First Of All with Victor Blackwell

A community in Mississippi is demanding answers after one-year-old Kohen Wiley was shot and killed by an officer responding to a shoplifting call. Baby Kohen's mother is speaking out, and her attorney joins Victor. How do Iranian Americans feel about the U.S. agreement with Iran on ending the war? Two Iranian Americans with different political views, but supportive of the war, share their reactions. Victor speaks with Sarah Raviani, the founder of a group called "Iranians for Trump,” and Moj Mahdara. The first city in the U.S. to issue reparations to Black residents is now facing a legal challenge from the Trump Administration. Victor speaks with Robin Rue Simmons about the program she leads, and what happens to the nationwide push for reparations now. Later, Victor explains why the Justice Department is joining a legal fight with the NAACP over AI data centers and is siding with Elon Musk. The push to close a controversial ICE facility in New Jersey now has the backing of the family of the person “Delaney Hall” was named after. Victor speaks with Geraldine Delaney’s niece, Marianne Delaney. And a special “Art is Life” for Father’s Day weekend: Victor speaks with Pierce Freelon about his new album “Black Boy Glow” celebrating boyhood and what it takes to raise thriving Black boys. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There's an immigration case that hasn't gotten a lot of attention compared to others yet, but it's emblematic of why a growing number of Americans think President Trump's immigration crackdown is going too far. Victor speaks with Delaware Governor Matt Meyer and Kaley Miller-Schaeffer, the attorney of a Delaware resident named Victor Acurio Suárez who was detained by ICE and is now facing deportation despite being developmentally disabled. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Protests in Minneapolis against ICE are spreading nationwide after the killing of Renee Good by an ICE agent. Victor speaks with a Minneapolis mom and ICE observer Flannery Clark who says what happened to Good could have happened to her, but is still vowing to keep up her work to alert neighbors when agents are nearby.Plus, as state officials in Minnesota fight to get a role investigating the shooting alongside the feds, Victor gets perspective from Kristen Clarke, who recently served in the Biden Administration as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the Department of Justice.Also happening now, the flu is breaking records. Victor shares his own personal experience battling the illness recently and speaks with Dr. Chris T Pernell about the disproportionate impact the flu has on people of color.Black women dying in childbirth is a real crisis right now, and the death of a woman who dedicated her life to finding solutions is a heartbreaking reminder of that. Victor shares the story of Dr. Janell Green Smith and speaks with Dr. Nichole Wardlaw, a member of the Smith family and a certified midwife herself.And for “Art is Life” this week, Victor goes one-on-one with shoe designer and creative Salehe Bembury. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On a special holiday edition of the show, there is a new movement calling out Target, Home Depot and Amazon during the busiest shopping time of the year. Victor speaks with LaTosha Brown, an organizer of “We Ain’t Buying It”. She explains why we shouldn’t call the movement a “boycott”. Plus, “Beyond the Gates” actor Brandon Claybon talks to Victor about his personal connection to Alzheimer's and his mission to raise awareness of the disproportionate impacts of the disease on Black Americans. Later, Chef Shawn Osbey reacts to Victor’s very controversial opinion of certain classic holiday recipes and shares some alternatives. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Victor sits down with TSA worker Aaron Barker, who just missed a second full paycheck due to the federal government shutdown. He describes to Victor why he and his colleagues are struggling to make ends meet while in “crisis mode”.Meanwhile, Democrats in the Senate say they'll agree to end the shutdown if Republicans agree to a one-year extension on Obamacare subsidies. Victor asks Minority leader Hakeem Jeffries if he agrees with the proposal from his Senate colleagues.Native American communities are facing an especially uncertain time with SNAP benefits suspended. Victor speaks with Conscious Alliance’s Pine Ridge Reservation Field Director Natalie Hand, who is trying to help feed families on the reservation, which is feeling the impact of this ongoing shutdown harder than most places. Plus, Grammy award-winning artist Shaggy joins Victor after visiting Jamaica to help with hurricane relief. He shares what he saw, and information on how others can help. Later, the family of Norman Rockwell is calling out the Trump Administration for using the iconic painter’s artwork in their social media posts. For “Art is Life” this week, Victor asks Norman Rockwell’s granddaughter, Daisy, why she says the Department of Homeland Security is “twisting” his legacy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A 16-year-old in Chicago who is fighting cancer has a message for immigration officials after her father was arrested. Victor shares the story of Ofelia Torres and gets reaction from her father’s attorney, Kalman Resnick, to a judge’s ruling saying the mandatory detention of Ruben Torres Maldonado was “unlawful”. Plus, hear President Trump's short answer to a question about funding SNAP as we're just a week away from millions of Americans losing food benefits and the government shutdown drags on. Victor speaks with founder and CEO of The Baby Pantry, Chlorey Campbell, about what she’s hearing from people coming to her organization for help. After a deadly crash, right-wing voices are speaking out against immigrant truck drivers, particularly those from India. Bhupinder Kaur of UNITED SIKHS joins Victor to share her concerns about the rhetoric. In our latest installment of The Algorithm, Victor speaks with a content creator who says there are social media accounts “stealing my face” with AI. 200 years after transforming the United States, commemorations of the Erie Canal anniversary in New York are also taking stock of the impact the waterway had on Native Americans. Victor speaks with Brian Trzeciak of the Buffalo Maritime Center about balancing remembrances of that history, as he gets close to wrapping up a 33-day trip on a boat called the "Seneca Chief". And later, Victor speaks with Hamza Walker about a new exhibit called “Monuments” that is putting decommissioned confederate symbols back on display in unexpected new ways. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices