First Of All with Victor Blackwell

CNN
  • 4.1 (12)
  • NEWS COMMENTARY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Victor Blackwell brings a fresh perspective on the week's news with a focus on stories affecting communities of color.

  1. JUN 21

    Journalist Covering Immigration Faces Deportation

    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 week'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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    45 min

  2. JUN 14

    21-Year-Old Caring for Siblings After Parents Detained by ICE, Deported

    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 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    43 min

  3. JUN 7

    Job Corps "Pause" Puts Lives on Hold Across the Country

    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 Ben 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    44 min

  4. MAY 31

    White Actress Files Lawsuit After Being Blocked From Portraying Black Civil Rights Icons

    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 is 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    43 min

  5. MAY 24

    Are the Changes Made After the Murder of George Floyd Coming Undone?

    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 discrimination. 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    44 min

  6. MAY 17

    Trump on Afrikaner Refugees: "If They Were Black, I'd Do the Exact Same Thing"

    Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin returns to defend the Trump administration's move to expedite refugee status for White South Africans while broadly suspending most other refugee programs.  Victor also presses her on alleged plans for a reality show featuring immigrants, and her claims about protesters at an ICE detention facility in Newark, New Jersey. Plus, Monique Pressley joins Victor to break down the first week of the Sean “Diddy” Combs trial and Cassie Ventura’s emotional testimony. And a Trump-appointed prosecutor is under scrutiny for offering a plea deal to a Los Angeles sheriff's deputy accused of excessive force. His defense attorney, Tom Yu, joins Victor.  And civil rights attorney Caree Harper explains to Victor why she thinks the agreement is illegal. Victor also breaks down why Maryland Governor Wes Moore is vetoing a bill to study reparations, plus the backlash to the president-elect of FAMU. And later, Victor speaks with the iconic actor Morgan Freeman about his “Symphonic Blues Experience” that mixes genres you may not expect to go together. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    43 min

  7. MAY 10

    Mayor of Newark Reacts to Arrest; DHS Claims Dems "Body Slammed" Ice Agents

    The Trump administration narrative around the arrest of the Mayor of Newark takes a turn when a Department of Homeland Security official floats the possibility of arrest for members of congress who are accused of “body slamming” immigration agents. Victor speaks with the DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs, Tricia McLaughlin. And just hours after leaving custody, Mayor Ras Baraka responds to McLaughlin’s claims and his arrest.   Plus, a woman is confronted about hurling a racial slur at a Black child and the video goes viral. Days later, hundreds of thousands of dollars have been raised ... for the woman accused of using the N-word. The head of the NAACP in Rochester, Minnesota wants to see charges filed. And Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison says hate is being normalized. Both he and Walé Elegbede join Victor to discuss.   And later, a conversation with Raymond C. Pierce of the Southern Education Foundation about the end of school desegregation orders as he prepares to take on the Trump administration in court.   And a special message to Ryan Coogler, Michael B. Jordan and the cast of “Sinners”.  Tyler Yarbrough and Clarksdale Mayor Chuck Espy join Victor to explain why the Mississippi city’s residents are asking for a special screening of the hit film. (Note: Warner Bros. Discovery is also CNN’s corporate parent.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    44 min

  8. APR 26

    Broadway’s New Musical “Real Women Have Curves” Highlights Real Immigrant Experiences

    “Real Women Have Curves” is making Broadway history, both in its casting and story. The musical puts the spotlight on a Hispanic, immigrant family at a timely moment in America. Ahead of the show’s official opening night, Victor speaks with director and choreographer Sergio Trujillo, and stars Tatianna Córdoba and Florencia Cuenca, about how they took what was originally a play and HBO movie starring America Ferrera - and made it a colorful musical. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    6 min
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    Victor Blackwell brings a fresh perspective on the week's news with a focus on stories affecting communities of color.

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