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Welcome, Welcome, well come, well come, well come.
Welcome, Welcome home, y'all. This is episode sixty seven of Native Lampod. I am your co host, Angela Raie. My co host Tiffany Cross and Andrew Gillim are with us today and we have so much to talk about. I got to tell you guys. One of these things that is that's really been on my mind all morning. Y'all know, I was yelling about it on the pre production call.
Is Elon Musk having five on it saying that he's considering a five thousand dollars tax credit, which seems like it's another STEMI check to folks who may be not as familiar with what's really going on to reading that fine print. So that's one of the things I want to talk about, tiff Andrew. What you guys got, Well, I know a lot of you.
Guys sent us in questions, and so I want to make sure that we get to your questions. There was one particular question about participating in local elections, which I think is extra are important right now. So throughout the show, we'll be taking your viewer questions. But there's one particular on local elections that I'll dive into.
And you know, ladies, the uh uh, the American people have been watching again on a squivel, all these court cases, all these filings. We all want to know what do they mean? And so the question of do these court cases matter at all? And are they having any impact on curbing this administration? I want to get into that. I love it.
Well, let's get into it. Welcome home, y'all.
Can I just tell you guys something, Yeah, outside the window, is Lady Gaga trying to eavesdrop on our podcast.
I think you should go say hello and take the camera with you.
Until I keep looking in the window over here, I'm like, I.
Need some aternatives make up so I can't hear more about it.
She was whispering.
I didn't want her listening. We're going to make sure we keep that in the show, just for you, lady, Welcome home, so I really keep it speak speaking of things that matter, we're talking about do court cases matter. One of the things that we talked about is it seems like a court case matter. There may have been some justice just a couple days ago with the acquittal
of asab Rocky. But with everybody else in the country and the cases that are being brought against this administration, it doesn't feel like they're mattering, especially when you have a president who says things like this and signs executive orders to support this. Can we roll that clip?
Lastly, we have another executive order that President Trump signed relating to independent agencies. This executive order would establish important oversight functions in the Office of Management and Budget and its subsidiary office OHIRA, supervising independent agencies and many of their actions, and also re establishes the long standing norm that only the President or the Attorney General can speak for the United States when stating in opinion as to what the law is.
Thank you very much.
Well, that was the primary purpose of this conference. So here's why this matters. Of course, we've talked about already on this podcast. I did a solo pod on whether or not this is this This moment is defined as a constitutional crisis when you have three co equal branches of government and somebody just completely ignoring one of those branches of government, just like we're ignoring Andrew's phone ringing rude.
I think that what we have to acknowledge is that when a court issues an opinion saying there's a temporary restraining order on your ability to freeze these funds because you're operating outside of what is in your power. And then the administration visa VI your new president South African Elon Musk coming around to say, actually, only the president can decide whether or not these court orders will be
enforceable at all. And then Donald Trump coming behind him and saying on Twitter a quote that they've associated with Napoleon about when a man is working to save his country, he breaks no laws. All of these things combined with the cases there are now well over fifty, saying that the four thank you Andrew, seventy four cases, the executive branch is engaging in a significant unconstitutional overreach of their powers.
And you have them signing the executive order saying, hell would every act Congress has, every past, every bill that's been signed into law by every president. This is what we're doing. We gonna tell you we're the only ones that tell you what the law is, even if I broke them eighty eight times.
So what is the honestly I mean, it says since your question, because I don't know the answer. What is what is the long standing practice? You see it was his comments were preempted by the gentleman product. I'm saying re establishing the long held practice that when it comes to stating what the law of the country is, that that responsibility falls exclusively to the Attorney General of the
United States and the President of the United States. I'm unfamiliar with the long held practice, Tiff or Angela, do either of you all? I mean, they make up stuff all the time. I just want to just one of them.
They're taking it up like we don't even have to litigate this. They are making it up.
It is.
It runs a foul of what is printed on paper. In the United States Constitution, full stop. There are three co equal branches of government. The legislative branch are the ones responsible for passing the laws. The President signs those into law. He's responsible for implementing and executing those laws passed by Congress the House in the Senate, he's responsible for executing the laws, as is the rest of the executive branch, and the judicial branch is responsible for interpreting
the law. They don't get to decide what the law is. They don't get to declare what the law is unless they are supporting what has been passed by Congress.
I have to say, guys, I think this whole and I've said this before, and I think we have to have a serious consideration that these social norms and more's these political norms are core democratic institutions that have existed for hundreds of years. In this very young democracy, some people will argue it's an old democracy.
It is not.
At all.
I think we have to give serious consideration to it's pixie dust. It doesn't exist. And I think that power is being tested right now. I think there is a false blanket of security that people sleep under at night thinking, oh, there's only so much Donald Trump is going to do. And I think that speaks to the heart of your point, Angel about these three coequal branches of government. Yes, that is what has existed. But all you need is enough people to say, no, we do not accept those rules anymore.
This old, you know, antiquated document does not serve us anymore. So we you know, this is the fourth time I've references on last week's episode that we are reaching a constitutional uh potentially a constitutional convention beyond a constitutional crisis. In the first test of Trump's power. We will see what happens at the Supreme Court level. From the blitz of actions that he's taken since he's been in office.
The new administration has fired the head of a watchdog agency, and now this case is going to the Supreme Court. The Conservative Supreme Court bought and paid for. As we've talked about, what did you call Clarence Thomas Ahuchi who gets flewed out? The Conservative Supreme Court will weigh in on does this administration have the right to fire the head of special counsel of a whistleblowers organization that enforces
certain ethics laws. Now, once the Supreme Court says yay or nay on this power, that will inform something I think the next course of action. We will see this administration will defy the courts. So we already have the courts that are mostly conservative leaning. Beyond that, this administration, I predict, will defy the courts once that happens. What does that mean? It's like a question we asked in our group chat. If the president can break multiple laws,
then what is a law? If the administration can consolidate power of government to solely the executive branch more specifically to Donald Trump and UH to Vice President Donald Trump and President Elon Musk.
Then what does that?
What? Then?
What is the three co equal branches of government? I just think we're in the outer bounds now are of what society is. So I don't That's why we keep saying, don't say shit to me about mid terms.
I don't want to hear it. Don't even talk care necessarily. This is my point.
We are greely supposes that we will have another election. I just don't know that we're there. Either the courts at the highest level will uphold his attempt at an autocracy, or this administration will buck the courts, and then what happens. We've truly not been here before. But I will say, historically and across the globe, when you see things like this happen in a democracy, it does not go back. Nobody goes back to their corner and say, Okay, we're
bad guys, We're just kidding. We will only go further to the right more. It's a plutocracy and autocracy, and we'll see more of this. So I don't feel confident about any of it.
I just guessed it. So just want to clarify one thing the Special Council would rather to add to Tiffany's point, the special Council case that Donald Trump is decided to appeal one. It is the only case that so far the Trump administration has decided to appeal to the United States Supreme Court. Now, the importance of this is that these special councils, again created by Congress, exists not to audit the legal activity of everybody.
Is the general case inspectors General the only one want to the Supreme Court?
Yes, but is it a special Council or Inspector General. I just want to make I don't want to.
Special Council law, which is the office that then investigates the actions of elected officials throughout the branches, So the Special Council, but we could, we could get in. I don't want to dive too deep into that because the point is, yeah, I think.
Some people might want to know. I don't know. I thought you were talking about the IGS. I didn't hear about this Special Council case.
Yeah, this is the only this is the only appeal that he's now taken to the court.
And I can say, Stanny, He's appealed several other cases, but they're just in the circuits they haven't reached the this case.
Goes direct major. It means that it lands that the jurisdiction of this case lands directly at the United States Supreme Court. They don't have to issue a rich of social rory to take it from the lower to the higher.
It is immediately at the Supreme Court. And I would like to argue that the reason why he has made that decision, his council has made that decision is because in the immunity case of the Supreme Court, in the writings of the opinions from the justices, they state that the executive branch exists of one person and one person only. That's the President of the United States. So the judicial
has many members of the branch. Obviously, the legislative has four hundred and thirty five members of that branch of government. If you hold that the executive branch exists consists rather of one person, you might, further by extension, conclude that any actions that take place within the agencies, the departments, anything that exists outside of the other two branches, the judiciary and the legislative branch, of the president basically gets to make whatever in decision that he wants gets to
move this country in any kind of way. The Washington Post has this byline that says that democracy dies in darkness.
Right, democracy, I believe there's that.
I was just going to add the democracy also is guying in the light that they have not been secretive about their actions. They've stated them plainly. They've been out in front and stated them plainly. They lie like Yesterday's gone. And it is infuriating and I think very frustrating for us, the American people, to see this exercise right in front of us and to not understand where the accountability is. Well around saying where is the accountability? Who gets to
check this guy? And your point, Tiffany around what he's going to do is flout the courts openly, basically say yep, with your army, you go ahead and guarantee that decision. I actually don't think it's going to get to that point because I don't believe he's going to have to with this court.
It doesn't. But can I just say, really quick, is I don't want us to get too far away from this special Council piece I wanted to read. I was confused I was combining this with the IG's cases. You all heard the Office of Special Counsel is a separate and independent agency. It is not housed in any federal agency. The OSC has traditionally been tasked with protecting federal whistleblowers.
That's a big deal. So you started to see members of Congress putting these whistleblower pages on their sites so people can independently file whistle blower complaints with members of Congress and relevant committees investigating reports of corruption, fraud, and government waste. You would think that Elon Musk would want to work with this agency with DOGE because they have
a bunch of experience figuring this out. I just wanted to pause there and say that because I think we have also have an obligation to people.
I didn't say that in the beginning, that is whistleblower organization. But I think Angela's point really quickly. Androids want to get this point out. The fact that Angela didn't know about this. This has been kind of my point. So many people don't know about this. This was above the fold. A one New York Times people are not waking up, not this that the New York Times people are not waking up reading the New York Times. Most people are
going to watch CNN, the social media or whatever. I My point is, most people have no idea what's happening. This is a major case going to the Supreme Court that is going to determine and this was probably what a week ago that it came out. What also happened that most people don't know about. I didn't see a breaking news banner anywhere. These half witted idiots fired the people who oversee and refurbish are nuclear warheads and developed them.
They fired them. What I was saying, And you and I may be unique in this because when I say this to people, they're like, what I didn't know. I didn't know what case was going to Supreme Court? What they fired the nuclear Are you sure because I didn't see that? And I'm like, yes, that is the entire point. The media has capitulated. They had they benefit from keeping
people in the dark. And so if you're not waking up reading the Times or the posts or you know, the journal or whatever, it is completely flying by people. And that that is all very intentional.
No, no, no, I don't want to lose the strand of what you had to say before when you described the role of this Special Council. The reason why I made the argument that they are taking this as the Supreme Court is You're correct, it is independent, as are these auditors supposedly within each of these departments. They're supposed to be independent auditors, not doing the bidding of the department, but rather making sure that it is being accountable to
the law. The reason why I believe that this is the right case for them is because the Supreme Court is said right already in this community case, if the department is independent, yet it doesn't exist under the arm
of Congress. If it's independent and yet it doesn't exist under the judiciary, then does the president have jurisdiction over every agency, no matter who creates And they're arguing that they do, and therefore he did have the power to fire anybody he wants to reduce that office to practically ashes if he wants to, And this is gonna be a this will be a key case. I am holding out. Angela and I had this offline conversation about whether or not Amy Kobe, Barrett and Cavanaugh.
Might be the handmaiden.
Well, I just she did have a dissenting even though she was in the majority. She had a different reason for deciding the way she decided opinion yes, and so I don't know how this is going to fall out. I honestly, my knee jerk tells me past his prologue that essentially whatever they what they've shown us up to
this point is what they will do. And what they've shown us up to this point is that even the court under Roberts is prepared to bend nie to Donald Trump, and I think they're going to continue it.
I have a question. I want to just say. I get really irritated. I know this is not the intention, but I just want to say this in my humanity, I get irritated when it's said that I don't read, or that people aren't reading, and I'm included as people. I don't feel like that's what was meant. But I just want to acknowledge that that I'm trying to sift
through thirty plus cases. They are coming out in real time executive orders breaking this stuff down, and the case that I know the most about it is the IG's case, which we were supposed to talk about. I was not aware of a special counsel, and I'm hearing special counsel like at DOJ. I still wasn't aware of all the facts of this case, so I appreciate it, but I also want to go back to clarify. I can't remember who said it, but I think I heard, and correct
me if I'm wrong. Somebody say that they didn't go through the regular courts, they're going straight through to the Supreme Court, and that's not true either. So I just want to make sure we're clear.
That's why.
Yes, Okay, I didn't. I was like, but I thought I heard somebody say they're appealing it straight to the Supreme Court. That's not what happened. The lower court, the district court already heard it and they're appealing again because they don't like either ruling. So it's been it's been
litigated twice just on this order. They don't like the ruling because it's clear that Donald Trump broke the law based on what the Act says, which it says he can only or the person right now, it's a man can only be fired for an act of malfeasis, yes, for cause, and that is not what has happened. Okay, Sorry, just to clarify.
My only point was it was on the cover of the Post The Times in the wall Street Journal, and most people didn't even know about it because they aren't waking up reading those papers. Okay, lots of court drama this week actually, and on the other side of this break, we're going to get into asap Rocky. I have questions about it, so we'll see you on the other side of this break.
Don't go anywhere.
I have a question about another court case that I don't know about because I didn't read about it, and that is if we want to switch, because mine is not as serious. So I don't want to get us off topic. But I do actually have legitimate, legitimate question about the asap Rocky case because I honestly did not read anything about it. I didn't follow it. I don't know anything about it, and you guys may be better versed on that than me. Do we want to talk about that serious?
Moving very swiftly from the free world.
It's serious stuff going on. But there is also the thing with asap Rockey as well.
I don't think it's fair to say that that's not serious, right, You're right, I do think no, no, no, no, I just it's just and it's just a point of a different perspective. But I just would say first, we didn't get into it. But with the Tanya Chicken ruling, a lot of people are like, oh, now he's gonna every single thing that he brings to the courts. Even the judges who are appointed by Biden or Obama, they're siding
with him too. I think that the point that we have to remember is, folks who may sue the Trump administration for cause you suffered a direct, immediate, and there in some instances irreparable harm, that is always going to be the requirement for standing. So I know in this moment like I'm one of them, and I'm an attorney, and I should know better. I've been like, why don't they just sue? The thing is, it can't just be a union that sues. It can't just be a group
of folks representing the inspector generals. It can't just be this civil rights org that stands up to protect these various entities. And NAACP LDF suit dropped this morning. By the time, y'all see this a couple of days ago, where they are suing against the DEI, the diversity equity inclusion anti the discriminatory policies put forth by this administration. And I was like, oh my god, it's gonna get thrown out that they don't have standing. They do have standing.
They have a man, a plaintiff who is in direct harm because of an hiva's program he runs, and all of these things that demonstrate a direct and immediate harm. So we got to remember that as much as we know this isn't right. You know, and you wanted to go fight on behalf of your friend on a playground like leave my friend alone. We can say that, but you may not be able to say it in a complaint in a court of law that will have standing. If you don't remember that, there has.
To be angela I answer before we go to except Rackley.
I think this is a really important point for us and for our listeners to know, because similarly the Massachusetts case last week where they allowed they lifted the hold on Dojah's ability to offer those buyouts, the judge in that case in Massachusetts said he can no longer keep the whole because the plaintiffs in this case, these were the unions representing federal employees, did not have standing in the case and therefore he had to allow the practice
to continue. So for those of us who later this week heard okay, Tanya Chuck and the same judge who was over the criminal cases involving Donald Trump and January sixth has now decided that he can, you know, move forward with the action dose you can move forward with is access to our information and such activities. And therefore we've lost a judge on this, a judge who was appointed by dealer. That isn't that is not the outcome.
And that's what Angela is trying to point out that in order for these cases to be ripe, for them to be for judge to hear the matter and the complete set of facts, they have to establish that you're the right person, the right entity who can bring the claim because you have been directly, directly negatively impacted. And of course there are conditions of the law that must be met. That being said, folks, don't let your you know,
don't how do you say? We shouldn't be let down or dissuaded or or let up at all on the pedal, simply because there are there are judicial decisions that are being made that are not necessarily going the way that
we would like them to. Of the seventy four lawsuits that have been currently filed, thirty three of them are related to those directly judges that have temporarily paused eighteen measures already Nevada Attorney General Trump's efficiency plan is unlawful according to the course there, and it lacks compassion obviously
here in the country. But I just want to say, the overall picture as it relates to applying the law to the actions of this administration have gone the way that many of us would would appreciate and value, the way of upholding and sustaining democracy. But I will tell you this, what has not been the proper check is the Congress of the United States, the Senate in the House, which have by and large allowed this man to do exactly what he wants to without the check and balance
being enforced by their branch of government. They are to shut it down, or, as Tiffany already pointed out, once powers are taken, they are really really rarely ever giving back given by ever.
I one thing to tiff and I want to get to said Rocky is one point because well, I'm following because as a woman, I know a lot of what Andrew just said. So I'm learning as a as a woman of color judge. So Tanya Chukin, who she said a lot in this case. She I think this is why it's so important to your point Tiff earlier, to not just read headlines if you're reading it all, you know, reading headlines and going beyond. When you get into the actual print of her opinion, she says some things. Two
things that I want to point out. One is, she says, plaintiffs raised this again. This is about the state's attorney's general who brought this case against DOJE. It's overreach, its
access to our very private information. She says, plaintiffs raise a colorable appointments caught clause claim with serious implications must has not been nominated by the President nor confirmed by the US Senate, to Andrew's point, as constitutionally required for officers who exercise quote significant authority pursuant to the laws of the United States. And then she says in a footnote, and this is one that I know that you all appreciate.
Just on truth. This is what she tells DOJ Defense Council is reminded of their duty to make truthful representations to the court. And so I think what she's indicating. I think what she's indicating here is there is a pathway but they just picked the wrong lane. The lane has to be a plaintiff, especially for an emergency order, it has to be an immediate suffer an imminent irreparable harm that would only occur or that can only be stopped with a temporary emergency restraining order. And if that
standard's not meant that she needs more time. Kse ain't been dismissed, case ain't been thrown out, right, It's just this one part of it, this one chapter in the book where we're not quite there, And I think people need to remember that in order to hold on to hope for justice. That said, we still with this where we started, which is, dude, these cases even matter because at the end of the day, is Donald Trump going to comply with the court order? It's not clear that he will.
And I will bet you all most people don't even know about this court case.
I say this. I say this because.
Right, and my point is, they flood the zone like I can't. At one point I felt like I was a pretty informed person. I cannot keep up with it all. And I'll be honest, there are things that I read the headline and I don't read the article, you know, Like I literally cannot hold it all. There are things happening all over the globe that are major, and all of.
It is important, Angelie.
You were reading an opinion and something on Our friend Albert always says, he's like, read the opinions, you know. He's like, they're literally written for public consumption, to make you understand. And I what you just read to me does not sound like public consumption to me. I'm like, explain it to me, like I'm a five year old, you know, And I don't have any shame in that, Like, I that's not what I understand, So explain it to me.
And I think so many people out there feel that exact same way about the courts, about how government functions, about what's happening in the world, and so given all the chaos, they're like, fuck this, I check out, I get it, you know, let me.
Let me translate. If I translate for ten seconds, I'm gonna give you cliff notes. You you, I think you got the cliff note on DJB lions. Stop lying to the court. You're gonna go to jail maybe if we can enforce the core order. And then the bigger cliff note is if you not Senate confirmed Elon Musk, sit your whole ass down. That's what that means.
Social media means very much. So get there. This administration could get there. I have no belief whatsoever that the US Senator is gonna stand in the way of Elon Musk. I have no belief whatsoever that they would stop him from being confirmed. If Donald Trump knows that, and I know he knows that, as does Elon Musk, why haven't they put him up for confirmation? Why haven't they formally requested the legislature submit a bill to create those for hearing.
He's gonna have to sit for hearing. And also he becomes he becomes responsible to comply to all of the for you and disclosure laws and so on and so forth that God this country will. I'll submit my opinion here because at Tiffany, I hear your point in Angela, the question is ripe whether or not the courts matter. I will say this, so long as they continue to create appeals and to take cases to the court itself, I believe that there is still hope for the court
to still have its way with its respective decisions. The question that is still outstanding for me, and so far as it's been answered. The third branch of government, which is actually the original branch of government, the legislative branch, appears completely incapable of upholding their end of the constitutional bargain. They completely are right now delegating, relegating, decreasing from their position, and allowing the executive branch to run rough shot over them.
And that's I think the bigger problem is that's true.
Now, speaking of justice and justice being served, yes, perhaps some of us we should actually ask our audience, do y'all agree that Asap Rocky should have been acquitted? I do reparations, bitch, So Asap Rocky. For some of y'all don't even notice. But that's Rihanna's man, y'all, So Asap Rocky.
It is.
That's so good. Many women are told, Okay.
Rocky, I like Rocky. I said, this was a silver liner. I said, for those of you who don't know, who only read a one tiff the Cliff Rocky song. To be honest with y'all, Rihanna's man, and he's a fashionis sto. They have two beautiful boys. Now. Anyway, this man jumped across the backside of this court bench thing to hug her and his mom and them after he was acquitted. Now he was facing two felony counts of assault with a deadly weapon. This came from a fight that he
had with one of his longtime friends. When they went to the scene of the crime, they weren't able to find these shellcasings. This man said he got shot, but he only had some scratches, and so the police went or like, we can't find no casings. Asab Racki saying this is a stunt gun or whatever. It's not called a stunt gun prop gun and no, not a taste a prop gun. It is how rumors get started.
Called him like what stunt, a stunt a prop gun.
So the prop gun was allegedly used to threaten him to calm down. A Sabraki's allegedly fire said gun to scare him. This man's knuckles got scratched. He said, my friend shot me. So they went to go try to find these nine mili nine millimeters shell casings, couldn't find them. Somehow, when old boy goes back to the scene, he finds said casings is a suggestion that no, no, no no. The boy said he shot his homeboy said, who said,
asab Rocky shot him. Then he comes back to the asab Rocky and he's like, yo, I got these shell cases. What you're gonna do? So a sav was like, he's trying to extort me. Old boy, trying to extort me. We're gonna ride this thing till the wheels fall off. I'm not taking no plea deal to make y'all look good prosecutors. I'm gonna ride this thing because I know that the truth is with me and the jury decided in his favor. That is my most translatable version I can give you.
Okay, because honestly, the way it was explained to me I want to hear it by a friend who's an attorney, is like he was offered this plea deal. He could have done six months and he would have been in and out and he was. The way he was presenting it to me is like it's not looking good for him, like he's not Everybody was trying to.
Say that they didn't listen to the other side. They didn't listen to the other side. This motherfucker said, my knuckles got shot off. He had some scratches, and after the scratches they couldn't find the casings. The only time the casings turn up is when all boy goes to find the cases himself. And I forgot to tell you he had just went to the gun range shooting a nine millimeters So interestingly, some nine millimeter casings come up. Honest, that is peculiar.
But what I andrew, what I take from this is when an aggressive prosecutor comes and it's telling you, like, it ain't looking good for you, so we will take a plea about six months. You go to jail for six months and then but then you come out.
You have a record.
You know, it's all this on your for him to have faith and say no, I can't, I can't agree to that. That would be saying that I did something wrong, I did something that I know I didn't do. And that puts me in the mind of Leaf Prouder.
You know who said no.
You know the youth who they put in Riker's Island with grown men, who was there simply because he couldn't afford baill. He was offered to plead and he said no, because that would be me saying I did something I didn't do. And I just think of all the people, disproportionately black men, who are in that situation because someone convinced them I can give you, you know, you go do five years and you'll be out, but if you go to trial, you might get thirty years.
And how devastating that is for so.
Many I was there. Look, I got offered a talk about Andrew, and it well, no, I mean, I just it was probably in preparation for trial. It was probably the lowest moment in trial pre prep when my lawyers had to come to me, and I was so angry at them. I think they would admit. I was just like, why would you bring me this? I have a legal obligation that to bring this to you for you to
make a decision. What they offered a g They wanted me to admit guilt on one count and they would have dropped the you know, the other twenty however many accounts they bought against me. And I was so insulted, I was offended, I was hurt, I was all these things, and there's no mother than way I'm accepting any deal.
You can tell them when you go back, never ever ever to approach me again with any bargain unless it is we're dropping all charges and we apologize for having turned your life upside goddamned down to pursue a case that was no case at all. So but but for most people, when you look at the percentage of federal cases, ninety percent of them, the defendant is found guilty or they have already reached the bargain so it never goes
to trial. You're looking at ninety I mean, you got the odds of ten percent, ten out of a dollar.
You.
Of course, the money will cause you to say, okay, we can end this, and the bill can stop the ability to have some predictability abround what's gonna happen if I say okay and I only get three months, or maybe I only get a year of probation or whatever in a felony whatever, all of those decisions I get. While some people say, yeah, I'll take it without even
being guilty. They take it because you're like, I'll take the thing I know versus the risk of what I don't know and the consequences that can come that could keep me away from my wife and my kids and my family for years. Right, So you might come to that. But I appreciate this brother for fighting this thing all
the way through, knowing that writers writers, right. But the truth is is that there are a lot of people who were right and did not break the law who are behind bars today because the deal was more predictable and acceptable than the fighting of it and the not knowing, because we don't get a fear shake in this system. And I know that for a fact, and I know it's that Rocky knows it for a fact, and I'm
just glad that in this case the justice prevailed. But it never really is justice why because they never say you're innocent. The judgment that they get to reach is either you're guilty or not guilty. You're acquitted, or you're found guilty. And so his life is still impacted. Regardless of his resources or how bad his girl is or whatever. His life has still been turned upside down and it's going to take him some time to recuperate and recover himself from what he's just gone through.
Do you feel like ag based on everything you've experienced, that.
You have recovered, No, not at all.
I think that is so important for people to know, one how much you had to spend to.
Ensure still spending.
The emotional, psychological, and the financial toll to argue your innocence, that never to your point, you said earlier on a pre pro call. Never nobody ever declares you innocent. You're just acquitted, and you don't get reparations or restorative just for the money you spent knowing you're not guilty. And asap Rocky through all that could say to turn to the jurors and say thank you for saving my life.
It's like somebody believed the story that is the truth, and not the story that is painted by the prosecution.
And my case. What I appreciated even more is that after the case was done, these jurors were released from their responsibility, and what did they do. They started meeting after my case, went down to the editorial board of the local paper and they said, we cannot believe that this case was ever bought. Wow, we cannot believe this case made it through a grand jury. That's what they
went down and said. They organized themselves after they were released from their responsibility, a jury where the majority of people on it didn't even vote for me for governor because those things were disclosed, right, But they went down and they advocated because they saw a miscarriage of justice and a miscarriage of the law. All I got to say is that the effects of it are long term. You'll a god knows. I pray to get passed and over, but shows up every single day in a multitude of ways.
And I just try to hold it together long enough not for it to be a drag on my children and my family.
Yeah, I want to sat Rocky and Andrew to start an organization. I believe me.
I know you are one hundred serious. I think anybody listening knows orgization a year from now. Yeah, I honestly I think that would be a good idea. And Andrew, let me just say, like when you and I are together, when the three of us are together, when I've seen you with your family, you do a really good job of you know, of course you're free whatever you're feeling inside to share with us. We love you, but and we've talked about it, but you you don't let it
weigh you down. You know, like you're still out here doing what you can as best you can. And I just want to say this entire show, I want you to know this. I've looked at you and thought you were showing cleavage and I realize now.
Oh my tipp is plowning today. First, lady, that ain't even pleasure.
Yes, it's not even his skin color.
Now podcast is officially disinformation. Congratulations, gess it looks all the same. My screen is this? Somebody want to tiff screen because that does not look like that looks like andy s face that time that makeup artists try to make.
You look.
I don't see it. We're not in person on the screen. It's definitely when you see it back, you're gonna be like this. Yeah, Okay, sorry, we got a viewer question. I don't know what it is. I know we were supposed to. After this break, we're gonna answer one of your questions and talk about this five thousand dollars plan circulating around DOGE and a refund to taxpayers.
Hi.
My name Michel.
I'm from the Philadelphia area, and the first thing I'd like to say is what do you think about those Super Bowl champs, the Philadelphia Eagles? But in terms of your podcast, I want to say I enjoy your podcast. I don't know where I was at, but I first learned that you're about your podcast last year when I heard Tiffany and Angela on a interview on the Young Turks.
I do listen to the Young Turks as I like to have a variety of perspectives, and to that point, I would love to hear what you all think about a narrative that the Young Turks has been pushing of saying, why not work with MAGA on the things that we align to help manage the chaos that's going on. It certainly feels like the or I think is apparent that the guardrails that we think we have in the government are not really holding. So I can understand where that might seem like a possible solution.
Andrew, you reason like that in the mic back, Oh my God, Jesus, doing you suggested I want a sandwich? Andrew back?
Big sandwich, Andrew?
That is not obese friendly. In this podcast, we are inclusive is going on.
You're the worst human ever.
You just started breathing heavy saying you wanted a sandwich? What else does that mean?
I mean from your routiness.
Anyway, it's gonna get cut. You're just saying in though. Okay, anyway, here's what I want to say. You guys have something controversial. Tiff is already inadvertently dragged me once in this show, so this will be the official ten seconds.
Let me just say this, because then all about this Number one, Angela reads all.
If you know and watch the show, Angela reads all the time.
She's been doing a live Youtubes. There's a chance to promote the live YouTube on executive orders. She at three in the morning is dropping links to something she read it. I mean, I was not trying to say Angela don't read.
She don't.
Most people.
Most people do not read, and I don't if Angela feels that way, I don't want the viewers out there who don't read to feel that way. It is not a moral judgment. I'm not reading everything right now. My point is multiple the elitist. Yes, Andrew, they.
Do both of them.
But Andrew mostly has said that my thoughts are elitists before I will take it. I will take it, but I just want I'm trying to say Angela doesn't read.
Most people don't read.
But Angela, iuly you can go through all the executive orders. I can't like I haven't been keeping.
Up with Clearly I didn't go with one of them, or that the court case. Okay, I'm not that redeemed, but it's okay. I don't need to be redeemed. I do need to talk about Howard dojing ball? See what I did? They're doge Ball? No, Okay, I got it? Is I like it? Thanks sports expert. So for doge Ball. I think that if we're not careful and if they're smart, if they go forward. There was a proposal presented to
Elon Musk by a man named James Fishback. I don't know who this man is, but I stayed on Twitter unlike some of the folks who couldn't wait to haul ass. He presented a proposal to Elon Musk for a tax credit of five thousand dollars per household from all of the alleged savings that they were seeing from Doge's efforts, all of the cuts they're making to programs, the jobs they're cutting, all of that. This money would be redistributed to the American people visa via tax credit. Some people
are calling this stimmy checks. Some people recognize that it's a tax credit. And I think the most important thing here is that this would only go to people who file taxes in taxier twenty twenty five, and that they have to be net payers. And I think that's important because that means you have to have some employment that demonstrates that you've paid into the system in order to get this thing back. Now, James Fishback runs a right
leaning investment firm called Azoria. He is not a government employee, but for that matter, neither well Elona is the government emplay. I think he's getting paid, but he is not appointed given the scope of work, as we've discussed earlier in this podcast. And government employee I think he gets. Special government employee is the designation in a paycheck.
We are tax dollars are paying the world's richest man.
I think, from what I understand, this special government employee designation means he's an employee. I don't know if he's drawing down a salary. If he's donating it back to the government, that also can happen. But the designation given to him by Donald Trump, so he didn't have to file all the disclosures, clear all conflicts with special government employee. Although special government employee also per one of my latest solo pods, doesn't mean that you don't have any ethics responsibility.
He's just ignoring that. But I digress back to this five thousand dollars payment. Here's what I'm let me tell you all my deepest fears. My deepest fears is that people won't read the four page memo and they will only read the headline from Fortune or Forbes that says Elon Musk moles giving Americans a five thousand dollars check based on those savings there.
Are coming from. This is from Fortune, you know the check whose bank account?
This is coming from the when you file your taxes with the iro government.
Yes, he wouldn't. I'm sorry, Elon Musk, a non full time employee of the government, not confirmed in a department that doesn't exist, is going to make a decision about whether or not to rebate us five grand from our own fucking money. Well, to be clear, he's going into his billionaire wealthiest man in the world status and writing the check from himself.
He's not writing the check, So just so we're clear, He did say in response to James Fishback from wherever this place is this, this right leaning investment firm that launched an anti woke etf last year as well, James Fishback, he said he told James Fishback, I will have to run it by the president. But the headline is killing me, Tiff,
because we read headlines sometimes too Elon Musk males Americans. No, I know why I was getting back into what you're saying, but I'm trying to give credit, the little bit of credit I can give him, a Doge credit, a Doge crypto coin credit to Elon Musk for saying he would at least have to ask the president. Here's my point, though, Donald Trump is the same man that held up stimulate funds to ensure that his name was on the check going out to American people. Donald Trump is smart with
marketing in a lot of ways. He reaches people just by repurposing and repackaging things. He's still getting credit for stimulus checks when Joe Biden also did stimulus checks. Joe Biden doesn't get that credit.
And you know what not and when the first check that had his name on it came from Democrats who were in control of the Congress incorporators. Remember I know here, we know that steps.
My biggest fear. My biggest fear is that people see a five thousand dollars tax credit line and they forget everything else that has happened. The dismantling, the dismantling of DEI programs that woul ensure a grant for your kid doing research that could save lives, the money that is taken away from HIV AIDS related care on the continent, The fact that they are making fun of the men in Mozambique who were gonna be a part of a grant where they would be circumcised to prevent the wide
spread of HIV AIDS on the continent. All of the things that are taking place where they're seeing it as waste, fraud and abuse without really asking the people who are in charge of these programs, what are they for If you get a five thousand dollars credit but you suffer a fifty thousand or one hundred thousand dollars loss, friends, was it worth it?
So?
I don't want to look like a hater by any means necessary. Lola and I were talking about this earlier too, but I got to tell y'all the truth. I have an obligation to tell you all of the ways in which we are being hit on an education level, on a health human services level, on a HUD level, eventually on a treasury level, on an IRS level, all the
places where your data has been compromised. Do you know if there was a court case to talk about how your private information was access and you can prove direct harm to the point of what we were talking about earlier, you would get paid out. Your settlement would be larger than five damn dollars. So I want to be clear about the wolf in sheep's clothing. I want to be clear about the many ways in which we're being bamboozled.
I cannot even imagine what it's like for somebody who's never seen a five thousand dollars check and what this might mean to them. But I want you to know your life is so much more valuable than this check, than this tax credit. However, it makes its way to you everything that is being lost right now across the board, for veterans, for small children, for our elders, for the people who are sick in our country, for the people
who are differently able than our country. I don't know that it's worth it.
Oh to tell you, I know the answer. It ain't worth it, because this is the big deal. This is the big deal, because these are distractions, including this five thousand and I love to have five thousand more dollars in my pockets. I can pay more on my legal debt that's sitting out there right. But the point is they have proposed Donald Trump and the Republicans Tim Johnson to speak of the House. They're about to a package that is going to Mike Johnson, thank you. That's going
to bring me forward. That is about to bring forward a budget proposal that includes four trillion dollars in tax breaks to the wealthiest one percent, to the wealthiest Americans and wealthiest corporations in this country. But guess what, y'all, they have not figured out a way to pay for it, and they have already given us a clue around how it is that they're going to pay for Trump's tax breaks.
Do you want to know where it is coming from? Folks? Healthcare, So you think about the last time you had a medical emergency where you had a copay and you got to walk away with just having paid five thousand all in. When you consider medications, the cost of the care, the long term consequences which may cause you to have to lose your job because you have to tend to medical situations, and therefore your retirement gets bounced because you have to dip into that money early in order to make a
way for yourselves and for your family. So, when you think about five thousand dollars. We don't have to we don't have to imagine that we're gonna get worse on the back end. They're telling us right now, this is a five thousand is a distraction so that they can get to the real goods. And the real goods is they're going to cut Medicaid in this country, if not in half and hole, certainly in significance enough form that many of us will not even have access to healthcare anymore.
And those costs are going to be borne exclusively by you.
Well, even to the point, if we can back up a bit, just indulge itself like they've just been lying to the American people, and the media has done such a shitty job of pointing out all the minutia in the ways that they've lied. They how they have arrived that they've saved the American people fifty five billion dollars is unclear, literally unclear to print reporters who have poured
through these numbers unclear. They have found glaring errors. For example, he has said that he won contract he cut was eight billion dollars. The contract was actually eight million dollars. That is a huge discrepancy. And when you're presenting this lie that that you're canceling that the most recent version of the and it was an ICE contract that was eight million dollars that they cut. I would like to know more questions about what exactly this means.
Angela.
You talked about them cutting off AIDS in HIV here according to the reporting from Bloomberg, that is going to come at the cost of two hundred and.
Fifty babies dying every day daily.
Now for all the people who are self reclaimed pro life, this administration that you voted for is literally costing lives.
Where do you stand on that?
So?
I think Angela made a really good point pointing out that this five thousand dollars tax credit is not worth it. Andrew, you made a good point like, no, it's not a credit. You're paying for it Somewhere. I want people to know it's blood money. Is literally the five thousand dollars you're getting is literally costing people their life.
But it could also be their blood. Right when you talk about extracting health care force from somebody, when you're talking about cutting off the levers of support. Because I know that there are a lot of people, including a many in our community who are not that turned on by US international investments, you don't have to go there. We can set international investments to the side. Why because
USAIDEA is less than one percent of the budget. You can't pay for four trillion dollars but one percent less than one percent of the United States budget. You just can't do it. The math won't math. So what do you have to do. You have to go after big, huge,
wholesale pieces of the budget. And if you've already taken defense off the plate, and you've already done this little cutting around some of the staff, which again is not constituting a whole bunch of money at the end of the day, because they missed their goal of ten percent, right, And then you consider the costs when you talk about waste, fraud, and abuse, when you consider the cost of all of the private contractors that they are going to have to
go out and hire for expertise. Why, because they fired the people inside the government who were government employees who did this work on a salary, they're going to escalate the cost of this government even more.
So.
What they really should have done is been very honest and basically said, we do not believe that the federal government ought to have employees. We believe that the entire federal budget ore to be farmed out in contracts to the private sector.
To our friend.
Really the goal, yeah, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome.
And I want to say on this point about you don't have to go to usaid Andrew. I loved that point. I am feeling the pinch of this. I've been having conversation with conversations with people like even my professional development program, where they were like, I haven't felt the immediate harm from this yet. And it just hit our family this week. So my mom after we taped this show. Today, we're taking my mom to get her port installed for chemo.
She starts chemo on Monday. And the place where we're entrusting my mom's care with Fred Hutchinson just announced that they are ending all their diversity, equity and inclusion programs. When my mom went in there, you guys, to get the contrast, died put in last week to do a CT scan to see how everything was looking in her liver.
There was another nurse talking to a patient saying that they were starting to have to cut back on things because some of their federal funding for cancer research is being impacted, and that's how they ended up making this
decision around what they would do with diversity, equity and inclusion. Now, everything in me, you all know, is screaming to raise hell about what this might mean for the very few black oncologists that work it for at Hutch, What this might mean for the nursing staff, for the folks who do acupuncture and rehabilitation. What this might mean for our opportunities for the black women who are overwhelmingly and disproportionately harmed by triple negative breast cancer. What does that mean
for our care plans? But I gotta be careful about how I move because I can't have my mom be in the sacrificial land for this shit. So we are put in these conundrums with intention. They outstrategized us in this way because they're willing to cause us harm and ways that we would never do to them, of course, never do to them. And I waitn't And I'm not trying to see nobody suffer. I don't want to see nobody's loved ones suffer. It ain't right. I just want to CULTI is the point, right?
I just want to say, really, quickly. Must love to Mama Rai. We are sending you all the love as you go through chemo. I love the picture of Angela Posa to you, Mama Raah on Time's Day with your arm around both your parents like this. She looks so joyful and happy. So I think of Mama. Angela knows I think her mom often. I know the days her appointments. I try not to bug you too much on those days to check in because I know that's frustrating too, you know, and people checking it.
What's the news, what's the latest? Because everybody cares you, just like I will tell y'all spot for mothers you Tiff really does, and I think that is a gift from God, so thank God for you both. I will tell you the thing that's the most helpful right now. I think I'm getting on my mom's own nerves. Ask her how she feeling how, you know? But I think even when people say how is your mom doing? It does feel like pressure. It does feel like because yes,
because I can't number one, she is doing great. But also, you know how you get in these weird places where you're like, if I keep saying she's doing good, does that end? Up sending her to a different place, like I don't believe in jinxing. I believe in the power of the tongue and all that, but there is something in me, if I'm honest, that feels like if I keep saying that, is it going to send it to the wrong place or in the wrong direction or you know.
I guess my only ask of you all, because there's so many of you. All have sent love, have shared your mother's own stories, and I do appreciate that. If you can just say I'm praying for Mamurai, Yeah, I'm thinking of Mamurai. I promise you as opinionated as I am. If I got something to say, I will, But right now I just want to center what she needs for me. I don't want to have to meet your need to be informed about her. I just want you to pray for her, and if I proactively reach out to share,
I will. But it does feel like pressure to answer everybody, and I want to be mindful of that. But I think I've learned in this moment it's better not to ask somebody how the person is doing. It's better to just say I'm thinking of her, I love her, hug her for me any love that I can give her, I'll take that. But the reportbacks my daddy.
Beyond your point is still so important, Angela, which is that the ripples of all of this you may not have sheltered.
And I think, honestly, what you said is so helpful to so many other people who are going there. You don't know what to say, you don't know how to deal and Angela, you did a beautiful job when she put in our group chat, because all of us were asking in the chat but also side chatting, and the way that you say it was with such grace, and you were like, girls, I promise you'll you'll give an update, and then you'll say, girls, I promise you'all will be the first to know when I have more to share.
And the subtext of that is, I thank you for covering me with your love and interest, but I will contact you.
I will call you.
You know so, I so for all the people who are in situations like that, we're like, I don't know what to say, I don't know how to deal with it. That is great advice. I'm praying for you. I'm praying for your mother and your family. And you leave it at that and leave it up to the person to share what they want.
If you got.
A random health tip, y'all, me and Mamurai we love all the natural this tiens drop you to, this is, this is good for chemo, nausea, this is whatever, like, we love those things, and she's in the comments.
Please would I would even appreciate that. So please, if you have health tips, especially if you've gone through chemo or you know someone who did something that helped you with nausea, eating anything, hair loss, whatever it is, drop it in the comments, because I think Angela and Mamurai would appreciate that. Sorry, Andrew, I didn't mean to I an the time, and we have another.
There's nothing to be sorry about it at all. I appreciate it. Your larger point, including your personal update, which I think invited you into it, which is that for those of us, many of us out there who are saying this don't impact me yet, but five grand will just wait, keep living me, keep living me. That's the point. Keep living.
And I would love for us to revisit this five thousand dollars point too, because my whole point and I forgot because we had a question about it. To Tip's point, we have more questions, but we had a question about is there a place where we can work together with
the MAGA folks. And I think that what I was bringing this up to say is I see this as an opening because our people are suffering so much for them and this is a place where I don't want to lean in, but I see a place where they could encroach on more of our folks who are in harm's way, who are feeling vulnerable, who have been ignored, who have been abused by the system. No matter who's in charge, right, that's something that we've all heard, Andrew,
we heard it knocking doors. For you, you know that it doesn't matter who's in charge, this always happens. Or I'm just ignored it, or I don't matter, or my vote doesn't matter for those people that are the most vulnerable among us. I'm worried about the encroaching there.
It's hard at what they will take from them, from all of them. I'm worried about what they take. Right, you always have to watch my mother. There's always one hand giving, but what is the other hand doing. It's in your pocket, it's in your medical it's in your data, it's in every it's so.
Yes, it's always one hand given.
It was always one taken the best.
I mean, we are oracles.
We got the life has shown it to us. And this is the beauty of these sayings being passed on from generation and generation, is that we know that ain't nothing new, ain't nothing under the sun new. They are repackaging the same old tactics that they had before. There was a gimmick when they were taking us out of Africa. There were gimmicks with tribes. Turn on your other tribe, We'll take them, leave y'all alone until we need more of you.
Yeah, and then, and even then we said it wasn't gonna be that bad. Well, it's not gonna be that because we had slavery. There were institutions of slavery on the continent. They did not look like the Transatlantic slave trade. So everybody was probably thinking, I wasn't there.
But there were servitude. It wasn't flavory with servitude, but not slavery.
That's right, all right.
Well, guys, in full transparency, we have so much to say on so many topics. So we are in a bit of a rush to get out of the show because we have a very exciting interview that's going to drop on Monday, so be sure to check that out. It will be with Congresswoman Ayanna Presley Friday. Friday is
Andrew's Monday Andrew. Andrew has something that's right. So before I kick it to you, Andrew, I just want to say I know I said at the beginning of the show that there was a great question that came in on local elections.
We didn't forget about you. We're going to answer your question next week.
So be sure to catch Native lampod next Thursday, where I will answer your question on local elections and we'll get to all your other questions.
And Andrew, so you're doing a podcast.
There was another question. There's another question that came in about what the resistance looks like. What does the apparatus the opposition party look like?
Right?
What do we look like challenges administration? And I want to dig into that with y'all. So I want to invite you on Monday, three pm Eastern Standard time, I'll be doing a solo pod for just a few minutes to try to illuminate what the what the what the squad looks like out there around the world that that is certainly here in the United States that we can plug into as part of the resistance, uh to this administration, and UH what the squad looks like for promoting the
things that we deserve. We desire meeting our needs and not the needs of the of the top one percent in Elon Musk and them, So join us Monday.
We're gonna roll that question.
Hi, Native Landpod. My name is Sean Nqua. I'm a social worker in South Carolina. I have some a question and some just concerns, I guess. So since President Trump has come into office, I feel like things are moving so fast. The world is just kind of crumbling and he's wrecking havoc on like all of these systems and institutions and people. But at the same time, I work full time at a hospital. On weekends, I teach college courses. I have three school age kids, a husband. My life
is already so busy and full. I feel like I cannot focus on what's happening or figure out how to actually do anything about what's happening. But I'm thinking, like there are some activists, there are some people who this is what they do, and I would like y'all to highlight some so we can know how to support them financially because I do recognize it's a sacrifice that they are making to actually put themselves on the line.
For our community.
So who are these people? Can you point us in the right direction so we can, you know, donate support so they can still live their lives and feed their kids and whatever they need to do, but they can also focus on their job to benefit our community.
Thank you, and you all will get all of Andrew's answers on that question. I know many of us thinking about that on Monday at twelve pm Pacific three pm Eastern, where Andrew starts his first solo pod journey. So y'all make sure you tune in live on Native Lampod's YouTube page. And with that, and with that, I have to do one more shameless plug today, I am wearing something that is very black. It is a black hood It is a black hooded cape from The GAP's Harlem Fashion Role collection.
Shout out to all the entities that are maintaining their diversity, equity and inclusion programs. And it is Black History Month, so I'm feeling very black and also wearing black all year because these guys told me were doing that. And then left me hanging, so we did not know. So we thank you all so much for tuning in. You know this is our home, but it is also yours. We want to make sure we hear from you. Please keep sending in your questions. I know we didn't answer
enough today. We gonna do better. We're gonna do better. There are six hundred and twenty one days until the midterms. If we have midterms, if we keep fighting, we just might. We love y'all, got bless you and your families. I'm handel a Ry. That's Andrew Gillam. This is Tiffany Cross Lover, Tiffany Cross Home Lovers.
Thank you for joining the Natives intention of with the info and all of the latest rock Gillam and Cross connected to the statements that you leave on our socials. Thank you, sincerely for the patients. Reason for your choice is clear.
So grateful it took the execute roads.
Thank you for serve, defend and protect the truth even in paste. We're gonna walking home to all of the Natives wait.
Thank you.
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