SCOTUS OKs Fed Layoffs, Medicaid Farmworker Mandate, PSLF Shakeup, Deltas in DC & Leafy Bamboo TP

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:25):
Both Today's Monday, July twenty twenty five coming up on
Roland Martin Unfiltered streaming live on the Black Star Network.
Supreme Court clears the wait for Donald Trump to restart
massive layoffs across nearly two dozen federal agencies.

Speaker 2 (00:41):
Also, speaking of these idiots and now.

Speaker 1 (00:43):
Ceiling and able bodied adults of Medicaid may soon be
expected to replace undocumented farm workers. Then they say those
same farm workers. Yeah, y'all ain't getting amnesty. Proposed changes
to the Public Service Loan for Goodness program could significantly
impact bars. The African Americans. Will talk to an expert
about that. Plus, the Ladies of Crimson and Cream are

(01:05):
taking over Washington, d C. Douglas in Neveda has there
fifty seventh national convention. Here we will talk with their
international president about their gathering. Plus, and Tonight's shop Blackstar
Network dot com marketplace will spotlight leafy and eco friendly
brand that's reinventing everyday essentials. Started with yes bamboo toilet paper. Plus,

(01:28):
how did a provision allow you to deduct gambling losses
get into the Republicans Big Beautiful Bill told you they're frauds.
It's time to bring the funk. I'm rolling Mark on
Filcher on the Blackstar Network. Let's go whatever it whatever
it is the fine place. He's right on top of rolling.

Speaker 3 (01:54):
Best believe he's selling put Boston News to politics with entertainment.

Speaker 4 (02:01):
Just bookcase.

Speaker 1 (02:02):
He's stolen.

Speaker 3 (02:05):
It's bolden, he's brokerest she's real up question, No, he's rolling.

Speaker 1 (02:35):
Well. Supreme Court has cleared the way for Generald Trump
to fire millions of federal workers that they were trying
to wipe out with Doge. Now, Supreme Court overturn a
lower court ruling, paving the way for this action to
take place. Now here's what they basically said. Remember, in February,

(02:55):
Donald Trump's ouned an executive order directing agencies to prepare
for force reductions. Supreme Court says that's likely lawful, thus
allowing those layouts to proceed. However, Supreme Court Justice Katati
Brown Jackson strongly disagreed. She was the only justice to dissent,
criticizing the Court decision as hubristic and senseless. She said,

(03:18):
it's the wrong decision at the wrong moment, especially given
what little this court knows about what is actually happening
on the ground. She argued that her colleagues were making
judgments from a quote lofty perch far from the facts.
She also cautioned the court that they lack a real
understanding of the current situation on the ground and describe

(03:38):
this ruling as the wrong decision at the wrong time.
Now keep in mind just as soon as so of
my ore, who often rules along with Jackson. She agreed
with the rest of the court, saying that the problem
is was before the court is not the actual.

Speaker 2 (03:53):
Plan, saying they have been presented with one.

Speaker 1 (03:58):
This though, is demastating us for a number of federal
workers and this could cause more chaos. My pan of
doctor Santego Lei, former Senior Advisor for Environmental Justice of
the EPA out of DC, that the Larry J. Walker,
social professor, University of Central Florida out of Orlando and
social justice leader and movement strategists tell it Muhammad, who
joined us as from d C move stop. I'll start

(04:19):
with you. You've been one of those federal workers working
in one of these agencies, and what we know is
that lots of people, a lot of people have been despondent,
are unsure. This impacts not only the workers, their husbands,
their wives, their partners, the girlfriends, the boyfriends, whatever you
want to call them, the children, folks in college. People

(04:42):
don't understand what it means. When you do mass layawfs
like this, you are causing a significant amount of harm
up and down the board.

Speaker 5 (04:53):
Yeah, you know, you destabilize the economy, which is, you know,
something that everybody says that they care about and that
they're trying to you know, to stimulate, you know, because
people think, well, it's just folks in Washington, d C.
But there are a large number of federal employees all
across our country that helped to prop up the economies
and mid size and larger cities, of course sometimes in

(05:16):
much smaller areas.

Speaker 6 (05:17):
So you do that.

Speaker 5 (05:19):
But what's more important also is the fact that you
actually are putting us in a situation where the social
safety net that is so critically important in this country
is being slashed by these sets of actions.

Speaker 6 (05:32):
There could be service disruptions. There will be service disruptions.

Speaker 5 (05:35):
Let me be very clear, because I've worked with over
seventeen federal agencies over the years, so I know the
work that they do, I know how important it is,
I know the high level that they do it. Act
so whether we're talking about healthcare or social security veterans affairs,
a number of different agencies and departments play a critical
role in making sure that those services are out there.

(05:56):
The other question that folks should be asking in this moment,
based upon this Supreme Court decision, you know, is about
the power balance or power imbalance, if you will, because
Congress traditionally has been the one who makes decisions about
restructuring or building of federal agencies. But now we have
given deference to this administration, which you know, sort of

(06:20):
rules through executive orders. I remember when folks at executive
orders don't really have the power of law. But now,
because of the silence from folks on Capitol Hill, you're
giving an individual who has no idea what's going on.
The other thing that I'll say, you know before I
close here, is the fact that you know, folks on
Capitol Hill actually need to do their job because they're

(06:42):
not doing their job, they're creating all of this, you know,
in stable or unstableness that's.

Speaker 6 (06:47):
Currently going on.

Speaker 5 (06:49):
And you know, these Supreme Court justices, I know that
they have you know, really important cases that they're often
focusing upon, but they need to get out of d C.
And actually spend some time in Kansas City, and spend
some time in Pittsburgh, spend some time in Atlanta and
a number of other locations across our country to actually
see how these impacts are happening both physically, mentally and

(07:10):
spiritually on people. Because these stressors, you know, cause additional diseases,
you know, the mental impacts also of not knowing if
you're going to be able to do the job that
you took an oath to do. There are a number
of things that play out underneath of this scenario. So yes,
I know that this has went back to the lower
court and that folks will continue to litigate. But as

(07:31):
they are doing this, you know, they put these folks
in limbo and in many instances have taken away the
things that people love. You know, they want to serve
this country, they want to do a good job, and
people just continue to slash and burn without really having
a real understanding of how it's going to play out.

Speaker 1 (07:46):
Larry, You've also worked on Capitol Hill and the point
that Moustafa makes there about services, about what people do.
It's important the delivery of services. You know, they were
talking about cutting thousands of peace people. They made these
decisions no plan at all. It was just very willing nilly.
There was no strategic decision making involved, and that's what's

(08:10):
so problematic for lots of people.

Speaker 7 (08:13):
So this, you know, what's happening with du Jen Obviously,
this particular ruling you talked about is slash and burn
as it released to the federal workforce. You know, you
hear a lot of people talk a lot about, for instance,
supporting veterans, but the VA is going to see substantial cuts.
As Mustafa highlighted, there are a number of federal services
that Americans take for granted and have for decades for

(08:35):
generations that are going to be impacted by this decision
and the possible cuts. I want to rule and I
want to highlight two other things I think are really important.

Speaker 8 (08:44):
The impact this.

Speaker 7 (08:45):
Is going to have on black folks. You know, about
nineteen percent of the federal workforce are is black, and
we make up almost fifteen percent of the US population,
so we kind of we outpace in terms of the
percentage of black folks in the federal workforce, and so
this is going to have substantial impact on black people.
As a Stappa highlight and we'll talk about healthcare. Another
thing we'll talk about in terms of housing, maintain, painting

(09:06):
your mortgage, or rant.

Speaker 4 (09:07):
Et cetera.

Speaker 7 (09:08):
The second thing I want to highlight as relates to
this particular ruling Roland is it's interesting how the Supreme
Court doing the Biden administration felt like they had to
real the Biden administration in in terms of the executive branch.
But every decision that comes out the last several weeks
is essentially giving more power to the executive branch and
Trump administration. So there's a contradiction in terms of what

(09:29):
exactly the Supreme Court what is doing in terms of
the Biden and Trump administration.

Speaker 8 (09:34):
Beauvall.

Speaker 7 (09:34):
This is a devastating ruling and as I said, we'll
have a substantial impact on the Black Medal clients.

Speaker 1 (09:49):
You know, Tyler. One of the things that I think
we need to recognize here, and this is something that
can hurt people say. It's a perfect example of what
happens when you exact an agenda. And let's be perfectly
clear that if a democratic president did what don't Trump
is doing, there will be howls and screaming for right

(10:11):
wing media and Republicans and probably some Democrats too, but
this is also what happens when you excise power, when
you use power. Uh. And so we've heard this from
other the servers say, hey, you know, Democrats, but give
back of power, they can use the same thing. This
should be a lesson to any Democrat who wants to

(10:32):
be president one day. Damn it, when you get power,
use it.

Speaker 4 (10:38):
Exactly rightly. And I could agree with you more.

Speaker 9 (10:40):
I think you have to play a more aggressive game,
just because as we see here our government.

Speaker 4 (10:46):
Efficiency, it's about retaliation.

Speaker 10 (10:49):
And I think when we see what Trump happened it
being able to fire tendred thousands of works without calls,
it's not just a shift in the country, but it's
a dangerous.

Speaker 11 (10:59):
Load to how democratic protections have played in the past.
Time As a future president, we understand like if he
has take we must you know, do you know take
take that same power the prevention before and as even
mentioned by our pails, this is affected many black and

(11:20):
brown workers who have historically relied on civil service jobs
as pathways to the middle class.

Speaker 4 (11:26):
And I think this could.

Speaker 9 (11:27):
Just mentally these safeguards to really be loyal to one
man or one party.

Speaker 4 (11:33):
And I think it's definitely block again.

Speaker 1 (11:36):
I just want people to understand when you get power,
you use it or you lose it. And that's what
we're seeing right here. All right, folks got to go
to break. We come back, we'll talk with the international
President of Delta Signal FADA. They're going to have more
than twenty thousand Deltas here in the nation's capital for
there buy annual convention, and we'll talk about what their

(11:57):
agenda is, especially with Maga hell O we're living in
You're watching Roland and Unfiltered right here. On the blackstud Network.

Speaker 12 (12:06):
This week, on the other side of Change.

Speaker 13 (12:08):
Mass incarceration.

Speaker 14 (12:09):
Trump administration is doubling down criminalization and how it is profitable.

Speaker 15 (12:13):
And there's something really really perverse about saying that we
need to put people in cages in order for other people.

Speaker 4 (12:19):
To have jobs.

Speaker 16 (12:20):
Like that is not how our economy should be got
only on the other side of change on the Blackstar Network.

Speaker 17 (12:29):
This week on a Balanced Life, where Doctor Jackie we're
talking faith, family, fatherhood, and the pathway to reentry. Most
of us, in some way, shape, form or fashion, have
had someone in our lives, whether it was a grandfather,
a father, an uncle, a brother or cousin who has
been incarcerated or justice impacted. What does that look like

(12:51):
in rebuilding family and relationships? What does it look like
for us to be able to have substantive conversations come
to the table on each other while at the same
time get it all out in the open so that
we can begin a new journey together.

Speaker 18 (13:06):
You know, the last thing you want is in the
midst of trying to piece your life back together, for
home to not be a comfortable place.

Speaker 17 (13:15):
That's all next on a Balanced Life with Doctor Jackie
Here on Black Star Network.

Speaker 1 (13:22):
Hello, I'm Paula J.

Speaker 19 (13:23):
Parker Judie Proue on The Proud Family.

Speaker 1 (13:26):
I am Tommy Davidson. I play Oscar on Proud Family,
Louder and Proud.

Speaker 20 (13:30):
I am Joe Marie Payton, voice of Sugar Mama on
Disney's Louder and Prouder Disney Plus.

Speaker 13 (13:36):
And I'm with Roland Martin on Filtered.

Speaker 1 (13:47):
I Lots of Red White here in the Nation's Capital
now one of my little producers. Let now it's Crimson
the Cream. Whatever's red white. They're gonna be a nation's
capital of thousands here. Conventions started yesterday on us Right
now is the International President of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated.

(14:07):
Of course, Elsie, because Elsie's here and now looking the
first of one's be real clear, Elsie. It's a whole
lot of y'all here. How many y'all here, How many
hotels y'all lot.

Speaker 4 (14:16):
Of us here?

Speaker 13 (14:17):
Hey, Roland, great to see you. There are a lot
of us here.

Speaker 1 (14:21):
It's only day here.

Speaker 21 (14:22):
There are over.

Speaker 20 (14:23):
Twenty thousand, There are over twenty thousand of us registered.
There are over almost fifteen thousand registered virtually as well,
and you know some of those virtual attendees travel to
DC as well.

Speaker 13 (14:37):
So you are right.

Speaker 20 (14:38):
The town is painted crimson and cream here in the
city of Washington.

Speaker 2 (14:43):
So help me out.

Speaker 1 (14:44):
You got twenty thousand registered in person, fifteen thousand virtual,
and you know you've got a few thousand HUI registered
just popus the town.

Speaker 4 (14:53):
So we know you know what you know?

Speaker 13 (14:55):
Go ahead, I said, you know it.

Speaker 20 (14:58):
You know that we have many members who have traveled here,
those who did not get the opportunity to register, who
can still come to many events on guest passes, but
they can be in the number. In addition to again,
some of those who are virtual, who chose to travel

(15:18):
to Washington, d C. But there are saras who are
joining from all over the world as well, in addition
to all who came to d C.

Speaker 1 (15:30):
What jumps out of me right now when you talk
about your members, when we talk about how many who
are here, what's your focus with them being here terms
of what do you want them to gain? What them
to do when they leave here?

Speaker 20 (15:46):
Well, I would tell you we come to our national
conventions to take care of the business of Delta. You know,
we focus on our guidelines, rules, regulations, and we focus
on the resolutions that we want to make sure that
we pass while we are here, and our resolutions are

(16:06):
one of our many social action social justice initiatives, and
that we focus on specific issues that are of importance
of our communities, issues that we want to make sure
that are part of Delta's advocacy agenda. So that's the
key part of what we do here as well as
to elect officers for the next by m. But I

(16:27):
will tell you in the times in which we find ourselves,
we have the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of
our founders and we've had social action in our DNA
since twenty are since nineteen thirteen to be able to
hear from great speakers who will galvanize us. We'll hear
from Senator Corey Booker. You know, he's been letting his

(16:49):
voice be heard really loudly, not only on the Senate floor,
but everywhere he can. We have a record breaking nine
delta congress persons once and aid in the US House
of Representatives. We will be hearing from them with our
calls to action so we can make sure that we
continue to focus on our legislative agenda, economic justice, educational justice,

(17:13):
focusing on making sure that we continue to fight for
the rights that are being taken away from us every
single day, not only on the federal level, but on
the local level, on the state level, anywhere that government convenes,
if you will, from school boards where we want to
fight for the freedom to learn, to make sure that

(17:37):
our history is not erased, to city hall, city councils,
state legislators, slatures where we are fighting for the rights
to again make sure that we continue to have free
and fair elections, to make sure that our communities, people
in our communities, and marginalized communities can have the right

(17:59):
to vote. So there's a huge agenda, and we use
this convention to also galvanize our members for our social
action agenda as well as our programmat agenda, so we
can go back in our communities in this nation and
around the world and elevate the impact of DELTA and

(18:19):
do all important work of empowering our communities.

Speaker 1 (18:23):
We were just talking about the cuts the Supreme Court
is going to be allowing, allowing the layoffs of thousands
or particular one hundreds of thousands of federal workers. Does
DELTA have a specific plan to help your members who
may be impacted by this decision.

Speaker 13 (18:43):
We have several things that we do.

Speaker 20 (18:45):
We have several programs focused on economic development. We have
a career fair going on right now to help our
sisters through any transition they happen to be going through,
including on the massive layoffs to your point from a
government on the government level. But at the same time,

(19:07):
we dig in very deeply with entrepreneurship because we know
that we have to take care of our own from
the perspective of making sure that we can support entrepreneur entrepreneurs,
making sure that they can grow their businesses, making sure
that they can control their own destinies, and also making

(19:28):
sure that we are pouring dollars back into our own communities,
you know, with the Red days where we buy black
and making sure that that is a continued focus, not
only on those days.

Speaker 13 (19:43):
But all the time.

Speaker 20 (19:45):
So those are some of the things that we are
doing to make sure that we are supporting our sisters
and also supporting our communities.

Speaker 7 (19:54):
Question from a panel layer you first, Yes, madam President,
thank you for you work. So I should acknowledge I
have several Deltas in my family, included my wife Nicholas.
I have to I have to say that I wanted
to talk about a full Clara.

Speaker 1 (20:09):
She financial.

Speaker 8 (20:11):
Yes, yes, is yes.

Speaker 1 (20:13):
That is a good question.

Speaker 13 (20:14):
Roland, I love it. I love it.

Speaker 1 (20:17):
Start Start, Larry, Larry, you're there, Larry, you don't understand
Delta's hard core. They would have checked her information soon
as the view was over.

Speaker 7 (20:28):
So you talk about the women's suffrage movement and your
involvement in that point in Washington, d C.

Speaker 8 (20:35):
And now you're back in Washington, d C.

Speaker 7 (20:37):
And I wonder if you particularly considering the political the
moment we we're dealing with the politics, and when you
reflect on you know, your your founders involvement in the
suffrage movement and today, what are some of your thoughts
leading into the convention next couple of days.

Speaker 13 (20:53):
I will have to tell you.

Speaker 20 (20:54):
Whatever we come back to the birthplace of Delta Sigma,
it is a special moment.

Speaker 13 (21:00):
But I will tell you it also feels.

Speaker 20 (21:02):
Different this time because when we think about.

Speaker 13 (21:05):
The courage of our founders.

Speaker 20 (21:08):
During a time that they fought for women's suffrage even
when they did not get the right to vote until
the Voting Rights Act in nineteen sixty five, if you
think about it in widespread numbers, When we think about that,
and when we think about the fact that we seem
to be going backwards instead of affording in this country,

(21:29):
we want to make sure that we continue to do
things to meet the moment, but doing things that are
relevant for twenty twenty five, you know, whether it's peaceful
protesting all the way to making sure that we continue
to focus. And we're doing it in state by state
now since there's no national legislation on the table as
we currently speak to protect voting rights.

Speaker 1 (21:52):
You know.

Speaker 13 (21:52):
So we've had lawsuits.

Speaker 20 (21:54):
In Texas and we were compleats have along with LDF
and we availed in a couple a couple of the
provisions to make it easier and not harder to vote.
We're engaged in a lawsuit in Georgia around voting rights,
one in the state of Mississippi DeSoto County around redistricting.

(22:18):
So we're trying to make sure that we're fighting on
every front, not just in the streets, but in the
court and.

Speaker 13 (22:24):
Everywhere we possibly can.

Speaker 20 (22:27):
So we want to continue to do what we can
to meet the moment.

Speaker 13 (22:32):
We will galvanize our members here.

Speaker 20 (22:34):
We're coming together in many different areas, not just our meetings,
but we'll be coming together right there on the campus
of Howard University on Wednesday with our welcome event, and
we'll use that as an opportunity not only to welcome
to ours home, but to remind them of the rich
legacy we have in social action and to make sure

(22:56):
that we are galvanizing for the moment in the days
and the months ahead.

Speaker 5 (23:03):
Well Stava, well, Madam President, you know, thank you for
one hundred and twelve years you and all the sources
who have been doing amazing work.

Speaker 6 (23:13):
I know your priorities fairly well.

Speaker 5 (23:15):
Since most folks in my family are Deltas, you have
one that's focus on mental health, and we know right
now in this moment just the incredible weight that many
folks in our communities are caring. Can you talk a
little bit about why that's one of the focuses that
you all have.

Speaker 20 (23:31):
Absolutely, and that was another meet the moment opportunity, but
something that has long been very very important to us
because one of our five programmatic thrusts is physical and
mental health. But one of the key initiatives of my
administration is the Live Well Initiative, focusing on mental health,

(23:55):
but very strongly focusing on mental wellness, on all aspects
of mental wellness, and that is a multifaceted program that.

Speaker 13 (24:04):
Is so important.

Speaker 20 (24:05):
When I first came into office, it was during the pandemic,
and we know that there were many that were struggling.
We know that there were many on our college campuses,
not only our members, but other students across our campuses.

Speaker 13 (24:22):
We know that there was isolation.

Speaker 20 (24:24):
From our elderly and all throughout this country. And so
making sure that we focused on the mental wellness and
how to maintain that mental wellness, and how to recognize
mental health challenges and make sure making sure that there

(24:44):
are things in place, whether it's being able to find
a mental health provider, whether it's focusing on programs on
college campuses, whether it's our Wellness Wednesdays that we conduct
month after month to focus on the various aspects of
mental wellness, or our Live Well Summit that we just

(25:06):
completed where we focused on mind, body, and spirit.

Speaker 13 (25:10):
It is critical in a time like this.

Speaker 20 (25:12):
We started in a pandemic, but we're in another kind
of pandemic right now. When it comes to the challenges
that we're having with again rights being taken away, racial
injustices where we should have racial justices, the rature of
our history, and so many more issues that we are

(25:34):
facing as a people. It is absolutely critical that we
focus on our mental health during this period of time.

Speaker 9 (25:41):
Tyler, Yes, President Coclems, this is so great to see you.
As always, I got to give a special shout out
to my home chapter ALPHAM at North Carolina a MC.

Speaker 4 (25:52):
That's a problem.

Speaker 9 (25:53):
The number of our five beta sigma I know firsthand
that are divine, not worths.

Speaker 1 (25:59):
That's just that's.

Speaker 13 (26:05):
The blue I got you, I got you, that's.

Speaker 22 (26:08):
Right, that's right.

Speaker 9 (26:09):
So you know our organization are not just there are
strategic pillars in our community and civic leadership, education and justice.
As a president, as a president of a legacy organization
with years of strong support in the community, what will
your message beats the next generation of next generation of
Deltas who are making the way to d C, which
a bunch of my friends are already taking over the city.

Speaker 20 (26:33):
Well, I will tell you that the message is that
we have to always meet the moment and we always
have to lead the way.

Speaker 13 (26:43):
It is up to us.

Speaker 20 (26:44):
If not us, then who And So it's not enough
to sit back.

Speaker 13 (26:52):
It's not enough.

Speaker 20 (26:52):
To stroll all the fun things we do. It's not
enough to step and stroll. It's not enough to just
focus on the things that are happening on specific campuses
even or in communities. But it must be broad across
this country. The things that we do must be global,

(27:12):
and we must stay in the fight. And I will
tell you, in addition to that, one of the things
that we share with our members, and I certainly talk
about with my fellow presidents on a regular basis that
our collective power is unparalleled. We're almost three million strong
if you look at the collective power of the d nine.

(27:33):
So in addition to us leading the way, I will
tell you that the D nine should be leading the way.
And we always say our hashtag is DE nine Stronger together,
because if we know that we if we continue to
excise our collective power, there's nothing that we can't do,
whether it's focusing on some collective buying to be able

(27:58):
to own our own things like conference centers, on our
own museums, there's so many things that we have the
opportunity to do if we use our collective voices and
our collective power. So that's the other message that we
want to either way, but we have to also do
it together.

Speaker 1 (28:19):
Absolutely. So Look, I understand I speak a whole lot,
travel a lot, and when I felt my voice being
lost when I was at Essence Fest, I always carry
something with me. So President Cook Holmes, tell your staff
go to store and buy you this and keep it

(28:41):
with you. I keep it in my bag at all times.
Tambal a man and David Mann hooked me up and said,
anytime you're losing your voice or you've gotten ready to
speak a lot, take this. It's an herbal it's an
herbal spray. It will help you keep your voice.

Speaker 20 (28:57):
I actually have some in my purse, but I don't
think I and using it enough today.

Speaker 13 (29:01):
But Roland, I thank you for that tip. I'm going
to use it because I have a whole lot of
talking I need to do tomorrow. So I need to figure.

Speaker 20 (29:08):
Figure this out quickly, because I want you to tell
my sorry Jackie, hello you.

Speaker 13 (29:14):
I don't want I don't want to lose.

Speaker 1 (29:15):
You on day two. You can't be like no, you tell.

Speaker 13 (29:20):
Not the beginning.

Speaker 1 (29:21):
You tell her how I ain't seen her. I got
back from that said she was already gone to the convention.

Speaker 2 (29:27):
So you tell her hi when you see it.

Speaker 13 (29:29):
But I would look for her and tell her you
said hello.

Speaker 1 (29:31):
That I didn't do that. Well, I appreciate it.

Speaker 4 (29:34):
Uh.

Speaker 1 (29:35):
I know she got me a couple of tickets or something.
So I'll be popping through so I'll see you.

Speaker 13 (29:40):
Look for to seeing you.

Speaker 1 (29:41):
I'll see at the convention center.

Speaker 23 (29:42):
Uh.

Speaker 1 (29:43):
And last question, how many hotels y'all got? Y'all feel
up here?

Speaker 20 (29:48):
I don't know of a hotel in the strip where
we don't have members, so I am I'll.

Speaker 13 (29:53):
Be honest with you. I think I lost count.

Speaker 20 (29:56):
You know, after we got fifty or sixty contracts, but
I would know you there is not a place within
the district, not just the downtown area you know, bets,
but as far north as you know, the hotels that
are almost in Maryland. So you go, we're all over
and we know that we have SORR stant in Virginia

(30:17):
and Maryland too.

Speaker 1 (30:18):
All right then, President Cook Holmes, we'll appreciate it. Good
luck to a great week.

Speaker 13 (30:24):
Thank you, thank you so much.

Speaker 1 (30:25):
All right, thanks a bunch of folks. We're going to
go to a break. We come back more. Roland Martin unfiltered,
don't forget support the work that we do. Join our
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(30:47):
of all, Roland Martin unfiltered. Send it to peel box
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com will be right back.

Speaker 24 (31:07):
Next on the Black Table with me Greg Carr, the
enigma of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Times, What really makes
him tick and what forces shaped his view of the world,
the country, and Black America.

Speaker 4 (31:20):
The answer, I'm pretty sure will shock you.

Speaker 25 (31:23):
As he says, you know, people think that I'm anachronistic.

Speaker 1 (31:25):
I am.

Speaker 26 (31:26):
I want to go backwards in time in order to
move us forward into the future. He's very upfront about this.

Speaker 24 (31:32):
We'll talk to Corey Robin, the man who wrote the
book that reveals it all. That's next on The Black Table,
only on the Black Star Network.

Speaker 1 (31:44):
Hey, what's up, y'all.

Speaker 27 (31:45):
I'm Devond Frank, I'm doctor Robin Bee, pharmacist and fitness coach.

Speaker 9 (31:48):
And you're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered.

Speaker 1 (32:24):
Lord Maggie's losing their minds. They're alleging a massive conspiracy
when it comes to Epstein, you know, the guy who
hung out with Donald Trump. Remember this photo right here.
Donald Trump claimed he didn't know him. Well, we know
that's a lie, and we know Jeffrey Epstein helped out
a lot of Republicans. And remember he cut a deal

(32:48):
in Florida prosecutors there and Trump's labor secretary was the
one who helped him out of that deal that they
also wanted to keep secret. Remy allow him to go
to jail in daytime and go home and Dike was
really what I mean was sweetheart deal. So a lot
of people, especially Republicans, believe that it was a cover up.
And who are the names? I remember Pam bonding when

(33:08):
she came with Attorney in General shoes like I have
it on the list on my desk. But then now
they claim, oh no, there's there's no list, And again
MAGA is losing its mind.

Speaker 2 (33:17):
So today at the.

Speaker 1 (33:18):
Cabinet meeting, a reporter asked Trump about it, and I
swear he almost soiled the adult diaper he's wearing.

Speaker 28 (33:32):
Jane Jeffrey Epstein left some lingering mysteries of One of
the biggest ones is whether he ever worked for an
American or foreign intelligence agency. The former Leader secretary, who
is Miami US attorney Alex Costai, allegedly said that he
did work for an intelligence agency.

Speaker 25 (33:51):
So could you resolve whether.

Speaker 4 (33:53):
Or not he did?

Speaker 28 (33:53):
And also could you see why there was a minute
missing from the jailhouse team.

Speaker 19 (33:57):
On the name of side Yeah, I just send you
Sure are you still talking about Jeffrey and Epstein. This
guy's been talked about for years. You're asking, we have Texas,
we have this, we have all of the things, and are.

Speaker 2 (34:12):
People still talking about this guy, this.

Speaker 1 (34:14):
Creep that is unbelievable.

Speaker 4 (34:18):
Do you want to waste the time and do you
feel like answering? I don't mind answering that.

Speaker 29 (34:23):
I mean, I can't believe you're asking a question on
at Epstein at a time like this where we're having
some of the greatest success and also tragedy with what
happened in Texas.

Speaker 4 (34:33):
It just seems like a desecration.

Speaker 6 (34:36):
But you go ahead, sure, sure.

Speaker 30 (34:38):
First to back up on that, in February, I did
an interview on Fox and it's been getting a lot
of attention because I said I was asking a question
about the client list, and my response was it's sitting
on my desk to be reviewed, meaning the file along
with the JFK MLK five as well. That's what I

(35:01):
meant by that. Also, to the tens of thousands of
video they turned out to be child porn downloaded by
that disgusting Jeffrey Epstein, childborn is what they were never
going to be released, never going to see the lighted
day to him being an agent. I have no knowledge
about that. We can get back to you on that.
And the minute missing from the video. We released the

(35:24):
video showing definitively the video was not conclusive, but the
evidence prior to it was showing he committed suicide. And
what was on that there was a minute that was
off the counter. And what we learned from euro of
Prisons was every year, every night they redo that video

(35:46):
as old from like nineteen ninety nine, So every night
the video is reset and every night should have the
same minute missing. So we're looking for that video to
release that as well, showing that a minute is missing
every night.

Speaker 4 (35:58):
And that's it on Epstein.

Speaker 1 (36:01):
But here's the thing, it's the right that's making a
big deal out of this. They're the ones who are
angry and upset and mad and yelling and screening. Even
Tucker Carlson went off on this whole deal and just said,
how oh, this could cause a massive, massive storm on

(36:27):
the right. Here was an interview that he had with
somebody on that issue.

Speaker 31 (36:33):
Particularly not only deceived by the people like the FBI
director and the deputy director Dan Bongino, but the Attorney
General who went on camera after assuming her office on
the White House lawn. These are supposed to mean things,
and said, thousands of victims, we have the client lists,
we have the flight logs.

Speaker 6 (36:50):
She held a.

Speaker 31 (36:51):
Little press conference whatever event with so called influencers, and
she gave them the Epstein files. An infamous photo that
was released. It turned out that that binder actually had
redacted information in it which was already public, just to
demonstrate how they were turning the South Lawn. They're turning
the winehouse effectively into a performative show and making you know,

(37:12):
light of the fact that there are hundreds, if not
thousands of underage victims.

Speaker 1 (37:20):
MAGA big mad, Like, Maga's really upset and they are
just going crazy on this issue.

Speaker 4 (37:30):
Now.

Speaker 1 (37:30):
That was him talking to Segar and Jetty Uh and
again they just I mean, they are really really upset.
And he's that Dan Bongino lied to the people. It's
the same Dan Bongino who just beloved by the right,
who left his media perch to go work for Trump. So,

(37:52):
I mean, they are just big mad. Now Trump and
them are sitting here. You heard them say that evil
man and Trump people are still talking about Jeffrey Epstein
that's still talking about Jeffrey Epstein. That despicable man. You
mean this one? Hm hm who's that to the right

(38:22):
of Trump, Jeffrey Epstein?

Speaker 32 (38:26):
Hmm, look quite chummy, huh hm hm, boy, look at
having a grand conversation. Chummy, chummy, chummy, chummy, trummy. But
they're like, oh, that despicable man, that.

Speaker 1 (38:44):
Man, how dare he? I mean, Trump was kicking it
with him. You had one woman who was actually suing
Trump saying she was raped.

Speaker 33 (38:54):
That's a fact, y'all. Like, don't get mad at everybody else.
That's y'all boy. And the right is so upset and
its matter of fact.

Speaker 1 (39:08):
Look a here this is collage of photos, uh of
Donald Trump and who his boy, Jeffrey Epstein. Ain't that interesting?
I just think it's a trip, Larry, that maga is
so mad. So Trump gets mad at the reporter for
asking the question when it's the people that voted for

(39:30):
him who were pissed off.

Speaker 8 (39:34):
Yeah, this is Roland.

Speaker 7 (39:35):
This is a situation where you eat you know, you know,
people eat their own they constantly, you know, for the
last several years, they have fed all these conspiracy theories,
and you talked about just a few weeks ago, we
had that, you know, the infamous photo op in front
of the White House with the Epstein binders. It was
it was circular on news, talked about for days, and

(39:58):
the DJ Toney general said she had some information that
she you know, she phrased it a little bit differently
than she did from the interview. But they fed this
conspiracy theory and people waiting for the payoff based on
what we've heard for the last several years, and now
they're backtracking. So all that does is feed more conspiracy.

Speaker 1 (40:19):
Larry's talking.

Speaker 2 (40:20):
Hold on, Larry, while go to my iPad.

Speaker 1 (40:22):
Remember this, They held up these binders, the Epstein FBI files.

Speaker 7 (40:28):
Go ahead, yeah, I mean, and you know, they talked
about having these social media influencers who then went on
their podcast and once again this went on and talked
about how this information was coming out. And so once
again people who you know, into these conspiracy theories or
you know, follow these kinds of things, are looking for

(40:49):
a payoff in it, and now it never came. And
those same folks are now going to turn on administration
because now they think there's up there's something, there's up
to something. So there's a conspiracy inside the conspiracy. So
it's going to be really interesting over the next several
weeks a couple months to see what this does in
terms of the public opinion for those who are right wingers.

Speaker 8 (41:10):
Who followed this kind of issue.

Speaker 7 (41:11):
But bottom line is Roland, they fed the beast, and
the beasts expected to be fed. And it's like being
at the zoo and throwing red meat at a tiger
and you know, you didn't throw the tiger any food
this time.

Speaker 8 (41:23):
And now those folks have turned on administration.

Speaker 1 (41:26):
Tyler Minas Touch published this. The tweet was, here are
fourteen phone numbers associated with Donald Trump from Jeffery Epstein's
Little Black Book. I mean, I guess that's why he
doesn't want to talk about it.

Speaker 9 (41:41):
Yeah, absolutely, And I think, you know, there's a double
standard and how powerful men like Donald Trump are treated
when it comes to associating with predators like Jeffrey Epstein.
Despite as we just saw, years of photos, videos and
testimony and public connections to him, Trump has never faced
full accountability. I think the real question for his ties

(42:02):
to Epstein's you know, you know, it's dangerous, and I
think the silence of his administration and his silence sends
a chilling message that if you're rich, you're if you're
well connected, and if you're white, you get to walk
away free, while survivors carry a weight. As you said
before even you know, the survivor who came out, or

(42:24):
you know, as we look at how Trump has you know,
talked about treating woman and I think you know he
has not face full accountability, and I think it just
sends a chilling message that many of us have already
known to be true.

Speaker 1 (42:38):
This is Brian Shapiro was on Piers Morgan show. Uh,
and of course all of these these little Trump defenders
who always complained will stop, will listen to what Shapiro
lit them up on. And he's absolutely right. When Hamma did.

Speaker 34 (42:54):
Your show, where did she get that information from? Where
did that come from? Back in February, I would also
say to Pan BONDI she lied on Fox News or
maybe she was telling the truth. She said she had
a list that was on her desk, Peers, where did
that list go?

Speaker 1 (43:07):
Was she lying?

Speaker 4 (43:08):
Was that made up?

Speaker 34 (43:09):
And I'd also say, thirdly, and I know this is
something that Jack probably doesn't want to bring up, but
the fact of the matter is is that Jeffrey Epstein's
on audio saying at one point, Donald Trump was his
best friend. We also know that Donald Trump was on
the Epstein flight log seven times. We learned that in
the Maxwell case. So I don't think it's a stretch
to say maybe Donald Trump might be somewhere in these files.

(43:29):
Maybe we don't know that for sure, but I know
if it was the other way around, and if it
was Joe Biden that was best friends with Jeffrey Epstein
at one point, that's all Jack and Maga Republicans would
be talking about. I think Donald Trump is on this list,
and I think Donald Trump is in these files, and
I think the Trump administration is.

Speaker 1 (43:49):
Hiding something. Here's the thing that cracks me up. Ustafa Trump,
you asked that question. This this feels like desecration. Oh
oh so, now all of a sudden, you want to
talk about the more than one hundred people killed in

(44:15):
the floods in Texas and the fact that one hundred
and sixty one people are still missing. Oh so now
you want us to focus on that. Oh so you
don't want to answer any questions about that. Maybe that's

(44:35):
mostapha because when the flood was happening, look, who was
golfing three days ago.

Speaker 2 (44:43):
He's on his way to play golf.

Speaker 1 (44:45):
But now you don't want us asking about these things
because oh oh, because of great things happening and the
flood in Texas. No, it's called the First Amendment. We
can ask any damn thing we want. And at some
point I wish one of these reporters would actually say, hey, man,

(45:05):
we can ask what the hell we want, whether you
like it or not.

Speaker 6 (45:10):
Yeah, exactly.

Speaker 5 (45:11):
And you know the fact that we can multitask, you know,
we can take in multiple types of information and be
able to analyze it and make some decisions for ourselves.

Speaker 6 (45:21):
You know, it's interesting.

Speaker 5 (45:23):
You know, we know that that Trump hung out with Ebstein,
that Trump partied with Ebstein, as the gentleman said, you know,
his name also appeared seven times on the flight logs.

Speaker 1 (45:34):
We know that Ebstein was seventeen time on a flight log.

Speaker 5 (45:39):
Seventeen times. Okay, I've read seven times before, so thank
you for the correction. And then also we know that,
you know, based upon the way that we're looking at
sex trafficking now, that Epstein was also moving folks over to.

Speaker 6 (45:51):
The island and all kinds of different things.

Speaker 5 (45:54):
So you know, if it walks like a duck and
quacks like a duck, we all know how the saying goes.
So of course, no one wants to have that attention
on them when they're associated with someone who's done those
types of things. But he had a history of not
just one time being seen with this individual, but multiple times.
And you know, no matter who else it might have been,

(46:16):
if you found yourself in that situation, if people had
all this documentation, both video and photos, then they're going
to ask questions about where you also participating in those
types of affairious behaviors that Epstein was convicted on. Not
you know that people just you know, said maybe this
is something that he's done, but he was actually convicted

(46:39):
in relationship to the list.

Speaker 6 (46:40):
Yeah, that was the red.

Speaker 5 (46:41):
Meat that everyone kept talking about and were really interested
in whose names on the list. I can't tell you
how many times you know, people would make you know,
guesses about who might be on there, and of course
Trump's name came up along with a number of other folks.
So you can't get upset if you are going to,
you know, affiliate with individuals who do those types of behaviors, criminal.

Speaker 1 (47:03):
Behaviors and if you're gonna sit here in trash Hillary
Clinton or Obama or Biden or Harris, then you got
to own it now. Now, I heard Shapiro say seventeen
the when lawyer said, Trump said it was seven times
on the flight logs. I'm gonna double check that. But
I do want to read this quote. This is from
a New York Magazine story. Trump quote. I've known jeff
for fifteen years. Terrific guy. He's a lot of fun

(47:25):
to be with. It's even saying that he likes beautiful
women as much as I do. And many of them
are on the younger side, no doubt about it. Jeffrey
enjoys his social life. That was Donald Trump on Jeffrey Epstein.
So I see why he doesn't want questions being asked
about Jeffrey Epstein in the White House. All right, y'all

(47:50):
going to break, We'll be right back. Roland Martin unfiltered
on a Black Stun Network.

Speaker 17 (47:57):
This week on a Balanced Life with Doctor Jackie talking faith, family, fatherhood,
and the pathway to reentry. Most of us, in some way, shape,
form or fashion, have had someone in our lives, whether
it was.

Speaker 16 (48:10):
A grandfather, a father, an uncle, a brother.

Speaker 17 (48:13):
Or a cousin who have been incarcerated or justice impacted.
What does that look like in rebuilding family and relationships?
What does it look like for us to be able
to have substantive conversations, come to the table, love on
each other while at the same time get it all
out in the open.

Speaker 16 (48:31):
So that we can begin a new journey together.

Speaker 18 (48:34):
You know, the last thing you want is in the
midst of trying to piece your life back together, for
homes to not be a comfortable place.

Speaker 17 (48:42):
That's all next on a Balance Life with Doctor Jackie
here on Black Star Network.

Speaker 4 (48:49):
Hey, what's up?

Speaker 35 (48:50):
As Sammy Roman's Jean Murdy executive produce up the new
Sherry Shepherd.

Speaker 27 (48:53):
Talk Shaw if me Sherry Sevra and you know what
you're watching? Roland Martin Unfiltered.

Speaker 1 (49:05):
Folks, So Georgia Chapter of These Sons of Confederate vetriers
issuing the state park over its plan to create an
exhibit addressing Slavery's segregation in the White supremacy. The lawsuit
focuses on racist.

Speaker 2 (49:18):
Stone Mountain, which features a.

Speaker 1 (49:20):
Monument depicting racist Confederate President Jefferson Davis, White domestic terrorists.
General Robert E. Lee as well as white domestic terrorists
racist Stonewall to Thomas Stonewall Jackson all on a horseback.
The monument was carved in nineteen fifteen. In twenty twenty one,

(49:40):
the Stone Memorial Association voted to relocate the Confederate flags
at the monument and to build a quote truth telling exhibit.
This exhibit aims to inform visitors about the site's role
in the revival of the ku klus Klan and a
segregationist roots. It will also discuss how Confederate groups, including

(50:00):
the Sons of Confederate Veterans, promoted the racist Cause ideology,
which portrayed slavery as a positive institution. The Sons of
Confederate Veterans argue that relocating the Confederate flags violates Georgia
law and that altering the monuments to fit the president
political climate is illegal. They believe these charge changes are

(50:23):
an attack on their history and showed disrespect for Confederate soldiers. Okay,
first of all, last I checked, they're not altering the monument,
even though yours truly believes blow that shit up. But
to say that you have a visitor area telling the

(50:44):
truth ULLSTO. I don't and what the problem is because
that's not altering the monument, it's actually showing, as Paul
Harvey would say, now the rest of the story.

Speaker 6 (51:00):
And that's the point right there.

Speaker 5 (51:01):
You know, there's fear in truth, especially for those who
know they're coming from a dark place. They're coming from
a place of misinformation and disinformation.

Speaker 6 (51:10):
And we need to be able to set the record straight.

Speaker 5 (51:13):
And people have a problem with that because they want
to create their own narrative, even when it is a
false narrative. So, you know, I hope that folks continue
to move forward on making sure that everybody who visits
has a real understanding of you know, all the trauma
that was a part of slavery and the truth about

(51:34):
what it really was.

Speaker 6 (51:35):
Because if you don't do that.

Speaker 5 (51:37):
Then people will, you know, continue to paint it in
a picture that's not what our people actually experienced.

Speaker 1 (51:45):
Cannot stand Larry truth. What they still want is white
his story and not truthful history.

Speaker 7 (51:59):
Yeah, and we needed we need to make it real
clear about you know, you know, when I think about.

Speaker 8 (52:04):
My enslave at, you know, enslaved ancestors.

Speaker 7 (52:07):
What they had to endure, the trauma, the rate, et cetera, no,
we need to We need to tell the truth. I mean,
isn't that what isn't that what the country is all
about today? We're about truth telling, right, So you you
have to This country struggles with it's its history. And
you know, I always tell people I'm first journation post

(52:28):
Jim Crow. These these when you said these conversations, it's
not that long ago in terms of we can have
conversations with individuals who were enslaved Africans and so, yeah,
the atrocities that you know, these organizations and the Confederacy
committed against enslaved Africans needs to be made clear, their history,
why they chose what they did the years after that

(52:48):
in terms of like you talked about the KKK and
these other organizations that you know, traumatized black communities for decades,
they all need to be called on the carpet for
what they're what they did, and if you're active member
of the organization, you need to face what your ancestors did.
And the fact that also that you can still involved
in this organization that once again upholds what the Confederacy

(53:11):
did is some kind of you know, shining you know,
shining example when they once again traumatized black people for decades.

Speaker 8 (53:19):
So no, we need, we need.

Speaker 7 (53:21):
We needed something that is completely honest, and we needed
we needed a nice, big, you know, post or something
right next to all those figures.

Speaker 1 (53:29):
Uh, Tyler, I guess real simpar for me. These folks
despise the fact that we actually got an opportunity to read.
They despise the fact that we now are in positions
of power, and they despise the fact that racist white
men no longer control everything. And so they're going to
have to suck it up. And I think they're going

(53:49):
to lose this lawsuit because they're lying. The monument is
not being changed. Having a visit to cider right next
to it, nothing wrong with that, So bring.

Speaker 4 (54:02):
Absolutely.

Speaker 9 (54:03):
I saw a quote this week that's that said offended
by everything, ashamed of nothing, and titled to everything but
contributing to nothing. And I think when I think about,
you know, these symbols, they're in just mere history. They're
ongoing living patriarchy, racism, and a mission, especially in states
like Georgia. And I think the lawsuit is more than

(54:24):
just like a legal maneuvering that they're trying to get around.
But it's a fight over memory. It's a fight over
power and those whose stories get to be told and honored.
And this monument is a living insult that legitimize this
white supremacy and I think real equity demands that were
moving these these public you know, honors for oppressions and

(54:45):
oppressors and telling the full and as you know, we
said the full and honest truth. We must you know,
stand up to it and uh, you know, and be
president in this moment to ensure that they're trying to
erase our history, but we us.

Speaker 22 (55:02):
Stand firm and how our history is being told.

Speaker 1 (55:05):
All right, folks, Let's talk about something else these idiots
are doing and the impact that's going to have on
a lot of black people. Donald Trump and his people
are unveiling plans for a major overhaul of student loans,
and so they're trying to First of all, they're trying
to shift which department this deals with. The Public Service
Loan Forgiveness Program was established eighteen years ago. The PSLF

(55:28):
allows government employees such as teachers, firefighters, and nonprofit workers,
to have their student loans forgiven after ten years of
qualifying payments. Education department could strip the benefit from organizations
involved in quote illegal activities. Mangela Deskins, director of Advocacy
for Engagement at Edge Trust, joined us right now, So

(55:50):
first and foremost, explain us what the hell does that
even mean?

Speaker 2 (55:55):
Illegal activities?

Speaker 21 (55:58):
Thanks for having me this evening. I think before we
talk about the specifics, I just want to kind of
lay the groundwork so that we can really understand what
we're seeing here. The Republicans in Congress and service of
the MAGA agenda are making it clear they don't want
black and brown students going to college.

Speaker 4 (56:17):
This is about making the rich richer.

Speaker 21 (56:19):
By attempting to smother the aspirations of students of color
across this country, and by passing this bill, and by
putting these restrictions and eliminations and changing to the rules
and repayment plans, this is an attempt to make it
so that black and brown students cannot go to school
at all.

Speaker 4 (56:39):
So I just want to start there.

Speaker 21 (56:42):
You know, the idea is to keep us from being
able to go to school, or put us in, you know,
a level of debt that we can never get out
of for the privilege of attempting to assess the American dream,
access the American dream.

Speaker 1 (56:57):
So so walk us through this terms of what do
we know so far about these changes?

Speaker 4 (57:05):
Sure?

Speaker 21 (57:05):
So you know, the changes really affect two sides, the
loan side and the repayment side. On the loan side,
they eliminated federal loans that helped graduate students pay for
school and added borrowing limits to parent plus loans. Parent
plus loans are loans that black and brown families disproportionately use,

(57:28):
so this will force families to either go to banks
and take higher interest loans that will create more debt
for the family, or make decisions on whether these students
can go to college at all. On the repayment side,
they've changed income based student repayment loan plans, making them
more expensive and adding longer timeframes.

Speaker 4 (57:50):
And this was part of the way they were going
to pay for their.

Speaker 21 (57:53):
Tax cut to billionaires by making it more expensive for
students who are getting giving their lives to public service
to be able to repay the loans that help them.

Speaker 4 (58:04):
Achieve that ability.

Speaker 21 (58:08):
And if I could just pause you for a quick second,
I just I want to make this real for folks
in a way that we can understand. You know, I
attended College Florida A and M University as a first generation
low income student, and I graduated with over fifty thousand
dollars in debt. Now, when you look at why I
was low income, you might want to look at my

(58:29):
grandmother being a sharecropper or my mother picking cotton as
a kid on that same plantation. But alas you see me,
I was able to make it to college. By the
time I was able to start repaying my loan, I
struggled to find employment, as many students do, and as
a first generation student, I didn't have a lot of
familiar family help to help me move forward. So by

(58:52):
the time I was able to start repaying my loan,
my loan had ballooned to over eighty thousand dollars. By
the time I was able to get on an income
based repayment plan, it went over one hundred thousand dollars. Now,
I'm here to say that public service loan forgiveness helped me.
It helped me get out of a debt that would

(59:12):
have saddled me for the rest of my life, a
debt that I had because I spent my entire career
fighting for people who look like me, who came from
the circumstances that I came from. So that people could
have the ability to achieve what we call this American dream.

Speaker 4 (59:27):
This is what these changes did.

Speaker 21 (59:29):
They are taking that ability away from further generations of
students who are coming from backgrounds like me, trying to
give their low.

Speaker 1 (59:41):
It looks like, I guess is frozen. So we're going
to try to reconnect with him. So let's see here,
let's see spending magala shill there.

Speaker 4 (59:52):
Sorry, can you hear me?

Speaker 1 (59:53):
Yeah? Yeah, you actually froze there, But go ahead, keep going.

Speaker 4 (59:56):
Ooh, I don't know where I froze. Man. I was
just getting into it again.

Speaker 1 (01:00:00):
We were talking about terms of how this thing is
being put together again, who is going to effect? First
of all, you know, when do these changes start? I mean,
is it right now? What must folks do to prepare themselves?

Speaker 4 (01:00:14):
Yeah, for sure, So the changes start right now.

Speaker 21 (01:00:17):
Folks are already seeing their repayment plans changed. They're already
seeing of raising the amount of money that they have
to pay. They're already seeing hits to their credit scores.
And then as far for the repayment side and for
the loans, this is for any future borrowers. So these
are for students whose kids have did everything they were

(01:00:40):
supposed to do and were able to get into college
for this fall in twenty twenty five, they're going to
have to deal with the consequences of this and the
limitations on how much money they can borrow.

Speaker 4 (01:00:52):
And it will also affect the students.

Speaker 21 (01:00:54):
Who have already graduated, who are starting to repay their loans.
Now they're going to have to give more and more
of their income to be able to keep this from
hitting their credit or defaulting or hurting them financially. As
they said, sit under this debt burden.

Speaker 1 (01:01:11):
Questions from the panel taalic you first.

Speaker 9 (01:01:15):
Yeah, absolutely, as we know, as educations are right, not
a privilege, and the one s you have to choose
between groceries and a loan repayment just for wanting to learn.
My question for you will be what does its pause
and payment attracting me for borrows who have already dedicated
years towards forgiveness from a lot of these firefighters, teachers,
and police officers.

Speaker 4 (01:01:37):
Yeah, absolutely, So you know, there's.

Speaker 21 (01:01:41):
As what we often see with this current administration, there's
a lot that is opaque. Things we don't quite know yet,
but we know that they will probably not be legal.

Speaker 4 (01:01:50):
But that hasn't stopped anything before.

Speaker 21 (01:01:52):
What we know right now is that people are now
unable to check their payment status where you used to
be able to see how oh word the public service
loan forgiveness. We know that some portions of public service
loan forgiveness have went away the truth fallout. What we
will see in total from this, we don't know yet.

(01:02:12):
But what we do know is all of those folks,
whether you talk about teachers, whether you talk about civil
rights activists, whether you talk about folks who work in
the public sector, all of those folks should be very concerned.
And there are some actions that we think that folks
can take. But I want to pause because we didn't
get to that yet.

Speaker 7 (01:02:36):
Larry, Yeah, thank you for all your work at air Trust.
And I want to give a shout out to your CEO,
my friend Denise Sports while while we're having a conversation, yes, sir,
and yeah, and so let's talk a little bit about
you know, what happens if you're not able to pay
these loans, because I think the Wall Street Journal reported
that some people who are actually retired are actually having

(01:02:57):
wages garnished. Can you talk a little bit about that,
because this is disportunately.

Speaker 8 (01:03:01):
Going to impact white folks also.

Speaker 21 (01:03:03):
Oh, absolutely, So we are seeing wage garnishment actually happen.
We are seeing folks take major hits on their credit
for being delinquent in their loans. And I think that
it's been widely reported that there are many people who
are struggling to pay these loans already, and we expect
that that's going to get worse. And so you know,

(01:03:24):
in doing this, it's not just creating more expensive repayment
plans that will saddle folks with a debt burden, but
they are also garnishing wages on the other end. So
it's leaving you with really a very limited set of
options for what you do if you're not able to
afford these loans, which many students are not. As we

(01:03:47):
may remember, the administration's policies have caused many workers to
be laid off, many workers to lose their job, whether
in the federal government or in related.

Speaker 4 (01:03:59):
Parts of different departments.

Speaker 21 (01:04:00):
So when you think about folks who are contractors for
education services, when you think about folks who work for
a variety of companies and entities that support the public needs,
those folks are getting laid off because those loans are
being illegally held or sorry, those grants are being illegally
held by the administration. So right now, you know, folks

(01:04:24):
are really caught between really a rock and a hard place.

Speaker 4 (01:04:27):
You have to pay it.

Speaker 21 (01:04:28):
It's more expensive, but at the same time, if you can't,
then your loans can be garnished. I mean sorry, your
wages can be garnished.

Speaker 1 (01:04:36):
Sorry, Gustafa.

Speaker 5 (01:04:39):
Yeah, well, thank you for what you and your organization does.
Can you walk folks through so you know there's a
huge amount of money that's tied up in this Now
people are paying more money. We know there is a
push to privatize education. So can you talk a little
bit about where do the dollars go?

Speaker 8 (01:04:59):
Now?

Speaker 6 (01:05:00):
Does it go to Treasury?

Speaker 5 (01:05:01):
Does it go I know it doesn't go to the
Department of Education, but I'm just going to say, does
it go to the Department of Education?

Speaker 6 (01:05:06):
Where do these additional dollars go?

Speaker 21 (01:05:10):
Well, these these changes were passed as a part of
this boo boo bill, bad bad Bill, big bad, terrible bill,
whatever we want to call it. And the reason why
these things were put into place outside of making sure
that you know, black and brown students don't have access

(01:05:31):
to higher education or to college, which of course is
the number one goal. The reason why they were added
to this particular bill was in order to pay for
tax cuts and tax breaks to billionaires that the administration
wanted to make sure they got through. So as far
as like how these dollars moved through the system, again,

(01:05:55):
some of these things are opeque. The key thing to
know is the reason why thesetional dollars are being collected
is to cover the cost of tax breaks for rich people.
At ed Trust, we like to call this, we call
this bill the Great heightst And that's what that's about,
is taking these folks dreams and aspirations to be able

(01:06:16):
to create a better life for themselves and their families
through college and through the careers that come from that,
and taking the debt that folks took on in order
to do that, and taking that and raising that debt
and charging folks more in order to pay for tax
cuts to rich people, which really shouldn't surprise me, prize us,

(01:06:36):
because remember this is the same Trump administration. You remember Trump,
he created a fake university in order to defraud students
who were trying to get a better life out of
their funds in the first place. So this idea of
stealing from people who are looking for a better life
in order to pay.

Speaker 4 (01:06:54):
Billionaires, millionaires and billionaires.

Speaker 21 (01:06:56):
Is not a new idea for Donald Trump, and it's
not a new idea for what we've seen from his policies.

Speaker 1 (01:07:04):
Well, for all the people who chose to set the
election out, well they now have to contend with this
because we tried to tell them, we told what was
going to go down.

Speaker 2 (01:07:13):
And then there was a whole lot of people who
were yelling and.

Speaker 1 (01:07:15):
Screaming, why hasn't Joe Biden got rid of student on debt? No,
maybe you shouldn't sat your ass out of twenty sixteen election.
And then Trump went out of appointment. Three Supreme Court
justices just saying Angela, we appreciate it, Thank.

Speaker 4 (01:07:29):
You a lot, Thank you so much for having me.

Speaker 1 (01:07:32):
All Right, folks, quick break right back on rolling on
Filter with the Blackstar Network. Don't forget support the work
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Com, Rolling at Rolling unfilter dot com with you right back.

Speaker 24 (01:08:20):
enigma of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Times. What really makes
the country, and Black America. The answer, I'm pretty sure
will shock.

Speaker 25 (01:08:35):
You, as he says, you know, people think that I'm anachronistic.

Speaker 1 (01:08:38):
I am.

Speaker 25 (01:08:38):
move us forward into the future.

Speaker 8 (01:08:43):
He's very upfront about this.

Speaker 24 (01:08:45):
We'll talk to Corey Robbin, the man who wrote the
book that reveals it all. That's next on the Black
Table only on the Black Star Network.

Speaker 12 (01:08:57):
Speak on the other side of change.

Speaker 13 (01:08:59):
In Massen Curson.

Speaker 14 (01:09:00):
Trump administration is doubling down on criminalization and how it
is profitable.

Speaker 15 (01:09:04):
need to put people in cages in order for other
people to have jobs.

Speaker 16 (01:09:11):
Like that is not how our economy.

Speaker 36 (01:09:12):
Should be go only on the other side of change
on the Blackstar Network.

Speaker 17 (01:09:21):
This week on a Balanced Life, where doctor Jackie, we're
talking faith, family, fatherhood, and the pathway to reentry. Most
of us, in some way, shape, form or fashion, have
had someone in our lives, whether it was a grandfather,
a father, an uncle, a brother, or a cousin who
have been incarcerated or justice impacted.

Speaker 16 (01:09:41):
What does that look like in rebuilding family and relationships?

Speaker 17 (01:09:45):
What does it look like for us to be able
to have substantive conversations, come to the table, love on
each other while at the same time get it all
out in the open.

Speaker 16 (01:09:55):
So that we can begin a new journey together.

Speaker 18 (01:09:58):
You know, the last thing you want is is in
the midst of trying to piece your life back together,
for home to not be a comfortable place.

Speaker 17 (01:10:06):
That's all next on a Balanced Light, Doctor Jackie here
on Black Star Network.

Speaker 1 (01:10:16):
Hello, we're the critic fixtion is I'm doctor.

Speaker 9 (01:10:18):
Vernard Hodges and I'm doctor Terrence Ferguson, and you're tuned
in to Roland Martin.

Speaker 1 (01:10:23):
Unfiltered protests have you erupted across Kenya, with tensions boiling over.
In the capital city of Nairobi, eleven people have been
killed more than five hundred and sixty arrested during widespread
anti government demonstrations, according to police, fuel by anger over corruption,

(01:10:47):
police brutality, and a soaring cost of living, protests broke
out Monday in seventeen countries. In seventeen counties, the unrest
coins coincided with Savasava the July seventh, a day that
commemorates Kenya's fight for demock, but instead of celebration, the
streets were filled with bonfires, tear gas, and a new
generation demanding change. Protesters are calling Unpresident William Ruto to resign,

(01:11:12):
accusing his administration of failing to address the people's needs
and deepening economic hardship. Now while that is happening, we
are seeing significant unrest in Haiti as well. In Haiti,
a very prominent hotel was burned down by gangs. In
the continuing problems that we see in that particular country,

(01:11:36):
which's quite unfortunate. It's the Hotel Olisen, which was called
a Gothic nineteenth century mansion that was gutted. Now this
is what it used to look like right here, and
this is what then happened when it went up in smoke.
This is an aerial of view of what it looks
like now. They continue to see massive unrest there in

(01:11:59):
Haiti as lease a multinational force try to keep the
peace in that particular city, but the reality is we
continue to see gangs dominate and control so much of
what happens there. Now there are some folk who have
a different view of the hotel Satan was a haven

(01:12:19):
for NGOs as well as spies. Well, at the end
of the day, that hotel has been burned down, and
we don't see any substantive things happening from this country
to help the folks there in that country as well.
And so this right here it said before it became

(01:12:39):
a hotel all of a sudden, it was home to
the Sam family until nineteen fifteen. This is an image
right here. And of course, and also it was built
by the son of Haitess president as well, and so
i was converted to a hotel by the Swedish Gustav
Olson and gave it its name. And so you see
right here the information on it. And then of course

(01:13:02):
this is what it looked like as well. So we
hate to see to continue to unrest there in Haiti.
Let's talk about deportations. Haiti is one of the countries
and Donald Trump has been targeting along with other African nations.
And guess what, well, the Trump folks have made it
clear to any of these documented workers on farms gett
an amnesty. Also, they are attacking folks who what they

(01:13:24):
call able bodied Americans on Medicaid, in fact, saying that
they may force them to take jobs feeled by undocumented
farm workers. Listen to the AG Culture Secretary brook Rollins
saying that thirty four million able body people on Medicaid
could serve as potential labor force for farms.

Speaker 37 (01:13:45):
There's been a lot of noise in the last few
days and a lot of questions about where the President
stands in his vision.

Speaker 1 (01:13:51):
For farm labor.

Speaker 37 (01:13:52):
The first thing I'll say is the President has been
unequivocal that there will be no amnesty, and I think
that's very, very important. The rest of our cabinet certainly
support that, effectuate that, and make sure that happens every
single day. The second thing to your question about mass deportations,
the President and I have spoken about that once or twice,
and he has always been of the mindset that at

(01:14:14):
the end of the day, the promise to America to
ensure that we have a one hundred percent American workforce stands,
but we must be strategic and how we are implementing
the mass deportation so is not to compromise our food supply. Ultimately,
the answer on this is automation, also some reform within
the current governing structure.

Speaker 5 (01:14:34):
And then also when you.

Speaker 37 (01:14:35):
Think about there are thirty four million able bodied adults
in our Medicaid program, there are plenty of workers in America.
But we just have to make sure we're not compromising today,
especially in the context of everything we're thinking about right now.
So no amnesty under any circumstances. Mass deportations continue, but
in a strategic and intentional way as we move our

(01:14:56):
workforce toward more automation and toward a one hundred percent
American world.

Speaker 1 (01:15:03):
Hmmm. Really, this initiative is part of Trump's One Big,
Beautiful Bill, which introduces the first ever federal work requirements
for Medicaid recipients. I really can't wait to see Larry. Uh.
A lot of these white folks being sent to farms.

Speaker 8 (01:15:25):
Yeah.

Speaker 7 (01:15:25):
So the reason why you have migrant workers among others,
you know, uh, obviously making a serious contribution to our economy, is.

Speaker 8 (01:15:34):
That Americans don't want these jobs rolling.

Speaker 7 (01:15:36):
And that's just the bottom line.

Speaker 8 (01:15:38):
This is hard work.

Speaker 12 (01:15:40):
UH.

Speaker 7 (01:15:40):
And so what what you hear as Secretary describing is like, UH,
is servitude. Let's be clear about what we're hearing here.
The other thing is really interesting about you know this
comments about you know, those individuals who on medicaid, is
that they're talking.

Speaker 8 (01:15:55):
About a lot of their voters.

Speaker 7 (01:15:56):
And I don't think when a lot of this language
is used the way they switch it up. I don't
think when they talk about people being a home and lazy, etc.
They're talking about a lot of their voters in Red states.
And I think those folks only hear immigrants and other people.
But then they're talking about you, and they're gonna take
they're taking your Medicaid. And the other thing is, as
it relates to this overall conversation, is it also talks

(01:16:20):
to how they value other people's humanity. The majority of
significant individuals of percentage of Americans work at jobs, but
they don't even qualify for things like healthcare. So this
is really more of an issue in terms of the
economic health care structure, in terms of individuals not only
making a living wage but also providing with comprehensive health care.

(01:16:41):
But we're not going to have that conversation because then
that will force people to critique local, state, and federal government.
So what you hear from the secretary once again is
essentially describing some kind of servitude for Americans. And secondly,
once again, Americans are not taking those jobs.

Speaker 1 (01:16:57):
Yeah, I mean it's so you're saying, I saw this
video here one hundred undocumented workers at Glenn Valley Foods
in Nebraska. It got arrested in and so not. Now
the writer is saying, oh my goodness, it was packed.
People were filling out forms for those jobs. Yeah, that's
working at a plant. I'm telling you right now, Mustafa,

(01:17:23):
these white folks ain't gonna be in at a heat
picking no damn fields, right.

Speaker 6 (01:17:32):
You know, most Americans.

Speaker 5 (01:17:33):
I've worked on farm worker issues of beginning in the
early part of my career, so I know, I've seen
personally how hard that work is. And it's interesting because
when we talk about the folks who are on Medicaid,
we're talking about people who were poor and sick and
elderly and disabled and folks who are just trying to
make it. I thought that they actually were going to
go after the prison population. We're going to try and

(01:17:53):
get them to do a lot of this work. But
the reality the situation is, you know, you got a
whole lot of people across this country, you know, are
dealing with opioid addiction and dealing with fetanol, dealing with
all these different types of things that you know, has
already lowered their immune systems, made them weaker. So you're
gonna put them out there in the fields when it's
one hundred plus degrees sometimes one hundred and ten degrees,

(01:18:14):
working twelve hours sometimes making you know, just literally pennies
on the dollar.

Speaker 6 (01:18:20):
Americans are just not going to do that.

Speaker 5 (01:18:22):
I mean, there's just no way that you're going to
be able to make that become a reality.

Speaker 6 (01:18:27):
And so when you make these these snap well they're
not snap decisions.

Speaker 5 (01:18:30):
When these folks make these sort of decisions that have
these huge ramifications.

Speaker 6 (01:18:37):
They're not fully thinking it through.

Speaker 5 (01:18:39):
They're assuming that people, you know, as Larry said, are
going to be okay with being indentured servants.

Speaker 6 (01:18:45):
But that's just not the case.

Speaker 5 (01:18:46):
Whether you're talking about folks in Appalachia, you're talking about
folks that are in the Rust Belt, you're talking about
folks that are down in the Black Belt.

Speaker 6 (01:18:53):
You know, it's just not a reality. And of course
it is a whole lot of their folks.

Speaker 5 (01:18:57):
So they voted for this without probably having the full
understanding that you are also sacrificeable, because that's exactly what
they're doing.

Speaker 6 (01:19:07):
They're finding people who they feel that they have no value, and.

Speaker 5 (01:19:10):
They're going to try and push them into these very
difficult jobs. And there's a reason why, you know, folks
demonize folks who are immigrants to our country, and but
the reality is is that they're helping to hold up
this economy and now you are completely destabilizing it. And
now they're going to be looking for the next set

(01:19:30):
of scapegoats to push this capitalistic set of actions forward.

Speaker 2 (01:19:37):
Well, these right folks, and so check this out.

Speaker 1 (01:19:40):
I'm going to read it first. This is from the
American Business Immigration Coalition I said, I'm gonna read it first.
Come to me, play it. No no, no, no, no, no,
I'm gonna play it. I'm gona play it. Hold on,
I'm gonna read it first. Immigrants are critical to the
farming industry, say Rebecca She, CEO of the American Business
Immigration Coalition. Wait till y'all hear these numbers that she

(01:20:03):
lays out in the video. And I'm telling y'all, I'm
telling you, tyler, these white folks are not going to
be on farms. They are not going to be in
the heat twelve fourteen hours a day. I'm telling you,
So listen to this. This is from February of this year.

Speaker 36 (01:20:19):
The Trump Administration's push for mass deportations has major cities
like Chicago on high alert, but some residents in rural
areas are also expressing concerns, specifically farmers who are worried
about losing their workforce. The US Department of Agriculture estimates
that forty percent of farm workers are undocumented immigrants. Joining
us now with more on the potential impact Rebecca She,

(01:20:40):
chief executive officer at the American Business Immigration Coalition, and
joining us via zoom is Steven Dorloff, a professor in
educational policy at the University of Chicago and the director
of Stone Center for Research on Wealth and Equality and Mobility.

Speaker 12 (01:20:54):
Thank you both for joining us. Rebecca, I want to
start with you.

Speaker 36 (01:20:57):
How important is the immigrant workforce to the farming industry.

Speaker 38 (01:21:02):
Thank you so much for having me. Immigrants are critical
to the farming industry. Agriculture is a three trillion dollar industry,
and seventy two percent of the agg workforce are immigrants.

Speaker 39 (01:21:15):
You know, what do you say to those people who
have many different opinions on what's going on with immigration
and who should be you know, who is a league
and who's not, especially when it comes to such big
workforce like farming.

Speaker 38 (01:21:29):
Well, we appreciate having eggs on our shows. I mean,
I'm having a hard time finding eggs right now. I'm
sure a lot of viewers are as well. We appreciate
having avocados and milk. And if you were to just
remove a significant part of our farm workforce, we're gonna
start seeing twenty dollars lettucees, sixteen dollars cartons of eggs

(01:21:51):
or no milk. Because nearly all of the dairy farmers
and farm workers here in our nation, including annoying in
the Midwest or immigrants.

Speaker 13 (01:22:01):
Also won't need that extended warranty.

Speaker 1 (01:22:03):
All these people.

Speaker 2 (01:22:04):
Crying and whine and tile they can.

Speaker 22 (01:22:07):
They voted for Trump, absolutely, and I think this is
a just a sign of when you do not vote
your interests in how it plays a game, and you
now become on the menu you per se. And I
agree even more with my fellow panelists said this is
nothing short of modern day and get your service to you,

(01:22:29):
and it's cruel. And I think it also mirrors a
part in American history from sharecropping to chain gangs, and
this is just a mirror of that. And I think
it's clear you cannot pick your way out of poverty.
And people deserve healthcare without being treated like their state
owned labor. And as you said, if they're going to
tell people to get out there in them fields, I

(01:22:50):
can already hear the mean the Michael Jackson and they
were like, uh uh, get somebody else to do it.

Speaker 1 (01:22:59):
I'm just saying, I'm you know, it's gonna be a
lot of people just sitting here, just whining and complaining,
and I'm just gonna sit here and watch it all happen.
And watch them sing a you know, cry because again

(01:23:21):
they thought they were talking about some other people. They
thought they were referring to some other people. But they
are about to learn real quick now it was y'all.
It was y'all they were talking about. And that's what
that's what I'm gonna enjoy the most, Mustafa because all

(01:23:44):
these people. That's why we had a shirt pullographic up
f AFO and we got project crossed out. This is
that's for y'all because they about to learn. Say, see
when they talk about thirty four million, see a lot
of white folk in America, go, that's them black folks.
That's them, black folks. We played on the show Tommy

(01:24:07):
Tupperville talking about them in a city of rats, them
in a city of rats, taking federal aid. We gotta
sit here and do something about them in a city
of rats. And see they do that, and they love
thinking as somebody else. But then they look up and realize, no,

(01:24:30):
they talking about you. And see all these folks in
these red in these red areas, all these folks in
these red areas they love talking about and they think
as everybody else. See these broke white people. And I
be real clear, I'm using the phrases for a reason.
These broke, illiterate, literate, sick white people in red states, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Tennessee, Georgia,

(01:25:04):
South Carolina, North Carolina, Arkansas, West Virginia, parts of Virginia.
All these folk that they love thinking is somebody else? Somebody?
It's them people? Is those people? Is them people? That

(01:25:25):
is not us? We the good people, we the nice people.
They're not talking about us. They not gonna take our
health care, They not gonna they're not gonna take money
from us. Now they're talking about you. This is Tommy
Tupeville talking to the man who took a bunch of
money from the Russians, Benny Johnson. Uh again, he talking

(01:25:48):
about inner city, but he talking about white folks in Alabama. Listen.

Speaker 40 (01:25:53):
Yeah, you know, I've spoken several times with Tom Homan,
who is basically running the inner city ice programs, and
you know, he told me he said he's been pushed
at every corner when he goes these big, big cities.
I'm sure if you get a mayor like this that
takes over, it'll even be worse. And that's when you
can you can stop the federal funding. You can do anything.

(01:26:14):
President Trump can do anything once when it comes to
the federal again, these these inner city rats, they live
off the federal government. And that's one reason we're thirty
seven trillion dollars in debt. And it's time that we
find these rats and we send them back home that
are living off the American taxpayers that are working very
hard every week to pay taxes.

Speaker 1 (01:26:34):
Even though his state gets is the sixth largest in
the country that gets federal dollars, I guess he's talking
about rural rats to like in Alabama.

Speaker 5 (01:26:46):
Yeah, if that's the criteria that he's going to operate from,
that's just the reality of the situation. You know, I've
work with a lot of communities, over a thousand communities
in our countries, and you know a number of those
have been lower wealth white communities. And you know, when
I come back to Washington, d C. And hear how
you know, some of these folks talk about poor white folks.

(01:27:07):
They don't see them as human right, that they see
them as less than And I wish that, you know,
you know, our lower wealth white brothers and sisters understood.
You know that these folks do not value them, and
that they should be operating, you know, in partnership with
all the other vulnerable communities and individuals who are out there,

(01:27:28):
so that you could actually make real change happen. Because
these folks just use you. That's the reality. I know
it personally. You know, I grew up in Appalachia. I've
seen the disinvestment in so many different types of communities.
Of course black communities and brown communities, but also in
lower wealth white communities. And so when you see people
like Tubberville or all these other individuals you know, who

(01:27:49):
are making salaries that you know, folks who are out
there just trying to survive would love to have you know,
that's the dynamic that's playing out. So I'm gonna give
everybody quick stock tips. Well Roland as I passed it
back to you. You know, if you want to make
a whole lot of money right now, then go out
and invest in Sunblock, and I guarantee you for all
those folks whore gonna have to be out there in

(01:28:11):
the fields, We're gonna make some money.

Speaker 1 (01:28:14):
Uh yeah, absolutely, all right, y'all gotta quick to break.
We come back our shop, Blackstar network, dot Com marketplace segment,
we'll talk about that's right, black owned tissue company.

Speaker 2 (01:28:33):
Yeah, seriously, back a moment.

Speaker 35 (01:28:39):
On the next Get Wealthy with Me, Deborah Owen's America's
wealth Coach. Less than five percent of the top executive
positions in corporate.

Speaker 16 (01:28:49):
America are held by women of color. We know it's
not because of talent.

Speaker 35 (01:28:56):
A recent study says that it's MicroG questions, unconscious bias,
and limited opportunities being offered to women of color. On
our next show, we're going to get incredible advice from
Francine Parham, who's recently written a book sharing exactly what

(01:29:17):
you need to do to make it up into the
management branks and get the earnings that you deserve. I
made a point to sit down, and I made a
point to talk to people, and I made a point
to be very purposeful and thought provoking when I spoke
to them. That's right here on Get Wealthy, only on

(01:29:37):
Blackstar Network.

Speaker 13 (01:29:43):
This week.

Speaker 12 (01:29:43):
On the other side of change.

Speaker 13 (01:29:45):
Mass incarceration.

Speaker 14 (01:29:46):
Trump administration is doubling down on criminalization and how it
is profitable.

Speaker 15 (01:29:51):
need to put people in cages in order for other people.

Speaker 16 (01:29:56):
To have jobs like that is not how our economy.

Speaker 13 (01:29:59):
Should be built.

Speaker 16 (01:30:00):
On the other side of change on the Blackstar Network.

Speaker 24 (01:30:07):
enigma of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Times. What really makes
the country and Black America. The answer, I'm pretty sure
will shock you.

Speaker 25 (01:30:22):
And he says, you know, people think that I'm anachronistic.

Speaker 1 (01:30:25):
I am.

Speaker 26 (01:30:26):
move us forward into the future. He's very upfront about this.

Speaker 24 (01:30:32):
We'll talk to Corey Robbin, the man who wrote the
book that reveals it all. That's next on the Black Table,
only on the Black Star Network.

Speaker 1 (01:30:45):
It was up Young Devon Franklin. It is always a
pleasure to be in the house.

Speaker 4 (01:30:49):
You are watching Roland Martin Unfiltered.

Speaker 41 (01:30:52):
Stay right now, alright, folks, sune timef hour segment shot

(01:31:17):
Blackstartnetwork dot Com.

Speaker 1 (01:31:18):
Now we talk about going green, but what about when
it comes to the bathroom? All right, we're spotlighting Leafy,
the eco friendly brand that's reinventing every day essentials. And
so they've got bamboo toilet paper, they've got tissue paper
as well joining us right now. Co founder is Marvin Green.

(01:31:39):
Charles Peaks. Glad to have both of y'all here.

Speaker 42 (01:31:42):
So all right, so how y'all decide to say we're
gonna do eco friendly toilet paper and tissue.

Speaker 43 (01:31:54):
I mean more funny story, I'm going all the way
back to twenty twenty.

Speaker 4 (01:31:59):
I was in in a.

Speaker 43 (01:32:01):
Accelerator program for a previous business, tech business that I
was pretty what I was funded for. Long story short,
COVID hit kind of shut everything down.

Speaker 4 (01:32:12):
But in the middle of that, what it.

Speaker 43 (01:32:13):
Did was sit me down, or allowed me to sit
still and witness the civil unrest that was breaking out everywhere,
uh COVID, which basically put everyone.

Speaker 4 (01:32:24):
In their homes. Uh.

Speaker 43 (01:32:26):
And then you know, the staple after all of that
is people going out losing their minds.

Speaker 4 (01:32:32):
Over toilet paper. Toilet paper.

Speaker 43 (01:32:34):
So you know, I kind of put all of those
things together because I also seen a lot of us
running out and going and grabbing toilet paper.

Speaker 4 (01:32:44):
So, uh thought about it. I had a dream. All
of this came to me in a dream.

Speaker 43 (01:32:50):
Actually, I hit up my partner Chuck and said, hey, man,
we need to come out with our own brand, you know,
toilet paper and uh and and add a a social
enterprise piece to it and kind of you know, at
a mission that elevated and educated people on the benefits
of bamboo, and the rest was history.

Speaker 1 (01:33:09):
So do you sitting there laying ain't down and you
dreaming about tilet paper?

Speaker 4 (01:33:15):
Hey, it sounds crazy. It was. It was a few
different factors. I don't know if I ate something and
I just jumped up like, whoa, wait a minute, why
am I thinking about to it?

Speaker 1 (01:33:23):
Ver you ate something? He went to back them and
ran out.

Speaker 43 (01:33:29):
Yeah, but listen minute, it hit me one of them
things though that once it hit me, I just grabbed
my phone, started taking notes, called Chuck. And we always
we we brandstorm ideas back and forth. We're serial entrepreneurs,
so it was nothing new to us to you know,
bounce different ideas back and forth.

Speaker 16 (01:33:47):
Uh.

Speaker 43 (01:33:47):
And once once we like put our hands down and
really started to brand it out, put it together. Uh
and and you know, go with the actual raw materials
that we wanted to go with. You know, we put
it out here with everybody self, that's what you're saying.

Speaker 1 (01:34:03):
Okay, So so first, so first of all, uh, this
is this is an individual package.

Speaker 4 (01:34:10):
Uh.

Speaker 1 (01:34:11):
And this is the uh this right here is the
six pack, yes, sir, so, so explain to me why
the individual okay, so explain the black rapping or the
gray like is there a reason behind it or just because?

Speaker 4 (01:34:27):
So that is so the individual role.

Speaker 23 (01:34:31):
Visually rap mainly for we have for businesses and also
for residents.

Speaker 1 (01:34:34):
So so this one here, this one, this is two
ply yes, sir, yes, sir okay. So difference between two
ply and one.

Speaker 4 (01:34:42):
Ply no, Well, the two fly is it's a lot bigger.
Your fingers ain't gonna break through. That's what you don't want.

Speaker 1 (01:34:49):
That that's a good points.

Speaker 4 (01:34:53):
And then the sixth pack we have a three plot premium.

Speaker 8 (01:34:57):
That's the premium.

Speaker 4 (01:34:58):
Right, this here is three ply yes, sir, okay.

Speaker 1 (01:35:02):
And then you got in the back watch shoes bamboo
it says lint free and no tree. What does that mean?

Speaker 4 (01:35:14):
It means no lint you know when you go. And
we're not really trying to examine the tilber.

Speaker 1 (01:35:20):
Hey man, listen, we're trying to sell. We're trying to
sell some damn toilet paper. So you got needs explain
what about you and not Charman listen.

Speaker 43 (01:35:30):
So lent free though, like toilet paper you know it's
gonna leave lint. It's gonna leave you know, those those
diss gonna leave water man.

Speaker 1 (01:35:41):
Look, holld up dog. You can't be trying to sell
a foilet paper and you scared to talk about toilet paper.

Speaker 43 (01:35:49):
Listen, it's not gonna leave you all natural, no lint behind,
none of that.

Speaker 4 (01:35:54):
So, and another thing we.

Speaker 43 (01:35:57):
Also like to push is the education piece behind it.

Speaker 4 (01:36:01):
We chose a bamboo.

Speaker 43 (01:36:03):
Because as we started doing our own R and D,
we realized traditional toilet paper was poisonous. I mean, there's
a lot of forever chemicals that we're using.

Speaker 4 (01:36:12):
We're using from alde high.

Speaker 43 (01:36:14):
Bleaches, chlorine, and we're putting it on the most sensitive
areas of our body. And once you dig into that
a little bit deeper, you realize that those are you know,
colon cancers, kidney cancers, things like that.

Speaker 4 (01:36:26):
Or on an uptick, yeah, or on an uptick.

Speaker 43 (01:36:29):
I'm not saying it's because of the toilet paper that
you're using, but it can't you know, the traditional tool
paper can't help you or can't be something that's that's
you know, helping you as far as health.

Speaker 4 (01:36:40):
So when we went to the bamboo route, we wanted.

Speaker 43 (01:36:42):
To not only just sell toilet paper, not only to
add sustainability, we also wanted to help excuse me, add
that health safe costs. I mean that health cost savings
to your life as well, because down the line you
eventually are going to have medical bills also septic system
pieces to it. You know, people down the line, you're

(01:37:03):
gonna have to replace your septic system.

Speaker 4 (01:37:05):
It's about agradable.

Speaker 43 (01:37:07):
So there's a lot of many or many different benefits
when it comes to bamboo opposed to the traditional toilet paper,
and why we chose to go, you know, the opposite route.

Speaker 1 (01:37:19):
In fact, I was, I came across a video the
other day and I'm trying to find it. I was
on I don't know.

Speaker 2 (01:37:26):
If it was Instagram, I don't know if it.

Speaker 1 (01:37:28):
Was on Twitter as well, and they were. It was
a video of a guy and he was talking about
the forever chemicals that are in toilet paper. And he
was and he was talking about that. He was talking
about that, look, you are applying this to a part
of your body where it gets into your body quite quickly.

(01:37:52):
And it was the first time I actually had seen
a video on that very thing.

Speaker 43 (01:38:00):
Gus straight and Blood stream, you know areas. So yeah,
it's crazy when you start to really think about that.

Speaker 1 (01:38:07):
All right, So we don't cover the lint free and
no tree. We cover the biodegradeable part, the no chemicals part,
the one hundred percent bamboo, one hundred percent bamboo, and
the high quality three plot. Okay, so explain the more
oxygen part.

Speaker 4 (01:38:23):
More oxygen, bamboo, more love.

Speaker 1 (01:38:27):
Hold up, you gonna let your partner talk.

Speaker 4 (01:38:31):
Oh, I'm bad.

Speaker 1 (01:38:35):
I mean, I don't want his I don't want his family,
Like damn, he ain't get to say nothing.

Speaker 4 (01:38:44):
Ahead.

Speaker 23 (01:38:44):
So, so bamboo actually produces more oxygen than actual tree.

Speaker 4 (01:38:49):
It's it's it's it's a.

Speaker 23 (01:38:51):
Natural anti to fight off a lot of a lot
more diseases than actual true natural true would.

Speaker 4 (01:38:57):
So I mean those things.

Speaker 23 (01:38:59):
That those are the things that we bring to the
table outside of just having trees and chopping and messing
up the ecosystem action. We're saving a lot of trees,
and we just I mean, we just don't want to
mess up the ecosystem with the We'll just chopped down
every tree that we have here in America. So we
chose switch it over the bam booth.

Speaker 1 (01:39:16):
All right, So, okay, I'm letting my pan ask a question.
They might ask what I'm about to ask, but I'll wait. Uh,
so let me go to them and so tyle like.

Speaker 9 (01:39:26):
Your first Yeah, let me let me just say I
learned so much about toilet paper. I'm about to when
I'm going to bear, I first want to say thank
you for your vision and showing how entrepreneurship can drive
both environmental sustainability and community uplift. I think you all
challenging the myth social impact and business success are exclusive

(01:39:49):
for one another, especially during this time when corporations are
are leaning away from from those priorities. My question for
you would be what advice would you have for other
young entrepreneurs from underserved communities who are looking to break
into this green industry in the space.

Speaker 23 (01:40:08):
I would definitely out the gate. I would just think
completely out the box. I mean, me and Mark, we
didn't grow up thinking that we were own a toilet
paper company. That just wasn't an option or occupation even
pick up. So whatever you do think of or you
have a you know what I mean, just a weird
inkling of try it. I mean, that's what That's the
number one thing. I would definitely do is try it

(01:40:28):
and you never know. It may work, but you don't
know until you give it a shot. So just quick,
I mean traditional businesses and traditional jobs and careers and
things like that. As we know, I mean, America's changing,
The world is changing, you know what I mean. You
can make millions of dollars from sitting in front of
a computer screen right now.

Speaker 4 (01:40:46):
So you never thought that was possible back in the day.

Speaker 23 (01:40:50):
So now, I mean, I would just say completely think
all the way out the box and it should work.

Speaker 4 (01:40:55):
I mean, you never know.

Speaker 43 (01:40:56):
And I just add in there, I mean, as us
both kind of see, just be persistent and you're not
going You're gonna go through some days where it's like, man,
this ain't it. But once you got to stick with it,
you got to go through those those ups and downs.

Speaker 4 (01:41:10):
You gotta learn, you gotta go through the.

Speaker 43 (01:41:12):
Fire, uh and basically be refined to become the person
that you're supposed to be, uh in.

Speaker 4 (01:41:18):
Order to handle what it is that you're trying to create.

Speaker 43 (01:41:21):
So I would say, just be persistent and stay firm
and what it is that you.

Speaker 4 (01:41:25):
Believe and make impact happen.

Speaker 7 (01:41:29):
All right, Larry, Yeah, gentlemen, Congratulations for you know, thinking
outside the box.

Speaker 8 (01:41:35):
So my question deals with what are you.

Speaker 7 (01:41:38):
Projecting over the next three to five, even ten years
out in terms of market share or percentage of market
share you think you could capture over the next like
three or five or you're ten years out.

Speaker 4 (01:41:48):
Great question.

Speaker 43 (01:41:49):
So we've actually, we actually believe that we can capture
about ten percent, and that's and that's been you know,
aggressive with.

Speaker 4 (01:41:57):
It ten percent.

Speaker 43 (01:41:58):
But we also have community, he does back in us,
going back early twenty twenty four, I would say that
we realized we had community is because when everything shut
down with DEI, we were actually onboarding with you know,
Cleveland Clinics, we were onboarding with a lot of major corporations,
and then supplier diversity programs shut.

Speaker 4 (01:42:19):
Down, which kind of put us at a pause.

Speaker 43 (01:42:22):
But what we did was we took a video that
we had with Chase Bank that was already featured across
the country through Chase and shopped it around through social media.
So we really got to see the impact of what
social media could do and it allowed us to go viral.

Speaker 4 (01:42:37):
But from that, you know, we're.

Speaker 43 (01:42:40):
We're pushing almost you know, close to about a million
in revenue this year, just from that social media impact
that we had seen over the past few months, and
then that allowed us what we just launched maybe a
few days ago is our uh is our equity crowdfund campaign,
which now to our mission and then allows only to

(01:43:04):
educate and elevate our people, but now gives them an
opportunity to invest in our company and grow with us.
So our evaluation right now is about six point eight million,
but we look to grow this thing along with community
and bringing them on board through crowd equity, you know,
to push it a little bit higher and really capture

(01:43:24):
a lot of the market share because right now everybody's
focused on there.

Speaker 32 (01:43:30):
Are a few that are hold one second, one second,
Hold hold a one second.

Speaker 1 (01:43:38):
You started breaking up there, finish that last point and yeah,
go ahead, okay, I'll finish it.

Speaker 9 (01:43:49):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (01:43:49):
So yeah, we plan on capturing about ten percent. I
would say eight to ten percent right next three to
five years.

Speaker 1 (01:43:55):
Okay, So where is your let's see here, I'm on
a website. Here, where's your equity crowdfunding campaign.

Speaker 43 (01:44:05):
Equity crowdfund campaign is on we funder. People can find
that at www dot we funder, w e fu.

Speaker 4 (01:44:17):
Dr dot com.

Speaker 43 (01:44:19):
Backslash leafy.

Speaker 4 (01:44:23):
Yep, backslash leafy and there it'll pull us right up.

Speaker 2 (01:44:30):
All right here, let's see here, all right, Yeah, we.

Speaker 4 (01:44:33):
Just launched it a couple of days ago.

Speaker 43 (01:44:35):
That actually is about the updates to around forty two thousand.
But it's going pretty fast, and we're gonna we're going
right now, this is just friends and family round, but
we're gonna lock it or we're gonna shut it down
at one hundred k and then it's going to open
back up at a different valuation.

Speaker 1 (01:44:52):
But so right, so right now it says seventeen thousand,
eight hundred and fifty times ago, but you're going to
actually raise that to a hundred thousand goal.

Speaker 43 (01:45:01):
Yes, yeah, the goal is a hundred but what to
closes at one hundred that it's gonna we're gonna respect again,
but it's going to be a different valuation.

Speaker 4 (01:45:09):
This is just friends and family around.

Speaker 1 (01:45:11):
Got it? Got it? Okay? All right? Uh we'll stop them.

Speaker 30 (01:45:16):
Yeah.

Speaker 5 (01:45:16):
Well, first of all, congratulations y'all doing amazing work. I
mean I personally invest in greener forms, green businesses and
green forms of energy. Just real quickly, uh, you know,
we I think it's about thirty eight thousand trees no,
eighty five thousand trees that every day are cold to
create toilet paper.

Speaker 6 (01:45:36):
It's about thirty four million years.

Speaker 5 (01:45:38):
You all are actually in a really good space and
being able to also help our communities both breathe and
the waste impacts that often are inside of our communities.
I'm curious about you know, you currently have the toilet paper,
but are you also thinking about other products?

Speaker 6 (01:45:56):
And if so, what does look like?

Speaker 1 (01:45:58):
Well, here we go.

Speaker 2 (01:45:59):
Right here, we got the uh, this is the tissue.

Speaker 4 (01:46:02):
That's a facial tissue.

Speaker 1 (01:46:04):
Right here? What else you got?

Speaker 23 (01:46:06):
So we are working on right now, we're working on
our paper tiles. Those those should be releasing here within
the next three or four us out of the Then
also we'll move over the paper plates and forks and
ap and barton apkings and C folds and things of
that matter.

Speaker 43 (01:46:22):
Yeah, the facial tissues are already they're they're in beta
test through our hotel partners. Yeah, so we're getting real
time feedback from the actual people who stay at these
these hotels to kind of you know, integrate if there's
anything that we need to change before we release it.

Speaker 4 (01:46:40):
To the public. So those are about ready to go.

Speaker 1 (01:46:45):
Okay, all right then, Uh so, uh let's see here.
So again, folks, if y'all want to get the product, uh,
go ahead and pulled up shot blackstartnetwork dot com. Uh,
that's where you can. Actually, No, that's not what I want.

Speaker 36 (01:47:02):
You.

Speaker 1 (01:47:02):
I don't want. I don't want the I don't want
the graphic.

Speaker 2 (01:47:04):
Okay, No, God, y'all gotta do better.

Speaker 1 (01:47:07):
When I asked y'all is to go to shop blackstorenetwork
dot com to buy the product, I need you all
to go to the website. Okay, So go to the website.
So you see it right here. I'm on the website
and you see right here Leafy Products, and it says
co founded by Marvin Green, DeAndre Martin, Charles Peaks. And
you see right here where you can get it. So
people have been asking the question, So, to get a

(01:47:29):
twenty four single roll box, it's thirty two ninety nine.
To get a twelve single rollbox, it's twenty two ninety nine.
Explain to us how I mean. Obviously, look, people make
pricing decisions, and so how do your prices compare compare
to toilet paper that we see in grocery stores or

(01:47:51):
at big box retailers.

Speaker 4 (01:47:53):
So, right, now we're neck and neck with a lot
of the major brands. We are.

Speaker 23 (01:47:58):
We do have to switch our pricing a little bit
due to the due to us not having any chemicals
or anything at all.

Speaker 4 (01:48:04):
So pretty much like shopping in the organic section at
the grocery store.

Speaker 23 (01:48:07):
So if you were to go buy organic apples or
anything like that, you probably have maybe a five.

Speaker 4 (01:48:11):
Percent mark up if that.

Speaker 23 (01:48:13):
But with the record, I mean, with the volume that
we're seeing, we're able to We're able to fight those
type of prices and be able to compete with the
major brands as well.

Speaker 4 (01:48:23):
So we're right back connect.

Speaker 1 (01:48:24):
With the Okay, all right, Any additional questions from the
panis all right? Cool, So again, y'all go to the website.
You will see right here where it says leafy Products.
If you go to the homepage. One second, you go
to the homepage, you will see me right there. They

(01:48:45):
are at the top right there. These are the other
products that are on shop Blackstar network dot com. We've
had some of these folks on the show as well,
and so again these are black On owned companies. You know,
great products. At the end of the day, I don't
give a damn who you are. Yeah, ass buy Tallert paper,

(01:49:05):
you know you do, so you can support a black
owned company and get more information read more about them
as well here and so the product is called Leafy
and as I said, they have, of course, this is
the single role here. This is, of course is the
this is the six pack. But really as you see

(01:49:25):
what there says six equal eighteen because this is a
three plot correct, yes, all right, and so again on
the website they have a twenty four single rollbox or
they have a twelve single rollbox.

Speaker 2 (01:49:38):
Those are the two products they have right now.

Speaker 1 (01:49:40):
So folks please support them, and Jents, we appreciate it.
Good luck on the crowdfundraise as well.

Speaker 4 (01:49:47):
Yes, sir, appreciate it. Thank you, Thank you all.

Speaker 1 (01:49:50):
Right, thank you so very much, folks. That is it
for us right here on roland markin unfiltered on this Tuesday.
Let me thank I'm just taking no style for Larry
and Tyler could be on today's show. Jents, I certainly
appreciate it. Thank you so very much.

Speaker 2 (01:50:03):
Folks. Don't forget the information you get on this show, y'all.

Speaker 1 (01:50:06):
You ain't getting this other places. You're not getting other
places anybody else in black on me.

Speaker 2 (01:50:11):
Do when we're doing so, we need your support us
to continue doing our work.

Speaker 1 (01:50:15):
Support join us, join out, bring the Funk Fan Club.

Speaker 2 (01:50:17):
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Speaker 1 (01:50:20):
Fund the operation, fund our five shows do all things
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(01:50:43):
three seven dads zero one ninety six. Paypals are Martin unfiltered,
venmos r M unfiltered, Zell rolling at Rolling s Martin
dot com, Rolling at Rolling Martin Unfiltered dot com. Don't
forget down with the Blackstart Network app Apple Phone, Android Phone,
Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Xbox one,
Samsung Smart TV. You also, of course can get my

(01:51:09):
book Rolling White Fear, How the Browning of Americas Making
White Folks Lose their minds, available at bookstores everywhere. Be sure,
of course to get our swag. That's right and get
our shirts and all of our good stuff. Go to
Rolling Martin do creator as spring dot com. Just so
letting y'all know. We are also doing a test with

(01:51:30):
another company. We've been having some issues with custom Spring.
A lot of y'all been emailing, so I'm working on
that to test a second company, and we hope to
have that up very soon, like real real soon.

Speaker 2 (01:51:42):
Don't forget.

Speaker 1 (01:51:43):
You can also get listen to our audio podcasts. You
can go to iHeartRadio and you can the podcast network
to hear content as well. And of course be sure
to download the app fan Base and you can download
it there. And of course you can get more information
on the crowdfunding raise. They've raised twelve point five million
dollars of seventeen million, So go to start Engine dot

(01:52:06):
com forward slash fan Base. Yo. That's it. I'll see
you tomorrow right here. Roll them out unfiltered for the
Black Study Network. Holler right now.

Speaker 2 (01:52:14):
It's type of truth Truth talks

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