RONDO DAYS 2025
Photo: Roosevelt Mansfield
in 2024
Photo: Roosevelt Mansfield Rakim
Fraud committee looks at Medicaid eligibility, future funds
By Mike Cook
More than 1 million Minnesotans receive assistance via the state’s Medicaid program and the state spends upwards of $20 billion annually in a state that has approximately 300,000 providers.
“Medical care, therapy, treatment, housing and other services that allow people to stay healthy and contribute to the economy,” said Shireen Gandhi, temporary commissioner at the Department of Human Services.
“We know that fraud hurts the people who need these services. Program integrity work is a high priority for DHS,” she continued. James Clark has been the department’s inspector general since March after nearly a decade of investigating Medicaid fraud at the attorney general’s office.
“The fact that people decide to steal from taxpayer-funded programs that are designed to help people in need is reprehensible,” he said. “… It’s also illegal, but I think most importantly it’s also immoral.”
But it happens, and, at times, seemingly without repercussion.
For example, a December 2024 report from the Office of the Legislative Auditor said the department, “has not attempted to recover over $40 million in outstanding overpayments to Medical Assistance providers” and “is planning to forgo recovery of outstanding provider debt that may still be recoverable.”
Ensuring Medicaid benefits go to the people who are eligible — and investigating fraud — was part of Tuesday’s
Build Wealth and 9,000 Equities Partners seek to help 9,000 Black families own homes
Build Wealth MN (BWM) and its 9000 Equities Initiative partners are reaching out to potential first-time buyers, renters, and anyone dreaming of owning a home for their One Door to Homeownership Expo
The One Door to Homeownership Expo is part of the 9000 Equities Initiative’s mission to help 9,000 Black families achieve the dream of
owning a home. “Now is the best time to buy. This expo will open doors for families who have been shut out for far too long,” said Jeffery Robinson, Senior Program Director at Build Wealth. “Homeownership is still one of the most powerful ways to build stability and generational wealth.” The free expo will provide community members
House Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Policy Committee meeting. Lawmakers took some steps this year to prevent misuse of state funds. There is also acknowledgment that more can be done moving forward. Among program integrity changes provided for in the 2025 legislation are: prohibition on kickbacks for Medical and Child Care assistance programs; • duplicative billing prohibition;
Over a 7 year period, about 9% of state and local government contract dollars went to minority- and woman-owned (MBE/ WBE) firms, less than the 22% that might be expected from the availability analysis performed.
According to the 2025 Minnesota Joint Disparity Study, this disparity occurred even though many state agencies operate small business enterprise and MBE/WBE-type programs. Results for entities without any programs showed only 0.2% of contract dollars going to MBEs and 1% of dollars going to WBEs.
The 2025 Minnesota Joint Disparity Study reviewed statewide procurement for 16 state and local government entities, examining more than 150,000 contracts and subcon-
tracts
with
and
WBE programs narrowed or eliminated disparities in program participation. Over the seven-year study period,
WBE participation in State contracts was 10.5%, but recent strengthening of the State’s Targeted Group Business Program improved MBE/WBE utilization to 14% for FY2023. The State contracted with Keen Independent Research to
By Daniel Cohan Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering,
University
I think it is important to distinguish which energy technologies could rapidly cut emissions or need a financial boost to become viable from those that are already profitable but harm the environment. Unfortunately, the Republican bill favors the latter while stifling the former.
Cuts to renewable electricity Wind and solar power, often paired with batteries, provide over 90% of the new
electricity added nationally and around the world in recent years. Natural gas turbines are in short supply, and there are long lead times to build nuclear power plants. Wind and solar energy projects
By Francis Ryan Associate Professor of Labor Studies and Employment Relations, Rutgers University
The Philadelphia municipal workers strike ended after eight days in the early hours of July 9, 2025. The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees District Council 33 union’s 9,000 blue-collar workers, including sanitation workers, 911 dispatchers, city mechanics and water department staff, were called back to work immediately. The deal involves a threeyear contract with 3% annual raises and an additional step in the union pay scale for veteran workers.
The Conversation
U.S. asked Francis Ryan, a professor of labor studies at Rutgers University and author of “AFSCME’s Philadelphia Story: Municipal Workers and Urban Power in Philadelphia in the Twentieth Century,” about the history of sanitation strikes in Philly and what made this one unique. Has anything surprised you about this strike? This strike marked the first time in the history of STRIKE 6
Jeffery Robinson and David McGee of Build Wealth Minnesota
Photo by Michele Jokinen
Shireen Gandhi, temporary commissioner of the Department of Human Services, testifies before the House Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Policy Committee July 8
iStockphoto / NNPA.
Congress passed Donald Trump’s tax and spending bill on July 3, 2025.
Two Minnesota icons, two very different choices on equity
By Haley Taylor Schlitz, Esq.
The backlash wasn’t quiet. It was loud, coordinated, and deliberate.
Across the country, diversity, equity, and inclusion programs have become political targets. Major corporations that once made public commitments to justice have started walking them back under pressure. Jobs have been eliminated, goals erased, and values rewritten. The question is no longer who promised to do better. The question is: who meant it?
In Minnesota, we are seeing two very different answers.
Earlier this year, Target, one of the state’s largest and most recognizable companies, dismantled key elements of its DEI infrastructure. The company eliminated leadership roles focused on equity, ended partnerships with external DEI consultants, and disbanded its Racial Equity Action and Change committee. This shift came after months of pressure, including boycotts and political attacks.
What followed was a decline in foot traffic, a drop in consumer trust, and a grow-
ing sense of disillusionment. Target’s silence spoke volumes. The same company that once stood at the forefront of corporate social responsibility after the murder of George Floyd was now retreating, without explanation or clarity. Leadership, it seemed, had chosen safety over courage.
But just a few miles away in Eagan, another Minnesota institution was making a very different choice.
The Minnesota Vikings recently held their fourth annual Diversity Coaching Summit. The program, created and led by Assistant Head Coach Mike Pettine, brings early-career coaches from underrepresented backgrounds into the heart of NFL operations. Participants spend three days immersed in the work, attending practices, meeting with senior staff, giving presentations, and building the relationships that
are often the difference between a closed door and an open one. And they are doing it without a mandate from the league. In fact, while the NFL paused its own diversity accelerator program this year, the Vikings pressed forward. There was, as Pettine put it, “never any doubt” that the summit would continue.
That is what leadership looks like. This commitment did
not come out of nowhere. It is supported at every level of the organization, from owners Zygi and Mark Wilf, to Head Coach Kevin O’Connell, to General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. Their support is not symbolic. It is structural. It is sustained. And it is working. In a league long criticized for its lack of diversity in coaching and front office roles, the Vikings are showing what intentional investment can do.
Not just for one team, but for the entire culture of the sport. And they are doing it right here in Minnesota. I do not write this as
a football analyst. I write this as a young Black woman, an attorney, and someone who has seen firsthand how often doors are closed to those who do not fit the mold. I have watched organizations abandon their values as soon as they become inconvenient. I have heard the language of equity reduced to branding.
But I have also seen what happens when people choose to stand firm.
The contrast between Target and the Vikings is not just about corporate decisions. It is about who we trust to lead us forward. One company responded to pressure by cutting ties and cutting back. The other responded by doubling down and showing up.
Target helped set the standard for corporate equity in 2020. But in 2025, that standard is being rewritten by the Vikings.
In moments like this, we learn what leadership really means. It is not about what you say when the world is watching. It is about what you do when the pressure rises, when the cameras turn away, and when the easy thing is to step back. The Vikings did not step back. They stepped forward.
And in doing so, they have reminded us that equity is not a trend. It is a test. One that Minnesota, and America, is still taking.
Update on Inver Grove Heights’ water supply radium levels
In January 2023, residents learned that radium levels in Inver Grove Heights’ water supply exceeded federal limits, said State Representative Mary Frances Clardy, D-53A, in a post inviting constituents be informed and weigh in on the issue.
Since then, Inver Grove Heights has taken proactive steps to improve water quality, including hiring a chemist, adjusting treatment operations, and beginning longterm rehabilitation work on the water treatment plant, she said.
As of March 2025, radium levels have declined and now meet federal safety standards, but monitoring and facility improvements remain ongoing. While the water remains safe for drinking, bathing, and everyday use, community members understandably still have concerns, she said.
Dietrich, Public Works Director Brian Connolly, and staff from the Minnesota Department of Health,” she said. Residents interested in attending should RSVP at bit. ly/ClardyCleanWater, to receive event location prior to the event.
Clardy invited residents to join her and other local and state officials for an Inver Grove Heights Clean Water Panel on July 15 at 7 p.m. “This will be an opportunity for residents to get an overview of the current situation, what’s been done, and the ongoing challenges. I’ll be joined by Inver Grove Heights Mayor Brenda
“Everyone deserves clean, safe water. We all should be confident that the water coming out of our faucets is healthy to drink, cook with, and bathe in. I hope you can join your neighbors to receive information and ask any questions about our community’s water supply, Clardy said.
Columnist
Courtesy of the city of Inver Grove Heights
The Inver Grove Heights Water Treatment Facility.
Minnesota House of Representatives Rep. Mary Frances Clardy
Talent over tokenism: Black mayors slash crime despite media silence
By Stacy M. Brown Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent
BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — Black mayors are proving that talent, vision, and a relentless focus on evidence-based policy—not tokenism—are transforming communities.
While cable news pundits and national newspapers often fixate on urban dysfunction, Black mayors across America are delivering measurable, record-breaking progress in public safety—and getting almost no credit for it. Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott and Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin have overseen some of the steepest reductions in violent crime their cities have experienced in decades. But they are far from alone. From New York to Los Angeles to Chicago, Black mayors are proving that talent, vision, and a relentless focus on evidence-based policy—not tokenism—are transforming communities. Yet their achievements have largely been ignored by mainstream media outlets that rarely look past sensational headlines.
Baltimore, long branded one of America’s most dangerous cities, released midyear crime data showing a 22% drop in homicides compared to the same period last year. Nonfatal shootings are down 19%, and juvenile homicide victims have declined by an astonishing 71%. Police are solving more crimes, with a homicide clearance rate of 64% and a nonfatal shooting clearance rate 20 percentage points above the department’s 10-year average. “These historic lows are the result of a comprehensive, evidence-based public safety strategy that we have implemented in partnership with residents,” Mayor
Scott said. “But our work is far from over—68 lives lost to violence is 68 too many.” The progress didn’t happen by chance. Under Scott’s leadership, the Baltimore Police Department has combined targeted enforcement with offers of help. Commissioner Richard Worley described how the Group Violence Reduction Strategy works: “We go out and give them a letter and basically say, ‘Listen, we know you were doing the shooting. We want you to put the guns down, or we will take you and your entire drug operation off the street. But here are the services—job training, education, relocation.’” Meanwhile, in Birmingham, Mayor Woodfin has led an aggressive, community-driven approach that’s paid off. The city’s homicide rate has fallen 52% compared to last year, and the clearance rate for homicides has surged to 79%, a
level rarely seen in major cities.
“The Birmingham Police Department is extremely aggressive in what they’re doing and how they’re taking a different approach in policing our community,” Woodfin said. He credited a blend of new technology, such as the Real Time Crime Center, and grassroots cooperation. “When you share information, it doesn’t allow the criminal element to be emboldened and hide behind fear of people,” Woodfin explained. “Those who are killing people are not just walking our streets.” Birmingham Police Chief Michael Pickett said the city’s street outreach teams are also preventing retaliatory shootings before they happen. “We are really, really hammering at it,” Pickett told the City Council. “I am very appreciative of all the men and women in the Birmingham Police Department who are leading our fight.”
While total violent crime in Birmingham has edged up slightly, the plunge in homicides shows that sustained focus and coordination can work— even if major media don’t bother to cover it. State and federal partners in Maryland have also acknowledged Baltimore’s progress. “Baltimore City released a midyear report showing the fewest homicides ever recorded at this point in a single year,” Maryland Governor Wes Moore’s office said in a statement. Across the country, other Black mayors are driving similar results.
In New York City, Mayor Eric Adams has presided over a 24% drop in shootings and a 14% decline in murders so far in 2025, the fewest shooting incidents recorded in more than a decade. Robberies and burglaries are also down, with NYPD data showing consistent reductions across nearly every
major crime category. On the West Coast, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass saw homicides fall 14% in 2024 and gang-related killings drop nearly 45% in areas targeted by community safety programs. Overall violent crime declined by 3%, and property crimes like burglary and auto theft dropped by thousands of incidents compared to the prior year.
In Chicago, Mayor Brandon Johnson has overseen a 22% decrease in murders and a 31% drop in shootings through early 2025, reaching the city’s lowest homicide totals in over a decade. Officials credit community-based outreach and investments in neighborhood violence prevention. And in Atlanta, Mayor Andre Dickens announced that violent crime was down nearly 16% in 2024, with homicides decreasing and property crime dropping as well. The city has invested in hiring more
officers while expanding the At-Promise Centers that connect youth with educational and mental health resources. In both large and midsized cities, the results are undeniable: fewer families burying loved ones, more cases solved, and more residents willing to engage with police. But to hear much of the national narrative, you’d never know it. As several social media users have pointed out, in Baltimore, Birmingham, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Atlanta, Black leadership is not a box to check or a headline to boast about. It’s what drives real, life-saving change—whether the national media notices or not. “While we acknowledge the historic lows we are experiencing, we must simultaneously acknowledge that there is much more work to do,” Scott stated. “And our success makes me commit even further to doing it.”
Commons / Maryland
Governor Moore Attends a Press Conference with Mayor Brandon Scott on Public Safety in Baltimore
Fraud
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authority to investigate maltreatment allegations in Early Intensive Developmental and Behavioral Intervention settings; and improved oversight of clinical requirements to ensure high-quality service that leads to better outcomes for
Homes
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in one day, through one door, he said. Founded in 2004, Build Wealth MN helps people embrace new approaches to giving, saving, banking, investing, homeownership, and creating generational wealth. Build Wealth partners with lo-
children and families.
“While we are working to implement the strong program integrity measures that this Legislature passed, we are also struggling with the significant federal changes that are possible in Minnesota,” Gandhi said.
Those would be from the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” signed into law by President Donald Trump last week. Department officials
cal communities and businesses to provide underserved families with supportive financial programs and services to build social and economic wealth. Since its inception, BWM has served thousands of clients, helping people reach their goals of financial stability and supporting more than 7,000 families attain homeownership.
Programs include the Family Stabilization Plan, Youth Stabilization Program,
said the state could lose up to $500 million annually once the federal funding cuts are enacted, due to a decrease in Medicaid payments, and upwards of 250,000 Minnesotans could lose coverage. Additionally, costs to counties, who administer Medicaid eligibility and renewals, are expected to increase significantly. “We have to ensure people who are eligible for these services get them,” said
Rent Smart-Wise and Ready, PEEP: Pathways to increase Employment and Earnings Potential, Mortgage Loans and Down Payment Assistance, and Housing Development.
Build Wealth launched its 9000 Equities Initiative to close the Minnesota homeownership gap by helping 9000 Black families own a home.
The 9000 Equities Initiative partners include: Au-
Rep. Emma Greenman (DFLMpls). Clark isn’t aware of the federal bill providing additional funds coming to Minnesota for help fighting Medicaid fraud.
Republicans say who qualifies must be reviewed. The federal law will require “able-bodied” Medicaid beneficiaries between the ages of 19 and 64 — except those with children under age 14 — to
rora/St. Anthony Neighborhood Development Corporation, Banneker Realty, Black Women’s Wealth Alliance, Bremer Bank, Build Wealth MN, Diamond Realty, Frazier Group, Marles Realty, Minnesota Homeownership Center, Model Cities, NAREB, National Realty Guild, Signature Real Estate Group, Stairstep Foundation, Habitat for Humanity Twin Cities, The Twin Cities Realtor, Housing in Action and US Bank.
prove that they are working at least 80 hours per month in order to maintain their health insurance.
We are spending $3.2 billion annually on “able-bodied people” that could work, said Rep. Marion Rarick (R-Maple Lake).
Rep. Isaac Schultz (R-Elmdale Township) said Minnesota spends $7 billion more per year on Medicaid than Colorado and Wisconsin, two
This event is open to the public. No registration required.
Attendees will learn:
• How to build generational wealth through homeownership
• Tips for credit and budget readiness to get mortgage-approved The full homebuying journey, from pre-approval to closing Inspiring stories from first-
larger states. “We seek to make sure we’re building a culture of work and so that we aren’t having the same programs and program issues that we’ve seen here in Minnesota with huge problems. It was the governor who said earlier this year that ‘I think it’s probably a culture of generosity. I think it’s a culture of being a little bit too trusting.’
time homebuyers How to prepare for life after purchase • And have access to on-site consultations with trusted lenders, realtors, and financial counselors. For more information, visit www.BwealthE.org, www.9000Equities.com or call 612-871-9000
From 3 breakthroughs put geothermal power on the verge of rapid growth.
However, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act rescinds billions of dollars that the Inflation Reduction Act, enacted in 2022, devoted to boosting domestic manufacturing and deployments of renewable energy and batteries.
It accelerates the phaseout of tax credits for factories that manufacture equipment needed for renewable energy and electric vehicles. That would disrupt the boom in domestic manufacturing projects that had been stimulated by the Inflation Reduction Act.
Efforts to build new wind and solar farms will be hit even harder. To receive any tax credits, those projects will need to commence construction by mid-2026 or come online by the end of 2027. The act preserves a slower timeline for phasing out subsidies for nuclear, geothermal and hydrogen projects, which take far longer to build than wind and solar farms. However, even projects that could be built soon enough will struggle to comply with the bill’s restrictions on using Chinese-made components. Tax law experts have called those provisions “unworkable,” since some Chinese materials may be necessary even for projects built with as much domestic content as possible. For example, even American-made solar panels may rely on components sourced from China or Chinese-owned companies.
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effort compiled data about marketplace conditions and any disparities in contracting, as well as insights from business owners and other groups. In total, more than 2,200 business owners and other individuals provided input.
The joint study reviewed statewide procurement for the University of Minnesota and Minnesota State Colleges and Universities as well as for state agencies such as
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the lives of Americans,” Omar said.
Princeton University professor Jesse Jenkins estimates that the bill will mean wind and solar power generate 820 fewer terawatt-hours in 2035 than under previous pol-
the Minnesota Department of Transportation. Other study participants were Metropolitan Airports Commission; Metropolitan Council; Metropolitan Mosquito Control District; the cities of Minneapolis, Saint Paul, Bloomington, Brooklyn Park and Rochester; Hennepin and Ramsey counties; Hennepin Healthcare and Saint Paul Public Schools.
Research showed a pattern of disparities or barriers for Black Americans, Asian-Pacific Americans, South Asian Americans, Hispanic Americans, American Indians and women and the businesses they own. Access to capital was a
“And this certainly isn’t the first time for Rep. Fine,” she said. “Before he came to Congress he tweeted a threat at myself and Rashida Tlaib. He said we should consider leaving before he arrived and #BombsAway. He suggested on live TV that Gaza should be nuked. He has even celebrated the death of Palestinian children responding to an image of a deceased child with “Thanks for the pic!” Even Marjorie Taylor Greene and
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labor relations between the city of Philadelphia and AFSCME District Council 33 union where social media played a significant role in how the struggle unfolded.
The union got their side of the story out on Instagram and other social media platforms, and citizens took up or expressed sympathy with their cause.
How successful are trash strikes in Philly or other US cities?
As I describe in my book, Philadelphia has a long history of sanitation strikes that goes back to March 1937. At that time, a brief work stoppage brought about discussions between the city administration and an early version of the current union.
When over 200 city workers were laid off in September 1938, city workers called a week-long sanitation strike. Street battles raged in West Philadelphia when strikers blocked police-escorted trash wagons that were aiming to col-
lect trash with workers hired to replace the strikers. Philadelphia residents, many of whom were union members who worked in textile, steel, food and other industries, rallied behind the strikers. The strikers’ demands were met, and a new union, AFSCME, was formally recognized by the city.
This strike was a major event because it showed how damaging a garbage strike could be. The fact that strikers were willing to fight in the streets to stop trash services showed that such events had the potential for violence, not to mention the health concerns from having tons of trash on the streets. There was another two-week trash strike in Philadelphia in 1944, but there wouldn’t be another for more than 20 years.
However, a growing number of sanitation strikes popped up around the country in the 1960s, the most famous being the 1968 Memphis sanitation strike.
In Memphis, Tennessee, a majority African American sanitation workforce demanded higher wages, basic safety procedures and recogni-
icies. That’s more power than all U.S. coal-fired power plants generated in 2023.
That’s why BloombergNEF, an energy research firm, called the bill a “nightmare scenario” for clean energy proponents.
However, one person’s nightmare may be another man’s dream. “We’re constraining the hell out of wind and solar, which is good,” said U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, a Texas Republican who is backed by the oil and gas industry.
Electric cars and efficiency
Cuts fall even harder on Americans who are trying to reduce their carbon footprints and energy costs. The quickest phaseout comes for tax credits for electric vehicles, which will end on Sept. 30, 2025. And since the bill eliminates fines on car companies that fail to meet fuel economy standards, other new cars are likely to guzzle more gas.
particular barrier for these businesses. There were also disadvantages for firms owned by members of the LGBTQ+ community, persons with disabilities, veterans and service-disabled veterans.
Keen Independent Research is a national economic consulting firm that has performed similar disparity studies for state and local governments across the country, including the 2017 Minnesota Joint Disparity Study. An External Stakeholder Group provided input throughout. Information from the disparity study will be used by the 16 state and local entities to determine whether new targeted
Tax credits for home efficiency improvements such as heat pumps, efficient windows and energy audits will end at the end of 2025. Homeowners will also lose tax credits for installing solar panels at the end of the year, seven years earlier than under the previous law.
The bill also rescinds funding that would have helped cut diesel emissions and finance clean energy projects in underserved communities.
Support for biofuels and fossil fuels
Biofuels and fossil fuels fared far better under the bill. Tens of billions of dollars will be spent to extend tax credits for biofuels such as ethanol and biodiesel.
Food-based biofuels do little good for the climate because growing, harvesting and processing crops requires fertilizers, pesticides and fuel. The bill would allow forests to be cut to make room for crops
business programs are needed and whether existing small business enterprise and MBE/ WBE programs should be continued or improved.
The State of Minnesota along with regional and local partners released a draft of the study of business utilization in state and local government contracts and in the local marketplace on June 24.
The State and other participating entities are seeking public review and input on the information in the draft study reports before they are finalized in July. Each draft report is available at: (2025 Minnesota Joint Disparity Study / Minne-
tion of their union. Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. rallied to support the Memphis workers and their families as part of his Poor Peoples’ Campaign, which sought to organize working people from across the nation into a new coalition to demand full economic and political rights.
On April 4, 1968, King was assassinated. His death put pressure on Memphis officials to settle the strike, and on April 16 the strikers secured their demands.
Following the Memphis strike, AFSCME began organizing public workers around the country, and through the coming years into the 1970s, there were sanitation strikes and slowdowns across the nation including in New York, Atlanta, Cleveland and Washington. Often, these workers, who were predominantly African American, gained the support of significant sections of the communities they served and secured modest wage boosts. By the 1980s, such labor actions were becoming fewer. In 1986, Philadelphia witnessed a three-week sanitation strike that ended with the union gaining some of its wage demands, but losing on key areas
because it directs agencies to ignore the effects of biofuels on land use.
Meanwhile, the bill opens more federal lands and waters to leasing for oil and gas drilling and coal mining. It also slashes the royalties that companies pay to the federal government for fuels extracted from publicly owned land. And a new tax credit will subsidize metallurgical coal, which is mainly exported to steelmakers overseas.
The bill also increases subsidies for using captured carbon dioxide to extract more oil and gas from the ground. That makes it less likely that captured emissions will only be sequestered to combat climate change. Summing it up With fewer efficiency improvements, fewer electric vehicles and less clean power on the grid, Princeton’s Jenkins projects that the law will in-
sota Joint Disparity Study) Public forums via Zoom webinar were scheduled for Tuesday, July 8, 2025: 9:00am - 10:00am and Wednesday, July 9, 2025: 12:30pm1:30pm. Public input could be provided via phone at 602-7040125 or sent to JointMNDisparityStudy2025@keenindependent.com
The Office of Equity in Procurement Vendor Kiosk is available to assist vendors with a variety of tasks, including: registering for a Minnesota Supplier or Bidder ID number in the Supplier Portal; selecting the appropriate category codes in the Supplier Portal; helping
Tucker Carlson condemned him for this. And now he is calling me a “Muslim terrorist.”
This level of hatred and Islamophobia is completely unacceptable for a member of Congress, Omar said.
Scan the QR for the petition and fundraising link for the Omar campaign.
crease household energy costs by over $280 per year by 2035 above what they would have been without the bill. The extra fossil fuel-burning will negate 470 million tons of anticipated emissions reductions that year, a 7% bump.
The bill will also leave America’s clean energy transition further behind China, which is deploying more solar and wind power and electric vehicles than the rest of the world combined.
No one expected President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act to escape unscathed with Republicans in the White House and dominating both houses of Congress, even though many of its projects were in Republican-voting districts. Still, pairing cuts to clean energy with support for fossil fuels makes Trump’s bill uniquely harmful to the world’s climate and to Americans’ wallets.
vendors learn how to do business with the state; searching for state solicitations; downloading solicitation materials; answering questions about the Targeted Group/Economically Disadvantaged/Veteran-Owned (TG/ED/VO) small business program; preliminary review of TG/ED/VO certification application materials; and referral to appropriate small business and equity resources. For other information: procurement.equity@ state.mn.us.
related to health care benefits. How do wages and benefits for DC33 workers compare to other US cities?
District Council 33
President Greg Boulware has said that the union’s members make an average salary of US$46,000 per year. According to MIT’s Living Wage Calculator, that is $2,000 less than what a single adult with no kids needs to reasonably support themselves living in Philadelphia. Prior to this deal, sanitation workers who collect curbside trash earned a salary of $42,500 to $46,200, or $18-$20 an hour. NBC Philadelphia reported that those wages are the
lowest of any of the major cities they looked at. Hourly wages in the other cities they looked at ranged from $21 an hour in Dallas to $25-$30 an hour in Chicago. Unlike other eras, the fact that social media makes public these personal narratives and perspectives – like from former sanitation worker Terrill Haigler, aka “Ya Fav Trashman” – is shaping the way many citizens respond to these disruptions. I saw a level of support for the strikers that I believe is unprecedented going back as far as 1938. What do you think was behind this support?
The COVID-19 pandemic made people more aware of the role of essential workers in society. If the men and women who do these jobs can’t afford their basic needs, something isn’t right. This may explain why so many people saw things from the perspective of striking workers. At the same time, money is being cut from important services at the federal, state and local levels. The proposed gutting of Philadelphia’s mass transit system by state lawmakers is a case in point. Social media allows people to make these broader connections and start conversations.
AP Photo/Tassanee Vejpongsa
Some city residents referred to the garbage buildup sites as ‘Parker piles.’
Insight 2 Health
Medicaid enrollees targeted for forced farm work under Trump immigration crackdown
By Stacy M. Brown
BLACKPRESSUSA NEWS-
WIRE — The remarks echo proposals President Donald Trump himself has floated in recent months, including a plan to compel farmers to house and supervise migrant laborers to avoid ICE raids directly.
A top Trump administration official is proposing what critics call a thinly veiled form of forced labor, suggesting that millions of low-income Americans on Medicaid should be used to replace undocumented immigrants the government is deporting en masse from U.S. farms. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins laid out the administration’s vision in blunt terms on Tuesday. “There will be no amnesty. The mass deportations continue, but in a strategic way,” Rollins told reporters after meeting with Republican governors. “We move the workforce towards automation and 100% American participation, which, again, with 34 million people—able-bodied adults on Medicaid—we should be able to do that fairly quickly.”
She added, “Ultimately, the answer on this is automation, also some reform within the current governing structure. And then also, when you think about it, there are 34 million able-bodied adults in our Med-
icaid program. There are plenty of workers in America.” The remarks echo proposals President Donald Trump himself has floated in recent months, including a plan to compel farmers to house and supervise migrant laborers to avoid ICE raids directly—an arrangement many civil rights experts have warned resembles indentured servitude. Rollins’ suggestion goes further, signaling the administration wants to turn Medicaid enrollment—a health insurance lifeline—into a de facto roster of people to be mobilized for field work.
Health policy experts say this is not only an assault on the safety net but an attack on basic civil rights. Medicaid exists to provide healthcare for people living in poverty, not to support an unpaid or underpaid agricultural workforce. Data show that the policy would hit Black Americans especially hard. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, Black individuals make up nearly 19% of Medicaid enrollees under 65, despite being about 13% of the total U.S. population. In many states, including Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi, the share is far higher. Medicaid finances nearly 41% of all births nationwide and covers over 30% of Black Americans overall.
Critics also point out that the policy would primarily target women and children: nearly half of Medicaid enroll-
ees are under 19 years old, and many adults in the program are mothers or caregivers. In 2023, about 47.6% of Medicaid enrollees were adults between 19 and 64, including millions of people with disabilities and chronic illnesses. “This is state-sanctioned exploitation,” said a policy researcher who reviewed Rollins’ comments. “They are literally talking about rounding up the poorest Americans—disproportionately Black and brown—and telling them to replace deported immigrants in
the fields. That’s not a jobs program. That’s forced labor.” Even among the working-age adults enrolled in Medicaid, many are already employed in low-wage jobs that do not offer insurance. Others are caretakers or people with severe health conditions. Federal law does not require Medicaid recipients to accept any form of employment as a condition of coverage. Farmers themselves have warned that the administration’s deportation and labor policies will trigger food
shortages and economic chaos. Growers across the country rely on immigrant workers to harvest crops—labor that is already among the most dangerous and poorly paid in the U.S. Some of Trump’s allies have promoted proposals to require farms to lodge and monitor their remaining migrant workforce, raising alarms about “company town” conditions that legal experts say blur the line between employment and captivity. Rollins, however, was adamant. “This is the di-
rection,” she said. “There are plenty of workers in America.”
The White House did not respond to questions about how forcing Medicaid recipients into agricultural work would comply with labor laws, disability rights statutes, or the constitutional ban on involuntary servitude. A civil rights advocate put it more bluntly: “This is not immigration policy. This is an attempt to resurrect slavery in America under a different name.”
Consumer advisory for BAK8D brand delta-9 hemp gummies Product does not meet THC content or labeling requirements
Minnesota’s Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) is alerting consumers to avoid consuming the “Oreoz” flavor of BAK8D brand delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) gummies due to product mislabeling and THC content above the legal limit.
OCM received a report of an adverse health event occurring after consuming the gummies. Testing of the product indicated that levels of THC in an individual gummy were more than 20 times the labeled amount of 5 mg per serving, and the product was not flavored as labeled.
All BAK8D brand delta-9 THC gummies may be affected by this advisory. Products were distributed in Minnesota at retail stores such as tobacco and hemp/CBD stores and may have been sold through internet and retail sales. The affected product flavor was Oreoz but there are four additional fla-
vors manufactured by BAK8D that may be affected.
“It is important that we know when a consumer has a bad experience with a product, so that our enforcement team can determine if there is an ongoing risk to the public,” said Eric Taubel, interim director of the Office of Cannabis Management. “This is an important part of responsibility to ensure public health and safety, consumer confidence and market integrity.”
These gummies contain 20 times the labeled amount and therefore pose a serious threat to the health of consumers. Consuming more THC than intended could lead to unexpected adverse health effects. Eating cannabis carries a higher risk of overconsuming than smoking it, because it can be difficult to predict the amount that is consumed. Additional-
ly, the onset is slower, and the duration of psychoactive effects is longer. Individuals with existing health conditions may be at a greater risk of experiencing adverse health effects. Contact your health care provider or Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 if you have become ill after consuming BAK8D delta-9 THC gummies. If you have any of the affected products, please discard them and take measures to prevent accidental exposure. Report any adverse events with these products or any other cannabis-derived products to the FDA via MedWatch. If you have questions about hemp-derived cannabinoid products, visit our Consumer webpage, or email cannabis.info@state.mn.us. If you purchased BAK8D brand gummies and wish to submit a complaint to OCM, a form is
Courtesy: Black Press USA
Dust rising from combine during crop harvesting, no-till technology professional occupation.
OCM issues consumer advisory for BAK8D brand delta-9 hemp gummies
Press
A ‘New Direction’: West Coast publisher, Dr. John Warren, elected board chair of NNPA
By Tanu Henry, California Black Media
SAN DIEGO VOICE & VIEW-
— In his new leadership
POINT
role, Dr. John Warren of the San Diego Voice & Viewpoint plans to bring a “new direction” to the Washington, D.C.-based organization that represents more than 230 African American-owned newspapers and media companies across the United States.
Dr. John Warren of the San Diego Voice & Viewpoint made his mark at the 2025 National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) annual convention in Savannah, Georgia when he became the third person from the West Coast to lead the 85-year-old organization, whose members are mostly from the East Coast, South and Midwest.
Warren says he has been preparing for the job for more than 20 years.
NNPA members elected Warren at the conference held from June 26 to June 28.
In his new leadership role, Warren plans to bring a “new direction” to the Washington, D.C.-based organization that represents more than 230 African American-owned newspapers and media companies across the United States.
“Now, I won’t telegraph all my plans,” Warren joked when California Black Media (CBM) asked him to share his vision for the organization founded in 1940 as the National Negro Publishers Association.
“I will say this: I will push to reinvigorate the NNPA, starting with each region,” said Warren, who is also an attorney, ordained minister, U.S. Army
veteran and college professor. He has also served as a Washington, D.C. Board of Education member and U.S. congressional aide.
“I will bring people back — people who have pulled away over the years,” Warren continued. “There is a whole new board of directors elected with me. We will organize major training sessions before we begin our work, taking a close look at the organization’s priorities and operations, everything — budget, finance, programs, etc.”
Warren said there is a perception that the NNPA has been “a closed and selective network” serving the needs of only some members. He promises to change that, taking steps to “open the organization to all members.”
At the awards ceremony on June 27, the Sacramento Observer, received the conference’s top honor, the highest overall score across all awards categories with a cumulative total of 154 points.
The Observer earned first-place awards in Education Reporting, Business Reporting, Original Photography, Youth and Children Coverage, and Facebook Campaigns. It also ranked among the top three in several other areas, including Environment; Social and Criminal Justice; and Fashion, Beauty, and Lifestyle.
“Simply put: It feels really good to be honored in that way,” Larry Lee, publisher of the Sacramento Observer, told CBM. “Our team works really hard to present news and information in a thoughtful and compelling way. Everyone in our newsroom strives for excellence. They are the winners — the people who take the time to
create every story, every headline, every photo, every caption, every layout.”
Lee added, “I always tell our team that we don’t do what we do for awards, but it is always nice to be honored, to be recognized for our hard work.”
The Los Angeles Sentinel also received three honors at the NNPA Awards for Religion Section coverage (first place); Community Service Reporting (second place); and Video Campaign (third place).
Both Warren and Lee emphasized the “critical” need for the Black Press to continue covering and centering Black stories and engaging Black audiences in the historic tradition of the Black press. Freedom’s Journal, America’s first African American newspaper, was published in New York City almost 200 years ago in 1827.
“We inform and educate our readers. That’s what we do. That’s what I’ve always done. We are always teaching
when we write stories,” said Warren, who first started working for the Black Press at 17. He is now 79.
Lee says he has confidence in Warren’s leadership. “He is forward-thinking, smart, strategic and courageous,” said Lee. “He has tremendous knowledge on policy issues — and hopefully his experience and insights can help position the NNPA in a way that continues to empower the Black Press.”
For Warren, focusing on helping to steer NNPA members as they continue to transition from print to digital is paramount. Although, he reminds them, “print is not dead.”
“We have to figure out ways to bring more resources and dollars to our sector — by innovation, with public policy. How can we help ourselves to be more sustainable as we continue to do the important work that we do?”
Wikimedia Commons / Maryland GovPics
Dr. John Warren, newly-elected board chair for the National Newspaper Publishers Association and publisher of the San Diego Voice & Viewpoint (left), with former board chairs Karen Carter Richards (Houston Forward Times) and Bobby Henry Sr. (Westside Gazette) following the official swearing in ceremony.
An essential guide to climate finance
Blue
By By Narmin Nahidi,
bonds
Blue bonds are debt instruments designed to finance ocean-related conservation, like protecting coral reefs or sustainable fishing. They’re modelled after green bonds but focus specifically on the health of marine ecosystems – this is a key pillar of climate stability.
By investing in blue bonds, governments and private investors can fund marine projects that deliver both environmental benefits and long-term financial returns. Seychelles issued the first blue bond in 2018. Now, more are emerging as ocean conservation becomes a greater priority for global sustainability efforts. Carbon border adjustment mechanism
Did you know that imported steel could soon face a carbon tax at the EU border? That’s because the carbon border adjustment mechanism is about to shake up the way we trade, produce and price carbon. The carbon border adjustment mechanism is a proposed EU policy to put a carbon price on imports like iron, cement, fertiliser, aluminium and electricity. If a product is made in a country with weaker climate policies, the importer must pay the difference between that country’s carbon price and the EU’s. The goal is to avoid “carbon leakage” – when companies relocate to avoid emissions rules and to ensure fair competition on climate action. But this mechanism is more than just a tariff tool. It’s a bold attempt to reshape global trade. Countries exporting to the EU may be pushed to adopt greener manufacturing or face higher tariffs.
Part 1
The carbon border adjustment mechanism is controversial: some call it climate protectionism, others argue it could incentivise low-carbon innovation worldwide and be vital for achieving climate justice. Many developing nations worry it could penalise them unfairly unless there’s climate finance to support greener transitions. Carbon border adjustment mechanism is still evolving, but it’s already forcing companies, investors and governments to rethink emissions accounting, supply chains and competitiveness. It’s a carbon price with global consequences.
The rule of law is key to capitalism − eroding it is bad news for American business
By Robert Bird
Something dangerous is happening to the U.S. economy, and it’s not inflation or trade wars. Chaotic deregulation and the selective enforcement of laws have upended markets and investor confidence. At one point, the threat of tariffs and resulting chaos evaporated US$4 trillion in value in the U.S. stock market. This approach isn’t helping the economy, and there are troubling signs it will hurt both the U.S. and the global economy in the short and long term. The rule of law – the idea that legal rules apply to everyone equally, regardless of wealth or political connections − is essential for a thriving econ-
omy. Yet globally the respect for the rule of law is slipping, and the U.S. is slipping with it. According to annual rankings from the World Justice Project, the rule of law has declined in more than half of all countries for seven years in a row. The rule of law in the U.S., the most economically powerful nation in the world, is now weaker than the rule of law in Uruguay, Singapore, Latvia and over 20 other countries.
When regulation is unnecessarily burdensome for business, government should lighten the load. However, arbitrary and frenzied deregulation does not free corporations to earn higher profits. As a business school professor with an MBA who has taught business law for over 25 years, and the author of a recently published book about the importance of legal knowledge to business, I can affirm that the opposite
is true. Chaotic deregulation doesn’t drive growth. It only fuels risk.
Chaos undermines investment, talent and trust Legal uncertainty has become a serious drag on American competitiveness.
A study by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce found that public policy risks — such as unexpected changes in taxes, regulation and enforcement — ranked among the top challenges businesses face, alongside more familiar business threats such as competition or economic volatility. Companies that can’t predict how the law might change are forced to plan for the worst. That means holding back on long-term investment, slowing innovation and raising prices to cover new risks.
When the government enforces rules arbitrarily, it also undermines property rights.
For example, if a
country enters into a major trade agreement and then goes ahead and violates it, that threatens the property rights of the companies that relied on the agreement to conduct business. If the government can seize assets without due process, those assets lose their stability and value. And if that treatment depends on whether a company is in the government’s political favor, it’s not just bad economics − it’s a red flag for investors.
When government doesn’t enforce rules fairly, it also threatens people’s freedom to enter into contracts.
Consider presidential orders that threaten the clients of law firms that have challenged the administration with cancellation of their government contracts. The threat alone jeopardizes the value of those agreements.
If businesses can’t trust public contracts to be respected, they’ll be less likely to work with the government in the first place. This deprives the government, and ultimately the American people, of receiving the best value for their tax dollars in critical areas such as transportation, technology and national defense.
Regulatory chaos also allows corruption to spread.
For example, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which prohibits businesses from bribing foreign government officials, has leveled the playing field for firms and enabled the best American companies to succeed on their merits. Before the law was enacted in 1977, some American companies felt pressured to pay bribes to compete. “Pausing” enforcement of the law, as the current presidential administration has
done, increases the cost of doing business and encourages a wild west economy where chaos thrives.
When corruption grows, stable and democratic governments weaken, opportunities for terrorism increase and corruption-fueled authoritarian regimes, which oppose the interests of the U.S., thrive. Halting the enforcement of an anti-bribery law, even for a limited time, is an issue of national security.
Legal uncertainty fuels brain drain
Chaotic enforcement of the law also corrodes labor markets.
American companies require a strong pool of talented professionals to fuel their financial success. When legal rights are enforced arbitrarily or unjustly, the very best talent that American companies need may leave the country.
The science brain drain is already happening. American scientists have submitted 32% more applications for jobs abroad compared with last year. Nonscientists are leaving too. Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs has witnessed a 50% increase in Americans taking steps to obtain an Irish passport. Employers in the U.K. saw a spike in job applications from the United States.
Business from other countries will gladly accept American talent as they compete against American companies. During the Third Reich, Nazi Germany lost its best and brightest to other countries, including America. Now the reverse is happening, as highly talented Americans leave to work for firms in other nations. Threats of arbitrary legal actions also drive away democratic allies and their prosperous populations that purchase American-made goods and services. For example, arbitrarily threatening to punish or even annex a closely allied nation does not endear its citizens to that government or the businesses it represents. So it’s no surprise that Canadians are now boycotting American goods and services. This is devastating businesses in American border towns and hurts the economy nationwide.
Similarly, the Canadian government has responded to whipsawing U.S. tariff announcements with counter-tariffs, which will slice the profits of American exporters. Close American allies and trading partners such as Japan, the U.K. and the European Union are also signaling their own willingness to impose retaliatory tariffs, increasing the costs of operations to American business even more. Modern capitalism depends on smart regulation to thrive. Smart regulation is not an obstacle to capitalism. Smart regulation is what makes American capitalism possible. Smart regulation is what makes American freedom possible. Clear and consistently applied legal rules allow businesses to aggressively compete, carefully plan, and generate profits. An arbitrary rule of law deprives business of the true power of capitalism – the ability to promote economic growth, spur innovation and improve the overall living standards of a free society. Americans deserve no less, and it is up to government to make that happen for everyone.
Natural
by Mette Morsing, professor of business sustainability and director of the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment, University of Oxford, and, Net
by Mark Maslin, professor of earth system science, UCL
Assistant professor in finance at the University of Exeter
Sports
Captains Caitlin Clark and Napheesa Collier draft rosters for 2025 AT&T WNBA
AT&T WNBA All-Star Game
to be Played on Saturday, July 19 in Indianapolis (ABC, 8:30 p.m. ET)
NEW YORK, July
8, 2025 –
The team rosters for the 2025 AT&T WNBA All-Star Game, as selected by All-Star captains Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever and Napheesa Collier of the Minnesota Lynx, were revealed today on ESPN during an hour-long edition of WNBA Countdown presented by Google.
Clark selected Fever teammate Aliyah Boston with the first overall pick. Collier then chose Breanna Stewart of the New York Liberty with the second pick. See below for the complete pick-by-pick results.
The 2025 AT&T WNBA All-Star Game, featuring Team Clark vs. Team Collier, will be played on Saturday,
July 19 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, home of the Indiana Fever (8:30 p.m. ET on ABC, Disney+ and ESPN+).
Starters for the 2025 AT&T WNBA All-Star Game – as selected by fans, current WNBA players and media –were unveiled on June 30. Clark and Collier were named as team captains by virtue of being the two starters with the most fan votes. Clark finished with a record 1,293,526 fan votes; Collier received 1,176,020.
Clark and Collier drafted the 2025 AT&T WNBA All-Star team rosters from the pool of players voted as starters and reserves, making picks without regard to a player’s conference affiliation or position. The draft began with Clark and Collier selecting from the eight remaining All-Star Game starters in the first round. The
12 reserves were then chosen in the second round.
As the top finisher in fan voting, Clark was awarded the first pick in the first round (Starters). Collier made the first selection in the second round (Reserves). The captains alternated picks in each round until all players were selected.
Following the final selection, the captains made one trade, swapping head coaches. As a result, Cheryl Reeve and her Lynx staff will now guide Team Collier and Sandy Brondello and her New York Liberty staff will lead Team Clark. Team Clark will wear gradient uniforms; Team Collier will wear black uniforms. Below are the 2025 WNBA All-Star Draft selections and the 2025 WNBA AllStar Game rosters.
TEAM C TEAM COLLIER LARK
selections including the
Books, Art & Culture
Jalani’s Jumping Adventure
Sharing Our Stories
By W.D. Foster-Graham Book Review Editor
By Dr. Sharva HamptonCampbell Illustrated by Maria Malyutina
We never know where inspiration for a book can come from as writers and authors. It can come from experience, from something we have witnessed, even an idea while we’re going about our daily activities of life. And there are times when a book we have written inspires a series
of books, which as an author I can testify to. That being said, I bring to you Dr. Sharva Hampton-Campbell’s Jalani’s Jumping Adventure.
A follow-up book to Meet Jumping Jalani, we get to read more about Jalani’s love of jumping and her dreams. When her mother tells her about a neighborhood jumping contest, Jalani Is beyond thrilled. When she arrives at the park, everyone is having fun and doing different tricks in the air. Inspired, Jalani comes up with a trick of her own, and she wins the prize. However, Jalani seizes the opportunity to share the fun with her friends. Joy, laughter, and sharing with them are the most important parts of her victory. I loved Hampton-Campbell’s book as an illustration of dreams and find-
ing joy in the simple things. Jalani’s passion is infectious as she dreams big and enjoys the adventure, and she does it with a smile. To further engage children, she includes coloring pages at the end of the story.
Hat tip to illustrator Maria Malyutina for capturing the fun!
Dr. Hampton-Campbell is a serial author, business start-up consultant, and an empowerment coach. Her Jumping Jalani series was inspired by her 4-year-old grandniece, and they can be purchased through Amazon and The Greater Good Multi-media Publishing Company LLC.
Thank you, thank you, for sharing the love and the joy. Looking forward to more in the series!
Michael Jackson estate files court petition alleging $213 million extortion plot by Frank Cascio
By Stacy M. Brown Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent
The Estate of Michael Jackson has filed an explosive petition in Los Angeles Superior Court accusing Frank Cascio, a man once described as Jackson’s “second family,” of masterminding a $213 million extortion plot to force payouts by threatening to flip decades of public support into salacious allegations about the King of Pop. The court action, exclusively obtained by Black Press USA, reveals in unprecedented detail how the estate contends that Cascio and unnamed associates used their proximity to Jackson—once proudly touted in books and interviews—to demand a fortune from the most successful celebrity estate in history. “For over 30 years, these individuals held themselves out as Michael Jackson’s most passionate defenders,” the petition states, quoting Cascio’s repeated assertions— under oath and on national
television—that Jackson never harmed him or any child. “It was a shakedown,” the estate’s lawyers charged. A Decades-Long Public Defense
As recently as 2011, Cascio promoted his memoir My Friend Michael, describing a warm, fatherly relationship with Jackson. “I want to be precise and clear, on the record, so that everyone can read and understand,” he wrote. “Michael’s love for children was innocent, and it was profoundly misunderstood.” He doubled down in dozens of interviews. During a 2005 ABC Primetime Live broadcast, Cascio—then using the name Frank Tyson— declared: “If Michael ever laid a finger on me, I would not be in this chair right now.” In a 2011 sit-down with Wendy Williams, he said with conviction, “Nothing at all. And that’s what makes me so upset,” when asked whether Jackson had ever acted inappropriately. Even years later, one of the respondents continued to insist Jackson was a target of “liars,”
telling Oprah Winfrey during a televised interview: “Michael couldn’t harm a fly. He’s such a kind and gentle soul. Michael was a target.” In 2019, when HBO’s controversial Leaving Neverland documentary ignited a fresh wave of criticism and threatened multiple Jackson-related projects—including Cirque du Soleil’s “Michael Jackson ONE”—estate co-executors John Branca and John McClain, along with the Michael Jackson Company, sought Cascio’s support. Instead, they say, Cascio turned on them.
A Secret Settlement Facing mounting public pressure and what they describe as repeated threats to invent new claims, the estate entered into a confidential settlement on January 10, 2020. Under the agreement, Cascio and his associates would receive millions over five years—$3 million each, according to sources familiar with the negotiations—in exchange for comprehensive waivers, a sweeping nondisclosure clause, and an ironclad promise to arbitrate
any disputes. The estate said it acted reluctantly to protect Jackson’s children and preserve projects that would cement the late artist’s legacy. “We have a fiduciary responsibility to maximize the income of the estate,” Branca said in an earlier interview. “Our counsel insisted we sign the agreement. They didn’t want it disclosed either because Michael’s fans would have gone after these people.” The settlement contained an unusually strict provision barring even the disclosure of the agreement’s existence.
The $213 Million Demand Despite having collected payments under that deal, Cascio, through lawyers, allegedly re-emerged in July 2024 with a stunning ultimatum: Pay $213 million more, or face a media spectacle. According to the court filing, Cascio’s legal team—then led by attorney Howard King—threatened to “expand the circle of knowledge” and leak allegations to the buyer of Jackson’s $600 million music catalog if their demands were not met. In one email sent August 29, 2024, King wrote, “We expect a substantive response by the end of day tomorrow. Otherwise, we will be forced to expand the ‘circle of knowledge.’” The estate called this an extortionate threat designed to pressure them into paying for silence. The estate responded by initiating a confidential arbitration proceeding on September 17, 2024, accusing Cascio of civil extortion and anticipatory breach of contract. Days later, Cascio’s lawyers
delivered draft lawsuits “riddled with outlandish scurrilous allegations” that directly contradicted his years of public statements.
The Geragos Factor By January 2025, Cascio had replaced his counsel with Mark Geragos—ironically, Jackson’s former defense lawyer who had proclaimed to Good Morning America that “there’s nothing sexual going on” and that Jackson was “100 percent innocent.” In his 2013 book Mistrial, Geragos wrote of Jackson’s 2005 acquittal: “The evidence was overwhelming that he never touched this kid, and the entire thing was a huge shakedown.” He also appeared on The Megyn Kelly Show in December 2021 to blast Leaving Neverland, calling it “a complete rewrite of history” and an “absolute travesty.” However, now Geragos has taken the opposite stance, representing Cascio in a renewed effort to file public litigation. According to the estate’s filing, Geragos lowered the demand to $44 million but warned that if the estate refused, they would sue for defamation, emotional distress, and an alleged “cover-up.” The estate insists these claims are “bogus” and barred by the original settlement’s releases and arbitration clauses. The petition points out that the agreement explicitly requires arbitration for any disputes, even the question of whether a claim is arbitrable. “The question of arbitrability is itself a question to be resolved finally by the arbitrator,” the contract states.
The Estate’s Broader Mission This latest legal battle comes as the Jackson estate continues to flourish. Since Jackson died in 2009, Branca and McClain have transformed a $500 million debt into an empire generating over $3 billion. Projects include the record-breaking concert film Michael Jackson’s This Is It, Cirque du Soleil productions, and the upcoming Antoine Fuqua biopic MICHAEL, starring Jackson’s nephew Jaafar. Yet Branca says managing the estate means protecting it from opportunistic attacks.
“Michael was acutely aware of the racial undertones in how he was perceived,” Branca told Black Press USA in a prior interview, recalling Jackson’s lament: “Sinatra’s the chairman of the board. Elvis is the king. Springsteen is the boss. But what do they call me? The Gloved One…that’s racist.” Branca added, “I definitely believe there’s a racist element in the media coverage of Michael Jackson since the 1980s. Michael got so big many were jealous.” The estate has requested that the court order Cascio into arbitration and award legal fees. If the petition is granted, any subsequent proceedings would take place in private. For now, the estate is vowing not to yield. “We will continue to manage the estate with the integrity and dedication that Michael deserved,” Branca said. “Attempts like this to tarnish his memory for financial gain will not succeed.”
Black Press USA
Late Michael Jackson
Jalani’s Jumping Adventure by Dr. Sharva Hampton-Campbell book cover art
