December 5, 2025 • 30 mins
News anchors Vanessa Tyler and Mike Stevens join Ramses Ja and Q Ward on today's show to discuss this week's major stories.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's been another busy news week and we like to
review the major stories of the week here on the
bi In Today, we are joined by bi In News
anchors Vanessa Tyler and Mike Stevens to discuss this week's
major stories.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
This is the QR code.
Speaker 3 (00:14):
He is q Ward and he is Ramsy's Jah.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
All right, Vanessa and Mike, welcome back to the show.
It's been oh, man, a month and a half, maybe
not quite something like that. It's been a while since
we spoke. Let's catch up, Vanessa, what's the latest.
Speaker 4 (00:31):
Well, you know, we're fully entrenched into the holiday season. Thanksgiving,
what's fabulous, and now we have the rest of it
to get through.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
I love it. Mike, tell me something good.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
Yeah, I ain't too much on Thanksgiving. Here's a name
for that.
Speaker 5 (00:44):
I won't use it.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
That's all right, man, as long as you enjoyed yourself, okay. Well,
let's give the people what they came for. First step.
At the end of twenty twenty five, we're learning that
it is fast approaching and Americans are beginning to reflect
on the first year of the Trump two point zero presidency.
Through various surveys and opinion polls. Our first story Today
(01:09):
takes a look at a recent poll focused on the
economy and the president's overall approval rating. Vanessa, let's start
with you, tell us more about the findings from the
Yahoo slash you gov poll, and then Mike and Q
will get your thoughts next.
Speaker 4 (01:22):
Well, gentlemen, most of us don't need a poll. We
bought groceries for Thanksgiving and we know it costs more,
but the Yahoo you gov poll puts it on paper.
More Americans are unhappy with Trump's economy, forty nine percent
saying the president has helped raise prices rather than lowering them,
and thirty eight percent blame the present for inflation. Have
(01:45):
a bit more bad news for Trump is approval rating
forty percent, with fifty six percent disapproving of the job
he's doing so. In other words, he didn't fulfill all
those Day one promises. But you never know that listening
to the president, where in his view, the economy is
quote perfect and one more note, sixty percent of the
(02:06):
people surveyed believed that it's only going to get worse
under this presidency.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
Mike, Yeah, you know.
Speaker 5 (02:17):
Obviously nobody expected the Democrats to rise up in great
numbers and give Donald Trump high fives, and the rrobal
numbers show that. But it's also the Republicans and Independents
who are saying the same thing. And I think if
the midterms were held this year, those candidates supported by
(02:37):
the President, many would likely be in trouble, all because,
as Vanessa mentioned, promises were not kept, especially when it
comes to affordability cute.
Speaker 3 (02:49):
Well, the interesting thing is he continues to speak in superlative.
Everything's perfect, everything's the best that it's ever been, everything's awesome,
even when all the data and all the facts show different.
He continues to say that, and sadly, certain parts of
his base continue to believe it. So it'd be interesting
to see what happens at the polls next time, especially
(03:11):
considering we know that they've found a way to have
let's just say, some influence on voter turnout and voter results.
So we'll keep our eyes open. Like I said, we
don't need the polls. As Vanessa said, we've all been
to the store and to the gas station, and we
know that everything's not perfect or the best that it's
ever been according to him. Moving forward, the University of
(03:33):
Minnesota made headlines this week with the posting of a
controversial web page focused on a race related topic. Mike
the time, let's start with you. Tell us more about
this web page and its content. Vanessa and Rambis will
come to you next.
Speaker 5 (03:47):
All right, So this is white folk talking to white
folk on a website that belongs to the schools what
they call Country and Family lab and it has a
warning against what it calls a whiteness pandemic, and it
shows how to stop and reverse the issue. And this
has white people born or raised in this country have
(04:10):
power and privilege in what it calls a racialized society.
Quoting some of the website, it says, if you are
socialized into the culture of whiteness during your childhood, it's
not your fault, but as an adult, it's now your
responsibility to self reflect, re educate yourself, and act. If
you're a white adult, anti racist action involves an ongoing
(04:33):
process of self reflection in order to develop a healthy,
positive white identity while engaging in what it calls courageous
anti racist parenting and caregiving.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
So again, this is.
Speaker 5 (04:49):
White folks putting other white folks over the knee and
giving them a talking to. And you know how others
will accept it.
Speaker 3 (04:58):
I don't know.
Speaker 5 (04:59):
Some may say yes, others may say no. I mean,
this is kind of like what makes white people mad
when it comes to the kinds of things the DEI
you know that Donald Trump is against and his folks
are against, so you know it. This is again, not
black people saying this. This is white folks. Some white
(05:22):
folks saying this about other white folks. Whether you agree
or not, I don't know.
Speaker 4 (05:29):
Vanessa Well, I can agree in one thing, Mike ramses
and Q Racism is a disease and America is sick.
I also believe parents white, black, purple should simply tell
their children treat all human beings with respect how you
want to be treated. That will solve it, especially now
(05:51):
with America in this white supremacy bent.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
If I could piggyback off of that a little bit
at a point in the future, I think advice like
that will be potent and.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
Appropriate.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
I think that depending on who you ask. Obviously, I'll
let my feelings be know. We're not quite at a
point where it's so cut and dry. This Fox News
article that we source this story from had what I
believe to be some like dog whistle type language in it.
(06:33):
And you know it's Fox News, so you know it's
a fair play because we know the game that they're playing.
One of the names they mentioned is doctor Abram x Kindi,
who's been on the show before. And you know, this
idea of let's just teach our children to be kind
(07:01):
to everyone. That makes all the sense in the world
if we are past this point in society.
Speaker 3 (07:08):
Right.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
So I just want to interject that there's like a
step point five before step one, and I think that
is consistent with what indeed, this push here is going after.
This is sort of an anti racist push instead of
(07:29):
a non racist push. Right, we have to dig out
the racism like digging out a cancer before we can
build on top of that new rules, the systems and
superstructures that are entrenched in this society. The basis of
(07:53):
the graduate level studies known as critical.
Speaker 6 (07:58):
Race theory presupposes that the conditions under which black people
and other marginalized people live are the result of, as I.
Speaker 1 (08:09):
Mentioned, superstructures. Right, they could be elected officials, they could
be agencies, they could be corporations, they could be institutions,
and they can be regular people on the ground. The
thing that all of these institutions or individuals have in
common is that they have power to shape outcomes as
(08:31):
it relates to black.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
And brown people.
Speaker 1 (08:33):
And these systems and superstructures have been in place since
the beginning of this country, since before the beginning of
this country.
Speaker 2 (08:43):
And so.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
This idea that white people are born into a culture
of whiteness is something that a lot of elected officials,
certainly under this administration and appointed officials, have pushed back against.
They believe that whiteness is under attack. And so this
language from the Culture and Family Lab page on the
(09:12):
University of Minnesota's website, the language here to them feels
consistent with the baseless narrative that exists on the right
and the far right, which suggests that white people are
under attack and they're being replaced and whatever whatever it
(09:35):
is that they think, whatever the argument of the day is.
But I want to share just a bit from the
from the website so that people get an idea of
exactly what this is about. Because the article tries to
suggest that this initiative at the University of Michigan, Michigan
is anti white, and that's not what it is. So
I want to read directly from the website not from
(09:57):
the Fox News article what is the culture of whiteness?
The culture of whiteness is a set of beliefs, practices,
and laws that favor the white racial group. And then
it has its citation. The culture of whiteness is centuries old,
yet lives on. Some of the modern features of the
culture of whiteness include racial silence, fragility, and passivity in
the face of racial injustice. Okay, so this is really
(10:20):
what it's seeking to do. No more racial silence. If
you see injustice, you speak up. No more being fragile,
oh everything, I can't say the N word, you know.
And then, of course the passivity in the face of
racial injustice. When you see someone overlook for a promotion,
you see someone getting discriminated against those sorts of things.
Instead of being passive and saying, hey, this is not
(10:40):
my problem, you engage. Okay, that's the pusher. I want
to add, what is the whiteness pandemic? So it defines it.
Race matters in the United States because racism still exists
in young children perceive much more than we usually realize.
When parents and other adults are silent around race, it
communicates apathy or approval of racism, even if this is
the opposite of what adults intend. Right, So in that
(11:02):
statement you have the idea of why people need to
be anti racist so that we can root out that
festering cancer that has plagued us since the inception of
this country. I want to add one final note here.
Race as a construct, and so far as human beings
are concerned, is depending on who you ask between born
(11:25):
five hundred years old. Prior to that, there was no
such thing as white people or black people. That wasn't
a thing, It just didn't exist. White people came about
as a term to delineate a non.
Speaker 2 (11:37):
Slave class from a slave class.
Speaker 1 (11:39):
And depending on who you asked, this was either a
Portuguese invention or a British invention or German. I'd have
to go back and research that. But indeed, for the
most of our existence, you were just a product of
the land that you came from. If you were a
Nigerian person, you were just Nigerian, no black. If you're
(12:01):
a French person, you were a Frenchman.
Speaker 2 (12:04):
You were not white.
Speaker 1 (12:05):
Right, And so again, things like the initiatives like this
seek to challenge this modern interpretation of race which has
caused a lot of harm to the world, and I
think that it's been turned into a straw man argument
by the right and attacked by them. But what they're
attacking is indeed a falsehood. This is good for humanity,
(12:26):
and what they're suggesting somehow it costs white people something
I think is a falsehood. It's dangerous and it's divisive,
and I think it needs to stop.
Speaker 3 (12:35):
Before you move on round. It's important. Way to say,
University of Minnesota, Minnesotacitia of Michigan.
Speaker 2 (12:40):
Sorry, yep, thank you, you appreciating. Hey, what's up?
Speaker 7 (12:44):
This is Ramsey's job and I am q Ward and
we're inviting you to subscribe to Civic Cipher.
Speaker 3 (12:49):
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Speaker 1 (12:49):
We?
Speaker 3 (12:49):
Social justice podcast? Right here in the app.
Speaker 1 (12:52):
We pride ourselves on creating a show that fusters allyship,
empathy and understanding, all the while conducting journalistically credible research,
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Speaker 7 (13:03):
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Speaker 1 (13:10):
That's civ c cip h e R right here in
the app. Bin News anchors Vanessa Tyler and Mike Stevens
are here with us discussing this week's major stories.
Speaker 2 (13:22):
All right, next up.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
One of the biggest stories from the past week involves
controversial comments made to military service members by Arizona Senator
Mark Kelly and reactions to those words by ESPN host
Stephen A.
Speaker 2 (13:33):
Smith.
Speaker 1 (13:33):
Vanessa, let's go back to you, give our listeners some
background on Senator Kelly's words and Stephen A. Smith's reaction,
and then Mike and of course Q, we're going to
get your thoughts next.
Speaker 4 (13:44):
Let's start here. President Trump blew his lid when Democrat
lawmakers made this slickly produced video. Really meant for America's
troops to not follow illegal orders no matter who it
comes from. Trump called for them by the way they
all served. Trump did not, but he called it sedition
punishable by death. And Stephen A. Smith, who is not
(14:07):
shy about jumping in on any topic, says it was
out of bounds for them. Smith suggests that Arizona Senator
Kelly he had a concern there are other avenues he
could have gone too oddly. Enought, there is a case
where a Venezuelan boat was double tapped where survivors were killed.
Military experts call that a war crime. That issue is
(14:29):
being sorted out now who to throw under the bus?
Both Trump and Secretary of War Hegseeth are distancing themselves.
So it's a very interesting thing, you know. Of course,
that was the big news last week about how they
came out with this video, and the big news this
week is that video of the boats being blown up.
(14:54):
In fact, today Democratic lawmakers are looking at the video
and many of them call it atrocious of what they've seen,
that there were survivors who were like blown to smitherings.
Speaker 2 (15:08):
Mike, all right, Well, steven A.
Speaker 5 (15:14):
Did not take the side of the Democrats on this,
and anything he says about political issues has to be
taken with a grain of salt. You know, he potentially
has political interests, so that has to be considered, which
doesn't make him wrong. But when he says he found
the video telling military members not to obey illegal orders
(15:37):
concerning you have to understand that he is making a
political statement. Beyond that, this is just kind of an
assign I just wonder why Democrats would put themselves, the
ones who are in this video back in the hot water.
They just had a political victory with some of the
recent elections, seemed like they were moving in the right
(15:57):
direction as far as what they were trying to accomplish,
and now they've put themselves back in political crosshairs again again,
it seems like they would have kind of gone a
different direction. I mean, I know there's a philosophical angle
for why they're saying this, but I don't know what
do you guys.
Speaker 2 (16:16):
Think we'll find out from cute.
Speaker 3 (16:20):
Well, A couple thoughts first, in response to Mike, I
think they put themselves in hot water or back in
the crossers here because what they're saying actually isn't controversial.
As our lead in says, we shouldn't be doing things
that are illegal. Shouldn't be controversial. I don't think that's
controversial to either of us. I don't know why that
(16:41):
would be controversial to anyone else. Hey, country, military, law
enforcement citizens, we shouldn't be doing illegal stuff. I thought
that would be the thing that we all not in
an agreement on, But apparently it's controversial to say to
our troops who take an oath to the Constitution the
country to protect against enemies both foreign and domestic, that's
(17:04):
to the Constitution into the country, not to a single
person telling them to do things that they know are illegal.
So I think former servicemen and former intelligence officers were
simply saying, hey, we've done the jobs that you're doing.
We all know that it's wrong to obey illegal orders.
Some officers, some military members, some intelligence officers feel that
(17:29):
we have to obey all orders because it's our oath,
and I think they're just reminding them that that's not
the case. You do not have to obey illegal orders.
So I think that's why some of these people put themselves,
as you would say, back in hot water or back
in the crosshairs. An interesting thing about steven A. Smith.
Steven A has been covering sports for over thirty years.
(17:53):
Famously a New York sports fan, he's probably the pre
eminent number one person in the history of his industry.
Like that can be argued, and you wouldn't be saying
something that could be dismissed on his face. If Stephen
they was being considered to be the head coach of
(18:15):
any professional sports team in New York, the fans in
New York would lose their minds because this person who's
been covering sports for thirty years, and who claims to
be an expert on such a thing is not a coach,
has no coaching experience, and didn't play at any high level.
So the fans of New York would dismiss that on
(18:37):
its face as a ridiculous idea if any of those
teams were considering hiring him to be the head coach.
Except when it comes to politics. Somehow, people are not
outraged that a sportscaster wants to potentially run for president.
And I think the statements that he's made over the
past few years are making it clear what side of
(19:00):
the aisle he'd be on if he tossed his name
in the hat. And our current president has made it
so that it's not ridiculous that a career sportscaster might
toss his name in the hat to be president. I
think that's something we all need to think about and consider.
And our last story tuition prices continue to soar and
(19:24):
the Department of Education in the crosshairs of the Trump administration.
Our next story suggests that many Americans are rethinking the
value associated expenses of a four year college degree. Mike
share with the audience some details about this story and
then I'll tsk to Vanessa and ramses to close us out.
Speaker 5 (19:43):
Yeah. According to a new NBC newspool, nearly two thirds
of Americans say the four year college degree is not
worth the cost. Sixty three percent of Americans who were
surveys say this because they say people often graduate without
specific job skills and with a large amount of debt
to pay off, which may be true. But is that
(20:06):
because of college experience itself, or maybe guidance counselors have
given them poorer direction when they're in high school, or
maybe they have unrealistic expectations. Thirty three percent agreed that
a four year degree is worth the cause because people
have a better chance to get a good job and
earn more money over their lifetime. People are entitled to
(20:30):
their opinions, and these are not new arguments. Lots of
people have found better opportunities by going to say a
trade school. Just on my end, I think if you
have the ability and opportunity to go to college for
something that's going to be beneficial, you should consider it.
(20:52):
Going to college helps you to think in a more
analytical way, gives you a chance to consider, you know,
ideas that you may not be familiar with And also
I think when you down the road, when you're going
(21:12):
for a job against somebody who has that piece of paper,
I think a person with a degree has a step up,
even if that degree is not what you went to
school for. I just feel like employers, many of them,
I guess, depending on whatever the job is, you know,
(21:34):
are going to think differently about the person who has
that piece of paper, perhaps for long term growth, for management,
you know. And again it's up to you to decide
for yourself. But I just think that people who say
don't go to college, I don't know. I'm kind of
(21:56):
torn about this because I know historically black folks were
able to better themselves by going to college, whether it's
HBCU or something else. They were able to help their
families and their communities. And I feel like we need
everything we can have to kind of level the playing field. Mike,
(22:19):
I'm torn just like you are. I think a generation
of black people the only way out of poverty was
in education. Ramsey and I had a conversation recently about
people born in the fifties and sixties and what getting
a college degree meant for that generation.
Speaker 3 (22:35):
Today, it's more difficult, man, if you have a specialty tech, science, engineering,
the medical field, maybe even law. I think that degree
is imperative, but some other degrees, Like imagine applying for
a job that's going to pay you forty five thousand
dollars a year that requires a bachelor's degree, and you
have two hundred thousand dollars in debt to pay off,
(22:57):
and I think for that person it might seem ridiculous torn,
just like you. For some, I think it's everything. For others,
it's insurmountable debt that doesn't really give them a return.
But there's some benefits to going to college, like my
social experience at university. Ramses has seen that payoff for
me when we go out into the world and I
(23:17):
run into my fraternity brothers or you know, people who
I had to share experience with. So it's similar to you, Mike,
I'm torn. That's a tough one, Vanessa.
Speaker 4 (23:26):
I think there is a difference between worth the cost
and being worth it at all. I believe education is
for a higher purpose than getting a job. It's for enlightenment.
I believe ignorance is deaf. I believe we as a
people can out afford that, especially now, and you know
(23:47):
of course, college is expensive, but I believe that that
you can get so much more out of it. Mike,
you mentioned critical thinking. All of that is part of it,
and so from that standpoint, just choose an institution where
you can get the most out of it. I mean,
no one's asking you to throw your money away or
(24:09):
end up with a bunch of debt. But I think
the problem really is on the expense of these institutions.
Maybe that should be something that should be reduced. So
I say, go for the degree.
Speaker 3 (24:24):
Yeah, I feel you on that one hundred percent. And
that's the critical thinking element is so imperative to life
after college. I just wish, like you said, these institutions
could come up with a way for us to pursue
education without going into insurmountable debt. Ramses Jah, you are
my professor. What's say you?
Speaker 2 (24:45):
Oh man? That is too high praise. So I'm one
of the fortunate folks.
Speaker 1 (24:54):
Our listeners know that I've been able to go to school,
and go to school and then go to school again.
I have a master's degree in business business management, I
have a bachelor's in marketing, and I have an associate's
degree in a general business. Spent a lot of time
(25:16):
in school nineteen years total.
Speaker 2 (25:19):
I got the debt too to show for it.
Speaker 1 (25:24):
And critically, nothing I learned in business school have I
ever used, even though I'm a business owner, even though
you know, I just never.
Speaker 2 (25:32):
Had to use it.
Speaker 1 (25:34):
Most of the things that I ended up having to
learn were just sort of common sense things. That's not
to say that there was no value in the education.
I just my path didn't need the things that I
learned specifically, but I learned them so that if I
had taken a different business path, I might have been
able to use the things that I did learn, right.
(25:55):
I say this to say that for me, it didn't
make fiscal sense for me to get a master's degree.
Still doesn't make sense for me to have it, But man,
I love having it because people will always try to
talk about how educated you are as a way to
(26:18):
discredit you or disqualify you from certain conversations. So I
don't like throwing the weight of it around just in
casual conversation, but when it becomes necessary, you know, I
can hold court with people who not only are defending
bad ideas, but you know I can come to the.
Speaker 2 (26:39):
Table with logic.
Speaker 1 (26:42):
That's my number one tool, but also the fact that
I have an educational foundation. You know, my brain works,
I can learn, and the sum total of the years
that I've lived on my life is a testament to that.
But the certification for that is again that master's degree
that hangs on the wall in my house. With that said,
(27:03):
I have a child. It'll be twenty soon. I've been
a dad for twenty years, my baby boy, and he's
in school right now, college, and he's using this time
to dial in what he wants to do with his life.
(27:26):
He's using this time to process the way the world
is changing. Artificial intelligence is coming directly for like nine
of the things that he wanted to do on his
wish list. He's graduating into a different world than I was.
And school is more expensive now. It's super expensive when
(27:46):
I went, it's more expensive now. And so to graduate
when there will be no jobs per se for him
to even be competitive for is something that he has.
Speaker 2 (27:59):
To bear in mind. I have to bear it in
mind too, because he's not he's not wealthy.
Speaker 1 (28:06):
He needs somebody payer a school, so uh not yet,
at least he'll get there. But I think the final
part of this is that you know, I think it
was you, Mike that mentioned, you know, trade schools, things like.
Speaker 3 (28:22):
That that are.
Speaker 1 (28:26):
Based on what it is that you might want to do,
or at least might feel is something that you can
dedicate your life to and get the level of compensation
that you want from it. Maybe you don't want to
fix air conditioners, but you do want the money that
comes with that, you know, and it feels like it's
(28:46):
within your wielhouse mechanically and client et cetera. That sort
of thing, those types of things not being the true
additional college path that are kind of outside of the
I guess the reach insofar as we can tell of
(29:09):
artificial intelligence and sort of the changing world that we
live in. You got to think, like all the accounting jobs,
all the lawyers, all and there's so many jobs transported
to everything. There's so much stuff that will be changed
fundamentally in the next twenty years. So to have it,
it'd be like me having a degree in typewriting. You know,
(29:30):
that's just not a job anymore. Right, So I see
how there's two arguments here. It just like I recognize
when people say that a degree is not worth it
what they mean. And I think Vanessa, you made this point,
(29:50):
and Q your point is well made as well. Going
to school has value, it just remains to be seen
if it has a value of two hundred thousand dollars,
and Mike you put it best, that's up for the
individuals to decide. So good luck in godspeed everyone. I
hope you hope you can navigate these waters. It's a
it's a crazy world out there. But as always, I'd
(30:12):
like to thank you both very much for your time
and your insight.
Speaker 2 (30:15):
Once again.
Speaker 1 (30:15):
Today's guest are bi In anchors Vanessa Tyler and Mike Stevens.
This has been a production of the bi In. Today's
show was 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 all of our episodes. I am your
host Ramsey's Jaw on all social media.
Speaker 3 (30:37):
I am q Ward on all social media as well.
Speaker 1 (30:40):
And we'll be hosting another episode of Civic Cipher this
weekend on a station near you. For stations, showtimes, and
podcast info, jack 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 like to
review the major stories of the week here on the
bi In Today, we are joined by bi In News
anchors Vanessa Tyler and Mike Stevens to discuss this week's
major stories.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
This is the QR code.
Speaker 3 (00:14):
He is q Ward and he is Ramsy's Jah.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
All right, Vanessa and Mike, welcome back to the show.
It's been oh, man, a month and a half, maybe
not quite something like that. It's been a while since
we spoke. Let's catch up, Vanessa, what's the latest.
Speaker 4 (00:31):
Well, you know, we're fully entrenched into the holiday season. Thanksgiving,
what's fabulous, and now we have the rest of it
to get through.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
I love it. Mike, tell me something good.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
Yeah, I ain't too much on Thanksgiving. Here's a name
for that.
Speaker 5 (00:44):
I won't use it.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
That's all right, man, as long as you enjoyed yourself, okay. Well,
let's give the people what they came for. First step.
At the end of twenty twenty five, we're learning that
it is fast approaching and Americans are beginning to reflect
on the first year of the Trump two point zero presidency.
Through various surveys and opinion polls. Our first story Today
(01:09):
takes a look at a recent poll focused on the
economy and the president's overall approval rating. Vanessa, let's start
with you, tell us more about the findings from the
Yahoo slash you gov poll, and then Mike and Q
will get your thoughts next.
Speaker 4 (01:22):
Well, gentlemen, most of us don't need a poll. We
bought groceries for Thanksgiving and we know it costs more,
but the Yahoo you gov poll puts it on paper.
More Americans are unhappy with Trump's economy, forty nine percent
saying the president has helped raise prices rather than lowering them,
and thirty eight percent blame the present for inflation. Have
(01:45):
a bit more bad news for Trump is approval rating
forty percent, with fifty six percent disapproving of the job
he's doing so. In other words, he didn't fulfill all
those Day one promises. But you never know that listening
to the president, where in his view, the economy is
quote perfect and one more note, sixty percent of the
(02:06):
people surveyed believed that it's only going to get worse
under this presidency.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
Mike, Yeah, you know.
Speaker 5 (02:17):
Obviously nobody expected the Democrats to rise up in great
numbers and give Donald Trump high fives, and the rrobal
numbers show that. But it's also the Republicans and Independents
who are saying the same thing. And I think if
the midterms were held this year, those candidates supported by
(02:37):
the President, many would likely be in trouble, all because,
as Vanessa mentioned, promises were not kept, especially when it
comes to affordability cute.
Speaker 3 (02:49):
Well, the interesting thing is he continues to speak in superlative.
Everything's perfect, everything's the best that it's ever been, everything's awesome,
even when all the data and all the facts show different.
He continues to say that, and sadly, certain parts of
his base continue to believe it. So it'd be interesting
to see what happens at the polls next time, especially
(03:11):
considering we know that they've found a way to have
let's just say, some influence on voter turnout and voter results.
So we'll keep our eyes open. Like I said, we
don't need the polls. As Vanessa said, we've all been
to the store and to the gas station, and we
know that everything's not perfect or the best that it's
ever been according to him. Moving forward, the University of
(03:33):
Minnesota made headlines this week with the posting of a
controversial web page focused on a race related topic. Mike
the time, let's start with you. Tell us more about
this web page and its content. Vanessa and Rambis will
come to you next.
Speaker 5 (03:47):
All right, So this is white folk talking to white
folk on a website that belongs to the schools what
they call Country and Family lab and it has a
warning against what it calls a whiteness pandemic, and it
shows how to stop and reverse the issue. And this
has white people born or raised in this country have
(04:10):
power and privilege in what it calls a racialized society.
Quoting some of the website, it says, if you are
socialized into the culture of whiteness during your childhood, it's
not your fault, but as an adult, it's now your
responsibility to self reflect, re educate yourself, and act. If
you're a white adult, anti racist action involves an ongoing
(04:33):
process of self reflection in order to develop a healthy,
positive white identity while engaging in what it calls courageous
anti racist parenting and caregiving.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
So again, this is.
Speaker 5 (04:49):
White folks putting other white folks over the knee and
giving them a talking to. And you know how others
will accept it.
Speaker 3 (04:58):
I don't know.
Speaker 5 (04:59):
Some may say yes, others may say no. I mean,
this is kind of like what makes white people mad
when it comes to the kinds of things the DEI
you know that Donald Trump is against and his folks
are against, so you know it. This is again, not
black people saying this. This is white folks. Some white
(05:22):
folks saying this about other white folks. Whether you agree
or not, I don't know.
Speaker 4 (05:29):
Vanessa Well, I can agree in one thing, Mike ramses
and Q Racism is a disease and America is sick.
I also believe parents white, black, purple should simply tell
their children treat all human beings with respect how you
want to be treated. That will solve it, especially now
(05:51):
with America in this white supremacy bent.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
If I could piggyback off of that a little bit
at a point in the future, I think advice like
that will be potent and.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
Appropriate.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
I think that depending on who you ask. Obviously, I'll
let my feelings be know. We're not quite at a
point where it's so cut and dry. This Fox News
article that we source this story from had what I
believe to be some like dog whistle type language in it.
(06:33):
And you know it's Fox News, so you know it's
a fair play because we know the game that they're playing.
One of the names they mentioned is doctor Abram x Kindi,
who's been on the show before. And you know, this
idea of let's just teach our children to be kind
(07:01):
to everyone. That makes all the sense in the world
if we are past this point in society.
Speaker 3 (07:08):
Right.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
So I just want to interject that there's like a
step point five before step one, and I think that
is consistent with what indeed, this push here is going after.
This is sort of an anti racist push instead of
(07:29):
a non racist push. Right, we have to dig out
the racism like digging out a cancer before we can
build on top of that new rules, the systems and
superstructures that are entrenched in this society. The basis of
(07:53):
the graduate level studies known as critical.
Speaker 6 (07:58):
Race theory presupposes that the conditions under which black people
and other marginalized people live are the result of, as I.
Speaker 1 (08:09):
Mentioned, superstructures. Right, they could be elected officials, they could
be agencies, they could be corporations, they could be institutions,
and they can be regular people on the ground. The
thing that all of these institutions or individuals have in
common is that they have power to shape outcomes as
(08:31):
it relates to black.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
And brown people.
Speaker 1 (08:33):
And these systems and superstructures have been in place since
the beginning of this country, since before the beginning of
this country.
Speaker 2 (08:43):
And so.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
This idea that white people are born into a culture
of whiteness is something that a lot of elected officials,
certainly under this administration and appointed officials, have pushed back against.
They believe that whiteness is under attack. And so this
language from the Culture and Family Lab page on the
(09:12):
University of Minnesota's website, the language here to them feels
consistent with the baseless narrative that exists on the right
and the far right, which suggests that white people are
under attack and they're being replaced and whatever whatever it
(09:35):
is that they think, whatever the argument of the day is.
But I want to share just a bit from the
from the website so that people get an idea of
exactly what this is about. Because the article tries to
suggest that this initiative at the University of Michigan, Michigan
is anti white, and that's not what it is. So
I want to read directly from the website not from
(09:57):
the Fox News article what is the culture of whiteness?
The culture of whiteness is a set of beliefs, practices,
and laws that favor the white racial group. And then
it has its citation. The culture of whiteness is centuries old,
yet lives on. Some of the modern features of the
culture of whiteness include racial silence, fragility, and passivity in
the face of racial injustice. Okay, so this is really
(10:20):
what it's seeking to do. No more racial silence. If
you see injustice, you speak up. No more being fragile,
oh everything, I can't say the N word, you know.
And then, of course the passivity in the face of
racial injustice. When you see someone overlook for a promotion,
you see someone getting discriminated against those sorts of things.
Instead of being passive and saying, hey, this is not
(10:40):
my problem, you engage. Okay, that's the pusher. I want
to add, what is the whiteness pandemic? So it defines it.
Race matters in the United States because racism still exists
in young children perceive much more than we usually realize.
When parents and other adults are silent around race, it
communicates apathy or approval of racism, even if this is
the opposite of what adults intend. Right, So in that
(11:02):
statement you have the idea of why people need to
be anti racist so that we can root out that
festering cancer that has plagued us since the inception of
this country. I want to add one final note here.
Race as a construct, and so far as human beings
are concerned, is depending on who you ask between born
(11:25):
five hundred years old. Prior to that, there was no
such thing as white people or black people. That wasn't
a thing, It just didn't exist. White people came about
as a term to delineate a non.
Speaker 2 (11:37):
Slave class from a slave class.
Speaker 1 (11:39):
And depending on who you asked, this was either a
Portuguese invention or a British invention or German. I'd have
to go back and research that. But indeed, for the
most of our existence, you were just a product of
the land that you came from. If you were a
Nigerian person, you were just Nigerian, no black. If you're
(12:01):
a French person, you were a Frenchman.
Speaker 2 (12:04):
You were not white.
Speaker 1 (12:05):
Right, And so again, things like the initiatives like this
seek to challenge this modern interpretation of race which has
caused a lot of harm to the world, and I
think that it's been turned into a straw man argument
by the right and attacked by them. But what they're
attacking is indeed a falsehood. This is good for humanity,
(12:26):
and what they're suggesting somehow it costs white people something
I think is a falsehood. It's dangerous and it's divisive,
and I think it needs to stop.
Speaker 3 (12:35):
Before you move on round. It's important. Way to say,
University of Minnesota, Minnesotacitia of Michigan.
Speaker 2 (12:40):
Sorry, yep, thank you, you appreciating. Hey, what's up?
Speaker 7 (12:44):
This is Ramsey's job and I am q Ward and
we're inviting you to subscribe to Civic Cipher.
Speaker 3 (12:49):
Are we?
Speaker 1 (12:49):
We?
Speaker 3 (12:49):
Social justice podcast? Right here in the app.
Speaker 1 (12:52):
We pride ourselves on creating a show that fusters allyship,
empathy and understanding, all the while conducting journalistically credible research,
featuring influential where the guests, and empowering historically marginalized communities.
Speaker 7 (13:03):
The African proverb breads, if you want to go far,
go together. So we are asking you to search for
and subscribe to Civic Cipher.
Speaker 1 (13:10):
That's civ c cip h e R right here in
the app. Bin News anchors Vanessa Tyler and Mike Stevens
are here with us discussing this week's major stories.
Speaker 2 (13:22):
All right, next up.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
One of the biggest stories from the past week involves
controversial comments made to military service members by Arizona Senator
Mark Kelly and reactions to those words by ESPN host
Stephen A.
Speaker 2 (13:33):
Smith.
Speaker 1 (13:33):
Vanessa, let's go back to you, give our listeners some
background on Senator Kelly's words and Stephen A. Smith's reaction,
and then Mike and of course Q, we're going to
get your thoughts next.
Speaker 4 (13:44):
Let's start here. President Trump blew his lid when Democrat
lawmakers made this slickly produced video. Really meant for America's
troops to not follow illegal orders no matter who it
comes from. Trump called for them by the way they
all served. Trump did not, but he called it sedition
punishable by death. And Stephen A. Smith, who is not
(14:07):
shy about jumping in on any topic, says it was
out of bounds for them. Smith suggests that Arizona Senator
Kelly he had a concern there are other avenues he
could have gone too oddly. Enought, there is a case
where a Venezuelan boat was double tapped where survivors were killed.
Military experts call that a war crime. That issue is
(14:29):
being sorted out now who to throw under the bus?
Both Trump and Secretary of War Hegseeth are distancing themselves.
So it's a very interesting thing, you know. Of course,
that was the big news last week about how they
came out with this video, and the big news this
week is that video of the boats being blown up.
(14:54):
In fact, today Democratic lawmakers are looking at the video
and many of them call it atrocious of what they've seen,
that there were survivors who were like blown to smitherings.
Speaker 2 (15:08):
Mike, all right, Well, steven A.
Speaker 5 (15:14):
Did not take the side of the Democrats on this,
and anything he says about political issues has to be
taken with a grain of salt. You know, he potentially
has political interests, so that has to be considered, which
doesn't make him wrong. But when he says he found
the video telling military members not to obey illegal orders
(15:37):
concerning you have to understand that he is making a
political statement. Beyond that, this is just kind of an
assign I just wonder why Democrats would put themselves, the
ones who are in this video back in the hot water.
They just had a political victory with some of the
recent elections, seemed like they were moving in the right
(15:57):
direction as far as what they were trying to accomplish,
and now they've put themselves back in political crosshairs again again,
it seems like they would have kind of gone a
different direction. I mean, I know there's a philosophical angle
for why they're saying this, but I don't know what
do you guys.
Speaker 2 (16:16):
Think we'll find out from cute.
Speaker 3 (16:20):
Well, A couple thoughts first, in response to Mike, I
think they put themselves in hot water or back in
the crossers here because what they're saying actually isn't controversial.
As our lead in says, we shouldn't be doing things
that are illegal. Shouldn't be controversial. I don't think that's
controversial to either of us. I don't know why that
(16:41):
would be controversial to anyone else. Hey, country, military, law
enforcement citizens, we shouldn't be doing illegal stuff. I thought
that would be the thing that we all not in
an agreement on, But apparently it's controversial to say to
our troops who take an oath to the Constitution the
country to protect against enemies both foreign and domestic, that's
(17:04):
to the Constitution into the country, not to a single
person telling them to do things that they know are illegal.
So I think former servicemen and former intelligence officers were
simply saying, hey, we've done the jobs that you're doing.
We all know that it's wrong to obey illegal orders.
Some officers, some military members, some intelligence officers feel that
(17:29):
we have to obey all orders because it's our oath,
and I think they're just reminding them that that's not
the case. You do not have to obey illegal orders.
So I think that's why some of these people put themselves,
as you would say, back in hot water or back
in the crosshairs. An interesting thing about steven A. Smith.
Steven A has been covering sports for over thirty years.
(17:53):
Famously a New York sports fan, he's probably the pre
eminent number one person in the history of his industry.
Like that can be argued, and you wouldn't be saying
something that could be dismissed on his face. If Stephen
they was being considered to be the head coach of
(18:15):
any professional sports team in New York, the fans in
New York would lose their minds because this person who's
been covering sports for thirty years, and who claims to
be an expert on such a thing is not a coach,
has no coaching experience, and didn't play at any high level.
So the fans of New York would dismiss that on
(18:37):
its face as a ridiculous idea if any of those
teams were considering hiring him to be the head coach.
Except when it comes to politics. Somehow, people are not
outraged that a sportscaster wants to potentially run for president.
And I think the statements that he's made over the
past few years are making it clear what side of
(19:00):
the aisle he'd be on if he tossed his name
in the hat. And our current president has made it
so that it's not ridiculous that a career sportscaster might
toss his name in the hat to be president. I
think that's something we all need to think about and consider.
And our last story tuition prices continue to soar and
(19:24):
the Department of Education in the crosshairs of the Trump administration.
Our next story suggests that many Americans are rethinking the
value associated expenses of a four year college degree. Mike
share with the audience some details about this story and
then I'll tsk to Vanessa and ramses to close us out.
Speaker 5 (19:43):
Yeah. According to a new NBC newspool, nearly two thirds
of Americans say the four year college degree is not
worth the cost. Sixty three percent of Americans who were
surveys say this because they say people often graduate without
specific job skills and with a large amount of debt
to pay off, which may be true. But is that
(20:06):
because of college experience itself, or maybe guidance counselors have
given them poorer direction when they're in high school, or
maybe they have unrealistic expectations. Thirty three percent agreed that
a four year degree is worth the cause because people
have a better chance to get a good job and
earn more money over their lifetime. People are entitled to
(20:30):
their opinions, and these are not new arguments. Lots of
people have found better opportunities by going to say a
trade school. Just on my end, I think if you
have the ability and opportunity to go to college for
something that's going to be beneficial, you should consider it.
(20:52):
Going to college helps you to think in a more
analytical way, gives you a chance to consider, you know,
ideas that you may not be familiar with And also
I think when you down the road, when you're going
(21:12):
for a job against somebody who has that piece of paper,
I think a person with a degree has a step up,
even if that degree is not what you went to
school for. I just feel like employers, many of them,
I guess, depending on whatever the job is, you know,
(21:34):
are going to think differently about the person who has
that piece of paper, perhaps for long term growth, for management,
you know. And again it's up to you to decide
for yourself. But I just think that people who say
don't go to college, I don't know. I'm kind of
(21:56):
torn about this because I know historically black folks were
able to better themselves by going to college, whether it's
HBCU or something else. They were able to help their
families and their communities. And I feel like we need
everything we can have to kind of level the playing field. Mike,
(22:19):
I'm torn just like you are. I think a generation
of black people the only way out of poverty was
in education. Ramsey and I had a conversation recently about
people born in the fifties and sixties and what getting
a college degree meant for that generation.
Speaker 3 (22:35):
Today, it's more difficult, man, if you have a specialty tech, science, engineering,
the medical field, maybe even law. I think that degree
is imperative, but some other degrees, Like imagine applying for
a job that's going to pay you forty five thousand
dollars a year that requires a bachelor's degree, and you
have two hundred thousand dollars in debt to pay off,
(22:57):
and I think for that person it might seem ridiculous torn,
just like you. For some, I think it's everything. For others,
it's insurmountable debt that doesn't really give them a return.
But there's some benefits to going to college, like my
social experience at university. Ramses has seen that payoff for
me when we go out into the world and I
(23:17):
run into my fraternity brothers or you know, people who
I had to share experience with. So it's similar to you, Mike,
I'm torn. That's a tough one, Vanessa.
Speaker 4 (23:26):
I think there is a difference between worth the cost
and being worth it at all. I believe education is
for a higher purpose than getting a job. It's for enlightenment.
I believe ignorance is deaf. I believe we as a
people can out afford that, especially now, and you know
(23:47):
of course, college is expensive, but I believe that that
you can get so much more out of it. Mike,
you mentioned critical thinking. All of that is part of it,
and so from that standpoint, just choose an institution where
you can get the most out of it. I mean,
no one's asking you to throw your money away or
(24:09):
end up with a bunch of debt. But I think
the problem really is on the expense of these institutions.
Maybe that should be something that should be reduced. So
I say, go for the degree.
Speaker 3 (24:24):
Yeah, I feel you on that one hundred percent. And
that's the critical thinking element is so imperative to life
after college. I just wish, like you said, these institutions
could come up with a way for us to pursue
education without going into insurmountable debt. Ramses Jah, you are
my professor. What's say you?
Speaker 2 (24:45):
Oh man? That is too high praise. So I'm one
of the fortunate folks.
Speaker 1 (24:54):
Our listeners know that I've been able to go to school,
and go to school and then go to school again.
I have a master's degree in business business management, I
have a bachelor's in marketing, and I have an associate's
degree in a general business. Spent a lot of time
(25:16):
in school nineteen years total.
Speaker 2 (25:19):
I got the debt too to show for it.
Speaker 1 (25:24):
And critically, nothing I learned in business school have I
ever used, even though I'm a business owner, even though
you know, I just never.
Speaker 2 (25:32):
Had to use it.
Speaker 1 (25:34):
Most of the things that I ended up having to
learn were just sort of common sense things. That's not
to say that there was no value in the education.
I just my path didn't need the things that I
learned specifically, but I learned them so that if I
had taken a different business path, I might have been
able to use the things that I did learn, right.
(25:55):
I say this to say that for me, it didn't
make fiscal sense for me to get a master's degree.
Still doesn't make sense for me to have it, But man,
I love having it because people will always try to
talk about how educated you are as a way to
(26:18):
discredit you or disqualify you from certain conversations. So I
don't like throwing the weight of it around just in
casual conversation, but when it becomes necessary, you know, I
can hold court with people who not only are defending
bad ideas, but you know I can come to the.
Speaker 2 (26:39):
Table with logic.
Speaker 1 (26:42):
That's my number one tool, but also the fact that
I have an educational foundation. You know, my brain works,
I can learn, and the sum total of the years
that I've lived on my life is a testament to that.
But the certification for that is again that master's degree
that hangs on the wall in my house. With that said,
(27:03):
I have a child. It'll be twenty soon. I've been
a dad for twenty years, my baby boy, and he's
in school right now, college, and he's using this time
to dial in what he wants to do with his life.
(27:26):
He's using this time to process the way the world
is changing. Artificial intelligence is coming directly for like nine
of the things that he wanted to do on his
wish list. He's graduating into a different world than I was.
And school is more expensive now. It's super expensive when
(27:46):
I went, it's more expensive now. And so to graduate
when there will be no jobs per se for him
to even be competitive for is something that he has.
Speaker 2 (27:59):
To bear in mind. I have to bear it in
mind too, because he's not he's not wealthy.
Speaker 1 (28:06):
He needs somebody payer a school, so uh not yet,
at least he'll get there. But I think the final
part of this is that you know, I think it
was you, Mike that mentioned, you know, trade schools, things like.
Speaker 3 (28:22):
That that are.
Speaker 1 (28:26):
Based on what it is that you might want to do,
or at least might feel is something that you can
dedicate your life to and get the level of compensation
that you want from it. Maybe you don't want to
fix air conditioners, but you do want the money that
comes with that, you know, and it feels like it's
(28:46):
within your wielhouse mechanically and client et cetera. That sort
of thing, those types of things not being the true
additional college path that are kind of outside of the
I guess the reach insofar as we can tell of
(29:09):
artificial intelligence and sort of the changing world that we
live in. You got to think, like all the accounting jobs,
all the lawyers, all and there's so many jobs transported
to everything. There's so much stuff that will be changed
fundamentally in the next twenty years. So to have it,
it'd be like me having a degree in typewriting. You know,
(29:30):
that's just not a job anymore. Right, So I see
how there's two arguments here. It just like I recognize
when people say that a degree is not worth it
what they mean. And I think Vanessa, you made this point,
(29:50):
and Q your point is well made as well. Going
to school has value, it just remains to be seen
if it has a value of two hundred thousand dollars,
and Mike you put it best, that's up for the
individuals to decide. So good luck in godspeed everyone. I
hope you hope you can navigate these waters. It's a
it's a crazy world out there. But as always, I'd
(30:12):
like to thank you both very much for your time
and your insight.
Speaker 2 (30:15):
Once again.
Speaker 1 (30:15):
Today's guest are bi In anchors Vanessa Tyler and Mike Stevens.
This has been a production of the bi In. Today's
show was 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 all of our episodes. I am your
host Ramsey's Jaw on all social media.
Speaker 3 (30:37):
I am q Ward on all social media as well.
Speaker 1 (30:40):
And we'll be hosting another episode of Civic Cipher this
weekend on a station near you. For stations, showtimes, and
podcast info, jack Civiccipher dot com and join us Monday
as we share our news with our voice, from our perspective,
right here on the QR code
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