The Alabama Map, The Anthony Trial, and Halle Berry's Mission

Mimi Brown breaks down the day. The Supreme Court hands Alabama a congressional map a lower court called intentionally racist. Testimony begins in the Karmelo Anthony murder trial, and no Black jurors will hear the case. And Halle Berry has a new mission that starts at the gynecologist's office. Plus, the Front Page Friday Quiz.  

From the Black Effect Podcast Network.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:05):
The Supreme Court just allowed Alabama to move forward with
a congressional map lower court's rule discriminates against black voters.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
So overwhelming volume of.

Speaker 1 (00:14):
Evidence testimony is now underway in the Carmelo Anthony murder
trial with zero black jurors on the panel.

Speaker 3 (00:21):
A tragedy all the way around for both families.

Speaker 1 (00:24):
And Halle Berry is taking on women's healthcare even as
an actor.

Speaker 4 (00:28):
I'm a woman First.

Speaker 1 (00:30):
It's Friday, June fifth, from the Black Effect podcast network.
I Meanie Brown. This is front page and here are
the day's biggest stories. Plus the front Page Friday Quiz
is back. Three questions from this week's headlines as we
shout out last week's winners. Stay with me another week.

(00:52):
Another major hit to black voting power in America, and
this time from the Supreme Court. So the Court just
allowed Alabama Republicans to move forward with a congressional map
that lower courts already ruled was racist against black voters.
So federal judges already ruled that Alabama lawmakers drew these
maps in a way that weakened black political power on purpose.

(01:13):
The court said black voters were basically packed into one
district while other black communities were split up across mostly
white Republican districts, making it harder for black voters to
influence elections. And remember, black people make up more than
a quarter of Alabama's population. So Alabama used a different
map in twenty twenty four, and that one gave black

(01:34):
voters real influence and two congressional districts and help elect
Congressman Shamari Figures. Now, the Supreme Court's conservative majority has
sided with the state and allowing Alabama to move forward
with the map that the federal lower court already said
was discriminatory.

Speaker 2 (01:52):
Since this court has been hearing the evidence in this case,
they've been pretty consistent in their belief that there was
an overwhelming volume of evidence that the state of Alabama
discriminated against black voters and how he drew its map.

Speaker 1 (02:03):
And this is bigger than Alabama because it comes just
weeks after another Supreme Court ruling weakened part of the
voting rights at the law created to stop racial discrimination
in voting. Now, states across the South are moving quickly
to redraw maps before the next election in ways they
give Republicans more political power while reducing black political influence.

(02:30):
Testimony is now under way in the Carmelo Anthony murder
trial in Texas, a case that has already sparked major
debate around race, self defense, and a criminal justice system.
Anthony is now nineteen years old. He's charged with first
degree murder in the twenty twenty five stabbing death of
seventeen year old Austin Metcalf during a high school track
meet in Frisco, Texas. Anthony says he acted in self defense.

(02:53):
Prosecutors say it was murder. And before testimony even started.
There's one major issue that already has people to talk.
There are no black jurors on this panel. The prosecution
removed every qualified black juror during jury selection. The defense
challenged it, but the judge allowed those strikes to stand. Now,
a jury with no black members will decide whether Anthony

(03:15):
acted out of fear or intentionally killed another teenager. And
because cameras and recording devices are not allowed inside the courtroom,
the public is relying entirely on courtroom observers and reporters
for details about what jurors are seeing and hearing. One
court observer was inside the courtroom as both sides laid
out two very different versions of what happened under that tent.

(03:37):
Let's listen the.

Speaker 3 (03:38):
State open first. Bill Wirski is a tremendous trial lawyer.
He really captivates an audience as a really tall guy,
and he has a very commanding voice and really laid
out logically where the roadmap of the state's case was
going to go. Once he was done with his opening,
then the defense got to do their open. And the
thing that stood out the most to me about the

(03:59):
defense as open as they never mentioned how or why
the knife was in Carmelo's bag at the track meet.
I imagine it was purposefully they did not choose to
bring that topic up jurors.

Speaker 1 (04:11):
We're also shown in hand surveillance video from the stadium
video the public still has not fully seen.

Speaker 3 (04:17):
Can't see any faces, you can't see the actual act
take place. You see a little scuffle, and then you
see everybody scatter. So it doesn't necessarily prove anything, but
I believe it's just laying the foundation in the groundwork
for what's to come.

Speaker 1 (04:31):
And because race, self defense laws, and jury makeup are
already central to this case, it's likely going to remain
one of the most closely watched trials in the country.
It's quiz time. Three questions from this week's stories. So
if you've been listening, you've got these, So email me

(04:51):
at Front Page with Mimi at gmail dot com or
dmme at Mimi Brown TV. The first three people to
get the correct answered we'll get a shout out right
here next Friday. But first, let's call out last week's winners.
Shout out to Tamika Singleton. She DMed me and she
had all the answers right. Thank you for listening. Tyler
Fuller out of Illinois, he also got all three answers right.

(05:14):
And THEO Brown, thank you so much for listening. I
appreciate you. You also got all the answers right. All right,
here we go. Three questions from this week. So, first question,
Beet announced his first ever board of advisors. The founder
of Beet is on the list. What's his name? Two?
Issa Ray's new vertical Michael Drama broke a TikTok record?

(05:38):
How many millions of viewers did it pull?

Speaker 4 (05:41):
In?

Speaker 3 (05:42):
Three?

Speaker 1 (05:42):
Here's the curveball for front pagers only. And here's a hint.
This is from Wednesday's underplayed a major anniversary pass this
week with almost no national coverage. What anniversary was it
and how many years ago did it happen? That's your
quiz email or DM me your answers by Tuesday night
next week, I'll announce the winners. Let me in the

(06:09):
show with something a lot of women are going to
relate to. Halle Berry is trying to change one of
the most uncomfortable parts of women's healthcare, the dynological exam.

Speaker 4 (06:18):
Going to our first gyological visit can be tortuous. I
know mine was. It's very intimate, it's personal, and so
what the Nellispec does is it takes that anxiety out
of that process, right, that old speculum that we have
to succumb to put our legs up in the stirrups
and then yeah, this big metal, cold speculum jammed inside

(06:40):
and it's very uncomfortable. But now what Nellispec has done,
they have so revolutionized the spectrum. It's no bigger than
a tampon. Now, this is clearly my second act, helping
women women and understand their health, understand their rights, their power,
raising money, advocating it's long overdue.

Speaker 1 (06:57):
Hollie says she became passionate about women health after being
misdiagnosed during perimenopause. At one point, she says the doctor
incorrectly told her she had herpes when she was actually
dealing with menopause symptoms. That experience pushed her into advocating
for more research and better health care for women, especially
midlife women, whose symptoms often get ignored or dismissed. That's

(07:23):
your front page, I Mimi Brown. This podcast was brought
to you by the Black Effects Podcast Network