Could President Trump's meeting with Russia's Vladimir Putin have “just been an email,” or is something substantive starting to emerge after their summit in Alaska? Victor speaks with Retired Brigadier General and Democratic candidate for Congress Shawn Harris, political commentator Janelle King and author Charles Blow. They also discuss President Trump’s escalating effort to reshape the presentation of history and culture at Smithsonian museums.   Plus, Victor goes one-on-one with Spike Lee. ...Show moreWhy the acclaimed director says the U.S. under President Trump is no longer a “beacon of democracy”.  Spike Lee also explains why he plans to vote for Zohran Mamdani for mayor of New York City, and we also discuss his new joint “Highest 2 Lowest” and working with “greatest living actor” Denzel Washington for a 5th time, along with A$AP Rocky for the 1st time.

Aug 16, 2025

Black unemployment rose again in the latest jobs report. Victor breaks down the concern this raises for every racial group with writers Ernie Suggs, Michael Harriot and Jason “Jah” Lee. The guys also weigh in on the decision by former Vice President Kamala Harris to skip a run for governor of California. Plus, the controversy over American Eagle’s “Great Jeans” ad featuring Sydney Sweeney. While schools like Columbia and Brown are cutting deals with the Trump administration, one university p...Show moreresident targeted over "DEI" policies is not only pushing back but getting a raise. Victor discusses the probe of George Mason University’s Gregory Washington with the school’s faculty senate president, Solon Simmons. Did this post hit your algorithm this week? The story of an allegedly missing Black trucker started spreading on social media. Victor went down a rabbit hole looking into the story and what he discovered kept surprising him the more he kept looking. He shares what he found out about “Eric Darnell”. Victor also speaks with a woman who says she was kicked off a flight because of her race. Dr. Briana Hicks and her attorney Lauren Bateman make their case. And in “Art is Life” this week, artist Nick Weber takes us inside his Hamptons studio where he’s painting portraits of immigrant neighbors to honor them and share their stories of perseverance.

Aug 3, 2025

People in Gaza are starving. A ceasefire would help to restart the flow of aid, but the U.S. just withdrew from talks. Now President Trump is saying Israel should "finish the job" against Hamas. Victor discusses the crisis with Dr. Bashara Bahbah. the leader of “Arab Americans for Peace,” formerly called "Arab Americans for Trump".   What is life like for the migrants being held in a detention facility deep in the Florida Everglades? We're starting to hear from some of the men held there. Vict...Show moreor shares the findings from a CNN investigation by Priscilla Alvarez.   Is dance an appropriate way to call for change after the elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas? Ahead of an upcoming performance, Victor speaks with Madi Frampton-Herrera, the creator of "Echoes of Justice: Unanswered For 77 The Time Between” and Javier Cazares, the father of 9-year-old Uvalde victim Jacklyn Cazares, about reaction to the project.   Later, Victor compares reaction to a “Manifest Destiny” artwork posted by the Trump Administration, and the alleged censorship of a portrait by Amy Sherald depicting a Black, transgender Statue of Liberty.   Plus, Asian American farmer Mai Nguyen joins Victor to push back on the USDA saying support for minority farmers is no longer needed, because past disparities have been "sufficiently" handled.   And we remember Malcolm-Jamal Warner. Most of us knew him as the actor who played Theo Huxtable on “The Cosby Show”. But the “Biological Misfits” knew him as a great musician. They came together to share a side of him you likely have not heard much about.

Jul 26, 2025

Loved ones gather to remember Jabari Peoples, a teen shot and killed by police in Alabama. Even after he's laid to rest, the questions surrounding his death remain. Police won't show them the bodycam footage and a state lawmaker says one of their lawyers may be partly to blame. Victor speaks with that state representative and the family attorney.       Plus, Head Start is a vital resource for millions of low income families across the U.S. Under a new mandate from the Trump administration, un...Show moredocumented children could lose access to that and other services. The former head of Head Start under the first Trump administration speaks with Victor to explore the ramifications.  A confederate group is suing a state park in Georgia over its plans to add an exhibit on slavery and segregation. They accuse the park of "going woke." Victor is joining by a spokesperson of the Sons of Confederate Veterans.   As much as artificial intelligence is supposed to help us into the future, it is also dragging along with it, society's current problems. Now, the internet trolls are creating their own content... Perpetuating derogatory stereotypes. Victor is joined by a leading voice in digital technoculture.       And a group of indigenous kayakers have completed a journey that was impossible for the past century: Paddling the entire Klamath river. An organization called Paddle Tribal Waters led dozens of 13 to 20 year olds down the Klamath, traveling 300 miles from southern Oregon to the northern California coast. I spoke with two of the young kayakers and one of the organizers.

Jul 12, 2025

One family's legacy is closely tied to the Supreme Court ruling that just gave President Trump more power by restricting lower courts. Victor speaks with Norman Wong, the great-grandson of  the man whose case led to a landmark decision on birthright citizenship more than 100 years ago, Wong Kim Ark.   Plus, Florida's tribes are speaking out against construction of a migrant detention facility dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz". The Chairman of the Miccosukee Tribe, Talbert Cypress, joins Victor to ex...Show moreplain why they’re so alarmed.   Legal expert Monique Pressley shares her analysis on the Sean “Diddy” Combs trial as it heads to a jury, along with her prediction on what the verdict may be.   And Victor speaks with U.S. Army Veteran Sae Joon Park on his decision to leave the country as President Trump’s immigration crackdown ramps up.   Later, Victor speaks with a family demanding answers from police in Alabama after the death of 18-year-old Jabari Peoples. They want to see video showing the officer-involved shooting. Jabari’s mother, sister and the family's attorney speak out.   And in this week’s “Art is Life,” Victor shares how Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive is highlighting Black history with a showcase of African American quilts despite federal funding cuts.

Jun 28, 2025

Right now, a journalist who has reported on immigration issues in Georgia for years is facing deportation after being arrested while covering a protest. Mario Guevara’s attorney says he is in the U.S. legally yet remains in ICE custody. Victor speaks with Guevara’s lawyer, Giovanni Díaz, along with Alondra Madrigal who works closely with Mario as a reporter with MG News and Guevara's son, Oscar Guevara Saenz, who is also a photojournalist for his father's news site. After protests and this we...Show moreek's face-off with federal agents who pulled up in their parking lot, the Los Angeles Dodgers just announced how they plan to support the immigrant community that makes up such a large part of their fan base. Los Angeles Times Sports Columnist Dylan Hernández joins Victor to react. Thomas Clardy was recently freed from prison after nearly two decades when his conviction was tossed out. That decision has now been reversed, and he could be put back in prison for a crime he says he did not commit. Clardy joins Victor, along with his attorney Jessica Van Dyke of the Tennessee Innocence Project, to discuss the case. Plus, Victor takes on President Trump’s Juneteenth complaint of "too many" holidays, a grocery store’s cake decorations that are going viral for all the wrong reasons, and shares his report on a meeting between two women with a special connection to each other, and the events of June 19, 1865 in Galveston, Texas. And in our “Art is Life” segment this week, Victor shares the story of a new exhibit that's a product of tough conversations about our history. “Out of Whole Cloth” is set in a former plantation in Alabama that is now a place of healing thanks to a partnership between the descendant of a sharecropper and the descendant of an enslaver. Victor speaks to Harpersville, Alabama Mayor Theoangelo Perkins, Nell Gottlieb and Ebony Howard of the Wallace Center for Arts and Reconciliation.

Jun 21, 2025

Flag Day is marked by “No Kings” protests nationwide as President Trump hosts a massive military parade. DC Councilmember Christina Henderson, who is also the daughter of an Army veteran, joins Victor.  Plus – Victor speaks to Black Marine veteran Phillip E. Thompson. He’ll explain his recent article for the Washington Post saying young Americans of color should “pause and reassess” service in the military.  Later, you'll hear from a 21-year-old American whose undocumented mom is set to be...Show more deported as of Saturday morning. Her dad was deported to Guatemala just last week. Now Beverly Juarez is left to care for her three younger siblings and run her family's business. She shares her story, and a Father’s Day plea addressed to President Trump.  Victor also gets reaction to growing anti-ICE protests from Sarah Saldaña, a former director of the immigration enforcement agency during the Obama administration.  “Art is Life” this week has a superhero vibe. Victor shares the incredible yet largely unknown story of Civil War hero Robert Smalls, which is the subject of the new graphic novel “DEFIANT”. Writer Rob Edwards explains why the story is so important to learn, especially ahead of Juneteenth.  Also in time for the Juneteenth holiday, Victor speaks with apparel brand founder Lanny Smith and farmer Troy Bridgeforth about their special collaboration to “reclaim cotton” and build a Black-owned supply chain amid President Trump's ongoing trade war.

Jun 14, 2025

Job Corps is a lifeline for thousands of low-income students, and there is bipartisan concern about a Trump administration effort to close the program. Victor speaks about the legal fight now underway with Donna Hay, President and CEO of the National Job Corps Association.   After claiming it was impossible to bring back a man mistakenly deported to El Salvador, Kilmar Abrego Garcia is back in the U.S. to face federal criminal charges. There is a lot the Department of Justice is alleging and B...Show moreen Osorio, a member of Abrego Garcia's legal team, joins Victor to react.   Plus, there is a firestorm in California over a high school track star whose state title was pulled because of her celebration with a fire extinguisher. Was it clever? Or unsportsmanlike conduct? Clara Adams, along with her coach and father David, joins Victor to share what they plan to do next.   Later, a historic Black community in Virginia says their neighborhood has flooding problems, but a $20 million federal government grant to help fix that just got cut. Mary-Carson stiff says what's happening is unjust, unlawful, and places residents at risk. She joins Victor to share her concerns about what’ll happen now to residents in Aberdeen Gardens and communities like it.   And in this week’s “Art is Life” – Victor speaks to the creators of “She Who Dared,” an opera giving voice to Black women who dared to fight segregation but have since been overlooked by history.

Jun 7, 2025

19-year-old college student Ximena Arias-Cristobal was wrongfully pulled over in Dalton, Georgia recently. She spent weeks in ICE detention. One of her supporters through this ordeal is a Republican. Georgia State Representative Kasey Carpenter joins Ximena and Victor to discuss his opposition to her detention, and their push for meaningful immigration reform.   Plus, the fight over Massapequa High School's Native American mascot just escalated. Department of Education Secretary Linda McMahon ...Show moreis threatening to full funding from New York education officials over their objections to the school’s “Chiefs” name and logo. Victor gets reaction from Germain Smith, the former general council secretary of the Shinnecock Indian Nation and an adviser to the New York Department of Education.   Also this week, the Supreme Court declined to stop a land transfer in Arizona that could lead to the destruction of a site sacred to Native Americans. Wendsler Nosie Sr. joins Victor to share why the destruction of Oak Flat to make way for a copper mine is a threat to religious freedom.   Should a White actress be allowed to portray Black civil rights icons like Harriet Tubman? Annette Hubbell is the writer and performer of a one-woman show she says was called off due to her race - and now she is suing, claiming discrimination and censorship. Annette Hubbell and her attorney Chris Barnewolt join Victor to explain their case.   Victor also shares the story of how the skulls of nineteen Black individuals were finally returned to New Orleans after being sent to Germany in the late 1800s.   Plus, an update on Clarksdale, Mississippi’s mission to get a special screening of “Sinners” with Ryan Coogler for the people who live in that town, which lacks a movie theater.

May 31, 2025

5 years after the murder of George Floyd, changes made in an effort to make police departments more accountable are being reversed by the Trump administration. Victor speaks with Michael Harrison, an independent law enforcement investigator who has been following police reforms in Minneapolis and cities across the country.   After the Mayor of Chicago touted the diverse staff in his office, the Justice Department announced that they are opening an investigation into possible hiring discriminat...Show moreion. Mayor Brandon Johnson joins Victor to react.   International students at Harvard are wrestling with their academic futures after a Trump administration threat to ban their enrollment. One of them is co-president of Harvard’s undergraduate student body. Abdullah Shahid Sial got the news while attending a conference in Japan and shares his concerns with Victor.   Plus, there is no evidence of a "White genocide" in South Africa. Yet President Trump still confronted the country's leader, Cyril Ramaphosa, with the claim during their Oval Office meeting this week. South Africa's ambassador to the U.S. was recently expelled after calling out Trump, and Ebrahim Rasool joins Victor to react.   And in this week’s edition of “Art is Life,” Minneapolis poet laureate Junauda Petrus shares a new poem reflecting on the 5th Anniversary of George Floyd’s murder. She shares with Victor what inspired "Cigarettes and Fireflies", which was commissioned by The Minnesota Star Tribune.

May 24, 2025