#RolandMartinUnfiltered - Project 2025 Warning, 1st Lady Blasts Trump,Fla. Cops Kill Black Gun Owner,Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F

Episode Date: July 10, 2024

7.9.2024 #RolandMartinUnfiltered: Project 2025 Warning, 1st Lady Blasts Trump,Fla. Cops Kill Black Gun Owner,Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F Project 2025 was the topic on Capitol Hill during today's House Weaponization of the Federal Government Committee hearing. Congresswoman Stacey Plaskett warned everyone about the dangers of what will happen if Trump gets re-elected. We'll show you what she said, and you'll see The Lincoln Project's predictions about the damage four more years of Trump will do. While First Lady Jill Biden was on the campaign trail to drum up support from military families, she explained why Trump is an "evil man." The family of a Florida Black man is disputing claims he fired his legal weapon at police before they unleashed a barrage of bullets into his body. We'll talk the the attorneys representing Daniel Lewis's family.  Today is Black Women's Equal Pay Day.  We'll examine the pay disparities and talk to the CEO of the American Association of University Women about what they are doing to raise awareness about the wage gap that impacts Black women and their families.  And we'll have another interview with Roland and two of the Beverly HIlls Cop franchise actors talking about Netflix's "Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F." #BlackStarNetwork partners:Fanbase 👉🏾 https://www.startengine.com/offering/fanbaseNetflix 👉🏾 Netflix.com 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. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Glott. And this is Season 2 of the War on Drugs podcast.

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

It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Thank you. We'll be right back. And Black media, he makes sure that our stories are told. Thank you for being the voice of Black America, Roland. Hey, 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 scape. It's time to be smart. Bring your eyeballs home. You dig? I'm Dr. Avis Jones-Dweaver sitting in for Roland Martin tonight. And here's what's coming up on Roland Martin Unfiltered, streaming live on the Black Star Network. Project 2025 was the topic on Capitol Hill during today's House weaponization of the Federal Government Committee hearing. Congresswoman Stacey Plaskett warned everyone about the dangers of what will happen if Trump gets reelected. We'll show you what she said, and you'll see the Lincoln Project's predictions

about the damage four more years of Trump will do. While First Lady Jill Biden was on the campaign trail to drum up support from military families, she explained why Trump is an evil man. The family of a Florida Black man is disputing claims he fired his legal weapon at police before they unleashed a barrage of bullets into his body. We'll talk to the attorneys representing Daniel Lewis's family. Today is Black Women's Equal Pay Day. We'll examine the pay disparities and talk to the CEO of the American Association of University Women about what they are doing to raise awareness about the wage gap that impacts Black women and their families. And we'll have another interview with Roland and two of the Beverly

Hills Cop franchise actors talking about Netflix's Beverly Hills Cop, Axl Elf. It's time to bring the funk on Roland Martin Unfiltered, streaming live on the Blackstar Network. Let's go. believe he's knowing putting it down from sports to news to politics with entertainment just for kicks he's rolling he's funky fresh he's real the best you know he's rolling We've talked about the dangers of Trump's return to the White House. One of these dangers is the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025. Project 2025 is a detailed description of how a new far-right presidential administration can take over the country.

Many of the policies listed in the public 920-page agenda can be grouped into three core areas. First, gutting the U.S. system of checks and balances to consolidate power. Next, taking away America's fundamental personal freedoms. And finally, raising costs on the middle class to give the wealthy billions. At today's House weaponization of the Federal Government Committee hearing, Virgin Islands delegate Stacey Plaskett breaks down Project 2025 and how it will dismantle structures, institutions, and the basic rights that have supposedly been afforded to Americans to make it great. I especially like to thank Witness, former U.S.

federal prosecutor and former United States Department of Justice attorney Shan Wu, my colleagues, thank you to the American people watching around the country for joining another hearing of the Congressional Committee to undermine American independence and to defend Donald Trump. From the early days of our nation's formation, our founding fathers were very clear. The upkeep of democracy requires constant proactive maintenance. In his letters to fellow founding father and his political opponent John Taylor, then former President John Adams wrote, democracy has never been and never can be so durable as aristocracy or monarchy. Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide. Those passions are the same in all men under all forms of government when unchecked produce the same effects of fraud, violence, and cruelty. American democracy has always been a question of progress, not finality. With the blood, sweat, tears, and efforts of Americans who came before us,

who struggled long and hard to build and protect every democratic institution we have. Indeed, our country's dark past, the very foundation of our economic juggernaut on the world, was premised on a sick institution called slavery that some now want to even erase. This democracy that our ancestors struggled to bring us all into, these rights, some of which some Americans do not even have all of, are fragile. Remember that the great republic of Rome was destroyed. Greece was destroyed. Germany of the early 20th century, destroyed. Spain. These great empires are gone. Human history is laden with examples of great nations,

republics, and democracies that were once beacons of human progress and eventually destroyed by hubris, autocrats, and the rabid ambitions of an empowered few. Falls do not happen overnight, but the signs are there if you want to see them. In those republics, those democracies, slowly but surely, rights are stripped away. My fellow Americans, that's happening here in this country. The right for a woman to choose what to do with her body stripped away in 15 states.

Immigrant children being stripped away from their families. The gains of blacks for fair representation voting rights. Recognition of the historic lack of a playing field, of creating an even playing field, stripped away. Slowly but surely, the structures, the laws, and the institutions intended to make the nation great have been and continue to be eroded, not to mention the souls of the human race and minorities being eroded every day by injustices. We have a blueprint that we can see how that's being done. Project 2025 plans to upend structures, institutions, and the basic rights that have supposedly been afforded to Americans to make it great. It's a playbook for Donald Trump's

second term and a plan for the destruction of America as we know it. Despite flashy headlines printed over American flags and the likes of obnoxious men who give loud speeches about their love for making America great again, Project 2025 delivers no such thing. Project 2025 will slowly but surely strip away our rights. I've asked for a hearing about Project 2025 because I believe it is a dire warning to us all of an individual and others around him's desire

to weaponize the government for their own empowerment. It will rip our experts out of agencies to be replaced by sycophant political appointees. It will strip women of even more health care access and rights. It will further dehumanize undocumented immigrants and punish their family members, even those who are American citizens, for daring to be associated with them. It will restrict free speech in schools to only allow far-right approved agendas and curriculum. It will erode our freedoms all under the vague guise of making America great. And yes, because it is a grand Republican plan,

Project 2025 calls for severe cuts to Medicare and Social Security. I'm not just saying that. The authors of Project 2025 are saying that. Here's a video outlining that. Project 2025 believe that a woman should be able to have an abortion if her doctor says that she needs one. It's a yes or no question. Abortion is not health care.

So that is a no? Abortion is the murder of a human being. We are also going to have teams because we can multitask to deconstruct the administrative state and to go after criminals and the traitors in the deep state. So suck on that. We need to have the biggest mass deportation system ever in the history of America because it is unjust and illegal and evil that more than 10 million illegal aliens have come to this country.

There are great plans using the Department of Homeland Security to return these people back to south of the border. The best thing that people can do right now, if you're a young person, is get involved in one of these things like American Moment or Project 2025 or the Trump campaign. We got to fill up the White House with roipers. Project 2025 is something that's going to transcend the next four years, the next 10 years. It really is, for the first time in the history of the conservative movement, the apparatus for policy and personnel. We are in the process of the second American revolution,

which will remain bloodless if the left allows it to be. Playing patriotic music, claiming to love freedom, demonizing every group in the nation that is not like you, will not protect you and your civil rights. The Project 2025 playbook is a plan to give Donald Trump the powers of a dictator, just as he wants. That's the plan. This is the man who threatened to send the Department of Justice after political opponents. Trump even sent his lawyers to the Supreme Court to argue that he should have criminal immunity even if he uses the military to assassinate someone who simply disagrees with him.

We heard his Secretary of Defense say that he asked the military to shoot people because they were protesting. Yes, that's what his Defense Secretary said on TV, and there's recordings of it. This is the man who jokes about being a dictator just for a day and teases the idea of a third term for a U.S. president. This is a man who wants to implement sycophant loyalty tests. He's a man who will fire every employee in every agency who upholds their pledge to serve their country over the president. Donald Trump is a clear and present danger to the continuation of American democracy

as we know it. We are using this congressional committee for the third time to attack a state level felony conviction of a former president by a jury of his peers. Republicans on this committee have used 20 million dollars of federal taxpayer dollars to deliver Trump more power and attack his rivals. They're threatening public servants far outside their legal jurisdiction and even threatening private citizens who dare not to give Trump what he wants. The reign of Lord Trump has already begun, and he isn't even in a second term. It's vital we remember our founding father's principles and that we see Project 2025 for what it is, a Republican plan to slowly but surely strip away rights. This is about freedom versus fascism. I beg every American watching, don't be fooled by plastic patriotism.

Don't be fooled by those rhetorically referring to freedom without the substance to back it up, without any care for all people's rights. A true understanding of freedom comes from respecting the sacrifices of our ancestors, our democratic institutions, and a robust rule of law. Our country is not and has never been perfect, but our country is great, and it's our duty to keep it that way. Our country has never shied away from improving our flaws, but what is being promoted is a distraction. It's counterproductive and threatens years, decades, centuries of progress. Let's keep moving forward. Let's not go back to the dark times.

We're going to take a quick break and I'll discuss what Delegate Plaskett just said with tonight's panel. This is Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Blackstar Network. We'll be right back. Coming soon to the Blackstar Network. I still have my NFL contract in my house. I'm having a case. It's four of them for my four-year contract. I got a $600,000 signing bonus. My base salary for that first year was $150,000.

Matter of fact... $150,000. $150,000. That's what I made, $150,000. Now, think about it. My signing bonus was a forgivable loan, supposedly. When I got traded to the Colts, they made me pay back my signing bonus to them. I had to give them their $600,000 back.

Wow. I was so pissed, because, man, I try to be a man of my word. I'm like, you. I'll give you your money back. Even though I know I earned that money, I gave him that money back. I gave him that $600,000 back.

But yet, I was this malcontent. I was a bad guy. I'm not about the money. Wasn't about the money. It was about doing right. Because I was looking at, I looked at, because you look at contracts. Look at John Edwards.

John Edwards making a million dollars. 800,000. I was making 150. I mean, I was doing everything. And I'm Edwards, John Edwards making a million dollars. 800,000, I was making 150. I mean, I was doing everything and I'm like, but yet I was, man, I got so many letters, you know, you, you, oh, so I just play for free and all that kind of stuff.

I mean, you don't forget that kind of stuff. Right. That stuff is hurtful. Hi, I am Tommy Davidson. I play Oscar on Proud Family, Louder and Prouder. 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. My name is Dr. Avis, and I am sitting in for Roland Martin. Before the break, we heard Delegate Stacey Plaskett break down 2025. I want to bring in the panel now to discuss what she said. Dr. Mustafa Santiago Ali, former senior advisor for Invitamona Justice for the EPA, Randy Bryant, DEI disruptor, and Derek L. Jackson, Georgia State Representative from District 68 in Atlanta, Georgia. Welcome, gentlemen. Great to see you here. Nice to be here.

Wish we had something better to talk about. Ladies and gentlemen, sorry. Now, I'm thinking about Project 2025, and I have to say I am old enough to remember the contract with America that many of us call the contract on America. And I think it's important that individuals understand that this is not some sort of theoretical document. This is actually what they plan to do. Is that what you would think, Mustafa? Oh, yeah, without a doubt. You know, we've often talked about Maya Angelou when she said when someone shows you who they are, believe them. They're putting it right there in front of

you. That shows the gall of these individuals to be able to draft this type of a 900-page manifesto, a right-wing manifesto, to put it out there for the country to say these are the things that we are going to do. And for folks, for some folks to still be asleep or the other folks to say that, well, they're not really going to do that. What we saw under the last administration, how they tried to dismantle the government, how they tried to redirect resources, how they tried to strip power. And because of their inexperience at that time, they weren't as successful as they had planned to be. But now they have, you know, not only this manifesto, this plan, but they also have some experience with the federal government and how it operates and the levers to pull.

So we should pay particular attention. And that's why the Black Star Network is so incredibly important, because we've been talking about this probably for a year now, and now all of a sudden everybody else wants to pay attention. I'm glad they're paying attention, but you need to come to a place that actually cares about black people and understands the various dynamics that are going on, and we unpack those. So yes, I believe them. Yes, it is dangerous. And yes, we got to check them before we allow them to take power again and actually try to put both mental and physical chains back on our bodies and our hands. Absolutely. And Randy, when I think about what we've already experienced, particularly as it relates to the rollback of rights, you're thinking about thinking about specifically women's rights

and particularly the right to have dominion over our own bodies. You know, when we think about what could be in a future if we were to have this right wing takeover in the direction that they are saying in black and white that they want to take it, what would that mean for women and girls all around this country? Well, they're planning to get rid of Planned Parenthood altogether. I mean, they're saying it directly, that they are trying to get rid of Planned Parenthood. They're trying to make it illegal for a woman to seek any sort of resources that would get rid of what they consider a pregnancy, a person, a human life. They are making it where women have no, zero rights when it comes to our bodies. And

it does not matter how that pregnancy was conceived, whether it be through any sort of physical sexual assault or anything. It does not matter if the woman is in any danger of losing her life. None of that matters. They are stripping us of those rights. And what is interesting, what you and Dr. Mufasa were saying about, you know, we've known this for some time, we've already seen it happen. I mean, we've already seen the changes. So I'm very confused by the cognitive dissonance of some who are saying, well, that's just a document, or do we really know that that's what they're going to do?

They're doing it. They've already shown that they are trying to take away the rights for anyone that considers themselves in any form or fashion a minority. Anyone that is not white, male, or heterosexual is in danger of losing their basic civil rights. And that is no joke. It's nothing to laugh about, play about, or hide from the truth. Absolutely. And I find it very interesting that you have Donald Trump, who seems to be trying to run away from it, as if he is known for telling the truth, right? Oh, I don't know anything about Project 25. I don't know anything about that.

Representative Jackson, what do you believe Black people have at stake specifically when we are talking about Project 2025 and, God forbid, another Trump administration? You know, Dr. Avis, you know, Black and brown folks that look like us, we will lose everything. I mean, let us not kid ourselves. This is the same individual. Donald Trump said he will deport anywhere between 18 to 20 million immigrants. So he may use the word immigrants, but he will also include those who he believes that America is not for them. I mean, let us not kid ourselves. Project 2025, this second American revolution, it's been in works for over 50 years.

And to Randy and Dr. Santiago's point, they've been chipping away at this for quite some time. I mean, when you look at Roe v. Wade, something that's been around for 50 years, gone. When you look at affirmative action that's been around for 50 years, gone. When you look at affirmative action that's been around for 50 years, gone. When they took Roe, you had a state such as Arizona went back 160 years to 1864. And so when you look at these laws across all 50 states, there are some laws, 150, 200 years, that are still on the books. And so when you look at this 920-page manifesto, what they're saying in this 920 page is one thing.

But my concern, Dr. Ava, is what they're not saying. What they're not saying in this 920-page document. If they're going to tell us, we're going to strip away your fundamental rights, from reproductive rights to civil liberties, when you came to work overtime and get paid for it. I mean, my team and I, right here in Georgia, we've been going through and combing through this 920 page. And so this will hurt black and brown, yellow and in between.

If you're not white and European, this Project 2025 will be devastating to the democracy that we know of it. Absolutely. And Dr. Mustafa, you know, when I think about where we are right now, and I think about the fact, to Representative Jackson's point, we are in retrenchment. When we see all the rights that were fought for over decades, shall I say centuries, and to see how quickly they've been falling under the weight of these Supreme Court decisions, one after the other, including the continual erosion of voting rights, it seems like to me this Project 25 is really the final sort of blow.

It's the death nail. To me, this is looking like a document that is looking to put in place a white minority rule in America, and specifically white male minority rule, because they want white women, let's be frank, to produce more babies. That's my take on why they're so hell-bent on ending abortion in America. I mean, what are your thoughts? What are your thoughts about the overarching sort of paradigm shift that we would face as a nation if this would come to pass? We've known each other too long because our minds are in sync. It's really interesting. This is a part of the trifecta. And let me unpack that for folks.

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 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 Glott.

And this is season 2 of the War on Drugs podcast. Yes, sir. We are back. In a big way. In a very big way. Real people, real perspectives. This is kind of star-studded a little bit, man. We got Ricky Williams, NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner. It's just a compassionate choice to allow players all reasonable means to care for themselves.

Music stars Marcus King, John Osborne from Brothers Osborne. We have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote drug man. Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown. We got B-Real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corps vet. MMA fighter Liz Karamush.

What we're doing now isn't working, and we need to change things. Stories matter, and it brings a face to them. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. So, you have Project 2025.

You have these Supreme Court cases recently, both about immunity, giving a president unlimited powers. And then you also have the Chevron case, which then took power away from federal agencies and gave it back to the courts. Now, where have we seen these types of actions before? For those of us who are students of history, then we have to go back and take a look and ask the question, how did Nazism actually was able

to overtake Germany and to restructure their government? They had a plan, and their plan looked very similar to some of the actions that we've currently seen. How did apartheidism take place and find fertile ground in South Africa, a country that was, you know, majority black folks? And we know that it's because they had a plan and they put those sets of actions and then laws into place, controlling the judiciary, controlling how resources flow, controlling who you could marry.

All these various things were a part of these nefarious plans. When you take a look at Project 2025, then you have to ask yourself, they learned those lessons from those other types of actions that were very punitive and damaging to people. Now they've brought those forward into a Jim Crow 2.0 or 3.0 plan, if you will. So what will America look like? That means that, you know, for these federal agencies where you're now going to have 50,000 people who are loyal to Donald Trump, who take whatever that loyalty pledge is, they are now going to make decisions about where the grants go, where the contracts and subcontract opportunities

happen. So when we have these conversations, lots of times people don't actually dig into what does this reality look like. The billions upon billions of dollars that move through the federal system will now be controlled by people who have no interest in helping and lifting up those who have been unseen, unheard, and disinvested in. So you've got to take a peek at that. The policies that will be developed will no longer have those federal individuals who have been doing the work, learning lessons from community for decades upon decades to try and get it better. They will no longer be there.

When you look at the impacts, we saw them trying to take, first of all, to erase us from history, then to take our out of the books around. So now they said, well, you know what, if we was good enough to try and do that in Florida and other locations, why don't we just take out the Department of Education? Why don't we make sure that we eliminate Pell Grants and student loans and all these things that we know that are important, especially for communities who often don't come from families that have huge amounts of money. And then, of course, we saw everything that's a part of the FDA that they're trying to do around drugs and making them less affordable. Then you have to ask the question, well, who's actually behind this? Because, yes, it's the Heritage Fund. Yes,

it's ALEC. But there are also companies and corporations that are a part of this because they want to maximize profit. And that means that they're placing profit over people, at least in the movement that I come from. They're also trying to make sure that you don't have clean water or clean air, understanding that inside of our communities, we already have a number of diseases because of the sets of exposures that we've dealt with and unhealthy food. So we've got to just really take a look at all these things that are playing out and understand the cumulative effects of what America will look like in 2025, 2026, 2027, 2028. And now there's even—there's language out there now that Donald Trump, once he has all this power, that he will then even try to seek a third term.

So, you know, even before we get to that, we have power. As my grandmother says, you have power unless you give it away. And that means that we have to vote and we have to build coalitions. And that doesn't mean that we have to be in agreement with everybody who's a part of the coalition on 100 percent of the things. But we have to make sure that we have enough numbers, both on the federal level and in those state houses, that we can stop these types of things. But we have to make sure that we have enough numbers, both on the federal level and in those state houses, that we can stop these types of things. Because they're already getting rid of judges and have plans to get rid of judges on the state level. So if you don't care what's happening on the federal level, all you got to do is look in your backyard and you'll be able to

see some of these things that are going to play out. Lack of resources, different types of enforcement actions that are much more stringent happening, and a number of other things that all of us have been fighting for, marching for, and spilling blood for. Absolutely. And, Randy, I have to bring you in because when I think about you and what you do, right, a DEI disruptor. And I think about the moment in history in which we find ourselves, in which you have whole legions of people trying to disrupt DEI. To me, this just goes right into that same frame. And, you know, right now it's being attacked. I think I saw a statistic about 30 states across the nation either had written laws or wanted to write laws or in the process of writing laws trying to eliminate DEI. We know that in companies, people are being fired.

Like, all of these things to me are after effects of the affirmative action ruling. Now we know what's in Project 2025. Like, just in terms of what you do and creating a country that, quite frankly, has never quite lived up to its creed, but at least it's aspirational that we would get to a place where out of many, you would ultimately have one. You know, where are we right now? How far does a document like this, if it were to be put into practice, how far would it take us back just in terms of embracing the very notions implicit within this ideal of diversity, equity, and inclusion? It would take us back to segregation. Absolutely.

Because, you know, if we're dependent on the kindness of people to hire diverse workforces or to provide people with equal rights or equal pay. As we know now, we don't make equal pay. I know we're going to talk about that later on in this show. If we're dependent on the kindness, trust me, we would get nowhere. What has helped us after civil rights movements is that people have been encouraged to, or it's made it almost illegal to discriminate against people based on certain criteria. What happened after that affirmative action ruling? It said that we don't need that. We don't have any sort of discrimination in this country based on race. And so it took us all the way back to where people can decide to whom they rent apartments, who they give mortgages to, who they hire, fire, how they pay them, who they allow in colleges and universities,

who they allow to attend schools. It completely makes it where no one has to give someone that's different a fair chance. Not that we that's different a fair chance. Not that we've ever gotten a fair chance. Not that we have never even reached that level. But, you know, we would get a chance. They would have to at least have some representation of diversity within the workforce, although you wouldn't see us at the higher ranks. So in Project 25, it makes it very clear that not only will DEI programs be wiped out, as they already are being as we speak. Every day there's a new story of a major university or corporation completely deleting anything they've ever done. And when it comes to DEI, it makes it where it is actually illegal for those

people who want to do better, who are champions of diversity to do so, just as we've seen in places like Florida. They're not even allowed to use the language diversity, equity, and inclusion. I mean, imagine what they're saying that we cannot even use those words. Like, these are positive words, right? These are good words, but they have turned them to be so evil. So what we're seeing now is only going to get worse. And I feel like screaming at people when they even consider or talk about, you know, some check that Trump gave them or Trump, you know, he's real or whatever. I'm like, do you understand that everything is at stake? Anyone who does not like you, and if you are foolish in this country to think that

everybody's embracing Black people are excited to give us a chance. Anyone who has the power to discriminate against you now can and not get in trouble for it. And they're making an end Project 25 where you can't even bring up the issue. They're not even going to be taking DEI cases, discrimination cases based on gender and race. And then on top of that, it will be illegal to protest. So you can't get them either way. You just must accept the way that you're treated. I mean, it is dire. I mean, it is dire.

And so I thank God I have this forum to be out here and tell the people who are willing to listen. And I hope those of you out there tell others because no one is going to save us but us. These people have come out and made it very clear that they're not only trying to save us or help us or support us or just give us what's equal. They're going to fight like hell to take anything away that we have. And so they better get on it. I mean, this, it rings, sound the alarm, sound the alarm because it's, it's bad. It's scary. Absolutely. A four alarm fire indeed. So we're going to have to wrap this segment up,

but we'll be right back after this break on Roland Martin Unfiltered. On a next A Balanced Life with me, Dr. Jackie, people can't live with them, can't live without them. Our relationships often have more ups and downs than a boardwalk roller coaster, but it doesn't have to be that way. Trust your gut. Whenever your gut is like, this isn't healthy, this isn't right. I don't like the way that I'm being treated. This goes for males and females. Trust your gut. And then whenever that gut feeling comes, have a conversation. Knowing how to grow or when to go. A step-by-step guide on the next A Balanced Life on Blackstar Network. 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. Waits $100,000. We're behind $100,000. So we want to hit that. Y'all money makes this possible. Check some 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 rmartin unfiltered. Venmo is rm unfiltered. Zelle is rolling at rollingsmartin.com. 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 undamn believable. You hear me? unfiltered, uncut, unplugged, and undamn believable. You hear me? Welcome back to Roland Martin Unfiltered. My name is Dr. Avis, and if you don't believe what we've been saying about the ramifications

of Trump's victory in November, check out this video put out by The Lincoln Project, which shows the damage four more years of Trump will do. November 5th, 2024. Donald Trump defeats a divided and dispirited Democratic campaign. On January 20th, 2025, Donald Trump is sworn in as the 47th president of the United States. Unfortunately, he keeps his promises. Trump seizes control of a divided government, signing hundreds of executive orders implementing Project 2025.

Trump replaces over 50,000 civil servants with hardline MAGA loyalists. The federal oath of office now requires declaring loyalty to the president, not the Constitution. Protected by the Supreme Court's grant of total immunity for official acts, Donald Trump orders the Department of Justice to arrest members of the January 6th Commission, current and former DOJ employees, and political opponents for treason, election interference, and conspiracy. He declares it to be an official act. Trump ends birthright citizenship by executive order and turns millions of American-born citizens into illegal aliens overnight. Mass deportations begin.

Hundreds of thousands, including legal U.S. residents and American citizens, are imprisoned in newly built camps. Protests erupt. Trump addresses the nation from the Oval Office, invoking the Insurrection Act and declaring the protesters a danger to American sovereignty. He orders the National Guard to use deadly force to suppress the protests. In the wake of the bloody violence, Trump declares nationwide martial law, awarding himself new powers under the freshly signed American Sovereignty Protection Order, which defines protests of immigration policies as non-protected speech and a threat to national security. Governors in New York, California, Illinois, and elsewhere declare their opposition, promising to refuse compliance in their states.

Trump orders their arrests. Trump pardons every January 6th attacker, including those who assaulted the police, and in a White House ceremony issues a new presidential medal honoring them. Many are given jobs in his administration. The Department of Education has renamed the Department of American Values and mandates a nationwide Christian nationalist curriculum for all schools receiving federal aid. Trump, joined by Speaker Mike Johnson and evangelical leaders,

announces that the Department of Health and Human Services has reclassified Mifepristone, making it illegal to distribute or prescribe, as well as new HHS regulations that make IVF treatments impossible to legally administer. Trump reverses one campaign promise by declaring a national abortion ban by executive order. Challenges to his authority are rejected by the Supreme Court, which has seen new appointments from Trump after it was expanded to 12 justices. He signs an executive order removing abortion records from HIPAA privacy regulations

and announces a new federal data-sharing program so states can monitor women's periods. Thousands are detained while crossing state lines under suspicion of seeking an abortion. Trump's acting Secretary of Defense, a disgraced ex-general, fires over 400 generals and admirals, leaving the military leaderless. Other Trump appointees purge the ranks of the CIA, FBI, and Department of Justice. By executive order, Trump withdraws the United States from NATO and ends Pentagon cooperation with Ukraine. Russian tanks enter Kiev. Vladimir Zelensky is killed. It is announced that Trump

will run for a third term, claiming he was unfairly cheated in the 2020 election. His Supreme Court ultimately agrees with this interpretation, paving the way for Trump's 2028 re-election. If you hear all this and believe it is impossible, then ask yourself, what did you believe was impossible just eight years ago? This isn't a fantasy. It's Trump's plan. And he's counting on you to believe it couldn't happen. Now, that didn't convince you. Check out this video from 11 Films.

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 thing. Benny the butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown. Got be real from Cypress Hill.

NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corvette. MMA fighter Liz Karamush. What we're doing now isn't working and we need to change things. Stories matter and it brings a face to them. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real.

Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I love this guy. He says, you're not going to be a dictator, are you?

I said, no, no, no, other than day one. As my first order of business, I hereby declare martial law. Citizens of the new America, here are today's announcements. Supreme Leader Donald Trump proclaims the 4th of July will no longer be celebrated as Independence Day. In honor of our 2021 patriots, January 6th will now be recognized as our great nation's birthday. All citizens are required to participate in quadrant festivities. Failure to do so will be met with harsh punishment and immediate incarceration in your local detention camp. I'm tired of this separation of church and state junk.

Effective immediately, all children are now considered spiritual soldiers of MAGA. Regardless of rape, incest, or health of the woman, abortion is now illegal. Anyone caught providing or receiving an abortion will be charged with murder. Do you believe in punishment for abortion? There has to be some form of punishment. For the woman? Yeah, there has to be some form. Due to previous liberal indoctrination, all schools are hereby closed. All citizens must participate in their quadrant's book elimination celebration festivities. Failure to do so will be met with harsh punishment and immediate incarceration in your local detention camp. All migrants, refugees, and dreamers are now considered enemies of the new America

and will be rounded up, incarcerated, and deported immediately. They're poisoning the blood of our country. That's what they've done. We will root out the radical left thugs that live like vermin. Vermin. Vermin. Your curfew and freedom to travel will be determined by your quadrant's Furman Surveillance System score. The Furman Surveillance System has proven to be invaluable in detecting and squashing liberal uprisings. All citizens must continue to report any progressive or liberal activity.

Failure to do so will be met with harsh punishment and immediate incarceration at your local detention camp. Your unwavering loyalty to Supreme Leader Donald Trump is mandatory and essential in keeping the new America great forever. Roland Martin Unfiltered will be right back right here on the Black Star Network. before. Texas enslavers who plan to continue the conflict even after Appomattox, even after the formal surrender of Robert E. Lee. Dr. Horne talks about his new book, The Counter-Revolution of 1836, Texas, Slavery, and Jim Crow and the Roots of U.S. Fascism. You do not want to miss this conversation. Only on The Black Table, right here on the black star network my name is lena charles and i'm from opelousis louisiana yes that is zodiacal capital of the

world my name is margaret chappelle i'm from dallas texas representing the urban trivia game it's me sherry shepherd and you know what you're watching. Roland Martin on Unfiltered. Welcome back to Roland Martin Unfiltered. I'm Dr. Avis. Monday, First Lady Dr. Jill Biden was on a three-state tour garnering support from military veterans. During her stop in Columbus, Georgia, she called Trump evil and said we can't afford to have him as commander-in-chief. My dad served as a Navy signalman in World War II. And as Gloria said, in 2003, our son Beau joined the Delaware Army National Guard and served for a year in Iraq. So this is personal to us.

We know what it's like to wait on a lagging phone call from across the world, to smile through another holiday with an empty chair at the table. So let me ask you this, does Donald Trump know anything about military? No. He disparages those who sacrifice for our country. His own chief of staff said he called POWs and those who died in war losers and suckers. He's evil. He said he didn't want to be seen with injured veterans because it didn't look good for him. It's disgraceful, but it's not surprising. Donald Trump wakes up every morning thinking about one person and one person only. Himself. We know what Donald Trump was like as Commander in Chief.

And it could be worse this time. Last week, the Supreme Court ruled that there are virtually no limits on what a president can do. Our democracy cannot withstand a Trump presidency with virtually no limits. Service members honor their oath to support and defend the Constitution. We cannot trust Donald Trump to do the same. The military community deserves better. You deserve a commander in chief who serves with integrity and wisdom and character. And that's my husband, Joe Biden. I want to bring back in the panel to sort of unpack the first lady's remarks, as well as what we just saw in terms of those two visions into the future by the Lincoln Project, right, and 11 Films.

And when you look at it, it does seem very stark. It seems very scary. Representative Jackson, do you think that the first lady was too harsh when she used the word evil to describe Donald Trump? You know, Dr. Avis, no, the first lady was spot on. In fact, I was in that crowd of 300 plus. And as a retired naval officer, one who served this country in uniform for 22 years, we, men and women who are in uniform, our expectation of a commander in chief is one that will exercise wisdom. In other words, one that understands what diplomacy looks like before the use of military. We need a commander-in-chief that has a compassionate heart. In other words, understand the plight of military families and veterans,

knowing that when they give the order to men and women in uniform, that that might be the last time they see their loved ones. And he has that understanding because he represents a military family. We all can recall his son, Beau, died serving this country. We need a commander in chief that understand and exercise integrity. I know no one is talking about it, but during that debate, if you look at Trump's 90 minutes, he lied 52 times within 90 minutes. We don't need a commander in chief that don't understand integrity and character and wisdom and self-control and experience. And speaking of experience, let us not forget President Biden served in the United States Senate for 36 years. He was a vice president to Barack Obama for eight years in these last three and a half years as president.

And so when you look at that body of work, that's the kind of commander in chief. We don't need a commander in chief that will go back and forth with the federal government for 18 months when he is hoarding 400 boxes of classified material. And to this date, he has yet to be held accountable because when I was a commander in the Navy, every man, every woman understood the misuse of classified documents. You can find yourself in Leavenworth. And so we need a commander in chief with a steady hand. And so First Lady Dr. Jill Biden was spot on. Donald J. Trump is evil and clear and present danger to this country. So, Dr. Santiago, when I look particularly at the Lincoln Project's piece, it paints

a very stark picture of, in essence, the demise of democracy, the rise of a dictatorship, ruling this country by an iron hand. What would you share with the viewers about whether or not you think this is total fiction, it is just very, you know, they're hyperbolic, or do you see the future that they paint as something that is actually possible and, if not plausible, with another Trump term? You know, that's an excellent question. You know, some folks know that I used to lead 17 federal agencies and a couple of White House offices through this interagency working group that I was in charge of. So it gave me the opportunity to understand both the strengths

and weaknesses that exist inside of our structures in relationship to those agencies and departments. And when I take a look at what these folks are trying to accomplish, it is doable. Now, inside of our system, we make the assumptions that individuals who will come up for leadership positions, president, vice president, so forth and so on, will not be as evil, to use the words of the first lady, as the individual that we're dealing with. Now, let me be very clear that there have been individuals throughout our history who have most definitely done evil things to our people, to indigenous people, to a number of others. So I'm not blind to that fact.

But this individual takes it to a whole other level. And yes, it is quite, quite possible that they would be able to accomplish many of the things that they put forward, both in that Project 2025 and in other documents that they have out there. So we should pay particular attention to it. And it's not like they plan on just doing it in four years. I'm sorry, Doc. They have a long-term vision for being able to implement these things. But it is about getting the baseline in place, about hoarding the power and restructuring that will allow them to be able to do it if

we don't push back. Absolutely. So, Randy, I think it's very important then when people understand, I mean, you know, we oftentimes hear this messaging from the Democratic Party about democracy is at stake. And that, to many people, it seems a little esoteric. I think people, it's become democracy is obviously at this point largely taken for granted in America, and we don't really know what it looks like to be what was painted very vividly in terms of that—those sort of vignettes that we were shown a few minutes ago.

You mentioned something the last time you spoke about people who are protesting will, in essence, be outlawed. And I'm thinking even right now we're at a place where in at least two states that I know of, Texas and Florida, it's actually legal to run over protesters with your car. I mean, this is the level of craziness that we are dealing with right now. I mean, do you see this as a pivotal moment in this nation's history, back from which we may not come if this election goes the wrong way? It's an absolute pivotal moment. I think it's the biggest moment that I've ever lived in that will change the direction of this country one way or the other. I applaud the first lady, Dr. Jill Biden, for using strong language.

And I think she's doing it now because we haven't really seen her speak the way she did because she now gets the severity of the situation. And, you know, oftentimes, particularly the Democratic Party tries to play, we try to be, you know, decent, I would say, and approach things with a certain decorum. And I think it's now like we got to come out with our punching gloves on and call a thing a thing. I also like the fact, you know, that the vignettes that we just saw, like the Lincoln Project did, because not many people are going to read that over 900 page document. And so it does just sound as if something, you know, we're talking about. But people really need to understand, they need to visualize how what's happening will affect their day to day, what their country will look like.

And just like you said, because we have taken democracy for granted and we need to understand that what we've had all of my life. I mean, I'm far from blind of all that I haven't had and all that I've been fighting for people to have. But it's only going to get worse. And so, yes, this is a pivotal time in our history, in our country's history. Absolutely. And so, yes, I'm glad people are out there fighting for it because it's one way or the other at this point. And once if Trump should win, it's just scary. I mean, we are now dealing with the changes that he made before Biden came into office. That's the reason why the Supreme Court is able to make the decisions that they have been making, stripping rights away from the majority of the people in

this country. Absolutely. And really quickly, before you go to break, I just would not do Roland justice if I did not say something that I know he's been saying for years. What is actually happening right now is that we're seeing this white backlash against a rising white minority. I mean, the minute, I mean, is it any wonder why

the minute that we're seeing the demographics go in the direction that it's going, where we are not too many years away from whites as a minority in this nation, is there this huge concerted effort in order to undermine democracy? When you no longer can win elections because you are no longer the majority, all of a sudden you don't give a damn about democracy. This is what's happening right now. And if people don't get this and act accordingly in November, I shudder to think not only what we will have to deal with, but what our children and our grandchildren and those who come after them will have to deal with. This election is bigger than us. This election is about the generations that have to come after us. And with that said, we're

going to take a break right now. We will see you in just a minute on Roland Martin Unfiltered with the Black Star Network. A lot of y'all have been asking me about the pocket squares that are available on our website. You see me rocking the Chibori pocket square. 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 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 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. Right here, it's all about looking different. Now look, summertime is coming up. Y'all know, I keep trying to tell fellas, change your look, please. You can't wear athletic shoes every damn wear. So if you're putting on linen suits, if you're putting on some summer suits, have a whole different look.

The reason I like this particular pocket square, these shiboris, because it's sort of like a flower and looks pretty cool here, versus the traditional boring silk pocket squares. But also, I like them a little different as well. So this is why we have these custom-made feather pocket squares on the website as well. My sister actually designed these after a few years ago. I was in this battle with Steve Harvey at Essence, and I saw this at a St. Jude fundraiser. I saw this feather pocket square, and I said, well, I got some ideas.

So I hit her, and she sent me about 30 different ones. And so this completely changes your look. Now, some of you men out there, I had some dudes say, oh man, I can't wear that. Well, if you ain't got swagger, that's not my problem. But if you're looking for something different to spruce up your look, fellas, ladies, if y'all looking to get your man a good gift, I've run into brothers all across the country with the feather pocket squares saying, see, check mine out. And so it's always good to see them.

And so this is what you do. Go to RollersMartin.com forward slash pocket squares. You can order Shibori pocket squares or the custom-made pocket squares. Now, for the Shiboris, we're out of a lot of different colors. And I think we're down to about two or three hundred. So you want to get your order in as soon as you can, because here's what happened. I got these several years ago and the Japanese company signed the deal with another company. And I bought them before they signed that deal. And so I can't get access to any more from the company in Japan that makes them.

And so get yours now. So come summertime when I see y'all at Essence, y'all could be looking fly with the Shibori pocket square or the custom-made pocket square. Again, rollinglessmartin.com forward slash pocket squares. Go there now. It's John Murray, the executive producer of the new Sherry Shepard Talk Show. This is your boy, Herb Quaid. And you're tuned in to...

Roland Martin, Unfiltered. A Florida family is demanding answers after police shot and killed a black man who thought his sister and other family members were in danger. According to media outlets, on May 31, 27-year-old Daniel Lewis was inside his Miami Gardens home when his sister and his cousin sought his home for shelter. The group believed gang members were following them in a car they described as black, with no markings or police lights. They pulled up to Lewis' home and ran into the house. Lewis, a licensed

gun owner, went outside with his weapon to see what or who they were running from. That's when police shot him five times. The Lewis family attorney, Chris Lomax and Ariel Lett, join us now. We're also joined by Kelly Davis, the Lewis's family spokesman. Thanks for joining us. KELLY DAVIS, Thank you. Thank you for having us. Absolutely. So this is such a just outrageous, outrageous tragedy. And I would also say travesty. Chris, I want to start with you. As you are looking at what happened to this young man trying to protect his family, what in the world is the police saying about their initial, honestly, it sounds like trigger-happy reaction to a young man just trying to protect himself and his family? Well, it appears that law enforcement is taking the position that it's OK to shoot first and ask questions later.

They pulled up on Mr. Lewis's home and he comes outside. They never give him an opportunity to surrender, to yield. They don't announce themselves as police officers. Their position is that they believe that they were under fire, but there's no evidence that they were under fire at any point when they engaged with Mr. Lewis. And so we don't understand what the police officer's position is at this point because we have not been given any information that would definitively say or justify what they did.

To us, it's a clear unjustified shoot. There's no reason why Mr. Lewis should have been shot that night, but we're looking for answers. And obviously, we're here. Lewis should have been shot that night, but we're looking for answers. And obviously we're here today because we have not been given them, but we are pursuing them vigorously. I hear you. So Ariel, I am not an attorney, but I kind of remember Florida and something called Stand Your Ground. Our individuals, it's my understanding that that means, as it's been used in the past, that you are allowed to protect yourself and your person and definitely your home. I mean, is this completely irrelevant when it comes to police?

Well, it's not completely irrelevant at all. we have to understand here is that if Mr. Lewis had survived this somehow, right, and was charged with a crime, let's say potentially shooting at police, let's say that, you're allowed to do that if they don't have a right to be on your home, number one, and you can defend your home from invaders who are doing something wrong, like not announcing themselves as police officers. And so that's a defense to having a charge against you. It's just like if an unknown assailant were to break into your home or your car and you defended your home and your property, your family, by taking, by using lethal force, you have that right, you have that ability. The police are failing to understand here and what's really at issue here is that, you

know, their rights and their duties as police officers, you know, only can go so far. They can't just go onto anybody's property, anybody's home, and go into their backyard and on their back porch and start shooting them when they come outside to see what commotion is going on on their own backyard. Mm-hmm. Well, Mr. Davis, you are representing the family here tonight. I can't even imagine the anguish that the family is going through right now. Can you tell us a little bit about how is the family not only sort of surviving in the wake of this tragedy,

but what are their thoughts about the necessity for achieving justice with regards to the death of their loved one? Well, first thing, the family as a whole is completely devastated. Angela, who was his mother, was also a personal friend of mine. We've had a friendship for over 30 years. I never thought that as a community activist, I would be getting a call to help a friend go through, have to bury her son. His small children, two years old and six years old, the six-year-old also witnessed her father take his last breath, as well as her mother. Family, literally on a moment-to-moment, day-to-day basis,

is completely devastated, especially at a young man who had so much going for himself. He graduated from Harvard College. He was working with his uncle part-time at UPS, taking care of his children. He had custody of the six-year-old. He took his children to school every single day. So this was an upstanding man in the community, and this should not have happened. Absolutely not. Chris, I don't really understand why the police was following the family members in the first place in this unmarked car. I mean, it is reasonable if you find that you are being followed by a car that you do not recognize. It does not have any markings of being with the police, it is reasonable to be fearful in that circumstance.

And I'm wondering, has the police given any explanation as to what the hell they were doing, following these innocent individuals in the first damn place that led to this tragedy at the end? Well, no, they haven't given any explanation as to why they were following these particular individuals. Our understanding is that there may have been some interest in some activity going on in the area, maybe even some interest in some activity going on at some point at the house, but there was nothing that we've been told so far about any specific individuals and why they were being followed in this fashion, especially on a sort of ongoing basis from the house to the store, back to the house. And then not only that, but doing so in a way that would

raise suspicion for anyone. If I were driving in my car, I would absolutely be suspicious of someone who's following me to my house, to the store and coming back. And I would feel as though I was in an unsafe position. And so the question that we have to ask ourselves is to what extent can law enforcement officers create dangerous situations to their own peril and then come back and use unnecessary and disproportionate force against people who had no reason to believe or no reason to know that they were law enforcement. And that's exactly what happened to Mr. Lewis. He had no reason to know, expect, or understand that the individuals who ran into his backyard and drove into his backyard and shot him five times were law enforcement. And so the whole thing is a complete tragedy. It's a failure of the system. It shouldn't

have happened. And we need these answers. We need them now. And if I may piggyback off of Chris's response as well, you know, there was an individual arrested. It was a friend of the family. And there was an affidavit presented. But that actually That actually contradicts what the police have said in some other news press releases. On one hand, they've talked about this task force that was being used. And it wasn't just one vehicle. It was one van and two vehicles, all unmarked, all black with very dark tints so you couldn't see. And it was 11 p.m. at night, right? And so they said on one hand that those vehicles were responding to the increased level of

violence in that community and just being out there when they engaged with this family. On the other hand, on that affidavit that I mentioned, they said that they were actually looking at this house for suspected drug activity. So you have one that's saying suspected violence, another that's saying suspected drug activity, but there was no drugs ever found in the home or in the vehicle. Nobody's been charged with any drug crimes. And the only person that was arrested wasn't even related to this family. And so, you know, and obviously, again, Mr. Lewis wasn't even in that car during that chase.

And so it has nothing to do with them as to what happened during the chase. But once they got onto that property and took action on that property, that's when it affects Mr. Lewis and his rights. Let me ask you this, just to follow up super quickly. Was there any body cameras involved? We don't know. Those are more questions. And we're looking for that. I can tell you that Miami Gardens police are supposed to have body cameras on them. And it's very strange that through all of the documents that I have been able, we have been able to get that's related to this incident from the law enforcement, there's no mention of body cameras as of yet. And so there's, we don't know if there, if there was a definitive answer that they don't, they weren't wearing them, which would also be a violation of their policy, which includes the answer to that question, but just as your experience

as an attorney, are you finding—and maybe, unfortunately, other situations similar to this—are you finding the police here to be cooperative? Are you finding them to be secretive? Are you finding them to be obstructive? What is your assessment—either one of the attorneys, actually—what is your assessment, either one of the attorneys, actually, what is your assessment as to the level of transparency or lack thereof that the police are giving you and this family as it comes to being able to let them know how the hell their loved one was killed? I can start it off. They are helpful when it serves their purpose. If they know that a video is going to conclusively show that they were in the right,

they release video camera footage. You've seen it time and time again on the news. Oh, this is what happened almost immediately. And it's been now more than a month since the killing of Mr. Lewis. And so they have been obstructive in that instance, and they used the guise of ongoing investigation to do so. And so their investigation seems to have concluded with only one arrest unrelated to Mr. Lewis. Any other investigation other than that and the wrongful death of Mr. Lewis is a mystery to us. I have a final question for Mr. Davis.

In terms of the family, what does justice look like for them? Justice, firstly, is going to start with getting the questions in. The family had no answers at all. And the big question is why? Um, this was a young man who was literally in the process of about to get in the shower, getting ready to go get something to drink because they were getting ready to have a late dinner. So there's a slew of why. It's a blanket question of why. Because this happened, and unfortunately, we've seen this in Florida too many times, with Trayvon Martin, with Corey that was killed in West Palm Beach, which both of those situations I was involved with protesting. So this is another fortunate case of it's okay to shoot a Black person. And we are not.

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 multibillion-dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad.

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

Yes, sir. We are back. In a big way. In a very big way. Real people, real perspectives. This is kind of star-studded a little bit, man. We got Ricky Williams, NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner. It's just a compassionate choice

to allow players all reasonable means to care for themselves. Music stars Marcus King, John Osborne from Brothers Osborne. We have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote

drug ban. Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown. We got B-Real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corvette. MMA fighter Liz Karamush.

What we're doing now isn't working and we need to change things. Stories matter and it brings a face to them. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content,

subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I'm going to let him die in vain. And that's what the family wants. They want to see change in police procedures because a simple change. But we believe that if the police officers had just identified themselves and done a regular traffic stop, we would not be sitting here today having this. So, so sad. Well, I said that was going to be my last, but I do have one last question for Chris. Really quickly, do you believe or is there an opportunity or chance that

these officers may be charged at some point if they can't come up with some sort of plausible explanation in terms of why this was justified? Is that even in the cards? I mean, this is Florida. Well, absolutely. Not only does Florida have the authority to charge these officers, but the United States Department of Justice clearly has the authority to charge them under 18 U.S.C. Section 242, which is a statute that I prosecuted officers under for over five years as a federal prosecutor. This is the type of case that we would investigate at the DOJ in the Civil Rights Division and determine whether the shooting was justified, meaning the officer had the authority under the Constitution of the United States to use the force that he or she used. If that force was excessive and if it was a willful violation of

Mr. Lewis's constitutional rights, then a federal prosecution is absolutely in the cards. And I expect that the people at the Civil Rights Division will look at this and make a determination based on the facts and based on the evidence. And if there's availability to make a charge in this case, I believe that they will do that. Well, I certainly hope that justice is served in this case. Please send our condolences to the family. And thank you so much for fighting on behalf of this young man and this family that I know is still trying to get some manner of solace with regards to this case that has yet to see any manner of justice yet. But I'm glad to see that we have the right people in the case. Thanks for joining us this evening.

Thank you. Thank you for having us. Absolutely. And thank you. We're going to take a break, but we'll be right back with Roland Martin on Filtered on the Blackstar Network. Fanbase is pioneering a new era of social media for the creator economy. This next generation social media app with over 600,000 users is raising $17 million, and now is your chance to invest. For details on how to invest, visit startengine.com slash fanbase or scan the QR code. Another way we're giving you the freedom to be you without limits.

Hatred on the streets, a horrific scene, a white nationalist rally that descended into deadly violence. On that soil, you will not reflect on. White people are losing their damn lives. There's an angry pro-Trump mob storm to the U.S. Capitol. We're about to see the rise of what I call white minority resistance. We have seen white folks in this country who simply cannot tolerate black folks voting.

I think what we're seeing is the inevitable result of violent denial. This is part of American history. Every time that people of color have made progress, whether real or symbolic, there has been what Carol Anderson at every university calls white rage as a backlash. This is the rise of the Proud Boys and the Boogaloo Boys. America, there's going to be more of this. Here's all the Proud Boys, guys. This country is getting increasingly racist in its behaviors and its attitudes because of the fear

of white people. The fear that they're taking our jobs, they're taking our resources, they're taking our women. This is white fear. Hello, I'm Paula J. Parker, truly proud of the Proud Family, louder and prouder on Disney+. And you're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered. So we're back, and I'm going to bring in the panel to discuss this Florida case that we just

talked about with regards to this horrible, horrible shooting of this young man. Bringing in Randy first, you know, as I'm thinking about this situation, which is just another atrocity, the thought that comes to my mind is how many more? Like, how many more stories do we have to hear like this? And this one to me is particularly atrocious, given, once again, what seems to be completely outside of the boundaries of just plain logical behavior by the police department, who now seems to be in the process, to me, it sounds like, of covering it up. If it's been a month and they still don't know, don't see any body cam footage, that

to me sounds like a cover-up. Absolutely sounds like a cover-up. And particularly since they keep saying, we thought there was a gunshot. It seemed that he shot. I'm like, by now, you know that he shot a gun or not. So what's the problem? You know, and I don't know how many more. And that's the sad part. And I believe that that is the trauma that is placed upon us every day as Black Americans in this country. Because when I think about the actions of that day, as we hear about

the precautions that they took and not knowing that these were police officers, you know, possibly following them, it just made me sad because it reminds me of how much many of us go through life every day playing defense, being scared because we see these stories day after day. And so when we, you know, we feel the need to have a gun and a license and can fairly carry it and to tell someone run to the house or to be suspicious when somebody pulls up because we live in this country feeling scared, feeling as if we don't belong, feeling as if we're not safe all of the time. So the tragedy, it's like a pebble in the pond where, of course, it affects the family so much. But also all of us who keep seeing these stories day by day, the trauma it places upon black psyche, I don't I think is immeasurable.

I completely agree. I mean, when I think about this situation and you mentioned about, you know, we last I checked, you know, black people are included under the Second Amendment. I mean, what the hell is going on here? Where is the NRA? Like, you know, everybody else is supposed to have a right to be able to protect themselves except for us. What's going on here, Mustafa? What's going on is that we continue to live in sacrifice zones, and we're seen as sacrificable people. And when you're seen as a sacrificable person, that means that these extreme measures are justified in some people's

minds, and I would even say justified in the interpretation of the policies. So in Florida, you have a stand-your-ground law. But when it comes to our folks, you know, that doesn't always seem to play out in a positive way. So it is a part of this mentality that is built into policy, that is built into enforcement. And there is a lack of accountability when it comes to our community's lives. We also overlay that with the fact that we live in a country with 400 million guns. So when you have that many guns that are out there, we know that that's going to cause its own set of stressors, but also of actions that are going to unfortunately take place. And then we overlay that with the fact that in the state of Florida that, you know, we have

these laws that continue to dehumanize us. And you also have the fact that in the last decade you have thousands upon thousands of people who have actually been killed by police and shot by police. So all these things come together in an equation that often is very detrimental for our communities. Indeed it is. And Representative Jackson, when I think about the fact that this is the person that family came to because they saw him as a protector. You know, this is a person who took his children to school every day. This was a pillar of the community. And when we think about really what is the thought of manhood, like what is manhood? One of the main pillars of manhood is to protect.

This young man was in the process of protecting the people that he loved, only to get shot down five times in cold blood in his own front yard. And here we are a month later, and the police are still, you know, delay tactics, not being transparent, doing all of the things that they can to to gum up the system so that this family cannot receive a measure of peace that can only be achieved through justice. Now, when you are thinking about this situation, Representative Jackson,

just what does it make you feel like as a black man in America to see this level of violence that can be perpetuated, not that even that, unfortunately, that this is an isolated incidence, just in the process of doing what you are expected to do as a man, and that is to protect your family. You know, Dr. Avis, I, well, first off,

I'm mixed emotions, right? I'm angry, I'm mad,'m mixed emotions, right? I'm angry. I'm mad. I'm frustrated, right? And not just because I'm a black man, but also for our sisters. I mean, you think about how did we get here? Dr. Avis, we were never profiled as someone's husband, father, son, daughter, mother, protector. We were never profiled. And so it doesn't matter if the encounter with law enforcement takes place at 11 p.m. or 11 a.m. They don't see us in the same way. And so that's why I'm so frustrated as a lawmaker

because we now have to add Daniel Lewis' name to all the many others, known and unknown, right? We know about Eric Gardner. We know about Michael Brown and Tamir Rice and Breonna Taylor. And we know about Dr Gardner. We know about Michael Brown and Tamir Rice and Breonna Taylor. And we know about Dr. King. We know about Mega Evers, right? When you don't see an individual as a husband and a father and a protector, and you profile them in a certain way, every time you encounter law enforcement, the results are very fatal sometimes.

There was a study done, Dr. Avis, the last 15 years, over 3,900 police officers were involved in a police shooting, a lot of them involved with killings. But of that 3,900, only 2% were convicted. And so when you look at that minuscule number, we as lawmakers, we got to deal with qualified immunity. We got to deal with civil lawsuits. We got to deal with criminal charges. Everyone should be held accountable if they misuse and abuse their power, if they misuse and abuse their oath, and if they're going to be one that profile black people in a different manner versus then what they did with Dylann Roof. Dylann Roof killed nine innocent, humble souls, and he's still breathing. In fact, they took him to a restaurant after they arrested him. And so it's not training. It's not laws. It is how do you profile life and other human beings that one may consider them as a threat. And it doesn't matter what time of day. They don't see us as husbands and fathers and

mothers and daughters in the same manner as everyone else. I completely agree. And when I think about, once again, what you do, Randy, it seems like this state, which, as you've mentioned, has a better world, do police officers like that? Because I agree. To me, they did not see that young man as human. And that happens not just in Florida. I think that that's a lot of, unfortunately, pandemic of the culture of policing in this nation, period. The fact that we are at a moment in time, though, now where that reality still exists, but one of the things that can be done in order to be able either to educate people better if they have the responsibility of life and death over others in a position like that, or maybe a way in which organizations can screen better so they can screen out people that clearly have biased behavior and biased thought processes. It seems like the direction of this country is now not to even go in the direction of try to do anything to mitigate what we clearly see as a pattern in this country.

If anything, what we're seeing when we just turn a blind eye to this situation is to just double down and keep going in that direction. What happens if we don't have people like you going into institutions like that to try to be able to mitigate the damage that bias can create when people can use lethal force clearly based on biased ideologies? We continue to lose lives if we don't make changes and if they're not real consequences. I tell people, you know, when people think about DEI, they think about training. And I cannot train or change somebody's heart. I'm great, but I can't change someone's heart. I'm great, but I can't change someone's heart. I cannot change someone's heart. But what I can do, because people do act out of their own self, right, of their own self-need and self-want

and self-protection. So what I encourage people to do is they, you must put policies in place that make it uncomfortable, inconvenient, painful for people to use discriminatory behavior, particularly when it's ending people's lives, right? So trust me, people will act differently if they know that they have shown an abuse of power, particularly to a certain group of people, that they'll be fired, that they'll lose their pension, that if the city or state gets sued, that they have to pay for it out of their own monies. If they suffer, I promise you, you will see a change in behavior. That is why DEI policies matter.

They weren't this. People wanted it to be these feel-good kumbaya, let me talk to you. Let me do a one-hour training and change your whole bias. No. I mean, some people, you know, they will work their lives to change, but that's not what it's about. Let me help with the infrastructure, go throughout the entire part of this organization. Yes, a little bit of training to ensure that people know that they are rewarded when they act decently, so that they have teams that are diverse, that they're promoting people that are diverse,

that their employees are giving good satisfaction. If they're police officers, they don't have a whole lot of people complaining against them, because people should and do complain, and that they are punished severely and quickly when they show discriminatory behavior. That's the only way things change, but they're making it where, just like you said, you know what the people can, you know, if there's something, if you do something, we're going to actually, because of this whole blue silence or whatever this is, this blue shield, we're going to protect you. We're going to make it where those men are probably going to work every single day,

or when they are put off, we always know that they still get paid. That's what annoys me. They're still getting their check. So I don't see how they're suffering at all. You're telling me they're getting paid vacations while they fake investigate charges. Oh my goodness. It is absolutely, it is so frustrating. And to bring you in one more time, Dr. Mustafa, when we're thinking about just moving forward, and once again, all that is at stake, because this to me is once again, it is part of what is at stake in this next election.

I think you alluded to before, that it's important when we think about elections, not just to think about federal elections. We have to think about what happens at the state and local level. And when we think about policing, when we think about prosecutors and all of those. 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 multibillion-dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1 Taser Incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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

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

drug thing is. Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown. 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. Those things.

It really shows the importance that people need to put on, yes, voting at the top, but voting all down the ticket because they all impact our lives in very, very powerful way. Yeah. I mean, our vote is so incredibly powerful. When we had the attorneys that were on, one of the questions that I thought would be interesting is to actually ask when that affidavit was being pulled together, who's the judge who signed off on it? What was the information that was shared with that judge to make whether he or she make the decision to say, OK, go ahead? And that's tied to our vote, because in many instances we determine who the judges are or who the mayor is or who are the individuals who are going to place people in those various positions. So we've got to realize that we have so much power.

I know folks are busy. You're trying to put food on the table, keep the lights on. But we are literally talking about life and death and many of these decisions that go on in relationship to our community. So all the way from the state attorney general, all the way down to district attorneys, you know, we have the power to make sure that there are individuals who at least have some cultural competencies to understand the dynamics that are going on in our communities. And not just to understand those cultural competencies, but how are you going to utilize those in the reformulation of policy? And how do we also make

sure that those folks who are in the state houses, on the county commissions and in local governments understand that we are going to hold you accountable? Doesn't matter if you're a Democrat, Republican or an independent, that we have a set of expectations and we plan for those to be met or we'll find somebody else to do the job. No, I think that is an important thing that we all keep in mind. We actually have the power to make sure that we have people in office at the various levels who will fight for justice. And if not, we can kick them out

as long as we have a democracy. As long as we have a democracy. That right there is the critical piece. With that said, we're going to take a quick break here, but we'll be right back with Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Black Star Network. See you in a sec. When you talk about blackness

and what happens in black culture, we're about covering these things that matter to us, speaking to our issues and concerns. This is a genuine people-powered movement. There's a lot of stuff that we're not getting. You get it, and you spread the word. We wish to plead our own cause to long have others spoken for us. We cannot tell our own story if we can't pay for it. This is

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Tequila Hudson has been missing from her Shreveport, Louisiana home since June 19, 2024. The 16-year-old is 5 feet 4 inches tall, weighs 260 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. Anyone with information about Tequila Hudson Evans should call the Shreveport, Louisiana Police Department at 318-673-7300. According to the American Association of University Women, the wage gap for black women compared to non-Hispanic white men is 66 cents for every dollar paid. The National Women's Law Center said that this wage gap will cost a Black woman working full-time nearly $900,000 over a lifetime. This gap continues to widen year after year,

impacting how Black women financially support themselves, their families, and their future goals. With more than 80 percent of Black mothers as the sole breadwinner, co-breadwinners, or primary breadwinner for their households, and an equitable salary means the financial well-being of a whole household is at stake. Today is Black Women's Equal Pay Day, and Gloria L. Blackwell, CEO of the American Association of University Women, joins us from Washington, D.C. to discuss what is being done to ensure Black women get their fair pay. Hello there, Gloria. Wonderful to see you.

It's great to see you as well. Thank you so much for having me here. Of course. I had to have you on because you guys do such great work at AAUW around the wage gap and particularly with showing some great insight on black women around this particular key issue. Now, as I just mentioned, we're still behind. We have to work all the way up until, what is it, July 9th of 2024 to make what the typical white male made at the end of 2023. Are you getting tired of these statistics? I know I sure am. What the heck?

I certainly agree. You know, when we talk about equal paydays, it's not so much just about, oh, you know, people have to work until a certain day to earn the same amount, right, that a white non-Hispanic male made as of December 31st of the previous year, you know. When we talk about it, we really need to talk about it more comprehensively, because it's not just about that day. It's about how the impact of getting to that day transitions into an impact, as you mentioned, on the career, on the retirement, right, on the ongoing ability for Black women to support their families, to contribute to the economy. And, you know, if we're talking about the pay gap now and the level that it is, research tells us it's going

to take over a century for that pay gap to close for Black women. And I don't think that anyone would agree that we need to wait another 100 years or more to earn a salary that is justified based on our educational accomplishments and based on what we have done throughout our career advancement. So I think that Black Women's Equal Pay Day is just another one of those days that we have to elevate to bring attention to the fact that there is that racial and gendered discrimination that is continuing to be perpetuated throughout our workplaces. Absolutely. And when you really think about it, what particularly infuriates me about these statistics is the fact that even though we only

make about two-thirds of what our white male counterpart makes, we actually have the highest labor force participation of all women in America. And that's been the case ever since they've been calculating that statistic. So we work harder, but we continue to be paid less. When you think about that, what do you think we need to be telling black women in order to be able to finally break through and to advocate better for ourselves so that we can get a little bit closer to being paid fairly? What do we need to be fighting for? Right. So I think in part, it really is about demanding equity and

demanding that the wage gap be taken care of, right? So, for example, you know, Black women vote at high rates. And so, for getting people in office who are going to make sure that legislation moves forward to close the gender pay gap, you know, we really have to hold them accountable. You know, one of the things that AEW, we asked CNN last week to ask the candidates about, you know, what are they going to do about closing the gender pay gap? Because we know that, you know, two-thirds of black women voted in 2020. We have the power to make a change and make a difference. So it really is about, you know, attacking it from that policy level, holding individuals accountable, and holding our employers accountable as well, educating themselves about the laws that currently are in existence,

but are they being implemented fairly within their organizations, within their companies, within the businesses where black women are currently in the workplace? And it really is important that they educate themselves about what those laws, what those rules are, because so many employers are not being held accountable. They're not following the guidelines because the laws that are in place are not being enforced in the way that they should be. And I think advocating for the Paycheck Fairness Act, you know, making sure that we update the Equal Pay Act of 1963, just making sure that we don't just get the laws on the books, that we hold our employers accountable. And black women really need to

educate themselves. They can go to our website and see so many ways that they can advocate, that they can send those messages to Capitol Hill, to the lawmakers, and to really make sure that they're doing all that they can to have people understand that laws exist. They need to be implemented so that the racial and gender discrimination that impacts black women so disproportionately is taken care of and is also just rendered to zero once and for all. Absolutely. If it's OK, I think I'm going to bring the panel in, because I believe they might want

to ask you a question or two around what we can do on this Black Women's Equal Pay Day to make sure that finally black women and families receive greater access to economic justice. Let us see it. Can we bring the panel in? As they're bringing them up? Perfect. So I want to start with, I'm going to start with Randy. We're going to let ladies first. Okay. Since this is Black Women's Equal Pay Day. You know, being in the field of DEI,

I feel like I'm sick of talking about this subject as well, because it's so, it should have just changed a long time ago. How do you feel about, you know, people always are pushing equal rights for women and equal pay for women, and we don't make as much as white women. And since we are supposed to be, you know, this united front, I'm always hearing about women rights. How do you feel about organizations that don't spell out and make clear that within, you know, our group of women, Black women do not make as much as white women? And that is so it's a whole separate issue. Yeah, I think that's a really great point because, you know, we are a member of, you know, so many coalitions of gender-based organization and those that are fighting for women's rights and equal rights.

And we actually take the opportunity to bring everyone comes together to talk about these equal paydays. Because it really is important that we elevate the fact that while so many of these organizations, you know, do have a focus on women overall, we really have to make sure that we're lifting up women of color. And so when we got together talking about Black Women's Equal Pay Day, you know, we can't continue to talk about just women overall. We can't keep pretending that all women are going through these same injustices at the same level. So elevating, you know, what these figures mean for black women, what these figures mean for black and brown women overall really provides a level of education so that people understand, you know, you can't just toss the term women out there. You really have to be very specific about the racialized component and the racialized injustice that has that incredible impact on black women. Because like you, you know, it's something that no one envisioned that we would continue to be having the same conversation, you know, year after year after year with that gap only closing in the past 20 years, you know, five cents, you know, between that of white non-Hispanic men.

And so it's taking so long. Black women are earning degrees at higher rates and higher levels, but we are not gaining the benefits. So education has certainly not been the great equalizer. That is a great point there. Dr. Mustafa. I'm curious how you feel about a couple of these points. One. 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.

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podcast i think that i as a as a black man have a personal responsibility when i make it to the top of an organization or or moving up in the higher levels of an organization, that I'm not only aware of this, but I'm also taking action to make sure that we are equaling out the pay. The second part of that is, you had mentioned before sort of around accountability and enforcement of existing law. I'm curious, based upon your years of experience, why do we still continue to fail in that space?

And are there additional things that we should be educating folks on so that they can push and get engaged in the fight? Great. Well, I think part of the issue around the fact that so many states have enacted pay transparency laws and are trying to ensure that we're not asking for their salary history bans that have been put into place. So many of the incredible issues that have been put in place that we have been fighting for, right, to ensure that we are going to really chop down some of these factors that add incredibly to the pay gap and its ongoing, the way in which it's continuing.

But when we think about employers, the key is that employers are not held accountable. We know that, for example, you know, when people are coming to them and saying, this is the law that you should be doing or it shouldn't be, I shouldn't be punished for talking about my compensation or my salary. You know, there's so many things in place that people still get penalized for. And I think the challenge is in educating employees about these compensation laws and these compensation practices and holding the employers accountable. But it really is about within your particular company or organization, really finding those allies who can be with you so that you're not approaching it alone.

Because it's not just about you. It's about ensuring also that everyone is treated fairly. And I think for most workplaces, you see that people are still penalized for sharing their salaries when they shouldn't be. You know, the people aren't being paid fairly, and they're really afraid. And in particular, people of color, when they step up and want to have these conversations and confront their employers, they are penalized in ways that, you know, people who are not people of color are not. And so, you know, non-people of color can get away with it, but Black people can't. And they are finding that the severity of the penalty is one that so many Black and brown people aren't willing to take the risk for. And so the education and the finding of the allies and holding employees accountable in ways that you can

is one of the huge steps, I think, that would change the landscape of our workplaces. Absolutely. And Representative Jackson. Ms. Blackwell, appreciate your work in this space. And as a father of four daughters and three sons, you know, I always advocate and champion that I want my four daughters to get paid at the same rate as my three sons, because we all know, as you've already articulated, the pay gap is not based on qualification. It's not based onience. It is very specific around race and gender. But as a legislator, you know, I'm sort of stuck in this conundrum because there's a part of the law that prohibits me for asking for that information that I need to strengthen the law in other areas at the state level so that way we're not still talking about this 60 years from now. And so, you know, what kind of advice can you give me as a lawmaker,

as a legislator? What can we do to where we do not create an environment that can put our sisters into harm's way as we're trying to reduce this gap that the Equal Pay Act that was signed 60 years ago has yet to achieve. Yeah, I appreciate that because legislation is obviously, and working on the policy front, is obviously one of the key ways that we have been working as an organization and with our coalition partners, right? And so across our states, you know, almost all states, including the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico and Guam, everyone has put something in place. And you're right, we get it in place and you can check that box. But what really happens after that? And I think in part it's it's the way in which employers are at the current state are not required to submit their employment data based on race. And since that has not been something that has been taking place recently, we're trying to get that reinstated. There really isn't the data that we do need, right, moving forward to be able to hold them accountable.

Because if you don't have to report it, then who knows what you're doing internally in your company. And so getting back to the place where we have that data on an annual basis, I think, would be really helpful. And it would help in the enforcement of ensuring that they are being, you know, in compliance with the laws that are set forth. And also, you know, just having more of an opportunity to make sure that cases are being investigated when it is put forth that individuals are stating their case, that they have been discriminated against on the basis of race and, you know, the other factors that come into play.

And when you think about, you know, your daughters and the future that, you know, you want for them in the workplace, you know, one of the things that we are doing is we, you know, we teach salary negotiation. We're teaching financial literacy. It really is about educating our people around the tactics that can really support them in the workplace as well. And also educating them around these types of laws so that they don't enter into the workforce not understanding what their rights are. And as a legislator, you know, understanding that this is an issue that really has been addressed, you know, for so long and that we really can't wait another century for the laws to be enforced to impact the overall economic security of Black women.

Well, I have to tell you, Ms. Blackwell, thank you so much for all the work that you do at AAUW. I know that you all have been in the fight for decades with this, and you are going to continue that fight. If people want to find out more about the work that you do, how can they get in contact with you? They can visit us at aauw.org and find out about all of our programs, all of our legislation that we do, find out about our two-minute activists where they can get in touch with their legislators on the Hill. And we

would be happy to provide all of that information because Black women deserve equal pay and they deserve to be honored for the contributions that they make to our organizations, to our workplaces, and to our communities. Absolutely, they do. I could not have said it better myself. Thank you so much for joining us this evening. Thank you. Absolutely. And listen, we'll be right back, right after this quick break, with more Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Black Star Network. Coming soon to the Black Star Network. I still have my NFL contract in my house. Having a case.

It's four of them for my four-year contract. I got a $600,000 signing bonus. My base salary for that first year was $150,000. Matter of fact... $150,000. $150,000. That's what I made, $150,000. Now, think about it. My signing bonus was a forgivable loan, supposedly.

When I got traded to the Colts, they made me pay back my signing bonus to them. I had to give them their $600,000 back. Wow. I was so pissed, because, man, I try to be a man of my word. I'm like, you. I'll give you your money back. Even though I know I earned so pissed, because, man, I try to be a man of my word. I'm like, you. I'll give you your money back.

Even though I know I earned that money, I gave him that money back. I gave him that $600,000 back. But yet, I was this malcontent. I was a bad guy. I'm not about the money. Wasn't about the money. It was about doing right.

Because I was looking at, I looked at, because you look at contracts. Look at John Edwards. God, John Edwards making a million dollars. 800,000, I was making 150. I mean, I was doing everything. And I'm like, but yet I was, man, I got so many letters, you know,

you issue, you, so I just play for free and all that kind of stuff. I mean, you don't forget that kind of stuff. Right. That stuff is hurtful. Carl Payne pretended to be Roland Martin. Holla! You ain't gotta wear black and gold every damn place, okay?

Ooh, I'm an alpha, yay! All right, you're 58 years old, it's over. You are now watching... Roland Martin, unfiltered, uncut, unplugged, and undamn believable. We told you Monday about Roland attending the Netflix premiere of Beverly Hills Cop, Axl F., in Los Angeles. You saw his interview with Kevin Bacon and Joseph Gordon-Levitt yesterday. Tonight, his discussion with the two have been on the ride with Eddie Murphy since 1984 with Judge Reinhold and John Ashton.

So how are we doing? Good, good. How are you? All right, so y'all have been, what, this is the fourth one for you two. So y'all finished each other's lines now. You're sort of like an old married couple where you know what you're going to do next. Yeah, well, you know, we trust each other. It feels like something good's going to happen. It's a comfort zone.

You know something good's going to happen when we work together. How much do you get to play in terms of get to improvise and get to feed off of each other? Well, the first one we improvised a lot. I mean, the first one, Taggart and Rosewood weren't developed that well. And Marty Brest, the director, he was terrific. And he gave Judge and me all the freedom we wanted to create. Y'all got the script. Y'all like, this it?

Y'all got the script, said, this it? Yeah, we can sit here and do some other stuff. Yeah, that's exactly right. We said, climbing over the wall stuff was all improvised.

But in the script, it said, Taggart and Rosewood sit in an unmarked car. That's all it said. Yeah. And then we shoot it that way a couple of times

and then Marty go, okay, we got that, now let's screw around and have fun. Yeah. And the have fun part, that's the one that actually probably ended up. Yeah. And the script on this one was, was pretty tight. So we didn't have as much room to play. He wanted to stick to the, when you have a director, that's also one of the writers,

he really holds to those words. The first one came out 40 years ago. Does it still shock you how people respond to the movie and your characters? Yeah, yeah. I mean, honest to God, it doesn't feel like 40 years ago. It feels like yesterday. But it's kind of fun to walk down the street and I still hear, hey, Taggart! Don't let him put a banana in your tailpipe!

Some folks are bothered by that. Richard Roundtree was complaining about people kept calling him John Shaft. Oh, yeah. And his dad said, son, if people remember you for something, he said, you need to get over that. And it changed his perspective on that. That's right

When it first started, I mean I I got my degree in theater I've done a lot of stuff and a lot of other movies and but when it first started happening I was really bothered by it. I went hey man. I've done a lot of other things I'm not just dagger, you know, but after a while I Embraced it and I said, you know what? There's not too many actors that can put a stamp on a rule That's gonna be they're gonna be known for eternity and you better take it and go with it. And now I enjoy it judge Everything has its price. I've heard that I didn't get roles because I was too identified with the movie but

Here we are, a celebrated franchise that the world loves. And so, you know, it's a double-edged sword. But I think to be identified with a new genre, because it was at that time a new genre, that, you know, we're proud of that. Talk about your relationship over these years with Eddie Murphy. Right. Well, even though we don't see each other, we've collectively gone through this. So every time we see him, we're closer. It's like family reunion? Yeah.

Yeah, it's like that. Yeah, especially the first time we'd seen each other in years was when we shot the unmarked car scene. And Eddie got in, and the first thing he said when he looked at us, and he said, well, at least we still resemble our character. But the chemistry was still there. It just, like I said, it just felt like something good was gonna happen You know, you didn't know what but you knew it was gonna be good And obviously we change we age and all of those different things along those lines

And for both of you your characters have gone through a lot. They just had to put you through hell in this one. Yeah Yeah, yeah We're friends called road hard, hung up wet. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, actually, we pulled back on that because when I really went for it with the makeup artist and I had my eye was shut and stuff and showed up on set and Mark said, no, no, no, that's too grotesque. He's like, it's not a horror movie. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Funnest part for you, doing this with him? Just getting back into the relationships, you know, and I've said this before, you know, I have a lot of, Eddie and I have a little friction in this one a little time, but that's what friends are. Like you had in the first one? Yeah, but we developed a friendship in our personal life and in our theatrical life. So, I mean, friends disagree with one another every now and then, but they're still friends.

Absolutely. And I think that still comes across, and I think the audience appreciates that. They can identify with that. You know, my best friend I can get in an argument with, but I still love him. He's still my friend. Absolutely. We don't talk anymore. I know it seems that we're

very cordial, but we haven't talked. Yeah. With him, I try to stay away from him. But, you know, with Eddie, it's good. As we say, you're right.

Gentlemen, we appreciate it. We appreciate you. All right. Thank you so much for joining us this evening. Thank you to the incredible panel that gave us wonderful insights. And thank you so much to the Roland Martin family for having me back in this chair. We sure hope that Roland is feeling better soon. Until the next time, we will see you tomorrow on Roland Martin Unfiltered at the Black Star Network.

And until then, holla. Hold no punches. I'm real revolutionary right now. I'm proud. Support this man, Black Media. He makes sure that our stories are told. Thank you for being the voice of Black America, Roland. 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 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. I get right back there and it's bad. Listen to Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Clayton English.

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