CNN's Victor Blackwell hosted a panel last week to discuss the canary in the coal mine - a notable rise in unemployment among not only black Americans, but black women. On that panel: Black Voters Matter Fund co-founder LaTosha Brown, former GOP Georgia Senate candidate Stephanie Donegan, and Capital B national editor Dalila Paul.

First, let's applaud that CNN fielded an all-black and female panel to discuss an issue impacting black women. You'd think it obvious to do that, but cable TV news isn't usually good at that.

Still it was Donegan, the former GOP candidate, who leaned into tropes like 'affirmative action' and 'DEI' placing black women in positions, saying "ultimately a lot of the hiring, I feel that's happened within the federal government, was to check boxes for DEI."Notice she said "I feel ...;" not that she had evidence or data. Just "I feel ..."

On with me to discuss her remarks and all the negative impacts of the second Trump presidency impacting black women is - yay me! - a black woman. Shavonda Miles is CEO at Vona Monet Consulting, in Atlanta.

------

I'm beyond excited that Texas state House Representative James Talarico has announced his Senate run, but first Texas Democrats will have to decide between he and Collin Allred, someone else I'm a huge fan of. A shame we can't have both (yet, anyway) represent that state but hear Talarico's message and tell me it doesn't give you goosebumps (or 'white Obama' vibes).

------

Georgian Lisa Cook's seat on the Fed Board is still hers, according to a federal judge. That stability, along with already-lowering mortgage rates should mean good news next week for the housing market, despite the slowing economy.

------

The ICE raid on the southeast Georgia Hyundai Metaplant has put strains on US-South Korean and Georgia-South Korean relations, and Korean-Americans here are deeply concerned, themselves.

------

Lastly, Marjorie Taylor Greene isn't excited about any of the GOP candidates running for Governor here or the US Senate seat now occupied by Jon Ossoff - mostly because she isn't one of the candidates (my opinion), but is this a sign of weakness on the cohesiveness on the right?