Advertise on podcast: First Of All with Victor Blackwell

The unemployment rate for Black Americans just saw the fastest one-month increase in 14 years. The September jobs report data is especially stark for Black women. Experts warn a rise in Black unemployment can be a warning sign for the overall U.S. economy. Is it also a political warning sign ahead of the midterms, now just one month away? Democrat Tharon Johnson and Republican April Chapman join Victor to debate. Thousands of legal immigrants are facing the loss of access to Medicaid starting this week. Victor speaks to Teresita Morales, whose partner needs special, extensive care after suffering a stroke and just found out he'll be losing coverage. Nearly 2 weeks after being shot by an ICE agent in Texas, Venezuelan delivery driver Wilber Rafael Garces Perez just had surgery to remove a bullet lodged in his body. Victor asks his attorney, Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, what their next legal move is, as he remains in custody. Plus, Georgia Tech Associate Professor of Black Digital Media André Brock joins Victor to talk about the viral A.I. "Hotel Lobby" trend, and why there is so much debate about repurposing the music video originally featuring Takeoff and Quavo. Following racist backlash to a mariachi band’s performance of the National Anthem at a recent NFL game, Victor gets reaction from the founder of Mariachi Herencia de México, Cesar Maldonado. Later, Victor shares the story of Dr. Asa Yancey, and the doctors who have been fighting to get the pioneering Black surgeon the credit he was long overdue for inventing a life-saving procedure. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For the first time since the controversy erupted, Ed Sheeran performs Saturday night without Macklemore. After he was dropped from Sheeran's tour for giving a "Free Palestine" speech, Macklemore made a donation to support Gaza aid. Victor speaks to Gaza Soup Kitchen co-founder Hani Almadhoun, whose group Macklemore says some of that money is going to. The family of a Black pregnant woman in Texas says the state's strict abortion ban led to the 37-year-old's death. They've now filed a lawsuit, and among those named is Texas Republican Attorney General and senate candidate Ken Paxton. Tierra Walker's aunt, and the family's attorney Molly Duane, join Victor to discuss. At a moment where there is a lot of rhetoric aimed at immigrant truck drivers, there was disturbing news this week of a Sikh truck driver stabbed multiple times at a truck stop in Wyoming. Sikh attorney Jasjit Singh visited that driver in the hospital and joins Victor to discuss the case. And for Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, singer Montell Jordan shares his prostate cancer survival story and discusses with Victor why Black men in particular need to pay attention. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There has been an arrest in the case of Tasia Fortune, the 29-year-old Black woman found hanging from a tree in Mississippi. Jackson Police Chief RaShall Brackney joins Victor to share the latest in the investigation and address nationwide alarm about Fortune's death given the state’s racial history. Plus, Victor speaks to Emerson Villaran Calles, who has lived in the U.S. for more than two decades but decided to "self-deport" this week ahead of the expected expiration of temporary protection from deportation for immigrants from El Salvador. Texas is moving forward with a rewrite of social studies lessons that critics, including Muslim students, say is anti-Islamic. The Republican chairman of the Texas State Board of Education, Aaron Kinsey, joins Victor to respond. Amid nationwide concern about Islamophobia around the 25th anniversary of 9/11, Victor shares the story of Muslim 9/11 victim and hero Mohammad Salman Hamdani. The father of a murder victim in North Carolina shared the story of his son Shemar in a Senate campaign ad, but he now says he feels misled by the GOP ad-creators. Ronald Hayes joins Victor to discuss. And for our Art is Life series this week, Victor explores how the Black workers who toiled in a swamp to build a garden are being honored decades after they were shunned from the place they helped create during Jim Crow segregation. Norfolk Botanical Garden Historian Martha McClenny Williams shares the history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Amid the search for thousands of people, including U.S. citizens, who are missing after the devastating flood on the border of Nepal and China, Victor speaks to Anurag Goel. His father Anil was on a hiking trip and has not been heard from in days. Grocery store owner Carlos Collado joins Victor to talk about why he and other immigrant store owners in New York City are supporting a lawsuit against Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s plan to create city-run grocery stores.Victor also speaks with the Chairman of the Tohono O’odham Nation in Arizona who says armed federal agents entered their land this week alongside contractors to build a border wall that the tribe does not want.Plus, Janelle King, Jason “Jah” Lee and Edward Ahmed Mitchell join Victor to react to the latest legal fight over voting rights.  Plus, they discuss a candidate in Texas who says he's no longer running as a Republican, but rather as a write-in candidate, after he was asked by a party official about training his dog to bite Muslims. They also weigh in on the controversy over a “racist” Halloween costume that Target is apologizing for, and the decision by a U.S. embassy to take down a painting by Kehinde Wiley that one State Department official calls "very woke" and "aesthetically terrifying". Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sources tell CNN the U.S. Navy is working to rename an aircraft carrier currently slated to honor a Black World War 2 hero, potentially switching it to honor President Trump instead. A relative of Doris Miller, Thomas Bledsoe, joins Victor to share his family’s reaction, along with former Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro. A man in Virginia says he was severely injured during an ICE arrest but has no memory of what happened. The Department of Homeland Security is denying his claim that he woke up in a hospital bed after losing consciousness. Jose Mejia Hernandez’s attorney, Carlos Jurado, joins Victor to respond. A newly appointed judge is facing threats and calls to be removed from office over her Muslim faith. Assma Ali explains to Victor why she’s remaining positive amid Islamophobic attacks. After a police officer in Los Angeles blew the whistle on alleged racism in the department, now he is the one facing criminal charges. Daniel Flores and his attorney, Alan Jackson, join Victor to react to a new announcement in the case from LA’s District Attorney Nathan Hochman. And the first trailer for “A Different World" is finally out! Victor shares what he saw at a recent visit to the show’s set, where he spoke with the cast of new students and the stars returning for the upcoming sequel series. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When a Russian-born American citizen named Ilya Beloozerov is gunned down by the FBI in 2024, the authorities refuse to say why they’d killed him. CNN’s Isabelle Chapman embarks on a sprawling investigation that takes her from the Mississippi parking lot where he died to Washington, D.C. to unravel the mystery: Why did Ilya abruptly leave his family and his job and head for the border with laptops and cash? Why is there still no official explanation of his death? And maybe most importantly: Was Ilya a spy?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Looking ahead to a high-profile primary election in Wisconsin, and notable results from Michigan in the past week, Victor speaks with columnist Theodore Johnson of the Washington Post about Black voters and their feelings toward the evolving democratic coalition. Two friends of Nolan Wells have now hired attorneys, and those lawyers say they traveled to Mississippi’s Horn Island to “investigate the layout and dynamic” following lingering questions and speculation about the teen’s death. Victor breaks down the latest developments with CNN’s Ryan Young, who is closely following the case. The trial of the man accused of organizing the murder of Tupac Shakur starts in just days. Tupac's stepbrother, Mopreme Shakur, joins Victor to share how his family is bracing for this next big step in their fight for justice. Major cities in Puerto Rico have been ordered to ration water. Victor speaks to Israel Meléndez Ayala in San Juan about why this is happening, and how long it’s expected to last. U.S. Army Specialist Sayveon Anderson is still missing after disappearing more than a month ago from Fort Bragg. Victor speaks to Specialist Anderson’s mother, Pamela Anderson, along with his wife, Jasmyne Mowry, who is pregnant. And later, Victor speaks with Brookyln Stroll Club founder Joe Gonzales for the latest shoutout in our “I See You!” series. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The top public safety official in Mississippi joins Victor to share what he knows about the investigation into the death of Nolan Wells. Victor also asks Mississippi Department of Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell for his reaction to the distrust much of the Black community says they have in state law enforcement. Viles Dorsainvil is a Haitian community leader in Springfield, Ohio and says Haitian TPS recipients there tell him that they’re being targeted by the Trump administration with letters summoning them to report to an ICE office, and some are even being outfitted with an ankle monitor. He joins Victor to share perspective on the fear that’s causing. Plus, Victor speaks with a TPS recipient named Corinne who says she was just nine years old when she moved to the U.S. with her mother after Haiti's earthquake and fears being forced back to a country she doesn't know. Black voters will play a major role in whether a moderate or progressive candidate prevails in next week's Democratic senate primary in Michigan. Victor speaks with Rep. Haley Stevens supporter Keith Williams, Chairman of the Michigan Democratic Party Black Caucus, and Dr. Pamela Pugh, president of Michigan's State Board of Education, who has endorsed Dr. Abdul El-Sayed. The internet is in heated debate over a new student dress code at Tuskegee University, which includes a ban on bonnets and durags. Victor shares some of the social media reaction to the new policy and speaks with the HBCU’s president and CEO, Dr. Mark A. Brown, to get his response to the backlash. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Days after protests erupted following the fatal police-involved shooting of Corey Ruiz, City Council President Sabrina Madison tells Victor Blackwell why she thinks the officer involved should be arrested and calls the killing of Ruiz an “execution”. Plus, Victor speaks to U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission member Kalpana Kotagal, the sole commissioner to vote against a proposal for the civil rights agency to end 60 years of collection data on demographics from employers. Does this now open the door to more workplace discrimination? A Christian church “Foundations for Nations” is defending their presence on a Native American reservation after a recent sermon that called out quote "idol worship". Victor speaks with Northern Arapaho Tribe and Business Council Chairman Keenan Groesbeck, who says the church has “got to go.” Later, Victor shares the reactions he saw on his social media algorithm this week to a story about a Black-owned brunch spot, Toast on Lenox, getting boycott threats after its owner was photographed with Republican candidate for governor in Georgia Rick Jackson. Haitians with temporary protected status are facing the threat of deportation, coupled with uncertainty over when the protection they've had for years will actually run out. What is it like living in that limbo? Victor asks TPS recipient and business owner Farah Larrieux, who is dealing with that and still advocating for her community in South Florida and beyond. On July 25th, Emmett Till, lynched at age 14 in Mississippi, would have turned 85 years old. For our “Art is Life” series this week, Victor speaks to Raymond Thomas about his exhibit honoring Till’s memory, and the movement Till's murder s Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The parents of Nolan Wells are speaking out to Victor. The mystery around the 18-year-old’s death off the coast of Mississippi is sparking an independent investigation, and an online conversation on the role of race. Christine and Elmore Wonsley join Victor, along with attorney Ben Crump, to discuss their push for answers into what happened, and how they hope their son will be remembered. Immigrants with TPS from seven countries, including Haiti, are bracing for a loss of their work authorization. Victor shares an important update on when that’s now expected to expire. Plus, Bud Downing joins Victor with perspective from Springfield, Ohio on how this limbo is affecting the Haitian community there, and the people who employ them. According to new CNN reporting, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth is pushing for a crackdown after sailors appeared to flout his policy on beards during a recent ship visit. Victor speaks with Black Veterans Project Co-founder Richard Brookshire about why he’s concerned the policy will disproportionately harm Black men who serve. Later, Victor walks us through the latest videos CNN has obtained showing the final moments of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo's life before he was shot and killed by ICE in Houston, and why skepticism in the Trump administration’s story of what happened is only growing. Plus, Victor asks Ronda Kauk why she’s sounding alarm about the federal government removing wild horses from Native American ancestral land near Mono Lake. And in our “Art is Life” series this week, a look at an exhibit paying tribute to “the beautiful game” and the World Cup’s influence beyond sports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hundreds of thousands of immigrants now face the threat of possible deportation after a Supreme Court ruling on Temporary Protected Status for Haitians and Syrians. Victor speaks with Viles Dorsainvil about how he and his community of Springfield, Ohio is reacting to this ruling. We’re also joined by Ghita Schwarz from the International Refugee Assistance Project. A Tennessee rule that could impact the care of critically ill undocumented children is facing a legal challenge. Victor speaks to Michele Johnson, the Executive Director of the Tennessee Justice Center. This year, July 4th marks 250 years since the Declaration of Independence was adopted. Native American journalist Rebecca Nagle joins Victor to explain why she wants to put a spotlight on the role of native people in U.S. history, and the "slur" in our nation's founding document she says has largely been overlooked. Jay-Z is celebrating the anniversary of one of his classic albums with a collab that some people online say they feel betrayed by. Victor explores the social media reaction. Should cities ban Ye AKA Kanye West concerts over his past hate speech? The Mayor of San Antonio wants her city to scrap a scheduled performance. But members of the city council say they don't want to censor the artist, and the city needs the money. Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones joins Victor to react. And in our “Art is Life” series this week, Victor shares the story of a new museum that just opened in San Francisco's Chinatown ahead of Pride weekend that is unlike any other in the world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A community in Mississippi is demanding answers after one-year-old Kohen Wiley was shot and killed by an officer responding to a shoplifting call. Baby Kohen's mother is speaking out, and her attorney joins Victor. How do Iranian Americans feel about the U.S. agreement with Iran on ending the war? Two Iranian Americans with different political views, but supportive of the war, share their reactions. Victor speaks with Sarah Raviani, the founder of a group called "Iranians for Trump,” and Moj Mahdara. The first city in the U.S. to issue reparations to Black residents is now facing a legal challenge from the Trump Administration. Victor speaks with Robin Rue Simmons about the program she leads, and what happens to the nationwide push for reparations now. Later, Victor explains why the Justice Department is joining a legal fight with the NAACP over AI data centers and is siding with Elon Musk. The push to close a controversial ICE facility in New Jersey now has the backing of the family of the person “Delaney Hall” was named after. Victor speaks with Geraldine Delaney’s niece, Marianne Delaney. And a special “Art is Life” for Father’s Day weekend: Victor speaks with Pierce Freelon about his new album “Black Boy Glow” celebrating boyhood and what it takes to raise thriving Black boys. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

FIFA and the U.S. are being called out after a Somali World Cup referee was denied entry to the United States. Victor discusses the global reaction and backlash with Morgan Ofori. The effort of four Black candidates to unite behind one Black candidate to make sure their Florida district remains represented by a Black member of congress has officially fallen apart. Victor asks one of the candidates, Elijah Manley, what went wrong and how this will impact their opposition to congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz. Ahead of the UFC fight at the White House, Victor speaks with UFC hall of famer “Suga” Rashad Evans about MMA's popularity with the key demographic of Black and Latino men, and the political considerations going into this unprecedented event. Should we mark Juneteenth with celebration like the 4th of July? Or commemorate the holiday like Memorial Day? Victor gets perspective from the CEO of the National Juneteenth Museum Jarred Howard, National Humanities Center president and author Blair LM Kelley, and columnist Michael Harriot. Victor speaks with Dr. Tonya Matthews about why "a shift in the political and funding environment" is being blamed for putting the International African American Museum’s future at risk. And for “Art is Life” this week, ahead of Haiti’s return to the World Cup, Victor speaks with Haitian Italian designer Stella Jean about the kit she designed that’s inspired by the national team. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

President Trump is commenting on “Black jobs” again. Victor plays the comments and gets reaction from Darrick Hamilton, an economic expert who has advised members of congress and presidential candidates. Karmelo Anthony is on trial for fatally stabbing Austin Metcalf at a high school track meet. It'll be decided by a jury with no Black jurors. Judge Glenda Hatchett joins Victor to talk about how it may impact the final verdict. Luther “Uncle Luke” Campbell is one of four Black candidates that met up this week, trying to ensure the lawmaker who represents a minority district in Florida is Black, and not congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz. Victor asks what their plan is now to challenge her. Plus, he's alive and in prison convicted of murder yet Derek Chauvin was found to be worthy of a “moment of silent prayer” by attendees of a Republican convention in Minnesota. Victor shares the excuses from GOP leaders about what happened, and the emotional response from George Floyd's girlfriend. And families who have lived in South Florida's historically Black neighborhoods are being pushed out of their homes. Capital B reporter Adam Mahoney and Miami resident Nicole Crooks join Victor to explain why climate change is to blame. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Victor speaks with Gabriela Soto and attorneys representing ICE detainees who allege solitary confinement, poor conditions, and medical neglect at New Jersey detention facilities. He also examines a dispute over Black representation in Congress with Daniel Henry and Rep. Yvette Clarke, discusses René Marsh’s interview with Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch III, talks with Michael Harriot about artists leaving the “Freedom 250” concerts, and highlights a project reimagining demolished Confederate monuments. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices