April 23, 2025 • 28 mins
Is the world ready for a Black Pope? Ramses Ja and Q Ward cover this story and more on today's midweek memo.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
A man who needs no introduction.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
The Black Information Network is committed to bringing you up
to the date news stories that are relevant, informative, and inspiring.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
And while news stories are always being updated and others
are breaking, we understand that you need to be in
the know all week long.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Welcome to your Midweek Memo on the Black Information Network
Daily Podcast with Me ramses Jah and I Am q
Ward all Right. First up from the Black Information Network.
Several Black cardinals have emerged as front runners to become
the next pope. Due to reforms by Pope Francis, the
field of candidates is more wide open than ever. The
(00:39):
late pope changed the composition of the body that will
elect his successor, adding representation from across the world. An
old unwritten rule automatically made bishops of certain dioceses into cardinals.
Francis instead gave red hats to bishops in parts of
the world that never had them before, including Tonga Haiti
and Papua New Guinea. Stills will consider cardinals who have
(01:01):
the skills, experience and personality suitable for leading The Roman
Catholic Church. Age could also remain a factor in the
popul election, as the last two conclaves opted for older
popes to ensure shorter pontificates. Contenders for Francis's successor include
seventy six year old Peter Turkson of Ghana and seventy
nine year old Robert Sarah of Guinea, both of whom
(01:22):
would be the first black pope in centuries, CNN reports. So,
you know, you know, I recognize that this is the
Black information network, and you know, black people, there's a
higher percent of us, you know, who are you know,
we go to Black church as it were. Then there
(01:42):
are Catholics, but there are a significant number of Catholics still,
certainly with you know, the Afro Latino communities, and so
the passing of the pope is certainly something you know,
that is noteworthy news across the board. But the fact
that you know, these two bishops are in contention is
certainly something worth discussing. And you know, who's to say
(02:08):
what comes? You know, the church is kind of a
different animal, and I'm not a Catholic person, so you know,
it certainly would mean more to a black Catholic person
one way or the other. But you know, that feels special,
you know, and I remember at different points in time
(02:29):
there were black bishops in contention, but you know, now
feels a little bit more special than in the past,
and it feels more likely as well, So it'll be
interesting to see what happens. And if there was a
black pope at a time when we as a people,
most of us feel we suffered a huge loss with
(02:51):
the last election, that wouldn't be nothing. So you know,
I'm hopeful and excited about what's what's to come.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
Your thoughts, I'm not sure that it would mean more
to a black Catholic person in the way that I'm
not sure it meant more to a black and Asian
person when Kamala Harris became the vice president in this
time where they're still first black, you know, dot dot dot,
I think those things mean so much to black people
(03:21):
in general. An interesting thing about this time is you
and I have to just, by the nature of what
we do, be very, very informed and pay a lot
of attention to what's going on. And I'm sure you
notice because we haven't spoken about it spoken about it yet,
members of the GOP seemingly celebrating the passing of the pope,
(03:42):
seemingly putting their thumb in someone's eye. I'm not even
sure who they're targeting at this point, with the amount
of hate and just kind of means spirited, evil rhetoric
that comes out of that party these days. But I
don't even honor her by saying her name. But if
(04:02):
anyone's listening and has been paying attention, they'll know there's
been a particular member of the GOP again almost celebratory
in her tone surrounding this. And you know, there's been
a lot of kind of murmur about the GOP trying
to position their own Maga Catholic people to be in
(04:26):
position to be the new pope as well. So just
something for us to pay attention to. As much as
I want to read this and feel excited, I unfortunately
have kind of lost my hopeful excitement since the election.
Wait and see how these things play out. It would
be a historic thing for there to be a black pope,
especially at this time in the world's history. So you know,
(04:52):
I'll wait with baited breath and see how this works out.
But I am I've kind of lost my ability to
be hopeful for things like this.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
Well, I wouldn't hold that against you, because you know,
we we have to and deserve to recover from the
disappointment that took place late last year, where you know,
there's a there's a not insignificant number of us that
thought that we meant more to our country than what
(05:26):
the country showed us. And so yeah, I understand entirely,
all right. Next up from the Black Information Network, Florida
Representative Byron Donalds defended the Trump administration's attack on DEI
and tech billionaire Elon Musk's work with the Department of
Government Efficiency during a recent town hall. On Monday, Donalds
held the town hall in Estero, Florida, where he pushed
(05:48):
back against criticism of DOGE amid the agency's efforts to
reshape the federal government and cut spending. Per NBC News quote,
if we're going to talk about what oversight is doing,
we actually have to let the DOGE committee the DOGE
Department actually finished its work, donald said at the event
in Estero, Florida. Donalds, who is running for Florida governor,
also defended the Trump administration's efforts to end DEI programs.
(06:12):
The Republican lawmaker claimed that it was a false premise
that somehow minority kids cannot get ahead without DEI initiatives.
In boardrooms and in classrooms, saying it is a lie.
Speaker 3 (06:23):
Quote.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
There's no level playing field in life. It doesn't exist,
Donald said. During Monday's town hall, a man in the
audience spoke out against Donald's comments, telling the congressman he
ought to read a particular book. Donald shot back, telling
the man not to educate me about my life, sir. Quote.
I love how everybody is shouting at me. The black
guy with the microphone in his hand on stage, he said,
(06:46):
don't marginalize my life in what I've done. Don't do that. Pooh,
all right, you manta go first. I'm ready.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
Term gaslight, the term gaslight comes to my I bet
it does. This is such an impossible time to be
an intelligent, informed, empathetic human of any background, of any
(07:20):
religious belief, of any lifestyle choice, of any country of origin.
To be an intelligent, informed, empathetic person that has to
somehow try to share the same reality as people who
have just decided that the twilight zone they've created in
(07:40):
their own bubble is the real world. It's such a
difficult thing to do. Rams If I was not your
brother and co host and business partner, I don't know
that I would have mentally survived this because I think
that the two of us have both had moments of
kind of looking around wondering, Yo am.
Speaker 3 (08:05):
Am I the one that's tripping.
Speaker 2 (08:06):
Yeah, I know what you mean. We got to lean
on each other and make sure we're not like if
I open the door that's outside, right, that's if I
turn on the shower, that's water, right?
Speaker 3 (08:20):
Like? Am I?
Speaker 2 (08:22):
Those are the.
Speaker 3 (08:25):
Sun right? The stars? Or are those lights put up
there to trick me?
Speaker 4 (08:30):
Like?
Speaker 3 (08:30):
It's just this, I know.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
The defense of this administration at this point, especially by
people like Byron Donald's right, the black man with the mic.
That statement alone is why this feels so ridiculous.
Speaker 2 (08:54):
Ahead, yeah, because that's what I was going to say.
Go ahead, no, please, you got let me have this, Okay,
So check it out. I love how everybody's shouting at me,
the black guy with the microphone in his hand on stage,
don't marginalize my life and what I've done. Don't do that. Okay,
(09:16):
So let's take that for a second. Now. To me,
the word that stands out from this person in particular
is black. In other words, he's saying that, despite my blackness,
I'm on this stage and you would marginalize my life.
So he agrees that marginalization is wrong. He doesn't want
(09:37):
it done to him. He agrees that being black is
a special sort of challenge in this country because he's
admitting it by virtue of the statement. The black guy
on the stage with the microphone. No need to say that,
otherwise everyone can see in that room that he's black.
(09:57):
For him to say it on a microphone is to
provide I had some emphasis in this statement, and my
take is that the emphasis is that his blackness has
been a challenge. Okay, So if we agree that blackness
is a challenge in the context of this country, then
let's scroll back up. There's no level playing field in life.
(10:19):
It doesn't exist. Okay, Well, there's the headline, there's no
playing field in life. I'm inclined to agree with him. Okay,
but isn't it the point of an advanced society to
create opportunities for the citizens of that society? And isn't
(10:45):
it fair, based on the trajectory of humanity to regard
each other as people who should have access to life, liberty,
and the pursuit of happiness. Right, or if you don't
(11:05):
want to go throughout all of humanity. You can even
just talk about this country, in the history of this country.
But you know, I think it was doctor King who
said the moral arc of the universe is long, but
it bends toward justice. Right, So for him to say
there's no level playing field in life, I think it
ignores the fact that, well, then why do we have
a government? If it's every man for himself, Why do
(11:28):
we have a government? What is the point of that?
In other words, there are supposed to be things that
are available to society everyone. Everyone should be able to
go to a park. Everyone should be able to go
to a library. Everyone should be able to have access
(11:48):
to fair affordable housing, everyone, not some people. Okay, everyone
should be able to have access to school education, and
the education should be fair, right, And with the history
in this country and redlining and so forth and so on,
we know that that's not the case. And then now
we're talking about systemic oppression. And you know what, now
(12:10):
we're talking about the black guy with the microphone having
to overcome the systemic oppression, right, And so him saying
that there's no level playing field in life, it just
stops the conversation right there. Then what in the world
did we elect you to do did we elect you
to make life easy for some people or all of us?
(12:33):
And so when you said gaslighting, and I just I
don't understand these people, especially when they're black, when they
and they try to use their blackness to somehow suggest well,
I'm black and I overcame every obstacle. Yeah right, you
think that that So you're the exception and everyone should
(12:53):
be the exception.
Speaker 1 (12:55):
Well, yeah, acknowledge if all those things are true, that
you're the exception.
Speaker 2 (12:59):
That's what I'm trying say. And everyone should be the
except norm. So let's look at the data.
Speaker 3 (13:03):
The data.
Speaker 2 (13:04):
The data suggests that you're the exception, You're not the rule.
And for you to look back on everyone else and
say just do what I did, that'd be like Michael
Jordan looking back and saying, well, just do what I
did or you know you, we don't even have to
use those like freakishly talented individuals. There are bound to
be some people that break through, and in his case,
(13:28):
I suspect it's because he played a game of selling
his own people out right, So there are ways to
break through. But remember there's life, liberty and the pursuit
of happiness and you could argue that your own human
dignity should be under one of those headlines. And for
(13:49):
this man who you know is I mean, at least
insofar as his people are concerned, it is not going
to leave this earth with a lot of us regarding
you know, him as a person who has even a
modicum of dignity. To me, that means he sold out
as people you know, Na said told jay Z you
(14:09):
traded your soul for riches. And whether or not that's true,
it doesn't matter. But the bar I think is so
so pertinent right here. And we could say that about
a lot of black people who say this stuff. You know,
and I know that because you and I have we've
had conversations where you know, if we if we if
we're willing to compromise just a little bit on this
one issue, there's some opportunities in that lane for us. No,
(14:32):
that's that's not why we got into this, right, So
don't fall for the gas lighting. You know, everybody in Florida,
if this is your guy, you know, I respect it,
but don't let people gaslight you. Man.
Speaker 3 (14:43):
This is.
Speaker 2 (14:46):
You know your reality and if and if your reality
is the exception, pay attention to the data, and if
you pay attention to the data, you know that a
government should be fixing that data. There is no level
playing field in life, sure, but that's what the government
is for, by the people, for the people, all of
(15:07):
the people.
Speaker 3 (15:10):
Yeah, speaks of the planet.
Speaker 4 (15:12):
I go by the name of Charlamagne and God and
I can't wait to see y'all at the third Annual
Black Effect Podcast Festival.
Speaker 3 (15:17):
That's right.
Speaker 4 (15:17):
Yeah, number three, Baby Black called Black Rose More Black
CEO be coming back to Pullman Yard Saturday Night for
twenty six in Atlanta, posted by none other than Man
dy B and Weeezy. That's right, Decisions, Decisions. The Black
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Speaker 3 (15:33):
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Ready, we got the R and B Money Podcast with
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with Sarah J.
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Choices, neckd Sports with Cherry Champion, and the Trap Nerds.
Podcasts were more to be announced, and of course it's
bigger than podcasts. We're bringing the Black Effect marketplace with
black owned businesses, plus the food truck court to keep
you fed while you visit us. All right, if all
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we got informative panels and you can go to the
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(16:03):
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Speaker 2 (16:10):
This is your midweek memo on the Black Information Network
Daily Podcast with your hosts Rams's Jaw.
Speaker 3 (16:16):
And q Ward. All right.
Speaker 2 (16:19):
Next up from USA Today, Pro Football Hall of Famer
and media personality, Shannon Sharp vehemently denies sexual assault and
battery allegations filed in a lawsuit against him, alleging that
he's the victim of a blatant setup and shakedown attempt.
Sharp has been accused of sexual assault and battery in
addition to engaging in the intentional infliction of emotional distress
and a lawsuit filed in Clark County, Nevada on Sunday.
(16:42):
According to the suit obtained by USA Today Sports, the plaintiff,
listed under the alias Jane Doe, alleged that Sharp sexually
assaulted her twice, once in October twenty twenty four and
again in January twenty twenty five. They met at a
Los Angeles gym in twenty twenty three when she was nineteen.
Speaker 3 (16:58):
One of the.
Speaker 2 (16:59):
Attorneys representing Jane Doe is Tony Buzby, whom Sharp accused
of targeting him. Sharp said he expects Buzby to release
a thirty second clip from a sex tape that tries
to make him look guilty. Quote. This is a shakedown.
I'm going to be open, transparent and defend myself because
this isn't right. Sharp said in an Instagram video on Tuesday.
Goes on to say, this is all being orchestrated by
(17:21):
Tony Busby. I believe that he is going to release
a thirty second clip of a sex tape that tries
to make me look guilty and plays into every stereotype
you can possibly imagine.
Speaker 3 (17:29):
Unquote.
Speaker 2 (17:29):
In a statement to USA Today Sports on Tuesday, Busby said, quote,
mister Sharp is unfortunately a liar. You deserve the lion's
share of this take because you've taught me most everything
about Shannon Sharp. That's my guy. Now. I think he's
(17:50):
so cool, so you know, but you know a lot
more about this world. So I defer to you. I'm
interested in your thoughts here.
Speaker 1 (17:58):
My thoughts are less about shann and Sharp and more
about Tony Busby, the lawyer of the accuser here because
if you wonder why that name sounds so familiar to you,
he is the ambulance chaser, personal jury attorney who represents
high profile Jane does in cases against rich and famous
(18:21):
black men, And that starts the conversation at a really
uncomfortable place for me, because we are collectively as a
society in a place where we do not acknowledge, believe, support, empower,
and protect victims enough. And lawyers like him are the
(18:43):
reason why. Lawyers like him are the reason why people
pause before believing and supporting victims, because lawyers like him
are chasing headlines, are chasing fame, and very intentionally have
a target for people who look like us. And if
he represents twenty people and one of the people that
(19:06):
he represents is legitimate, that's too many. But because of
those other nineteen, it gives everyone pause. He embarrassed himself
and his client with regards to jay Z very recently,
and we read about them in the story and Rolling
Stones very recently as jay Z's now countersuing as that
case fell apart, as the Young Lady's story changed multiple times,
(19:28):
dates didn't coincide with times that people were even in
the same city. Like, it got really really ugly, And
there's a level of discovery and just investigative work that
should have been done by that lawyer before even pursuing
that case. And that brings me to a much larger problem.
There is no punitive punishment or damage done to people
(19:53):
who make false claims, and unfortunately, in the court of
public opinion, simply being accused of something like this can
ruin your reputation forever because the accusation is very loud,
and the headlines are everywhere on every channel, and when
you're proven not guilty, or when the case just falls
apart and doesn't even make it to trial, crickets, and
(20:15):
there are people who will hear your name forever as
the guy who got accused of XYZ, never charged, never convicted,
it doesn't matter. So this attorney's name on this case
made me read the headline, see his name and immediately
disqualify it. That is admittedately not fair to potential victims.
(20:40):
Yeah it's not fair, but this guy has earned that
and unfortunately, choosing him to represent you put you in
that position where the accused is justifiably, which should always
be the case, innocent to approven guilty.
Speaker 2 (21:02):
Well, I don't think I could have said it any
better that that was precisely what happened, and I'm sure
that happened with a lot of people, you know, those
people that are now familiar with Shannon Sharp. It's an
odd thing to think that he would be this like
(21:22):
violent whatever to a woman. But when you introduce you know,
Tony Busby into the conversation, and then of course he released,
you know, the text messages because his legal counsel responded
and they had receipts and everything, and they're like, look,
(21:44):
we're anxious to get this over with, but here's our response.
You know. I was like, yeah, that it seems more
like a shakedown than it even did initially, and so
I admittedly I feel like it's probably nonsense, but I
also have to be mindful of the fact that, you know,
(22:04):
this has to play itself out in court, and unfortunately
now he's going through it, and it may end up
being the case that he's going through it for no
good reason, and he's got to carry that with him
for the rest of his life. Now, because Tony Buzzby
and this lady are looking to get I think they
were trying to get like millions of dollars out of them,
like ten million or something. So that is quite unfortunate
(22:32):
for our final story today. Buckle up from Yahoo News.
Kanye West tweeted on April twenty first about a past
traumatic experience involving a cousin, stating that it inspired his
upcoming song entitled Cousins. In the post, he described an
alleged sexual encounter from childhood and connected it to later
events in his cousin's life. Quote this song is called Cousins,
(22:54):
Kanye wrote on x fondly known as Twitter. He said,
the song is quote about my cousin that's locked in
jail for life for killing a pregnant lady a few
years after I told him we wouldn't look at dirty
magazines together anymore. Kanye claimed he engaged in the activity
as a child and expressed feelings of guilt tied to it.
He wrote, quote, perhaps in my self centered mess, I
(23:17):
felt it was my fault that I showed him those
dirty magazines when he was six, and then we acted
out what we saw unquote. He did not name the
cousin or provide further details about the crime referenced. No
official records have been linked to this claim, and the
identities of the individuals involved have not been confirmed. This
tweet is part of Kanye west recent online activity, where
(23:40):
he has made several personal disclosures. The tweet has sparked
intense comments, with some supporting him, while others questioning yay
about the age difference. I mean, you're on a row man,
you want this one too.
Speaker 1 (23:57):
So there's a thing that happens now when I see
the name Kanye West or or whatever pseudonym he's going
by these days, similar to the great philosopher Kendrick Lamar,
I turned the TV off, phone, or the laptop or
the whatever, because I just he doesn't deserve any more
(24:19):
of my oxygen, any more of my attention. Whether the
things that he says are truly his beliefs, provocateur, attention
grabbing troll missions, some mixture of mental health and narcissism,
(24:40):
I don't know anymore, and I don't care anymore.
Speaker 3 (24:44):
I stop extending grace.
Speaker 1 (24:47):
Years ago, I told as many people in this country
as watched the news, what I felt about that man
in his positions his public positions, because it does not
mean if he really it doesn't matter. Rather, if he
really means the things that he says, it's that he
says him, and he says him in front of as
many people as possible, and does not deny that he
(25:09):
actually means it, so we are all left to believe
that he does.
Speaker 3 (25:13):
If I walk up and call.
Speaker 1 (25:15):
Your mother, your daughter, or your wife the most disrespectful
thing that I can, you don't have to react to it.
But the idea that words don't hurt is nonsense. They
absolutely do. And when you say the most disgusting and
intentionally vile and offensive things to people at muzzle velocity
every time you get an opportunity, in my mind, that's
(25:36):
who you are, and you have no counteraction that shows
you're any different than that. So I'm left with what
you present to me. It is not my job to
psychoanalyze or defend you in some way as some person
who's suffering through something, because you're clearly not doing anything
about it, you're not seeking to help. People that care
about you aren't providing it for you, and you're allowed to,
(25:59):
within pity, be a very vile, offensive and disgusting person
so it doesn't even matter the nature of the story anymore.
The tweet is pretty explicit, and once upon a time
would have been shocking.
Speaker 3 (26:15):
Now it's just Kanye being Kanye.
Speaker 2 (26:18):
Yeah, That's that's what I was thinking too. The you're
you're right and in a moment of vulnerability where he's
you know, leaning into his artistry and making music and
you know, letting people know that sometimes bad things happen
to good people, or whatever his intention could have been,
(26:42):
it feels like he's just doing more and more to
shock people into paying attention to him. And you know,
when you add to this to you know, everything else
that he's done, and recently, what comes to mind is
what he said about jay Z and beyond the children,
and of course all the Nazi jewelry and clothes and
(27:05):
swastikas and the ku Klusklan hoods and all that sort
of stuff, and then what he says in interviews and
all of that. You're right, it's a pattern of behavior,
you know, it's not a cry for help, like a
lot of apologists would suggest, at least in my opinion.
I think we share that opinion. And one thing that
(27:27):
I've learned is that if someone is suffering. That doesn't
give them the right to abuse you because they're suffering.
If someone is on drugs really bad, it doesn't give
them the right to break into your house. You could
love them all you want, you could pray for them,
you can wish the best for them. But if someone
is dealing with some sort of personal demons, it doesn't
(27:50):
give them the right to harm you. And you absolutely
have the right to protect yourself, to stall them out,
and to turn the TV off, you know, like you said,
Q So, I think that's what we're gonna do right here.
So we'll leave it right there. Don't forget. These and
other news stories can be found at binnews dot com.
(28:13):
This has been a production of the Black Information Network.
Today's show is produced by Chris Thompson. Have some thoughts
you'd like to share, use the red microphone talkback feature
on the iHeartRadio app. While you're there, be sure to
hit subscribe and download all of our episodes. I'm your
host ramses Jah on all social media.
Speaker 1 (28:30):
I am Qward on all social media as well, and
join us tomorrow as we share our news with our
voice from our perspective right here on the Black Information
Network Daily Podcast
A man who needs no introduction.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
The Black Information Network is committed to bringing you up
to the date news stories that are relevant, informative, and inspiring.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
And while news stories are always being updated and others
are breaking, we understand that you need to be in
the know all week long.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Welcome to your Midweek Memo on the Black Information Network
Daily Podcast with Me ramses Jah and I Am q
Ward all Right. First up from the Black Information Network.
Several Black cardinals have emerged as front runners to become
the next pope. Due to reforms by Pope Francis, the
field of candidates is more wide open than ever. The
(00:39):
late pope changed the composition of the body that will
elect his successor, adding representation from across the world. An
old unwritten rule automatically made bishops of certain dioceses into cardinals.
Francis instead gave red hats to bishops in parts of
the world that never had them before, including Tonga Haiti
and Papua New Guinea. Stills will consider cardinals who have
(01:01):
the skills, experience and personality suitable for leading The Roman
Catholic Church. Age could also remain a factor in the
popul election, as the last two conclaves opted for older
popes to ensure shorter pontificates. Contenders for Francis's successor include
seventy six year old Peter Turkson of Ghana and seventy
nine year old Robert Sarah of Guinea, both of whom
(01:22):
would be the first black pope in centuries, CNN reports. So,
you know, you know, I recognize that this is the
Black information network, and you know, black people, there's a
higher percent of us, you know, who are you know,
we go to Black church as it were. Then there
(01:42):
are Catholics, but there are a significant number of Catholics still,
certainly with you know, the Afro Latino communities, and so
the passing of the pope is certainly something you know,
that is noteworthy news across the board. But the fact
that you know, these two bishops are in contention is
certainly something worth discussing. And you know, who's to say
(02:08):
what comes? You know, the church is kind of a
different animal, and I'm not a Catholic person, so you know,
it certainly would mean more to a black Catholic person
one way or the other. But you know, that feels special,
you know, and I remember at different points in time
(02:29):
there were black bishops in contention, but you know, now
feels a little bit more special than in the past,
and it feels more likely as well, So it'll be
interesting to see what happens. And if there was a
black pope at a time when we as a people,
most of us feel we suffered a huge loss with
(02:51):
the last election, that wouldn't be nothing. So you know,
I'm hopeful and excited about what's what's to come.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
Your thoughts, I'm not sure that it would mean more
to a black Catholic person in the way that I'm
not sure it meant more to a black and Asian
person when Kamala Harris became the vice president in this
time where they're still first black, you know, dot dot dot,
I think those things mean so much to black people
(03:21):
in general. An interesting thing about this time is you
and I have to just, by the nature of what
we do, be very, very informed and pay a lot
of attention to what's going on. And I'm sure you
notice because we haven't spoken about it spoken about it yet,
members of the GOP seemingly celebrating the passing of the pope,
(03:42):
seemingly putting their thumb in someone's eye. I'm not even
sure who they're targeting at this point, with the amount
of hate and just kind of means spirited, evil rhetoric
that comes out of that party these days. But I
don't even honor her by saying her name. But if
(04:02):
anyone's listening and has been paying attention, they'll know there's
been a particular member of the GOP again almost celebratory
in her tone surrounding this. And you know, there's been
a lot of kind of murmur about the GOP trying
to position their own Maga Catholic people to be in
(04:26):
position to be the new pope as well. So just
something for us to pay attention to. As much as
I want to read this and feel excited, I unfortunately
have kind of lost my hopeful excitement since the election.
Wait and see how these things play out. It would
be a historic thing for there to be a black pope,
especially at this time in the world's history. So you know,
(04:52):
I'll wait with baited breath and see how this works out.
But I am I've kind of lost my ability to
be hopeful for things like this.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
Well, I wouldn't hold that against you, because you know,
we we have to and deserve to recover from the
disappointment that took place late last year, where you know,
there's a there's a not insignificant number of us that
thought that we meant more to our country than what
(05:26):
the country showed us. And so yeah, I understand entirely,
all right. Next up from the Black Information Network, Florida
Representative Byron Donalds defended the Trump administration's attack on DEI
and tech billionaire Elon Musk's work with the Department of
Government Efficiency during a recent town hall. On Monday, Donalds
held the town hall in Estero, Florida, where he pushed
(05:48):
back against criticism of DOGE amid the agency's efforts to
reshape the federal government and cut spending. Per NBC News quote,
if we're going to talk about what oversight is doing,
we actually have to let the DOGE committee the DOGE
Department actually finished its work, donald said at the event
in Estero, Florida. Donalds, who is running for Florida governor,
also defended the Trump administration's efforts to end DEI programs.
(06:12):
The Republican lawmaker claimed that it was a false premise
that somehow minority kids cannot get ahead without DEI initiatives.
In boardrooms and in classrooms, saying it is a lie.
Speaker 3 (06:23):
Quote.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
There's no level playing field in life. It doesn't exist,
Donald said. During Monday's town hall, a man in the
audience spoke out against Donald's comments, telling the congressman he
ought to read a particular book. Donald shot back, telling
the man not to educate me about my life, sir. Quote.
I love how everybody is shouting at me. The black
guy with the microphone in his hand on stage, he said,
(06:46):
don't marginalize my life in what I've done. Don't do that. Pooh,
all right, you manta go first. I'm ready.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
Term gaslight, the term gaslight comes to my I bet
it does. This is such an impossible time to be
an intelligent, informed, empathetic human of any background, of any
(07:20):
religious belief, of any lifestyle choice, of any country of origin.
To be an intelligent, informed, empathetic person that has to
somehow try to share the same reality as people who
have just decided that the twilight zone they've created in
(07:40):
their own bubble is the real world. It's such a
difficult thing to do. Rams If I was not your
brother and co host and business partner, I don't know
that I would have mentally survived this because I think
that the two of us have both had moments of
kind of looking around wondering, Yo am.
Speaker 3 (08:05):
Am I the one that's tripping.
Speaker 2 (08:06):
Yeah, I know what you mean. We got to lean
on each other and make sure we're not like if
I open the door that's outside, right, that's if I
turn on the shower, that's water, right?
Speaker 3 (08:20):
Like? Am I?
Speaker 2 (08:22):
Those are the.
Speaker 3 (08:25):
Sun right? The stars? Or are those lights put up
there to trick me?
Speaker 4 (08:30):
Like?
Speaker 3 (08:30):
It's just this, I know.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
The defense of this administration at this point, especially by
people like Byron Donald's right, the black man with the mic.
That statement alone is why this feels so ridiculous.
Speaker 2 (08:54):
Ahead, yeah, because that's what I was going to say.
Go ahead, no, please, you got let me have this, Okay,
So check it out. I love how everybody's shouting at me,
the black guy with the microphone in his hand on stage,
don't marginalize my life and what I've done. Don't do that. Okay,
(09:16):
So let's take that for a second. Now. To me,
the word that stands out from this person in particular
is black. In other words, he's saying that, despite my blackness,
I'm on this stage and you would marginalize my life.
So he agrees that marginalization is wrong. He doesn't want
(09:37):
it done to him. He agrees that being black is
a special sort of challenge in this country because he's
admitting it by virtue of the statement. The black guy
on the stage with the microphone. No need to say that,
otherwise everyone can see in that room that he's black.
(09:57):
For him to say it on a microphone is to
provide I had some emphasis in this statement, and my
take is that the emphasis is that his blackness has
been a challenge. Okay, So if we agree that blackness
is a challenge in the context of this country, then
let's scroll back up. There's no level playing field in life.
(10:19):
It doesn't exist. Okay, Well, there's the headline, there's no
playing field in life. I'm inclined to agree with him. Okay,
but isn't it the point of an advanced society to
create opportunities for the citizens of that society? And isn't
(10:45):
it fair, based on the trajectory of humanity to regard
each other as people who should have access to life, liberty,
and the pursuit of happiness. Right, or if you don't
(11:05):
want to go throughout all of humanity. You can even
just talk about this country, in the history of this country.
But you know, I think it was doctor King who
said the moral arc of the universe is long, but
it bends toward justice. Right, So for him to say
there's no level playing field in life, I think it
ignores the fact that, well, then why do we have
a government? If it's every man for himself, Why do
(11:28):
we have a government? What is the point of that?
In other words, there are supposed to be things that
are available to society everyone. Everyone should be able to
go to a park. Everyone should be able to go
to a library. Everyone should be able to have access
(11:48):
to fair affordable housing, everyone, not some people. Okay, everyone
should be able to have access to school education, and
the education should be fair, right, And with the history
in this country and redlining and so forth and so on,
we know that that's not the case. And then now
we're talking about systemic oppression. And you know what, now
(12:10):
we're talking about the black guy with the microphone having
to overcome the systemic oppression, right, And so him saying
that there's no level playing field in life, it just
stops the conversation right there. Then what in the world
did we elect you to do did we elect you
to make life easy for some people or all of us?
(12:33):
And so when you said gaslighting, and I just I
don't understand these people, especially when they're black, when they
and they try to use their blackness to somehow suggest well,
I'm black and I overcame every obstacle. Yeah right, you
think that that So you're the exception and everyone should
(12:53):
be the exception.
Speaker 1 (12:55):
Well, yeah, acknowledge if all those things are true, that
you're the exception.
Speaker 2 (12:59):
That's what I'm trying say. And everyone should be the
except norm. So let's look at the data.
Speaker 3 (13:03):
The data.
Speaker 2 (13:04):
The data suggests that you're the exception, You're not the rule.
And for you to look back on everyone else and
say just do what I did, that'd be like Michael
Jordan looking back and saying, well, just do what I
did or you know you, we don't even have to
use those like freakishly talented individuals. There are bound to
be some people that break through, and in his case,
(13:28):
I suspect it's because he played a game of selling
his own people out right, So there are ways to
break through. But remember there's life, liberty and the pursuit
of happiness and you could argue that your own human
dignity should be under one of those headlines. And for
(13:49):
this man who you know is I mean, at least
insofar as his people are concerned, it is not going
to leave this earth with a lot of us regarding
you know, him as a person who has even a
modicum of dignity. To me, that means he sold out
as people you know, Na said told jay Z you
(14:09):
traded your soul for riches. And whether or not that's true,
it doesn't matter. But the bar I think is so
so pertinent right here. And we could say that about
a lot of black people who say this stuff. You know,
and I know that because you and I have we've
had conversations where you know, if we if we if
we're willing to compromise just a little bit on this
one issue, there's some opportunities in that lane for us. No,
(14:32):
that's that's not why we got into this, right, So
don't fall for the gas lighting. You know, everybody in Florida,
if this is your guy, you know, I respect it,
but don't let people gaslight you. Man.
Speaker 3 (14:43):
This is.
Speaker 2 (14:46):
You know your reality and if and if your reality
is the exception, pay attention to the data, and if
you pay attention to the data, you know that a
government should be fixing that data. There is no level
playing field in life, sure, but that's what the government
is for, by the people, for the people, all of
(15:07):
the people.
Speaker 3 (15:10):
Yeah, speaks of the planet.
Speaker 4 (15:12):
I go by the name of Charlamagne and God and
I can't wait to see y'all at the third Annual
Black Effect Podcast Festival.
Speaker 3 (15:17):
That's right.
Speaker 4 (15:17):
Yeah, number three, Baby Black called Black Rose More Black
CEO be coming back to Pullman Yard Saturday Night for
twenty six in Atlanta, posted by none other than Man
dy B and Weeezy. That's right, Decisions, Decisions. The Black
Effect is bringing some of the biggest and best podcasts
in the world to the.
Speaker 3 (15:33):
Stage for one day only.
Speaker 4 (15:35):
Ready, we got the R and B Money Podcast with
taking Jay Valentine. You got The Woman of All Podcasts
with Sarah J.
Speaker 2 (15:41):
Roberts, Good Mom's Bad.
Speaker 4 (15:42):
Choices, neckd Sports with Cherry Champion, and the Trap Nerds.
Podcasts were more to be announced, and of course it's
bigger than podcasts. We're bringing the Black Effect marketplace with
black owned businesses, plus the food truck court to keep
you fed while you visit us. All right, if all
myspiring podcasters, we got something for you too. You know,
we got informative panels and you can go to the
Career Corn Up to play excoos of one on one
(16:03):
time with industry leaders. Dig a Slaw Sail Now tap
into a Black Effect dot Com flash podcast festival.
Speaker 2 (16:10):
This is your midweek memo on the Black Information Network
Daily Podcast with your hosts Rams's Jaw.
Speaker 3 (16:16):
And q Ward. All right.
Speaker 2 (16:19):
Next up from USA Today, Pro Football Hall of Famer
and media personality, Shannon Sharp vehemently denies sexual assault and
battery allegations filed in a lawsuit against him, alleging that
he's the victim of a blatant setup and shakedown attempt.
Sharp has been accused of sexual assault and battery in
addition to engaging in the intentional infliction of emotional distress
and a lawsuit filed in Clark County, Nevada on Sunday.
(16:42):
According to the suit obtained by USA Today Sports, the plaintiff,
listed under the alias Jane Doe, alleged that Sharp sexually
assaulted her twice, once in October twenty twenty four and
again in January twenty twenty five. They met at a
Los Angeles gym in twenty twenty three when she was nineteen.
Speaker 3 (16:58):
One of the.
Speaker 2 (16:59):
Attorneys representing Jane Doe is Tony Buzby, whom Sharp accused
of targeting him. Sharp said he expects Buzby to release
a thirty second clip from a sex tape that tries
to make him look guilty. Quote. This is a shakedown.
I'm going to be open, transparent and defend myself because
this isn't right. Sharp said in an Instagram video on Tuesday.
Goes on to say, this is all being orchestrated by
(17:21):
Tony Busby. I believe that he is going to release
a thirty second clip of a sex tape that tries
to make me look guilty and plays into every stereotype
you can possibly imagine.
Speaker 3 (17:29):
Unquote.
Speaker 2 (17:29):
In a statement to USA Today Sports on Tuesday, Busby said, quote,
mister Sharp is unfortunately a liar. You deserve the lion's
share of this take because you've taught me most everything
about Shannon Sharp. That's my guy. Now. I think he's
(17:50):
so cool, so you know, but you know a lot
more about this world. So I defer to you. I'm
interested in your thoughts here.
Speaker 1 (17:58):
My thoughts are less about shann and Sharp and more
about Tony Busby, the lawyer of the accuser here because
if you wonder why that name sounds so familiar to you,
he is the ambulance chaser, personal jury attorney who represents
high profile Jane does in cases against rich and famous
(18:21):
black men, And that starts the conversation at a really
uncomfortable place for me, because we are collectively as a
society in a place where we do not acknowledge, believe, support, empower,
and protect victims enough. And lawyers like him are the
(18:43):
reason why. Lawyers like him are the reason why people
pause before believing and supporting victims, because lawyers like him
are chasing headlines, are chasing fame, and very intentionally have
a target for people who look like us. And if
he represents twenty people and one of the people that
(19:06):
he represents is legitimate, that's too many. But because of
those other nineteen, it gives everyone pause. He embarrassed himself
and his client with regards to jay Z very recently,
and we read about them in the story and Rolling
Stones very recently as jay Z's now countersuing as that
case fell apart, as the Young Lady's story changed multiple times,
(19:28):
dates didn't coincide with times that people were even in
the same city. Like, it got really really ugly, And
there's a level of discovery and just investigative work that
should have been done by that lawyer before even pursuing
that case. And that brings me to a much larger problem.
There is no punitive punishment or damage done to people
(19:53):
who make false claims, and unfortunately, in the court of
public opinion, simply being accused of something like this can
ruin your reputation forever because the accusation is very loud,
and the headlines are everywhere on every channel, and when
you're proven not guilty, or when the case just falls
apart and doesn't even make it to trial, crickets, and
(20:15):
there are people who will hear your name forever as
the guy who got accused of XYZ, never charged, never convicted,
it doesn't matter. So this attorney's name on this case
made me read the headline, see his name and immediately
disqualify it. That is admittedately not fair to potential victims.
(20:40):
Yeah it's not fair, but this guy has earned that
and unfortunately, choosing him to represent you put you in
that position where the accused is justifiably, which should always
be the case, innocent to approven guilty.
Speaker 2 (21:02):
Well, I don't think I could have said it any
better that that was precisely what happened, and I'm sure
that happened with a lot of people, you know, those
people that are now familiar with Shannon Sharp. It's an
odd thing to think that he would be this like
(21:22):
violent whatever to a woman. But when you introduce you know,
Tony Busby into the conversation, and then of course he released,
you know, the text messages because his legal counsel responded
and they had receipts and everything, and they're like, look,
(21:44):
we're anxious to get this over with, but here's our response.
You know. I was like, yeah, that it seems more
like a shakedown than it even did initially, and so
I admittedly I feel like it's probably nonsense, but I
also have to be mindful of the fact that, you know,
(22:04):
this has to play itself out in court, and unfortunately
now he's going through it, and it may end up
being the case that he's going through it for no
good reason, and he's got to carry that with him
for the rest of his life. Now, because Tony Buzzby
and this lady are looking to get I think they
were trying to get like millions of dollars out of them,
like ten million or something. So that is quite unfortunate
(22:32):
for our final story today. Buckle up from Yahoo News.
Kanye West tweeted on April twenty first about a past
traumatic experience involving a cousin, stating that it inspired his
upcoming song entitled Cousins. In the post, he described an
alleged sexual encounter from childhood and connected it to later
events in his cousin's life. Quote this song is called Cousins,
(22:54):
Kanye wrote on x fondly known as Twitter. He said,
the song is quote about my cousin that's locked in
jail for life for killing a pregnant lady a few
years after I told him we wouldn't look at dirty
magazines together anymore. Kanye claimed he engaged in the activity
as a child and expressed feelings of guilt tied to it.
He wrote, quote, perhaps in my self centered mess, I
(23:17):
felt it was my fault that I showed him those
dirty magazines when he was six, and then we acted
out what we saw unquote. He did not name the
cousin or provide further details about the crime referenced. No
official records have been linked to this claim, and the
identities of the individuals involved have not been confirmed. This
tweet is part of Kanye west recent online activity, where
(23:40):
he has made several personal disclosures. The tweet has sparked
intense comments, with some supporting him, while others questioning yay
about the age difference. I mean, you're on a row man,
you want this one too.
Speaker 1 (23:57):
So there's a thing that happens now when I see
the name Kanye West or or whatever pseudonym he's going
by these days, similar to the great philosopher Kendrick Lamar,
I turned the TV off, phone, or the laptop or
the whatever, because I just he doesn't deserve any more
(24:19):
of my oxygen, any more of my attention. Whether the
things that he says are truly his beliefs, provocateur, attention
grabbing troll missions, some mixture of mental health and narcissism,
(24:40):
I don't know anymore, and I don't care anymore.
Speaker 3 (24:44):
I stop extending grace.
Speaker 1 (24:47):
Years ago, I told as many people in this country
as watched the news, what I felt about that man
in his positions his public positions, because it does not
mean if he really it doesn't matter. Rather, if he
really means the things that he says, it's that he
says him, and he says him in front of as
many people as possible, and does not deny that he
(25:09):
actually means it, so we are all left to believe
that he does.
Speaker 3 (25:13):
If I walk up and call.
Speaker 1 (25:15):
Your mother, your daughter, or your wife the most disrespectful
thing that I can, you don't have to react to it.
But the idea that words don't hurt is nonsense. They
absolutely do. And when you say the most disgusting and
intentionally vile and offensive things to people at muzzle velocity
every time you get an opportunity, in my mind, that's
(25:36):
who you are, and you have no counteraction that shows
you're any different than that. So I'm left with what
you present to me. It is not my job to
psychoanalyze or defend you in some way as some person
who's suffering through something, because you're clearly not doing anything
about it, you're not seeking to help. People that care
about you aren't providing it for you, and you're allowed to,
(25:59):
within pity, be a very vile, offensive and disgusting person
so it doesn't even matter the nature of the story anymore.
The tweet is pretty explicit, and once upon a time
would have been shocking.
Speaker 3 (26:15):
Now it's just Kanye being Kanye.
Speaker 2 (26:18):
Yeah, That's that's what I was thinking too. The you're
you're right and in a moment of vulnerability where he's
you know, leaning into his artistry and making music and
you know, letting people know that sometimes bad things happen
to good people, or whatever his intention could have been,
(26:42):
it feels like he's just doing more and more to
shock people into paying attention to him. And you know,
when you add to this to you know, everything else
that he's done, and recently, what comes to mind is
what he said about jay Z and beyond the children,
and of course all the Nazi jewelry and clothes and
(27:05):
swastikas and the ku Klusklan hoods and all that sort
of stuff, and then what he says in interviews and
all of that. You're right, it's a pattern of behavior,
you know, it's not a cry for help, like a
lot of apologists would suggest, at least in my opinion.
I think we share that opinion. And one thing that
(27:27):
I've learned is that if someone is suffering. That doesn't
give them the right to abuse you because they're suffering.
If someone is on drugs really bad, it doesn't give
them the right to break into your house. You could
love them all you want, you could pray for them,
you can wish the best for them. But if someone
is dealing with some sort of personal demons, it doesn't
(27:50):
give them the right to harm you. And you absolutely
have the right to protect yourself, to stall them out,
and to turn the TV off, you know, like you said,
Q So, I think that's what we're gonna do right here.
So we'll leave it right there. Don't forget. These and
other news stories can be found at binnews dot com.
(28:13):
This has been a production of the Black Information Network.
Today's show is produced by Chris Thompson. Have some thoughts
you'd like to share, use the red microphone talkback feature
on the iHeartRadio app. While you're there, be sure to
hit subscribe and download all of our episodes. I'm your
host ramses Jah on all social media.
Speaker 1 (28:30):
I am Qward on all social media as well, and
join us tomorrow as we share our news with our
voice from our perspective right here on the Black Information
Network Daily Podcast
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