3 chapters across the catalog
Ifill compares modern police calls on Black citizens to the "Black Codes" of the post-Civil War era, where Black people were required to show employment papers to travel. The hosts flip this analogy to criticize COVID-19 vaccine mandates in New York City, calling them modern "freedom papers." They highlight the hypocrisy of requiring papers for athletes like Kyrie Irving while allowing unmasked fans to attend games.
Joy Reid describes President Biden's recent actions, including a military raid in Syria against ISIS and a meeting with New York City Mayor Eric Adams, as "Biden Bidening." The meeting at NYPD headquarters signaled a rejection of the "defund the police" movement. Critics argue Biden is returning to the centrist, law-and-order policies he championed during the creation of the 1994 Crime Bill.
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams accepted Michael Bloomberg's apology, a move the hosts characterize as receiving "butter biscuits." The term is defined as a metaphor for being bought off with financial gain or political clout in exchange for defending someone's controversial actions. Donald Trump criticized the apology as "disgraceful" and "pathetic," noting that Bloomberg only changed his stance after joining the Democratic Party.
