Wildfire Smoke Crisis & Wisconsin’s Political Turbulence

I'm going to go that way.

Good morning. Good morning. What's happening family? Welcome to the show. It is Michelle Bryant Here at WNOV a 60 a.m. One oh six point five FM you are listening to say something real and Just so folks know this morning if you watching on YouTube and Facebook you see this amazing backdrop It means that I'm not in the studio. I'm actually in a hotel room in Chicago. I am in town

Are we good? I am in town for a conference that the NAACP is having, the NAACP Axle Competition. And so, LaKisha, Dr. LaKisha Mars and myself in our work with NAACP kids that we have brought here to compete and we already have

One distinct honor, one of our students has been selected to be a part of the national awards program. And so this is a first during the case. And you're as chair, and we are excited to tune in to watch the NAACP program on Sunday. They will see a Milwaukee student who is a part of the presentation. Let me see if I can say good morning to the brothers in the building.

Uh, what's happening family? Hey, hey writer. Hey, how are you doing this morning? Well, uh Still outside of like a big cigarette You know, I just got done like talking to the kitchen. I'm like every time we leave to I don't know what it is about when we leave, Wisconsin Y'all just go crazy. Y'all need to stay I'm just When we left we had the riots we had the flits and it looked like

Stuff is on fire. You said the sun looked like it was on fire this morning. The sun looked like it was on fire. I was driving down funding like, not just so happen to look up to give God some glory for waking me up this morning. And when I looked up, I was like, whoa, the sun looked like it's on fire.

But you I know I'm looking and I got text messages from folks already sending me screenshots of what they're saying the air quality is so I had to go look and see so we're being impacted by a fire coming smoke Residual smoke from a fire coming out of Ontario, Canada And then I guess Minnesota has some drama going on in terms of fire. So we getting hit both ways but like

Could you breathe when you came outside? Listen, I walked outside. As soon as I opened up my front door and walked outside, it hit me right in the chest. And I was like, whoa. And like, it's like a heavy, small fog or whatever, smoke or whatever you want to call it. But it's heavy. It's like, you know, back in the day when I used to hop box in the car.

That's how it is outside. So, there are a lot of people who don't know what these... Yeah, we're gonna leave it right there. We're gonna leave that right there. You're acting like you didn't say it. You know, but there are some people that's cracking up this morning right now, and other folks mad that they not even know the joke. Well, it's good to see you, bruh. I will definitely, you know, just get...

about some advisory notes that I put in I know every television station seems like they're inundated with like tips telling people particularly folks who suffer with respiratory illnesses have asthma y'all got to be careful this morning so I'll definitely include that in the show but you are right otherwise bro otherwise I'm good I'm great I'm just navigating through the smoke look

And when people actually say, I'm about to bring that smoke. Yeah, literally. We realize what it means when it really shows up. Not a good thing. So let me see. Yeah, people continue into the text. It's crazy. Be careful about the airport. Yeah. Clark Kent, how you doing this morning, player? Who you with? I know y'all can't see me, but that's OK. Today you're wet. I'm not with y'all. That's right. Yeah, you're right.

putting up your wrongs. I'm just saying I mean no harm but you know when you start talking about what these folks are saying so in terms of the air quality just awful they're asking people to keep the windows and the doors closed run the AC or recirculate that is an important thing to remember run

AC on recelate if body's air conditioner can do that because frequently the AC units will pull on air from outside. If you have asthma or COPD, keep that inhaler in the asthma. You know, pumps and stuff next to you, make sure you have it, what you need. It is crazy when they're looking at some of the stuff that actually can.

Be impacted and really go wrong. So I would just encourage people, you know Listen listen listen follow the advice of these experts and stay out the way Let me see so in In fact, I was just I want to go look and see because I was trying to be hit by it here in Illinois because I'm here until Monday and they were like, yeah, it's on its way

It should hit us today over here in Chicago, but the visibility is crazy. So again, the folks that they say are mostly at risk, children, older adults, pregnant women, people with asthma or lung diseases, and anyone with heart disease. We know a ton of people that's in that category.

Even healthy adults may notice coughing, sore throats, headaches, watery eyes, or shortness of breath during periods of heavy smoke.

how to protect yourself, again, stay indoors as much as possible, keep the windows and doors closed, running those air conditioners on recirculate, again, the high efficiency filters, using air purifier if you have one, avoid, now that's interesting, avoid vacuuming, burning candles or frying foods. Okay, all black folks, I need y'all to listen to that. They're asking you. You know why.

I mean, I mean, because you would have to raise up the window. So if you are cooking some, you know, in that, you know, the Greeks and things like that and the smell and things like that, they want to keep you from opening up your windows. So if you burn in candles and things like that, most likely people will open up their windows, you know, just to get the fresh air in from the outside.

Yeah, I think the other thing too is though that they also say it just we don't I guess we just don't think about it But it can worsen indoor air quality without even opening a window right you think about what's happening in your house when you fry your food and You know, I know like we we laugh Like the look in parents house holes

whatever you cook in, you can smell it when you come in that house. And so it definitely, like they said, they talk about indoor quality. Even before, to your point, Jermaine, open the window to help the smell and whatever's going on, even the heat in terms of cooking indoors. Other things they're asking people to do, please delay the strenuous exercise. I always crack up when I see

Two inches of snow. They want to assist on doing it. It's like, yeah, come on. Well, it's just so ridiculous. It's just, you know, drop dead hot outside. And you out here in these bikini shorts, you know, them old, uh, okay, I think his name right now, but them old NBA looking shorts, them shorty shorties. And you know, you just got to exercise. And I'm like, you do understand that people are dying.

There you go. I'm like, you don't have to do it, but I can't break my routine. Like, man, you're on some nonsense. And they're also saying the N95 mask haven't had to use that in a while. They're actually saying put one of those masks on if you have it. And then you're going to be checking air quality throughout the course of the day. Wind of smoke.

is planning to clear out in the area. We should get some relief going into suspecting potentially thunderstorms and or some rain showers, which will help as it cools off. It will help. So but they're saying that, you know, these cold fronts, they're going to be great. But there will still be some some stuff lingering in the air. So by Sunday early next week,

uh it's going to be hot again so we're going to get this temporary break going into the weekend but you know that's counter by the smoke so just telling everybody be as careful as you can because this stuff is no joke that just just plain and simple uh all right bruh it's a couple of things i am sitting here

Let me just say this first of all. So we got to Chicago yesterday. We took the train over. We have, like I said, five students with us. Another parent came along. And to see our kids, one of the little boys, I love this little boy already. He's just the most matterable. His parents have done a day job, just the coolest little kid. And he said, as we were getting on the train, he said,

I said, yeah. Have you ever been on a train before? And I said, yeah. And I said, but not this one. Cause I can, you know, I kind of tell where it was going. So I said, but not this one. He was a little nervous. I'm like, we're going to be fine, man. Since we get on the train, that's right. And the baby, he's like, look at me. I said, hey, you good, you good. Just that initial when you talk.

So I just wanted to say that when we get to the hotel, oh my God, it is a sea of black folks, you know, kids everywhere, they got their different shirts on from across all the chaperones. And when I tell you it's thick down here and you realize how many of our children

are doing amazing, positive, productive things. It is possibly one of the best aspects, you know, that I can think of in terms of the working with the NAACP and, you know, funny, this full circle moment because when Lakisha was in high school, Lakisha participated in this program as a student. So to see this, this sister,

Now that she's good and grown an adult, but, and this is, I think our third year doing it. We've been in North Carolina. Where else would it be? Go Kisha Vegas. We went to North Carolina. We went to Vegas. Um, and so to see her investing in our children and, you know, helping to revive the more, um, actual program is just nothing short of just.

incredibly cool. And we do have folks down from Dane County in Madison. They brought two students. So Laura and her team are here. We usually get the kids together so they can get to know one another. We go and support each other. We've already met other children whose parents were telling us about, you know, what.

areas they're competing in. So now we got other kids we got to go root for and cheer for as the process goes on. These kids are going to see celebrities while they are here. They're going to interact with leadership from across the country.

They're going to masterclass. They have masterclasses on money, on music, on any cooking, on anything you could think of that you could offer a masterclass on. These young people will get an opportunity to be exposed. So I am looking forward to the rest of the day and the weekend and to see how things go. I am excited about that. But I'm still paying attention to what's going on at home. And let me start here.

On social media yesterday, there was a ton of chatter about whether or not Milwaukee County executive David Crawley should have gotten out of the race so early. Let me tell you why. There are folks that are frustrated as they are looking at the field of candidates, their choices. Who could they choose? What should they do? And they are not happy. They are not thrilled.

with how things are going. There were some folks that were even saying that they had planned to still vote for David Crawley, even though he's pulled out of the race. That can be a protest vote. You know, we tell people all the time, you got to be careful when you're doing that because you basically, in some regards, you throw on that vote away, even though you're making a statement. But

If you're really trying to impact the end outcome of the election, and that may be the impact is that, you know, somebody who could have got across the finish line doesn't. But some real questions are now being raised because an article came out in the sentinel on yesterday, early this morning. When we got to understand how bad the situation was for Sarah Rodriguez,

Let me just run through this real quick. So in my inbox, there is a Wisconsin Election Commission saying, hey, finance reports to do because I do finance reports, you know, for other folks, you know, I've had my own campaign. So, you know, I know when these finance reports to do and the filings had to be done. I think it was two days ago.

And so now we have some numbers. In terms of the amount of money that was raised in the last six months, okay? There are some numbers that I'm going to give you, excuse me, to help us understand the lay of the land a little bit. So they did this in order of who raised the most money and how much money they still have on hand.

The folks that got out of the race their information is not listed. Okay, so First with Mandela Barnes Mandela Barnes and $41,000 and some change He has two hundred and four thousand dollars and some change on hand He raised eight hundred and forty one thousand, but if you go to his bank account right now

He has 244,000 in the bank. Francesca Hong, she raised $708,000 and some change in this last six months. If you go to her bank account right now, she has $410,000 and some change on hand. Joe Brennan, the last person to enter this race. Joe Brennan had $65,000.

and some change. He has $359,000 on hand and some change. Kelder Royce, I interviewed her on my show, from the $27,000 raised and some change. She has $406,000 in the bank. Okay. Sarah Rodriguez.

Sarah Rodriguez raised $561,000 and some change. So as I can hear y'all, y'all go ahead and some change. So of these five folks that they highlighted, she actually performed near the bottom of the pack in terms of raising money in the last six months.

in terms of that five. Again, don't have Crawley's information in front of me. Who else got out of race? Missy Hughes don't have her information in front of me. But of those individuals, Sarah Rodriguez was actually near the break. But let me tell you, she had, I mean, she raised 561,000. You know how much money Sarah Rodriguez has on hand right now?

$34,000. $34,000. Now, when you hear that number, you got to take it with a grain of salt. And I'll explain in a way, you know, kind of what that means after we come back from the commercial break. But this is more dire than we were led to believe. And I'm going to just tell you right now.

I know Dali has to be wondering, I might have made my move too soon. I hear that blue song playing in the background. I think I made my move too soon because, but how could you know that these people was lying about, you know, where the money reside? How could you know these people were giving false reporting information?

It has completely upended this process. But in the meantime, Jay, am I? Yes, ma'am. OK, give me one second. I just want to make sure I say this. In the meantime, Tom Tiffany. Tom Tiffany raised eight million dollars, which included six point one million that he trans that was a transfer from the Republican Party of Wisconsin.

So the Republican party dumped $6 million into his campaign. And he reported, though, that he had two million. He had basically almost $3 million in cash on hand. So listen to that number. First numbers I put up the Democratic side. And again, it's because we've had a ton of candidates in the race and people have to figure out who we're going to get behind once we get out of the.

August 11th primary, more money will come, but Sarah Rodriguez has $34,000. Get your hand. Right. Woo. Jesus. All right, y'all. This is Michelle Broad WNOV 860AM106.5 FM. I'll be right back.

Jermaine doing his dancing. It needs to stop. All right to the show. Jermaine, stop the dancing because I'm up here about to crack up laughing.

Hang on, let me turn off my phone. I was looking at stuff on my phone. Let me just say good morning to everybody on YouTube and Facebook. I see Henry Peters got in first this morning. Let's see the family ain't playing this morning.

I got to go back through and look at all the comments, but I see everybody checking in. It's good to see y'all. Thank y'all for joining us. So before I went to the break and people already started texting me, you know, trying to figure out where I'm going with this conversation. I do the money breakout on this gubernatorial race. I said though, take Sarah, uh, Rodriguez money with a grain of salt, because one thing to consider, you will have other organizations.

packs political that will come in and backfill what she can't afford to do. So they will run commercials for her advertising. They will put teens out on the ground knocking doors, getting literature printed up and put out there. This is that other way.

that folks can support kids and, you know, backdoor process, if you will, that if it's just straight up head-to-head on his merits, who raised the most money, who can play in this race, who cannot play in this race, she would be in huge trouble in terms of just her ability to stand there with $34,000. And being that has now happened because we are now less than 30 days away, she will not have inspired confidence of a lot of

donors to come in on the front side. So you're going to see a bunch of people coming in on the back side, potentially, again, union organizations that had all planned to endorse, already announced that they were endorsing her. They're going to have to carry the heavy load. It will be interesting to see what her fundraising looks like after this period since the announcement.

leading up to the primary election. So folks are beginning to think that this woman is not a viable management of the money. But I'm going to just tell you, I mentioned it yesterday, it still stings, it hits wrong with me that David Carly may not have been told before he endorsed her by her that

I got some nonsense can already come out on me. You know, it's it's not gonna be a good look. You might want to hold because that speaks to that speaks integrity to me. That speaks to before you jump on this sinking ship with me. Let me flag this for you. I haven't talked to David Crawley about this. So I have no idea. Can't believe that he knew.

that she was getting ready to be in this kind of situation and he bust out on the scene and endorsed her anyway. So now folks are saying, where do I go? Do I vote for Mandela? The number of black folks telling me they not voting for Mandela, that number increases every day.

I see pain commercial he has run, but when I tell you people is like garbage trash. I'm like, y'all like, no, they not having it. Uh, somebody text me, they was like, mm-mm. I'm so done and over it in terms of Mandela. So then where do you go? Because you're talking if you know, if you're not going for Sarah Roger, you got Kilda Royce, Francesca Hong and Joe Brennan.

Joe Brennan ain't picking no black. He ain't pulling no black votes. He is not going to happen. People, most people don't even know who this man is. They definitely don't know not going to happen. Um, I can count on my hand, you know, stuff that I received from the Brennan campaign. So I say, you know, on the democratic side, you got Kale DeRoy's, you have serious, I mean, our friendship.

Now, Francesca Hong is getting crazy traction across the state. And you can see from her fundraising numbers, she definitely is a player in this whole situation. I have had black people tell me I'm going for Francesca Hong. But they're saying that because they miss David Crawley as their preferred candidate in this race. I don't know where black people get ready to go.

And there are people that are already early voting. These ballots are being cast. I have no idea where people are getting ready to go. But I know where some folks hang on. There will be folks that will vote because, you know, that's what the union is doing. They already feel locked into her as a candidate. The Hispanic Latino community.

is somebody say good morning, Michelle. I was never on board with Mandela. I will have to be hung. It will have to be. I've been hearing that over and over again. I've been hearing it over and over again. But there are going to be some folks there like this is who we backing. I've just brought up the Hispanic Latino community. Sarah Rodriguez is not Hispanic Latino. Her husband is. And so, you know,

our brothers and sisters of the side, the bridge, a lot of them, you know, the endorsements have begun to roll in and come out for her. So the Hispanic community is going to play heavily in this race as well. I guess I'm interested to find out from our listeners where are thinking, you know, what do we do? Because this is one of these rare times when we can't say with a degree of certainty, this is our God.

This is our candidate. This is our girl. We cannot say it. Literally, if I see one more post on social media about the implosion, if you will, of the Democratic Party, but the one thing I will say to people is that the process is messy if it's being done well. Don't be confused by on the Republican side of the aisle when there's only one candidate and everybody lines up behind that candidate because that means

There is no democracy outside of the aisle. That people, you know, are being pushed out, moved around. And don't get me wrong, it definitely happens on the Democratic side of the aisle too, but at least there's the appearance of folks being able to get in and to play. This has a situation. Anybody could win this governor's primary on the Democratic side of the ticket.

So I do I want to know Somebody else said oh for Francesca home DC is not in it. So that's my candidate I Do not know to go but if you have not voted yet, I'm going to encourage you you have to do your homework you got figure out Who you're going to support if you are going to support David Crawley?

even though he has pulled out of the race, then you need to be asking what is my purpose for that in statement vote. I wouldn't be surprised if there are folks talking to David Crawley about you need to be in this race. I wouldn't be surprised at all because we literally...

We I saw was here. I come you got a situation on our hands y'all and I'm not playing design line It's a mess. Let me go to the phone line. Hey caller. What's happening? All right, do we live? Okay. Hey caller was Hi, Michelle. Thanks for taking our calls and thanks for working on Thursday when you could be still kicking it

Michelle, I can't see out here. This smoke is so big. This is worse than fog. I don't understand what's going on. My question is, does Hong have a black agenda? There was an article leaked in the journal that the GOP wants us to pick Hong because they're saying that they can beat her easily. So it was like they're trying to promote her to be the candidate for the Democrats.

because they have some plan behind the scenes where they know they're going to smoke us if she is one of our candidates. I'm stuck. I don't know who to choose. That's why I was listening for you to endorse somebody or say who you're behind because we got too many options and I'm not sure what to do at this point. Have a great weekend, Michelle. Thank you. Thank you, sister. I appreciate the call. Please take yourself as you're moving around.

This is not our typical fog situation, as we've been told. This is real health, life-threatening smog that you guys are running into. So please continue to stay safe in terms of Francesca Hong. And the question was, first of all, let me just say this, and I want us to hear this. We are supposed to create our agenda.

When these folks start running for office, we need to be telling them what we need, what we want to see, you know, what it looks like to be a part of this community and to work on it. So that's number one. But I had the opportunity to moderate a forum that she participated in over at Howard Fuller, a school, a preparatory, whatever the name of the school is, no disrespect.

I just forgot to say it, but I would moderate a panel discussion along with former state representative David Bowen. And some of these questions came up regarding Black folks, quite frankly. So what she has said, she supports increased funding and structural renovations for public schools in marginalized and predominant-like neighborhoods, alongside implementation of a curriculum

that teaches racial inclusivity and the history of racism in the United States. So where we have other folks running from talking about this country, the way people of color have been treated, she's saying the opposite. I want it implemented and written into the curriculum of K-12 education. Because again,

And we can study the Holocaust, which did not happen in America. And we can study it twice in middle school and high school. We study in everybody else's history as mandated by law. She also talked about a $20 minimum wage, guarantee paid leave, and making sure that marginalized communities weren't bearing a larger brunt of the tax burden than they should.

She wants the wealthier people and large corporations. That is something that directly impacts communities of color. She also, in terms of civil rights, got a strong presence there talking about what needs to be done to be more fair in the justice system. She talks about justice reform, forming our justice system.

There's a lot of stuff that she's aligned with in terms of looking at systemic racism in the law. And I'm not, you know, I'm not, I don't work on her campaign, but I just know the information is out there. So you can find a lot of this stuff about what people have said, where they land. But I'm going to tell people, I was talking to somebody last night and they said it's like a bingo card, you know, put them faces on that card and

start crossing them off and see who you left with, and then go and do the research to be able to figure out if this is who I'm planning to die with. In terms of endorsement from me, I'm not there yet. I'm not there yet. This is one race that I did not plan to try to put my finger on the scale, but I'm going to be honest.

Some of the people I know I don't support and the people give me, you know, concern and pause. I've told y'all people, I think that are brilliant. I don't know how that translates though into them being able to get elected. But for me, it's down to two candidates. It is, it's down to two candidates. If there is no David Crawley in the race, then it's down to two candidates for me.

And I've already said, Sarah Rodriguez is problematic. It's been problematic for me ever since she ran for Lieutenant Governor. I just have a healthy respect for understanding the process and doing it. And it still bites my sensibilities that somebody is in the assembly for eight months and they say, oh, I should be Lieutenant Governor. And I'm like, if something happened to Tony Evers,

We get ready to entrust the state being run by you. No, I'm not here for it. And then I look at the 10 year, as Lieutenant Governor, and I know that there's been interaction in Milwaukee. I just don't know that. I can count how many times I've ever interviewed her on my show. I got you, Jay. Here I come. Never. I never talked to her.

and never been contacted by her campaign about, I mean, her group about nothing. So, you know, I ain't been seeing you. I'm not trying to see you now. Joe Brennan is a non-factor to me. This was nothing to me but a Hail Mary boy to pull him to race because they just people of color getting that seat. Mandela I think continues to have many of the same issues he had when he ran for U.S. Senate. There is a disconnect there.

So, are y'all crossing off the bingo card? Okay, let me go to break. I'll be right back.

All right, well, the show, thank everyone for tuning in this morning. We got a caller. All right, let's go to the phone line. Hey, caller, what's happening? Hello, good morning. How are y'all doing this morning? We are, right, man. How are you doing this morning? All right. Well, you know, Michelle, uh, what history she was in, uh, when they railroaded.

We got David out. Wherever he sold his endorsement behind, I think we're here to keep. Because that's how it is. So those checkers buried up there, I don't know why. Even laying that old checker. I just seen it down.

I mean because number

One, they don't have like for real. You know, you just there there are no actual job duties for the lieutenant governor. So, you know, you you you can create something. Now, if you if you skilled, you can work and you got a good relationship with the governor, then you can create a lane for yourself to get some things done. Don't have a lot of power and you follow the governor's agenda for the most part. So it's not if you somebody that really

You know, or trying to be a decision maker is not necessarily your first your first choice. Um, and, you know, do you make 84? I think you make like 84 thousand dollars as a lieutenant governor. You make us as the governor. So, um, that's also doing nothing. It ain't bad, but, but, uh, coming from where he gonna win in no way because he done that before when he quit, uh,

the lieutenant governor and ran for the Tennessee. He shows us the way back for the gold and for the win. If he don't win this time, he can forget about it. And I just want to say that we just need, I think we need more Alderman's around here. I just jumped up because a little bit, because we got Alderman's that we don't know nothing about.

I mean, a lot of people, I kind of keep up with a little politics, but it's probably one politician down there, Alderman, and that's one of the staffers, that people really, you know, really know. And we got all them black people down there, and I'm telling you, when I say turn it over to black people, you better do the best you can with it, because when they take you back, it's all over it. And that's all that.

All right, you too. Let me just say a couple of things. You know, when you talk about, and I'm gonna just go back to the comments you made on the back end and talk about all the persons down there, people don't really know. And he said, you know, people know Russell Stamper. It really depends on the trick you live in because hopefully,

A lot of people know who they're all the person is. Sometimes it's difficult to know who these people are across the board, if you don't follow the news real tightly, or if you don't move around a lot. I mean, because some of these names like, you know, I'm a Lele Cox, that's a high profile name because of the Cox family legacy.

you know, Russell Stamper, that's a legacy name because of his dad, who was his parents were, you know, Judge Stamper, that's a legacy name. So you can kind of know that. It's always something going on.

There are folks, you know, like, Larissa Taylor is my older person, you know, so we hear from her. I know a lot about what's going on in the community. So some of it's regional, you know, it just is. They're not like the older person, both senior and junior. They were known across districts because of the way they engaged.

and the things that they championed. And it wasn't district specific all the time. They championed rights and championed causes in general. So you got to know their names. And some of these people, they just focus on a district. They head is down. They talking about, you know, the trash pickup or the food trucks or whatever. And you don't hear their voice.

on big issues and so and and and that's that's fine because I mean you know for them because that's what they want to do I got elected to serve this district and those are the things I care about I think sometimes people miss the boat that there are bigger broader issues.

The records driving was met, you know, people, everybody cared about what was going on. But I just think that there are other ways that people could weigh in, that they missed the opportunity to do that. I always will continue to say, I think that people don't take advantage of these resources, like an NOV, to come and just have a regular presence. You know, I laugh. I have just Brower, who is a white Common Council member.

Um, at least three to four times in the past month or so, he was bringing us up to date on the week energy situation. But, you know, I can call Alex about anything he can call me. Hey, can I come on and talk about? Yes, you can. And there are people just so that's one of the things I will say about that in relationship to.

The, the first thing you said about David Crawley gets out of the race and he endorsed the Sarah Rodriguez. And if we were going to support David, we should support, you know, who he recommended, which Sarah to that I say, hell nah, nah, they had to go for me. Um, so number one, I am very leery of.

endorsements from candidates. I just am. Because a lot of times these people told a party line, these are not just, these people are not friends. They, you know, I can't vouch for your work. And I tell people all the time, these people put their name on anybody because you a Democrat. No, no, that ain't how this go for me.

If I'm going to put my name on you, I will Michelle tell me why. Oh, I can run down the laundry list while I support Lena. I can run down the laundry list list while I rock with Lakeisha. I can tell you what, you know, quite frankly, I can run down some programs that Malaylee has done. I can run down programs that, you know, other officials, I can do go and tell you I rock with somebody. These people don't rock with these people.

David Crawley came right down the damn list of accomplishments for Sarah Rodriguez. I don't care what he say. And I love DC, but you can't. You can give you them talking points and do what people told you. But I just, I just, I'm just not there. And so at the end of the day, you have to do what's best for you. And I know it's hard because we don't know these people.

We just get a flyer in the mail, you know People you get the horsemen's there's so and so's name. I know that name I know that name I'm telling y'all and I rail on this all the time a bunch of Democrats that beyond these people's literature is full of crap They don't know these people. This is who we have been told to get behind

And everybody jumped a behind on the band. Why their names are worthless to me and mean nothing. When I see so-and-so endorse somebody, she endorse their damn body. I don't listen to nothing she said. Because I know you don't know all of these people well enough to be telling us to get behind them. This is who the party has decided. We need to move forward. And everybody jumped. And I've seen real workers like the unions.

The unions, I don't think LaKeisha Myers has ever gotten a union endorsement from the very teachers union and stuff that she's a member of. Never got a union endorsement. But anybody listen to the show, you're cut off. So I don't care about endorsements. And again, I know DC wish he could take that damn endorsement back.

After she was sat up here knowing she had this drama, getting ready to jump off and didn't tell, I don't believe. I don't have conversation, but I don't believe man. And now he caught up and, you know, and everybody pressuring them. The top people in the race is Rodriguez, Mandela, Francesca. No, I don't do endorsements. I don't, I don't do them.

There are very few people whose interest that I trust and I hope that the people who do those endorsements hear that and understand that people be looking at you sideways It's very few people's endorsements. I trust All right y'all got take a break. I'll be right back Because this has been popping up

Hey folks, welcome. We are trying to make all of this work. Thank you, Jay. I see you saying I got a caller. Yeah. I'm going to need that to stop. It's a distraction. I'm going to need that to stop.

But for folks that are tuning in, I'm actually doing the show over here with the Milwaukee. Sorry, sorry. Wait, wait, wait, because I'm trying to, I'm going to play something for y'all. That's why y'all keep hearing this in the background. But doing a show from Chicago in the hotel right now, getting ready to go out and join our students this morning. Who are here competing of any one of the 33 categories. Young people.

9th grade through 12th grade from across the country. So that's what I'm doing. So that's why the show is remote this morning. Didn't intend for this to be a show completely about the governor's race, but that's the way it has shaped up this morning because the reality is we have a real situation on it. I think that it deserves some time. I know that I have Francesca Hong scheduled to come on the show and I gotta remember, I gotta go back and see which day we scheduled it for, but

There are just a number of things that have to happen. And wait a minute. If I do this one more time, I keep it up. Somebody hit me up, in fact, more than one person over the last several days, but somebody just did it this morning and said, hey, are you going to talk about this? This is, in fact, Jay, I'm going to play something. Give me a thumbs up if you can hear it. All right. I'm just going to phone.

And let's see if we can hear it. Because this has been popping up in my Facebook feed so much, I just have to talk about it. There is a person who is clamoring for people to talk about the fact that former lieutenant governor and Francesca Hall dated. Now, both of them are running for governor right now. They're running both as Democrats right now.

Somebody's trying to make a big deal of the fact that they dated the other thing they said is that the relationship ended very badly Now I happen to be at an event I saw both of them see them like having any interaction with each other at all So I don't know why but if they dated and ended badly, maybe that's the reason But does is it really a big deal? Is it a big story that they dated and ended badly? Is that a big deal? I don't think it is. What do you think? All right

So that was someone brother by name of Jammin who talked about this and you know people like I said people have been reaching out calling Michelle. Why are you not bringing this up? So first of all, let me just say this I've known about you know The discussion in the back whether or not

former Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes and Francesca Hong had dated. That's just been around for a while. When Mandela first announced that he was getting into the race, actually was contacted by the New York Times. And they wanted to, you know, as far as I was concerned, it seemed like it was going to be a hit piece on Mandela. So, and then somebody must have said, call her, you know, like, because

you know, she got beef with Mandela. So she probably will be great. And that's at least that's the way it felt to me. But the reporter, you know, was, do you think he should be in the race? But it was more coached or couched in like, you know, for me to say no, he shouldn't. And one of the things I told the reporter, I said, if that man want to run, he got every right to run. I wouldn't dare tell somebody you don't have the right to run.

Now, is it a good idea? But when I tell you to get out of the race, when I tell you you shouldn't run, I wouldn't do that. That's not my place. I can tell you whether or not I think it'll, you know, is viable if it makes sense or not. But so that was one thing. Then the other thing the reporter did in that review is this alleged relationship between Francesca Hong and Mandela Barnes. And I told the reporter, I don't know nothing about it.

You know, because I'm going to be honest, I don't rumors are out there, but this is not my business. I'm not moving around. Everybody grown the day who they want to tell a single. I think Francesca was single because I know she's been married. But I'm like, they don't have nothing doing me. And that's not why I'm here. Now there are times when people, salacious foolishness should be public.

Father it should be public this crazy The girl in DC DC whose husband was putting on fake breasts The Lulu women clothes the women man Now that's

The public needs to know that because they say she was having an affair with Corey Lewandowski, you know, and she married like that. And I only want to know that because it's funny. Like why y'all out here beating up over there, but doesn't walk around with so you know, like double F cups. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

So, I'm not going to tell you I've never in people's business, but yeah, this, this. And I did not like that people tried to make that a factor. It's like that may whoever he wants to and people in the workplace, typically 10 today, it happens. There's a whole bunch of people listening to the show. You met your spouse.

your girlfriend, boyfriend, other your partner on the job. That's why we have non-fratenization policies because it's a thing. Let me go to the phone line real quick. Hey, caller. What's happening? Good morning. Good morning. Thank you for taking my call. Yes, ma'am. Governor's race is very serious not to be taken lightly. I was at North Division and I heard

what each one of the candidates were had to say. The one white guy that didn't even show up, well, he's a no starter for me. I have nothing no interest in it. But at the same token, I personally had an opportunity to talk to a lot of Regan. And she assured me if she were to win day one, she'll have a team off and running.

Well, she's disappointed me Okay And I asked her a lot of questions and they're walking away. I heard her say to the guy that was kind I don't know if he was there security or what he was like Wow, she put me through the ring cuz I asked a lot of questions You know what I'm saying that I'm not gonna discuss now, but I'm disappointed But I also know it's not fair

A lot of people are saying, Mandela, I ain't even gonna consider him. He gave Johnson a hell of a run for that Senate seat. So a lot of people have faith in it. But I know black Americans and people that want to make a difference can't just put anybody in those seats.

And we have to be serious about what it is that we're going to do. And if I had a personal bandetta against someone, I wouldn't always be there to throw a target or a boulder in their boat. Anybody that think it's a good idea to run to do something now, because our country is in a hell of a situation. And we better start thinking and doing our own research.

personally that put the best candidate in there that we know. David Bowling, DC, Mandela, and it's another young guy, his father was up there in the legislator. And he was another person that came through the community in the Dominican Center and the COA. So I'm familiar with all of these young guys.

And I do believe they have good hearts. Why David got out of there? I do not know, but I know one thing in our legislative, the ones, the Democrats that we put in there that we voted for, what are they doing for us? They went around with the status quo. And I do believe the one that Myers was running against, that one,

What is her name? Dora Drake. You know what I'm talking about? Yes ma'am, I said it. Dora Drake. Who? Dora Drake. Okay. During the June T, her tent was right next to David Prolly. And I asked her, what area are you in? And she named it and she said,

and this area. I say here on MLK Drive. So you right here over the library, you represented. I said, well, we need to talk. And I meant to get back to her. Not like Taylor that came back to our community, letting us know what's going on, what bills are coming out. Have you heard anything from her? So I'm going to be honest.

At one time, one time after she got elected and I'll answer the question. Go ahead and say if there's anything else you want to say and then I'll answer. I'll answer on the other side because I got I'm up against some break. OK, I know you're against the clock, but all I want to just leave this one thought. Both your content, both your research, don't depend on me. Don't depend on your best friend.

Our young people are confused. They don't want to vote, period. And if we trash in each other and doing all this crazy stuff, they're not going to vote. We need to encourage them to do their research because we need them voting. Thank you. Yes, ma'am. Thank you. Thank you for the call. So look, I'm up against the break. Let me take that. When I come back, I'll answer the caller's question.

I've actually said this on the air before, but I will say it again, back from the break. So let me take a quick break, Michelle. Quick break, Michelle, Brian WNOV, 860 AM, 106.5 FM. I'll be right back. All right, family, welcome back to the show. So this time has gone so fast. I cannot believe it. Let me take a quick second.

I'll do this first caller who called before the break. She had asked the question about whether or not, um, Dora Drake, Dora Drake, who actually is sitting in the seat that was formerly occupied by Lena Taylor for the four Senate district. And the office that opt in for 20 years off and on, you know, between going out to work on campaigns, coming back, going out, coming back.

And she asked that, you know, she'd been on the show. So she's been on the station. I know she's been on Keith show a couple of times. But in terms of my show, no, she has not been on my show. And I will say for transparency purposes, but when it happened, I mentioned it at the time on the air. After she was elected, her team, a member of her team reached out to the station, not to

me, but to the station, see about getting her. And when it got to me, I wasn't interested. And my reasoning rationale, there was no interest in talking to me while you were running for office. So there would be no interest in talking to me. And in a contest with LaKeisha,

who everybody know that's my little sister, that's my ride or die. But let me be clear, and if LaKeisha was on, LaKeisha will tell you. I don't have cut cars. If you're good, you're good. If you're not, it's her. I still know how to be fair to that other person. I'm not going to throw dirty blows. I'm not going to undercut you. We're going to do business.

See, that's what grown folks do. That's what grown women do. That's what grown people do. I do business I don't treat people No matter what I think always and for everybody that always says they scared to come and talk to me on the air I don't know why Because I've never been disrespectful to a guest except for me And there's just cuz you know about ours, but I actually do like me But I'm never respectful to people

Real questions, I certainly will. Will I push? Or I will tell you, I got to disagree. I got to push back on that. But everybody that comes on my show, I handle people the way I want to be handled. And I also understand that when you're in this arena, tough questions come away. I don't like cowards. I don't like people who say, hey, elect me. I want to fight for you, but I don't want to go over there because it's uncomfortable.

I don't want to talk to them because they might be mean to me. I don't want to go in that room because someone may not like me. I have no use for you. Not in politics because when you get into capital, you're going to run into some of the most low down people you ever ran into in your life with agendas and on BS. And so if you can't come talk to me at a radio station, why would I send you to the capital to get in the room with some.

some stop-down sharks who Milwaukee definitely don't have no love for black folks. Why would I send you? So I'm not interested in talking to you after you get elected when you weren't willing to talk to me before you got elected, when you were running for the office. I got no respect for that. All right. So that was a text that I received as well. Oh, wait, wait, wait. It was one more thing.

that the caller has said that I wanted to address. You know this piece about not tearing people down and I'm paraphrasing now. Let me just tell people to be able to discern when somebody is telling the truth as they see it and attacks because they're different. We're talking about issues. We're talking about best people for jobs. We're talking about qualifications. We're talking about what we potentially are going

get. And things get said may be uncomfortable because they're uncomfortable does not mean they don't need to be said. It does not mean that troops don't need to be told. I say all the time and there are times I preface my show and be like today gonna be uncomfortable. It's a little rough today, but I just can't keep

doing mediocre. We got enough mediocre. We got enough people that get in these jobs and forget to come back and do meaningful stuff for the black community every day. I start to make judgments the minute I start looking at your staff who works on your team, who gets pet things that I realized a long time ago, particularly with black candidates. Y'all would come talk to us off the record behind the scenes, you know,

this, that, and the other, but you pay white boys and girls. You don't pay us. Look at who's worked on these campaigns. And so if you're not going to hire us to even help you get elected, your loyalty is to those people that help you get elected when it's time to give out jobs once you get in the building. And there's plenty of black candidates.

They ain't got nobody black working for them. And definitely don't have nobody black working in no meaningful, like you run the show, you the chief of staff, you know, you got some heft behind your title. They don't do that. They don't do that. And then you got folks that get up busy because they want to be in leadership and they want somebody to, you know, they want a title because like, I ain't never seen so many titles chasing black folks in my life. That's the office right now. Everybody want a title.

I'm the, I'm the stand at the back door chief. Everybody well titled. Because there's really nowhere else for you to go. Like, only one person can advance to be the fourth congressional district representative. Not that many people going to run for senator and get, you know, the statewide appeal.

So these are dead end careers in terms of making more money, advancement and promotion. So unless you get picked up as a cabinet secretary, a lot of black folks.

They don't get the positions to be government affairs directors. White legislators leave the legislature. They leave Congress. They go run so-and-so corporations, government affairs division. They go run so-and-so law firms, government affairs. They are lobbyists. We don't get them opportunities. We don't. But the thing that's so, is that many of them don't create opportunities for folks in our community either.

They don't. Again, I can count on one hand how many black chiefs of staff have been in that building. I can count. So, few people telling the truth for people attacking somebody. All right. I wanted to acknowledge the text that I received. A veteran.

I see you, Jay. Let me just, I'm gonna say this and I'm gonna go to break. A former military veteran, let me just say it that way. They said the thickness of the smoke, smog and contamination in the air that people are ingesting today is a small reminder of what we as soldiers in Iraq, Afghanistan and Afghanistan had to endure every day for two years.

This was in addition to the 132 degree heat, carrying 60 to 80 pounds of equipment and walking in hot sand one to two feet deep. Now the quality was 25 times worse than what we are experiencing today. Salute.

That's why when people jokingly say, you know, or they hear like a lot of gunfire and they're like, man, it's like I rap. Tell people, you don't have a clue. Thank you to the brother that sent this to remind us of the service that people give. And if we having a hard time with this, imagine how these folks get impacted every day. I'll be right back.

All right, folks, this time had, oh my God, we just have a couple of minutes left in the show. So I just want to say this because yesterday when we were coming in, a brother that picked us up for the order, not from America,

I can't remember which country. He's from the continent, though, from Africa. And I was just fresh coming off the story about this man whose restaurant we got this vineyard, who somehow or another got picked up in an immigration suite last September, and they just released him a couple of days ago.

and he was back at his restaurant in Martha's Vineyard. This brother that's driving us what it's like on the streets for them here because of everything that's going on with ICE and immigration. I mean, you know, ICE, these ICE raids. So there is a heavy presence while we are here in Chicago.

We've now had three killings during traffic stops and the individual that was running ICE came out and said, hey, we're going to pause this because these people are not wearing bodycams. They're blaming Democrats, but let me be here. It takes two days for the government to break down. No one party is responsible for the government breaking down.

ICE has the biggest budget of any agency that we have. So if you wanted body cameras, y'all already got money that can help y'all get body cameras. So I think some of this is done intentionally and bizarre because then it becomes a he says she said, except for private videos from citizens who may be around when this stuff is happening. So you can feel the

the nervousness in the air with some of these folks out there being conferred upon. So the current director says, hey, we're going to pause because we've had people that are, for the most part, legally in the country. One father months away, the last of his citizenship requirements, he was good to go.

You got behind and started harassing the wrong person. Another young man that was key, had paperwork to legally win this country. Donald Trump comes out and says, basically ignore what my guy said. We are going to use transportation avenues as a way of

going after a folks that are here illegally in the country. Every, it must be in the handbook when you become an ICE agent that you are to say they tried to kill me with their car. That is every person's line. Although they say as this one father lay dying on the street, and another guy said, hey, I tried to stop. I wasn't trying to fight these people.

To see the sense of fear in people, it is really crazy. And all agree on immigration and who should be here and how people come into the country, but nobody deserves to die like dogs in the street.

These people are operating in a way that regular police officers, if they behaved in this manner, they would be fired, at least I hope they would. But there would be clear policies and guidelines. This is Donald Trump's personal vehicle, he and Stephen Miller, to get to their 2,000 day quota of

I'm just telling people. This ain't how you do it. That is the show for today, show for this week. Thank you to the bros in the studio who got up early to make sure I could do the show remotely. I will be doing it that way on Monday as well. Hopefully I have some good news about the conditions and I just bros, I appreciate you and family. I'll talk to y'all next week.