December 19, 2025 • 39 mins
BIN Weekly Recap with Bri Wood + Morgyn Wood
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's been another busy news week, and we'd like to
review the major stories of the week here on the
bi In Today, we are joined by bi In News
anchors Morgan Wood and Brewood to discuss this week's major stories.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
This is the QR code.
Speaker 3 (00:13):
He is q Ward and he is ramses job.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
All right, Morgan and bre welcome back to the show. Uh,
it's the holiday season.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Tell me what's Morgan?
Speaker 4 (00:28):
Happy holidays? So everybody, not too much going on, and
I'm enjoying that.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
So yeah, I mad at you, Brie. Tell me something good, Tell.
Speaker 5 (00:36):
You something good. Listen.
Speaker 6 (00:37):
I'm happy to be here. It's been a busy week
wrapping things up. I'm getting ready to be out for
a little bit, so I'm planning on enjoying some vacation time.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Amen. Amen. All right, Well, let's get people what they
came for. First up.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
Earlier this week, Donald Trump addressed the nation with a
speech that left many people confused about the purpose of
his message and also concerned about what's next for America
in twenty twenty six. Pre There's plenty to unpack here,
so let's start off with you give us a few
highlights from Trump's speech, as well as your reaction, and
then Market and Q will get your thoughts after.
Speaker 6 (01:07):
Okay, yeah, a lot is not the word. So we're
just going to break down a little bit of President
Trump's gear end addressed. He promised some things, and he
announced some other things, and of course we all had
a reaction to it. So he framed us first year
back in office as a turnaround story. He told everyone
that he inherited a mess and now he's fixing it.
(01:27):
And he previewed a twenty twenty six agenda that is
mostly focusing on affordability housing as well as interest rates.
He pledged to nominate a Federal Reserve Chair who favors
lower interest rates by a lot, and he'sed some of
the most aggressive housing reform plans in American history. And
so Jerome Powell, I believe he is the current FED
(01:50):
chair and he's had issues with him, so he's been
looking to replace him.
Speaker 5 (01:54):
So we'll see how that goes.
Speaker 6 (01:56):
But the interest rate did get lowered one more time
by the current Fed chair.
Speaker 5 (02:01):
Also, a warrior dividend is what he spoke about.
Speaker 6 (02:03):
I don't know if you've heard about this one, but
he is offering the military a one time one thousand,
seven hundred and seventy six dollars bonus, and that's going
out to about one point four million service members with checks.
He says that that will hit before Christmas, and the
administration is linking that directly to the payout of tariff
revenue and recent appropriations. But specifics kind of were scrutinized
(02:26):
by the press, like they were trying to figure out
if it's really the tariffs or something else. A lot
of people were not sure about where that money came
from exactly, but he is crediting the tariffs for being
able to give the military that good bonus. Also spoke
on the economy. He argued that the prices are falling
from gas to groceries and that a historic boom is
on the way. But of course the fact checkers were
(02:47):
in full effect and they said that several claims were
kind of exaggerated by the President or a little bit misleading.
Gas is down from the peak which was back in
twenty twenty two the most expensive, but averages are still
around the high tos in some places, and.
Speaker 5 (03:03):
Many groceries remain elevated.
Speaker 6 (03:06):
A lot of people are talking about the price of
beef still being very high. And also if you're a
coffee drinker, you're going to notice it costs a lot
more for you to get your regular cup of coffee. Also, immigration,
that's a hot topic, and the President did blame a
legal immigration for economic strain on Americans and public costs.
Critics called it inflammatory, said he was kind of inaccurate,
(03:28):
especially his comments on Minnesota's Somali community. This is another
big one because he is calling for an end to
their immigration to the US. He has been very critical
of Somali's especially in Minnesota where they have a high
Somali population. He claims that the Somalian population stole billions
of dollars during COVID and terrorized communities in his words,
(03:50):
but people are saying, while some Somalis were charged prosecutors,
especially in a COVID fraud scheme, that's true, but there
was no evidence that they have seen linking the money
directly to terrorism, which was something that President Trump was
also saying that they were funding terrorism. And his administration
has taken steps to terminate the Temporary Protected status for
(04:10):
Somali migrants and paused immigration applications from Somalia. And then
you know Representative Elean Omar who is in Minnesota right now.
Speaker 5 (04:19):
She represents Minnesota.
Speaker 6 (04:21):
She's a Democrat, and she was called garbage recently and
incompetent by the President, and she came to the US
as a child refugee, so she took offense to that
naturally and responded to him just basically telling him he
needs help. So the speech it really leaned on partisan politics.
You know, it was quite different than what former President
(04:43):
Biden and the Democrats did, but he did talk about
Joe Biden a lot, and you know, I think as
far as I'm concerned, the feedback was kind of split,
Like there were things he said that you could get
on board with, Like I have no problems support the
military at all. There are a first line of defense
out there. I think they definitely deserve a bonus. I
(05:07):
think we just want to know truthfully if that is
tariff money and how it's being broken down, if those
tariffs are really helping to eliminate all of the debt
that we have.
Speaker 5 (05:17):
And you know, I think.
Speaker 6 (05:17):
People were optimistic who support Trump and the Trump administration,
but people who are very critical of him and his
administration are calling his speech on the defensive side and
say that he's kind of detached from reality.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
Yeah, that seems to be a theme. Morgan.
Speaker 4 (05:33):
Yeah, well, Breed pretty much covered She covered it all.
You talk about a little bit, that's a lot. Breed,
you definitely covered it all. But to her point, a
lot of Newsmakers journalists are pretty much saying that that
address felt more like a campaign style political speech as
opposed to a traditional presidential national address.
Speaker 5 (05:51):
I mean, you've already won.
Speaker 4 (05:52):
You don't have to continue to let people know all
of these And well, I'm not going to say you
don't have to let people know, because you are letting
people know what you feel or.
Speaker 5 (06:00):
What he feels. You know.
Speaker 4 (06:02):
He touts what he has done, but then to breeze
point again, the fact checkers are behind him saying, hey,
actually this and actually that. So he says that the
uh he touted those economic indicators claiming inflation of course
and had slowed down, and that there's job growth, and
that groceries are down, gases down, and said the US
(06:26):
is quote poised for an economic boom. So I guess
we're just in a space right now where we have
to kind of sit back and see, Am I feeling
an economic boom? Not so much, but you know, I'm
just one person. So ABC News does report that his
overall approval ratings do remain low, with polls showing about
(06:47):
forty percent of approval and a majority disapproving his job performance,
particularly on and speaking about the economy. So I mean,
I don't know take that with the grain of salt
that you will, and I guess it really does depend
on where you fall in this country, because what I'm
(07:07):
noticing is that he tends to prioritize red leaning states
and municipalities over those that are blue. So being that
I'm in the state of Maryland, I'm not sure that
that's going to benefit me that well in this administration.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
Sure you.
Speaker 3 (07:23):
Yeah, the fact checkers were definitely out after this speech.
Turns out that a lot of things that he said
were blatant lies. Others were exaggerations where he take, you know,
a single example of something and paint a broad picture
as if that was the norm. I eat gas prices.
You know, he found one gas station somewhere that had
(07:44):
gas for a dollar and then just touted that, as
you know, I have any gas stations across the country
that have gas for this price, when, like Brie said,
it's much more, it's much closer to the norm, somewhere
above two dollars. And with regards to the military, Trump
pulled money that was already allocated for the military for
(08:06):
housing allowance and is doing what he's done before, putting
his name on it to make it and like he
just found some new money somewhere or created some new
money somewhere from terras or whatever the case. Congress had
already approved money for housing allowance for military service members,
so he's essentially rebranding that as some money that he
(08:26):
came up for our service members. Came up with for
our service members. So typical Donald Trump.
Speaker 6 (08:33):
Up.
Speaker 3 (08:33):
Next, we head to the state of Maryland, where news
surrounded the nation's only black governor and a controversial bill
that he vetoled that's now moving forward. Morgan, you cover
Maryland news for the network, so let's start with you
give our listeners some background this story. Brion Ramdis will
talk toss the mic to you next.
Speaker 4 (08:50):
Yeah, so what happened was Maryland lawmakers voted to override
Governor Wes Moore's veto and move forward with creating a
State Rations Commission. Now, I think it is very important
for people to understand Governor Moore's stance on this. While
he is vetoing or wanting to veto this reparations commission,
he has said before in the past that basically what
(09:14):
it boils down to is Maryland has done and the
United States overall, we have done enough studies. He's looking
more for action. So what the commission does It will
study the legacy of slavery and discrimination in the state
of Maryland and recommend possible reparations, including financial and policy options.
(09:34):
So Governor Moore has said before and time and time
again that the state has done enough studying and should
focus on direct action to close racial gaps instead of
putting this money and this energy into more research. Essentially,
we've got the researches, essentially what he's saying. So what
(09:55):
happens next is the commission will issue reports in twenty
twenty seven outlining recommendation. Now the reaction on this is
split because on one hand, people are like, wait, what
do you mean. We should definitely look into this more,
we should do as much research as necessary, while others
are backing the governor and saying, yeah, we've done enough
(10:16):
research and it's time to actually have some action. So
a lot of people are saying this is a necessary
step toward accountability and racial repair. The formal study, of course,
does strengthen the case for real, defensible policy action.
Speaker 5 (10:30):
It does put it on paper.
Speaker 4 (10:32):
However, the override does show that there is a strong
legislative commitment to and the override does show that there
is a strong related excuse me, a strong legislative commitment
to addressing the historic harms, which is, you know, far
more than what we've seen in some of the other states. Now,
Governor Moore he disagreed with the override, but of course
(10:52):
he says he's willing to work with the Commission moving forward,
and of course the General Assembly in the state of Maryland.
A lot of people are saying studies are divisive and
may not actually lead to tangible outcomes, and race based
remedies could lead to constitutional and legal challenges. So this
is one of those situations where it could you know,
(11:13):
you pull the thread and you don't know how much
of the of the garment might go with the thread.
Speaker 5 (11:18):
So but it does still.
Speaker 4 (11:19):
Matter, of course, you know, we're constantly fighting for our
civil rights, our people, black people, brown people, and of
course Maryland does join a small but growing number of
states formally looking to address reparations, which I think is
a great thing, including our neighbors in Virginia they've looked
into it, also California, New York, and Massachusetts. So the
(11:42):
move ultimately just spotlights tensions between study and action when
it comes to racial justice policy.
Speaker 5 (11:51):
And it is very much a.
Speaker 4 (11:55):
I will say it speaks to the moment considering Governor
Wesma War's position as the only black governor in the
state and up under the Trump administration. So I'm actually
looking forward to seeing how this plays out in my
great old line state of Maryland.
Speaker 3 (12:14):
So we have to wonder how much research and how
much studying will meet the due diligence required for them
to actually be action, for them to actually be funding.
So I'm very curious to see how this works out free.
Speaker 5 (12:30):
I am as well.
Speaker 6 (12:31):
There's also a Reparations Task Force in Detroit, and I'm
just interested to see the solutions that they.
Speaker 5 (12:38):
Come up with.
Speaker 6 (12:39):
What you touched on, Morgan about people wondering if there
will actually be any tangible outcome from these study groups
is the main thing that I see across the board
with all the states who support this it's good to
look into, but what does that look like in twenty
twenty six and beyond trying to atone for reparations? Now?
(13:00):
Is that through programs? Is that through actual checks and
money to people. I think it's a good idea. I'm
not opposed to it at all, But you have a
lot of people who fight it because they feel like,
at this point, whatever decision you make is going to
be unfair to other people. They're not worried about black
people having the reparations, but really, how can it be
fair for everybody when we're not talking about everybody. We
(13:20):
are literally talking about Black Americans descended of enslaved people.
Speaker 5 (13:26):
And that gets true too.
Speaker 6 (13:28):
It gets very tricky because now we're, oh, well, my family,
everybody wants to play you know, the racism Olympics, and
it's like, it's not how more much more oppressed we
were than you. It's like, this isn't about you. My
problem is that I feel like it's going to be
get caught up in too much controversy with the conversation
how can you do it and not get back lash
(13:48):
from everybody else who feels like it's unfair?
Speaker 5 (13:50):
That's my biggest thing. But I support it.
Speaker 3 (13:55):
Yeah, there's only one group to holistically suffer the way
we did that have not had any repair done, exactly,
a very easy way to seat that conversation.
Speaker 1 (14:08):
Well, I think that the conversation that we're having right now,
and conversations that we could be having right now, is
precisely why Maryland is choosing to continue to study this
rather than doing what the governor wants, which is taking
direct action. The political climate in this country right now
(14:34):
will effectively ensure that any attempt at reparations right now
will be attacked by conservatives and tied up in courts,
you know, and if it goes far enough, it'll probably
be struck down by the Supreme Court. And these studies
(15:02):
will address a lot of the issues and make this
effort more buoyant.
Speaker 2 (15:12):
And this is what.
Speaker 1 (15:15):
The folks on the ground in Maryland are trying to
do with this study. And so I understand sort of
both sides. I understand Governor Wes Moore wanting to be
intentional and take some direct action because you know, this
is a conversation that we've been having, you know, since
(15:36):
eighteen sixty five, right, but.
Speaker 2 (15:41):
You know, we have a.
Speaker 1 (15:42):
Very formidable oppressor and a very legally sophisticated political opposition,
and you know, taking these steps to make sure that
we have a game plan that's going to work, that
we can address issues that might come up, that you know,
(16:02):
we can patch holes that you know, expose this effort
to attacks and just kind of eke out all the
vulnerabilities in this plan. That also seems like a wise
imprudent strategy as well, So like all of us, we're
just going to have to see what happens.
Speaker 2 (16:21):
Hey, what's up?
Speaker 7 (16:22):
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Speaker 1 (16:30):
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Speaker 1 (16:54):
Bi in news anchors Morgan Wood and Brewood are here
with us discussing this week's major stories. All right, our
next story centers around the state of Texas using a
new tool to help whitewash black history and black culture
within its school system. Brie, let's hear more about this
story from you first, and then Morgan and Q.
Speaker 2 (17:14):
We'll get your thoughts.
Speaker 6 (17:15):
After all right, Well, Texas A and M system is
using AI to scan SILLABAI and course descriptions across twelve
campuses that they have flagging classes that are mentioning race, gender, feminism, decolonization,
or dismantling for further review. So administrators at Texas State
University provided AI generated value neutral alternatives to professors, replacing
(17:39):
words like challenging or decolonizing, and renaming courses such as
combating racism and healthcare to things like race and public
health in America. So basically just whitewashing everything. That move
is following a conservative backlash over a July incident that
happened involving a gender identity lesson at Texas A and M,
(18:00):
which led to the firing of a professor and also
the resignation of the university's president. Now, people who have
observed this say that AI really is lacking in context,
and while it can be a very useful tool, they're
afraid of it trying to control education now through administrative oversight.
So they're saying that basically undermines the faculty and the
(18:22):
ability that they have to run their classrooms and curriculum
the way that they want to and offering no academic creativity.
It's like they want everything cut and dry and the
same across the board. So Texas A and M officials
are noting that these AI results vary depending on the
way you phrase things, also a sign of inaccuracies in
the technology, and AI experts are responding to that, but
(18:45):
they're cautioning against relying solely on the tools that are
not truly understanding the current content. So it might be
able to spit something out at you, but it's not human.
It doesn't have emotion, it doesn't have feelings, it doesn't
know everything, contrary to what some people might think. So,
I mean, there's good and bad in it, but really
(19:07):
they're cautioning to not solely rely on AI to make
those type of decisions, especially when it comes to a
race and gender loan. Yeah, so to piggyback off what
Brie said yes, some educators worry that this could undermine
academic freedom and shift control from faculty to administrators and
(19:30):
political bodies. And also some critics are saying that the
policies and audits could bring about basically close what could
have been a safe space or open space for certain discussions,
ultimately reshaping what subjects instructors feel comfortable about teaching and
(19:52):
what that landscape of those discussions and teachings look like. Thus,
I mean possibly reshaping how we learn about these types
of issues or how children and not so much children
were college. I mean, shoot, it's Texas, so I'm sure
it's going to be a statewide thing, but you know
college college students and how they learn. So this is
(20:16):
again to breeze point. There's I think there's good and
bad to the use of AI, but pretty much using
AIS an oversight in terms of what to police or
enforced in terms of education and priorities is kind of crazy,
(20:37):
especially when you have the whole I don't know, it
just goes against the idea of like America first, because
if it's America first, then the body of America is
the American student, it's the American teacher, it's the American people.
Speaker 5 (20:55):
So to then.
Speaker 4 (20:58):
Say, oh, by the way, don't have these discussions, or
let's use a computer or artificial intelligence to determine what
we should learn or how we should learn it, or
what subjects are permissible is crazy.
Speaker 5 (21:14):
I don't know.
Speaker 8 (21:15):
That's just like it's an eazy way to silence this, right,
Like I don't know, I dare to say slavery is
quite evolved.
Speaker 5 (21:25):
I don't know. It's just I don't know. It's just really.
Speaker 4 (21:31):
It's mind blowing, honestly, because we put these things in
place to help us, but then it turns of we
give them the prompts that make us, like Brie said,
silence silence ourselves, which is counterintuitive.
Speaker 5 (21:47):
Right, So I don't know, but yeah, I digress.
Speaker 3 (21:51):
Yeah, yeah, you know. You can't help a question if
the nuance lacking seemingly unintended consequence of using AI as oversight,
the kind of clumsy, vague approach to generalization and making
all of these things things that we can no longer
teach or talk about, you have to wonder if what
seems like an unintended h an unintended consequence of using
(22:17):
it is the whole point, right, So they can be
more broad sweeping and the things that they that they
take out of the course material like this. This whitewashing
is something that's being done on purpose. It's not an
unintended consequence of using a tool that they know lacks specificity,
lacks nuance, lacks context, and some in some instances. So
(22:39):
once again, you know, those affected the most by this
will have the least to say so, And you know
how this tool is used to really really make narrow
the things that our youth are able to learn and experience.
For a lot of us culturally, going to a university
(22:59):
opened us up to people from different backgrounds, different places
in the world. And you know, I had a conversation
with the young man my sophomore year in college where
I was the first black person he'd ever seen in
his life, and we had a really heated discussion because
of something that he said in class about black people.
And he really didn't intend to cause harm. He wasn't
trying to be evil or mean. He was actually ignorant.
(23:23):
And going to a university and having a black classmate,
he was in a black studies class. Imagine how much
that broadened his horizons and how much he learned from
that experience, So trying to get rid of experiences like that,
I think I think that's the actual intent, not a
unintended consequence. And our last story. With over twenty million
(23:45):
views since its release, the p did He documentary The
Reckoning has garnered lots of mixed reactions from notable black figures,
including doctor Umar Johnson, who recently shared his opinion on
what really motivated fifty cent to become involved with this film.
Morgan for a final story, tell us more about this
documentary and Umar's comments on fifty cent breon around us.
(24:08):
Please chime in because this is an interesting.
Speaker 5 (24:10):
One, oh for sure.
Speaker 4 (24:12):
So the new Netflix documentary that's actually beating out stranger
things because of stranger Things. It's called Sean Cones The Reckoning,
executive produced by fifty Cent, and it focuses on the
career and controversies around Sean Diddy combes, including sexual misconduct
allegations and high profile moments in his life and career.
(24:33):
And then, of course, the four part series dropped on
Netflix in earlier this month in December and has become
one of the platforms most talked about releases. Now, doctor Umar,
it is let me just say before I get into
doctor Umar's comments. This has created quite the conversation amongst
the culture, from fifty Cent being called petty to a
(24:58):
myriad of things. Basically, but us get into doctor Umar
Johnson's comments. Of course, if those you who do not
know doctor Umar Johnson. He's a motivational speaker, activist, and
he criticized the documentary, saying he supports holding people accountable,
but he thinks the doc goes too far and exposing
a black man publicly while not focusing on wrongdoing by
(25:21):
white individuals. Now, he described the project as an act
of self hatred disguised as community service, suggesting it could
reflect harmful internal dynamics rather than the pure accountability which
essentially he was calling before. He also adds that black
people to black people the documentary exposes black people to
(25:46):
black people in a way that he says is problematic,
especially without balancing it with other narratives. Now, fifty Cent
has publicly explained why he helped make the series, saying
he felt compelled to speak up because others in the
hip hop industry we're silent about Ditty's alleged behavior, and
(26:06):
speaking would only imply that this behavior is acceptable. Right,
So he said, he responded sharply to the critics. He
as in fifty Cent, responded sharply to the critics, including
doctor Umar, basically telling them the shut up on social media,
saying that he's okay with you guys calling him petty,
and of course Ditty's camp. Ditty is the main subject
(26:27):
of all of this. He has called the Netflix series
a shameless hit piece and accused the platform of sensationalism
and biased. Now fans and commenters have mixed reactions when
it comes to the documentary. Some people praise the documentary
for giving voice to alleged victims and sparking overdue conversations,
while others see it as revenge driven or sensationalized because
(26:51):
of Ditty's long running feud with fifty Cent. So it
is interesting to see how this also is playing out.
Of course, this is a big one for our culture.
It's reminiscent of like I would say, like, what would
it be like fifty Cent and jaw Rule back in
the day, or jay Z and Nas but except in
(27:12):
a more in a more fleshed out kind of production
as opposed to just hip hop album beefs.
Speaker 5 (27:20):
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 4 (27:21):
So this is, it's definitely become a flashpoint, a spotlight
in in our culture. Of course, it's bringing that spot
and then of course spotlighting alleged allegations of abuse and misconduct,
how the industry, the music industry and the entertainment industry
is run about, and it questions, you know, that that
(27:45):
level of accountability versus exploitation, the role maybe a person
plays in a sense if they have bias, and whether
or not they can shape narratives like someone like a
fifty cent I mean, if is he really beefing with Diddy?
I mean at one point they seem to be friends,
which Ja Rul made mentioned of, Marlon Walliams made mentioned of,
(28:07):
and of course it discussed back to bringing it full
circle back to doctor Umar's comments. The documentary and the
conversations that surrounded bring discussions about racial dynamics and how
black men, specifically black artists black men are portrayed in
(28:27):
the media amongst their peers and things of that nature.
But bringing it back to doctor Umar's comments, he pretty
much said it, called it an act of self hatred
disguised as community.
Speaker 5 (28:39):
Service, and he's not really a fan.
Speaker 6 (28:42):
What do you guys think, Bree No, I'm just curious,
why do we always have to mention what white people
do or how people react to white people when you
try to hold somebody black accountable. I'm not sure that
that applies to d Okay, it's a pretty hateous things. Furthermore,
I think this was just a look through the lens
(29:05):
of the people who produced it, okay, because I do
a group the fact that you can create a narrative
as a producer how you want it to go, right,
But we're looking at actual video footage that he had
a film crew following him, so it's not like somebody
wrote it.
Speaker 5 (29:18):
That was him, and then he didn't.
Speaker 6 (29:20):
Pay said film crew allegedly, and so the video was
obtained by fifty and we watched this man speak, and
we watched this man's reaction to being followed and watched
by the police. And it's like we've seen the Cassie
video and talked about it ad nauseum. We've also, you know,
become privy to some other things that we don't know.
(29:40):
And I'm sure there's plenty more we still don't know
and probably never will. But I think doctor Umar's comments
are kind of toned off. I don't agree with them
at all, because to hold Diddy accountable is not dismissing
what white men or anybody else. Do you know you're
not a white man if I'm Diddy, I know I'm
not a white man.
Speaker 5 (29:59):
Now I have money.
Speaker 6 (30:00):
Sure, but after a certain point and people catch you
or your luck runs out, you get held accountable for
what it is that you did.
Speaker 5 (30:09):
Who cares? Who else got criticized for doing something? What
did you do?
Speaker 6 (30:13):
It's like, we can't We'll never be able to hold
people accountable the same. It's never going to be equal.
So we should not hold him accountable because somebody else
didn't get held accountable. Does that make him not guilty.
I don't understand why anybody would think that that was okay?
Speaker 2 (30:31):
So eh.
Speaker 5 (30:33):
I like the documentary.
Speaker 6 (30:35):
I thought it brought somewhat of a different perspective than
the other ones we've seen, because there's literally been a
documentary ever since they broke into his houses in Miami.
We'll rated them okay, and this one just comes from
the perspective. I think it was definitely a more mental
and emotional aspect of it, trying to tap into the
(30:58):
way people feel about how he got his start because
we went from the very beginning to the party promotions
and all the different stuff that he was doing to
get his foot in the door, and then when he
got his foot in the door, it's kind of like,
according to the people in this documentary, he just turned
and the more successful he got, the more evil he got.
Speaker 5 (31:15):
So if go ahead, no, sorry, we go ahead finishing.
Speaker 6 (31:19):
No, I'm just saying, if we're going to hold him
accountable for one thing, why not hold him accountable for
everything just because somebody else didn't get caught.
Speaker 5 (31:26):
That logic has never made sense to me. He happens
to be.
Speaker 4 (31:29):
Black, so what Yeah, But one thing I wanted to
jump in and say, and you're right, you are right,
And one thing I wanted to just I guess kind
of reiterate. The documentary did seem very balanced. It didn't
seem like it seemed like a good piece of journalism.
It didn't seem like everybody in the documentary hated Diddy.
(31:50):
It was very to me, it seemed balanced. You had
people in there.
Speaker 5 (31:55):
Who loved and adored him.
Speaker 4 (31:57):
And he did them wrong, and there were people who
were like, look, I saw what happened. I saw the
Cassie video too, but that just wasn't my experience, and
so you did get just I would say, a good
balance of people who were in his life.
Speaker 5 (32:11):
Now I am.
Speaker 4 (32:12):
Still waiting, where's the documentary with Lorien and Gibson.
Speaker 5 (32:16):
We need her, we need Fonsworth Bentley, we need he
Ain't never talking that. We still want to hear from
j Lo never but.
Speaker 4 (32:27):
Until look until then and if the if and win
then you know, I just think that this was a
whole piece and there's nothing wrong with that.
Speaker 2 (32:36):
I don't.
Speaker 5 (32:36):
I don't see anything wrong with what Diddy. I'm sorry.
Let me clarify that one. I'll do it.
Speaker 4 (32:43):
No, I don't see anything wrong with what fifty did
in regards to making this documentary.
Speaker 5 (32:47):
If anything, it probably.
Speaker 4 (32:48):
Put the spotlight on Diddy, and maybe not the most
positive light, of course, but no.
Speaker 6 (32:56):
But he helped create that spotlight. Okay, And is everybody lying?
Who lied?
Speaker 5 (33:01):
I'm waiting for the defamation lawsuit? Who lied?
Speaker 4 (33:07):
Oh wait, I'm sorry before I go, that is one
more thing, like you say, Abri, who lied? Because out
of all of what was said in that documentary, you know,
Janis Combs came out and the only thing that she
wanted to clear up who was the fact that she
may have assaulted her son, or her that her son
may have assaulted her.
Speaker 6 (33:27):
Oh yeah, that was somebody says they saw it. She said,
oh no, that never happened. But everything else was okay.
Speaker 4 (33:33):
That's the only thing she wanted to clear up though
we saw the whole thing.
Speaker 5 (33:37):
That's the only thing. C So, I don't know.
Speaker 4 (33:40):
Yeah, back to you guys.
Speaker 2 (33:47):
Well, I watched that documentary and it was.
Speaker 1 (33:56):
Really it was like a heartbreaking, disgusting, vile like all
these stories that I heard, it was it was almost
like depressing. It like stayed with me because I heard
the stories of the people that were hurt by by Diddy,
and I don't like, I don't like the stories that
(34:20):
I heard. That just really it's really sad that people
would do that to other people.
Speaker 6 (34:27):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (34:30):
I would have to guess that.
Speaker 1 (34:31):
Doctor Umar's position is probably something like, you know, if
a person does ninety five good things in their life
and they do five bad things in their life, are
they a good person or a bad person? And how
do you tell that story in a way that's fair?
How do you tell their story? And you know, maybe
(34:54):
there would be some validity to what doctor Umar is
saying if he wasn't in my personal view, sometimes problematic
people are complicated. But the thing that doctor Umar does
(35:17):
with some frequency in my view personally, is he's loud
and wrong Q and I coined a new term. We
call it strong wrong, And he's that way with some frequency.
And so it's it's kind of hard to get behind
(35:37):
his efforts because until such a time as he's done
enough to balance it out, Doctor Umar's words ring in
my ear of him saying, we're not going to vote
for Kamala Harris until we get what we want. And
(35:58):
I'm like, and doctor is a powerful voice, and he's
a powerful figure, you know, And I do believe that
he means well. I don't agree with his positions on
a lot of stuff, but I don't think he's a
bad person. He just strong wrong a lot. So when
he tries to come to I don't want to say
he was coming to Diddy's defense, but when he's trying
(36:19):
to make a point, I suppose the point of you know,
ninety five and five or whatever, and that's not what
he said. I'm just kind of effectually, I think that's
what he's trying to communicate to me.
Speaker 2 (36:29):
It just kind of.
Speaker 1 (36:31):
It's like I whenever I see the name doctor Umar,
now I associate that with like, you know, problematic takes
and not with credible, measured, fair minded, balanced, you know,
approaches to subject matter. And so it's hard to follow
his leadership for me. And again, if that was just
(36:54):
the one thing doctor Umar, you know, missed the mark on,
in my view, that would be okay. But doctor Umar
is like I again, he got the spirit, you know
what I mean, but he'd be strong, wrong about a
lot of stuff. And I'm like, and he's already a
national figure, you know, for better or worse, So it's
like everything he says it gets amplified, you know, we're
(37:16):
talking about him. And and I suppose that that's that's
okay because you know, he does, for better or worse,
represent a school of thought that some people have and
it deserves to be challenged. And you know, if if
it meets that challenge, then maybe it's the right you know.
Speaker 2 (37:34):
It's the right approach to take.
Speaker 1 (37:35):
But recently a lot of his a lot of his challenge,
a lot of challenges to him have been either successful
or you know, he just doesn't stand on a solid
aground his his his takes don't don't sit on as
solid a foundation as I think.
Speaker 2 (37:53):
He would rather people believe.
Speaker 1 (37:55):
And I don't want to say he's always wrong. That's
not fair. I don't want to, you know, I want
to be as fair as I can be. But he's
he's got some making up to do, I guess in
my view for me personally, you know, I don't want
to tell anybody how to think about doctor Omar, but
I would guess that's why he's saying the stuff about
this Diddy documentary. So that's all I'm gonna say. Uh yeah,
(38:18):
I'll leave it right there. So thank you both very
much as always for your time, your insight. It's always
the joy. Once again, Today's guest or bi In News
anchors Morgan Wood and Bree would thank you. This has
been a production of The bi In. Today's show is
produced by Chris Thompson. Have some thoughts you'd like to share,
use the red microphone talkback feature on the iHeartRadio app.
While you're there, be sure to hit subscribe and download
(38:40):
all of our episodes. I'm your host Ramse's Jah on
all social media and join me and q Ward on
another episode of Civic Cipher this weekend on a station
near you. For stations, show times, and podcast info, check
civiccipher dot com and join us Monday as we share
our news with our voice from our perspective right here
on the QR code
It's been another busy news week, and we'd like to
review the major stories of the week here on the
bi In Today, we are joined by bi In News
anchors Morgan Wood and Brewood to discuss this week's major stories.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
This is the QR code.
Speaker 3 (00:13):
He is q Ward and he is ramses job.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
All right, Morgan and bre welcome back to the show. Uh,
it's the holiday season.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Tell me what's Morgan?
Speaker 4 (00:28):
Happy holidays? So everybody, not too much going on, and
I'm enjoying that.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
So yeah, I mad at you, Brie. Tell me something good, Tell.
Speaker 5 (00:36):
You something good. Listen.
Speaker 6 (00:37):
I'm happy to be here. It's been a busy week
wrapping things up. I'm getting ready to be out for
a little bit, so I'm planning on enjoying some vacation time.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Amen. Amen. All right, Well, let's get people what they
came for. First up.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
Earlier this week, Donald Trump addressed the nation with a
speech that left many people confused about the purpose of
his message and also concerned about what's next for America
in twenty twenty six. Pre There's plenty to unpack here,
so let's start off with you give us a few
highlights from Trump's speech, as well as your reaction, and
then Market and Q will get your thoughts after.
Speaker 6 (01:07):
Okay, yeah, a lot is not the word. So we're
just going to break down a little bit of President
Trump's gear end addressed. He promised some things, and he
announced some other things, and of course we all had
a reaction to it. So he framed us first year
back in office as a turnaround story. He told everyone
that he inherited a mess and now he's fixing it.
(01:27):
And he previewed a twenty twenty six agenda that is
mostly focusing on affordability housing as well as interest rates.
He pledged to nominate a Federal Reserve Chair who favors
lower interest rates by a lot, and he'sed some of
the most aggressive housing reform plans in American history. And
so Jerome Powell, I believe he is the current FED
(01:50):
chair and he's had issues with him, so he's been
looking to replace him.
Speaker 5 (01:54):
So we'll see how that goes.
Speaker 6 (01:56):
But the interest rate did get lowered one more time
by the current Fed chair.
Speaker 5 (02:01):
Also, a warrior dividend is what he spoke about.
Speaker 6 (02:03):
I don't know if you've heard about this one, but
he is offering the military a one time one thousand,
seven hundred and seventy six dollars bonus, and that's going
out to about one point four million service members with checks.
He says that that will hit before Christmas, and the
administration is linking that directly to the payout of tariff
revenue and recent appropriations. But specifics kind of were scrutinized
(02:26):
by the press, like they were trying to figure out
if it's really the tariffs or something else. A lot
of people were not sure about where that money came
from exactly, but he is crediting the tariffs for being
able to give the military that good bonus. Also spoke
on the economy. He argued that the prices are falling
from gas to groceries and that a historic boom is
on the way. But of course the fact checkers were
(02:47):
in full effect and they said that several claims were
kind of exaggerated by the President or a little bit misleading.
Gas is down from the peak which was back in
twenty twenty two the most expensive, but averages are still
around the high tos in some places, and.
Speaker 5 (03:03):
Many groceries remain elevated.
Speaker 6 (03:06):
A lot of people are talking about the price of
beef still being very high. And also if you're a
coffee drinker, you're going to notice it costs a lot
more for you to get your regular cup of coffee. Also, immigration,
that's a hot topic, and the President did blame a
legal immigration for economic strain on Americans and public costs.
Critics called it inflammatory, said he was kind of inaccurate,
(03:28):
especially his comments on Minnesota's Somali community. This is another
big one because he is calling for an end to
their immigration to the US. He has been very critical
of Somali's especially in Minnesota where they have a high
Somali population. He claims that the Somalian population stole billions
of dollars during COVID and terrorized communities in his words,
(03:50):
but people are saying, while some Somalis were charged prosecutors,
especially in a COVID fraud scheme, that's true, but there
was no evidence that they have seen linking the money
directly to terrorism, which was something that President Trump was
also saying that they were funding terrorism. And his administration
has taken steps to terminate the Temporary Protected status for
(04:10):
Somali migrants and paused immigration applications from Somalia. And then
you know Representative Elean Omar who is in Minnesota right now.
Speaker 5 (04:19):
She represents Minnesota.
Speaker 6 (04:21):
She's a Democrat, and she was called garbage recently and
incompetent by the President, and she came to the US
as a child refugee, so she took offense to that
naturally and responded to him just basically telling him he
needs help. So the speech it really leaned on partisan politics.
You know, it was quite different than what former President
(04:43):
Biden and the Democrats did, but he did talk about
Joe Biden a lot, and you know, I think as
far as I'm concerned, the feedback was kind of split,
Like there were things he said that you could get
on board with, Like I have no problems support the
military at all. There are a first line of defense
out there. I think they definitely deserve a bonus. I
(05:07):
think we just want to know truthfully if that is
tariff money and how it's being broken down, if those
tariffs are really helping to eliminate all of the debt
that we have.
Speaker 5 (05:17):
And you know, I think.
Speaker 6 (05:17):
People were optimistic who support Trump and the Trump administration,
but people who are very critical of him and his
administration are calling his speech on the defensive side and
say that he's kind of detached from reality.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
Yeah, that seems to be a theme. Morgan.
Speaker 4 (05:33):
Yeah, well, Breed pretty much covered She covered it all.
You talk about a little bit, that's a lot. Breed,
you definitely covered it all. But to her point, a
lot of Newsmakers journalists are pretty much saying that that
address felt more like a campaign style political speech as
opposed to a traditional presidential national address.
Speaker 5 (05:51):
I mean, you've already won.
Speaker 4 (05:52):
You don't have to continue to let people know all
of these And well, I'm not going to say you
don't have to let people know, because you are letting
people know what you feel or.
Speaker 5 (06:00):
What he feels. You know.
Speaker 4 (06:02):
He touts what he has done, but then to breeze
point again, the fact checkers are behind him saying, hey,
actually this and actually that. So he says that the
uh he touted those economic indicators claiming inflation of course
and had slowed down, and that there's job growth, and
that groceries are down, gases down, and said the US
(06:26):
is quote poised for an economic boom. So I guess
we're just in a space right now where we have
to kind of sit back and see, Am I feeling
an economic boom? Not so much, but you know, I'm
just one person. So ABC News does report that his
overall approval ratings do remain low, with polls showing about
(06:47):
forty percent of approval and a majority disapproving his job performance,
particularly on and speaking about the economy. So I mean,
I don't know take that with the grain of salt
that you will, and I guess it really does depend
on where you fall in this country, because what I'm
(07:07):
noticing is that he tends to prioritize red leaning states
and municipalities over those that are blue. So being that
I'm in the state of Maryland, I'm not sure that
that's going to benefit me that well in this administration.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
Sure you.
Speaker 3 (07:23):
Yeah, the fact checkers were definitely out after this speech.
Turns out that a lot of things that he said
were blatant lies. Others were exaggerations where he take, you know,
a single example of something and paint a broad picture
as if that was the norm. I eat gas prices.
You know, he found one gas station somewhere that had
(07:44):
gas for a dollar and then just touted that, as
you know, I have any gas stations across the country
that have gas for this price, when, like Brie said,
it's much more, it's much closer to the norm, somewhere
above two dollars. And with regards to the military, Trump
pulled money that was already allocated for the military for
(08:06):
housing allowance and is doing what he's done before, putting
his name on it to make it and like he
just found some new money somewhere or created some new
money somewhere from terras or whatever the case. Congress had
already approved money for housing allowance for military service members,
so he's essentially rebranding that as some money that he
(08:26):
came up for our service members. Came up with for
our service members. So typical Donald Trump.
Speaker 6 (08:33):
Up.
Speaker 3 (08:33):
Next, we head to the state of Maryland, where news
surrounded the nation's only black governor and a controversial bill
that he vetoled that's now moving forward. Morgan, you cover
Maryland news for the network, so let's start with you
give our listeners some background this story. Brion Ramdis will
talk toss the mic to you next.
Speaker 4 (08:50):
Yeah, so what happened was Maryland lawmakers voted to override
Governor Wes Moore's veto and move forward with creating a
State Rations Commission. Now, I think it is very important
for people to understand Governor Moore's stance on this. While
he is vetoing or wanting to veto this reparations commission,
he has said before in the past that basically what
(09:14):
it boils down to is Maryland has done and the
United States overall, we have done enough studies. He's looking
more for action. So what the commission does It will
study the legacy of slavery and discrimination in the state
of Maryland and recommend possible reparations, including financial and policy options.
(09:34):
So Governor Moore has said before and time and time
again that the state has done enough studying and should
focus on direct action to close racial gaps instead of
putting this money and this energy into more research. Essentially,
we've got the researches, essentially what he's saying. So what
(09:55):
happens next is the commission will issue reports in twenty
twenty seven outlining recommendation. Now the reaction on this is
split because on one hand, people are like, wait, what
do you mean. We should definitely look into this more,
we should do as much research as necessary, while others
are backing the governor and saying, yeah, we've done enough
(10:16):
research and it's time to actually have some action. So
a lot of people are saying this is a necessary
step toward accountability and racial repair. The formal study, of course,
does strengthen the case for real, defensible policy action.
Speaker 5 (10:30):
It does put it on paper.
Speaker 4 (10:32):
However, the override does show that there is a strong
legislative commitment to and the override does show that there
is a strong related excuse me, a strong legislative commitment
to addressing the historic harms, which is, you know, far
more than what we've seen in some of the other states. Now,
Governor Moore he disagreed with the override, but of course
(10:52):
he says he's willing to work with the Commission moving forward,
and of course the General Assembly in the state of Maryland.
A lot of people are saying studies are divisive and
may not actually lead to tangible outcomes, and race based
remedies could lead to constitutional and legal challenges. So this
is one of those situations where it could you know,
(11:13):
you pull the thread and you don't know how much
of the of the garment might go with the thread.
Speaker 5 (11:18):
So but it does still.
Speaker 4 (11:19):
Matter, of course, you know, we're constantly fighting for our
civil rights, our people, black people, brown people, and of
course Maryland does join a small but growing number of
states formally looking to address reparations, which I think is
a great thing, including our neighbors in Virginia they've looked
into it, also California, New York, and Massachusetts. So the
(11:42):
move ultimately just spotlights tensions between study and action when
it comes to racial justice policy.
Speaker 5 (11:51):
And it is very much a.
Speaker 4 (11:55):
I will say it speaks to the moment considering Governor
Wesma War's position as the only black governor in the
state and up under the Trump administration. So I'm actually
looking forward to seeing how this plays out in my
great old line state of Maryland.
Speaker 3 (12:14):
So we have to wonder how much research and how
much studying will meet the due diligence required for them
to actually be action, for them to actually be funding.
So I'm very curious to see how this works out free.
Speaker 5 (12:30):
I am as well.
Speaker 6 (12:31):
There's also a Reparations Task Force in Detroit, and I'm
just interested to see the solutions that they.
Speaker 5 (12:38):
Come up with.
Speaker 6 (12:39):
What you touched on, Morgan about people wondering if there
will actually be any tangible outcome from these study groups
is the main thing that I see across the board
with all the states who support this it's good to
look into, but what does that look like in twenty
twenty six and beyond trying to atone for reparations? Now?
(13:00):
Is that through programs? Is that through actual checks and
money to people. I think it's a good idea. I'm
not opposed to it at all, But you have a
lot of people who fight it because they feel like,
at this point, whatever decision you make is going to
be unfair to other people. They're not worried about black
people having the reparations, but really, how can it be
fair for everybody when we're not talking about everybody. We
(13:20):
are literally talking about Black Americans descended of enslaved people.
Speaker 5 (13:26):
And that gets true too.
Speaker 6 (13:28):
It gets very tricky because now we're, oh, well, my family,
everybody wants to play you know, the racism Olympics, and
it's like, it's not how more much more oppressed we
were than you. It's like, this isn't about you. My
problem is that I feel like it's going to be
get caught up in too much controversy with the conversation
how can you do it and not get back lash
(13:48):
from everybody else who feels like it's unfair?
Speaker 5 (13:50):
That's my biggest thing. But I support it.
Speaker 3 (13:55):
Yeah, there's only one group to holistically suffer the way
we did that have not had any repair done, exactly,
a very easy way to seat that conversation.
Speaker 1 (14:08):
Well, I think that the conversation that we're having right now,
and conversations that we could be having right now, is
precisely why Maryland is choosing to continue to study this
rather than doing what the governor wants, which is taking
direct action. The political climate in this country right now
(14:34):
will effectively ensure that any attempt at reparations right now
will be attacked by conservatives and tied up in courts,
you know, and if it goes far enough, it'll probably
be struck down by the Supreme Court. And these studies
(15:02):
will address a lot of the issues and make this
effort more buoyant.
Speaker 2 (15:12):
And this is what.
Speaker 1 (15:15):
The folks on the ground in Maryland are trying to
do with this study. And so I understand sort of
both sides. I understand Governor Wes Moore wanting to be
intentional and take some direct action because you know, this
is a conversation that we've been having, you know, since
(15:36):
eighteen sixty five, right, but.
Speaker 2 (15:41):
You know, we have a.
Speaker 1 (15:42):
Very formidable oppressor and a very legally sophisticated political opposition,
and you know, taking these steps to make sure that
we have a game plan that's going to work, that
we can address issues that might come up, that you know,
(16:02):
we can patch holes that you know, expose this effort
to attacks and just kind of eke out all the
vulnerabilities in this plan. That also seems like a wise
imprudent strategy as well, So like all of us, we're
just going to have to see what happens.
Speaker 2 (16:21):
Hey, what's up?
Speaker 7 (16:22):
This is Ramsy's JA and I am q Ward and
we're inviting you to subscribe to Civic Cipher, are weekly
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Speaker 1 (16:30):
We pride ourselves on creating a show that fusters allyship
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Speaker 2 (16:48):
That cib I c c I p h E R
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Speaker 1 (16:54):
Bi in news anchors Morgan Wood and Brewood are here
with us discussing this week's major stories. All right, our
next story centers around the state of Texas using a
new tool to help whitewash black history and black culture
within its school system. Brie, let's hear more about this
story from you first, and then Morgan and Q.
Speaker 2 (17:14):
We'll get your thoughts.
Speaker 6 (17:15):
After all right, Well, Texas A and M system is
using AI to scan SILLABAI and course descriptions across twelve
campuses that they have flagging classes that are mentioning race, gender, feminism, decolonization,
or dismantling for further review. So administrators at Texas State
University provided AI generated value neutral alternatives to professors, replacing
(17:39):
words like challenging or decolonizing, and renaming courses such as
combating racism and healthcare to things like race and public
health in America. So basically just whitewashing everything. That move
is following a conservative backlash over a July incident that
happened involving a gender identity lesson at Texas A and M,
(18:00):
which led to the firing of a professor and also
the resignation of the university's president. Now, people who have
observed this say that AI really is lacking in context,
and while it can be a very useful tool, they're
afraid of it trying to control education now through administrative oversight.
So they're saying that basically undermines the faculty and the
(18:22):
ability that they have to run their classrooms and curriculum
the way that they want to and offering no academic creativity.
It's like they want everything cut and dry and the
same across the board. So Texas A and M officials
are noting that these AI results vary depending on the
way you phrase things, also a sign of inaccuracies in
the technology, and AI experts are responding to that, but
(18:45):
they're cautioning against relying solely on the tools that are
not truly understanding the current content. So it might be
able to spit something out at you, but it's not human.
It doesn't have emotion, it doesn't have feelings, it doesn't
know everything, contrary to what some people might think. So,
I mean, there's good and bad in it, but really
(19:07):
they're cautioning to not solely rely on AI to make
those type of decisions, especially when it comes to a
race and gender loan. Yeah, so to piggyback off what
Brie said yes, some educators worry that this could undermine
academic freedom and shift control from faculty to administrators and
(19:30):
political bodies. And also some critics are saying that the
policies and audits could bring about basically close what could
have been a safe space or open space for certain discussions,
ultimately reshaping what subjects instructors feel comfortable about teaching and
(19:52):
what that landscape of those discussions and teachings look like. Thus,
I mean possibly reshaping how we learn about these types
of issues or how children and not so much children
were college. I mean, shoot, it's Texas, so I'm sure
it's going to be a statewide thing, but you know
college college students and how they learn. So this is
(20:16):
again to breeze point. There's I think there's good and
bad to the use of AI, but pretty much using
AIS an oversight in terms of what to police or
enforced in terms of education and priorities is kind of crazy,
(20:37):
especially when you have the whole I don't know, it
just goes against the idea of like America first, because
if it's America first, then the body of America is
the American student, it's the American teacher, it's the American people.
Speaker 5 (20:55):
So to then.
Speaker 4 (20:58):
Say, oh, by the way, don't have these discussions, or
let's use a computer or artificial intelligence to determine what
we should learn or how we should learn it, or
what subjects are permissible is crazy.
Speaker 5 (21:14):
I don't know.
Speaker 8 (21:15):
That's just like it's an eazy way to silence this, right,
Like I don't know, I dare to say slavery is
quite evolved.
Speaker 5 (21:25):
I don't know. It's just I don't know. It's just really.
Speaker 4 (21:31):
It's mind blowing, honestly, because we put these things in
place to help us, but then it turns of we
give them the prompts that make us, like Brie said,
silence silence ourselves, which is counterintuitive.
Speaker 5 (21:47):
Right, So I don't know, but yeah, I digress.
Speaker 3 (21:51):
Yeah, yeah, you know. You can't help a question if
the nuance lacking seemingly unintended consequence of using AI as oversight,
the kind of clumsy, vague approach to generalization and making
all of these things things that we can no longer
teach or talk about, you have to wonder if what
seems like an unintended h an unintended consequence of using
(22:17):
it is the whole point, right, So they can be
more broad sweeping and the things that they that they
take out of the course material like this. This whitewashing
is something that's being done on purpose. It's not an
unintended consequence of using a tool that they know lacks specificity,
lacks nuance, lacks context, and some in some instances. So
(22:39):
once again, you know, those affected the most by this
will have the least to say so, And you know
how this tool is used to really really make narrow
the things that our youth are able to learn and experience.
For a lot of us culturally, going to a university
(22:59):
opened us up to people from different backgrounds, different places
in the world. And you know, I had a conversation
with the young man my sophomore year in college where
I was the first black person he'd ever seen in
his life, and we had a really heated discussion because
of something that he said in class about black people.
And he really didn't intend to cause harm. He wasn't
trying to be evil or mean. He was actually ignorant.
(23:23):
And going to a university and having a black classmate,
he was in a black studies class. Imagine how much
that broadened his horizons and how much he learned from
that experience, So trying to get rid of experiences like that,
I think I think that's the actual intent, not a
unintended consequence. And our last story. With over twenty million
(23:45):
views since its release, the p did He documentary The
Reckoning has garnered lots of mixed reactions from notable black figures,
including doctor Umar Johnson, who recently shared his opinion on
what really motivated fifty cent to become involved with this film.
Morgan for a final story, tell us more about this
documentary and Umar's comments on fifty cent breon around us.
(24:08):
Please chime in because this is an interesting.
Speaker 5 (24:10):
One, oh for sure.
Speaker 4 (24:12):
So the new Netflix documentary that's actually beating out stranger
things because of stranger Things. It's called Sean Cones The Reckoning,
executive produced by fifty Cent, and it focuses on the
career and controversies around Sean Diddy combes, including sexual misconduct
allegations and high profile moments in his life and career.
(24:33):
And then, of course, the four part series dropped on
Netflix in earlier this month in December and has become
one of the platforms most talked about releases. Now, doctor Umar,
it is let me just say before I get into
doctor Umar's comments. This has created quite the conversation amongst
the culture, from fifty Cent being called petty to a
(24:58):
myriad of things. Basically, but us get into doctor Umar
Johnson's comments. Of course, if those you who do not
know doctor Umar Johnson. He's a motivational speaker, activist, and
he criticized the documentary, saying he supports holding people accountable,
but he thinks the doc goes too far and exposing
a black man publicly while not focusing on wrongdoing by
(25:21):
white individuals. Now, he described the project as an act
of self hatred disguised as community service, suggesting it could
reflect harmful internal dynamics rather than the pure accountability which
essentially he was calling before. He also adds that black
people to black people the documentary exposes black people to
(25:46):
black people in a way that he says is problematic,
especially without balancing it with other narratives. Now, fifty Cent
has publicly explained why he helped make the series, saying
he felt compelled to speak up because others in the
hip hop industry we're silent about Ditty's alleged behavior, and
(26:06):
speaking would only imply that this behavior is acceptable. Right,
So he said, he responded sharply to the critics. He
as in fifty Cent, responded sharply to the critics, including
doctor Umar, basically telling them the shut up on social media,
saying that he's okay with you guys calling him petty,
and of course Ditty's camp. Ditty is the main subject
(26:27):
of all of this. He has called the Netflix series
a shameless hit piece and accused the platform of sensationalism
and biased. Now fans and commenters have mixed reactions when
it comes to the documentary. Some people praise the documentary
for giving voice to alleged victims and sparking overdue conversations,
while others see it as revenge driven or sensationalized because
(26:51):
of Ditty's long running feud with fifty Cent. So it
is interesting to see how this also is playing out.
Of course, this is a big one for our culture.
It's reminiscent of like I would say, like, what would
it be like fifty Cent and jaw Rule back in
the day, or jay Z and Nas but except in
(27:12):
a more in a more fleshed out kind of production
as opposed to just hip hop album beefs.
Speaker 5 (27:20):
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 4 (27:21):
So this is, it's definitely become a flashpoint, a spotlight
in in our culture. Of course, it's bringing that spot
and then of course spotlighting alleged allegations of abuse and misconduct,
how the industry, the music industry and the entertainment industry
is run about, and it questions, you know, that that
(27:45):
level of accountability versus exploitation, the role maybe a person
plays in a sense if they have bias, and whether
or not they can shape narratives like someone like a
fifty cent I mean, if is he really beefing with Diddy?
I mean at one point they seem to be friends,
which Ja Rul made mentioned of, Marlon Walliams made mentioned of,
(28:07):
and of course it discussed back to bringing it full
circle back to doctor Umar's comments. The documentary and the
conversations that surrounded bring discussions about racial dynamics and how
black men, specifically black artists black men are portrayed in
(28:27):
the media amongst their peers and things of that nature.
But bringing it back to doctor Umar's comments, he pretty
much said it, called it an act of self hatred
disguised as community.
Speaker 5 (28:39):
Service, and he's not really a fan.
Speaker 6 (28:42):
What do you guys think, Bree No, I'm just curious,
why do we always have to mention what white people
do or how people react to white people when you
try to hold somebody black accountable. I'm not sure that
that applies to d Okay, it's a pretty hateous things. Furthermore,
I think this was just a look through the lens
(29:05):
of the people who produced it, okay, because I do
a group the fact that you can create a narrative
as a producer how you want it to go, right,
But we're looking at actual video footage that he had
a film crew following him, so it's not like somebody
wrote it.
Speaker 5 (29:18):
That was him, and then he didn't.
Speaker 6 (29:20):
Pay said film crew allegedly, and so the video was
obtained by fifty and we watched this man speak, and
we watched this man's reaction to being followed and watched
by the police. And it's like we've seen the Cassie
video and talked about it ad nauseum. We've also, you know,
become privy to some other things that we don't know.
(29:40):
And I'm sure there's plenty more we still don't know
and probably never will. But I think doctor Umar's comments
are kind of toned off. I don't agree with them
at all, because to hold Diddy accountable is not dismissing
what white men or anybody else. Do you know you're
not a white man if I'm Diddy, I know I'm
not a white man.
Speaker 5 (29:59):
Now I have money.
Speaker 6 (30:00):
Sure, but after a certain point and people catch you
or your luck runs out, you get held accountable for
what it is that you did.
Speaker 5 (30:09):
Who cares? Who else got criticized for doing something? What
did you do?
Speaker 6 (30:13):
It's like, we can't We'll never be able to hold
people accountable the same. It's never going to be equal.
So we should not hold him accountable because somebody else
didn't get held accountable. Does that make him not guilty.
I don't understand why anybody would think that that was okay?
Speaker 2 (30:31):
So eh.
Speaker 5 (30:33):
I like the documentary.
Speaker 6 (30:35):
I thought it brought somewhat of a different perspective than
the other ones we've seen, because there's literally been a
documentary ever since they broke into his houses in Miami.
We'll rated them okay, and this one just comes from
the perspective. I think it was definitely a more mental
and emotional aspect of it, trying to tap into the
(30:58):
way people feel about how he got his start because
we went from the very beginning to the party promotions
and all the different stuff that he was doing to
get his foot in the door, and then when he
got his foot in the door, it's kind of like,
according to the people in this documentary, he just turned
and the more successful he got, the more evil he got.
Speaker 5 (31:15):
So if go ahead, no, sorry, we go ahead finishing.
Speaker 6 (31:19):
No, I'm just saying, if we're going to hold him
accountable for one thing, why not hold him accountable for
everything just because somebody else didn't get caught.
Speaker 5 (31:26):
That logic has never made sense to me. He happens
to be.
Speaker 4 (31:29):
Black, so what Yeah, But one thing I wanted to
jump in and say, and you're right, you are right,
And one thing I wanted to just I guess kind
of reiterate. The documentary did seem very balanced. It didn't
seem like it seemed like a good piece of journalism.
It didn't seem like everybody in the documentary hated Diddy.
(31:50):
It was very to me, it seemed balanced. You had
people in there.
Speaker 5 (31:55):
Who loved and adored him.
Speaker 4 (31:57):
And he did them wrong, and there were people who
were like, look, I saw what happened. I saw the
Cassie video too, but that just wasn't my experience, and
so you did get just I would say, a good
balance of people who were in his life.
Speaker 5 (32:11):
Now I am.
Speaker 4 (32:12):
Still waiting, where's the documentary with Lorien and Gibson.
Speaker 5 (32:16):
We need her, we need Fonsworth Bentley, we need he
Ain't never talking that. We still want to hear from
j Lo never but.
Speaker 4 (32:27):
Until look until then and if the if and win
then you know, I just think that this was a
whole piece and there's nothing wrong with that.
Speaker 2 (32:36):
I don't.
Speaker 5 (32:36):
I don't see anything wrong with what Diddy. I'm sorry.
Let me clarify that one. I'll do it.
Speaker 4 (32:43):
No, I don't see anything wrong with what fifty did
in regards to making this documentary.
Speaker 5 (32:47):
If anything, it probably.
Speaker 4 (32:48):
Put the spotlight on Diddy, and maybe not the most
positive light, of course, but no.
Speaker 6 (32:56):
But he helped create that spotlight. Okay, And is everybody lying?
Who lied?
Speaker 5 (33:01):
I'm waiting for the defamation lawsuit? Who lied?
Speaker 4 (33:07):
Oh wait, I'm sorry before I go, that is one
more thing, like you say, Abri, who lied? Because out
of all of what was said in that documentary, you know,
Janis Combs came out and the only thing that she
wanted to clear up who was the fact that she
may have assaulted her son, or her that her son
may have assaulted her.
Speaker 6 (33:27):
Oh yeah, that was somebody says they saw it. She said,
oh no, that never happened. But everything else was okay.
Speaker 4 (33:33):
That's the only thing she wanted to clear up though
we saw the whole thing.
Speaker 5 (33:37):
That's the only thing. C So, I don't know.
Speaker 4 (33:40):
Yeah, back to you guys.
Speaker 2 (33:47):
Well, I watched that documentary and it was.
Speaker 1 (33:56):
Really it was like a heartbreaking, disgusting, vile like all
these stories that I heard, it was it was almost
like depressing. It like stayed with me because I heard
the stories of the people that were hurt by by Diddy,
and I don't like, I don't like the stories that
(34:20):
I heard. That just really it's really sad that people
would do that to other people.
Speaker 6 (34:27):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (34:30):
I would have to guess that.
Speaker 1 (34:31):
Doctor Umar's position is probably something like, you know, if
a person does ninety five good things in their life
and they do five bad things in their life, are
they a good person or a bad person? And how
do you tell that story in a way that's fair?
How do you tell their story? And you know, maybe
(34:54):
there would be some validity to what doctor Umar is
saying if he wasn't in my personal view, sometimes problematic
people are complicated. But the thing that doctor Umar does
(35:17):
with some frequency in my view personally, is he's loud
and wrong Q and I coined a new term. We
call it strong wrong, And he's that way with some frequency.
And so it's it's kind of hard to get behind
(35:37):
his efforts because until such a time as he's done
enough to balance it out, Doctor Umar's words ring in
my ear of him saying, we're not going to vote
for Kamala Harris until we get what we want. And
(35:58):
I'm like, and doctor is a powerful voice, and he's
a powerful figure, you know, And I do believe that
he means well. I don't agree with his positions on
a lot of stuff, but I don't think he's a
bad person. He just strong wrong a lot. So when
he tries to come to I don't want to say
he was coming to Diddy's defense, but when he's trying
(36:19):
to make a point, I suppose the point of you know,
ninety five and five or whatever, and that's not what
he said. I'm just kind of effectually, I think that's
what he's trying to communicate to me.
Speaker 2 (36:29):
It just kind of.
Speaker 1 (36:31):
It's like I whenever I see the name doctor Umar,
now I associate that with like, you know, problematic takes
and not with credible, measured, fair minded, balanced, you know,
approaches to subject matter. And so it's hard to follow
his leadership for me. And again, if that was just
(36:54):
the one thing doctor Umar, you know, missed the mark on,
in my view, that would be okay. But doctor Umar
is like I again, he got the spirit, you know
what I mean, but he'd be strong, wrong about a
lot of stuff. And I'm like, and he's already a
national figure, you know, for better or worse, So it's
like everything he says it gets amplified, you know, we're
(37:16):
talking about him. And and I suppose that that's that's
okay because you know, he does, for better or worse,
represent a school of thought that some people have and
it deserves to be challenged. And you know, if if
it meets that challenge, then maybe it's the right you know.
Speaker 2 (37:34):
It's the right approach to take.
Speaker 1 (37:35):
But recently a lot of his a lot of his challenge,
a lot of challenges to him have been either successful
or you know, he just doesn't stand on a solid
aground his his his takes don't don't sit on as
solid a foundation as I think.
Speaker 2 (37:53):
He would rather people believe.
Speaker 1 (37:55):
And I don't want to say he's always wrong. That's
not fair. I don't want to, you know, I want
to be as fair as I can be. But he's
he's got some making up to do, I guess in
my view for me personally, you know, I don't want
to tell anybody how to think about doctor Omar, but
I would guess that's why he's saying the stuff about
this Diddy documentary. So that's all I'm gonna say. Uh yeah,
(38:18):
I'll leave it right there. So thank you both very
much as always for your time, your insight. It's always
the joy. Once again, Today's guest or bi In News
anchors Morgan Wood and Bree would thank you. This has
been a production of The bi In. Today's show is
produced by Chris Thompson. Have some thoughts you'd like to share,
use the red microphone talkback feature on the iHeartRadio app.
While you're there, be sure to hit subscribe and download
(38:40):
all of our episodes. I'm your host Ramse's Jah on
all social media and join me and q Ward on
another episode of Civic Cipher this weekend on a station
near you. For stations, show times, and podcast info, check
civiccipher dot com and join us Monday as we share
our news with our voice from our perspective right here
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