Black Truck Driver Attacked. Obama Center. Black Men Info War. Trump Fact-Checker Gone. Best of #RMU

Don Long II, a Black commercial truck driver, was pepper-sprayed and assaulted by Deputy Gregory Colson in the Northampton County courthouse after attempting to re-enter a courtroom. The incident, captured on video, shows Colson initiating the physical altercation. Long sustained permanent eye damage, reducing his vision to 20/80 and requiring surgery, impacting his livelihood as a truck driver. Despite video evidence confirming Colson as the aggressor, the deputy only resigned during the ongoing criminal investigation and has not been criminally charged.

Don Long II was attacked after being told to take his phone to the car and returning to court. Deputy Gregory Colson shoved and punched Long inside a vestibule, then pepper-sprayed him directly in the eyes. Long was detained and arrested but later released after authorities reviewed the video and confirmed he was not the first aggressor. Long now has 20/80 vision and permanent eye scarring, preventing him from having scheduled surgery. Colson resigned during the investigation but faces no criminal charges.

The Obama Presidential Center, a 19-acre campus on Chicago's South Side, is set to open on June 18th. It is designed not as a passive time capsule but as an active, interactive space to inspire ordinary people to create change. The center includes a museum contextualizing Obama's presidency within American history, a public library branch, an urban garden for horticulture education, a full-size NBA quality basketball court (Home Court) for athletic and educational programs, and a media suite with a recording studio. Many areas, including the 'Hope and Change Lobby', are free and open to the public, aiming to be a global gathering space for leaders and local residents alike, with a strong emphasis on local workforce and business participation in its construction.

The center opens June 18th. Its purpose is to 'bring to life this idea that ordinary people can do extraordinary things' (00:14:47). It will feature interactive exhibits, a Chicago Public Library branch, an urban garden in collaboration with the Urban Growers Collective, a full-size NBA regulation basketball court, and a media suite with a recording studio (00:17:09). The construction involved Lakeside Alliance, a minority-led joint venture, ensuring local workforce participation (00:25:55). Most areas are free and open to the public, with only four museum floors ticketed (00:19:10).

A Democratic firm, Navigator Research, conducted focus groups revealing that Black men are increasingly disengaging from major media outlets like CNN and MSNBC. Instead, they are turning to independent podcasters, with Joe Rogan frequently mentioned as a source. Roland Martin expresses concern that this shift exposes Black men to 'erroneous information' from figures like Rogan, who has a massive audience. This trend highlights a critical 'information war' where trusted Black voices are being sidelined by mainstream media, making it harder to counter narratives that may not serve the community's best interests.

A Democratic group's focus group found 'more black men are tuning out major media outlets' and instead 'go on YouTube, watch a lot of podcasters, independent, Joe Rogan' (00:32:04). Participants expressed not believing 'half of the stuff that CNN puts out' (00:32:51). Roland Martin states that Black men in the survey are 'being fed wrong information from Joe Rogan' (00:34:21) and that 'mainstream media sees more control now' (00:33:07).

CNN is accused of sidelining its prominent fact-checker, Daniel Dale, who had been highly effective at exposing Donald Trump's lies. Despite still being employed by CNN and publishing online, Dale has not appeared on air for three months. Roland Martin, drawing on his own experience at CNN, interprets this as a 'conscious decision by executives' to avoid antagonizing Trump, driven by corporate interests and fear of retribution. This alleged suppression of truth-telling is presented as a symptom of mainstream media's broader 'capitulation' and lack of integrity when faced with powerful political figures.

Daniel Dale, known for fact-checking Donald Trump, 'hasn't been on the air in 3 months' at CNN (01:03:51). Roland Martin, a former CNN employee, states this is a 'conscious decision by executives' (01:04:15) who told producers 'Do not put him on the air' (01:04:22) because 'Donald Trump hates when he's on the air' (01:04:24). Martin recounts a similar experience where CNN executives purposely sidelined him in 2012 to prevent him from becoming a 'star' (01:11:16).

Donald Trump's interview with NBC's Kristen Welker on Meet the Press was characterized by his repeated lies about the 2020 election, baseless claims of government weaponization, and personal attacks on Welker and the media. He walked out of the interview when challenged. The panel criticizes Trump's 'despicable' behavior and his pattern of demeaning journalists, especially Black women. They also fault mainstream media for not directly calling Trump a 'liar' and for continuing to grant him platforms despite his verbal abuse and undermining of the First Amendment, suggesting a deference that is undeserved.

Trump was interviewed by NBC's Kristen Welker for Meet the Press (01:18:58). He 'continued to lie' about the 2020 election and 'acted as if he soiled his pants and got up angry and walked out' (01:19:05). Trump called Welker and the press 'crooked' and 'stupid' (01:24:28). Dr. Oma Kongo applauds Welker's pushback but notes the media's problem of 'entertaining liars' (01:26:37). Roland Martin insists media must 'call it what it is. He is a liar' (01:28:08) and stop offering 'deference to him... when he simply has not earned it nor does he deserve it' (01:29:58).

The host and panel argue that the Black community is in an 'information war' where mainstream media often fails to serve its interests, and there's a concerted effort to disengage and disillusion Black voters. They stress the historical and contemporary importance of independent Black media, drawing parallels to the Black press during the Civil Rights Movement, which provided crucial information when white media would not. The call is for a 'massive reassessment' of what matters to Black people, urging them to support and amplify Black-owned media to counter misinformation, foster collective action, and ensure accountability in a rapidly declining democratic landscape.

Roland Martin states, 'This is a war of information. This is a battle we're in' (00:35:20). He argues for 'elevating and amplifying' Black sources (00:34:51). Greg Carr highlights that 'the black press doesn't have to be visible to white people to have those roots that are so deep in the black community' (00:41:25), citing Jet magazine's role with Emmett Till's photos. Reece argues there's a 'multi-million, I would even venture to say probably billion-dollar investment in getting the black community disengaged' (00:55:03). The host calls for a 'massive reassessment of what matters to black people today' (00:46:51) and asks, 'is this generation really, really prepared to fight this war?' (00:47:17).