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First of All with Victor Blackwell

Trump Defends Refugee Status For White South Africans; NJ Dems Pushed Back On Claims They "Body Slammed" ICE Agents; DHS: In Beginning Of "Vetting Process" For Reported Immigrant Reality T.V. Show; Cassie Ventura Wraps Up Four Days & Nearly 20 Hours Of Testimony; Danity Kane's Dawn Richard, Who Starred With Combs On "Making The Band", Takes The Stand. Plea Deal Offered To L.A. Deputy Convicted In Controversial Arrest; Maryland Governor Vetoes Reparations Study Bill. Aired 8-9a ET

Aired May 17, 2025 - 08:00   ET

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


[08:00:47]

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: First of all, President Trump is right to say that people in danger should be offered help and safety regardless of race. So why is the United States, why is the president not living up to that? Right now, resettled in the U.S. not from the Congo, from Sudan, Afghanistan, Haiti. The only exception is South Africa, specifically Afrikaners, a white minority group of landowners that's claiming discrimination. Here's President Trump on Friday defending the fairness of prioritizing white South Africans.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If I see people in distress, I don't care what color, what they look like, what anything, their size, their height, their eyes, I don't care. But I think that from all evidence, the farmers in South Africa are being treated brutally and it's been reported and nobody wants to cover it, but they happen to be white, and if they were black, I'd do the exact same thing. And we treat people very well when we see there's a genocide going on. So if it's a genocide, that's terrible, and I happen to believe it could very well be so we've made a home, and we'll make a home for other people that are treated badly, no matter what their color.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: A flight carrying the first group of 59 South Africans arrived on Monday. On that same day, the Secretary of Homeland Security addressed the termination of temporary protected status for Afghans. It's set to expire Monday the 19th. The Secretary of Homeland Security said in a statement that we reviewed the conditions in Afghanistan with our interagency partners and they do not meet the requirements for TPS designation. Kristi Noem cites an improved security situation and stabilizing economy. Afghanistan is run by the Taliban.

Bishop Sean Rowe of the Episcopal Church came out this week to say it's wrong for the U.S. to make a home, as the president put it, for white South Africans, but then not do the same for Afghans. As a result, Bishop Rowe says the church is withdrawing from the U.S. refugee resettlement program.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REV. SEAN W. ROWE, PRESIDING BISHOP OF THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH: We had people waiting on airplanes, we had people who have helped our country that have been translators for our military, that have been patriots for this country that are waiting in camps while white Afrikaners are being let in on a fast track. We just -- we feel like that is a moral matter we can't participate in.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: So a lot to talk about with Tricia McLaughlin. She's back with us. She's the Assistant Secretary for Public affairs at the Department of Homeland Security.

Tricia, welcome back.

Let me start here. Despite the president's repeated reference, can we just start this conversation by agreeing that Afrikaners are not facing genocide?

TRICIA MCLAUGHLIN, ASST. SECRETARY FOR PUBLIC AFFAIRS. DEPT. OF HOMELAND SECURITY: Absolutely not. First of all, I have to correct the facts, Victor. You said that no refugees were let in under President Donald Trump since January 20, 8,666 individuals have been granted asylum. Those people have faced persecution for their politics, persecution for the color of their skin, their religion. And that includes those 59 Afrikaners who came in this country last week who have faced racial violence at the hands of their own government.

They've had their land seized because of the color of their skin. There's been over 140 laws enacted that are race based and to discriminate against racial minorities. So, I got to correct the facts where you're on, Victor, and you're wrong.

BLACKWELL: Several things, President Ramaphosa says that although the law was signed in January that would give the government the purview to take the land, no land has been taken from Afrikaners. Also, that's President Ramaphosa. He'll be at the White House this week. Take it up with him.

Also, the definition of genocide is aimed at extermination, right. And so although there is violence in South Africa, there's violence against black South Africans, too. So when the president says that there is genocide, where is the evidence?

[08:05:00]

The U.S. has not recognized officially genocide. The United Nations has not recognized genocide. And for the thousands of people who you say were let into this country who've been granted asylum, I'm talking under the Refugee Resettlement program which the president froze by executive order early in his administration. So --

MCLAUGHLIN: Victor, can we take a pause and --

BLACKWELL: Sure.

MCLAUGHLIN: -- recognize the fact that you are defending race based discrimination? You are defending race based violence --

BLACKWELL: I'm not defending. I'm not defending race based discrimination in any way. The president uses the term genocide. There is no genocide in South Africa. And frankly, it does a disservice to people in countries around the world who are facing genocide, in the Congo, in Sudan, those who faced it in Rwanda and Bosnia and Cambodia. So when the president says --

MCLAUGHLIN: Exactly, Victor. Exactly. And that's exactly why we were taking

BLACKWELL: -- that there is genocide in South Africa, it does not exist. We should probably just start with that truth.

MCLAUGHLIN: OK. If you're going to allow me on your program, I'd like to speak.

BLACKWELL: You're welcome to.

MCLAUGHLIN: Again, we have invite -- we have granted asylum to 8,666 individuals since January 20, regardless of color or creed. It is quite frankly, disturbing to me that members of the media, including people who are on this very network, are trying to whitewash the facts and whitewash the fact that these individuals have faced discrimination, racial violence, the seizure of their land based on nothing but their skin color alone. This is the United States of America, a land of opportunity. And we will help those who are facing persecution from the government of South Africa.

BLACKWELL: So you clearly are not going to acknowledge there's no genocide in South Africa. What about the genocide in the Congo? Will there be this expedited path available to the Congolese and to the Sudanese who are facing actual genocide?

MCLAUGHLIN: Again, Victor, 8666 individuals have been granted asylum.

BLACKWELL: You have a specific number on asylum. How many of those are from the Congo, from the Sudan?

MCLAUGHLIN: I'm happy to come back next week and give you -- lay out all the single facts. But the fact that you have not addressed the fact that we have helped these individuals who are facing persecution, and you seem to want to whitewash the fact that these -- that South Afrikaners are facing persecution. And I can't understand why. And I think a lot of Americans can't understand why. And it's left to believe that it's because of the color of their skin, Victor.

BLACKWELL: So you suggest that I am the one here who is focused on color of skin when the president -- MCLAUGHLIN: Yes.

BLACKWELL: -- has let in Afrikaners specifically. And I'm asking how many of those who are actually facing genocide who are from the Sudan and who are from Congo who are being led in under some expedited path that the president has created for Afrikaners?

MCLAUGHLIN: I don't know how many times I have to repeat this fact, 8,666 --

BLACKWELL: Sure. What you're not giving --

MCLAUGHLIN: -- individuals have -- if you will let me speak.

BLACKWELL: You've repeated the number.

MCLAUGHLIN: Have faced persecution --

BLACKWELL: You haven't answered the question.

MCLAUGHLIN: -- are given asylum. I'm exactly answering the question. Regardless of color or creed, we will allow you into this country if you are facing persecution and you go through the proper vetting. You can be from the Congo, you can be from Rwanda. We are letting those in who are facing persecution, Victor.

BLACKWELL: I'll look for those numbers. Let's talk about -- I got a follow up here from what you told me last week on the arrest of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka at the ICE facility in his city in Newark. I'm going to play here on the left side of the screen what you described, what you say happened there. And on the right side of the screen, I'm going to show the video of the mayor going into the facility, passing through the gates. So let's play those simultaneously.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MCLAUGHLIN: What happened as -- that these members of Congress, including the mayor as well, in a mob of protesters as there was a bus full of detainees going through the gate, they stormed the gate and actually entered the first security checkpoint.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: And so the video that the mayor posted on his social media also showed him, let's play that now. This is the mayor walking through the gate after being welcome. Play the video that's in preview. This is the mayor how he actually got into the facility, right? There's no bus.

There's no mob of people storming in. The members of Congress in this are not even with him. So how do you reconcile what you say happened and what the video showed of how the mayor got onto that facility's property?

MCLAUGHLIN: Victor, it must have been a mistake by your team because last week, as soon as I was after the show, I sent your team the video where these individuals, these members of Congress and the mayor were storming that facility. So --

BLACKWELL: Tricia --

MCLAUGHLIN: -- I'm sure you guys have that other video. You are welcome to share it.

BLACKWELL: We do have that video. That's the next question.

[08:10:00]

MCLAUGHLIN: Please share it.

BLACKWELL: That's the next question.

MCLAUGHLIN: Please share it.

BLACKWELL: But rerack that video -- rerack the video I just showed of the mayor being welcomed in by this security person, right? This is how the mayor got onto the facility's property. You said they stormed in next to a bus.

MCLAUGHLIN: They did storm and you're not showing the video, Victor.

BLACKWELL: How did that happen?

MCLAUGHLIN: You are not showing the vic -- the video. I'd love for you to show the video as well where a sitting Congresswoman LaMonica McIver was body slamming, body ramming, striking with her fist, pushing, shoving, whatever you want to call it, assaulting ICE officers. Exactly. We American people should know who's in that facility that they are so desperately trying to get out. Members of MS-13, known terrorists, child rapists, murderers.

These are the worst of the worst, Victor. And the fact that these city members of Congress and this mayor continue to defend these actions is wrong.

BLACKWELL: Sure. We're now playing the video that you posted after our interview. This is the video you posted.

MCLAUGHLIN: Yes.

BLACKWELL: You claim that Congresswoman LaMonica McIver body slammed someone. That was your term. Not a term --

MCLAUGHLIN: Yes.

BLACKWELL: -- I introduced.

MCLAUGHLIN: Yes.

BLACKWELL: I looked up body slam because I thought I meant -- I knew what it meant when you sent videos that you claimed show a body slam. Oxford, Cambridge, those dictionaries say that it's a wrestling move where someone is lifted off the ground and slammed onto the ground. I don't see that in this video. So -- MCLAUGHLIN: Victor --

BLACKWELL: -- how do you --

MCLAUGHLIN: Victor, Body slammed, body rammed, punch, shoved, push whatever you want to call it, if you all whitewash --

BLACKWELL: Not what I want to call it. What you want to call it.

MCLAUGHLIN: Look at that right there. If you want to -- viewers watch for themselves that that's fitting for a sitting member of Congress to be assaulting ICE officers.

BLACKWELL: OK. Let me get you last thing here on this game show that's being pitched to the Department of Homeland Security. This is the producer who is pitching this. We've got some sound from him. His name is Rob Worsoff. Let's play what he describes this show as, immigrants competing for American citizenship. Let's play it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROB WORSOFF, REALITY SHOW PRODUCER: I think they're taking it seriously. I feel good about it. You know, I'm not the Department of Homeland Security, so I can't tell you the whirlwind of the last 24 to 48 hours since my pitch document was leaked to somebody in the press. I don't know where they stand exactly now, but I feel like we're trending in a good way. And I want to -- I look forward -- I mean, I have interest from networks, I have interest from production companies to pair with, and I feel good about it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: And so he says that the department is taking it seriously. Is DHS taking this pitch seriously?

MCLAUGHLIN: Victor, I receive hundreds of pitches a year for scripted shows, for docuseries on anything from TSA to FEMA to U.S. Coast Guard to Secret Service to CBP to ICE. We review them all thoroughly. We give everyone a shot to make their pitch. But this is still in the very beginning phases. Secretary Noem is not even aware of this pitch or sure, wasn't until this Daily Mail fake story came out that she was backing it.

So, again, I haven't even reviewed the pitch doc. So, we'll take a look.

BLACKWELL: So you haven't reviewed the pitch doc has someone in the department for him to say they're taking it seriously. He's had several meetings. Is this something -- well, let me -- let me rephrase the question because you've answered that one, why consider after all that we've discussed how serious who's being brought into this country, the refugee program, immigration, literally turning it into a game? Why consider that?

MCLAUGHLIN: Victor, we get hundreds of pitches, pitch decks, and they go to one person's office and they're reviewed. Again, I have not reviewed that pitch deck. So for you to say we're taking anything seriously is just not true.

BLACKWELL: I asked if you're taking it seriously, but you gave your answer. Tricia McLaughlin, always good to have you on the show. Thanks so much.

MCLAUGHLIN: Thanks, Victor.

BLACKWELL: All right, a flood of revelations are coming out of the Sean "Diddy" Combs trial. A former member of Danity Kane, Dawn Richard, takes the stand after star witness Cassie Ventura wraps nearly 20 hours of testimony. We'll break down where the case goes from here.

[08:14:28]

Plus, a controversial plea deal in Los Angeles offered up by a new Trump appointed prosecutor for a sheriff's deputy already convicted of excessive force against a black woman. Attorneys for both sides are here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: The first week of the testimony in the sex trafficking trial against Sean Combs ended with a former member of one of Combs musical groups on the witness stand. Dawn Richard says that she saw Combs attack Cassie Ventura in 2009. Richard is suing Combs in federal court, accusing him of sexual assault and battery. She'll be back on the witness stand on Monday.

Now, the star witness of the week, though, was Cassie Ventura, Combs's former girlfriend. Her civil suit against Combs led to this trial in part, and the singer and actress recounted how she met Combs when she was a teenager, worked with them under contract at his record label, and eventually became his girlfriend. She answered questions about how the alleged abuse began, how it led to the so called freak offs. She said that she was coerced into participating in and coordinating.

[08:20:13]

Her week on the stand ended with Combs defense lawyers interrogating Ventura about the incident seen on surveillance video of Combs attacking Ventura in a hallway at a hotel. And while under cross examination, she discussed her inpatient treatment for mental health problems and taking medication for opioid addiction.

With us now, trial attorney, legal analyst and crisis manager Monique Pressley. She's also the host of the daily show "Make It Make Sense with Monique Pressley." Thank you for being with me.

So let's start with the defense here because their lift this week was to convince the jury that Cassie Ventura was willingly engaging in these freak offs in this activity, that she was not forced, she was not coerced. It's up to the jury to determine that. But how much progress do you think they made on that path?

MONIQUE PRESSLEY, ATTORNEY, LEGAL ANALYST AND CRISIS MANAGER: I think that the defense did what they were supposed to do this week because though you call it a lift, obviously where the burden is concerned, the burden is on the prosecution to prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt, the highest standard in the law. And the defense doesn't have to prove anything right now. Sometimes it looks like burden shifting and it looks like there's a case that has to be made on the other side, but that's not true. So I think because we heard a significant amount of testimony from Ms. Ventura that maybe the jury could take either way. The defense did not have as hard of a job this week as I thought they would.

BLACKWELL: Yes. And you're right to point out that the onus is on the prosecutors. The defense can simply stand up and have nothing to say. It's totally up to the prosecutor. So let's move to that side of the courtroom.

I had a judge on earlier this morning who said that she doesn't see a racketeering conviction. I reminded her we're a week into an eight week trial, so there's more to come. But what do you see as it relates to that specific charge and what we heard from the Ventura testimony and just the earliest part of Dawn Richard's testimony.

PRESSLEY: Right. And I've got to agree with that judge. What I said I spoke with your dear colleague Laura earlier in the week and I said I don't see it yet. That doesn't mean we won't see it. But because Ms. Ventura has been promoted as the star witness, I don't think it's established there.

And here's why. I think that there's a good bit of time being spent on domestic abuse. And while the domestic abuse is hideous, it is horrible, there's no justifying it, he's not charged with it, Victor. So they're using it in order to show that there was this environment of coercion. But there's several things that Ms. Ventura said that lean the other way.

So whether it was the initial questioning where she said the reason why she started doing the freak offs was because she loved him, whether it was her testimony that she started to view it really was like a job that she was the person who was making the arrangements. She was the person who was contacting the travel agent for the escorts. She was the person who was selecting the different escorts based on certain parameters. None of that testimony necessarily goes to what the prosecution is hoping to prove.

But here's the other thing I'll point out. The jury may be looking at Ms. Ventura as a conspirator, as a willing participant in a criminal enterprise. That doesn't necessarily mean that there wasn't a criminal enterprise. It just means to me that the prosecution is going a long way to try to prove that Ms. Ventura was forced into an action that I think they can get their proof on where Mr. Combs is concerned, whether Ms. Ventura was involved by force or whether she was involved by choice, it would still be a crime if they can use the rest of the time they have in this trial to show that the racketeering and the sex trafficking actual existed.

BLACKWELL: Interesting. So, Dawn Richard, she had faced a few questions on Friday. She'll be back on the stand on Monday. The difference -- one of the differences here is that Cassie Ventura's civil case against Combs and his companies, that's been settled. Richard's civil case -- lawsuit is still pending.

Does that impact how these attorneys approach her? If they try to color this as some way of, I guess, supporting her civil case, how does that difference impact the approach to these witnesses?

[08:25:02]

PRESSLEY: I think that that can be argued either way. For instance, where the fact of that Ms. Ventura's case, her civil case has already settled and the money's already been received, to me, that doesn't go count against her. Perhaps it counts to her credibility because she chose to participate in the criminal trial anyway. However, where Ms. Richard is concerned, the fact that she is participating when frankly a criminal conviction may harm her ability to recover, it may harm Mr. Combs ability to have the finances, the funding to be able to pay any recovery. So there are risks either way.

I just think that as people are watching, they need to remember trials involve humans and humans are messy. So you don't have any purity tests in terms of your witnesses on the stand and has never done anything wrong or your defendant is on the stand and has never done anything right. There's a lot going on both sides and it really is up to the jury to ferret that out as long as they are given the right facts and the proper instructions from the judge about the law.

BLACKWELL: Monique Pressley, helping us understand it. Thank you so much for joining me this morning.

PRESSLEY: Thanks for having me.

BLACKWELL: All right. A Trump appointed prosecutor plea deal offer for sheriff's jeopardy already convicted of excessive forces setting off controversy. The deputy's attorney says it's the right call. The attorney for the black woman seen being thrown to the ground says it's illegal. Both are here next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:31:02]

BLACKWELL: Civil rights activists in Los Angeles are really in an uproar over a decision made by the new Trump appointed interim L.A. District Attorney. The DA offered a post-trial plea deal to a former officer convicted of using excessive force on a black woman during a shoplifting investigation.

The former deputy, Trevor Kirk was found guilty in February of using excessive force after throwing a woman to the ground outside a supermarket. The actual conviction was on deprivation of rights under color of law. This happened two years ago. The deputy was responding to a robbery in the area and thought that she fit the suspect's description. Here's just some of what happened next.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, you can't touch me. You can't touch me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stop. Get down on the ground. Get on the ground. Stop.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Once the deputy throws her onto the ground, he pins her, then into place a knee on her. The woman screams that she can't breathe and shortly after Deputy Kirk sprays her face with pepper spray. Under the current conviction, Kirk would be found guilty of felony and then face up to 10 years in jail.

The plea deal would change the felony conviction to a misdemeanor, reduced the sentence to one year in jail. But the prosecution has signaled it was willing to recommend a year of probation instead. The judge in the case will consider the plea deal at Kirk sentencing hearing on Monday.

Now in a moment, I'll speak to the civil rights attorney calling this deal illegal. But first joining us is Trevor Kirk's attorney, Tom Yu. Tom, good morning to you. So your has already been convicted. A jury has found him guilty of this felony. Why should that jury's finding that verdict be set aside?

TOM YU, TREVOR KIRK'S ATTORNEY: Well, because under the law a prosecutor can make that motion as long as there's some basis for that U.S. attorney to make that motion. It's subject to the court's approval, and once that's approved, it is lawful and it is legal to do that.

BLACKWELL: But your request to have this verdict set aside that I read it doesn't suggest that there's any jury misconduct, that the jury did anything wrong, right?

YU: Yes, sir. So let me just kind of set the record straight. This misdemeanor plea was always on the table prior to the jury trial beginning. This was offered to Deputy Kirk in December of 2024. And I just want to make sure this is on the record that I'm not suggesting there's anything that the jury did wrong.

The law allows a prosecutor to make this motion even after a post- verdict or even after, if a defendant gets convicted, to undo the verdict and to recommend or even dismiss the case.

BLACKWELL: OK, two things. The woman in the video, her attorney is going to join us next, and she says it's illegal, so we'll hear that side of it. However, when you say it's always been on the table, at some point, you took it off the table on your client's behalf, right? Because it got to the jury to deliberate, you rejected that offer, and then Mr. Kirk was convicted.

So to say that it was always on the table, that can't be true, because the jury got to actually deliberate and deliver a verdict. Am I wrong?

YU: You're not wrong in that, but that's only half the story. I mean, the misdemeanor plea was not something that was fabricated or came in after Mr. Trump was elected, as a lot of the mainstream media has suggested. This misdemeanor plea, sir, was always on the table, meaning the Biden administration's DOJ offer that to Deputy Kirk in December2024.

[08:35:09] And you're right, we did take it off the table, but it was not completely off the table. And then it's still on the table. In which if the judge is not --

BLACKWELL: Which that completely off the table, if you say no and then take your chance with the jury, then it's not an option anymore. I mean, so here's the follow up, 'cause we're running low on this half of the conversation. What then -- why this case over any other?

Because if there is a plea deal offered to anyone who's on trial and then say no, we're not going to take it. But after the jury finds me guilty, I'll go back and try to get that deal that would put me in a much better position than I am now.

Why does this case deserve that? Because everybody would want that deal.

YU: Right. Well, Deputy Kirk was, in our view, doing his job the way he was trained to do. And that's the short of it is that he was trying to do his job. Yes, there was a verdict. We respect the verdict. However, we respect but do not agree with it. And hence this process allows a prosecutor to review the case in light of their view to ascertain whether or not they should seek a dismissal or a lesser charge like in this case.

BLACKWELL: All right, Tom Yu, thank you very much. Now let's bring in attorney Caree Harper. Her client is the woman thrown to the ground by former Deputy Kirk. Thank you for being here. Your reaction? What you just heard from Tom Yu.

CAREE HARPER, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Well, thank you for having me, sir. First off, and Mr. Yu's statements were totally ridiculous. He did not answer your question. He did not give you one single reason why his client should get this post-verdict sweetheart, misdemeanor deal. Getting this deal would put his client back on patrol at a city near you. OK, let's just keep it straight. If he doesn't have a felony conviction, he can still apply and receive a job as a peace officer.

In fact, our investigations have led us to believe that he already has a job out of state as long as he doesn't get caught with this felony on his record. Also, it is incorrect. Mr. Yu's statement is wholly false in that Mr. Kirk was performing his duties in the way that he was trained to do. The jury found the exact opposite.

They heard the testimony was of my expert and the prosecution's expert, Roger Clark. That said, he totally performed below standard. He failed at his job. He is not a hero doing his job and just made a mistake. No, he was wrong and intentional.

Furthermore, it should be known, let's set the record straight, that Deputy Kirk has a pattern of violence against women. He was arrested in January 2023 for beating his wife and throwing her down in the exact fashion that he threw my client down.

BLACKWELL: OK, so let me say a couple of things. CNN has not confirmed. We don't have any information about another job offer or domestic violence against a previous partner. But let me ask you the same question that I asked Mr. Yu. Why this case against? I mean, he says it's legal, that there can be a post-conviction plea deal. I have never heard of it. Of course, I'm not an attorney. But why this case and this offer now?

HARPER: Because there are a lot of MAGA supporters that have taken this deputy up as their poster boy for wrongdoing against peace officers. And now they have a sympathetic ear in the new administration. So there are local folks here that were campaigning with the president and who asked him to literally intervene and issue a pardon in this case.

So that's why now it's because it's a new administration and they want to set some type of tone about how they're going tolerate police misconduct. Also, it's public record. Mr. Kirk's arrest for domestic violence, January 2024. I misspoke. 2024 is public record. It was covered by most of the news stations when it occurred. So he has a pattern. There is. And in the cases where the court has corrected and allowed a post-verdict plea, there's been an error on the parts of the prosecution or there's a showing of good cause. There is no cause. As a matter of fact, it's bad cause.

BLACKWELL: Caree Harper, thank you so much for being part of the conversation this morning.

HARPER: Thank you for having me.

BLACKWELL: All right. A surprise veto from the only black governor in the country putting an effort at studying reparations in jeopardy. How Wes Moore is explaining this decision.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:44:37]

BLACKWELL: All right now, the stories that hit my algorithm this week that you might not have seen on TV. A bill to create a commission to study reparations in Maryland is being blocked by the Governor. The veto is an unexpected move by Wes Moore, currently the only black governor in the country.

In a surprise letter announcing the move, the governor explains, while I appreciate the work that went into this legislation, I strongly believe now is not the time for another study.

[08:45:04]

Now is the time for continued action that delivers results for the people we serve. The Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland is not happy, they wrote back in response. We owe this bill to those who endured forced labor and all black Marylanders impacted by enslavement, discrimination and its long term harm.

As federal efforts to erase our history and attack the most vulnerable continued, Marylanders need decisive, courageous action at the state level and they end by saying the legislature will have the final say. According to the AP, Maryland has the largest black caucus in the nation's state legislatures.

Now Florida has one public HBCU and there's a lot of controversy over the woman picked to be its next president. If you know anybody from FAMU, you probably heard about this.

The school's board of trustees nominated Marva Johnson as president elect during a meeting Friday. Now she's a lobbyist executive for Charter Communications, a telecom company. She's also a former member of the State Board of Education. Johnson had been appointed to the state board by Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Rick Scott.

All that has generated pushback to her candidacy, including from film producer and alumnus of FAMU. Also a big donor, Will Packer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILL PACKER, FILM PRODUCER, FAMU ALUM AND DONOR: While troubling, Marva's political affiliations alone are not the reason this has so many people up in arms. It is her lack of Higher Education administration experience, her lack of HBCU experience, her lack of cultural connectivity to the very community that she is asking to lead. That's why folks are up in arms.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Thousands of people have signed a petition to block her from this position. Johnson was grilled just this week at a forum and promised that she was not a, quote, Trojan horse to dismantle FAMU.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARVA JOHNSON, FAMU PRESIDENT-ELECT: Had a storied history of working across the aisles with legislators in every party, with leaders of across multiple states, across multiple levels of government in order to advocate for the things that are necessary in order to accomplish the goals of my employer.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: The board of governors still has to approve Johnson's nomination.

In this week's Art is Life, the voice you know shares the blues like you've never heard them before. Morgan Freeman is up next on the inspiration behind his symphonic belous experience.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:52:10] BLACKWELL: Clarksdale is on my mind lately. Mississippi Town. It's the setting for the hit movie "Sinners" so good. The film is bringing new attention to Clarksdale's history as the birthplace of the blues. Someone devoted to preserving that history is also its most famous resident, Morgan Freeman. And now he's working to share the blues in a totally different way.

For this week's Art is Life, we caught up with the iconic actor and his business partner, Eric Meier to talk about their Passion Project, a "Symphonic Blues Experience." It blends the narration by Morgan Freeman, the Delta blues and an orchestra.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MORGAN FREEMAN, ACTOR: I grew up in the Delta and as far back as I can remember old guys drinking hooch and strumming guitars and singing these songs. Is there a truth that anybody ever wanted to tell about love and angst and desire. We're called gut buckets down there.

ERIC MEIER. EP, MORGAN FREEMAN'S SYMPHONIC BLUES EXPERIENCE: We'd seen a hip hop band out of Australia do this and could we do the same thing here with blues and symphony.

FREEMAN: A lot of people, I think it's hard to imagine this blues being able to combine with classical music.

MEIER: The beauty of this is to take a song that's sung by a rhythm section of guitar and bass and drums and keyboard and then scale it to a 50 piece symphony.

FREEMAN: It all sort of slides in together.

MEIER: So our performance actually spans virtually 100 years. We start out the performance in 1930s and go to modern day. Yes, I mean I think the idea is novel.

FREEMAN: We have just about everybody we can think of around the globe wants us to visit and do this. That tells us that there is an audience for it and it spread pretty wide and when you see it, you hear it. It's a wonderful experience. It's like oh man. Oh, wow.

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[08:55:10]

BLACKWELL: Morgan Freeman's "Symphonic Blues Experience" is going on tour in the US. It kicks off on July 25th with the San Francisco Symphony. There'll be 25 performances, including in Chicago, New York, Central Park. You can check out more of the project on their YouTube page.

Now, if you see something or someone I should see, tell me. I'm on Instagram and TikTok and X and Bluesky. You missed a conversation or story, check out our show's website and you can listen to our show as a podcast. Before we go, a reminder to tune in tonight for the combo you never

knew you needed. Billy Porter in Mykonos, Greece. A new episode of "My Happy Place" airs tomorrow night at 10:00pm Eastern and Pacific only on CNN.

Thank you so much for joining me today. I'll see you back here next Saturday at 8:00 a.m. Eastern. Smerconish is up after the break.

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