‘The Hill with April Ryan’: Supreme Court blues and cocaine at the White House

TheGrio’s April D. Ryan breaks down the latest news in politics.

On this week’s edition of “The Hill With April Ryan,” theGrio’s Washington Bureau Chief and White House Correspondent April D. Ryan discusses concerns in the aftermath of several Supreme Court rulings from student debt cancellation and affirmative action to LGBTQ rights.

Ryan spoke to Rev. Al Sharpton, who implored, “We’ve got to fight back” and that the conservative right has “declared war” on Black and marginalized communities.

Sharpton specifically called out the court’s ruling in 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis, which ruled that a web designer could refuse business to same-sex couples due to her First Amendment religious freedom. The decision worries civil rights leaders and advocates that it could lead to a rollback of other rights for Black Americans.  

“If businesses are permitted to intentionally discriminate against LGBTQ+ people for reasons allegedly rooted in free speech interests, they will inevitably seek to discriminate against other groups too,” said Sharpton.

Over the weekend at Essence Festival, Black leaders from politics to civil rights called for a “family meeting” to come together to fight back against the realities of rollbacks on freedoms that were fought for and won decades ago.

Democrats are angry, frustrated and working on galvanizing voters for the 2024 elections and striking back at Republicans for the recent Supreme Court decisions.

Democratic National Committee chairman Jaime Harrison told Ryan that Republicans have a “long-term strategy in terms of dismantling all of the progress that has been made over the past decades.” Harrison said Democrats must also have a long-term strategic plan “about how we push back and…how we make sure we take that power back for the American people.”

As leaders focus on civil rights ahead of next year’s elections, other issues are sure to be a focus this presidential campaign season. Crime and gun violence remain center stage, particularly after a spate of deadly mass shootings over the Fourth of July holiday weekend in Chicago, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and other cities. 

“The Hill with April Ryan” also talks about housing and poverty with U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., who said today, “Families would need to make $39 per hour to afford a modest two-bedroom apartment at market rate.” 

This week’s news roundup ends with the ongoing investigation at the White House after cocaine was found in the West Wing.

Watch the full episode of “The Hill with April Ryan” above and catch an all-new installment every Thursday on theGrio.com and theGrio’s social media platforms.

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