. to establish a U.N. peacekeeping in Haiti, I think that, first of all, I don't think it's going to happen, because the U.N. is very

bureaucratic, as we know, with the member states having the veto power, with China and Russia being two of those members of the U.N. Security Council, are not going to allow the United States the opportunity to have this mandate passed through. I mean, it was hard enough to get the Kenyan-led resolution through, but to get a UN mission through UN, it's very unlikely. So what I think should happen instead is Kenya should ask for an extension, should extend its mandate, and Kenya should be provided with additional resources. As we know, the mission as it is right now is very underfunded. Yes, the United States, as the number one funder for the mission, has announced millions of dollars to support the mission. But a lot of that support comes in form of military equipment, surplus of equipment that the U.S. has, and the U.S. provides them to the Kenyan-led mission

and the police force in Haiti, but not necessarily providing actual dollars for the mission. And I think there also needs to be more support from the partners, because this is a Kenyan-led mission, which means that there are other partners, there are other countries that have agreed to be a part of this, to participate. And I think it's time for everyone to step up and provide the necessary support that the mission needs in order for it to be successful and for the country to restore some level of security. You know, I'm glad you raised this. And I know that your group, ADOMI, has a global African kind of team. So you've got your eye on a lot of places in the world. As you said, the UN, obviously, between bureaucracy and all the political

interests that are swirling around the UN can move slow. And given your expertise and vast experience working not only as a policymaker but as an observer and kind of like on the ground as well, grappling with the challenges facing Haiti, do you see some similarities in previous moments? I mean, the idea of a black-facing troop, a group of—black-facing group. We know that there are protests in the streets in Kenya around the Kenyan economy and what Ruto is or isn't doing over there. And the idea of sending peacekeepers somewhere else hasn't played quite nicely with a lot

of people in Kenya. Saw what Mia Amor-Motley in Barbados had to say about participating, but participating in a very specific kind of limited way in a kind of Pan-Africanist move. Any thoughts on how the Black world community, I know CARICOM was involved and they had those early meetings earlier this year kind of leading. So how should we be thinking about how Black folk, particularly those in countries in Africa. 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 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 Lott. And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast. Yes, sir. We are back. In a big way. In a very big way.

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

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

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

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

week early and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. We asked parents who adopted teens to share their journey. We just kind of knew from the beginning that we were family. They showcased a sense of love that I never had before. I mean, he's not only my parent, like, he's like my best friend.

At the end of the day, it's all been worth it. I wouldn't change a thing about our lives. Learn about adopting a teen from foster care. Visit AdoptUSKids.org to learn more. Brought to you by AdoptUSKids, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Ad Council. In the Caribbean, as the U.N. is kind of used as a point of entry, as it has been used before in Haiti by powers like the United States and Canada and France, how should these African nations and nations

run by Black folk be approaching this intervention to help the Haitian people? No, I think this is a great question, Dr. Carr. First and foremost, as it relates to a U.N. peacekeeping, there's been one in Haiti before, and it failed. It failed miserably. In fact, under the last U.N UN peacekeeping in the country, there are allegations of the UN bringing cholera into the country, which led to the death of thousands of Haitians in the country and led to countless Haitians being sick. And even though at some

point the UN did admit to being responsible for bringing cholera into the country. But up until this date, not one person has been compensated. Can you imagine this happening in the United States where the U.N. brought cholera to U.S. shores and American citizens were injured and died as a result? There would have been some form of compensation. But the reality is that, unfortunately, black bodies all over the world are not as important as other white bodies, in particular as white bodies. And, of course, Haiti being the nation that it is, a country, because of its history of gaining its independence, it's the first black independent country in the world.

But that means something. And I will say Haiti's international partners has, to a certain extent, failed Haiti. So has leaders who have been elected or selected by the people, have also let the Haitian people down. So UN peacekeeping has not worked in Haiti before. Right? And in addition to the cholera, there are also accusations of peacekeepers raping young women and having children with women in Haiti who are now left fatherless. These are reports that are very well established. So there's a lot of skepticism when it comes to a U.N. peacekeeping into the country. But to go back to your country, to go back to your question, in spite of all of these different challenges, I think nonetheless it's an opportunity for Black countries to

come together and help solve a very historical problem. And I think that the African Union should be somewhat involved in this. They should not be limited to just Kenya and Benin. And I believe a few other African countries said that they would support. And obviously countries across the Caribbean. And African Americans here in this country also have a stake in this, and everybody in this country has a stake in this, because with the Kenyan-led mission to Haiti, it is funded by U.S. dollars, right, U.S. tax dollars. And you have an obligation—I mean,

the U.S. government has an obligation to tell you how are your dollars being used, and if they're being used effectively. And if they are not, there needs to be—somebody needs to be held accountable. But I think it's a great opportunity for Black countries to come together and to help solve a very historical problem. And more specifically, I think that in spite of all of the challenges President Ruto is dealing with home, even before his state visit to the United States, he signed up to lead this mission. And I think it's quite honorable, and I think that it shows the spirit of Pan-Africanism,

and I think it shows the spirit of unity. And I refuse to lose hope, Carr. Yes, there's been some challenges since the mission has been on the ground, but I think there are lessons that can be learned to make sure that moving forward, the right steps are taken to secure peace and stability in the country. No, and I absolutely agree with you. I mean, it's a Hobson's choice. There's no great choice either way. But I mean, we have an obligation as Africans to get involved in this situation. I'm just concerned with the interests that work at cross-interests against African people, including against Haiti. And, you know, think about the very powerful interest in the

country and external interests that continue to collude against the Haitian people. I mean, you know, I'm always concerned whether it be the core group or whether it be, you know, individual countries that have very clear material interests in the island and could give less of a damn about the people. In that regard, you said, of course, now that there's a nationwide state of emergency, that it isn't just Port-au-Prince anymore, huh? It's in the surrounding areas. How has this—are there elements of the Haitian economy that have remained relatively unscathed or untouched? And if so, what are they?

And how are they kind of weathering this storm as the reportage comes out would make people think that nothing is working on the island? Well, Cara, the unfortunate reality is that every sector in the country currently is red. No sector left untouched as a result of the gang violence in the country. In fact, many companies have left Haiti during this time, during this period, because of the lack of safety. Because, Carl, when you think about an investor, a business owner, right, there are certain things you want to ensure that are in place in order for you to continue to do business in that market. And one of them is peace and security. Absent of that, companies are not going to want to do business. Second, you want to ensure that there is a judiciary in place that, in the event that

litigation were to arise, that the business will get a fair day in court. The judiciary in Haiti as of right now is completely broken, right? And you want to make sure that there is a second of the population that can actually afford your services and that you can make profit, right? Because businesses don't go into countries because they love the people, they love the culture, but they go into countries to set up shop because they want to return on their investment. And the roadblockage by the gangs have led to the closing of many businesses in Haiti, and have led to a number of people from the Haitian community to leave Haiti, to flee. And when you talk about the issue of migration at the U.S.-Mexico border, you've seen an uptick

number of Haitian nationals at the U.S.-Mexico border who are looking for safety, who are trying to seek asylum, which they are entitled to under international law, you know, as a result of not just the economic crisis, right, because they would not be eligible under an economic crisis, but the insecurity, the inability to live in a peaceful community and the political persecution that comes with it at times. So one of the reasons why the gangs have been very successful in Haiti, Dr. Carr, is because more than 60% of the Haitian population is unemployed. So they're able to recruit young people to be a part of the game. When you don't have access to some of the most basic necessities and you have a group that comes on board and say, hey, I will provide you with food and shelter, it makes it a little bit easier for that group to recruit and retain what you will call talents, right? So if you are going to address the challenges in Haiti currently,

you also have to look at not just the insecurity, asking gang members to drop their guns down and bringing the Kenyan-led mission into the country and providing more support to the Haitian National Police and the Haitian military, but there has to be economic opportunities for the people, right? If you want them to drop their guns, you have to replace it with either school or employment. That simple.

And that's why Haiti's crisis is so complicated in a way, because it's not one issue that we're dealing with. We're dealing with four crises simultaneously that must be addressed simultaneously in order to achieve peace and security on the island. Absolutely. Can you stay with us for another segment after the break, Sister LeBlanc? Absolutely, Professor Carr. Okay, very good. Very happy to do that. We're going to continue this conversation with Joanna LeBlanc, partner at the Adomi Advisory Group, about this very important issue facing the Black world

and the global community as well. Of course, the crisis in Haiti. Here on the Black Star Network, we're watching Roland Martin and Phil Pilcher. We'll be right back. When you talk about Blackness and what happens in Black culture, you'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. We cannot tell our

own story if we can't pay for it. This is about covering us. Invest in black-owned media. Your dollars matter. We don't have to keep asking them to cover our stuff. So please support us in what we do, folks. We want to hit 2,000 people. $50 this month. Rates $100,000. We're behind $100,000. So we want to hit that. Y'all money makes this possible. Checks and money orders go to P.O. Box 57196, Washington, D.C., 20037-0196. The Cash app is Dollar Sign RM Unfiltered. PayPal is R. Martin Unfiltered. Venmo is RM Unfiltered.

Zelle is Roland at RolandSMartin.com. Hi, I'm Jo Marie Payton, voice of Sugar Mama on Disney's Louder and Prouder Disney+. And I'm with Roland Martin on Unfiltered. Valencia Starks has been missing from her Columbia, South Carolina home since February 17th, 2024. The 18-year-old is 5 feet 7 inches tall, weighs 210 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. Anyone with information about Valencia Starks should call the Richland County, South Carolina Sheriff's Office at area code 803-576-3000. We're going to return now to our conversation, and we'll bring, Recy, we'll bring you in in a second.

I just want to ask another question, and I appreciate you, Sister LeBlanc, Joanna LeBlanc, who is a partner at the Adomi Advisory Group, who is really helping us work through what's going on in Haiti right now and what needs to happen. There are a lot of folks out there—and I would probably be closely aligned to you as far as on this—to them on this is probably no surprise—you know, that would say that these foreign interventions just continue a pattern of meddling in the affairs of Haiti and not allowing the Haitian people to work out their challenges on their own. And, you know, we can always—we can go back to the beginning, when the United States wouldn't recognize Haiti, and then France hangs them with a reparation bill that they pay off for

decades, and then, of course, the serial invasions, and then, of course, taking out Jean-Pierre Aristide and everything prior to, of course, the earthquake and this they haven't ever recovered from. How do they emerge to begin to rebuild a government they elected? Because there are a number of people that would say that the current government is just completely illegitimate, and that anybody coming in there to try to restore, quote-unquote, order is doing it not on the invitation of a legitimate government, but an appointed group, many of whom are expats or don't really live in the country, but who are under the thumb of some of these powers,

whether it be the core group or the United States or France or Canada. But setting all that aside momentarily, if we can, how do you anticipate or how can you imagine the Haitian people finally getting in a position to begin to elect their own leaders and not have anybody imposed from without, regardless of their intent? Yeah, you know, I think that's a very, very good question that you just posed. But what I think is important to note is that at the end of the day, the state of Haiti is a sovereign nation, right?

Haiti's international partners may have ideas on how to address some of the crises impacting the country. But at the end of the day, the government has to allow it, right? And as you noted, the current government that exists in the country is not one that was elected by the people, right? It is one that was appointed through a process that CARE-COM played a role in. You have the presidential council, which is comprised of nine individuals. Pretty much the country has nine presidents, right? Two of them do not have voting powers. And most recently, that presidential council has been hit with corruption scandals,

right? So that's the reality. And then you have Prime Minister Konyin, who was also selected to lead the country. So his bosses really are the presidents of the country, the nine members of the council. And I'm not sure if you've been following this, Dr. Carr, but the prime minister and the presidential council don't see eye to eye on many issues. There's not a great deal of communication between the two. And the reality is that the prime minister has very little control over the country.

So that's the kind of climate that we're dealing with, but at the same time, you have crises that have to be dealt with in order for the people of Haiti to thrive. So how do you do that, right? So one of the reasons why the mission was approved was that so that a country can achieve some level of peace and security to organize free, fair, transparent, and inclusive elections. So the goal is that the current government that is in place will support with the Kenya-led mission, Restore Peace and Order, and organize free, fair, transparent, and inclusive elections next year, November 2025. And by February 7th of 2026, there would be a new president.

There would be a president, there would be a prime minister, and there would be elected officials in the country. Because right now, not one person in the country is elected, not one person. All of their mandates expired years ago. They had not been able to organize elections because of the insecurity crisis and because of a lack of consensus between various political groups. So that's where we are.

But in the midst of all of this political challenge that the country is being faced with, you have children, you have women, you have the most vulnerable who still don't have access to some of their most basic necessities, right? And as a result, they're taking dangerous routes to come to the U.S.-Mexico border seeking safety and better opportunities. And the country has also dealt with a great deal of brain drain, you know, folks, you know, fleeing to Chile, Brazil, you name it. And then the Biden administration put in place the humanitarian parole program. So everyone who could be eligible essentially left the country and came to the United States. So there is very little talent left in the country. So as we're discussing the rebuilding of Haiti, who's going to be left to help rebuild the country if all the talents have left? Absolutely. No, I mean, and thank you for being very pragmatic about this. You can be idealistic about it, but at the end of the day this is such an education we're getting tonight. Do you mind, please, any questions, comments, conversation

for our sister, Joanna LeBlanc? Well, I'm more of a student in this conversation than a person who can contribute much, but I am curious about your take. One of the things that I specialize in is combating disinformation and sounding the alarm about how disinformation, misinformation is impacting our community. I read that there were 90 Haitian journalists, as well as Reporters Without Borders, who urged several months ago to the Haitian Transnational—Transitional, sorry, Presidential Council to get more support for free media, for journalists and for the infrastructure there around that. What impact do you think it's having on the ability to galvanize a response around any kind of solution in Haiti, not just within the borders, but around the world with the attacks

that are happening there on journalists, kidnappings, murders, and places being inaccessible to them? Because of the severity of the crisis, every sector within the country have been impacted, including journalists, right? But journalists play a pivotal role in getting accurate information to the rest of the world, right? So they need to be able to access information freely, right, as long as it's within the laws of the Republic of Haiti.

Because it's important for Haitians to control their narrative, right? Because—and I think this is one of the reasons why Roland's show exists. Because if Haitians don't control their narrative, it's going to be told by somebody else. And when someone else is telling your narrative, they can tell it however suits them. Right. So so it is important not only for journalists to have access to to information so that they can do their work and not be persecuted by different gang groups in the country. But it's even more important to ensure that there's accuracy in the information that has been shared with the public. For example, Jacqueline Charles is one of the leading voices when it comes to Haitian affairs. Here in the United States, she's with the Miami Herald,

does an incredible job at profiling and making sure that the American public is really aware and understand of what's happening on the ground. But based on my personal experience, and I worked for the Haitian government one time in my career. And I can tell you, while there are many challenges, at least at the time I worked for the Haitian government,

I think the government was very lax in terms of providing—this was obviously under the Jovenel Moise administration—but making sure that journalists had access to information so that they can do their job. Perhaps it has changed under this new government because of how... 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 called this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company

dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season One, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season One, 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 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. Got B-Real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer Riley Cote.

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

season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. We asked parents who adopted teens to share their journey. We just kind of knew from the beginning that we were family.

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

they had a lot of issues, but in terms of not providing access to journalists, that certainly was not one of them under the Jovenel Moise administration. Well, thank you, Recy. You have another question? Oh, that's it. That's all I got. Okay. We've been getting quite the tutorial. We're all students in this

conversation, I tell you. One more thing, if you don't mind. Wondering about what you think about the role of Brazil, why Lula hasn't been as vocal, perhaps, as we might have wanted him to be. I mean, particularly given that the world is much more multipolar now, Brazil is a big player in the hemisphere. Any thoughts on the relationship between Brazil and Haiti and what Lula might or might not be doing at this juncture as it relates to intervention or not?

Well, you know, I think it's a great question, Dr. Carr. In fact, when the proposal was out there initially for Kenya to lead this mission, many of us in the sector were asking ourselves, why not Brazil? Brazil has a very strong military and has done great work, not just in Brazil, but across the region. But we know with these types of arrangements, sometimes what seems to be the obvious is not always the position that governments take. Governments enter into agreements for different reasons. Sometimes those reasons are classified. We will never find out. The first countries that we thought that could support with this insecurity crisis would be, why not start regional, right? It would have been cheaper, right?

A lot more cost effective for American taxpayers. That's just the reality. But instead, this is where we are. We have a Kenyan-led mission. And the U.S. alluded recently that it intends on turning it into a peacekeeping mission, which I think is not a good idea. It would be a mistake. I think instead Kenya should ask for an extension, and Kenya could really do some good in addressing the crisis. And beyond that, I think it would in a sense elevate Kenya diplomatically and show the

rest of the world that Kenya indeed has the ability and has the tools and the capabilities to help address insecurity crisis, not just in East Africa, but in a foreign land where many of these officers don't even speak the language, which is Haitian Creole and French. And the Kenyan police officers, they speak primarily Swahili. So I think while there are significant challenges, but there are also significant opportunities for Kenya to step up and for other nations to step up and provide the support that is needed with the Haitian National Police and the Haitian military. Because at some point, Dr. Carr, the Kenyan-led mission will leave. If others join, they will leave at some point.

But the Haitian National Police will stay, and the Haitian military will stay. So they need to be provided with the proper training, with the proper additional training, rather, with the resources and with the tools, with the weapons, so that they can continue to fight these gangs. As you know, and I think you mentioned that earlier, some of these gangs have more sophisticated weapons than members of the Haitian National Police. So I think that it is important for the Haitian National Police to have access to better equipment

and the technology so that they can do the work that is desperately needed on behalf of the Haitian people. No, I agree. And I didn't want to interrupt you. In fact, you said that, and I wanted to ask you that, too. Where are they getting these guns? Well, Dr. Clark— What's the boy that they trained in Columbus, Georgia, that was bringing the guns over from the DR? What's his name?

This is years ago when they took out Aristide, maybe the first or the second time. But Guy-Philippe, was it Guy-Philippe? It was coming from over there. But I'm saying, where are these guns coming from, Joy? And how do we stop the flow of guns till these young boys got these guns? So there's very good record of this

by the Department of Homeland Security that many of these guns are coming from South Florida, Georgia, and Texas. What's happening is that when folks ship cargoes to the country, they stuff them with guns. And because of lack of inspection on the U.S. government side and on the Haitian side, they're able to get into the country. And those who are financing the gangs then distribute those guns to various gangs. And Dr. Carr, just a few days ago, the United States sanctioned the former president of Haiti, Michel Martelly, for its role in money laundering and also financing some of these gangs. And the U.S. government also recently sanctioned the former prime minister of Haiti,

Laurent Lamotte, for also financing some of these gangs. So you have members of the Haitian government that have played a role in the financing of these gangs in the country and also the destabilization of the country. But I think on the U.S. side, I think the United States has the technology. The United States has the resources. And I think if the United States is truly committed and if there is a political will, we can see less guns going into the country.

Now, I'm not saying that we will stop the illicit flow of weapons 100 percent, because here in this country, we have a gun problem that we're not even able to solve domestically, right? But I think there are some efforts that if the United States government take, we can minimize the number of guns that are going into Haiti and ending up in the hands of young people who are causing chaos in the country. Well, listen, I thank you on behalf of all of us because it's beyond a challenge. I mean, Haiti's problems begin when they decide they're not going to wear chains anymore. And we know that at that, they have to be punished.

And when you strike a Haitian, you're striking all of us. So we have an obligation to fight back on behalf of our people. They struck the first blow. And we need to continue that fight. As it was once said, one continual cry out of Haiti. And Haitians can take care of themselves. We just got to make sure that we do the rest of their business to help them be able to do that. Joanne LeBlanc, partner at the Adomi Advisory Group,

thank you for giving us a tutorial tonight, for bringing us up to speed, and we hope you'll come back so we can continue to discuss this. Thank you. Of course. Thank you. You're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered here on the Black Star Network, and we'll be right back blackness and what happens in black culture we're about covering these things that matter to us uh speaking to our issues and concerns this is a genuine people-powered

movement a lot of stuff that we're not getting. You get it. And you spread the word. We wish to plead our own cause to long have others spoken for us. We cannot tell our own story if we can't pay for it. This is about covering us. Invest in Black-owned media. Your dollars matter. We don't have to keep asking them to cover our stuff. So please support us in what we do, folks. We want to hit 2,000 people.

$50 this month. Waits $100,000. We're behind $100,000. So we want to hit that. Y'all money makes this possible. Checks and money orders go to P.O. Box 57196. Washington, D.C. 20037-0196. The Cash App is Dollar Sign RM Unfiltered.

PayPal is R. Martin Unfiltered. Venmo is RM unfiltered. Zelle is Roland at RolandSMartin.com. Hatred on the streets. A horrific scene. A white nationalist rally that descended into deadly violence. On that soil, you will not reflect. White people are losing their damn minds.

There's an angry pro-Trump mob storm to the U.S. Capitol. We're about to see the rise of what I call white minority resistance. We have seen white folks in this country who simply cannot tolerate black folks voting. I think what we're seeing is the inevitable result of violent denial. This is part of American history. Every time that people of color have made progress, whether real or symbolic, there has been what Carol Anderson at every 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. Hi, my name is Brady Ricks. I'm from Houston, Texas. My name is Sharon Williams.

I'm from Dallas, Texas. Right now, I'm rolling with Roland Martin. Unfiltered, uncut, unplugged, and undamned believable. You hear me? Welcome back to Roland Martin Unfiltered here on the Black Star Network. We're glad that you all have joined us. Make sure that you support the network. You've got to support the network financially. We are depending on us, we, supporting we, to make sure that independent Black media,

hard-hitting Black media, of course, survives and that these types of conversations like the ones we've had tonight persist. It's indispensable at this point. Speaking of a conversation that everyone's having, but that Black folk are going to have differently and have been having differently, let's turn our attention to Apalachee High School in Georgia. Georgia authorities have identified the two students and two teachers who were killed in that shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder on Wednesday morning. Richard Aspinwall and Christina Ermey were the two teachers killed in the incident. Officials said at a Wednesday night news briefing they also identified the 14-year-old student victims as Mason Sherberhorn and Christian Angulo.

Investigators are still looking into why Colt Gray, who has previously fallen on the radar of law enforcement— oh, there's a young cherub-faced Colt Gray who was killed while being taken into custody. Oh, no. No, they didn't. No, they encountered him with a weapon. He gets to lay his weapon down. Whiteness is a hell of a drug, isn't it? A hell of a drug.

Investigators are looking into why the killer, Colt Gray, who was previously followed on the radar of law enforcement for threatening—who fell on the radar of law enforcement for threatening to carry out a school shooting, opened fire on his classmates. Gray allegedly denied being behind the posts, while his father said that they were hunting guns in the family home, they had hunting guns in the family home, but that his son, then 13, did not have unsupervised access to them. Did he have unsupervised access to television when the punk governor of Georgia, that punk governor, Brian Kemp, was running those campaign ads when he ran against Stacey Abrams?

Did he have access to television when he ended one of those ads with that shotgun over his lap, talking about if somebody came to his house looking for his daughters, and then he blasted the shotgun? Did he have access to all of your MAGA legislators in the Georgia state legislature? Did he have access to their campaigns when every damn kind of gun that you can imagine is loose in the state of Georgia? Did he have access to television? Did he have access to all of the video games that they let you play today that let you kill people for sport on video games? Did he have access to that? Gray was arrested on the scene. Was arrested on the scene.

Ahmaud Arbery didn't have a gun when he was hunted in the streets of Georgia, did he? Yeah. Gray was arrested on the scene, like Dylann Roof was arrested in South Carolina after slaughtering nine of our people at Mother Emanuel. Gray was arrested on the scene, and will be prosecuted as an adult. Cold comfort to those who lost their lives. He is set to appear in court on Friday.

Reesey, sis, we're going to need you to be Recy on this one. Any thoughts on what's going on? Not that you're always Recy, but we might need a little extra Recy here at the bottom of the second hour here. Recy, your thoughts on this Georgia shooting and

on the Gray family and just in general. What are we facing here? What do you see here? So much. Starting with the idea that he's going to be charged with as an adult, but he's still at a juvenile facility.

It's giving Dylan Roof going to Burger King on his way to jail. Get his ass in the adult penitentiary yesterday if you can go out there with ar-15 and shoot up a dozen people killing four what's the hold up what's the hold up if it was a 14 year old black boy he would have been in an adult penitentiary by now. So that's one of the disconnects in how this person is being treated. I saw that the father is being charged

with murder and child endangerment. Yeah, lock his ass up too. Where is he at? Is he in the adult penitentiary or is he at home still eating his Burger King? It's a lot of talk about how somebody's going to face consequences. I want to see the perp walk. I want to see their ass

in jail right now. Let's not delay. Let's not give them a chance to get their affairs in order. The victims did not have a chance to get their affairs in order. This motherfucker did not want to die

because he surrendered. But he took it upon himself to take the lives of others, to rob the, allegedly, to rob the lives of others. For what? For what purpose? It's inexcusable

that this person was under FBI investigation. And I guess because he denied that he made the threats, they just took his little white ass word for it. Is that all it takes to get off the hook and to be unsupervised or even if it's damn supervised to me, that's the dad giveaway. You said he wasn't unsupervised. So you cause this shit. You created a monster

you created a depraved human being who can go next door to his classroom and shoot people with an ar-15 that you purchased gray brian camp talking about now's not the time for policy it's the time for thoughts and prayers the motherfucking policy should take an AR-15 out of the home of a degenerate fucking person who is calling allegedly bomb threats, who's under FBI investigation. Name one black household that would be allowed to have an AR-15 under FBI investigation. Yes, it's time to talk about policy. There were so many failures in this, but on the same token, this is exactly how our society is designed. It's designed to indoctrinate. It is designed to groom this kind of person who feels entitled to take life. And this kind of family that his alleged aunt was on there talking about, I'm going to stick beside him. And, you know, y'all not ready for whatever, whatever, whatever.

Bitch, lock her ass up, too. Sound like a threat to me. That's right. This society has designed this situation. And because of the apathy of the non-voters, because of the susceptibility of people to disinformation and misinformation. And look at what the Asians got. And the deflection to look what that person over there is getting, what that person is getting over here. And meanwhile, we're not solving the problems right in front of our faces

because people insist on paying any price in terms of human carnage for the so-called Second Amendment, right? This is the price that we're paying, and this is the design of our society. It's not a bug in our society. It's literally the design. And the only way we know that school was out of session is that we didn't have this conversation for three months, but guess what? We back. And so now we're back again, talking about it. Now we're back again as senseless victims. And the last thing I will say is the motherfuckers who sat up there and published the picture

of that black boy who was gunned down. Come on. Identifying him as the perpetrator. They would not have done that. They were slow, very slow to identify Colt Gray. That's my first time seeing his mugshot.

He's going to be tried as an adult. So all bets are off. They were very slow. They couldn't wait to put that young Black boy's face out there and try to paint him as the problem. He doesn't fit the profile of how this society was designed for us to have this. 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 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-free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Lott. And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast.

We are back. In a big way. In a very big way. Real people, real perspectives. This is kind of star-studded a little bit, man. We got Ricky Williams, NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner. real people real perspectives this is kind of star-studded a little bit man we got uh ricky williams nfl player hasman trophy winner it's just a compassionate choice to allow players all reasonable means to care for themselves music stars marcus king john osborne for brothers

osborne we have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote drug man. Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown. Got B-Real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corvette. MMA fighter Liz Karamush. What we're doing now isn't working, and we need to change things. Stories matter, and it brings a face to them. It makes it real.

It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. We asked parents who adopted teens to share their journey. We just kind of knew from the beginning that we were family. They showcased a sense of love that I never had before.

I mean, he's not only my parent, like, he's like my best friend. At the end of the day, it's all been worth it. I wouldn't change a thing about our lives. Learn about adopting a teen from foster care. Visit AdoptUSKids.org to learn more. Brought to you by AdoptUSKids, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Ad Council.

Conversation every couple of weeks about the carnage and about the choices that we've made to be the kind of society that allows Colt Graves and his families to continue to perpetrate this kind of unnecessary violence on our country and our children. We needed that to echo. Thank you. Thank you, Recy.

That's absolutely right. Again, this is the indispensable role of Black media, what we are seeing. Independent Black media that's speaking truth to power, because you're absolutely right. Shout out, of course, Carol Gant, the producers here at the Black Star Network, because we'll see how many times we see that picture going forth anywhere else and how it's narrated. We're not going to hear it that way. We know that we look at the K-12 shooting database. The media has been scouring the database. How many shootings are we up to now? More than 200 incidents this year as of September the 4th.

285. Oh, my God. 385. OK, I had that wrong number. I'm reading the CBS website. But we see at least 10 were in Georgia, including the Apalachee school shooting. And the majority of them, over half of the school shootings in the last 10 years, have taken place in the school day while classes were in session. We know that since the Sandy Hook shooting and the Sandy Hook murders, that over 34 states in this country have passed laws to enable teachers to carry guns, as if that's the solution. Congressman Mike Collins—Congressman Collins, 10th District in Georgia—I would tell you to go to hell, but you already live there. So stay your ass in hell next to Marjorie Taylor Greene, because a video that he shot in 2022 has resurfaced. And we've been talking all about it when he was getting elected to Congress.

He's a full bred election denier, saying in his commercial that Joe Biden and Democrats stole the 2020 election. Donald Trump won in Georgia. And then his final comment was, send me to Washington and I'll blow the Democrats' cover up. And of course, that sets off his gun blowing up the ballot box. So that's the congressional district, of course, that high school is in. So you can keep your thoughts and prayers and perhaps pray to your white supremacist gun-toting God in the hell that you live in and stay in that hell, sir.

But one thing is for sure. Something is going to have to change in this country, because we are facing—we have been facing a crisis since the boat showed up to bring us here. But this is completely out of hand. Recy, thank you for— REYES HAYES, Yeah, I think—I think— I just want to say the thing that has to change is we have to put humanity over whiteness because

as long as this country chooses whiteness, we're going to continue to see this carnage. Uvalde happened. Greg Abbott gets reelected decisively. Not even close. Dec decisively.

That's right. You had Marjorie Stoner, Parkland, Florida. That's right. Ron DeSantis, Republican senators elected. Now you have Georgia. They chose Brian Kemp over Stacey Abrams. This is the design because whiteness is more powerful than humanity by design. And because we allow it to be because we abdicate our power, because we don't vote our capacity, we alone could have shifted the outcome.

And I'm not saying it would have necessarily avoided this, but it will be changing the design a little bit more. But we continue to step back and let whiteness rule. That's right. So this is the design and this is the choice that this country has made. And it will continue to make this choice as long as we allow it to absolutely well stated my sis as always our thursday night conversation uh reesey colbert host of the reesey colbert show sirius xm channel 126 on saturdays that's right we throw in the fist. We've been joining the rotation, Lamar King and I, three days a week on Sirius XM

mornings, holding down the fort in the Black Eagles nest, trying to, you know, at least have the shadow of Joe Madison. So we just joined, of course, this Black Star Network and Challenge 20X series. Check us out. We're going to be together in person, as the Muslims would say,

inshallah, on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. Eastern time. There in the mothership, in the studio with Roland. Roland, travel safe, brother. We're always glad when you're on the road and we're always glad when you get back to the nest. So y'all make sure you all join us at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, September the 10th. You see the graphic up there. Live coverage of the, I guess you can call it a debate. You're seeing the vice president of the United States and a madman ranting that—shout out to Judge Tanya Churkin of the federal district court here in the District of Columbia, who, when confronted by Donald Trump's lawyers today, when they said there's a presidential election going on, she said, yeah, I have no concern about a presidential election.

There's a four count trial that I'm trying to get scheduled. So talk about black women. She said she got them straight today. It was a beautiful day. I know that's right. I know that's right. So I know you're going to be talking all about it on Saturday. So, you know, we will tune in as always.

So that's it tonight for Roland Martin Unfiltered. Shout out to Indeed, Carol, and all the production team there at the Mothership. We're glad to be here. Travel safe, Roland. Support the Black Stardom Network. That's real rap. We got to do that. No cap as the young people would say.

And with that, we will shout out the way we do at the end of Roland Martin Unfiltered. Oh wait, there it is. There it is. Cash out PayPal, Venmo, Zelle. I got to read that. I can't do it like Roland. Even send the cash money in.

The envelopes come in. Get that money that folds, not the money that jingles, to quote Coming to America. We want the money that folds. Send it right there. You see the address on your screen, P.O. Box 57196 Washington, D.C. 2-0-0-3-7 Do that. Okay. With that in mind, as Roland Martin would say,

Hop. Folks, Black Star Network is here. Oh, no punching! I'm real revolutionary right now. I support this man, Black Media. He makes sure that our stories are told. Thank you for being the voice of Black

America, Roller. Be Black. I love y'all. All momentum we have now, we have to keep this going. The video looks phenomenal. See, there's a difference between Black Star Network and Black-owned media and something like CNN. You can't be Black owned media and be scary.

It's time to be smart. Bring your eyeballs home. You can't be black on media and be scared. It's time to be smart. Bring your eyeballs home. You dig? 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. We asked parents who adopted teens to share their journey. Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. It's all been worth it. I wouldn't change a thing about our lives. Learn about adopting a teen from foster care. Visit AdoptUSKids.org to learn more.

Brought to you by AdoptUSKids, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Ad Council. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Glott. And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast. Last year, a lot of the problems of the drug war. This year, a lot of the biggest names in music and sports.

This kind of starts that a little bit, man. We met them at their homes. We met them at 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 iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an iHeart Podcast.