#RolandMartinUnfiltered - SCOTUS AL Redistricting Maps, TX DOJ Houston Dumping Deal, OK Black Lawmaker Booed, Trump INDICTED

Episode Date: June 9, 2023

6.8.2023 #RolandMartinUnfiltered: SCOTUS AL Redistricting Maps, TX DOJ Houston Dumping Agreement, OK Black Lawmaker Booed ... Breaking! Donald Trump indicted in classified documents probe The Supreme Court Of The United States says Alabama's Redistricting Maps most likely violate the Voting Rights Act.  Alabama Representative Terri Sewell, the Vice-Chair of Minority Affairs for the Alabama Democratic Party and one of the case's plaintiffs will be here to let us know what this ruling means for voters in the state. In Texas, a significant development in the DOJ's investigation into Houston's Dumping Agreement.  I'll talk to the Mayor of Houston about what is being done to protect constituents' health. An Oklahoma State Black Lawmaker gets booed on the house floor by a white colleague; she'll join us to explain what happened. The death of North Carolina man Darryl Tyree Williams has been ruled a homicide.  We'll talk to a local activist about the fight for justice. Breaking ... Donald Trump indicted in classified documents probe 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.6.8.2023 #TheCulture w/ Farajii: East Coast wildfire smoke crisis; Mayor Quentin Hart speaks; Childhood obesity reaches staggering numbers; Tupac honored with star on Hollywood Walk of Fame 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. 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. Here's the deal. We gotta set ourselves up. See, retirement is the long game. We gotta make moves and make them early. Set up goals. Don't worry about a set game. We gotta make moves and make them early. Set up goals. Don't worry about a setback. Just save

up and stack up to reach them. Let's put ourselves in the right position. Pre-game to greater things. Start building your retirement plan at thisispreetirement.org. Brought to you by AARP and the Ad Council.

I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Lott. And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast. Yes, sir. Brought to you by AARP and the recording studios. Stories matter, and it brings a face to them. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, folks, today is Thursday, Thursday, June 8, 2023. Coming up, I'mer Martin Unfiltered,

streaming live on the Black Star Network from Jackson, Mississippi. Supreme Court hands down a shocking decision that could very well impact and increase the number of black congressional districts. We will talk to Congressman Terry Sewell, as well as a top executive with the Alabama Democratic Party, about this ruling out of a case out of Alabama. And so it is a very surprising ruling by this very conservative Supreme Court. Also on today's show, a black lawmaker in Oklahoma was speaking on the floor, talking about supporting black-owned businesses, and she was booed by her Republican colleagues. We will talk with her

on today's show. Also on today's show, in North Carolina, the death of a black man is the rule of homicide. We'll talk to local activists who are trying to generate more attention to his particular story as well. In addition, we'll tell you what the DOJ is doing when it comes to illegal dumping in Houston, impacting black and Latinos as well. Folks, it is time to bring the funk.

Roland Martin unfiltered on the Black Star Network. Let's go. He's got it. Whatever the piss, he's on it. Whatever it is, he's got the scoop, the fact, the fine. And when it breaks, he's right on time. And it's Roland. Best belief he's knowing.

Putting it down from sports to news to politics With entertainment just for kicks He's rolling It's a go-go-royale It's rolling, Martin Rolling with rolling now He's funky, he's fresh, he's real, the best you know He's rolling, Martel

Martel Shocking. The conservative Supreme Court rules in favor of black voters in Alabama. The case, folks, was a lawsuit filed in Alabama when it came to racial gerrymandering in Alabama and how Republicans in the state drew district lines. They were packing African- Americans into the districts. Now, right now, there's only one African American represents all of the black voters there in Alabama. Now, the court decision was unexpected,

given its recent decisions regarding the Voting Rights Act. This 5-4 decision was written by Chief Justice John Roberts and was joined by fellow conservative Brett Kavanaugh, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Katonji Brown Jackson. It upheld a three judge panel that Alabama's congressional maps unlawfully diluted the political power of its black residents. The maps included only one congressional district with the majority of black voters, despite African-Americans making up more than a quarter of the state's population. The ruling means that a second Democrat could be elected from the state, which currently, again, as I said, only has one black Democrat and six white Republicans in its delegation. Now, no shock, Justice Clarence Thomas issued his own 50-page dissent, arguing that the

Voting Rights Act did not require the state to intentionally redraw its congressional district so that black voters could control several seats roughly proportional to the did not require the state to intentionally redraw its congressional district so that black voters could control several seats roughly proportional to the black share of the state's population. Joining us right now, folks, is Congresswoman Terry Sewell. Glad to have her on the show, plus Joe Reed, vice chair of minority affairs for the Alabama Democratic Party. First of all, Congresswoman Sewell, I want to start with you. Again, this is a shock. Many people expected that this conservative Supreme Court was going to side against black voters in Alabama. I think all of us thought that initially,

Roland. Let me just say it is truly a great day, not just for Alabama black voters, but for minority voters across this country. Democracy won today. And for what we are going to do in Alabama, it will affect what goes on in South Carolina, in North Carolina, in Ohio, in Louisiana. I think that everyone's excited about the implications of today. And to me, the most important thing is that this ruling upheld the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

They actually used the second, the Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act to make this ruling. So they actually upheld the law this time and followed the law. Instead of retreating and taking away voting rights, they actually applied the law. Now, we still have a ways to go, because obviously the full protections of the Voting Rights Act, Section 4, still must be restored. So we are still doubling down and going to still continue to cause some good trouble, as John Lewis would say, until we fully restore the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

But today we are taking a victory lap. It is historic. It's a historic win for Alabama black voters, and it's a historic win for democracy itself. Joe Reed, what happens next? Because does this mean that the Alabama legislature must go back and redraw the lines? So what does it actually mean in practical terms? Well, first, I think we have to wait and see what the court is going to command. I mean, the three-judge court, even though we won the case, I have not read the entire opinion,

so I don't know what the Supreme Court said that may be different than what I'm about to say. But as I understand it, the three-judge court would have to set the timelines. Now, it did before. When it passed its first ruling, what the Supreme Court said was Alabama had 11 days to draw a plan, because Alabama did not draw a plan, it appealed the case, and we know the results now. So that's number one. I think the local court will have to make that determination as to when and why

and what, when it comes down to this final decision. Now, in the meantime, the Alabama Democratic Conference, the Black Democratic Caucus of Alabama, we have already drawn two black districts. And we want to have them ready because the state of Alabama may or may not draw any. And we introduced these plans in the Alabama legislature, but the Alabama legislature did not do anything with it. So we are ready to go again with two majority black districts and that as

soon as the legislature convenes, if there is a special session, because our legislature adjourned on yesterday. So to come back in the session, the governor have to call a special session. Of course, the governor can do that. In the meantime, if there are no plans drawn, then we're going to advance our plan regardless. If the legislature comes into session, we're going to introduce it. If the legislature does not come into special session, then we'll go into court and ask the three-judge court to take our plan because we believe we have a near-perfect plan. We are going to review a couple of other things in one of the congressional districts we've drawn, but we think we've got a good plan,

but certainly we think our plan will become the gold standard. So anybody who comes up with another plan, we are going to insist that their plan, if it's adopted, is better than our plan, because we think we have a very, very good plan, if it's adopted, is better than our plan because we think we have a very, very good plan and we think we can elect our two, well, one additional congressperson.

We have one already in Congress, person Sewell. So we need to look for one more and we think we can elect somebody in that district black. And that's going to be very... Looks like... So,

Congressman Sewell, what people don't realize is we were looking at this case out of Alabama, but we were also looking at the case out of Louisiana, where the Supreme Court also put a stop to the redrawing there, where federal judges also ruled there should be an additional black congressional district there. And for the people out there who are watching, need to understand, again, how these Republican legislatures are operating, they are hurting, they are disenfranchising black voters and black representation in Congress.

Absolutely. You know, Alabama's black population is about 27 percent, and we have seven congressional districts, and yet only one congressional district is a majority-minority district, which means that African Americans have—the vote of African Americans have been diluted in half. Fourteen percent representation is not fair representation. And that's exactly what the ruling said today. And so this is not only in Alabama. I think all across the Deep South, we only have one majority minority district in most of these southern states.

South Carolina has a population of around 30 percent blacks, and yet it only has Congressman Kyburn. The same is true in Mississippi. The same is true in Louisiana, where Troy Carter is the only African-American and the only Democrat. So we not only represent the only majority minority district, we are also the only Democratic district in those states as well. So this has a huge implication all across the nation, but especially in the Deep South. And obviously, I am eternally grateful that Alabama ADC and others are really have their have their eyes on the prize and are making sure that the maps will be fair when they are drawn this time as well. Joe, final question for you. Obviously, when you look at what Republicans have done in your state, they absolutely want to minimize Democrats as much as possible. We've seen the exact same thing in Tennessee, as Congressman Sewell said, in South Carolina. Republicans want to do this in Georgia as well.

So you have two types of gerrymandering. You have political gerrymandering, which the Supreme Court ruled previously, hey, they have no say-so over leaving to the states. But then you have racial gerrymandering. And so the racial gerrymandering, Iering, if it wasn't for the VRA, we would see totally different districts right now in North Carolina. And so the Voting Rights Act is hanging on by a thread. Yes. But today's ruling really gave it a shot in the arm, because it did tell us that some of the Supreme Court judges are sensitive and still recognize and can recognize and can read. The Fifth Circuit said

one time, figures speak when they do courts listen. So there are judges on the bench now, it's a Supreme Court level, recognizing that figures are speaking. I think Congresswoman Sewell just pointed out about the 14%. Now, that tells us that somebody's reading. We just, hopefully we can get more of them to read like the five judges who rule in this case today. So, yes, we got to keep the prize in front of us.

We got to know who the enemy is. We got to always know. And we got to know one thing. We have to fight like hell to get it. We're going to have to fight like hell to keep it. And nobody's going to get it we're gonna have to fight like hell to keep it and and and nobody's gonna give it to us we just gotta stay out there and hope that we can get the nation to move in the right direction so we can continue to protect our black voters rights now i know my time is about it but i want to say something to you roller this is personal to you don't know

i'm going to say this but i want to thank you personally for the job you are doing because no issue is too hot. No issue is too high. No wall is too wide. No wall is too high for you to climb if wrongdoing is taking place. So I want to say to you now, I want to thank you personally, and I hope the nation folk will thank you. You didn't know I was going to say this, and I'm not trying to embarrass you, but I'm just trying to say to you, thank you so much for

being a man of courage and a man of vision. Amen. I second that. We're very happy that you're always on the case. We're very appreciative. I certainly appreciate those kind words and thank you both of you for coming and joining us today. I'm Roland Martin Unfiltered. Thanks a lot. And congratulations. All right, folks, going to a break when we come back, we will talk to our panel about this. Also, another Supreme Court decision that came down today as well regarding affirmative action. You're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered right here on the U.S. Capitol. We're about to see the rise of what I call white minority resistance. We have seen white folks in this country who simply cannot tolerate black folks voting.

I think what we're seeing is the inevitable result of violent denial. This is part of American history. Every time that people of color have made progress, whether real or symbolic, there has been what Carol Anderson at Emory University calls white rage as a backlash. This is the wrath of the Proud Boys and the Boogaloo Boys. America, there's going to be more of this. This country is getting increasingly racist in its behaviors and its attitudes because of the fear of white people the fear that they're taking our jobs they're taking our resources they're taking our women this is white people Black Star Network is here. Oh, no punch.

I'm real revolutionary right now. Thank you for being the voice of Black America. All the momentum we have now, we have to keep this going. The video looks phenomenal. See, there's a difference between Black Star Network and Black-owned media and something like CNN. You can't be Black-owned

media and be scared. It's time to be smart. Bring your eyeballs home, you dig? Farquhar, executive producer of Proud Family. You're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered. I know a lot of cops, and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes.

But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. Across the country, cops called this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated.

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

Ad-free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Lott. And this is Season 2 of the War on Drugs podcast. Yes, sir. We are back. In a big way. In a very big way. I'm Greg Glott. And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast. Yes, sir. We are back. In a big way. In a very big way.

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

We got B-Real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corvette. MMA fighter Liz Karamush. What we're doing now isn't working and we need to change things. 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. The paper ceiling, the limitations from degree screens to stereotypes that are holding back over 70 million stars. Workers skilled through alternative routes rather than a bachelor's degree. It's time for skills to speak for themselves.

Find resources for breaking through barriers at tearthepaperceiling.org. Brought to you by Opportunity at Work and the Ad Council. All right, folks, welcome back. I'm broadcasting live from Jackson, Mississippi, where they will be commemorating the 60th anniversary of the assassination of Medgar Evers with a variety of activities this week with the Medgar and Murley Evers Institute. We're going to be broadcasting an interview with her tomorrow, so I look forward to that and also attending functions tonight and tomorrow as well. Right now, I want to bring up Kadita Stone. She's a chief field campaign strategist for Alabama Forward.

They were one of the plaintiffs in this lawsuit. In addition to Kadita, we're also joined by Dr. Greg Carr, Department of Afro-American Studies at Howard University. Recy Coburn, host of the Recy Coburn Show on Sirius XM. Both of them joining us out of Washington, D.C. And legal analyst Candace Kelly out of South Orange, New Jersey. Kadita, I want to start with you. Again, I hope people do not underestimate how critically important this Supreme Court decision is for black voters there in Alabama. Y'all have been disenfranchised. When you talk about that black belt and we talk about the Voting Rights Act, look, it was the blood of people there in Alabama that made the Voting Rights Voting Rights Act possible. upset that Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Kavanaugh chose to go against him,

Alito, as well as Amy Coney Barrett. This shows you, for the people out there, why our legal warriors have to be respected, why we must fund those efforts, because the battle is not just in the streets. It's in the courtrooms. It's in the executive suites as well. Yeah. First, I just want to say thank you so much, Roland, for having me. And I want to give some context about the case and how we got here.

So for folks that's listening, Alabama has seven congressional districts and each one of those congressional districts represent 14 percent of the population. And when the 2020 census came out, it was found that Alabama had a population of 28% black people. And so if you do, like I just said, each one of those congressional districts represent 14% of the population. If you do the math, 14 plus 14 is equally 28, and that should equal two congressional districts. And so what we were asking for wasn't anything out of the picture. It was just simple math. We were asking for what we were owed. And what the Alabama legislature decided to do was just give us one congressional district and pack all black voters into congressional district seven. And so what that did was it was a direct violation of section two of the Voting Rights Act. And section two of the Voting Rights Act says you cannot

discriminate based upon race in any voting procedure. And so when you talk about the importance of this case, if it were not ruled in our favor, we would have lost Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. And I'm sure you already know, we already don't have Section 4B or Section 5, which we lost due to the Shelby County v. Holder case in 2013. So the importance of this case is, like you said, extremely important. And I really hope that not just Alabamians, but folks across the country recognize that, just because there were also other states who sued their states because they were in violation of Section 2 as well.

But they were told that until the court ruled on this case, Merrill v. Milligan, which is now Allen v. Milligan, until the courts ruled on that case, Merrill v. Milligan, which is now Allen v. Milligan. Until the courts ruled on that case, then those states couldn't get an answer. So this case was really riding on a lot, and it feels great to be the winner, to be on the winning team. And when we talk about representation, we're talking about billions of dollars in resources that come from having that representation. And by having more than one African-American, you know, what it also does is it means also respect, you know, for those voters. Because right now, to be grossly disrespected by packing nearly every black person into one district. It shows how shameful Alabama Republicans are. Yeah, it's definitely when they decided to pack all black voters into one district,

it was definitely a dilution of black political power. And when we don't have that representation, our worldviews aren't shared at the table. The way we feel about things, the things that we need in our community are at the table. And when we aren't at the table, we don't have a seat at the table, the way we feel about things, the things that we need in our community are at the table. And when we aren't at the table, we don't have a seat at the table. The only thing left for us is to be on the menu. And so it feels nice to not be on the menu now for once and to actually be a part of that table and have a second congressional district drawn for Alabama. Greg Carr, I want to go

to you. Again, that vigorous dissent of Clarence Thomas shows exactly what kind of petty man that he is. Well, Clarence Thomas is being consistent. Clarence Thomas, as far as he's concerned, I did read the dissent his and Alito's

as well as Robert's 34-page majority opinion, and the small concurrence that Kavanaugh led. Clarence Thomas is being consistent. As far as Clarence Thomas is concerned, the federal judiciary has no place in redistricting. He reads Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act and the enabling constitutional amendment, the 15th Amendment, to say that the 15th Amendment and the Voting Rights Act and the enabling constitutional amendment, the 15th Amendment, to say that the 15th Amendment and the Voting Rights Act, Section 2, guarantee access to the ballot

and voter qualification. He reads that very narrowly. In other words, as you said a moment ago, political gerrymandering isn't covered under Section 2, according to Clarence Thomas's world. I think what we saw today was absolutely a victory, but it was a temporary victory. As you heard Joe say, now they've got to redraw the maps, and then the other cases can go forward. Now, what John Robertson and Brett Kavanaugh did, remember, these are political operatives.

They are probably the two most political operative-minded justices on the court. Both of these guys were warriors in the Republican Party. Johnny Roberts pumped the brakes today because he sees a little country falling apart. So remember now what you saw with this is the Supreme. What this really revealed is that the Supreme Court, this is the thumb of the Supreme Court in the 2022 midterms. They said today that the maps that they allowed to go in place, which robbed the Democrats of some congressional seats in the midterms, are invalid. This is the hand of the shadow docket. I mean, I hate to do this, but it's time to be smart. We have to think about this very, very, very seriously. So when you read Roberts' opinion, what he's basically, he's not saying that they can't draw maps that will

ultimately sell us out. Because remember the last 10 years with Shelby County v. Holder, and more recently, Brinovich, the Arizona case, where they put beyond the ability of the courts to adjudicate some of this stuff in terms of ballot boxes and disqualifying voters. Remember the Wisconsin case, the Gill case, where they said he can't just, as you said, they can't deal with political justicability. In other words, political gerrymandering is not justifiable. He's basically setting it up so they can pat themselves on the back for the crime they committed in 2022 when they allowed Alabama to use those damn maps in the first place. And that brings us to this. Today, we live to fight another day. But make no mistake about it.

The sentiment to eviscerate the Voting Rights Act still lives. All they did today is say, Alabama, go back, draw the maps, bring them back. We'll see next time. We have to be smart about this today. Right. Candace, your assessment. Well, Greg is absolutely right. And one of the things that we need to do, as you said, the legal warriors that get into

court and really make the arguments, that's where it really matters. You have to look at Clarence Thomas's case. He's essentially saying that the Voting Rights Act has no teeth and that it does not prevent gerrymandering at all. He also said this in kind of the context that, you know, voting rights has nothing to do with discrimination, which makes no sense at all, because that's exactly why the Voting Rights Act was set up. So we have to look at that. But we also have to look at this idea that we've been talking about tonight, that if we go down to the lower court in the three-judge panel, two of those judges were appointed by Trump. Then you go up to the Supreme Court, and in this 5-4 decision, you have Roberts and you have Kavanaugh crossing over in this 5-4 decision, and that

brings us to where we are today. So it's important to see exactly where the Republicans are falling in terms of the political motivations that are going on behind the court that Greg is talking about. If you look in those decisions and read it, you will see exactly what is on their mind and exactly where we are going, all of the nuances. Similarly, if you want to know what's on Clarence Thomas's mind in terms of anything that's to come, go and look in his dissenting opinion. He spent 50 pages rattling on about how the Voting Rights Act has no teeth. So here's my assessment. The assessment is that now we have to look at what these lines look like when it comes to going back and reconfiguring the maps. This is something that we just need to continue to pay attention to. There's victory right here and a surprising

victory, though temporary, but we have to move on and understand what is next. What are these maps going to look like? It is still a political football that is still being tossed around, not just by the Republican Party, but by the Supreme Court justices. And the reality, Recy, is, look, the Alabama legislature could go back and still screw Black voters, but this is why we also make the point constantly on this show, why voting is critically important and why judges matter. Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I think the reality is that the Supreme Court has a legitimacy problem when they overturn Roe v. Wade, when they've done all of these very extreme far

right opinions. And so now what they're trying to do is trying to seem just a little bit more reasonable without necessarily restoring the teeth of the Voting Rights Act. As Dr. Carr said, and as Candace said, we live to fight another day. But as you just pointed out, Roland, we still are at the whims of the Republican Party to actually draw maps that are actually legal. And we've seen the Supreme Court either drag their feet in enforcing or actually make it so that these maps, even if they are completely gerrymandered, even if they are completely racist, don't necessarily get thrown out. And so we... I know a lot of cops, and they get asked all the time,

have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. Across the country, cops called this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission.

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

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

We got B-Real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corvette. MMA fighter Liz 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. Here's the deal. We got to set ourselves up. See, retirement is the long game. We got to make moves and make them early. Set up goals.

Don't worry about a setback. Just save up and stack up to reach them. Let's put ourselves in the right position. Pregame to greater things. Start building your retirement plan at thisispretirement.org. Brought to you by AARP and the Ad Council. Have an important victory here today that will open up the door for more challenges. But at the end of the day, this is still the Trump MAGA Supreme Court. That's right. Kordita, final comment.

I don't have a final comment. I want to say thank you so much for having me. And thank you. Well, congratulations. Y'all keep fighting the good fight in Alabama. Thank you so much. Folks, coming up next, we'll talk with the mayor of Houston, Sylvester Turner, about a huge decision made by the Department of Justice regarding illegal dumping in the city that greatly impacts African-Americans and Latinos. You're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered right here on the Black Star Network. That was a pivotal, pivotal time.

I remember Kevin Hart telling me that. He's like, man, what you doing, man? You got to stay on stage. And I was like, yeah, well'm like, I don't know. You know, I'm thinking, I'm good. And he was absolutely right. What show did you have at that? This was one-on-one.

Got it. During that time. So you're doing one-on-one. Yeah. Going great. Yeah. You're making money. You're like. I'm like, I don't need to leave.

I don't need to leave from, you know, Wednesday, Thursday to Sunday. You know, I just didn't want to do that. You know, it was just like, I'm going to stay here. Or I didn't want to finish work Friday, fly out, go do a gig Saturday, Sunday. I was like, I don't have to do that. And I lost a little bit of that hunger that I had in New York. I would hit all the clubs and run around. Sometimes me and Chappelle or me and this one or that one,

we'd go to the Comedy Cellar at one in the morning. I mean, that was our life. We loved it. You know, you do two shows in Manhattan, go to Brooklyn, leave Brooklyn, go to Queens, go to Jersey. And I kind of just, I got complacent. I was like, I got this money. I'm good. I don't need to go.

I don't need to go chase that because that money wasn't at the same level that I was making. But what I was missing was that training. Yes. Was that, was that. And it wasn't the money. It was the money. You know, it was that. That's what I needed.

Coming up next on The Frequency, right here on the Black Star Network, Shanita Hubbard. We're talking about the ride or die chick. We're breaking it down. The stereotype of the strong black woman. Some of us are operating with it as if it's a band of honor. Like you even hear black women like aspiring to be to be this ride-or-die chick, aspiring to be this strong black woman. At their own expense. Next on The Frequency, right here on the Black Star Network.

Hey, what's up, y'all? I'm Devon Frank. I'm Dr. Robin B., pharmacist and fitness coach, and you're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered. After a 10-month investigation, the Department of Justice and the City of Houston have reached an agreement in its environmental justice investigation to the city's response to illegal dumping in black and Latino neighborhoods. Residents in the city's northeast section have complained of illegal dumping of trash, medical waste, and animals for years. The agreement builds on the city's One Clean Houston initiative, a plan addressing the illegal dumping and its impact on Houston residents. Joining us right now is the mayor of my hometown, my alpha brother and fellow church member of the Church Without Walls, Sylvester Turner. Mayor Turner, glad to have you on Roland Martin Unfiltered, Fred. So let's unpack

this. What actually is this agreement? How does it help residents? Well, essentially, Roland, and look, it's good to be with you, good to see you again. When I came in as mayor, I said I didn't want to be the mayor of two cities in one. And quite frankly, there's been a lack of investment and resources put in many of these communities that have been underserved and under-resourced. And so from day one, we've been focusing on addressing these neighborhoods. And this is a continuation of the policies and initiatives that we put in place when I came into office eight years ago. So One Clean Houston, it deals with rapid cleanup, veteran enforcement. It deals with education and prevention. It's putting in place a number of resources and dollars in order to

address illegal dumping by third parties, I might add, in communities of color where people either don't respect these communities or in some cases, there are people who are dumping in these communities and they live in these communities. So we're spending about about 18 million dollars and more to put forth initiatives in place to clean up to clean up these neighborhoods. So so how do you stop it? I mean, obviously, you know, people are just doing whatever. And so, what type of enforcement to prevent the illegal dumping from happening? Well, it's a multiple approach. And one, we are working to quickly to clean up these dump sites when they are occurring,

when people engage in illegal dumping. So we're doing that. But on the prevention end, the enforcement, we are beefing up the number of inspectors. We are putting in a hell of a lot more cameras, for example, to augment these inspectors and what they are doing to try to catch these repeat offenders. And then at the same time, we're educating folk. Number one, don't be dumping in your own neighborhood because in many cases, people are dumping within three miles of where they live. And then at the same time, we want to discourage people who are coming from outside of these communities. And in many cases, they are businesses that are dumping in communities, primarily communities of color. So we're taking a very holistic, holistic approach.

And then at the same time, we have put in place what I call my complete communities. We've identified 10 neighborhoods. We did that when I came into office about seven years ago, where we are investing in many of these communities where there has been a lack of investment and a lack of resources. So we have to tackle it on multiple fronts. Um, uh, and, and so you, you're obviously in your, in, in your last year. And when we talk about, uh, you know, again, illegal dumping, uh, you know, you, you've had housing issues, economic issues. Um, I mean, so, you know, this clearly is something that, uh, you really want to, uh, have in place before your, uh, uh, term ends. Well, yeah. And let me just say, I disagree with the Department of Justice

in their initial move in this regard. I made that very clear from day one. It is not that we have not been investing in these communities, we have. I still live in one of these very same communities that we are talking about. But in this case, we have third parties who are bringing either bringing their trash and dumping primarily in communities of color.

We have people, businesses that are living, let's say, within three miles of where some of this illegal dumping is occurring. So these are third party perpetrators. This is not where the city itself is dumping. But we want to be very intentional in our efforts to address it, to keep it from happening, to educate, to have rapid responses, because no one deserves to be living or going to church or walking to school or driving by illegal dump sites in their communities or in their neighborhoods. I got it. We understand that. And, you know, many cities are facing this problem. but having said that, we don't want it happening in the city of Houston. Final point, I'm looking forward to coming back home next Saturday. The Black Star Network is going to be hosting an event at the Power Center focused on the future of Black economic freedom.

Mary, you'll be there as well. I look to our chat there We've got some business owners who are going to be there And we also have A huge announcement we're going to be making We're not going to make it right now But you and I will be Unveiling that Next Saturday, June 17th At the Power Center in Houston

12 to 4, folks It is free, open to the public We will have food and refreshments, but we want you to RSVP. And so please do so. So, Mayor, look forward to that conversation next Saturday. Thanks, Roland. And look, you're from here. You never forgot in Houston, H-Town. You've been a champion for this city. So let me thank you on that front. But then let me just thank you for being a voice for all of us across this country. I mean, you have utilized your gifts, your talent, your influence to make things better. And we are proud of you and what you do and look forward to

having you back in June, Juneteenth, matter of fact, as we make a big announcement. All right, Mayor Turner, we appreciate it. Thanks a lot. Thank you, man. All right, I'm going to go to a break. We're going to come back, talk to our panel, because this environmental racism, this environmental issue is critically important. And I know somebody might be at home going, I mean, God, how sexy is, you know, is such an illegal dumping. But when you talk about how our communities are impacted, the health of our communities, how, you know, all these things matter.

And so we also need to be advocating for those of us who are in neighborhoods to be community watchdogs to make sure it does not happen. So we'll unpack that when we come back right here on Roland Martin and the Black Star Network. If you're watching on YouTube, hit that like button. We want to make sure that we're more than 1,000 likes. We want to try to hit 2,000 likes every single day so it impacts the algorithm which impacts the revenue that we're able to generate. Also, download our Black Star Network app, Apple phone, Android Phone, Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Xbox One, Samsung Smart TV. You can also support us with your resources. Trust me, your dollars make it possible for us to travel the country.

We're here in Jackson, Mississippi right now, covering the Medgar and Murley Edwards Institute events all this week. So send your check and money orders to PO Box 57196, Washington, D.C. 20037-0196. Cash App, Dallas Ad, RM Unfiltered. PayPal, R. Martin Unfiltered. Venmo is RM Unfiltered. Zelle, Roland at RolandSMartin.com. Roland at RolandMartinUnfiltered.com.

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, But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company

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

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

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

of what this quote-unquote drug thing is. Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown. We got B-Real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corps vet. MMA fighter Liz Caramouch. What we're doing now isn't working,

and we need to change things. Stories matter, and it brings a face to them. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear episodes one week early and ad free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts.

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

Brought to you by AdoptUSKids, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Ad Council. We'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, raise $100,000. We're behind $100,000, so we want to hit that.

Your 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 is Roland at RolandSMartin.com. On a next A Balanced Life with me, Dr. Jackie, beware the generational curse. They're everywhere in our families, in our workplaces, and even in our churches. It's like a minefield, identifying the curse and knowing what to do about it. When we're talking about generational patterns, oftentimes we get locked into those patterns

because we don't want anyone to say, oh, you acting brand new or you doing something different from how this is how we always did it. It's okay to do something different in order to get the results that you want to see in your life. That's next on A Balanced Life on Black Star Network. Me Sherri Shepard with Tammy Roman. I'm Dr. Robin B., pharmacist and fitness coach, and you're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered. Să ne vedem la următoarea mea rețetă! Thank you. Să ne vedem la următoarea mea rețetă! All right, folks, welcome back. Candace, I want to start with you.

You know, we talk about environmental racism. And when we're talking about our neighborhoods, we're talking about how our neighborhoods look. We're talking about property values. I mean, look, you know, deep things like this make a huge difference. And I'll tell you, I am if there are two things I'm probably OCD about is probably my my gear when it comes to television, my camera gear and others, and trash and litter. And I'll tell you, it absolutely drives me crazy when I see folk just do something. So the other day I was standing outside our studios, and someone had a bag of chips, and they threw the bag into the sewer system.

And I was like, bruh, it it's a big ass trash can right there. I'm like, well, what the hell made you think the sewer system is where you throw a bag of chips away? I'm like, it's a big, like literally the trash can wasn't even 20 feet. So it was so, so when you look at we talk about how our neighborhoods are impacted by illegal dumping. I mean, that impacts the economics and the health of our communities. Exactly. And when you really break it down, let me just tell you from being in the New York area, I changed my whole plans to be

inside today because of the environment, because of the fact that there's the lowest and poorest air quality in the world this morning in the New York City area. Cancel the Broadway play and everything. Folks aren't moving because of what's going on in the environment where I am. And we know how important it is. And you know how important it is because one bag does make a difference that you throw on the ground when it should go right in the trash. Listen, when we look at what was going on in Houston, you had so many situations that could be caused by just the throwing away of a couch or a TV, for example. The couch is in the middle of the road. It's got vermin in it. It's got mosquitoes. It's getting wet in the rain. It's also maybe clogging up a system where then you

have the whole water system that's clogged. Then you have the value of the property going down because of the fact that you've got all this garbage out there. So you are correct. When we talk about the environment, it may not be so sexy, but it's also really not sexy when you come outside and there's a heap full of garbage outside or you can't see the sun because the sun is covered in orange glaze. It should not smell like a small cookout every time that I go out. And that's what's going on today. So the environment is very important, and it's something that people need to take more seriously. Here's one thing that I don't understand, Roland, though. And I know that there have been so many years, all the way up to the point where a resident in Houston, an organization, had to file

a lawsuit and get the DOJ involved. How is it that in 2023, we don't know how to stop the dumping? And I know you asked that question, but if you have an area that has so much dumping over a week, put a police car there for 24-7. That's probably going to stop the dumping. It seems like some issues were overlooked, which is why the DOJ ultimately had to get involved. Folks were calling 311. They were not getting the response that they needed. But now, as we know, they have settled it. You know, the terms of the agreement aren't really open right now. But the key is that something is being done because it's more than just about the potato chips that are on the ground, which are very

important, more than about the couch. It builds and it gets to a point where it becomes just not even livable and disrespectful to one's way of living in this world, especially in America. This issue of our environment, Recy, is huge. Candace talks about what is happening there in New York City with the air, which is being impacted by Canadian wildfires. The reason I find it interesting, and first of all, people should be making a big deal out of it, although I do think when stuff happens in New York City, because that's the media capital of the world, people get

extra, extra, extra, extra about stuff. I remember when that similar scene was over the city of Dallas and Houston when we were impacted by the wildfires that were in Mexico. And it looked very much the same. This is going to be something that we as a community and we as a nation and a world is going to have to deal with. There are people who literally act as if the earth is one big ass trash can. When you look at the dumping that takes place in oceans, in rivers and lakes as well. When you talk about how you have these corporations that have no problem polluting and contaminating our waterways as well. And and at some point, people have to realize that the earth can get sick, too. And so it has to take a collective sort of effort.

And I really do hope that the folks in Houston are very aggressive in catching the folks who are doing the type of illegal dumping because they're not dumping in their neighborhoods. Recy, they're dumping in their neighborhoods, Recy. They're dumping in our neighborhoods. Yeah. I mean, I think if we put as much energy into naming and shaming people who dump in our neighborhoods as we do into naming and shaming Black women who wear bonnets or pajamas to the liquor store, I think we might get somewhere when it comes to making people understand the severity of the issue. But I think to Candace's point about, you know, what took so long, why did it take DOJ involvement?

I think it's important that we recognize the importance of layering protections. It's not just about the state level, but when this, when, when, even when you have democratic leadership at these, at the local level, even if you have good Democratic leadership at the local level, it still always helps to have that leadership at the federal level that takes issues like this very seriously. Kristen Clark has been an exceptional assistant attorney general. I also happen to know that environmental justice, legal dumping is something that is very much a cause that Vice President Kamala Harris cares about. When she was district attorney in San Francisco, she created the first ever environmental justice unit there. She also championed that work as attorney general. That was a big part of her presidential platform and her Senate work.

And so when you have people at the state, local, federal level that are focused on getting environmental justice, which is racial justice for our communities, then we'll see progress. But the reality is that the government cannot stop you from not having no damn home training and dumping shit in somebody else's yard. So that's where we as a community, to your point, Roland, need to come together and say, not here, not now. Get your own shit, put it in the trash can, go find a facility and dispose of it there, not on my yard.

Great. I know a lot of cops, and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. Across the country, cops called this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple.

Cops believed everything that taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 1. Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad.

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

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

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

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

on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I always had to be so good no one could ignore me. Carve my path with data and drive. But some people only see who I am on paper. The paper ceiling. The limitations from degree screens to stereotypes that are holding back over 70 million stars. Workers skilled through alternative routes rather than a bachelor's degree. It's time for skills to speak for themselves. Find resources for breaking through

barriers at taylorpapersceiling.org. Br brought to you by Opportunity at Work and the Ad Council. Greg? Is Greg on mute? Yeah, I'm sorry. Yeah, thank you. Right there in your hometown, of course, you have Dr. Bullard, Robert Bullard over there at Texas Southern, who's often called the father of environmental justice. One of his best known books, of course, is his book Dumping in Dixie, where he talks about that. I mean, this has been a long-term problem. And picking up exactly where Candace left off, I mean, it relates to this smoke. Here in the D.C. area, woke up with this haze.

Philly and Philly, tomorrow, public schools are going to go for remote instruction. You know, the environment is here. There's a recent book that Paul Finkerpin has just written called The Earth Transformed. He's at Oxford in England. And his thesis, after 600 pages, is very simple. As you said, the Earth can get sick. But guess what? If human beings are the cause of that, the Earth will simply get rid of us.

And that's where we are. And we'll talk about it a little bit later. And Recy, correct me if I'm wrong, I think the vice president is in the Caribbean right now. Part of the funding, you know, part of the funding is going to the Caribbean is to deal with this question of rising waters. And we know that Mayor Turner, who is considered a green mayor by his fellow mayors all over the world, has been fighting on this very issue and around green issues because of the fact that there's major flooding in Houston. There's major flooding in Houston. Houston, 10% of greenhouse gas emissions come out of Houston. It isn't just dumping. Dumping is

serious. But guess what? The environment doesn't know about race. Ultimately, this ball will get rid of all of us if we don't do something fast. Indeed, indeed, indeed. All right, folks, hold tight one second. Got to go to a break. We come back more on Rolling Mark Unfiltered here on the Black Star Network. Don't forget, folks, again, supporters of what we do. First, if you're watching on YouTube, hit that like button. The same thing if you're watching on the

OTT app, if you're watching on Facebook and the other platforms as well. And so please do that. Two, download our app. We should easily be at 100,000 downloads. Right now, folks, we are approaching 1.1 million YouTube subscribers. I would love to have more than a million people actually downloading our app. That is, of course, we own it. We control it. It allows us to be able to showcase our content as best that we can. You can do so on your Apple phone, Android phone, Apple TV, Android TV,

Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Xbox One, Samsung Smart TV. Speaking of Amazon, you can also watch our 24-hour, 7-day-a-week streaming channel right there on Amazon News by just simply clicking, go to Amazon Fire, go to Amazon News, and you can watch our channel. Not just this show, but all of the content that we have on the Black Star Network, including live news conferences, things along those lines. And, of course, you can support us with your resources by joining our Bring the Funk fan club. Your dollars make it possible for us to do what we do. So please support us by sending your check and money order

to PO Box 57196, Washington, D.C., 20037-0196. Cash app, dollar sign RM Unfiltered, PayPal RMartin unfiltered. PayPal R Martin unfiltered. Venmo is RM unfiltered. Zale Rowland at RowlandSMartin.com. Rowland at RowlandMartinUnfiltered.com. We'll be right back. On the next Get Wealthy with me, Deborah Owens, America's Wealth Coach, are you working hard and yet your performance doesn't reflect your paycheck? On the next Get Wealthy, you're going to learn some savvy career moves so that all your efforts actually show up in your bank account.

Joining us is the founder of a career network, and she's going to share the three R's of accelerating your financial growth. Here's a tip as well. If you are an individual contributor and you desire to be a leader, do the work where you are now. Because if you do the work where you are now, when you do reach the level, you'll be prepared to stay there. Right here on Get Wealthy, only on Black Star Network.

Next on The Black Table with me, Greg Carr. The enormous impact of race, education and affirmative action in America and how, believe it or not, white America is starting to feel a little bit of the pain. Dr. Natasha Waraku joins us with a case study of one suburban community and how it reacted when the minority students started to excel. Most people didn't say this explicitly, but was that, you know, the academics are getting standards are getting higher in part because of the Asian kids. And that is making our kids really stressed out. So we need to reduce the amount of homework teachers are allowed to assign. She shares a perspective that you don't want to miss. That's on the next Black Table, only on the Black Star Network. Bruce Smith, creator and executive producer of The Proud Family, Louder and Prouder.

You're watching Roland Martin Unkilled. All right, folks. So in September, I dropped my book, White Fear, How the Browning of America is Making White Folks Lose Their Minds. This is the book cover. Come on, y'all. There you go. So this is the book cover. This is what it looks like. And I talked about the changing demographics in this country and what is happening when we begin to assert ourselves even more demanding a larger piece of this pie. Well, an Oklahoma lawmaker was literally on the floor making an argument to support black owned businesses when she was booed by her largely white Republican colleagues. Watch this. Thank you.

I did notice that you've just changed. You've gone from woman to women. But would you agree that as you talk about diversity, that as it relates to white males that they already get a great majority of the jobs that we have in the disadvantaged business enterprise act is just trying to level the playing field for all the white males that are booing would you agree that they have already enjoyed a great privilege in America as it relates to job contracts? Thank you for that question.

It really doesn't have much to do with this bill. This is just letting some small businesses that are getting started in Oklahoma have a shot at state contracts. Hmm. Okay. Quite interesting. Again, when we talk about trying to advance the interests of African-Americans, it's amazing how folk get a little concerned. But we also know the greatest beneficiaries of many of most MWBE programs have been white women. That's that W in MWBE. No, it ain't women. It's actually white women.

So it actually should be W-W. Joining us right now is Regina Goodwin. She's Oklahoma representative. She joins us right now. Glad to have you here, Representative Goodwin. So you're having this, you're asking this question. And how many folks would you say were actually booing

your remarks, who they were not particularly happy? Well, you know, you never can tell because they're always behind me, so I couldn't tell you how many, but a good number of the Republicans, for sure, white male Republicans, were booing.

And thank you for having me also, Roland. See, so here's what's interesting. So what they were saying is, look, we ain't trying to hear what you got to say about no black businesses. Well, what's funny is they're taking a law that's been in place for a while okay and it has to do with diversity and supplier diversity so what they're doing is they're taking a law that already exists and they were trying to carve out a space for white folks that's what this is about and when I saw that they were adding themselves to this bill, when it talks about diversity, they're talking about black folks,

Hispanic folks, Native Americans, and certainly white women have been a part of that mix for a long time. And that in itself is problematic in many respects. The bottom line is, this was a white male trying to carve out a space for white males. And he wanted to do it under a science, technology, engineering, and math program. And he had no provisions for minorities or disadvantaged business enterprises. So when I saw that in this bill, that's why I asked the question. And so that's what it's about it's actually called the right to start bill so they're real clever with their titles um so i'm i'm confused here so they don't think white people are not getting enough contracts i i explained that on

the house floor that uh not only their a majority of the job contracts go to white men and white women. I said that on the floor. And particularly in Oklahoma, when it comes to disadvantaged business enterprises, black folks get something like 0.0006% of that work. So we don't even get a half of a percent. And they're already trying to claw back the little bit that we do get, right? So, no, they cannot make the argument that they do not get a majority of the contracts. They cannot credibly make that comment. He just literally said he wanted a bill that would give folks a right to start. What's the status of the bill? What happened? Was it passed? So it did pass off of the House floor in the House of Representatives.

It went on over to the Senate. So it did not get signed by the governor. And it sits now in conference. So it didn't make it out of session this year, and we are having to go back into special session, but that's not one of the issues that we're going to be looking at. All right, then. Representative Goodwin, keep up the good fight. We got to keep up the good fight, and, Roland, I do want you to know that,

you know, we have kept up the good fight so much so that community folks have been able to get in on the Reconnecting Communities project with the Department of Transportation. We did not partner with the Department of Transportation in Oklahoma. We did not partner with the city of Tulsa. And we are certainly going to make sure that we have a representative number of capable disadvantaged business enterprises, particularly black folks, that will be in on those projects. So a lot of work to be done, but we're going to keep up the good fight. And thank you for having me. All right. All right, then. Keep it up. We appreciate it. Thanks a lot.

Thank you. See, this right here, Greg, is something that sort of just jumps out at me. You know, I love jousting with a lot of these people who love to hop on my page uh in my social media uh and telling me what why am i not discussing reparations every single day uh why am i not advancing it and then my response to them always is um do you have anything to say about when we're one actually highlighting black-owned businesses two fight i know a lot of cops and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no.

Across the country, cops call this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 1. Taser Incorporated.

I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1 Taser Incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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

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

John Osborne from Brothers Osborne. We have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote drug thing is. Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown. Got B-Real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corvette. MMA fighter Liz Karamush.

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

And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. Here's the deal. We got to set ourselves up. See, retirement is the long game. We got to make moves and make them early. Set up goals. Don't worry about a setback.

Just save up and stack up to reach them. Let's put ourselves in the right position. Pre-game to greater things. Start building your retirement plan at thisispretirement.org, brought to you by AARP and the Ad Council. ...for the existing contracts right now. Federal government spends $560 billion a year on contracts. Black people get 1.67% of those contracts.

I talk about the advertising industry, you know, $322 billion. Folk don't want to deal with that. That's the money, Greg. There are billions being spent on those city, county, state, federal level. Folk don't want to talk about that money.

No question. I mean, well, first of all, well, yeah, you know, I obviously will like everyone else defer to our resident expert on among other things, the weaponized ignorance of social media,

Reesey. I'm not sure that those people are real people in the first place, but that hasn't been said again, underscoring the importance of not just black, not only black media, but smart, deeply informed black media like the Black Star Network and Roland Martin and filtering this work that you're doing. Just that conversation you just had, Representative Goodwin, Regina Goodwin's grandfather, Ed,

came to Tulsa with his family in 1914. They went through the destruction of 1921 and rebuilt. In fact, a good one bought the newspaper and made it a black newspaper there, the Oklahoma Eagle, and Regina wrote for it as a child. I'm raising that to say that this is an intergenerational struggle. And if we don't know our history, we lose the momentum of memory. There's a brand new book that's just been published by a young brother, Victor Luckerson, called Built from the Fire, the Epic Story of Tulsa's Greenwood District, America's Black Wall Street. And, in fact, I'm going to reach out to the brother, because I think at some point we

want to have him over here on the network for a conversation. I think it'd be very important. He focuses on the good ones. So when you see Regina Goodwin rise in the Oklahoma State legislature, you're looking at someone who got involved in politics, not as her first choice. She wanted to be an artist, quite frankly, but someone who was born in a family who was engaged in intergenerational struggle and who was connecting to the young people. And I'll end with this.

The war to get advertisers, the war to get percentages of our tax dollars funneled back into black-owned media, that war is not a war that starts from a standstill. This is a relay race, and you've received a baton from generations before you. And as a result, we have to understand that the more we understand that it is a relay, we can then tap into what has worked before and strengthen ourselves for the fight right now. So I would ignore those trolls, if indeed they're real, because quite frankly, the conversation we're having today isn't being

held anywhere else. And that's all the more reason for us to put our shoulders to the wheel and build this thing out to be as large and as wide-reaching as possible. See, this is the thing that really cracks me up, Reese, whenever these people try to run their mouths.

Like, I'll literally hit them with, do you know how much money school districts are spending? Do you know how much money city government is spending? Do you know how much money county government is spending? Do you know how much money state government is spending? Do you know how much money the federal government is spending? Do you know how much money the state government is spending? Do you know how much money the federal government is spending? Do you know that the U.S. Department of Agriculture actually has the largest bank out of all federal agencies, that the USDA has a bank that funds stuff that other banks won't fund. There's a reason.

There's a reason why a white man, a white member of Congress, once told David Scott, if there's one thing you can bank on, there will never be an African-American who is the committee chair of the Agriculture Committee. Well, when Democrats took control of Congress, David Scott became the first black chair of the Agriculture Committee. That's where the money is. Right. that's where the money is. And the thing that just trips me out when I listen to all these ridiculous people,

man, black folk, we got to do for self, which I don't disagree with. But what I explain to them is, how are you going to totally ignore the money that is being spent that we as black people are contributing to? I'm in Jackson, Mississippi right now. Jackson, black folks in Jackson are damn near funding the entire state of Mississippi. Right. So if we're demanding city and county and state

contracts, what we're actually demanding is our own damn money come back. Hello. I mean, the reality is that so much of, I think, Dr. Carr hit the nail on the head in terms of it being manufactured. And these are really chaos agents, because if we spent the amount of energy that these chaos agents are spending on trying to gen up dissatisfaction around an issue that really is not politically tenable at any point in probably the near future, if we put that energy around educating people on how to access the programs, the funds, the initiatives that are out there, that are already out there, the money is already out there, we just aren't getting it. Part of the reason why we're not getting it is because of systemic barriers.

Part of the reason why we're not getting it is because we don't know about it. Part of the reason why we're not getting it is because even when we do know about it, we don't have the resources to, and we don't have the know-how to actually go through each step that it requires to get the certifications or to apply for the grants or to apply for the request for proposals and a number of things. And so what black people have more than anything is an access problem as opposed to the government isn't spending enough money problem. There is so much money to be made out here in these streets. We got to go get it. And that is something that the, you know, Roland Martin Unfiltered Black Star Network,

that's something that you have done as a mission to try to get Black folks to understand we got to get this money. I mean, Candace, it is absolutely crazy to me. So what Representative Goodwin is literally saying is like, yeah, folks, when we're frozen out, we can't grow our communities. I go back to Atlanta. Maynard Jackson becomes mayor in 1973. The numbers don't lie. African Americans were receiving.0012% of all city contracts. Not 1%,

not 1%, not a half of a percent, not a quarter of a percent. Not a quarter of a percent. But.0012. And so, Maynard Jackson, Andrew Young, Maynard Jackson, Bill Campbell, Kaseem Reed, Shirley Franklin, Keisha Lance Bottoms, now Mayor Andre. What I'm laying out for folks to understand is,

it's the money. If you're not having a money conversation, you're not having an American conversation. And so I believe, and let me be real clear, this is not criticizing any civil rights group or anybody else. But we can fight, we absolutely can and should be fighting for civil rights, criminal justice reform, ending mass incarceration, police reform, all those different things. But if we ain't going hard in the paint for the money, they really don't mind us doing what we're doing. They really ain't tripping. They like, yeah, y'all go ahead.

Y'all keep doing that. Right. But what did Coretta Scott King say?. But what did Coretta Scott King say? Right. What did Coretta Scott King say? They killed my Martin when he started talking about the money. I'm in Jackson. They didn't want to lift a finger for Mayor Lumumba when he said,

I'm going to D.C. to get that water money. Come on now. When he went to D.C. and got the $600 million, then they wanted to take over the water system. That's right. I'm only 10 minutes from the airport. They have been trying to take over the airport

in Jackson because it's an economic generator. Republicans have been trying to take the airport in Atlanta for the last 40 years. It's the money. And I just think for too many of us, we're not focused on that. It's too many. And let me be real clear. It's too many lazy, shiftless, egotistical, self-absorbed, individualistic, egomaniacal black people sitting on corporate boards right now, getting their stock options, getting their check,

and not advocating on behalf of black businesses, not advocating on behalf of more contracts. And let me say this right now. I need to know where the hell is the Executive Leadership Council, ELC, and demanding these companies meet their obligations at the death of George Floyd. I need to know where is ELC in demanding more of these contracts. I'm a little, look, I emceed their event one year, but all I keep seeing out of EOC are these pronouncements of how this company is great, this company is great, but ain't nobody showing me the numbers when it comes to the contracts.

That to me, Candace, is a problem I have. If we ain't dealing with the money, we ain't dealing with the real fundamental issue. And as you said, it's money that belongs to us. You know, this specifically with Representative Goodwin was the was the supplier diversity initiative. Diversity. They didn't mean math. They didn't mean science. And we know that they believe what she was saying because they didn't have any words in response. And that's when you know you really have a point when someone cannot even form a response in the King's English. was she right in her space today, but her whole legacy and the history that she brought to that floor was something that had to go recognize. They could not not recognize who she was and what she

represented her whole history. The fact that these billions of dollars are available to people like us, we have got to fight for it. And when we do fight for it, the same way that she is fighting for it on the floor, then that's when changes are made. You know, a lot of these contracts have DEI connections to them, diversity for a reason. Why? Because people on their own volition are not giving contracts to Native Americans, to African Americans, to the minorities that we are talking about when we talk about diversity, when we talk about diversity, equity, and inclusion. We are not being included. That's why it's called diversity, equity, and inclusion. And in order to make sure that- Well, first of all, 75, but here's the problem, Candace, 75% of all DEI jobs are held by white people.

I have, everything needs oversight. Everything that we do out there to fight for ourselves needs oversight and follow-up. Just like you were saying, what are these companies doing with the money that they said was going as a result of George Floyd's death? Where are the numbers? Where are the jobs? Where are the people who are on the boards? A lot of these boards have not changed. Or they hire a minority that might be a minority, but that minority doesn't look like you and me. It is the follow-up that is so important in all of this. And just the knowledge to know, oh, there are billions of dollars of contracts that I can get. And that's why this

show is important. And being informed is important. And someone who's on the floor and representation is important because she's the one and only person who was fighting for this in terms of being a person of color and fighting for that diversity initiative. That's why voting matters. That's why representation matters. That's why representation matters. It all eventually leads back to the money. Let me just, here's a perfect example. I know I got to go to break, but I just want to give y'all this one example

of just how insane we sometimes do some stuff. So I was a national student representative of just how insane we sometimes do some stuff. So I was a national student representative on the board of the National Association of Black Journalists and the board voted not to accept alcohol and tobacco money. Okay, I totally understood why. Now, first of all, as somebody who's allergic to smoke, as somebody who doesn't drink, has never drank, I'm like, that's fine, Roland, I'm good with that.

But here's what was confusing to me. And Greg, Candace, and Reese, y'all don't get a kick out of this one. We would literally pick convention hotels based upon the size of their bar to accommodate our members and the amount of alcohol we drank. So whenever you do these conventions, you have a room block and then you have a... I know a lot of cops and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no.

Across the country, cops called this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season One, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 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. Real people, real perspectives. This is kind of star-studded a little bit, man. We got Ricky Williams, NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner. It's just a compassionate choice to allow players all reasonable means to care for themselves. Music stars Marcus King, John Osborne from Brothers Osborne. We have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote drug ban is. Benny the Butcher.

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

Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear episodes one week early and ad free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. We asked parents who adopted teens to share their journey. We just kind of knew from the beginning that we were family. They showcased a sense of love that I never had before. I mean, he's not only my parent, like, he's like my best friend. At the end of the day, it's all been worth it. I wouldn't change a thing about our lives.

Learn about adopting a teen from foster care. Visit AdoptUSKids.org to learn more. Brought to you by AdoptUSKids, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Ad Council. Food and beverage minimum you have to hit per the contract. We always exceeded the food and the beverage. Always. Always. So I remember we had our convention in Orlando

and we had that Disney World. And I swear every hundred feet it was a bar or like tubs that had alcohol in it.

And again, I don't drink. And so I was just sort of struck by, damn, why are we not taking alcohol money? But we damn sure spending a lot of money on alcohol. So the next day we had our, so we have a business meeting. And, and so this is the one time the membership, you know, can like, we can literally override anything the board does at the membership meeting. So me being an astute politician, I was no longer on the board, but I know how to count votes. We had this really contentious issue and a lot of people

left the room. Well, the reality is you may not even have 100 members who are at the membership meeting. We got 4,000 members now. So, I'll tell you what I did. So, I immediately, yeah, Greg, you know exactly what I did. Been a smart alpha

or somebody wants their smart ass alpha yes sir what i what i did was i i went to the floor introduced a motion to overturn the board's decision from several years earlier to allow us to accept alcohol and tobacco money. And it got second. It got voted upon. Fools didn't even realize it got passed. Boy, they were yelling and cussing at me. The people who left came back cussing. I said, your ass and shit left the room.

No question. I said, you don't leave the room until the meeting's over. And so I remember Arthur Sulzberger, who was the CEO of the New York Times. We were at the gala, and so he walked up to me, huffing and puffing, mad as hell. I said, first of all, I said, who the fuck are you talking to like that?

That's exactly what I told him. I said, then I said, if you got a problem with this here i said why don't you increase the amount of money you the new york town gives to us to replace whatever alcohol tobacco money that might come in how about that then his ass got real quiet stop running the beers don't you ever come i literally said don't you don't you ever come to my face telling me how we should be conducting our business in NABJ unless you ready to write a bigger damn check. That's right. That's right. Now, for the folk who are watching, you may say, Roland, why would you take alcohol and tobacco money?

I just told y'all we spend thousands of dollars at our convention. I'm talking about the bar is packed. We spend thousands of dollars. It is stupid to me. It is community suicide to send money out of your community and not bring money back into your community. So what that story, what I hope people are learning from that, we should be asking again, we're spending X amount of millions on these products and these products and these services. How much are we getting back? What PR companies are being used? What black law firms are being hired for professional services? What black accounting firms are being hired? What black law firms are being hired for professional services, what black accounting firms are being hired, what black transportation companies are being hired,

what black catering companies are being hired, what black audio and visual companies are being hired, what black architecture companies are being hired. See, I'm talking about the whole black ecosystem. We are not going to change the condition of any community of ours in any city in America until we change the inflow

of money. We got the outflow of money down pat. Oh, we damn good at spending money. Yes, sir. But we are not as good at receiving and demanding money. And as long as black owned businesses are small and don't have scale, we are going to remain broke. And I'm telling you, we have to be willing to look black people in the eye who sit on corporate boards and say, what the hell are you doing while you are there?

And that's why I need to see more from EOC. I need to see more from the executive leadership council. If y'all are supposed to be the corporate Negro organization, well, damn it, I need to see y'all doing more and driving dollars back to black people. I'm just saying. We'll be right back. I'm Faraji Muhammad live from L.A.

And this is The Culture. The Culture is a two-way conversation. You and me, we talk about the stories, politics, the good, the bad, and the downright ugly. So join our community every day at 3 p.m. Eastern and let your voice be heard. Hey, we're all in this together. So let's talk about it and see what kind of trouble we can get into.

It's the culture. We days at three, only on the Black Star Network. Hatred on the streets, a horrific scene, a white nationalist rally that descended into deadly violence. You will not be white. Today we approach Trump mob storm to the U.S. Capitol. We are about to see the rise of what I call white minority resistance. We have seen white folks in this country who simply cannot tolerate black folks voting. I think what we're seeing is the inevitable result of violent denial. This is part of American history. Every time that people of

color have made progress, whether real or symbolic, there has been what Carol Anderson at Emory University calls white rage as a backlash. This is the wrath of the Proud Boys and the Boogaloo Boys. America, there's going to be more of 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. Bye bye, Tampa. Black Star Network is here.

Oh, no punch. I'm real revolutionary right now. Thank you for being the voice of Black America. All momentum we have now, we have to keep this going. The video looks phenomenal. See, there's a difference between Black Star Network and Black-owned media

and something like CNN. You can't be Black-owned media and be scared. It's time to be smart. Bring your eyeballs home. You dig? Me, Sherri Sheppard, and you know what you're watching,

Roland Martin, unfiltered All right, folks, it's a story out of North Carolina that captured our attention. And unfortunately, it's the death of another black man at the hands of police officers. The Raleigh Medical Examiner's Office had determined that Darrell Tyree Williams died from a sudden cardiac arrest in the setting of cocaine intoxication, physical exertion, conducted energy weapon use, and physical restraint. Darrell and a friend were sitting in a parked car on January 17th when police approached the vehicle conducting what Raleigh police call preventative policing. The officers asked the man to get out of the car, which they did.

Darrell continued to ask, what did they do? That's when things took a turn for the worse. A scuffle between Williams and three Raleigh cops began. Officers handcuffed Darrell, but continued to tase him until he lost consciousness. He repeatedly told the officers officers he had heart issues. Williams died in the hospital an hour later. Six officers are on leave

as the State Bureau investigated the incident. The FBI has submitted its case filed to Wake County D.A. Lauren Freeman, who determined whether criminal charges are appropriate. To discuss this, we're joined now by Kerwin Pittman, social justice activist. Kerwin, so I'm

trying to understand something here. What the hell is preventative policing? So, preventative policing is nothing more than a fancy name for Raleigh's own stop and frisk. And so what this means and what I

mean is that Raleigh police officers will literally walk up to people and just start asking them questions and then try to search these individuals, whether you're in a vehicle or you're just out off with. And so it's nothing more than Raleigh's own version of stop and frisk, plain and simple. OK, so Daryl and a friend were in a car. Where were they? Were they on the street in front of the home? Were they in a restaurant parking lot? Where were they and what were they doing?

They was actually in a car in front of a gaming shop. And they was actually inside of the car talking, doing nothing more than talking, wasn't bothering anybody, was actually on private property of this business. And so law enforcement just decided to walk onto the private property of this business and start to ask them questions and initially open their door and just try to figure out a way to really instigate the situation and really mess with these individuals. And this is what they term as proactive patrolling or preventative policing. Obviously, you're going to have police say, well, you know, he had cocaine in his system, but I'm still stuck on why would you just walk up to somebody for no apparent reason? And then they have mean, they have to be doing something.

You must be observing them doing something. These two were just in the car talking? These two were just in the car talking. Darrell Williams was doing nothing more than being a black man in Raleigh, North Carolina, and in America. And, of course, we know that is justification enough in their eyes to stop black and brown individuals and really escalate situations, harass them in whatever the case may be. And so it is an extreme sad situation. Darrell Williams lost his life in a manner like this. Any word in terms of how long the DA is going to take to review this investigation file?

So the DA normally takes 30 days, right? So Raleigh Police Department has a history of brutalizing, terrorizing, and murdering black and brown citizens. And not one time out of any of those incidents has the DA came back with a decision to charge any of these officers. So normally these findings take 30 days after the autopsy is released. But it will surprise me if she decides to do anything, even though we can clearly see that it's criminal negligence

on the part of Raleigh Police Department at play from all angles. All right, Kerwin Pitwin. I know a lot of cops, and they get asked all the time, All right, Kerwin Pitwin. 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 21st and episodes four, five, and six 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 ban is. Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown.

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

It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear episodes one week early and ad free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. We asked parents who adopted teens to share their journey. We just kind of knew from the beginning that we were family. They showcased a sense of love that I never had before. I mean, he's not only my parent, like, he's like my best friend.

At the end of the day, it's all been worth it. I wouldn't change a thing about our lives. Learn about adopting a teen from foster care. Visit AdoptUSKids.org to learn more. Brought to you by AdoptUSKids, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Ad Council. We certainly appreciate it. Thanks a lot. Thank you. Candace, I want to go to you. Preventative policing? You can't call it preventative policing, but it doesn't prevent a death. That's not policing.

That makes no sense. The other thing about this is that you had someone that told these six police officers, I believe, that he had heart condition. Um, why do you have six police officers holding down one man? Now, according to the report in in terms of his autopsy, he was obese. He had a heart problem. This sounds like somebody that six police officers without tasing could probably subdue in some way besides tasing the person and then putting him in a prone position. You know what happens when you put a baby in a prone position? Sudden infant death syndrome. That's why they say you don't put anybody, not even a baby, adult, nobody on their front for that long. So how all of this is something that these police officers did not know going in, I cannot understand. Now, unfortunately,

what might happen, just like the previous guest said, is that in 30 days, there may not be any type of charge. This was deemed a homicide, which is a simple killing of one person of another. It's nothing criminal about it yet. There are no charges that have been filed. But what's going to happen here potentially is that they're going to look at the fact that there were drugs in the system. They're going to look at the fact that he did have a heart problem. They're going to look at the fact that he was obese and that there were these other contributing factors to his death. What they have to do is the first thing that you were talking about, and they meaning the attorneys for his family, is they have to prove that this was just an

unlawful approaching of the car to begin with. If he was just sitting in there being black in America at 2 a.m. in the morning, 5 a.m., it doesn't matter. He has the right to do that. And that's where I think that the police will have a problem in this process. Recy I mean what are you I just don't understand how I mean we've seen traffic stops we've seen you know accusations of a crime

being committed escalated and none of those were justification for executing a person but damn just sitting in the car I mean if you sit in your car half crack or coke or whatever it is okay you not bothering nobody at that exact moment. And how does that escalate to being now killed by the police? It's just crazy.

Like, the idea of what public safety is is really, really fucked up when public safety involves a man who was sitting in a car ended up dead because of preventative measures. That's not preventative measures. That's active measures of harassing, racially profiling, and inflicting violence on Black people just for shits and giggles, just because you can, just because 6EI ain't got nothing to do. Go get a donut or something and leave Black people the hell alone.

Hmm. Greg, absolutely. In a second, Biden-Harris administration. Merrick Garland can be excused from his non-service. And Kristen Clark should be the attorney general of the United States. She should be on speed dial. I know Al Sharpton likes to say that Ben Crump is Black America's attorney general, but I think that Kristen Clark, in many ways, is Black America's attorney general.

Back in April, Rolling Stone ran an article on the Raleigh police and this funky little ass unit they got called the department's vice and selective enforcement unit. Their version of SWAT, where they're running up in houses looking for drugs. Had it in practice? Come on, Deputy Attorney General Clark. Come on, sister. We know what you do. We know how you get down. You've been incredibly consistent. It's time

to open up a can of whoop-ass in the city of Raleigh. That's all I got to say about that. Folks, hold tight one second. Gotta go to a break. We can't come back. We've got more news, particularly some breaking news regarding

Donald Trump. I'll explain in two minutes. You're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Black Star Network. That was a pivotal, pivotal time. I remember Kevin Hart telling me that. He's like, man, what you doing, man? You gotta stay on stage. And I was like, yeah, but I'm like, I remember Kevin Hart telling me that. He's like, man, what you doing, man? You gotta stay on stage.

And I was like, yeah, but I'm like, you know, y'all think I'm like, I'm good. And he was absolutely right. What show did you go to? This was one-on-one. Got it. During that time. And I was- So you're doing one-on-one. Going great. Yeah.

You making money. You like- I'm like, I don't need to leave. I don't need to leave from Wednesday, Thursday to Sunday. I just didn't want to do that. You know, it was just like, I'm gonna stay here. Oh, I didn't want to finish work Friday, fly out, go do a gig Saturday, Sunday. I was like, I don't have to do that.

And I lost a little bit of that hunger that I had in New York. I would hit all the clubs and run around. I'd, you know, sometimes me and Chappelle or me and this one or that one, we'd go to the Comedy Cellar at one in the morning. And I mean, that was our life. We loved it. You know, you do two shows in Manhattan,

go to Brooklyn, leave Brooklyn, go to Queens, go to Jersey. And I kind of just, I got complacent. I was like, I got this money, I'm good. I don't need to go, I don't need to go chase that because that money wasn't at the same level that I was making, but what I was missing was that training. Yes. Was that, was that.

And it wasn't the money. It was the money, you know, it was that, that's what I needed. Coming up next on The Frequency, right here on the Black Star Network, Shanita Hubbard. We're talking about the ride or die chick. We're breaking it down. The stereotype of the strong Black woman. Some of us are operating with it as if it's a badge of the strong black woman. Some of us are operating with it as if it's a badge of honor.

Like you even hear black women like aspiring to be this ride or die chick, aspiring to be this strong black woman. So at their own expense. Next on The Frequency, right here on the Black Star Network. What's up everybody? It's your girl Latasha from the A.

And you're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered. All right, folks, some breaking news. The federal government has indicted Donald Trump in their classified inquiry. ABC News is saying that two sources have confirmed that Donald Trump has been indicted. In fact, Trump has tweeted on Truth Social that his attorneys have been informed that he is being indicted and he is to appear in a Miami courthouse on Tuesday at 3 p.m. Special counsel, of course, Jack Smith Smith has been investigating the classified documents issue. And again, these were the documents that they say were being mishandled by Trump at Mar-a-Lago. And now CNN is reporting, Associated Press is reporting, numerous folks are reporting that indeed Donald Trump has been indicted on seven counts in the classified documents probe.

Candace, explain to our audience what this means for the federal, for the Department of Justice to indict a former president of the United States. You know, the feds don't just do things willy nilly. They clearly have got the goods on Donald Trump. That's right. And they impaneled more than one grand jury. And, you know, the grand jury is and all the documents are sealed. So we don't know exactly, for example, what was happening in the Florida grand jury, which kind of popped up over the past couple of weeks. What were they doing there? What we do know is this. As you said, the feds don't play. And when they have an indictment where all the parties who are involved can agree that this is enough to perhaps bring this to trial and then find a guilty verdict, that means that they have the receipts. That means that they have the goods in order to move this along. Now he's going to make

an appearance in front of the court on Tuesday to hear the exact charges that were brought against him. He'll have the opportunity to respond, and his attorneys will have the opportunity to file any paperwork that they might need in order to get this going in terms of, you know, the next steps in the judicial process. They get to actually have their voices be heard. But as you said, this is something that the feds take seriously, and it is very unusual for this to happen to someone who was the former president. Of course, it has happened before. However, in this case, we know that Donald Trump did a lot of damage to himself by talking. There are recordings of him talking about

having certain classified documents. He has made up untruths about how to declassify documents. You know, when I take it home, these documents, they are classified on their own. He's just making it up as he goes along, and he is providing just Christmas gifts for the prosecutors in order to make their case, and they are now opening up those gifts. And what is in it? An indictment. And that is what we're seeing, and we are not surprised. Recy, a number of people have been highly critical of Attorney General General Merrick Garland saying he is letting he has let Donald Trump off the hook. The reality is this case could not have moved forward without Merrick Garland giving his head not to move ahead. That says a whole lot that a former federal judge, somebody who was nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court by President Barack Obama,

who now is the attorney general, would give the go-ahead for an indictment against a former occupant of the White House. Oh, well, they should have let him become the Supreme Court justice instead of stealing that seat. You know what I'm saying? So now he's up there handing Trump his ass. And I think when Jack Smith was appointed, people said that he means serious business. And it's clear he didn't lollygag around for years like Mueller did, acting like he didn't

really give a damn about the fact that the president was a Manchurian candidate, he got right down to business. And the reality is that Trump is guilty as fuck. He's on tapes, as Candace said, basically talking about classified documents. And this is incredibly severe. I mean, anybody who's ever held a clearance knows that when you're first briefing, they scare the shit out of you. I mean, if you are not scared to ever even remotely do anything that could be seen as inappropriate with classified material, then you just don't give a damn about the rule of law. And so this, as a chicken's coming home to roost, and we knew during the 2020 campaign, many of us said that the biggest threat to national security is Donald Trump.

And he's always played fast and loose with classified documents. He played fast and loose with people even getting security classifications. Remember, Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner could not pass an independent classified vetting, and he directed that they get security clearances anyway. And so he should have done what he was supposed to do. There aren't a whole lot of laws that are necessarily the president has to abide by, but this is one of those areas where he screwed up. But the scary part isn't even necessarily that we have a president that's being indicted for this. It's what did he actually do with those secrets? Who did those secrets go to for what money was exchanged and what damage has it already done to our national security? That's what we

really need to be worried about. Greg, of course, Trump's lawyers were brought into the DOJ. They essentially got a heads up. They even said, look, when you get called in by the DOJ, they're letting you know, yo, your boy is about to get indicted. And according to this, this is what ABC said, quote, this is Catherine Foulders. We're learning from our sources that there appears to be at least seven counts here. This ranges from everything from the willful retention of national defense information to conspiracy to a scheme to conceal to false statements and representations. We even have seen reports, Greg, that the feds have flipped Mark Meadows, Trump's former chief of staff, and have given him some form of immunity. Trump is already saying these are lies.

This is false, all the sort of stuff like this here. It's going to be a little hard for his MAGA people to try to dismiss the actual former chief of staff, former member of Congress from North Carolina

somehow being part of the radical left out to get him. Dismiss it. They're going to run to it. You know, I keep one of these on the table, Ron. This is Constitution of the United States. This is the qualification for being president of the United States. No person except a natural born citizen or a citizen of the United States at the time

of the adoption of this Constitution shall be eligible to the office of president. Neither shall any person be eligible to that office who shall not have attained the age of 35 years and been 14 years a resident within the United States. You can be the president of the United States in prison. Donald Trump has understood something. There is no constitutional bar to that. Let's get past even a jury conviction. If you can find a jury to convict Donald Trump, there's going to be venue changes. You got some white nationalists out there trying to get on the jury. Let's get past all that and say they put him in jail and say, you got a hundred year sentence. Okay. In 1920, Eugene V. Debs, running

on the socialist ticket, serving a 10 year sentence because he refused to participate in World War I, got a million votes, 3% of the president of the United States run. Now, I'm sure people have heard this a million times, so I'll keep this short. Donald Trump ain't Eugene Debs. Pufferfish from Florida, Ron DeSantis, Tim, Mission Accomplished, Scott, Smiling Mike Pence, not even Speed Bump out of Jersey, Mr. Chris. None of them, all of them, Rhonda Haley, whose daddy talked down to 30 years at Voorhees HBCU, and she seems to have learned nothing from it, Nikki Haley. All them together don't poll as high as Donald Trump by self. Donald Trump, no, no, no. Run from it. He turns to it. They're

persecuting me, you all. Donald Trump can win. And let me end with this. The general view among legal scholars is that if he is elected, it could very well be that he could make the argument that the duties of office require him not to be in jail, and they may suspend or put on hold the sentence. And finally, the man might say what Eugene Depp said in 1920. If I win, I'm going to pardon myself. Let's strap in and see how this turns out. Folks, hold tight one second. I'm going to go to a quick break.

We're going to come back. I'm Roland Martin go to a quick break. We're going to come back a roller mart unfiltered. And I want to play for you all this this clip that was in the CNN town hall where where this fool, Mike Pence, who was Trump's vice president, was asked by Dana Bash about this very issue. And if you all want to hear a weasel, you're going to hear one in two minutes. Back in a moment. We talk about blackness. 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 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 uh 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. podcast. And to hear episodes one week early and ad free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. is the long game. We got to make moves and make them early. Set up goals. Don't worry about a setback. Just save up and stack up to reach them. Let's put ourselves in the right position.

Pre-game to greater things. Start building your retirement plan at thisispreetirement.org. Brought to you by AARP and the Ad Council. And what happens in black culture, we're about covering these things that matter to us, speaking to our issues and concerns. This is a genuine people-powered movement. A lot of stuff that we're not getting, you get it.

And you spread the word. We wish to plead our own cause to long have others spoken for us. We cannot tell our own story if we can't pay for it. This is about covering us. Invest in black-owned media. Your dollars matter. We don't have to keep asking them

to cover our stuff. So please support us in what we do, folks. We want to hit 2,000 people. $50 this month. Rates $100,000. We're behind $100,000. So we want to hit that. Y'all money makes this possible.

Checks and money orders go to P.O. Box 57196, Washington, D.C., 20037-0196. The Cash App is $RM unfiltered. PayPal is RM unfiltered. Venmo is RM unfiltered. Zelle is Roland at RolandSMartin.com.

On a next A Balanced Life with me, Dr. Jackie, beware the generational curse. They're everywhere in our families, in our workplaces, and even in our churches. It's like a minefield, identifying the curse and knowing what to do about it. When we're talking about generational patterns, oftentimes we get locked into those patterns because we don't want anyone to say, oh, you acting brand new. Or you doing something different from how, this is how we always did it. It's okay to do something different in order to get the results that you want to see in your life. That's next on A Balanced Life on Blackstar Network. Hey, it's John Murray, the executive producer of the new Sherri Shepherd Talk Show.

You're watching Rolling Mark. Until then. So, folks, the breaking news. Donald Trump has been indicted by a federal grand jury regarding the classified documents probe indicted on seven accounts. He has to appear in a Miami courtroom at 3 p.m. on Tuesday. Now, if you want to see a coward, Mike Pence is a perfect example. CNN had their town hall and Dana Bash asked him about this very issue. Listen to Mr. Law and Order, who was running out at the mouth about how we need to be prosecuting people for guns and what's happening in Chicago, listen to what he had to say about, oh, his

former guy breaking the law. Solves these issues without an indictment. Sir, I just want to clarify, what you're saying is that if they believe he committed a crime, they should not go forward with an indictment. I'm just saying, to clarify, what you're saying is that if they believe he committed a crime, they should not go forward with an indictment?

You just talked before about committing to the rule of law. Let me be clear. No one is above the law. Okay. But with regard to the unique circumstances here, look, those classified, I had no business having classified documents in my residence. And I took full responsibility for it.

President Biden had no business having them in his residence from when he was vice president as well. And the same with former President Trump. But I would just hope that there would be a way for them to move forward without the dramatic and drastic and divisive step of indicting a former president of the United States. We've got to find a way to move our country forward and restore confidence in equal treatment under the law in this country. We really do. Candace, I'm confused here. Either you believe in the law or you don't.

Two, he said, I fully cooperated. Donald Trump didn't. The difference between Mike Pence and Joe Biden is Donald Trump purposely obstructed the law. He did not. They were moving. We're going to know on Tuesday the specifics, but did not. They were moving. We're going to know on Tuesday the specifics. But they were literally moving it around. He was trying.

He was ignoring, ignoring the DOJ, ignoring the lawyers. He was breaking the law. He was breaking the law. And you're as confused as I am with what Mike Pence said. He was just putting words together. It didn't make any sense. But what we do know is this, that the world is already divided. The country is already divided because of Donald Trump.

So that's the worst argument that he could have made in all of this. And as you said, Donald Trump did things intently, with intent to defy the law, as opposed to a Biden or even a Mike Pence. So I don't know why in the world—and that's what we're going to see a lot of. We're going to see who is going to be the first candidate, whether it's going to be DeSantis, whether it's going to be, it's probably going to be Christie. It won't be Pence to really get at the heart of Donald Trump and call him out for who he is because nobody's done it so far. And that's really what this is about. He did not want to go all the way and say, put my former boss in jail. He was playing all sides to make sure that he wasn't the target of Donald Trump itself. And that's

what we are seeing in that clip right there. See, I love this, Rishi. We're so divided. Yes. Those who break the law and those who don't. Yes, we're divided. We're on the side of those who don't break the law.

Trump is on the side of those who love to break the law. And how do you prove that everybody is equal under the law by not indicting the person who's breaking the law just because they were the president? That doesn't make any sense. The math is not math in my pits. But I don't see any Republican really calling out Donald Trump because Donald Trump is still the leader of the Republican Party. And all these people know they cannot beat him. I think, as Dr. Carr said, he's going to run into this.

And the reality is the stakes are higher than ever for Donald Trump to continue his campaign so that he can claim some sort of political persecution, 50-50, maybe 65-35, whoever you want to talk to, chance of him getting elected and pardoning himself. This is life or death for Donald Trump. And so he has to keep going. And people in the Republican Party are happy to be HUD secretary, vice president, something along those lines. And so people do not have the balls, the moral courage, courage or even the decency to say that a former president stalled off sake secrets is beyond the pill and he needs to step aside and face the music for breaking the law. Absolutely. You know, I love this stupidity here, Greg. Here's this idiot Will Kane of Fox News.

I should destroy him when we're at CNN together. He goes, Pence not indicted, Clinton not indicted, Biden not indicted for inappropriate retention of classified documents, leading candidate for president in opposition to current regime, Trump indicted for inappropriate retention of classified documents, leading candidate for president in opposition to current regime. Trump indicted for inappropriate retention of classified documents. No, dumbass, it's for obstruction of justice. Mm-hmm. Roland, you know, I was watching your conversation with Bill Bellamy when you were walking him through the politics of commentary

and the conversation you had with Simone Sanders about her and Angela Ryan, how they let Corey Lewandowski run circles around them on a live segment on CNN. What have we learned from the first time Donald Trump ran for president? Here CNN is again, having just lost their head, allowing these platforms for these fools to dispute as propaganda in a country that ain't that smart to begin with. And what you're basically doing is doing what they did before. This mass commercial and news entertainment media is creating a drama.

This is reality television, and Donald Trump is the master of reality television. So all the logic goes out the window. What is the law? See, what you were talking with Bill about was the rules. They're different than the law. See, Mike Pence, I remember one time we were down there, about to do News 1 now, and everybody had the same green room, and Mike Pence came in there.

I guess he was going to do Morning Joe. That is the whitest man I've ever seen with my own two eyes. I've never seen anybody without any pigment. You know what I'm saying? I'm like, what the hell? This guy has no pigment. I'm saying that to say that when he barges into Iowa,

Tim Scott thinks he's going to get some evangelical vote. But guess what? Smiling Mike's in it now, baby. So the people who believe in Jesus, they ain't going to vote for you, Tim. You can scream Jesus till your teeth fall out, Mission Accomplice. But that is the whitest man that I've ever seen. He is banking on his whiteness and his onward Christian soldier stick to get him some of that vote.

But why do I put all that? It all comes down to this, though. As long as Donald Trump draws breath, in jail or out, his X factor, he might not win the presidency, but the United States is not a unique country. I know people like to say it's the greatest country in the world and the best experiment in democracy. We just saw Erdogan get reelected in Turkey. He got just enough repression there to split the vote, get to the runoff and win.

As long as Donald Trump is in this mix, there is the potential for chaos whether he wins the nomination or not. All these people are trying to angle to win a primary. But what Mike Pence is doing, this man without a country, is trying to figure out a way, well, if he stumbles and if he's not going to stumble, this is about to be chaos. And every time I see smiling Mike, there are only three words that come to mind. And these are the three words that haunt him every day. January 6th, 2021. Hang Mike Pence.

Mike Pence know he ain't got a shot in the head. He just hoping that something's going to break in his way and he ain't even got a clue. So he's just a bit spinning. And CNN is letting him spin which is why we got to have a Black Star Network because you might be the only game in town trying to tell the truth because there's these people chasing ratings. Well, look, folks, Miami is going to be on and popping at 3 p.m. on Tuesday.

When Donald Trump got to walk his orange ass into a federal courthouse in Miami, indicted for the second time. First, it was Alvin Bragg in New York City. Now, it is Jack Smith, the special prosecutor, indicting him in Miami. The DOJ is not confirming this. The documents,

the indictment is under seal. It will be revealed in court on Tuesday. And so, Fannie Willis, we waiting on you. we waiting on you. We waiting on you. Let's go ahead and go for the hat trick. Make it a trifecta

and hit his ass with a third indictment. It's going to be real interesting. Look, we know how he's going to respond and we know his ignorant MAGA supporters are going to try to make every other excuse as well. But final comment here, Candace. When those prosecutors have to reveal in court that they have recordings of people admitting to him moving documents, when they reveal a lot of this stuff in that charging document,

it's going to be a little hard for a lot of these Republicans to try to explain that one away. It will. And following the indictment that Alvin Bragg brought upon Donald Trump, which people say was not as detailed as they would have liked to have seen. I bet they're going to do their job this time. Tuesday is going to be something else when that indictment comes down and we get to read all the details. It's going to be a lot more than Bragg had. And as you said, there's going to be a lot more evidence supporting what Donald Trump did in terms of obstructing justice. All right, then. Candace, Reese, and Greg, we certainly appreciate y'all joining us. Oh, it's a beautiful day in the neighborhood.

A beautiful day in the neighborhood. All right, folks. I appreciate it. Thanks a bunch. Y'all, tomorrow we'll be live. Merle Evers-Williams from Jackson, Mississippi, 90 years old, the widow of Medgar Evers, former chair of the board of the NAACP. A lot of events are honoring her this weekend in Jackson.

We are here, and we will be covering this stuff tonight and tomorrow, so we look forward to that live conversation right here on Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Black Star Network tomorrow. Folks, that is it. Don't forget, hit that like button, please, if you're watching on YouTube. Also, download the Black Star Network app, Apple phone, Android phone, Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Xbox One, Samsung Smart TV. Please support our Bring the Funk fan club. Your dolls make it possible for us to do what we do. So please send your check and money order to PO Box 57196, Washington, D.C.,

20037-0196. Cash out, dollar sign, RM Unfiltered, PayPal, or Martin Unfiltered. Venmo is RM Unfiltered. Zale, Roland at RolandSMartin.com. Roland at RolandMartinUnfiltered.com. And of course, be sure to get a copy of my book, White Fear, How the Browning of America is Making White Folks Lose Their Minds, available at bookstores nationwide. Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Books a Million Target. Download your copy on Audible. And don't forget, folks, next Saturday, I am going to be in Houston leading a forum on the future of black economic freedom tied to Juneteenth.

So, folks, check it out. We're going to be there. All you got to do is RSVP. Listen, we just want to get a head count. We only have 500 seats available. We've got a number of strong black business owners who are going to be speaking. And we have a major announcement we're going to be making with Mayor Sylvester Turner. Y'all want to be there?

You RSVP to info at Roland S. Martin dot com. I.N.F.O. at Roland S. Martin dot com. Cannot wait to be in Houston. The Power Center. The black owned Power Center. The Black-owned Power Center. Noon to 4 next Saturday, June 17th in Houston, Texas. Y'all better be there. Until tomorrow.

Power! I know a lot of cops. They get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. This is Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad.

Listen to Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. We asked parents who adopted teens to share their journey. We just kind of knew from the beginning that we were family. They showcased a sense of love that I never had before. I mean, he's not only my parent, like he's like my best friend. At the end of the day, it's all been worth it. I wouldn't change a thing about our lives. Learn about adopting a teen from foster care.

Visit AdoptUSKids.org to learn more. Brought to you by AdoptUSKids, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Ad Council. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Lott. And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast. Sure. Last year, a lot of the problems of the drug war.

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

Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. This is an iHeart podcast.