With Colin Kaepernick back in the spotlight on his book tour, Ebro and Laura revisit how his national anthem protest became a national controversy and how much of the original message was lost amid the backlash. They discuss his decision to kneel, the role of veterans in shaping that form of protest, the NFL’s response and why the current Macklemore controversy has them thinking again about the power influential people can wield over who gets a platform.

Earlier, the crew reacts to a report on injectable peptides being sold at a Brooklyn bodega. Four products were sent for independent testing, and none contained the active ingredients listed on their labels; the testing also did not determine what the substances actually contained. That sparks a larger conversation about weight-loss and fitness trends, distrust of pharmaceutical companies and why buying something injectable from an unregulated source carries a very different risk than getting treatment through a medical professional.

The episode also covers Jerry Greenfield’s concerns about Ben & Jerry’s losing its ability to speak out under corporate ownership, Chris Brown’s response to the controversy surrounding a Texas lawmaker’s recognition of him and a tragic Los Angeles news-helicopter crash. Guru Time closes with a widowed mother of three searching for affordable after-school care while trying to keep her job.

• (00:00:00) Family Friday plans and the week ahead
• (00:00:55) Jerry Greenfield says Ben & Jerry’s has been silenced
• (00:03:30) Corporate pressure, activism and the Macklemore connection
• (00:05:55) New York street-safety proposals
• (00:07:20) Injectable peptides are being sold in bodegas
• (00:08:10) A lab tests four Brooklyn bodega peptide products
• (00:10:20) Why people are turning to unregulated peptides
• (00:13:35) Chris Brown responds to the Texas tribute controversy
• (00:15:20) Tragedy as a news helicopter crashes in Los Angeles
• (00:16:40) Colin Kaepernick’s book tour reaches Brooklyn
• (00:18:40) Why Kaepernick chose to kneel
• (00:20:00) Revisiting the NFL backlash and what happened afterward
• (00:22:10) Macklemore brings Kaepernick’s experience back into focus
• (00:24:35) What changed after Kaepernick’s protest
• (00:26:15) Guru Time: a widowed mother needs after-school help

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