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First of All with Victor Blackwell

"Arab Americans For Trump" Changes Name Over Gaza Comments; NLRB Leader Ousted By Trump Speaks Out After Filing Lawsuit; Supervisors Withdraw Sade Robinson Memorial; NFL Removing "End Racism" From End Zones Ahead Of Trump Super Bowl Appearance. Aired 8-9a ET

Aired February 08, 2025 - 08:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[08:00:00]

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN HOST: To help the mother of a murdered teen raise money to set up a memorial at a park. But then racist e-mails started coming in. Sade Robinson's mother joins us on what the impact has been.

AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR: All right, interesting show. We'll be watching.

BLACKWELL: Thanks.

WALKER: Have a good one.

BLACKWELL: Let's start it right now.

Listen, first of all, Friday nights in the Trump administration are hectic. One good night's sleep is enough to miss a lot. Listen, in just the last 12 hours, a federal judge temporarily blocked President Trump's plan to gut USAID. Trump revoked President Biden's access to classified briefings. He dismissed the head of the National Archives and apparently installed himself as the chairman of the board of trustees for the Kennedy Center, you know, that prestigious arts and culture institution.

Now, some things are not life changing, but his plan for Gaza is. The president shocked the world earlier this week when he said the U.S. would take over the territory. Then this was his response yesterday when he was asked if there have been any deliberations since that announcement.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: No, no deliberations. It's been very well received where basically the United States would view it as a real estate transaction where we'll be an investor in that part of the world and no rush to do anything. We wouldn't need soldiers at all. That will be taken care of by others and the investments are taken care of by others also. So for no investment -- I mean, virtually no investment whatsoever, it would bring stability to the area and others can invest in it later on.

But we're in no rush on it. It's absolutely no rush. (END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Now, when you look over the week, there may be no announcement more controversial globally than suggesting that more than 2 million Palestinians should be moved out of Gaza. His comments this week upset much of the Arab world, to say the least. And it raised all sorts of questions. Would American troops be involved? Would Palestinians ever be allowed to come back?

Would Palestinians be forced to go along with this? It would be a crime. Yet his follow up to the firestorm is a shrug. No deliberations, no rush. Relocating Palestinians is a red line for the Arab world.

Leaders of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, they will not back this. But you know who is showing support? Israel's prime minister.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: The actual idea of allowing first Gazans who want to leave to leave. I mean, what's wrong with that? They can leave. They can then come back. They can relocate and come back.

But you have to rebuild Gaza. If you want to rebuild Gaza, you can't have -- this is the first good idea that I've heard. It's a remarkable idea. And I think it should be really pursued, examined, pursued and done, because I think it will create a different future for everyone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: And this morning, the cease fire deal in Gaza still holding. The Israeli government is condemning the conditions of the latest hostages who were released today. They say the shocking images of three emaciated Israelis will not go unaddressed.

Now, the president's comments on Gaza add fuel to a volatile conflict and they contribute to an emotional moment for Arab Americans, especially those who voted for Trump over Joe Biden and Kamala Harris because of the war.

Dr. Bishara Bahbah is with us. He's the chairman of a group known as Arab Americans for Peace. Welcome back to the show.

Last time you were on, the name of your group was Arab Americans for Trump. You changed it this week after those announcements about Gaza. Do you no longer support the president?

BISHARA BAHBAH, CHAIR, ARAB AMERICANS FOR PEACE (FORMERLY ARAB AMERICANS FOR TRUMP): Well, Arab Americans for Trump was created to help President Trump win the elections. We wanted an end to the war in Gaza primarily. And the president also promised us a lasting peace in the Middle East that is satisfactory to all parties. Based on those two promises, we lent our -- the president our vote. Now, when he started suggesting that relocating Gaza, which is against international law, against Palestinian interests, against the continuity of a Palestinian state between the Gaza Strip and the west bank, we could not come out with the statement under the title of Arab Americans for Trump.

First of all, we're not a cult. Secondly, we want peace. We started supporting the president because we wanted peace. And as a result, we changed the name.

BLACKWELL: So you say that you listed two of the things you say that the president promised you. But when you were on the show back in May, there was a third thing. So let me play a portion of that conversation and we'll talk about that.

[08:05:03]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BAHBAH: President Trump and through his emissaries have indicated to us very plainly and clearly that the president wants to see an end to the war period. He wants to see a period of reconstruction, a period of economic development, and a path leading to a two state solution. So with those kind of promises coming from President Trump, whom we know very well, strikes fear in the heart of Benjamin Netanyahu. He is the only individual that can really affect Israeli policies at the present time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: So that third thing, that two state solution, of course we heard the president this week say that he wants Palestinians out and he wants to build something beautiful, a real estate deal, the Riviera of the Middle East. Who told you, did the president himself tell you that he wanted a two state solution?

BAHBAH: Well, when I was first introduced to the president as the founder and chairman of Arab Americans for Trump, he thanked me for that. And I said, Mr. President, I'm doing this for a major reason. I want a lasting peace in the Middle East based on a two state solution. His response to me was, 100 percent. And so I took him at his word for that.

Now there is no other solution but a two state solution. There are 50,000 to 70,000 security forces, Palestinian security forces in the West Bank, 25,000 can go to Gaza and monitor the security situation there and -- while it is being rebuilt. And if Israel is so anxious to have the Palestinians leave, let them go temporarily to the Negev inside Israel while it is being rebuilt. That way, Israel would be anxious to send them back to Gaza when the rebuilding is over.

BLACKWELL: So you say that the president told you in your response to saying that you're in this for a two state solution 100 percent?

BAHBAH: Yes.

BLACKWELL: Do you think the president lied to you?

BAHBAH: You know, it remains to be seen. We're three weeks into this game and a lot of things have been happening as you mentioned on your show. And I believe that the president wants a legacy of peace. He wants to be known as a peacemaker. He wants to be known as the president who has been able to achieve something that no other U.S. president has been able to achieve, which is peace in the Middle East.

There cannot be peace in the Middle East without a two state solution, period. So --

BLACKWELL: He apparently doesn't believe that because what we've heard from him this week is that he wants Palestinians out. Everybody can come back. I mean, we'll play a little bit more from the President. But you say that will be remain to be seen. What else do you need to see from the president?

What he told you before the election is not what he's saying now. What additional variable are you waiting for to determine if he's committed or not to a two state solution?

BAHBAH: Well, you know, we helped the president win the elections. Next year, there will be elections for Congress and Republican hold on Congress is very shaky right now. So without our support, the Republicans will not be able to hold Congress. So we have the leverage over the political system with our votes to make sure that the president agenda continues. But we will not accept the relocation of Palestinians outside of Gaza, period.

BLACKWELL: Do you regret, Bishara, using your position, your voice to convince Arab Americans, and I said specifically in the state of Michigan, a swing state we watch so closely now having heard what the president said about Gaza?

BAHBAH: You know, honestly, at this point, I don't regret it because one, he was able to force Netanyahu to accept the ceasefire in Gaza. And when you think about it, between the ceasefire and now, hundreds of people would have been killed by Israel in Gaza. We saved those people. The president helped us save those people. So at this point in time, it's too early in the game for me to say that I don't trust the president in his pursuit for peace in the Middle East.

BLACKWELL: All right, Bishara, I've got one more question for you. And I am actually going to hand this over to President Trump. He's going to ask it. Here's the question.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Would Palestinians have the right to return to Gaza if they left while the rebuilding was happening?

TRUMP: It would be my hope that we could do something really nice, really good where they wouldn't want to return. Why would they want to return? The place has been hell.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[08:10:04]

BLACKWELL: Question, why would they want to return? The place has been hell. Your answer for the president.

BAHBAH: Well, the place has been hell thanks to the person who was sitting next to him, which is Bibi Netanyahu. But once rebuilt, why wouldn't they go back to Gaza? That doesn't make sense. So, Palestinian, it is their home. You know, you cannot take people out of their homes.

You cannot tell the President to go to Greenland right now because Greenland happens to be nicer than Washington D.C. That doesn't make sense. So, I say to the president, Mr. President, think about what you are saying. You promised us certain things. We hold you to those promises and we will either deliver or fight you in the coming -- in the upcoming elections in -- next year and in four years.

BLACKWELL: Dr. Bishara Bahbah, the chairman now of Arab Americans for Peace, thank you very much.

BAHBAH: Thank you, sir.

BLACKWELL: As President Trump attempts to reshape federal agencies, one leader removed from her post is fighting back now with a lawsuit. Gwynne Wilcox is the first sitting member of the National Labor Relations Board removed in its 90-year history. She will join us. Plus a so called DEI watch list launched by a conservative group online targets federal workers by name. What we know about it, that's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:16:13]

BLACKWELL: While President Trump is making headlines for attempting to fire tens of thousands of federal workers, his handling of two independent federal agencies has the potential to affect tens of thousands of private sector employees. At the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, he has fire General Counsel Karla Gilbride, Democratic Commissioners Jocelyn Samuels, Charlotte Burrows, undercutting the Democrats voting majority. Trump has made a similar move at the National Labor Relations Board. He fired two Biden appointees, General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo and Board Chair Gwynne Wilcox. And Wilcox is the first black woman to serve on the board and the first to serve as chair.

The agency's website explains that the NLRB protects the rights of private sector employees to join together with or without a union to improve their wages and working conditions. Wilcox's firing makes her the first sitting NLRB member to be removed from the board in its 90- year history. And on Wednesday she filed a federal lawsuit. She said her removal is unlawful. And according to a federal statute, board members can only be fired, quote, "upon notice and a hearing for neglect of duty or malfeasance in office, but for no other cause."

Gwynne Wilcox joins us now to talk about this case.

Ms. Wilcox, thank you for your time this morning. What reason were you given for your dismissal? GWYNNE WILCOX, FORMER NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD CHAIR OUSTED BY TRUMP: Thank you for having me. Really no reason, no cause and not notice of hearing that would be required if I was being charged with any type of misconduct or neglect of duty. It seems that the president is looking to have someone who will he would be able to feel comfortable making decisions that would be consistent with his views. And that's contrary to the National Liberal Relations Act. As you already stated that it's not -- it's an independent agency that is supposed to be free of political or presidential influence.

BLACKWELL: So we've seen just last night a tweet about the dismissal of the National Archivist. How were you informed of your dismissal?

WILCOX: I'm sitting in my home around p.m. around January 27th and I received an e-mail from White House staffer informing me that on behalf of the president I was being removed immediately from my position.

BLACKWELL: And what went through your mind when you read that?

WILCOX: I was a bit surprised and shocked by this. You know, no board member has ever been removed from their position. And was very upsetting to me because I really -- it's really important that the agency be able to function appropriate well and to enforce the rights of workers and issue decisions. That's what we do is we issue decisions as a board member. So I was very upset with the fact that I was confirmed by the Senate in 2023 for a five-year term that ends in 2028 and I would not be able to continue based upon this letter.

And beside -- you know, besides the fact that it's affecting me personally, it's affecting the agency and as well as workers throughout this country.

BLACKWELL: You said that what you believe is that the president maybe wanted someone in that position who would execute based on his philosophies. But special government employee Elon Musk, who's head of DOGE, his SpaceX is one of the companies along with Amazon, Starbucks, Trader Joe's suing the government to try to get the NLRB deemed unconstitutional. Do you believe that his hand is on your firing?

[08:20:16]

WILCOX: I really don't know. But, you know, the fact is that it's not supposed to be anyone's hands on the decisions of the board and its actions. The reality is that we are supposed to be able to make decisions based upon the facts and the law. And that's what I have been doing throughout my term since August of 2021.

BLACKWELL: Yes. I read that you didn't necessarily want to be a test case for the president's powers in this space, but why are you suing then?

WILCOX: Yes, I mean, I never thought in a -- at any point that I would be suing the president of the United States as well as the Republican board member Marvin Kaplan. But it's really important that if -- for me to pursue this case because otherwise the president would be able to get away with this unlawful conduct and unprecedented conduct.

BLACKWELL: In your statement reacting to your firing, you wrote this, "As the first black woman board member, I brought a unique perspective that I believe will be lost upon my unprecedented and illegal removal." What does that mean for the board, for the country, for the workers that you engage with?

WILCOX: Yes, it's always been the fact that we've been able to issue decisions based upon the facts and the law. And you know, I've come to -- I came to this position with, you know, over 30 years of experience as a -- first as a board attorney in the regional office in New York, and then as a private sector lawyer, labor lawyer. So that experience has come to -- my experience really prepared me for this position as a board member. And when we issue decisions, in fact, only 80 percent of the cases are unanimous decisions. And those board members who have issued the decisions, you know, have been nominated and confirmed by various presidents.

And that's not -- so the system is really working. And so for, to me to be in the position that I -- that we have to kowtow to a president's particular views on how issues should be decided or be in fear of losing our jobs, that's not what the NLRB in Congress had in -- you know, in place in 1935 when the act was enacted.

BLACKWELL: Gwynne Wilcox, we will of course, follow your case. Thank you so much for your time this morning.

WILCOX: OK, thank you. My pleasure.

BLACKWELL: A grieving mother now has to raise money herself for a park memorial in tribute to her murdered daughter because of racist e-mails sent to officials in the county where she lived and died. Sade Robinson's mother joins us to explain next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:27:42]

BLACKWELL: This next story is not about politics per se, but it is about an environment that our politics has created.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FELESIA MARTIN, MILWAUKEE COUNTY SUPERVISOR: It is most unfortunate that we're at this moment in our country's history where once again, we feel very comfortable being overt with our prejudices, with our racism, and with just plain evil, hateful thoughts.

I understand when folks say, when I go to a park, I don't want to be reminded of tragedies. Even when you say that we must use empathy and compassion. One thing that is being lost in our public discourse is humanity.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Now, before we get to the park that she's referring to, let me explain the tragedy. Last year, Sade Robinson went on a first date. Nineteen years old, college student. She was excited, according to people she talked to before she went out. The next day, she didn't show up for work.

The morning after, her car was found on fire. And now a warning, the story gets very disturbing from here. Police started finding her remains. Sade had been killed by her date they say. He dismembered her body, according to police, and spread the remains around the Milwaukee area.

Thirty-year-old Maxwell Anderson is charged with her murder. Now in her memory and the memory of other missing or murdered women of color, the idea came about for a memorial. Now, originally, the Milwaukee County Committee on Parks and Culture would set aside money for it at a park, but then that plan changed. One of the leaders of the committee explained why at a recent meeting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUAN MIGUEL MARTINEZ, MILWAUKEE COUNTY SUPERVISOR: I want to be clear that I was the one that came up with the idea to help her with getting this memorial done. She wanted something done for her daughter and I wanted something done for her daughter. And it was something to honor her legacy and honor her memory and it was something for them and it was something for them to feel comfortable. And what we got in exchange was a flurry of racist e-mails saying that why should black folk get this when white folk don't get this? And turned it into kind of this issue where it didn't really belong.

[08:30:07]

I just want to say shame on people for treating a grieving mother this way and making it a race thing and treating her subhuman when it's absolutely unnecessary and absolutely unethical and it shows the most disgusting and detestable parts of our society.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Racist emails over a memorial. Sade's mother is now organizing the funds to set up a memorial and events to raise awareness via GoFundMe herself. And Sheena Scarborough is with us now. She's Sade's mother and she's founder of the Sade's Voice Foundation.

Sheena, first, thank you for being with me. Our condolences for this tragic loss and the way in which your daughter was killed. What was your reaction when you heard the responses to wanting to honor your daughter in this way?

SHEENA SCARBROUGH, MOTHER OF SADE ROBINSON: Good morning, Victor, and thanks for allowing me to be Sade's voice, as I will continue to be so we get our full justice. When we first -- when this was first brought about and made aware as supervisor, Miguel Juan Miguel, you were just sharing. You know, they came to me. I went before the board to see if it was possible to have this done. And I initially was wanting to raise the funds on my own. They did. They were very supportive and they did extend the, you know, the offer to want to assist on their own.

And, you know, this turned into a whole charade. You know, when this was first put out a few weeks ago, it just became very toxic, obnoxious, a lot of hateful, mean, evil things on the media or the news. It's just been really outrageous for us to be in 2025.

My ancestors fought and worked too hard for us to be where we at. Me and my daughters have worked extremely hard and have dedicated to the community. I just don't tolerate that type of toxic energy in her legacy.

BLACKWELL: Have you seen any of these messages? Have any of the messages come to you?

SCARBROUGH: They're just all over the media, different platforms. They're very toxic, just very negative. You know, I don't even really want to repeat them. That, you know, this is very -- it's been very public and placed in all over different media platforms, from next door to Facebook, you know, just all over.

I know a lot of the supervisors that were supporting me through the parks, they were getting a lot of toxic, hateful emails as well. So I just, you know, I took a step back and this is not the way I want my daughter's legacy in her name, you know, to be carried in. So, you know, that's how this all initiated. And it became more than necessary.

BLACKWELL: And so you are now raising the money yourself to build this memorial in the park. Are you concerned, considering the reaction thus far about vandalism, about destruction, and that even after it's put up, that it'll be able to stay?

SCARBROUGH: You know, that's a very good point, Victor. I can't control the way, you know, people are going to move and be. I chose not to diffuse back into all the toxic and negativity. I took a step back. We have stepped up. The community has stepped up. There's been phenomenal agencies and people that do stand behind us and support us.

Shouts out to the Carnivore restaurant and Omar and, you know, the other community Pizza Shuttle, Wisconsin Country Club. There are a lot of entities that have stepped up and they are supporting us phenomenally and supporting the foundation, nonprofit.

BLACKWELL, Sheena, I have just a little bit of time left and I want to save that for you to tell us about Sade.

SCARBROUGH: Sade was amazing. She was a community light worker that. She was angelic angel. She would take her shirt off her back and give it to you. She helps others. She recycled. I raised my daughters very well. She was a very hard worker, worked two jobs, received her associate of Arts degree of MATC a month away. She was just a phenomenal, phenomenal angel. And I miss her so much.

This hurts so bad, Victor, for, you know, a toxic, you know, energy person to do something so destructive to my baby. But her legacy will be carried on in the light that she was. And her spirit is continuously with me, continually. Excuse me. And that's the way it's going to be.

[08:35:10]

BLACKWELL: Sheena Scarborough, thank you for your time. Again, our condolences. And we're going to show here that fundraising page. It's on GoFundMe and you can search for Sade's Voice Foundation Park Memorial and Nonprofit Startup if you would like to help.

SCARBROUGH: Thank you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:40:11]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Well, this is different, obviously. My team and I, we cover important stories every day of the week, not just during this hour. On Saturday, typically, I post those stories on my social media accounts. So we're going to do something new. We're going to bring those stories from the social media accounts to this new segment we're calling The Algorithm. Important stories that impact communities of color that you likely are not seeing on television anywhere else.

First up this week, a group that is targeting federal employees individually in this effort to eradicate the government of DEI.

Jacqueline, there's this DEI watch list. What do you know about it?

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: It's from this conservative group called the American Accountability Foundation. And on the website itself, they describe themselves as focused on exposing the unelected career staff driving their words, quote, radical DEI initiatives within the federal government.

So this is a list where they're listing the names, photos, salaries, employment history, LinkedIn pages of federal employees who they see as driving DEI initiatives. And in their words, they're exposing these employees.

BLACKWELL: What is HHS saying, if anything?

HOWARD: We reached out to HHS. We haven't gotten a response yet. So they really haven't said anything to us about this yet regarding their employees. But we do know just from some conversations with people that there is concern about employees' public safety because of this list.

BLACKWELL: So the CDC released a report this week about maternal mortality in the U.S., some good news, some bad news. In 2023, the rate dropped overall for women in the U.S., dropped for white women, for Asian American women, dropped for Hispanic women of any race. But for black women, it stayed remarkably high at about 50 per 100,000 live births.

Now, that's about three and a half times the rate for white women and is a broader disparity now. I spoke with Dr. Amanda Williams, she's the interim chief medical officer for March of Dimes, about why this is happening and what has to do with the pandemic.

DR. AMANDA WILLIAMS, INTERIM CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER, MARCH OF DIMES: More people have been vaccinated. We know how to take care of patients and we're back to normal operations on labor and delivery units. Those normal operations also mean the inequitable distribution of access. It means the impact of systemic racism in care. It means those unconscious biases are coming to the forefront.

All of those trends that we saw beforehand are back. And there is that not that equalizing factor, if you will, of the pandemic.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right now we are not acknowledged as a tribe. That's very exhausting, demeaning, disparaging.

BLACKWELL: I just had a conversation with the representative of the Duwamish Tribe in Washington State. They've been suing for 50 years for federal recognition of their tribe and they say because of some new rules as it relates to submissible evidence that this is their best chance with the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

However, it comes at a time when the federal government is rejecting anything that seems like diversity, equity and inclusion. Here's part of our conversation.

NANCY SACKMAN, CULTURAL PRESERVATION OFFICER, DUWAMISH TRIBE: I recognize the current political climate, but we have to continue to fight just like we always have, regardless of the political climate or who or what the administration is.

BLACKWELL: And what does federal recognition mean for the tribe?

SACKMAN: What it will mean for us is to open up doors for our tribal members to take care of our tribal members with benefits like health, housing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Just some of the stories that I covered this week on socials added to The Algorithm. If you see a story I should see, tell me. I'm on Instagram, TikTok, X and Bluesky.

Coming up this morning. Did we do it? Did we end racism? Why the NFL is getting rid of the end zone message for the super bowl and how it squares with what the league is saying about their commitment to diversity.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:49:00]

BLACKWELL: So we've been tracking how prominent businesses across the U.S. are retreating from their commitments to divestment, equity and inclusion. The NFL strategy is not so easy to pin down. So for the first time since 2021, the NFL is now removing its "End Racism" end zone stencil for the Super Bowl. The league is replacing it with "Choose Love" and "It Takes All Of Us."

The shift comes as President Donald Trump says he will attend the game, but the NFL says the change has nothing to do with him showing up. In fact, the league is doing something that the president probably does not like, keeping a commitment to diversity.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROGER GOODELL, NFL COMMISSIONER: I believe that our diversity efforts have led to making the NFL better. It's attracted better talent. We think we're better when we get different perspectives, people with different backgrounds, whether they're women or men or people of color.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: The game and the events around it will be steeped in black culture.

[08:50:00]

The logo is a tribute to black masking culture, a mix of African and Native American heritage. New Orleans native and Grammy Award winning artist Leticia will perform Lift Every Voice and Sing before the game. Kendrick Lamar headline in the halftime show with SZA. Both teams will be led on the field by black quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts.

Let's talk about all this with Terence Moore. He's a contributor Forbes Sports. He joins us from New Orleans where he asked Goodell the question as you describe it in your article Forbes about DEI. Terence, good to see you. Thank you for being with me.

Let me read. Excuse me, the question the White House has gone to war against diversity. Majority of NFL owners have been supportive of the Republican Party.

What gives you confidence that none of that is going to affect all the things you're saying in that the NFL believes in diversity? That was your question to Roger Goodell. What did he tell you?

TERENCE MOORE, CONTRIBUTOR, FORBES: Well, he told me what he was going to tell me, which was virtually nothing. I mean, sometimes listening to Roger Goodell is like eating cotton candy and, you know, eat it tastes good for a little while, but there's nothing there.

But he had to say what he had to say, which was nothing simply because, Victor, I mean, let's face it. I mean, you look at these owners and USA Today did this survey last year with his last political cycle that showed that From January of 2023 through October of last year up to the presidential election that 83 percent of the donations by NFL owners were to conservative causes or to candidates. OK?

So it would be almost foolish to believe that given what's going on in the White House right now with the war on diversity, that these NFL owners would not want to give in the way that say, Target and Walmart and McDonald's and Ford has when it comes to DEI programming.

And here's the thing, the other thing about Roger Goodell. Roger Goodell has got to say what he's got to say, which is again, nothing to support the owners. This is a guy whose bosses are all together now, the NFL owners who just signed him to a new contract two years ago for $65 million at least. So he's got to go along with the company line.

BLACKWELL: Entertainers aside, because the last, what, four, maybe five halftime shows have been black artists. And we talked about Leticia. And I'm going to talk about a little more later. Is there any fruit of this NFL commitment to DEI?

MOORE: Well, I mean, we've all seen this before. I mean, it's all a cover up for all the other things that are going on or not going on in the National Football League. And let's start with the biggie, OK. The head coaching situation is still atrocious. OK. You talk about at the beginning of this season, you had six African American head coaches, two of which were fired after the season, after one year. OK.

And then with this current hiring cycle, at the end of the season, there were six openings, only one African American head coach that was hired as Aaron Glenn with the New York Jets. In other words, to answer your question, and we've seen this all throughout society.

You see, it's almost like follow the shiny object over here while we're doing this over here, we're allowed from an African American standpoint to be the entertainers and those type of things. But when it comes to like the real work of the National Football League, when it comes to, like, for instance, decision making jobs, still very lacking.

BLACKWELL: Terence, what's the explanation for removing End Racism from the end zone? I mean, they say that it has nothing to do with Trump. OK, then what does it have to do with?

MOORE: Oh, it has everything to do with Donald Trump. OK, go back, Victor, to what I just said before about what the leanings of these ownerships. And let's go a little bit deeper here. OK? Who is Donald Trump when it comes to National Football League? Let's don't forget that back in the 1980s, Donald Trump tried his hardest becoming an NFL owner. He was rejected every single time.

So helped form the USFL, a rival league. And then when he formed that league, his intention was to have it merged with NFL. That didn't work. So he took a -- took him to court over that. Then let's jump ahead to when he's the president. The first time, Colin Kaepernick. He called Colin Kaepernick every name in the book for kneeling during the national anthem, as a matter of fact, went further than that, Donald Trump and called NFL owners SOBs.

Here's where I'm going with this. You look at the current war, not only against diversity with the current administration, but it's no secret that he's going after his enemies, Donald Trump, you got to think that the NFL owners know that. So he's coming to the Super Bowl on Sunday, and the last thing they want to do is alienate this guy with end racism in the end zone, even though you got Nazis marching in Cincinnati.

BLACKWELL: Terence Moore making points. Thank you so much for being with me this morning. Enjoy the Super Bowl.

MOORE: Thank you.

BLACKWELL: Quick break. We'll be back.

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[08:59:18]

BLACKWELL: So there are going to be a plenty of big name performers at tomorrow's Super Bowl. But Southern University's Human Jukebox will kick things off.

HBCU bands have been part of the festivities since the first halftime show. And the Baton Rouge Bass Marching Band will be headlining the pregame festivities in Caesar's Superdome.

Now this is not their first time. The band's director says they've performed at the Super Bowl seven times. So to all the members of Southern University's Human Jukebox, I see you.

Keep up with me on the show and Instagram, TikTok, X, Bluesky, CNN.com. You can also listen to our podcast.

[09:00:00]

Also, remember to tune in for the conclusion of the CNN original series "Kobe: The Making of a Legend." That's tonight at 9 on CNN.

Thank you for joining me today. Good luck to the Eagles. Good luck to the Chiefs. Drake, you're in my heart. It's going to be a rough game. See you next Saturday at 8.

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