Summary: On Tuesday, Gov. Jay Nixon held a press conference where he outlined preparations for the Darren Wilson grand jury verdict. Nixon told reporters, "Citizens should be able to express themselves peacefully without being threatened by people expressing violence and disorder." The governor explained that more than 1,000 local area law enforcement officials have received additional training in the event that protests turn violent after the Darren Wilson grand jury verdict is announced. Gov. Nixon said,"Violence will not be tolerated. Residents and businesses of this region will be protected." On Wednesday, Roland Martin and the "NewsOne Now" Straight Talk panel (Aisha Moodie-Mills, Hughey Newsome and Michelle Hudgins) discussed the nature of Nixon's news conference, the framing of the event and the role Ferguson police had is enticing violence in the St. Louis suburb. MIT professor, economist and top Affordable Care Act architect is in the hot seat after a new video surfaced that shows him saying the "stupidity of the American voter" was a major factor in passing Obamacare. On the video, Jonathan Gruber can be seen saying, "Lack of transparency is a huge political advantage. And basically, call it the stupidity of the American voter or whatever, but basically that was really, really critical to getting the thing to pass." Roland Martin and the "NewsOne Now" Straight Talk panel (Aisha Moodie-Mills, Hughey Newsome and Michelle Hudgins) discuss Gruber's remarks, withholding of information about the Affordable Care Act and the subsequent fallout resulting from comments about how Obamacare was passed. Gina Prince Bythewood joined Roland Martin Thursday on "NewsOne Now" to discuss her latest film project, "Beyond The Lights." "Beyond the Lights" is the story of Noni, the music world’s latest superstar. But not all is what it seems, and the pressures of fame have Noni on the edge - until she meets Kaz Nicol, a young cop and aspiring politician who has been assigned to her detail. Drawn to each other, Noni and Kaz fall fast and hard, despite the protests of those around them who urge them to put their career ambitions ahead of their romance. But it is ultimately Kaz's love that gives Noni the courage to find her own voice and break free to become the artist she was meant to be. "Beyond the Lights" premieres in theaters Friday, November 14th, 2014. Don't miss Roland Martin's cameo in the movie. Listen to Bythewood and Martin's discussion about the movie below. Comedians Skiba, Tony Woods, Queen Aishah and Cletus Kassady stopped by "NewsOne Now" to wish Roland Martin a happy birthday and brought him a few gifts to celebrate his big day. Things were going well until Queen Aishah broke out the baby oil ... yes, baby oil. After that, all heck broke loose. Check out all of the laughs in the clip above and don't forget to wish Uncle Ro Ro a happy birthday this Friday, Nov. 14th. All that and more in this edition of the NewsOne Now Audio Podcast.
