Raising the Bar with Iman Iman

This is part II of my conversation with Bethany, Janelle and Vonetta. Tune in to hear about how I'm coping with working and parenting a toddler (with no daycare). We also discuss COVID conspiracy theories, multi generational families, and why the earth is FINALLY happy with us.

On this episode I’m joined by Bethany, Janelle and Vonetta to talk about how we’re coping with this new world we live in. We talk about the local government responses in NYC, ATL, Los Angeles and Maryland, about how Joe Biden and Bill DeBlasio are missing (someone send a search team), Fauci’s roadshow and how Black people went from “We can’t get it!” to being disproportionately impacted by this public health pandemic.

This is only part I of the interview. We talked for over an hour. Stay tuned next week for Part 2.

Sources:

Albany, GA story: https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/02/us/albany-georgia-coronavirus/index.html

This past week, the President signed a $2T relief bill to offer assistance to Americans affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. This episode explains a few of the provisions of the bill: direct payment eligibility, impact on student loan payments, retirement accounts and expanded unemployment benefits.

Full text of CARES Act

Sources:
https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2020-03-26/coronavirus-stimulus-package-versus-recovery-act
https://www.nytimes.com/article/coronavirus-stimulus-package-questions-answers.html
https://www.npr.org/2020/03/26/821457551/whats-inside-the-senate-s-2-trillion-coronavirus-aid-package

Can law enforcement compel you to unlock your phone? Well, it depends? Do you use a passcode, your face or your fingerprint?

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The 25th day of April marked five years since the residents of Flint, Michigan were forced to consume hazardous waste (in the form of water coming from their faucets). Flint residents have been fighting hard for justice. This past week, a federal judge ruled that residents can proceed with their lawsuits against the federal government.

In this episode, I discuss the courts that will preside over their case… Trump's federal courts. As of April 2019, 92 judges selected by Trump have been confirmed: two for the supreme court, 37 for the circuit courts of appeal, and 53 for the district courts. Thanks to the Senate invoking the nuclear option, more judges will be confirmed at a faster rate. Trump promised his base he would change the federal courts. Trump didn't fulfill many campaign promises. Unfortunately, this is one he kept.

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Sources:
https://ballotpedia.org/United_States_federal_courts
 https://ballotpedia.org/United_States_federal_courts
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/apr/03/trump-capturing-judiciary-alarming-rate
https://www.cnn.com/2016/03/04/us/flint-water-crisis-fast-facts/index.html

In this episode, I discuss a First Amendment case out of Pennsylvania involving a rapper, Jamal Knox (aka Mayhem Mal), and a song he and a friend recorded entitled "F*ck the Police." Jamal was charged with making terroristic threats although this song isn't the first of its kind. Recently, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court upheld his conviction. Numerous rappers filed an amicus brief with the United States Supreme Court to provide historical context of this song and rap music in general. On this episode, I discuss what a true threat is and how PA's highest court fell short in giving this song its proper context.

UPDATE: The Supreme Court has declined to review this case. For more info: https://www.thefader.com/2019/04/15/jamal-knox-supreme-court-case-mayhem-mal-update-pittsburgh

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Sources:
https://www.scotusblog.com/case-files/cases/knox-v-pennsylvania/
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/zma8ax/rappers-are-defending-their-right-to-anti-cop-lyrics-in-the-supreme-court
https://harvardlawreview.org/2019/03/commonwealth-v-knox/