#RolandMartinUnfiltered - Tulsa May Elect 1st Black Mayor,Harris-Walz GA Bus Tour,Rapper Give Civics Lesson, #WinWithBlackMen

Episode Date: August 29, 2024

8.28.2024 #RolandMartinUnfiltered: Tulsa May Elect 1st Black Mayor,Harris-Walz GA Bus Tour,Rapper Give Civics Lesson, #WinWithBlackMen Tulsa, Oklahoma, could have its first black mayor. State Representative Monroe Nichols is headed to a runoff election in November.  He's here to discuss his campaign.  Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz are back on the campaign trail. The duo kicked off a two-day bus tour in southern Georgia. Governor Walz told the International Association of Fire Fighters that Trump isn't going to fight for them like he and Harris would.  Rapper YelloPain's "My Vote Don’t Count" is a civics lesson for everyone. He'll explain how voter disenfranchisement inspired him to write the song.  Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson voiced her concerns about the Supreme Court's decision in the presidential immunity case. And during the second hour, it'll be the Win With Black Men—Black Men for Harris call. Download the #BlackStarNetwork app on iOS, AppleTV, Android, Android TV, Roku, FireTV, SamsungTV and XBox  http://www.blackstarnetwork.com The #BlackStarNetwork is 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. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Glott. And this is Season 2 of the War on Drugs podcast. Last year, a lot of the problems of the drug war. This year, a lot of the biggest names in music and sports. This kind of starts that a little bit, man.

We met them at their homes. We met them at the recording studios. Stories matter and it brings a face to it. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

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 taylorpapersilling.org. Brought to you by Opportunity at Work and the Ad Council. so folks black star network is We'll be right back. 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? Thank you. Thank you. Today is Wednesday, August 28th, 2024. Coming up on Roland Martin Unfiltered, streaming live on the Black Star Network. Tulsa, Oklahoma could have its first black mayor,

state Representative Monroe Nichols, head to a November runoff election. He will be joining us to talk about his history making campaign. Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz are back on the campaign trail. Deal kicked off a two day bus

tour in southern Georgia. Governor Walz told the International Association of Firefighters that Trump isn't going to fight for them like he and Harris would. We'll show you all of that. Plus, rapper Yellow Payne's My Vote Don't Count is a civics lesson for everyone. He will join us to talk about this song. Plus, Justice Katonji Brown Jackson voiced her concerns about the Supreme Court's decision in the presidential immunity case.

Plus, the win with black men call taking place in our second hour. We'll be live with that as well. Folks, it is time to bring the funk on Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Blackstar Network. Let's go. He's got whatever the piss he's on it.

Whatever it is, he's got the stupid, fat, the fine. Let's go. He's rollin' Yeah, yeah It's Uncle Roro, yo Yeah, yeah It's Rollin' Martin Yeah, yeah Rollin' with Rollin' now Yeah, yeah He's funky, he's fresh, he's real the best You know he's Rollin' Martin

Now It's Roland Martel. Martel. Folks, in 2016, he became the first African-American in putting himself in a runoff to become mayor of Tulsa. Last night, a multiple number of candidates ran, but it came down to Karen Keith and Monroe Nichols. In the top two positions, they will advance to a November runoff. He is the current chair of the Oklahoma Legislative Black Caucus, again facing off with Tulsa County Commissioner Karen Keith. Joining us right now is Monroe Nichols. Glad to have you here.

When we were in Tulsa in June, you spoke on stage there. You said to the audience there, if they turn out, this could actually happen. Well, now it's down to two. What is your message between now and November to all of Tulsa, but specifically to African-Americans about being able to make history on the same ballot that Vice President Kamala Harris is going to be on? I think you just, first of all, thank you for having me on. And you just said it.

And only one correction, Roland. We placed first last night. Well, when I went to sleep, you were second, and so they were still counting ballots. So there you go. Hey, the race is not given to the swift or the strong, but the one that endures. You got to stay up, baby.

You got to stay up. But, you know, I think going into November, it's really about problem solving. You know, it's clear. I said when we were on the stage there at Legacy Fest, if our people go vote, we win. Our folks went out and voted. We won. And what we were able to do is bring that infectious momentum that no matter what part of town you lived in,

we were aligned on the need to do things a little bit differently in Tulsa. And so I'm glad that we were able to perform well. When we started this race, we were 20 points down. Last night, we placed first in a primary or in a general that was very competitive, and it was all about problem-solving, convincing people to go vote, letting them know their vote mattered

for the future of this community. You know, one of the things that, on that stage, we talked about, and folks can raise money, but you got to have ground game. And so now the other candidates drop away. Now it's a whole new race. It's a reset. And so what are you saying to voters in Tulsa in terms of what your vision is for that city moving forward? Yeah. Hey, we like I said, we talked about solving problems from the start. We are in the midst of a homelessness crisis in this community. If you go to MonroeForMayor.com, you'll find our strategy to end homelessness

as we know it by 2030. You know about some of the challenges we have with our state superintendent. We've been talking about how do we improve student outcomes and give kids a fair shot in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Again, that's on the website. We've talked about how do we get past some of these really stubborn issues, and I think people really aligned around that. We didn't have the most money by any stretch of the imagination, but to your point, we had the ground game. We went to neighborhoods. We were on doorsteps. We

talked to people about solutions, and what we found was it turns out how long you've known somebody, how long somebody's been around is not the most important thing. People have a plan for the future and how they're going to meet the moment is the most important thing. And I think going into November with Vice President Harris at the top of the ticket, we're all going to be having this conversation about this new generation of leadership that is focused on problem solving. I think we take that message into November. We take what was a first place finish in a multiple candidate general election. We take that to the runoff.

We make history. I become the first black mayor in this community. You know, when we talk about Oklahoma, people say, oh, it's a red state. It doesn't get the attention when it comes to presidential politics. You're not going to see, hell, you're probably not even going to see Donald Trump come there. And so they don't spend time because it's not a battleground state. And so, you know, what do you say to folks that, hey, that's fine, that's at the top of the ticket, but the reality is those down-ballot races are just as critical. And the reality is more people are impacted by local races, mayoral races, city council races, county commissioner races.

They are really presidential. Yeah, absolutely. I mean, you want to talk about police accountability. You want to talk about economic opportunity. You want to talk about infrastructure, all those things. Those decisions are made by people who are elected in local elections. You know, I know the attention goes to the federal races, but everything that happens around here, like I said, everything from public safety to trash pickup, that's going to be your mayor. That's going to be your city councilors. That's going to be the folks who are in these elections that sometimes it's hard, Roland, to see the difference between candidates.

You know, these are nonpartisan races oftentimes. And so folks sometimes don't engage because it's hard for them to see the difference. But these are the ones that matter. The big one matters, too. And I think I want to just give a shout out to Tulsa, Oklahoma, although Oklahoma is a red state. Joe Biden did beat Donald Trump in the city of Tulsa. And so we're a city that's becoming a little more blue. We're a little purple right now. We're becoming a little moresa. And so we're Tulsa's becoming, we're a city that's becoming a little more blue, we're a little purple right now, we're becoming a little more blue. And I think that's a positive thing. That means we're becoming more diverse. We're thinking about problem solving in much different ways. But I would say, look, these local races are critical, but we are a city

that's kind of, you know, becoming a little blue pond in what is the sea of red. And I'm excited about that. Obviously, you've got to raise money. So if you want people to support you, where do they go? They go to MonroeForMayor.com. We were outspent by about $300,000 in this race. And you know in a local race, that's a lot of money to be outspent by. I need folks to support this campaign because, again, you know, if we get it right in Tulsa, then you can get it right in Baltimore. If you get it right in Baltimore, you get it right

in Detroit and everywhere across the country. We are in this together, and the best ideas for moving this country forward are going to come at the local level. And I need folks who are watching, folks who are your followers, to really kick in because we can make history in Tulsa, and that is step one to really right in some of the wrongs that we know were in Tulsa's past. And I know you know the legacy of the race massacre and everything else. But I need folks to support. Go to MonroeForMayor.com and I would certainly

appreciate any help folks are willing to give. Well, certainly hope you've reached out to Charlie Wilson for him to come back and help you with this campaign. Yes, sir. So again, Uncle Charlie, I'm going to send you a text message so you can weigh in on this one.

So, Monroe, we appreciate it. You know, Roland, I say if there's a Roland Martin that came in to headline a fundraiser, I think that would do so. I'm just saying. Well, I don't do fundraisers, but I do take my show on the road and broadcast from the city. So, you know, so we'll see what the schedule looks like because you got folks that are trying to get me to come to Georgia, North Carolina, Michigan, Pennsylvania. Everybody goes to those places.

I got you. So, but it's only a finite number of days, but we're working on it. So we'll see. We'll see what we can make happen. All right. I appreciate you. All right. it's only a finite number of days, but we working on it. So we'll see. We'll see what we can make happen. All right. I appreciate you. All right. Appreciate it.

Thanks a lot. Yes, sir. Folks got to go to break. We come back. We'll talk more politics. We'll talk about a new poll also showing increasing Latino support for Vice President Kamala Harris. What will it take for her to win North Carolina and Georgia? We'll talk about that as well.

Folks, you're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Blackstar Network. Now streaming on the Blackstar Network. I still have my NFL contract in my house. I have it in a case. It's four of them for my four-year contract. I got a $600,000 signing bonus. My base salary for that first year was $150,000. Matter of fact, $150,000. That's what I made, $150,000 signing bonus. My base salary for that first year was 150. Matter of fact-

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

I was so pissed. Because, I mean, I try to be a man of my word. I had to give them their $600,000 back. Wow. I was so pissed. I try to be a man of my word. I'm like, f*** you. I'll give you your money back. Even though I know I earned that money, I gave them that money back. I gave them that $600,000 back. But yet, I was this malcontent. I was a bad guy.

I wasn't about the money. It wasn't about the money. It was about doing right. Because I was looking at, because you look at contracts. Look at John Elwood. John Elwood's making a million dollars. $800,000. I't about the money, it was about doing right. Because I was looking at, I looked at, cause you know you look at contracts. Look at John Edwards, John Edwards making a million dollars. 800,000, I was making 150. I mean, I was doing everything. And I'm like, but yet I was, man, I got so many letters. You know, you, you,

oh, so I just play for free and all that kind of stuff. I mean, you don't forget that kind of stuff. Right. That stuff is hurtful. Hey, it's John Murray, the executive producer of the new Sherri Shepard Talk Show. This is your boy, Herb Quaid. And you're tuned in to...

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. Add free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Lott. And this is Season 2 of the War on Dr Podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Glott. And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast.

Yes, sir. We are back. In a big way. In a very big way. Real people, real perspectives. This is kind of star-studded a little bit, man. We got Ricky Williams, NFL player,

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

We got B-Real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corvette. MMA fighter Liz Karamush. What we're doing now isn't working and we need to change things. Stories matter and it brings a face to them. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast, 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, brought to you by Opportunity at Work and the Ad Council.

Alright folks, let's bring in our panel right now. Rob Petillo, host, People Passion Politics, News & Talk 1380 WALK out of Atlanta. Rebecca Carruthers, Vice President of Fair Elections Center out of D.C. Gavin Reynolds, contributor with The Root, former speech writer to Vice President Kamala Harris.

And he finally got some rest because he was part of the speech writing team of the DNC. Given I heard y'all were locked into a room, y'all couldn't go anywhere. They wouldn't let y'all use the bathroom, wouldn't let y'all eat. So y'all were a little busy there. It wasn't that bad, Roland. But I will say it was probably the most exhilarating and exhausting week of my life. Totally understand.

All right, folks. Vice President Kamala Harris, Governor Tim Walz, they have touched down in Georgia. This is a little bit earlier today where she began her bus tour, and she was meeting with various folks today in the Savannah area. They've got a rally there tomorrow. When I look back on 2020, Robert, 2022, we spent a lot of time in Georgia. I mean, first of all, 2022, for the runoff,

you know, we damn near moved to Georgia, spent five weeks there, living in the Airbnb, traveling all over the place. And the thing that was important is that, as we were working with the Warnock campaign, is that we were not just locked into the Atlanta area. We literally went all over the state. We traveled all over, doing the show in 2022

from different locations, from Jonesboro, from Statesboro, in Athens, in Savannah, in all of those places. And the reality is, for Harrison Walsh to win Georgia, it is going to take a seriously strong ground game there. And because here's what you have in Georgia. And the same in North Carolina. You have significant black population in rural parts of the

state that normally don't see candidates. Warnock is from Savannah. And so where they're going, but they're going to have, in order for them to win, and unlike 2020, you don't have Warnock and Ossoff on the ground, so you had all of that energy that was happening for Democrats in 2020. They have got to really spend time in Albany, in those type of towns

where you have large black population to drive those numbers up to offset the MAGA vote? Because, you know, Governor Brian Kemp's, his machine is going to be on the ground for Donald Trump. You're absolutely correct. And that's what there's a Fox News poll that just released at the beginning of the show. It shows that in Arizona, Harris is up 50-49. In Nevada, she's up 50-48. North Carolina, she's down 49-50, so a one-point race. And in Georgia, for the first time this year, she's up 50-48 on Donald Trump. And hold on.

Just hold it. I'm going to show it right now. And the exact same poll also shows that it's 50-49 in Arizona. Go to go right there. So again, you're seeing what's happening there, but the bottom

line is this here. What you also have is what's going on with white voters, and that is Trump, significant percentage with white voters, but you're seeing how the latest poll, according to Matt Barreto, how she's even doing better among Latinos and could very

well, like right here, it shows 42% of the Hispanic vote for Trump. According to Matt Barreto, she could actually take her Latino support above 60 to maybe 65% and drop his numbers there. But that means, again, strong ground game. Exactly. And this is where that $540 million comes into play because she can complete places that Democrats normally don't.

I'm born and raised in Georgia, in Georgia politics, from Waverly Hall, Georgia, which is in Harris County, near Hamilton, north of Columbus, south of Talboton. So I know the state. I've been to all 159 counties on three different campaign occasions. Trust me when I say this. Leave metro Atlanta. You have to go to all the other black populations in the state, because in metro Atlanta, we're used to big things. We're used to Super Bowls. We're used to World Cups, Olympics, et cetera. You go down to Albany, Georgia, to Fort Valley. You go to Oglethorpe, to Montezuma. You ride through Merriweather County on down to the border. Guess what? Those people have never seen a national politician and

a national black politician come down there to get their votes. Those votes are to be had. They simply need someone to come talk to them. They're opening more field offices in the area. That has to continue. If you win Georgia and you win North Carolina, it changes the electoral map for the next generation. Because one thing that we're seeing with the Republican party is Donald Trump has decided to not run as a Republican in the Republican race. He has decided the only conservative values that Republicans care about are tax cuts and racism. As long as you provide them tax cuts and racism, they don't care about pro-life. They don't care about traditional family. They don't care about military. They don't care about foreign policy. All they care about is tax cuts and racism. Because of that, you're seeing a capping

on his support. He's not going to drop below 43.5 percent of the vote, but he's also not going to get above about 47, 48 percent. This is the opportunity that Harris has to close the door and close the deal. Do not do what Hillary did in 2016 and get profligate at the end and disappear off the campaign trail. You have to push through. You have to rally your voters through. You have to be organizing not just with the Divine Nine and with the churches and with the traditional rights organizations. You have to be granular. You need to be down there with Fair Fight. You need to be down there with NSE and New Georgia Project. You have to be down in every single county and compete in all 159 counties. Because remember, the last year, the last election came down to under 12,000 votes.

So anywhere that you can find voters, anywhere you can shake the trees. And remember, we have a new Republican election board that is working to suppress every vote that they have. So if you think you can win by one or two points, no, you got to win by five or six just to be safe for what they're going to be doing to try to contest the election. And look, I mean, this here is when you talk about, you know, the difference here with difference with the election. Henry, go to my iPad. This, of course, was us in 2020.

Well, you're not dealing with those sort of events now. That's not COVID, where everything was cars, and we were sitting, I mean, folks were literally staying in their cars as they were involved. And so it's going to require a different type of campaign. And this is also, Rebecca, where you maximize your surrogates. I can tell you in 2020, we had events where Portia Williams and Jermaine Dupri and others were actually traveling around the state where they were going to those places. Warnock could not be everywhere. And so that to me is also how you deploy folks there. Black Voters Matter had rallies there.

Actually, it's interesting. If I find it, I remember a Black Voters Matter rally where they had Waka Flaka and his wife. Now he's supporting Trump at one of those events. And so you you have to really work the state there. There were some black politicians, I was talking to someone, and several of them didn't know about the vice president's travels there in Georgia or what the plan was. And here's the other thing that

people don't understand there. In a lot of those places, Rebecca, you've got black preachers who own very small gospel radio stations. In those towns, those stations are huge. Those black newspapers and outlets are huge. And so you've got to have, and this is what too often with these presidential campaigns, you can't bring in somebody from Ohio and plant them in Georgia.

If you want to win Georgia, you need Georgians running the show because they know where the votes are and where the people are. You know, I'm listening to all these great things that Robert's talking about. I'm thinking back to 2020 and then in 2022, but there are things that are different now. Fair Fight really isn't functionally around anymore.

New Georgia Project, INSEE is no longer there. Their next CEO, as of a month ago, is no longer there. So, unfortunately, there is... But, but, but, but, you got Helen Butler, you got Georgia Stand Up with Deborah Scott, you still got Black Voters Matter, so

you got groups who are there, who are on the ground, who are doing the work. Yes, and that's what I was getting ready to turn to. You have blackmail initiative. You have groups that are there, who are on the ground, who are doing the work. Yes, and that's what I was getting ready to turn to. You have blackmail initiative. You have groups that are doing the work that haven't been as nationally recognized and as much national money hasn't poured directly into those groups. Because Fair Fight was the flashy one. New Georgia Project was flashy. But there are groups on the ground that are still doing year-round organizing on particular issues.

They've been fighting back to get more people put on the voting rolls. Not quite as fast, but, you know, trying to combat what Brian Kemp and his minions are doing with trying to purge and effectively put a thumb on the scale in terms of trying to get rid of the types of voters who are likely to support a Kamala Harris candidacy versus a Trump candidacy. So there are moving parts and positive things that are happening in Georgia. But back to what you were saying about these small radio stations, you know, growing up in a rural state, AM radio is so important. AM radio is still very much listened to in those rural routes, in those rural areas. That's what people are tuned in to listen to because they hear their local news. It's not this satellite stuff like when we see on television, like Sinclair buying up a bunch of broadcasts in local stations across the country, but AM radio is still very much local base compared to FM radio, which tends to satellite in national syndication

rather than having local DJs, local people, literally reading the equivalent to church announcements on AM radio. And that's the type of grassroots effort that's going to take if you need people to turn out. And finally, Robert, you know, I've said this before. You know, I get Atlanta. Atlanta is not a real place. I think all of us will say on this panel tonight, stay out of Atlanta.

Go everywhere else to campaign in Georgia. Well, well, here's the deal. First of all, you still need massive turnout in Atlanta. Let's be real clear. You need Atlanta. You need Marietta. You need those places. And so here's the piece. You need massive turnout there.

You need black turnout to be 70 of eligible voters, 70% or higher in those places. That establishes your strong foundation. The reason I'm talking about the rural places are critically important because you cut into the margins. So you look at North Carolina. Then Senator Obama wins North Carolina by 14,100 votes. How did that happen? Massive turnout in rural North Carolina. And the Republicans were not running up in even Republican counties 70, 30, 80, 20, 90, 10.

Obama lost in several Republican counties by single digits. That's what you have to do. So, yes, you must lock down your base, black voters, lock down Latino voters. If you're the Harris campaign, you want to be hitting 62, 65 percent of Latino votes, pushing Trump under 40. You want black turnout. You want to be at 85, 86, 90. But you want to cut into the white margins so he's not building up leads of 5,000, 4,000, 6,000. You want to shrink that to be able to give your chance Georgia and North Carolina. No, absolutely. And I think the reason why we're talking about Georgia in the first place is

because we have Atlanta, right? You look at a state like North Carolina, yeah, they have the triangle, they have, you know, Charlotte, they have these big cities, but they don't have an Atlanta. So I do think it's important. Well, but I gotta stop you there. What is happening is the numbers show, gotta stop you, because when the numbers show you North Carolina,

Charlotte, Raleigh, Durham, and those suburbs, they run up big numbers there. Biden ran up big leads there. He lost by 2.5 points in 2020 because they didn't do well in rural Georgia. That's how Sherry Beasley lost her awful Senate campaign, also because they ran an awful campaign. When she lost the Supreme Court race,

a 401 votes, same thing. And so again, you lock and load on your big counties, but you don't ignore the rural parts of the state. Definitely. And I think someone like Roy Cooper is someone who shows us the importance of being able to win rural voters. He is someone who can win as a Democrat in North Carolina when Democrats lose at other levels of the ballot,

because he's from Nashville County, Tennessee—sorry, Nashville County, North Carolina. And when he goes up there and speaks in his, you know, Roy Cooper sort of folksy twang, he's able to connect with rural voters in ways that a lot of other politicians from big cities in North Carolina just haven't been able to in recent memory. So I agree with you, Roland. And I think Roy Cooper is a model, someone who shows us the importance of being able to connect with rural voters in states like North Carolina and in states like Georgia. Robert said this a minute ago. President Biden and Vice President Harris won the state of Georgia by 11,700 votes, I believe. And so this, y'all, is going to be so close. But if you look at the momentum that the Harris campaign has been

able to build, an incredibly successful convention last week. I was there, as we said a minute ago, Roland. I felt that energy in the room was electric. But there are fewer than 70 days left now between now and the election. And now is go time. It's get out to vote. And that 70 days, that's until Election Day. Early voting is going to start before that. And in some states, it's starting in just a few weeks. And if you look at the state of Georgia, the Harris campaign has amassed a network of over 35,000 volunteers, over 170 staffers, 24 coordinated campaign offices. And what that is, it's the

largest in-state operation of any Democratic presidential campaign cycle ever in the state of Georgia. So, Roland, that is the ground game that we need. It's so important that we have local voices in communities across the state of Georgia who are able to be there, even after this bus tour is over, and as important as the bus tour is. But once the this bus tour, you know, is over and as important as the bus tour is. But once the bus leaves town, you got to have those local voices validating the work of Vice President Harris and Governor Walz so that voters know that they're the ones who will fight on their behalf. So I'm excited by what's going on and especially excited that a stop along the way will involve a speech at the oldest HBCU in the state of Georgia, Savannah State. This here is...

I know a lot of cops, and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. 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. 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, 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 have this misunderstanding of what this quote unquote drug thing.

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 matter and it brings a face to it. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple 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 taylorpapersilling.org. Brought to you by Opportunity at Work and the Ad Council. This here is Vice President Harris, Governor Walz in Hinesville, Georgia. You can turn on the audio, folks.

This is them there at a high school. The band was playing there. And so, go ahead and play it. Let's go. Bark, Don, bark. Now, for folks who are watching, they may say, oh, man, you're going to high school, the band is playing. But understand, you're picking up local media attention

in those particular places. You're getting, and trust me, when you see those young folks taking pictures with them, Robert, when they go home, they show their parents and grandparents, stuff along those lines, that kind of stuff means a whole lot. And again, when they leave, obviously they're going to leave, but that's where you then, then you have to come back, you got to touch them, you got to touch them, you got to be able to hit them. And then when you have those groups that are also grassroots groups, when you look at, for young voters, Tom Steyer's group, the work that they do,

again, when you look at those groups that are specific in Georgia, which is why we always say you got to fund those groups as well in order to be able for them to be on the ground. We did our Win with black men call. You know, some people like, well, you know, why did y'all not see all your money to the campaign? We say because we took four hundred fifty thousand of that money and going to several groups to drive them on the ground to touch black men, because that's what you have to

do. It all can't be TV ads. And rolling on that point, people who aren't from the state, I would like to remind them that Atlanta and Georgia are two different places geographically. Don't confuse them. People from South Georgia generally don't like folks in Atlanta. We consider them to be the big city folks with bad attitudes who come down south to buy a water bill and a core deal,

and they're too good to get out of the car. And ain't no difference between Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and the suburbs. What they say the rest of Pennsylvania is Alabama. You're exactly right. And so to that, you have to be activating local leadership. You have to be working with Keith McCants. You have to be working down in Savannah and down in Brunswick, et cetera. You need to be bringing those people directly in, instead of—as you said, one of the big

mistakes that was made back in 2008 on the Obama campaign was they were bringing in, like, these well-meaning white guys from D.C. and New York and San Francisco, and they would come down in their Prius, and they'd have, like, the MSNBC glasses on, and you let them off at a bar in the middle of Troop County, Georgia, and then they get run out of there the first time they see somebody in camo with a shotgun because they don't know how to talk to those people. You've got to get people who are local there and talk about the issues that matter to them. Talk about the $2.2 billion that the Biden administration just allocated for black farmers and how it could have been $11 billion if it wasn't for Donald Trump and Stephen Miller getting in the way of that. Talk about the money that they put into the infrastructure bill.

They'll bring off high-speed Internet and broadband to areas where we still use antennas on the top of our house. We don't have access to cable a lot of the time. Talk about how you're going to make sure that you're putting the right types of investments into those HBCUs that will help them to not just stay alive, but to reopen places that have closed down previously and bring them to parity with other institutions while the state of Georgia is trying to take over those colleges and merge them with white colleges. You have to set out a very clear, broad agenda that will work and those people will come around.

Well, I'll give you an example. There was a there was a Atlanta radio station and they had they had they had, so the sister, the black girl, the sister who was supporting Trump at Chick-fil-A so

they had her on and she was touting at Chick-fil-A. So they had her on. They had her on. And she was touting Trump's platinum plan. She was touting, oh, how great it was and what he was going to do. And to that particular point that you made, so I saw the video on Instagram

last night, and I was like, man, let me weigh in on this. And so she was sitting here, she was sitting here, you know, talking about what he did. And I said, oh, really? His platinum plan was so great? Go to my iPad. He's a perfect example.

In his plan, he said he was going to invest almost $20 billion towards broadband and internet access to create job opportunities. Well, here's the reality. He got none of that done. He got none of that done. He didn't accomplish anything. And the reality is, what did Biden-Harris do? Well, they actually got an infrastructure bill planned. They actually got it done. And I had to remind her last night, sorry, boo, while you're sitting here touting Trump's $20

billion broadband plan, this is what Biden and Harris did. They actually got $40 billion for broadband. And Rebecca, you go to those rural places and you say, hey, we're putting it in place. Now you're able to access high speed Internet and you're able to say that happened because we made it.

We made it possible. He promised we did it. You know, absolutely. Like just like we've been talking about Georgia, but then also North Carolina, especially the eastern part of North Carolina. You know, if I was advising the campaign, I would tell them to put a campaign office in Wilmington and then fan out. And the reason why is those are areas. All-America Vote, led by Tamar Moktar, one of the things that they've been focusing on is looking at counties that have at least 9,000 black folks in these rural counties and trying to work and figure out the best ways to organize them. Because once again, you know, the mainstream media will have you thinking that black people only live in urban areas and we don't live on farms, on ranches, that we don't live in

small towns. And we do. And so, you know, going into those areas in eastern North Carolina, it's black, it's brown, and it's indigenous. There are a lot of Hispanic voters there and Hispanic speakers. There are a lot of black folks there. And then there are a lot of Native Americans and active Native American tribes that are there. that. We know that there has been some ongoing organizing happening even before North Carolina became considered competitive by national pundits. But we know that there are people there. And so as we're talking about close margins, if you're going into these counties and you're picking up

5,000 votes here, 2,000 votes here, 7,000 votes here, it really starts to add up. And like we talked about the triangle, but also understanding that triangle going beyond really digging into thousand votes here, seven thousand votes here, it really starts to add up. And like we talked about the triangle, but also understanding that triangle going beyond really digging into Greensboro. That's where North Carolina A&T is. That's where Bennett is. So there's definitely room. There's definitely a lot of people who are hungry and they want to hear joy. I know the New York Times today, they had a commentary talking about joy is not a campaign. Joy is not a policy position. But one thing that we've seen historically is that in the fight against fascism, joy and hope actually wins.

We can look at Augusto Pinochet. There was literally a joy rally going into voting down in Chile. And what we saw is Augusto Pinochet was removed from office. So we know through human nature, if you go out, talk to people where they are, if you're giving them a positive message, that wins every day over just doing television ads and then just preaching gloom and doom to them. So we know that there is room. This race is going to be very competitive. But even with the Fox polling that you all referenced, we still know that Harris is going to have to significantly outperform Trump in order to build up a huge margin.

If there's one thing that's really getting on my damn nerves is all of these media people, and they're whining and complaining about, oh, Harris doing interviews and bypassing media. I saw this clip earlier, and this brother, he's with the New York Times, and he was on CNN. I mean, let me play this for y'all, because I'm sorry, I just think he's dead wrong. Watch this.

Instead, why do you think they're doing it together and not by herself? Well, I don't think it's a secret. Democrats over the last couple years have increasingly thought that they can go directly to their voters. And I think have, frankly, been fairly slow to coming around to doing mainstream, traditional interviews. We've heard the Biden campaign now turn the Harris campaign, complain repeatedly about reporters trying to ask those type of questions, have stayed away from more traditional media interviews as they've tried to go to influencers, tried to go to podcasts that are more friendly venues for them. And they found real success with that. I think what is happening now, though, is there is an onus on Harris and Walls

to differentiate themselves from the Biden ticket. There's open questions about what their vision would be, what their legislative priorities would be. And while the Democratic Convention was an advertisement for the party writ large, a lot of the things people were saying on stage could have been just the same if it was President Biden as the nominee rather than Kamala Harris. What an interview does is put the onus on her not just for the mastery of issues and kind of command of issues, but to lay out a vision. That is something that Kamala Harris has been fairly uncomfortable with.

Speaking as someone who has interviewed her, that's not necessarily where she likes to be. She often says, I'm not someone who's good at speeches. I'm someone who gets things done. Now, we know as president, that's a big core part of the job is to lay out that kind of vision. Obviously, when you have a two-person interview and you have a limited amount of time, it does limit the interviewer's ability. I don't think this is going to be the last we hear of her, though. This is going to be the first. But I do think that question of can she do it alone will loom.

And they will have to be able to put her out in spaces where she is answering confrontational questions and laying out her vision by herself. If this is all we get in terms of her along with Wallace, I do think those questions will ring out further. Scott, in terms Let me... I'm trying my best. I'm trying my best not to cuss. I'm trying, y'all, I'm trying my best not to cuss right now. I might end up throwing something. I'm trying not best not to cuss right now. I might end up throwing something. I'm trying not to throw nothing.

So let me just rearrange stuff on the desk so I don't sit here and throw something. Cause I don't like throwing stuff cause then you gotta clean up the stuff. So, okay, so this is my problem with what I just heard. First of all, the brother of Stead is talking about, well, you know, I've interviewed her and when she's doing, you know, these interviews. Okay, so let me remind people of something. When he was interviewing her, she was the vice.

She's the vice president. So therefore, she's supporting the policies of the president. So then when he's like, well, you know, if you watch the convention, it was like a continuation of Biden policies. She's the vice president. Can we stop acting like she wasn't there? Can we stop acting like the policies of Biden-Harris have not been successful? Can we look at the economy? Can we look at bringing inflation down? Can we look at the infrastructure bill? Can we look at student debt relief? Can we look at these things and say, oh, I'm sorry, they've actually done some stuff that's worked. So why

in the hell would you not continue some of that? But here's the other thing that's really pissing me off. And let me show y'all, and it's pissing me off because if y'all want to understand why Vice President Kamala Harris and her campaign are sick and tired of all of these whiny-ass

media people, here's the bullshit right here. Mark Knoller, longtime CBS. Should CNN have insisted on a one-on-one interview with Harris and turned down a joint interview with Harrison Walls? Too tough to walk away from, but first question to Harris ought to be, why shouldn't, couldn't she appear solo?

Okay, let me show y'all this one here. This is Ari Fleischer. Okay. Whining and complaining and here it is. Why is walls there? Is Harris afraid to stand on her own two feet? Does she need walls to take half the questions so she talk less? After refusing to do any interviews and hiding for a month, Harris still won't sit for a one-on-one interview.

She is weak and not ready for the job. Okay, so y'all, this is all that they have been talking about. Huh, okay. How about this here? Let me see here. Okay, so y'all, this is all that they have been talking about. Huh, okay. How about this here? Let me see here. Y'all just hold on. I just want to show y'all something.

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 thing is. Benny the Butcher.

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

It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I 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 brought to you by Opportunity at Work and the Ad Council. Because obviously all of these idiots have forgotten this. Hmm. Let me pull this up. Let me go to this right now.

This is 2008. What is this? This is the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric. Come on. Go to it. Who do you see? Sarah Palin. Who was Senator John McCain's nominee for president. She's sitting in an interview. Let me just sort of scrub, scrub this. So, uh-oh, my God, who do I see right here? I see McCain and Palin sitting for an interview. Really? Yeah, sit for an interview. Let me go back here. So let me see about this here. Uh-huh. Obama and Biden and joint interview. Let me see if I can come up with a moment where the two of them actually sat down for a joint interview.

Yeah, it actually happened. It actually happened. Oh, let me also, if I go through here, you know what I'm going to find? I'm going to find video of Mitt Romney and guess what? Congressman Paul Ryan sitting for a joint interview. And I'm also going to find,

I'm going to find Donald Trump and Mike Pence sitting for a joint interview. I'm going to find Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine sitting for a joint interview. I'm also going to find, I'm actually going to find Trump and J.D. Vance sitting for a joint interview. So I'm sorry. Help me out. 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020, 2024, the nominee as well as the VP pick have sat down for joint interviews on both sides. So Gavin, why in the hell all of a sudden it's like, oh my God, goodness, the walls

are coming down because Vice President Kamala Harris is just doing the exact same thing that Trump, Obama, Biden, Hillary, McCain, all of them did. Well, I guess what does she have that they don't have in common with her? I wonder what. Maybe it's that she's a black woman. And maybe it's that the level of scrutiny that we've seen for Vice President Kamala Harris since before she was even picked by President Joe Biden to be his running mate has been unparalleled. You really think that they would, that the reporters would be, would be saying, oh, this, you know, Mitt Romney,

John McCain, not up to the job, not ready for the. Like, like, like, hold on. You keep talking, go to my iPad while you're talking. And I want to show y'all. Hmm. Here we go. Here we go. Hold up. Here we go. Hmm. Here we go. Okay. What's the big deal? Gavin, go ahead. You know, the thing is, I don't know if people realize it, but Kamala Harris has been in public service since, well, I won't give a year, but Kamala Harris has been in public service for longer than John F. Kennedy was by the time he became president. Kamala Harris has had one employer throughout her whole entire career, and that's been the American people.

She served as a prosecutor in the Bay Area. She served as district attorney of San Francisco. She served as a United States senator from California. I skipped over AG of California, and now she's Vice President. So I'm really not sure what else the media is looking for from her before they can say that she's ready for the— Because here's what they're doing, Rebecca, and I saw you shaking your head when we were playing the video.

Here's what they're doing. J.D. Vance and the Republicans start at this talking point. And then the media said, oh, let's run with it. And so they've been running with it since before the convention, no interviews, no interviews. And I saw it happening. And I said on this show, y'all, what was about to happen? And so they seized on it because they needed something else.

The whole deal was we need to create tension. We need to create drama. Oh, my God, she's not talking to us. Then they bitched and moaned in Chicago, why we got all these content creators here? Why do they got access, better access than us? Because they want to be coddled. And here's a deal to the brother to the New York Times

and all the rest of them. Guess what? Y'all don't get to run this shit anymore. Y'all are no longer the gatekeepers. In New York Times, in the Washington Post, and CNN, and the Wall Street Journal, and you see today, y'all no longer get to control

how people get access. To everybody who's watching, let me explain to y'all the real secret in media. All of these outlets, national newscasts, local newscasts, they actually had their stories and their lineups determined by what was in the New York Times and the Washington Post and the big outlets and the daily newspapers. Well, guess what?

You don't have to do that now. You now can actually reach millions of people via podcasts, via blogs, via social media, via Instagram and TikTok. And why they're angry? Because they no longer get to control access. They no longer control the information. So that's why when The New York Times writes a bullshit headline, they get called out because folks like that's trash. That's why the New York Times has been pissed off of Rebecca for four years because President Joe Biden hasn't given them a one-on-one interview. Joe Biden basically says, New York Times, kiss my ass. So is it a Stan or a Steve Wesley?

A Stan Wesley? Yeah, a Stan. I don't know what the hell. A stand, something. Yeah, so here's the thing. It's really rich with what came out first. His first issue saying, oh, they're talking directly to voters. As if

that's a problem. That's the job of a candidate, is to talk directly to voters. The other thing is, the interview that he did and the article that he referenced, actually read read that article and it was extremely bad. It was very poor journalism and it read like a- Oh yeah, I saw that article as well. And yeah, it was awful. In search of Kamala Harris. Yes, in search of Kamala Harris. So what these people are doing are letting you know who has been backstabbing and planning these fake stories in the media that has been bad-mouthing her for the last three and a half years.

We saw her first year. We saw her second year. If you notice, all the Beltway and the Inside and the Access Journalism journalists have been the ones who have been the sources, in my opinion, for some of these stories. They didn't even name names where they were getting information. They were just quoting each other. And so Estede is part of that class. New York Times peddles an anti-Blackness, and Estede is showing that he buys into some of that anti-Blackness, too. So it's very laughable hearing him complain on CNN, oh, we're not getting access.

I was also in Chicago last week. 15,000 media credentials was passed out. There were only 200 content creators. So for people to complain that, oh, we only got 15,000 passes, but then these other people got 200 passes. Well, guess what? I saw how hungry a lot of those content creators were. They were everywhere. They were bird-dogging stories. They were going after sources and talking to people to introduce their audiences to all of the principals that were in

Chicago last week. I didn't see a lot of the traditional media doing that. I saw them talking to the same three types of people and chasing the three types of stories. So you get what you get. They got what they got by the New York Times being a part of this. Let's pull Biden off the ticket. Great. You got it. But what you didn't plan on was that Kamala Harris was then going to rise to the top of the ticket and that she, for all means, looks like that she's going to be victorious in November. That's not what the New York Times planned on. I thought they were going to get Gavin Newsom. Yeah. And I'm just like,

they're driving me crazy. And what was also driving me crazy are these people who want to weigh in, who clearly never took a civics class, who don't understand government. I saw a tweet today by comedian Lil Duvall who said, all the politicians are pandering, anybody pandering to black men. And I actually had to send him a text, and I tweeted, Vice President Kamala Harris has been meeting with black men for the last 3 and 1

half years. What the hell are y'all talking about? This ain't nothing new. I'm like, so it's on our Instagram page. It's on our Twitter page. But what really gets me are the people who are asking questions who literally don't understand the basics of civics. My next guest dropped a video where he laid that out. And I love the video. and he did it in the previous

election cycle because it's real basic. And, you know, and I love it because by put into a hip hop. I know a lot of cops and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes, but there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. Across the country, cops called this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company

dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season One, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes

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

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

We have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote drug man. Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown. 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. 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. Brought to you by Opportunity at Work and the Ad Council.

I beat, hopefully folk begin to understand it. Y'all go ahead and roll it. It's a way we can win, why won't nobody say it? It don't matter where we from, suburbs or the slums. They don't want to see us winning. They'd rather keep us dumb. Could have the world, but we don't know how. Don't let them tell you that your vote don't count. Well, he was in the office for eight years, bro.

Still ain't getting nothing done for him. Bro, you and me done worked at this barbershop them whole eight years, bro. They don't care about us, bro. That's fact though. I really don't even remember the last time a president did something for us, to be honest. Yeah, I ain't trying to go out on that sun and vote. Bro, you literally don't know what you're talking about.

First thing first, you know back in middle school when they taught us it was three branches of the government? We forgot it when we got older. It's the judicial the legislative and executive, but all we know is the executive That's the mayor or the governor and the president now none of them three people make no laws They just be checking the laws come to their deaths and all they do is say no or yes to it So when the news station tried to tell us that Barack Obama couldn't put us on We was all Saudi at Obama when it was the Congress members all along. We got to focus on the legislative branch.

Yeah, they the ones that make the laws. Yeah, they the ones write how much food, stamp money you get on the car. But when people that wanted to help us wanted a job, I know they probably lost. Because we ain't even know their name. We ain't know their face. We ain't know it all.

So the Congress or the State House, that's legislative. They make laws. So what we want from the president is what they do. Okay, y'all? See, they election every two years. But we don't ever even go to those. The Congress, they can raise minimum wage.

But we ain't even really know it, though. So you know how back in 08, when we all voted for Obama, we was all supposed to go back in 2010 and vote for the Congress. Because they the ones make child support laws. They the ones choose if your kids at school get to eat steak or corn dogs. The statehouse make the courthouse. So if the country failed, then you can't say it's them. It's your fault. We'll be right back. The judicial that's judges. They the reason why John Crawford and Trayvon they had justice So when Meek Mill got locked up just for popping willies We blame the judge and not the city when they let her get voted in cuz they know who to vote against

Imagine life on the other side roads better schools better everybody get their license back grocery store food better Custody of your kids back homeless people get new shelters if we gonna fix the US We gotta start with them two letters, me and you. Somebody told us that the government wanna keep us broke, but the only reason why those people in the government is cause we ain't vote. And I ain't talking about the president, I'm talking about the ones we ain't know. See, they was gonna try to keep it low, but it's gonna hurt them when they see the I know the world won't give me nothing, so I got to take it. And I know it's a way we can win.

Why won't nobody say it? It don't matter where we from, suburbs or the snows. They don't want to see us winning. They'd rather keep us gone. Could have the world, but we don't know how. Don't let them tell you that your rapper Yellow Payne. The video is My Vote Don't Count. He did that with my girl, 7th Street,

or he joins us right now. Man, you have no idea. When I first saw this video, I was like, oh my God, thank goodness. And when you laid out in the video, y'all didn't come back in 2010 and that's when they took over. When they took over, I remember sitting on a set, bro, at CNN that night

and it was horrible. I'm sitting there and Eric Erickson with redstate.com, major conservative, giddy as hell, he was sitting here, he was just sitting there going, we flipped 16 state legislatures. We flipped governor's mansions. They took over, he was sitting there, I was sitting there and I was like, shit.

And it was there, and after 2010, North Carolina, they start changing the voting laws, and then Shelby v. Holder, and it was all downhill. Democrats lost more than 1,000 seats all across the country because folk was so hyped about Obama, they forgot as you laid out the rest of the political infrastructure. Yeah. So when you did this video, what year did you do this?

The video was in 2020. Did something piss you off where you were like, yo, I got to do this? Honestly, yeah, learning the information is actually what pissed me off, to be honest. Because prior to that song, I was on the complete other side of voting. Like I was just like a lot of, you know, the young people now who are like, you know what I'm saying? The electoral college, you know, they choose who the president is. So I'm not voting.

You know, I had voted for Obama back in 2012. And at that time I was struggling. I was broken. I was like, you know what I'm saying? And I remember like the slogan, yes, we can. Yes, we can. I was saying it, you know what I mean? Like, you know, I was, I was looking forward to my community changing. And then when things didn't change, you know, within the next few years, I was just so discouraged from the whole system. I had to put so much work in to make my life change. And I was like, you know, the president would never

help us. And then I had a cousin, Desiree Tim. She was running for Congress for 2020, but she reached out to me like midway through 2019, maybe somewhere around like April, May. And then she started to tell me about, you know, well, she asked me, why don't you, you know, well, first she asked me to make the song. And I told her no, because of those reasons. And then she said, well, why don't you, you know, well, first she asked me to make the song. And I told her, no, because of those reasons. And then she said, well, why don't you want to vote? You know what I'm saying? What are some things that you want to see changed? And I started to name them. And everything that I named, she hit me right back. I told her the potholes in the street. She said, well, you know,

it's an infrastructure bill. It's a transportation bill that can be passed that could get the road work expedited. And she was going through all of these things from getting people out of jail. And mind you, I'm one of those people, like, I was already, like, pretty much famous, you know what I mean? So, you know, I have millions of views and stuff. So I do very deep emotional passion

in music. So I'm on fire for changing my community and the things I could do. I come from a really big family, so I'm always on fire for things that can help, you know, the state of my community and the things I could do. I come from a really big family, so I'm always on fire for things that can help, you know, the state of my community. So when I found out that voting was actually the key to changing all of the things, even on a small level, when she was telling me about the state and local government, it's kind of sad because those are things that I had never even knew existed.

I never knew none of those things existed. And you're seeing it repeated today. You know, people are complaining and putting so much pressure on Kamala and Trump. And what are they going to do for the black community? And they're not even asking their city council. They're not even asking people on the school board how they plan to allocate the money. You know what I'm saying? Like when they get elected.

Here's a perfect example. Today, Texas Governor Greg Abbott posted his tweet. Oh, $140 billion coming to Texas from infrastructure. His punk ass didn't say, thank you, Joe. Thank you, Kamala. Because it was the infrastructure bill that they passed and that money comes to Texas. And people, and you people say,

well, man, look at Abbott doing a great job. No, that money that come from him came from the federal government. And so it's so important because, listen, my parents were founders of a civic club. So I literally saw this stuff up close and personal when I was eight, nine, 10, 11, 12. So I've lived it my whole life

on the ground, basic community-based stuff. And you're right. So many people just have no clue. And then they look at you like you're crazy, like, what you talking about? The president controls everything. I'm like, no, they don't. Yeah. And that's what really

upset me into making the song. You know what I mean? It was like, you know, I have been lied to. You know what I mean? And not even just lied to, but just completely uninformed about how the process worked. And once I fully understood, you know, just how important it was, it's like, if I don't do this, who will? You know what I mean? If I break this down, who will? Like, I make music that help people understand things that they just may have turned a blind eye to.

Yep. And that's what I did with this song. Questions from my panelists. Robert had to go. Rebecca, what's your question for Yellowpaint? Sure. What do you think the message should be, especially with targeting black men, the importance of voting and targeting black men to convince them that it's in their best interest, it's in their family's best interest for them to vote? I think what the turning point for me was and what I think the turning point will be for a lot of other black men is instead of telling them we're always telling you know what i mean we're always saying go vote go vote go vote but they don't know why they should vote yep i mean they

have no idea why they should vote and trust is everything and right now it's in short supply you know i mean many voters feel like the the system doesn't matter they're not understanding um you know promises feel empty empty as police brutality and, you know, economic inequality, all type of things. So I think the biggest thing that we need to do is ask them. That's what we need to do. Ask them individually, what are some things that you want to see change? You got people who got friends that's incarcerated for crimes that are nonviolent that happened 20 years ago. And there are people on a state level and on a local level who can change certain things.

And if we're not, and even presidential, but a lot of times we don't know where these individual issues are allocated. And if they don't know, they'll always be discouraged. They'll never know how it can directly affect their lives. There are things in people's lives that can be changed almost immediately after an election, depending on who's elected or who's not elected. But if the whole focus is on the president, things may never change. What I do is when I encounter people, I ask them, what are the three things you care the most about? The three things I tell them. And then I say, now, let me explain to you on that particular issue, who's permanently responsible?

Yeah, school board, city council, county government, state or federal government, and walk people through that way. Kevin. Hey, man. Thank you for using your platform to speak up on these issues. And I think this is the work that'll really make a difference in November, but way beyond that. So I guess the question I have for you is what advice would you have to candidates up and down

the ballot who are trying to build trust with, you know, black men, let's say, you know, do you have any, any tips for how they can actually, you know, make meaningful relationships and build trust so that, you know, our people are receptive to the messages that they're being that they're being told? Well, I think the first thing is to stop running a fire drill. You know what I mean? But we don't see candidates until every four years. And, you know, like like I feel like years ago, like prior to social media, it was a lot easier to kind of like trick people a little bit, but now people not dumb. You know what I'm saying? We're not seeing you for years. And then out of nowhere, this is the most important election of our life. I've heard that every single election, there has not been an election in my lifetime that I didn't

hear a candidate out of their mouth say, this is the most important election of your lifetime. So first off, I think it's not a short-term game. You know what I mean? It's not about trying to hurry up and convert these people for votes. What should we do to talk to the black men? First off, we have to start younger, you know, because a lot of people right now, they're so into their own ideologies of how things work. And we're trying to convert these people, then we got a whole group of people that are 14, 15, 16,

17 that'll be able to vote soon and we're not even targeting them. We're not teaching them, we're educating them. So I think we need to A, start younger, B, do what we said and ask them what they need, the things that they want to see change and i

think we have to start education we have to educate them on how the system works you know i mean without education we're going to always have a play a blame game you know i mean and we need to let them know one thing for sure is that not voting is still voting you know i mean you are making a conscious choice and let them know that there are people that have your life in their hands and people that are controlling everything about your life from the water you drink to the air you breathe to the trash pickup to what your kids eat in school. We got to make it practical. We got to bring it to their front door and let them know, teach them the system. Because honestly, if I was never taught the system, I would be the same person I was in 2019 when I was telling my cousin, listen, I don't want to hear all that.

Everything I got, I got on my own. I got it out the mud. No presidential candidate, no candidate, nobody in the office ever helped me. I did this. This is my, you know what I mean? And at the end of the day, it's not all economic. I think that's another big thing is that we put so much energy into the economic things. Right.

Secure the bag. Secure the bag. That when people start to say, well, I don't need the president or I don't need to focus on voting because I know how to get money. And then, you know, abortion laws get reversed. And it's like, oh, shit, what happened? You know what I mean? It's because we don't know. We don't know what's going on.

So I think education is one of the most important things. Absolutely. Yellow Paint, have you, last question for you, have you endorsed anybody? Are you choosing not to? Just your thoughts on this campaign. Just curious. I'm not endorsing anybody, and the reason being

is because when you, I feel like when you push your education, especially in a season like this, right? Like, even after the election, I can say who I may have voted for or not, but when you push your education, you can get, like, the, the, the, it can get lost in translation, right? Everybody

has an agenda right now. Everybody's getting, you know, there's money going in different places, and, and, and it's hard, like I said, trust is everything in the city. I got it. Right now, you know what I mean? Well, it's hard. Like I said, trust is everything in the same spot right now. You know what I mean? Well, it's sort of like, look, this implies he's supportive of Kamala, Vice President Kamala Harris. But he's made it clear he's not doing anything with the campaign. He's like, yo, he said his position is I'm stronger by being independent, not tied to anybody,

just standing on my position, helping folks out, educating them. So totally, totally understand that. But man, look, I appreciate it. Great job with the video. Don't be surprised if we run it again, because I think more people need to see it and hear it because what you, listen, you're right. What you laid out in that video, I encounter,

I travel this country, and every city I go to, I hear the exact same thing and you got to walk people through to get them to understand how this whole thing works. And so brother, I appreciate it. Thank you so very much. I'm about to jump on our wind with black men call. So they're waiting on me right now. So I'm about to hop over there. And so I appreciate it. Welcome back to the show. Anytime. Thank you for having me. I appreciate it. Thanks a bunch. Gavin, Rebecca, thank you so having me. I appreciate it. Thanks a bunch. Gavin, Rebecca,

thank you so very much. Robert as well. We got to go to a break. We come back, y'all. The second hour of Roller Mountain Unfiltered will be our win with a black man call. As I said, they're waiting for me right now. And so when we come back, we're going to be on that particular call right here. Roller

Mountain Unfiltered, the Black Star Network. Support the work that we do. Join our Bring the Funk fan club. Send your check and money. Order at PO Box 57196, Washington, D.C., 20037-0196. Cash app, dollar sign, RM Unfiltered. PayPal, RM Martin Unfiltered. Vimos, RM Unfiltered. Zelle, Roland at RolandSMartin.com.

Roland at RolandMartinUnfiltered.com. We'll be right back. Hatred on the streets. A horrific scene. A white nationalist rally that descended into deadly violence. On that soil, you will not be free. White people are losing their damn minds. There's an angry pro-Trump mob storming 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 everyory University calls white rage as a backlash. This is the rise of the Proud Boys and the Boogaloo Boys. America, there's going to be more of this. There's all the Proud Boys, guys.

This country is getting increasingly racist in its behaviors and its attitudes because of the fear of white people. The fear that they're taking our jobs, they're taking our resources, they're taking our women. This is white fear. We talk about blackness and what happens in black culture. We're about covering these things that matter to us, speaking to our issues and concerns. This is a genuine people powered movement. A lot of stuff that we're not getting, you get it and you spread the word. We wish to plead our own cause Too long have others spoken for us. We cannot tell our own story if we can't pay for it

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The Cash App is Dollar Sign RM Unfiltered. PayPal is R. Martin Unfiltered. Venmo is RM Unfiltered. Zelle is Roland at RolandSMartin.com. Next, on The Black Table with me, Greg Carr. We featured the brand new work of Professor Angie Porter, which, simply put, is a revolutionary reframing of the African experience in this country. It's the one legal article everyone, and I mean everyone, should read. Professor Porter and Dr. Valetia Watkins, our legal roundtable team, join us to explore the paper that I guarantee is going to prompt a major

aha moment in our culture. You crystallize it by saying, who are we to other people? Who are African people to others? Governance is our thing. Who are we to each other? The structures we create for ourselves, how we order the universe as African people. That's next on The Black Table, here on The Black Star Network. Now streaming on The Black Star Network. Now streaming on the Blackstar Network. I still have my NFL contract in my house. I'm having a case. It's four of them. My four-year contract. I got a $600,000

signing bonus. My base salary for that first year was $150,000. Matter of fact... $150,000. $150,000. That's what I made, $150,000. Now, think about it. My signing bonus was a forgivable loan, supposedly. When I got traded to the Colts, they made me pay back my signing bonus to them.

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

I gave him that $600,000 back. But yet, I was this malcontent. I was a bad guy. I wasn't about the money. It wasn't about the money. It was about doing right. Because I was looking at, because you look at contracts.

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

I mean, you don't forget that kind of stuff. Right. That stuff is hurtful.. Thank you. All right, folks, we are back for the second hour of Rolling Stone, the Black Star Network. We also are live with our win. I know a lot of cops, and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes.

But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. Across the country, cops called this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season One, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season One, Taser Incorporated, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st and episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th.

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

Real people, real perspectives. This is kind of star-studded a little bit, man. We got Ricky Williams, NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner. It's just a compassionate choice to allow players all reasonable means to care for themselves. Music stars Marcus King, John Osborne from Brothers Osborne. We have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote drug ban. 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. 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 tearthepaperceiling.org. Brought to you by Opportunity at Work and the Ad Council. A black man called. We've got some great guests lined up. healing.org brought to you by opportunity at work and the ad council. We've got some great guests lined up. We're going to kick this thing off with prayer with my alpha brother,

Mike Blake with Kairos might go and get us started. Father God, we come to you at this hour to say, thank you. Thank you for allowing us to be here. Once again, thank you for the ability to be in your space. As we celebrate this anniversary on the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, let us recognize that our job is not done. Let us recognize that our pursuit for freedom is not done. So for us as black men, we have more work to do and we're excited to do that work in the legacy of Dr. King, Dr. Durley, in the legacy of a Gilchrist and a Davis and the legacy of a Wes Moore and Andre Dickens. Whoever the name may be, we say thank you. We thank you for those that have come together, for all that are here, for Women with Black Men and Collective, for Black Star

Network, for Cairo. It is our moment. It is our time to step up and to lead once more. So we just ask you to watch over, guide us, and protect us this day and every day. We ask this in your name. Amen. All right then, Reverend Dr. Mike Blake, we appreciate that. Thank you so very much. Folks, we've got some great guests lined up, including Lieutenant Governor of Michigan, Garland Gilchrist, Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania, Austin Davis, and also Congressman Stephen Horsford, Chair of Nevada Nevada Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, who's also been named today co-chair of the Harris-Walls presidential campaign. Of course, this is our Win With Black Men call. We've had a couple others before, but, of course,

we've been making this thing happen. I want to bring in right now Khalil Thompson, the Executive Director of Win With Black Men. Khalil? Roland, so good to see you. So good to see you. How are you, sir? Great.

I know I just wanted to send some prayers over to you. I know it's been an interesting week. So you're in our thoughts and prayers, brother. I want to start this call off by letting everybody know this is a monumental occasion in history. Today, on August 28, 1963, was the March on Washington. We are all here gathered on this call tonight because we believe in the power of our voice and our vote. We know that this is a performance review for all of those who are willing to be elected officials, but even more so, we believe we have the greatest and best candidate in Kamala Harris to be our next president of these United States. Tonight, we're going to hear as our host

and moderator, Roland Martin said, some dynamic speakers from Lieutenant Governor Garland Gilchrist, Lieutenant Governor Austin Davis of Pennsylvania, and Gilchrist from Michigan. I know we have Jevian Hodge and CBC Chairman Congressman Horsford is going to be on shortly. Again, just excited for everyone to be here, but want them to be on the lookout. Today, we sent our resource email out, the top five things that you should know about Kamala Harris and the Walls campaign. We're going to be hearing from voter protection from that campaign and what we need to do to protect our vote going into this election cycle. But again, I'm really excited for all to be here. My team member, Mike McQuarrie on Women with Black Men is going to take this conversation over for the rest of the night. But excited with my co-hosts, Michael Blake, Quentin James, Bakari Sellers,

and Roland Martin to be in this work with each and every one of you. All right. Appreciate it. So what y'all, what Khalil was representing Thursday, my sister, Kenya Martin Williams, passed away at the age of 49. And so be headed to Houston tomorrow for her funeral on Saturday. So I certainly appreciate all the thoughts and prayers as well. Let me go to Quentin James, president of the Collective PAC, as well as the Vote to Live Action Fund. Quentin. Hey, Roland, everybody. Thank you all so much for being here tonight. As Khalil mentioned, this is a historic day, and we are on a historic march towards this election.

The biggest thing I want people to know is this is now, we are now entering election season. Election day is November 5th for most Americans. Folks start receiving ballots next week in North Carolina. People requested absentee ballots by mail. Early voting starts in Pennsylvania on September 16th. And so we are literally 10, 20, 30 days away from people casting ballots in some of the most important swing states. And so over the next few days and weeks, you will be getting text messages, emails about volunteer opportunities. We will need you all to help us make tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of phone calls, text messages,

and even knocking on doors to target the right black voters to turn out and vote for Kamala Harris. So we'll have more information about that in the next few days. But again, thank you all for having me. Thanks for being here. We'll get a little bit more into the conversation throughout the evening. All right, Quentin, we certainly appreciate it. Thanks a lot. Telling us right now, Bakari Sellers, author, commentator on CNN and also attorney.

Yeah, what's going on, guys? Bakari Sellers here. Roland, I want you to know that you are somebody we look up to and adore during times of need and times of prayer. It's groups like this that lift you up, and I want you to know that we're lifting you up in prayer. I love you.

I love your family, and I hope that you can feel. My prayers probably won't make it all the way up, and so I'm going to have the twins pray for you tonight, so I'll make sure that we get through. I appreciate it. I love how we had michael blake out here praying uh as well earlier today i won't tell him that i try to drink all the tequila in his club uh on last week at the dnc um but look guys the rubber's meeting the road right now. These calls have gone from, you know, kind of kumbaya, this is our candidate, let's mobilize, let me tell you the reasons why, to activation. There are action items we must take. We must realize the deadlines to register people to vote.

We must understand the early voting deadlines. We must gas up the buses, the church buses, the D9 buses, the showing up at the high school football games, the homecoming games, our alumni associations, all of those things. Now is the time where we must turn it up. I can tell you that I do believe that the vice president of the United States is keenly aware of these calls and hopefully will be joining us in the near future. But regardless of what is happening on the campaign, we must continue to lift. I'll share one little nugget with you. Here in South Carolina, at the University of South Carolina, much to the chagrin of myself and Joe Tecca and people like Steve Benjamin, they are having a, in part in my language, Reverend Blake,

but they're having a roast of cumula, they spelled it C-U-M-A-L-A, on the campus, housed on the campus of the University of South Carolina. I tell you that Milo Yelanopoulos, or whatever his name is, the former chief of staff for Kanye West, and one of the more misogynistic, racist, xenophobic individuals we've ever heard of, and Gavin McGinnis, who is the, I may be pronouncing his last name wrong, the founder of the Proud Boys, they are going to college campuses to try to mold these young minds and just talk in the most derogatory terms possible. But this is an opportunity where we as Black men can stand firm, can stand and lift up. These young folk can be in a position, and I will send information out, particularly through Quentin and Michael, about how we can help mobilize these younger groups. NAACP at the University of South

Carolina is doing great work there. But it's just, if you think it's bad, like I've always told people in South Carolina, one of the things that we say is that when they go low, we go to hell. And so we're going to have to meet them there just to fight for our sister Kamala Harris. I love all of you all. I'm very appreciative of all the love and support. Let's just keep this going. Roland, my prayers are out with you. I love you probably more than you know. So I appreciate your work, your words. And as your family goes through this time, remember that only when it's darkest can you see my brother. Thank you so very much. Thanks a bunch. We've got a couple of lieutenant governors who we want to get on very quickly. Michigan is a critical state for Vice President

Kamala Harris, Governor Tim Walz. Joining us right now, he's been on two of our previous calls, is Lieutenant Governor of Michigan, Garland Gilchrist. We want to go to him right now. Roland, my brother, thank you so much. Thank you to Bakari, to Quentin, to Michael, to everybody who came together to host this, Blake. Thank you all so much for the leadership you showed, for bringing Black men together for this important movement, at this important moment in our present and in our history and in our future. I'm Garland Gilchrist, lieutenant governor of the great state of Michigan. I wanted to give you a quick update on, you know, I'm a little bit biased, but I think this is a state that will be pivotal to deciding this election. And so I want to let folks know a couple of things. The energy

continues to be really incredible in Michigan. Coming off of when the Vice President and the Governor came here a couple weeks before the convention, people are riding high coming off of the convention in Chicago. But now, as we wake up here on another day in Michigan, there's more voters to contact and more work to do. I'm kind of taking the lead role in making sure that we are reaching out to Black voters in the most effective way possible and to younger voters in the most effective way possible. Michigan has made some big changes in the last two years

with the Democratic trifecta that we have alongside me and Governor Gretchen Whitmer that I think are going to make a difference for voter turnout that we have to take advantage of. First and foremost is that, you know, absentee voting is going to start in Michigan the day after my birthday, September 26th. And so we want to make sure that as many people are requesting absentee ballots in our state as possible. We have our organizers trained up and ready to do so. The second thing is that we implemented early voting here in the state of Michigan. Nine days of early voting. So we're encouraging people, for those who may not vote absentee, but to go and vote early so that votes can be already cast

and ready to be counted quickly on Election Day. Because it's important that we really leave no doubt about this Michigan victory. And the bigger that it is, the less susceptible it will be to the inevitable legal challenges that are going to come from it. But the third thing that really inspires me about what we're seeing in Michigan is this unprecedented energy from young voters. So we passed a preregistration law so that 17-year-olds could get registered to vote

ahead of their 18th birthday. And Michigan actually has now almost 80 percent of our 18-year-olds registered to vote. A bunch of them have signed up to register to vote just in the last five weeks since the vice president has sent it to the top of the ticket. That's exciting because I think that most of those young people are coming in prime to vote for the vice president. But now we've got to do the work to actually organize, meet them where they are, and talk to them. And so I'm meeting those folks where they are all across the state of Michigan, in the city of Detroit, where I live, in places like Flint, Michigan, and Bend Harbor, Michigan, where a lot of Black folks live, but also in places in rural Michigan where these younger voters are hungry for a clean energy future that we can deliver to Michigan and in

America. So I'm really enthused and encouraged by that, but registered voters aren't good enough. We need to have actual voters, mobilized voters, engaged and informed voters. And the resources that come from a call organized like this one help us be able to build the team, to build the squad, to do the work, to reach the people, to have the conversations that, frankly, only we can have. To not have a generic conversation about voting, but a real conversation about power, a real conversation about the future, the future that you want to see, the way that voting can help you get there, that it is one step to take to seizing the power that you already have, and know that we're going to try to be a model

for that here in Michigan. I'm hoping that as many people as possible on this call actually make it their business to come see me in Michigan so we can organize, mobilize, and energize more and more people. I have events happening through September more people. I'll have been talking through September and October that I'll make sure that the team is able to make folks aware of. We've had surrogates coming in already and we'll see more and more as we go forward. So

just thank everybody for being open to that, willing to step in and stand tall alongside us here in Michigan. As Michigan goes, so will go the country and we plan to go for Vice President Kamala Harris. So thanks Black men for stepping up and being you. Lieutenant Governor Garland Gilchrist, we certainly appreciate it. Thanks a lot. Let's go to another lieutenant governor, folks in a battleground state that is Pennsylvania. Join us right now, Lieutenant Governor Austin Davis. How are you doing, Doc? I'm doing great, Roland. Great to be with all you brothers today. My condolences to you, keeping your family in my prayers as well. You know, it's great to see so many black men energized and ready to mobilize for Kamala Harris.

I have been so excited as I've crisscrossed Pennsylvania for the last few weeks talking about the vice president's message and what the great thing she's going to do once we elect her to office. But, you know, we've been having real conversations, particularly with black men, who quite frankly feel like the system just doesn't work for them. And I think it's going to be important that black men show up and talk about and talk to each other about how we can begin to solve some of the biggest problems in our communities, why we have to be engaged in the electoral process. I've been proud to chair the Black Voters for Harris of Pennsylvania to help make sure we're turning out Black voters, not just in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, but all across Pennsylvania and small communities like Erie and Chester and McKeesport and Aliquippa,

because we know black people live everywhere. I want to echo the invitation that my colleague L.G. Gilchrist gave. Pennsylvania is going to be a close state. We know that the last election was decided by half a percentage point. I believe this election is going to be equally as close. We really could use all hands on deck. I've been so excited to see the energy on the ground here in Pennsylvania. Since Kamala Harris ascended to the top of the ticket, we've had over 40,000 people sign up to register with the Democratic Party, sign up to volunteer with the Democratic Party in this election. So we are super excited to see the energy on the ground. But we need to

translate that into doors. So if folks want to come to Pennsylvania, I want to meet you. I want to campaign with you. I want you to engage with us because as Pennsylvania and Michigan goes, the country's going to go. And it's so critical to make sure that we use every power and our resource to elect Kamala Harris. And look, the alternative isn't just a bad candidate. The alternative is Donald Trump, somebody who is openly espoused racist views, who has openly talked about taking America backwards, who really, who we know what he did when he had four years in the White House, and that wasn't center of the concern. It's a black and brown people. So I'm proud to be with you all in this fight.

I look forward to helping to lead us on to victory here in Pennsylvania. I believe we will win, but we have to do the work to get there. So thank you all for being here, and it's great to be with you all in this fight. All right, then, Lieutenant Governor Austin Davis of Pennsylvania, we certainly appreciate you joining us on this call. Just to give some folks perspective in terms of how we see these things changing, polling data comes out all the time. And let me be real clear. When you look at this polling data, and we keep saying this over and over and over again, don't just get focused on polling data.

Vice President Kamala Harris keeps saying, run as if we are behind. Run as if we're operating as underdogs. Fox News polling comes out, shows her up two points in Georgia, two points in Nevada, Arizona, showing down in North Carolina. Polls are going to change every single day. Not a single poll has ever won an election. What wins the elections are when people show up, turn up, show up, turn up, and turn out. So those things have to happen. Also understand what's happening in Texas. They moved some one

million people in terms of off the voting rolls. So we want everybody who's watching and listening to check your voter status. Go to IWillVote.com, check your voter status. We see these shenanigans happening in Georgia, in Florida, and other places. And so we want you to always protect yourself when it comes to voting. And when I say, folks, why our voting matters, I'm going to use the example of Wisconsin. I'm going to bring up former Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes of Wisconsin. In 2022, he was running for the United States Senate against MAGA Senator Ron Johnson. Well, what happened? In Milwaukee alone, it was a tight race. You had a lot of third-party groups and PACs who were pouring money into there, saying he wanted

to defund the police, who were attacking Black Lives Matter, all those different things. 50,000 fewer people voted in Milwaukee. 50,000 fewer people voted in Milwaukee, just Milwaukee, in 2022 than the people who voted in 2020. Why am I saying that? Because many of us turn out in presidential elections. We don't turn out in midterms. Same thing happened. Obama gets elected in 2008. We don't show up in the 2010 midterms. 16 state legislatures flipped. Republicans take control of governor's mansions, take control of one of the branches in the federal level. And then you begin to see all of these laws then coming out. Well, in Wisconsin, 50,000 people,

a few people voted in Milwaukee. Mandela Barnes loses to Ron Johnson by 26,000 votes. If those 50,000 people show up in 2022, we're not introducing him right now as former Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes. We'll be saying here is U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, Mandela Barnes. That's why you must understand every single election is crucial. So let's go to Mandela Barnes right now.

Hey, man, thank you so much for setting the stage. And I got on a little bit late so if condolences are in order, please accept them from me didn't get to hear the situation I appreciate it it's my sister who passed away, but go right ahead my brother Yeah man, certainly, sorry to hear that

this is, I'm glad you set the stage I'm glad you talked about my race and the importance of the context of where we are now versus where we were two years ago, because at this point, late August of 2022, I was way ahead in the polls, but unfortunately had been left behind. And there was just this battering of negative attack ads that went up on air from third party groups. You mentioned the 26,000 votes that I lost by the 1%. That all equaled to $26 million that my campaign was outspent by third-party groups.

And these are the same folks that are lining up, planning to do the same exact thing to Kamala Harris. I was at the gym today. I saw it was essentially the same exact commercial from two years ago. They just took me out of it and put her in it. And they're going to try to do everything to distort her record. They're going to try to do everything to make a monster out of her. And that is why we have to stand up and mind the gap. That's what we have to stand up and show that we won't take this lying down.

We won't take people just showing up to our communities trying to tell us who we are. And, you know, quick shout out to Lieutenant Governors in Pennsylvania and Michigan, because you did leave out Wisconsin, the two of y'all. But that's okay. I'm here to say that Wisconsin is the most important swing state, the swingiest of the bunch, if you will, given the fact that Donald Trump won Wisconsin by about 20,000 votes. Joe Biden won Wisconsin by about 30,000 votes. As was mentioned, I lost my race by 26,000 votes.

So very, very narrow margins. But when we show up, we win. And the way we get people to show up is through constant and sustained engagement. We have to make sure people believe. We have to make sure people trust us. We have 70 days to do so. Now, the energy is through the roof, as so many other folks will tell you. It is something magical that is happening right now, but it will not sustain itself. All this excitement does not sustain itself. It just won't exist because we want it to. It exists because we put in the time,

the effort, the money, the resources, the blood, the sweat, and tears to get Kamala Harris over the finish line to become the next president of the United States of America. Now, we're all coming down from our DNC high, and I don't want us to feel that we had so much fun during the DNC, whether you were at home or whether you were at the United Center. I want you to think that we had so much fun and excitement that we can't get to work the next day. That next day is already here. And so for all the folks who are on this call right now, who know somebody who's still on the fence about whether it makes sense, whether it even matters that they show up to vote, we have to change hearts and we have to change minds. And the way that we do that is through organizing.

That's how I got my foot into this arena is through grassroots organizing. And I got elected to state representative in 2012, Lieutenant Governor in 2018, the honor of my life. And I can tell you, it was the power of the people behind me that got me. 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. Ad-free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Glod. And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast. Yes, sir.

We are back. In a big way. In a very big way. Real people, real perspectives. This is kind of star-studded a little bit, man. We got Ricky Williams, NFL player,

Heisman Trophy winner. It's just a compassionate choice to allow players all reasonable means to care for themselves music stars marcus king john osborne from brothers osborne we have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote drug man benny the butcher brent smith from shine down got be real from cypress hill nhl enforcer riley cote marine We'll be right back. 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 taylorpapersilling.org. Brought to you by Opportunity at Work and the Ad Council. To either of those offices. And we are the people that have to show up with the power to elect Kamala Harris.

So just want to say thanks so much for having me. I know we have Iwillvote.com for more information to get folks involved and engaged. I want to just say thank you to Brother Blake, Quinn James, Bakari, everybody who helped put this together. I know I'm forgetting some names. I didn't even want to start saying those names. But thank you so much. But even more than the organizers, the people who are participating

and the people who are going to go outside after you close the laptop and go make a difference in this election. I want to thank you all. And DeLaVon, it was really appreciated, bro. Thank you so very much. Folks, I told you a little bit earlier in terms of the latest polling. Fox News poll shows in Arizona, 50-49 Harris over Trump. Georgia, 50-48 Harris over Trump.

Nevada, 50-48 Harris over Trump. North Carolina, Trump, 50-49 over Trump. Nevada, 50-48 Harris over Trump. North Carolina, Trump, 50-49 over Harris. Now, when you look at those Senate races, you see much wider margins. And so you see literally 8 to 10 to 15 points for the Democratic senators running in those states compared to the presidential race. And so the reason why that's important, the United States Senate is crucial because if Democrats hold onto the United States Senate is crucial because if Democrats hold onto the United States Senate, that's how they'll be able to confirm federal judges. 200 federal judges have been confirmed under Biden-Harris. 58 of those federal judges

are African-American, 37 black women, 21 black men. More black female appellate judges have been appointed and confirmed by Biden, Harris, and by the Democratic Senate than all previous presidents combined. When you see what's going on today, the Supreme Court made a decision regarding a Biden student loan program. When you look at a federal judge making a ruling when it comes to the abortion bill, when you look at a federal judge making another rule, making comes to the abortion bill. When you look at a federal judge making another rule, making multiple rulings regarding various Biden policies, we have to understand federal judges are crucially important. The Congressional Black Caucus has been pushing hard for Senator Dick Durbin to move on those federal judges, but also on those U.S. marshals,

those U.S. attorneys that have been appointed. And Congressman Stephen Horsford of Nevada, who chairs the Congressional Black Caucus, has been very outspoken about that. He's bringing him up right now. He also has just been named co-chair of the national campaign, Harris for Walls. And Congressman Horsford, to that particular point, again, just underscore for people who don't understand the connecting of the dots in politics, why, when you talk about winning and victors goes, you know, the spoils go to the victor, why we must understand that holding the Senate is crucial because when you have U.S. attorneys,

they are prosecuting under Biden, Harris and the Kristen Clark in Department of Justice, these hate crime cases. They're prosecuting redlining cases. They're putting these cops and these jail wardens and corrections officers in prison for heinous acts against folk. And so we can't just be so locked in presidential camp, the presidential race. We got to realize those U.S. Senate races are just as important. Well, good evening. It's great to be with you, Brother Martin. It's good to see you, Brother Blake and all the organizers and to the brothers that are on tonight. Look, we are 69 days from victory and it's going to come down to each and every one of us and our vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz for president and vice president, but also to make sure that we put Democrats in the majority in the House. We make Hakeem Jeffries the next speaker, that we expand the majority in the United States Senate and add

representation by bringing Angela Also Brooks, Lisa Blunt Rochester, Colin Allred to the United States Senate. And I'm glad that you are touching on the importance of the federal judges, the U.S. attorneys, and the marshals. Today, in fact, we have a number of brothers who are still waiting on their confirmation, but because of a blue slip process, a tradition that dates back to Jim Crow, unfortunately, those confirmations are being held up. We know federal judges and how important those are, but those are lifetime appointments.

U.S. Attorney and federal marshals serve at the pleasure of the president and only during the term of the president. I'm proud to have been named today, in fact, as a national co-chair for the Harris-Walls campaign. And it's not about me, but it's about the fact that we need to have a seat at the table when we're talking about issues that are important to the black community and to black men specifically.

As chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, we have been working throughout this Congress to develop our own agenda around Black wealth and economic prosperity. I'm proud that we've joined forces with Vice President Kamala Harris in order to make this a centerpiece of her campaign. And the fact that she's already announced a number of the provisions of her economic plan that speak directly to lifting up Black communities as it will lift up all communities. By building 3 million more homes in America, bringing down the cost of rent and making housing more affordable, something that is really important to Black men as we provide for ourselves and our families, making sure that we pass a new child tax credit and increase it to $6,000 per child for families

with young children. That is something that is incredibly important because under the Biden-Harris administration, when Democrats were in control, we lifted 50 percent of black children out of poverty through that child tax credit. Those $300 a month checks per child, that was Biden-Harris and Democrats in Congress. And under Kamala Harris, she has already proposed to increase that to $6,000 per child for young children. Also, her focus on entrepreneurship and making sure that we protect the tools of opportunity, particularly for business owners who are trying to grow their business by pursuing more contracts, by getting more access to capital at a time when Trump's Project 2025 would defund the Minority Business Development Administration, defund programs under the SBA, defund venture capital firms like the Fearless Fund. Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are committed to expanding those tools of opportunity and making sure that

we have access to capital and contracts, both in the private and the public sector. So I know we have more work to do, but we have to get across this finish line this November. I am one of four what we call frontline members in the Congressional Black Caucus. It's me, Don Davis from North Carolina, Amelia Sykes from Ohio, and Johanna Hayes from Connecticut. We also have four additional what we call red to blue candidates, Janelle Bynum out in Oregon, Shamari Figures in Alabama, and of blue, making the majority in the House, which will mean Hakeem Jeffries becomes the next speaker, the first Black speaker of the House of Representatives, and we return five CBC members to full committee chairs over a number of key important committees, including financial services, homeland security, education and labor, foreign affairs, and of course, agriculture. But in addition to that, 30 members of the Congressional Black Caucus become chairs of subcommittees over every major

jurisdiction. Now, why is this important? Because when we want the president to get something done, you've got to have members in the House who have power of the gavel to bring those bills up, to pass them out of the subcommittees or the full committees, to bring them to the floor where Hakeem Jeffries will be the speaker, to get them to the Senate so that we can get them across the finish line and to the president's desk. None of that happens unless we turn out and vote. So I'm encouraging all the brothers out there to make sure that we're not only registered

to vote, that we've checked our registration, that we make sure that it's active. You can do that by going to IWillVote.com, making sure that everyone in our family, in our businesses, in our place of work, and our place of worship are registered to vote. And then we mobilize people to get out to vote. Finally, let me just say that it's not only about voting, but it's also about holding those of us who are elected accountable once we are in office to move the agenda. And I do understand the importance of having a Black wealth agenda. That is what the Congressional Black Caucus has been working on, and we'll be ready on day one with Democrats in the majority and Kamala Harris in the White House to move that agenda forward. So let's get out there. Let's make sure that we win this and then win for our people going forward.

So thank you all for allowing me to jump on. Please visit me at StephenHorsford.com. I'm one of the battleground districts that we also have to win out in Nevada. We're going to do that with all of your support. All right then. So we certainly appreciate that, Congressman Stephen Horsford, my alpha brother, chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. Thanks a bunch. Folks, joining us right now is Darius Brown, Delaware State Senator. Also keep in mind, happening there as well, we are likely going to get a sister back into the United States Senate, and that is Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester. She is running for United States Senate there in Delaware. And so we can't wait to support her in the efforts of y'all in Delaware.

Make sure you cast your ballot for her. Let's go right to State Senator Darius Brown. You there? I am. Good to see you, Brother Rowland, and all the brothers that are here tonight on tonight's call. I want to talk a little bit about our politics and why our politics are local and the impact that it has when we elect African-Americans in state legislatures, when we show up to vote as black men and how that enhances what's going to happen with Vice President Harris, but also the majority in the United States Senate and House. And what that was allowing us to do here in the state of Delaware, where we were able to appoint the first African-American Supreme Court justice recently.

We were also able to add more African-Americans to the Delaware judiciary. We were able to adopt adult expungement, which was not legislation here in the state, and working with our Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester, replicating her clean slate bill for automatic expungement in Congress here in the state of Delaware, where over 200,000 Delawareans now have had their records automatically expunged. We've been able to invest and build the first new public school in the city of Wilmington, an $86 million investment because of federal funds and how they've been able to be brought to the state of Delaware, and we're driving to improve public education.

So for the brothers that are on this call, as we are going to make sure that we show up in November and vote for Vice President Harris, we're going to show up and make sure that we can get that Senate majority here in Delaware by electing our Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester to United States Senate. We want to make sure that we also increase Democratic representation in the House of Representatives so that Brother Hakeem Jeffries can be the Speaker of the House. But locally also, when we show up to vote, it is the trickle-down effect. It is the effect of not only those that are going to be elected at the national level, but for a brother like myself, who's the only African-American man that serves in Delaware

State Senate, it's about electing more African-Americans to the state legislature and how we're able to invest and improve our communities because of that. So whether it's in our barbershop or in our churches or in our Masonic halls or even within our neighborhoods, at our neighborhood bars or clubs, to engage our friends, particularly African-American men, around registering to vote, about getting active and participating in this election process and showing up to vote in November and throughout this early voting, absente voting process that that there that exists in many states so for us in Delaware we're going to show up blue but we we also want to make sure that African-American men are working with brother Austin and friends of mine like speak like a representative Jordan Harris and others in Pennsylvania so that Pennsylvania shows up and

uh and is blue as well so we can have have that victory in states like that as well. So, again, I want to thank you all for allowing me to be on tonight's call. And for all of the brothers that are here, I just want to reemphasize that this election, we want to make sure that we elect Kamala Harris as the next president of the United States. But also, we want to ensure that we have representation at the local and congressional level as well, which is so important to us. All right, then. State Senator Darius Brown, we certainly appreciate it. Thanks a lot.

Folks, let's go to Arizona. Former Arizona State Representative Jevin Hodge, he joins us right now. That, again, is another one of those battleground states on the presidential side, but also on the U.S. Senate side as well. Jeff, go right ahead. Roland, thank you so much for having me here today. And it is a great honor to be here with you. I want to start by saying I'm giving you my love and my condolences. We're with you, brother.

We're uplifting you and we're wrapping you in love and prayer. Just know that we got your back as you have always had our back. My name is Jevin Hodge, former state representative from the great state, 48, Arizona, where I have served as the former vice chairman of the Arizona Democratic Party. And in 2022, my congressional seat in Scottsdale, Arizona, was the sixth closest seat in the country. Like my brother, Mandela Barnes, my seat was decided eight days after the election, and it was decided by 3,197 votes, which is less than 1%. So when you believe that your vote doesn't matter, when you think that your vote doesn't matter, I, Mandela Barnes, we are living proof that every vote matters. And here, let me break it down for you here in Arizona. Just recently, you might have seen on TV, Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Tim Walz hosted the largest

political rally in Arizona history, clocking in over 15,000 people. They tried to say it was fake news. No, I was there. The energy was popping. It was live. And let me just express that importance. In 2020, President Biden won Arizona by a margin of point zero three percent. And let me just tell you this. That was ten thousand four hundred and fifty seven votes. Ten thousand. 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 was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that Taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 1.

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

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

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

of what this quote-unquote drug ban. Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown. We got B-Real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corvette. MMA fighter Liz 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. 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 tayetherpapersceiling.org. Brought to you by Opportunity at Work and the Ad Council. 457 votes decided the presidential election in 2020. And I can tell you this, it's going to come down to a margin like that again here in 2022.

We got Ruben Gallego running for the United States Senate. He is going to mop the floor with Kerry Lake. And we need your help. We got Ruben Gallego running for the United States Senate. He is going to mop the floor with Kerry Lake. And we need your help. We need your support. We need you to engage in Arizona to give you an idea what the landscape looks like here in the state legislature. It is a one seat divide in the House and the Senate, 29-31 split in the House, 14-16 split in the Senate. We can flip both chambers. We can give Governor Katie Hobbs the governing majority so we can fight back for some pro-Arizona, pro-people solutions here. And with that, Black people in Arizona make up about 5% of the population. So when you look at

that, about 4.1 million registered voters in Arizona, Black people make up about 20 to 25 percent. We alone will decide this election in 2024. And so we got to get out there. If you're in a blue state, consider making some calls in Arizona. Consider donating a few dollars to Arizona candidates and the infrastructure here that we're building in Arizona. And here's the cherry on top. We have a remarkable black woman who is running to be the Maricopa County attorney, Tamika Wooten, who will be the first ever black county official and the first ever black woman to serve as county attorney in the fourth history here in Arizona. Early voting starts on October 9th and nearly 75% of registered voters in 2022 applied to be on the early voting rolls. So look, we got to get out there. I vote because my mother has a preexisting condition and we got to make sure our people are protected. I vote because we got to do everything that we can to address the housing crisis. I vote because we want to put more dollars in people's pockets. I vote because my ancestors died for my right to be able to do so. So I got one question for you. Are you with me? Let's get out there. Let's do

this. Let's rock the show. Arizona, just like Michigan, just like Pennsylvania, just like Wisconsin, just like Georgia will be one of the consequential states in the union that will decide the future of this country. Thank you, my brothers. Thank you, black men. Thank you for stepping up. Look, we can't just leave it to the sisters to save this country. We got to do our part too. I love each and every one of you. Thank you for being here tonight. Thank you, Roland. All right, then. We certainly appreciate you joining us, Jevin. So earlier, I think it was Mike, no, it was Khalil made a reference to today. So yeah, it is correct. 61 years ago, the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom took place here in Washington, D.C. Of course, Dr. King gave that speech known as I have a dream speech was actually was called normalcy no more.

But also keep in mind, 69 years ago on this day, Emmett Till was lynched in Mississippi. That took place August 28th, 1955. And many of us were there 16 years ago in Denver, when on this date, then Senator Barack Obama accepted the Democratic nomination for president in the stadium there in Denver. And so just wanted to give you those historical footnotes that took place again on this day, August 28th, in different years. Joining us right now, folks, is Kevin Olasa-Noye. I hope I pronounced that correct. He is the executive director for the Democratic Party in Georgia. Georgia is a critical battleground state. Vice President Kamala Harris, Governor Tim Walz, they are there in Georgia today. Touchdown today. They had some events in different parts around Savannah.

They will be holding a rally in Savannah, Georgia tomorrow. And, of course, Savannah, Georgia is the hometown of Georgia United States Senator, my alpha brother, Raphael Warnock. So let's go to Kevin. Kevin, you're on mute. It's only taken four years. There you go. Thank you all for having us tonight. Hold on, Kevin. I didn't hear you. It's only taken four years. There you go.

Thank you all for having us tonight. Hold on, Kevin. I didn't hear you. It only took four years for what? I said it only took four years for me to find where the mute button is on a virtual call. I appreciate you. Our hearts and our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. Thank you to our brothers who organized the call.

I'm honored to be on here tonight. Look, I'm here for three reasons. The first reason is my black son, Elijah, who will be four years old next year. And I just don't want to have to have to talk with him. You know, the talk that we brothers have to have with our sons about what we're supposed to do whenever we have an interaction with law enforcement. I want him to live in a world where he can do and say as he please like his white brothers and sisters do as they please with law enforcement and they can make it back home safe at the end of the day.

My second reason is my daughter Destiny. She's almost two years old. And I want her to live in a world where she doesn't make 75 cents on the dollar as her black brother or her white brothers and sisters. And I want her to live in a world where she has the ability to make choices about what happens with her body whenever she wants to. Because I just believe that there's not enough room for a doctor in the same hospital room as her and all the people that she wants to make those decisions. And three, I'm in it because I don't believe that I get to sit on the sidelines when it comes time to build

in the future that I believe that we should have as black people and as black men. I believe that everybody, every generation is called to roll up their sleeves and put their hand on the arc of the moral universe to bend it towards justice. I don't believe it happens on its own. It happens because each of us step up to the plate when the time is necessary to put our hand on it and force it to bend. So I'm really excited about the work that we're doing in Georgia. I'm really excited about everything that we got going on here. Don't believe the polls. Don't believe what you hear on television. We are going to win the 16 electoral votes for Kamala Harris and Governor Walz in Georgia in 2024. In 2020, they said we couldn't do it.

They didn't believe us. In 2022, they said it was a fluke. We weren't going to be able to get it done. And time and time and time again, we have shown in Georgia, we set the trends. We did it even at the convention, right? We broke the roll call. We broke the internet. It's broken forever.

It'll never be the same again. That's Georgia. That's how we do it. That's how we believe we're going to have to do it. We think big. We dream big. But we also put in the work. There are 175 people on the ground here doing work in Georgia. There are 25 offices happening open all over the state of Georgia. We are doing the work to do two things. First, we're going to organize ourselves into a victory. And second, we're going to protect that victory at the courthouse steps.

Right? So that means- Kevin, can you do me a favor? Can you explain to folks, because get what the VP and the Governor Walz are doing. I was there on the ground for Warnock in 2020, 2022, where, again, a lot of folks want to focus on atlanta the reality is the reason reason they won the reason uh remember uh purdue came within 0.3 percent uh of actually beating ossoff uh and the reason um biden harris won is because black folks were mobilized in non-Atlanta areas. And that is the focus was on Jonesboro, Statesboro, Albany, Athens, Savannah.

And so what I need people to understand is we don't need everybody in a mama organizing in Atlanta. That's needed. We need maximum turnout in the Atlanta metro area. We've got to be hitting the rural parts of Georgia where there are lots of black people to make sure that we are running up big numbers there too. Yeah, Roland, I think the plan here in Georgia is three approaches, right? You're absolutely right. 70% of the state's population lives in the metro Atlanta area. So we got to win there. We got to run up our numbers there, which means our black sisters have to show up. But yes, our black brothers have to show up too. And at the Democratic Party of Georgia, I learned this from my brother, Clinton James. We don't call them low propensity

voters. I don't believe in that. We call them low investment voters. I believe the reason why some of them don't vote is because we don't spend the time trying to talk to them and meet them where they're at. So in Georgia, that is what we're doing. That's a critical part of the puzzle. I also believe there is a very small sliver, if you can believe this, Rowan, of the population of the electorate that is legitimately on the fence on this election. They either don't know Kamala Harris and her record, or they know Donald Trump and they think that because he sent them a stimulus check in 2020, that everything was all good on his watch. And we got to talk to those people and remind them what it was like to live in Donald Trump's America in 2019 and 2020, right? America fired this guy for a reason, and we're going to have to remind those folks why we did that. But then absolutely, Rowan, I'm calling

for 5% plan, and that's everywhere outside of metro Atlanta. We just need 5% more raw Democratic vote out of every place that Donald Trump and Hershel Walker won by 10 points or more. And here's what that means. That means Kamala Harris wins by a mile. That means Stacey Abrams is the governor of Georgia right now. That means Charlie Bailey is the lieutenant governor of Georgia right now. That means Jennifer Jordan is the attorney general in Georgia. It means that there is a Democratic majority in the House and in the Senate in Georgia. And what that there is a Democratic majority in the House and in the Senate in Georgia. And what that means is that Georgia is not one of the only nine states in America that has an expanded Medicaid, that doesn't have a plan to feed hungry kids, right? There are real implications for all the work that we're doing. And that's why we're hustling. That's why we're

working so hard to make sure that we do everything we possibly can. So when you see the vice president and the governor doing a rural tour in Savannah, it's not by accident. Right. They understand the numbers as much as we do. They have to go to the places where the votes are. There's a small place in South Georgia called Valdosta. Most people around the country don't even know where that is. But that is a small town in South Georgia that Raphael Warnock won in 2022, and it is the reason why he is, again, a United States senator. We're going to have to win in places like that in order to be able to

be successful, right? And that's the plan, right? We squeeze every ounce of toothpaste out of the tube in Atlanta, but we show up everywhere else that matters, and we remind people who are legitimately on the fence about what it's going to take and what the plan is for where we're going. Because as much as elections are about where we've come from, they're also about charging a future for my son Elijah and my

daughter Destiny that I was talking about. So I'm honored to be here with y'all tonight. Look, if you're looking to get involved, if you're looking to make an impact, Georgia, we set the trends. I believe wholeheartedly we are going to win here. And when we win here in Georgia, we are going to win everywhere else. And we're going to do the thing that we have come to try to do. So I appreciate y'all. If you're looking to get involved, www.georgiademocrat.org. My finance director will kill me if I don't say, throw us a couple dollars, five, 10, whatever you can. It goes a long way. When this election is over and most of the country is going away, we got $4 million worth of lawsuits ahead of us to

try to protect the win that we earn, right? Because we know that Republicans are going to do everything they can to try to snatch this one away from us, and we're going to need the resources and the help from people on this call and everywhere around the country. I'm honored to be on here. Thank you, thank you, thank you for all y'all are doing. I've been watching. I can't believe y'all raised all that money that y'all

raised a couple weeks ago. I'm here with y'all in spirit. Just know it, and I appreciate the opportunity. Thank y'all. All right. Kevin, we appreciate it. Thanks a lot. Let me remind all the brothers as well who are on this call. About $1.5 million was raised. About a million went

to the campaign. But $450,000 is going directly to various black male organizations. When we were at the convention at the Collective Pack brunch, Quentin James announced those groups. And so we're going to do that a little bit later once we were at the convention at the Collective Pack brunch, Quentin James announced those groups. And so we're going to do that a little bit later once we get towards the end. Going to have Quentin name those groups again that receive, that are receiving those grants

who are going to be doing on the ground work to specifically turn black men out. Folks, a little bit earlier on, Roland Martin Unfiltered, I talked to rapper Yellow Payne, who in 2020 did a video called My Vote Don't Count. And he said that he was one of those folks who didn't understand how voting was connected. Not just where everything is not just the presidential race, but all going from the top to bottom, bottom to top. And so in case you have not seen that video he did with 7th Street, I want to play that for you because every single one of us should be grabbing this video on YouTube. You should be downloading on your phone because he's speaking to a lot of brothers and sisters who do. 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 Glod. And this is Season 2 of the War on Drugs podcast. Yes, sir. We are back. In a big way.

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

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

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

and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I 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. Brought to you by Opportunity at Work and the Ad Council. Do not understand politics, who do not understand how these things are connected nothing, so I got to take it. And I know it's a way we can win. Why won't nobody say it? It don't matter where we from, the suburbs or the slums. They don't want to see us winning.

They'd rather keep us gone. Could have a war, but we don't know how Don't let them tell you that your phone don't count Well, he was in office for eight years, bro. Still ain't getting nothing done for him. Bro, you and me done worked at this barbershop for the whole eight years, bro. They don't care about us, bro.

That's fact, though. I really don't even remember the last time a president did something for us, to be honest. Yeah, I ain't trying to grab him that son of a bitch. Bro, you literally don't know what you're talking about, bro. First thing first, you know back in middle school when they told us it was three branches of the government? We forgot it when we got older. It's the judicial, the legislative, and executive.

But all we know is the executive. That's the mayor or the governor and the president. Now, none of them three people make no laws. They just be checking them. The laws come to their deaths, and all they do is say no or yes to it. So when the news station tried to tell us that Barack Obama couldn't put us on, we was all Saudi at Obama when it was the Congress members all along. We got to focus on the legislative branch.

Yeah, they the ones that make the laws. Yeah, they the ones write how much food stamp money you get on the card. But when people that wanted to help us wanted the job, I know they probably lost because we didn't even know their name. We didn't know their face. We didn't know at all. So the Congress or the state house, that's legislative. They make laws. So what we want from the president is what they do. Okay. Y'all see the election every two years, but we don't never even go to those.

The Congress, they can raise minimum wage, but we ain't even really know it though. So you know how back in 08, when we all voted for Obamaama we was all supposed to go back in 2010 and vote for the congress because they're the ones make child support laws they're the ones choose if your kids at school get to eat steak or corn dogs the state house make the court calls so if the country failed then you can't say it's them it's your fault because y'all ain't know to vote for congress members that was for y'all and they don't gotta leave after four years we y'all. And they don't got to leave after four years. We just let them sit. They don't want to tell you this.

They want you to focus on the president. Now, the third branch is the judicial. That's judges. They the reason why John Crawford and Trayvon had justice. So when Meek Mill got locked up just for popping willies, we blame the judge and not the city. When they let her get voted in, because they know who to vote against. Imagine life on the other side. Roads better. Schools better. Everybody get their license back. Grocery store food better. get voted in because they ain't know who to vote against imagine life on the other side roads better

schools better everybody get their license back grocery store food better custody of your kids back homeless people get new shelters if we gonna fix the us we gotta start with them two letters man you somebody told us that the government wanna keep us broke but the only reason why those people in the government is cause we ain't vote and i ain't talking about the president i'm talking about the ones we ain't know. See, they was going to try to keep it low, but it's going to hurt them when they see the plunge. I know the world won't give me nothing, so I got to take it. And I know it's a way we can win.

Why won't nobody say it? It don't matter where we from from Cybers or the slums They don't want to see us winning They'd rather keep us down We had a world but we don't know how Don't let them tell you that you both don't care Again, folks, that's important because we need to be messaging to as many people as possible how these dots are connected.

Because come November, there are numerous, numerous races on the ballot. Presidential, U.S. Senate, U.S. House, gubernatorial, state rep, state senators, county commissioners, district attorneys, state school board of education, local school boards, city council, DAs, district judges. I mean, you name it. And so all of those things are important. Folks, let's go to Meredith Horton. She's the national director of voter protection for the Harris-Walls campaign. How did a woman sneak on this call? Hey, Meredith, how are you?

Don't tell. Well, thank you for the invite, Roland, Michael, Khalil. I am, in fact, honored to be on this call for a number of reasons. One, I am the woman who snuck onto the call. And two, of course, it is always wonderful to be in the company of engaged, energized Black men. I did this work and come to this call in the name of my late father, all the way through to my brand new nephew, Theo, who was born in Atlanta on June 27th this year. So I'm really, really honored to be here. My name is Meredith Horton. I am the National Director for Voter Protection and Access for the Harris-Waltz

campaign. It feels good to say it. Here in headquarters, we can all feel the energy of this moment, of supporters like you all, of volunteers, hopefully like you all as well, who are really powering this campaign. Last week during convention, it was the biggest organizing week of the campaign. We had volunteers sign up for nearly 200,000 new shifts. That is awesome and powerful. And we really must keep that momentum going because voting season is here. In North Carolina, the state will start mailing ballots to voters on September 6th, literally right after Labor Day, right around the corner. In Pennsylvania, in some counties, voters can

begin voting as soon as September 16th. So that's why I'm so excited to talk to you all today, to talk about voter protection, a little bit about what it is, what we're building this cycle to make sure that voters are able to cast that ballot, have that ballot count, and make sure that this election is certified. I will also, of course, have an ask for you all, which is to sign up and join us in the effort to protect the vote as well. So a little bit about me, again, the woman who stuck onto the call. I have been working and involved in voter protection and voting rights work as a lawyer for over a decade, both in the Democratic campaign ecosystem where I started in Georgia. So shout out to Kevin, who continues to hold down that state.

And I've also done this work on the nonpartisan side. I'm also really proud to have spent quite a bit of time doing this work in the South, where we know our voters are and where our voters of color are represented more heavily and often are facing really significant burdens and barriers historically and still sometimes in present day. So for me, doing this work means this is how I engage in the project of democracy. So in order for all of us to really see that thriving, inclusive, multiracial democracy that we deserve and that we continue to demand, it does require, as I know others on the call have said, all of us to figure out how we can plug in. For some of us, that looks like campaign work. It looks like running for office. It looks like dedicating your energy to doing this work for non-profit organizations. And it also is just as important to plug in to democracy by going and casting that ballot,

making sure your neighbors and family members have checked their registration and know how to register. All of that counts. All of that is really important. And we're excited to find places for all of you to plug in to the campaign. So just to talk a little bit about our candidate and our ticket, which we are very excited about. So we know that Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Tim Walz are fighting for the people, for our freedoms, for our future. We've also seen that Donald Trump is only fighting for himself. So this is why it's so important and exciting to support this ticket. We are committed to strengthening our democracy

and protecting our freedoms. Vice President Harris told us last week at convention that when we elect her and Governor Walz, we will finally have the opportunity to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and the Freedom to Vote Act, critical pieces of legislation to continue to safeguard our right to vote. We know that as senator, she introduced the Vote Safe Act, which aimed to expand early in-person voting, no excuse mail-in voting, and drop boxes across the country, all things that make it easier for folks to cast a ballot and have that ballot count. And under the Biden-Harris administration, we saw the DOJ double its number of voting rights attorneys and enforcement staff. So they are prepared, again, to make sure that we are protecting the right to vote and being aggressive about it.

So as I said at the top, in voter protection, our central job is really to make sure that every eligible voter who wants to cast a ballot can do so and have that ballot count and make sure that those elections are certified. So I'm going to talk a little bit about what we're building to do that. So right now, we've got over 100 staff in 12 states. And that will continue to grow as we get closer and closer to Election Day. So we are standing up or have stood up teams in Arizona, in Nevada, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Florida, Virginia, North Carolina, and Maine so far. And this team is complemented by a really strong legal program that has been developing expertise on the laws

and legal landscape in our top battleground states since last fall. So we work hand in hand together to monitor issues and barriers to voters as they arise and make sure that we're using tools like litigation and going in the courthouse when necessary in order to protect that right to vote. And the legal team has been involved in nearly two dozen lawsuits across the country so far aimed at protecting voters. So my staff will be working over the next 60 plus days to counter all the attacks on voting rights and to shore up our election system so that they work for our voters. And there's three main elements of our program. So one, expanding access to the ballot, two, protecting elections, and three, educating voters. So when we talk about expanding access to the ballot, two, protecting elections, and three, educating

voters. So when we talk about expanding access, we are working hard and have been since well before this moment here, since earlier this year, to remove barriers to the ballot box and to proactively look for opportunities to expand access to voting. So we are true advocates in voter protection. We do this building on the work of previous cycles. We recognize that by and large, voters now do have more ways to cast a ballot than ever, a lot of which is due to changes implemented during 2020 in the pandemic, such as expanded vote by mail. And so while we've seen expansions,

we have, of course, also seen states that are trying to roll back some of that access. And so we've been tracking this and are on the case. To give you a few examples, in Georgia, for months, MAGA Republican members of the state election board have been laying the groundwork to try to block certification of the 2024 election if Donald Trump loses. Just another effort to try to steal the Georgia election like Trump tried to do in 2020. We are taking proactive steps to stop them and protect the integrity of our elections. So, for example, just this week, the DNC, the Georgia Democratic Party, and the campaign all sued the state election board in Georgia to prevent them from upending the mandatory certification of election process that Georgia law requires. And they tried to do this just weeks before voting begins. But no, again, we are on

the case taking them to court to prevent that from happening so that when you cast that ballot and we get through election day, that those elections are all certified as they are legally required to be. In North Carolina, we know that early voting is really popular, particularly among communities of color. We have been advocating for early voting sites for months to making sure that there are locations that are accessible to all voters. We continue to follow up that those locations to make sure those locations are not eliminated as we get closer in time to voting. In Nevada, we are working with voters whose mail ballots have been rejected in the past for mismatched signatures. So sometimes when the signature on your ballot doesn't match the signature on file with the

elections office, your ballot ends up rejected. We've been working directly with voters to update their signatures so their ballots are less likely to be rejected this fall. And in Michigan, another example, we are advocating for more satellite clerk's offices with the hope that additional locations can help eliminate long lines that college students and others tend to face historically in that state. And those are concerns that we are addressing similarly in other states as well where they're arising. So that expanding access piece, again, NO has been going on since early this year and will continue that work and that advocacy work right up until the end of the election. So the second main element is protecting elections. This is work we've been doing for

decades. So we will be on the ground to protect voters as they cast their ballot. This is work we've been doing for decades. So we will be on the ground to protect voters as they cast their ballot. This is the real part of the program where we mobilize thousands and thousands of volunteers across the country. And I'm hoping many of you sign up to join our programs in our battleground states. This is a poll monitoring program in part and a hotline program. Our poll monitoring program puts individuals just like you all out in polling places across the country. So we make sure that you are trained, that you are supported by resources both in hand and back in boiler rooms and campaign offices. But those poll monitors really become our eyes

and ears on the ground to ensure that voting is safe and fair. These volunteers are absolutely critical to our campaign. They are able to tell us, for example, if there's a three-hour line in Fulton County polling location on a Sunday, Is it because there's a long line of excited Harris Waltz voters who came out as part of a huge souls to the poll effort? And so folks are hyped. They're excited to vote for Democrats up and down the ballot. Or is that really long line there? Because four out of seven voting machines inside the polling place have malfunctioned and the county's tech team is taking too long to respond. Either way, we're on the case. But as a poll monitor, you're really our source of information that's close to the ground to let us know what's happening with the conduct of elections

in real time. So it's a really powerful network of volunteers that provides information to the campaign to make sure we can fix problems as they're happening if we didn't get to it before it happened. Lastly, we will also really focus on educating voters. Voter education, so critical this cycle. As we continue to see mis- and disinformation, as we kind of consider the impact of AI on voting information, it is really, really important that voters know they have accurate, credible information on where to vote, when to vote, and how to vote. I'm so excited to see I Will Vote and the hotline running across the bottom of the screen, because it's exactly

where I want to send you all and where I encourage you to send your communities, your networks as well for that accurate information. I will vote. It's available in multiple languages as the hotline as well. So we will make sure through voter protection, also working with our digital teams, our comms teams, to really push out resources so folks know where to go for that credible information. So those are really the three sort of pillars of our program. Again, also supported by post-election work as well. We'll make sure that our poll monitors are monitoring not only just the voting period, but the counting of ballots as well. And we, along with our legal team, are really preparing for all the way through the certification process. So now is the time when I ask you all, or I let you all know, how you can get involved

with our program. So voter protection... Yeah. You got about 60 seconds. Go ahead. Okay, great. So voter protection is something that anyone can do, whether you're a lawyer or not a lawyer. I'm going to drop links in the chat to show you how to get involved and how you can sign up. We have poll observers. We have hotline volunteers where you're providing information to voters, answering their questions and other roles as well. And we would love to see you out there. It is one of the most rewarding things you can do. And you build your own knowledge about voting and the conduct of elections that you can share forever with your communities and with your families. So we really hope you'll join us and get this win for Vice President Harris, Governor Walz, and Democrats up and down the ballot.

All right, then. Meredith, we certainly appreciate it. Thank you so very much. And, again, look, the campaign is doing this. Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, they're doing the exact same thing. There are other outside groups as well. So there's a whole lot going on to protect folks' right to vote. I know the National Bar Association is also mobilizing and organizing as well.

And so all that is relevant and critically important. We appreciate it. Thanks a lot. Folks, we're only going to have about four more minutes here. So what I want to do is I want to go pull up Quentin James and Mike Blake to give us some final thoughts. Also, keep in mind, everybody on this call, we're going to be doing these calls between now and the election. We're going to be bringing on other guests, everybody on this call, we're going to be doing these calls between now and the election.

We're going to be bringing on other guests, giving you relevant information, sharing information with you, such as voter registration deadlines by state. And so because it's pretty not just two deadlines. You've got general registration deadline. You've got absentee ballot deadlines. And so we're going to be having those for you. We're also going to be sharing with you when early voting starts and when it

ends, because we do not want folks to wait for Election Day. If your state has early voting, we want you to be able to get out there and vote early. So let's go to Mike Blake and Quentin James. Brother Martin, I'm actually on the move right now,

about to go do a hit, but I wanted to make sure to show brothers, everybody this. Let's not forget what today is. The anniversary of March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. As a reminder, they had 10 demands to lay out for our people, policy demands. And shout out to those forefathers and our ancestors and those that are still with us who did the work. You know, Reverend Dr. Gerald Durley, who says, if I can, you can. And so I hold this up as a reminder of the work we have to do, not just tonight, but every night as we celebrate the anniversary of the March on Washington. Brothers, we are doing something

special. Remember, we had 54,000 on our first call. Now we got work to do. So please check your registration status. Please go and volunteer in your offices. Make phone calls. Knock on doors. Donate. Mobilize in all the ways that you can right now. Iwillvote.com will show you how you can get connected. But remember, as you heard throughout this call, voting does not start at the end in November. A lot of voting begins in about three weeks. So if we don't see you before then, focus on what's going on for Labor Day. Vice President Harris will be in Michigan. Focus on what's happening across the country at CBC. Of course, we'll all see you all in D.C., but we need people to get ready and never forget what today is, our March on Washington anniversary.

It reminded us about jobs and freedom. This is what we do when Black men come together. Shout out to Bayard Rustin. Shout out to Dr. King. Shout out to John Lewis. So all those that open up doors. But let's also honor our sister, Dr. Dorothy Irene Hite, who allowed for spaces for brothers like us to be able to do what we're doing right now. 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. 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 man. Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown. We got B-Real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corvette.

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

And to hear episodes one week early and ad free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. 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. 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 tayetherpapersceiling.org. Brought to you by Opportunity at Work and the Ad Council. Roland, love you, brother. Grateful for you. We bless your family and all that's happening. And we are all in this together because we got work to do.

Let me turn over to Brother Quentin James for all that he's doing right now. Mike Blake, thanks a lot. Be safe, Quinton. Quinton James with Collective Pack. All right, we got Quentin there. Let's pull Quentin on in. He'll be our final, he'll give us some final marching orders before we close this out.

Quentin? He's not here. All right, so Quentin is not there. So I'm going to go ahead and close this out. First of all, let me shout out to my man Desmond Meade, Florida Rights Restoration Coalition. I'm rocking their shirt, Let My People Vote. They, of course, were successful in getting the state amendment passed, allowing

1.4 million formerly incarcerated folks there to be able to get their right to vote back. Folks, those battles continue in Nebraska. They actually had a bill that was passed that was restoring the voting rights of some 7,000 folks. But the Nebraska attorney general and the secretary of state just declared on their own law to be unconstitutional. They're now in court.

So I had, of course, segment on my show yesterday about that. So please check that out. So you need to understand these battles are happening all across the country as Republicans are trying to shave as many votes as possible. They want to restrict folks because they are on record as saying if more people vote, they lose. Literally, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton used a false report from Maria Bartiromo on Fox News to raid the home of an 87-year-old Latina in Texas. LULAC is calling for the Department of Justice to investigate. He did an interview with Steve Bannon where he literally said he stopped the absentee balloting that was taking place in Harris County.

He said that if that had went forward, he said Trump would have lost Texas. So understand what is going on all across this country. And so that's where voter protection is so critically important. Let me thank everybody who's been involved with this call, our co-conveners. And again, over the next 70 days, you're going to have more calls. We're going to have pollsters on. We're going to have people talking exactly what's going on, fundraising, polling, all the information. So you can be fully equipped when it comes to this election.

Don't forget to be sure to register with winwithblackman.org. Please do that so we can have your data so we can let you know via text message, via email what is going on. You also have right there, how do you give? Remember, when you're giving, you get to choose whether you want the money to go to the campaign or you want the money to be used for grassroots groups because we have to be activating on the ground. We know there are critical battleground states. Again, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Michigan, North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona, Nevada. But you see what's happening.

Look at Expand the Map. Critical races in Florida. Races in other states as well. So we cannot ignore. We can't only focus on the top of the ticket. We've got to focus on all those down ballot races so we're maximizing our power. My goal is very simple. I say this all the time on the show.

We want to be maximizing where at least 70% of all eligible black voters are casting ballots, at least 70. We do that, we can win tons of races. Do y'all realize Texas has the largest number of eligible black voters in America? The largest number. We've got to be maximizing that number. Also, speaking of Texas, when Beto O'Rourke ran against Governor Greg Abbott in 2022,

75% of voters under the age of 30 did not vote. So we've got to tell millennials in Gen Z, use your power. Not just on Instagram, not just on TikTok. Use your power at the ballot box. So, folks, that is it for us. Let me thank all of our co-hosts as well. Let me thank all of you. Don't want to hold you long, folks. Appreciate y'all being on this call.

And until next time, we'll see you on Win With Black Men. Y'all take care. Holla! Hallo! I know a lot of cops. They get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no.

This is Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. Listen to Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Glott. And this is Season 2 of the War on Drugs podcast. Last year, a lot

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

It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I always had to be so good no one could ignore me. Carve my path with data and drive. or wherever you get your podcasts. 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 taylorpapersilling.org.

Brought to you by Opportunity at Work and the Ad Council. This is an iHeart Podcast.