The Breakfast Club (TMI Edition): "When Black Journalists Are Under Attack"

Date: February 8, 2026
Hosts: Tamika Mallory, Myison the General (Mysonne)
Guest: Monique Pressley (Attorney, Legal Analyst)

Episode Overview

This episode of TMI (Truth, Motivation, Inspiration) delves deeply into the rising attacks on Black journalists, with a particular focus on the recent arrests and harassment of Don Lemon, Georgia Ford, and others. The hosts are joined by attorney Monique Pressley, a key advocate for press freedom, who provides both legal and historical context, as well as practical insights. The conversation expands to the broader implications for dissent, democracy, and organizing under an increasingly hostile and authoritarian environment in the United States.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Escalating Targeting of Black Journalists (Don Lemon, Georgia Ford, et al.)

• Personal Reactions & Historical Parallels

  • Tamika Mallory reveals her ongoing anxiety, grief, and exhaustion witnessing the rapid acceleration in attacks on Black communities and advocates.
    • "My hands have been in the air like this for months, but definitely for the last few days... it's a lot." (03:02)
  • Reference is made to historic protests (e.g., Women's March/NRA, Philando Castile), showing patterns in mainstream disregard for Black rights.

• Differential Treatment and Racial Double Standards

  • Tamika contrasts NRA's tepid response to Philando Castile’s killing with their aggressive defense of white gun owners.
    • "The NRA made the right choice to defend the white man and wouldn't even call Philando Castile's name in their first statements." (12:27)

• Silence or Complicity of Influencers

  • Discussion about figures going silent out of fear—or possibly secret support for Trump/conservative policy.
    • "Some of us consider the silence to maybe be about fear... but Lizzo made me think... the very people you expect to speak out are actually Trump supporters." (27:31)

2. White Allyship, Protest Realities, and Electoral Contradictions

• Nuances of White Participation

  • Myison notes that white people are physically present at some actions but often don't vote accordingly:
    • "Millions of white people have voted against XYZ... but them numbers don't be aligning right." (15:15)

• Performative Protest vs. True Solidarity

  • Tamika urges white allies to confront their families, not just protest Black leaders.
    • "Not too much on the black man, when you have not heckled your... own family. Go get your mammy, your pappy..." (17:00)

3. Why the Arrests of Journalists are a “Bridge Too Far”

• Legal Breakdown of Charges

  • Monique Pressley explains Don Lemon and others are facing charges under the FACE Act (meant for abortion clinic blockades) and the KKK Act (meant to prevent intimidation by the Klan), statutes being weaponized to suppress press coverage.
    • "They have used the FACE act... and the KKK act that was written to keep the Klan from intimidating people in public spaces." (47:22)
  • The selective, heavy-handed application of the law is clear—especially as white intruders in Black churches go unnamed and unprosecuted.
    • "We see clearly there was a man who went in and disrupted a service who has not been named... I don't know that he's been. Has he been named?" (61:13)

• Implications for Democracy and Authoritarianism

  • Tamika raises alarms about the dangerous precedent:
    • "When we start arresting and charging journalists for covering the story, we are entering fascism on steroids." (62:09)
  • Monique stresses that the targeting of journalists is a leap from individual abuses to state policy:
    • "This... is turning the awesome power of one of the most fierce countries in the world... and turning it on 10 people who went in a church." (67:25)

4. Trauma, Intimidation, and Community Impact

• Personal Toll on Journalists and Their Families

  • The emotional and psychological damage is described in detail:
    • "I was watching [Georgia Ford’s] live earlier, and it made me really sad, like hearing her kids in the background crying as she was going to get arrested..." (73:02)
    • Tamika relates her own story of being raided at home by federal agents at 6am, and the secondary trauma for children and staff. (78:26)

• Tactics of Intimidation and Trauma

  • Monique notes: "What they did here especially... is go after somebody big to say, nobody is untouchable, and then they go after your heart..."

• Community Economic Destabilization

  • Descriptions of how ICE/agents’ actions have devastated local economies, led to lost jobs, shuttered programs, and increased organizing risk. (02:28, 102:13)

5. Political Manipulation and Election Undermining

• Discussion of Voter Rolls, Bribery Allegations, and Election Legitimacy
  • Monique breaks down the chilling strategy to undermine upcoming elections by sowing distrust and using institutional muscle for political gain.
    • "It’s really tied to: elections are unstable... so why would we have one in November?" (70:05)
    • "A judge called it [the offer for ICE to cease if given voter rolls] extortion and a bribery attempt." (70:32)

6. Intra-Community Tensions & the Trump Supporter Dilemma

• Debating Forgiveness and Relationship Boundaries

  • Tamika expresses heartbreak at losing relationships over Trump support:
    • "There are people that can't ever in their life talk to me again... you're putting my particular life in danger." (83:09)
  • Myison draws a harsh line on integrity:
    • "If you support Donald Trump, then it shows where your character is... I don't want to even engage with people that disturb my peace." (87:01)

• Nuancing the Trump Voter

  • Monique points out some voters are ignorant—not always malicious:
    • "They are so rooted in their own experience and ignorant to the experiences of others... voting their pockets, their religion." (91:32)

7. The Call to Strategic Action

• Pragmatism over Symbolism
  • Myison urges the adoption of real strategy, using chess as a metaphor:
    • "When you play chess, you don't just come out with your first piece and just try to get checkmate... These people are playing chess and you playing checkers. This is why we keep losing." (111:18)
  • Tamika underscores the urgency:
    • "This is not a drill. This is not a joke… If we do [our parts], we won’t ever go back, but we can create whatever is to become..." (95:04)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• On the double standards of the NRA:
  Tamika Mallory (12:27):
  “The NRA made the right choice to defend the white man and wouldn't even call Philando Castile's name in their first statements.”

• On performative white allyship:
  Tamika Mallory (17:00):
  “Not too much on the black man, when you have not heckled your... own family. Go get your mammy, your pappy…”

• On the chilling effect and trauma of targeting journalists:
  Monique Pressley (66:42):
  “But we have seen that and God knows how many times. The cameras weren’t there… This though is we want to prosecute them. We will deliver warrants, we will spend tax dollars, we will pursue them with the full weight of the federal government…”

• On boundaries with Trump supporters:
  Myison the General (87:01):
  “If you support Donald Trump, then it shows where... your character is. I don't want to even engage with people that disturb my peace.”

• On what is at stake and the need for strategic action:
  Tamika Mallory (95:04):
  “This is not a drill. This is not a joke. ...We are deep into something that started a year ago, but it actually started even before that... If we do [our parts], we won’t ever go back, but we can create whatever is to become...”

Important Timestamps for Reference

• [03:02] – Tamika expresses exhaustion and situational grief; sets the emotional tone.
• [12:27] – NRA and Philando Castile double standard.
• [17:00] – Critique of white protest allyship; focus on family accountability.
• [27:31], [36:50] – Silence of celebrities/influencers—fear or Trump support.
• [47:22] – Detailed legal explanation of the FACE Act, KKK Act reliance.
• [62:09], [66:42] – Why the prosecution of journalists is a new authoritarian threshold.
• [73:02], [78:26] – The trauma experienced by Georgia Ford’s family and Tamika’s federal raid story.
• [95:04] – Final call to purpose, warning that there’s no return to "normal" after this inflection point.
• [111:18] – Myison’s chess metaphor on strategic organizing.

Tone & Language

• The conversation is candid, earnest, and urgent, interspersed with moments of humor and camaraderie.
• Hosts do not shy from strong language or emotional expression, emphasizing a need for clarity, passion, and authenticity in activism and discourse.
• The language veers between legal-technical and grassroots-movement, with Monique deftly demystifying complex topics.

Final Thoughts

The episode is a bracing, emotionally raw, and strategically insightful look at the collision of movement journalism, state suppression, and the imperative for communities—especially Black communities—to remain vigilant, united, and proactive.

If you are watching from a distance or uncertain about the stakes, this episode makes clear: silence is not neutral, and the attack on Black journalists signals deeper assaults on democracy itself. The time to act, in whatever way possible, is now.