©  AP Photo/Evan Vucci

Washington erupted Thursday over the Supreme Court striking down affirmative action policies at Harvard and the University of North Carolina and restricting the use of race as a factor of consideration in college admissions more broadly.

President Biden called for a “new path forward.”

“The truth is, we all know it, discrimination still exists in America,” he said. “…Today’s decision does not change that. It’s a simple fact. If a student…had to overcome adversity on their path to education, colleges should recognize and value that.”

Read more of the president’s remarks here.

The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) said in a statement that affirmative action gave students “a better chance at equal admissions to our nation’s top schools, and our country has been made better for it.”

Derrick Johnson, president and CEO of the NAACP, said, “Race plays an undeniable role in shaping the identities of and quality of life for Black Americans. In a society still scarred by the wounds of racial disparities, the Supreme Court has displayed a willful ignorance of our reality.”  

Read more reactions from Black leaders here.

Several Republican presidential candidates also weighed in. Former President Trump said, “Our greatest minds must be cherished and that’s what this wonderful day has brought. We’re going back to all merit-based—and that’s the way it should be!”

And from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis: “College admissions should be based on merit and applicants should not be judged on their race or ethnicity. The Supreme Court has correctly upheld the Constitution and ended discrimination by colleges and universities.”

Read more reactions from 2024 candidates here.

And check out this round-up of comments from members of Congress.

What to watch tomorrow: The Supreme Court is poised to decide on Biden’s student debt forgiveness plan Friday.

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• Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Director Rochelle Walensky recommends that adults age 60 and older get an RSV vaccine after discussing the matter with their health care provider. The CDC expects the new vaccines to be available this fall.
  
  

• Revised data from the Commerce Department shows the U.S. economy was stronger in the first quarter than previously thought, with an annualized growth rate of 2 percent (the previous estimate was 1.3 percent). 
  
  

• Meta‘s oversight board recommended suspending Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen‘s Facebook and Instagram accounts due to a speech he posted containing violent rhetoric. Meta has two months to consider the recommendation.

©  AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib

The Hill’s Lexi Lonas breaks down five important takeaways from the affirmative action ruling. Some excerpts:

– The court eliminated Harvard and UNC’s race-based admission practices: “Both Harvard and UNC had admission processes that allowed race to be a deciding factor between applicants. The challengers in both cases said this had negative impacts on white and Asian American students.” 

– Court warns decision does not mean students can’t mention race on applications: “Race and ethnic background is still fair game for essays and interviews.”

– Liberal justices slam court for decision to upend ‘decades of precedent’: “The three liberal justices on the court shouted their displeasure, with liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor leading in the dissent and making the move of reading her opinion from the bench.” 

– Republicans and Democrats split on reaction: “Republicans are celebrating the move by the court, arguing this will make college admissions more fair for everyone. … Democrats are decrying the ruling, raising concerns it will harm diversity on college campuses.” 

– What are the next steps for colleges?: “Colleges have a momentous task ahead as they must create a new admissions process that takes away their long tradition of race-based preferences while creating a process that will still provide the diversity they strive for on campus.” 

Read Lonas’s full report here.

More coverage from The Hill:

• Thomas in rare occurrence reads affirmative action opinion from bench
• Justice Jackson rips Supreme Court’s ‘ostrich-like’ logic on affirmative action

President Biden is fundraising in New York City on Thursday, adding to a string of recent campaign events in heavily Democratic areas.

“The president has fundraised in high-income ZIP codes in Chicago, Maryland, San Francisco, Connecticut and New York City just in the last month — all friendly places for Democrats,” The Hill’s Alex Gangitano and Brett Samuels wrote.

The Federal Election Commission fundraising quarter ends tomorrow. As Biden announced his reelection bid in April, he’ll be filing his first quarterly campaign finance report. 

House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), Oversight Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) and Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith (R-Mo.) requested interviews with more than a dozen people involved in the investigation into Hunter Biden in which the president’s son recently agreed to a plea deal.

Among those the chairs want to interview is David Weiss, the U.S. attorney for Delaware who led the investigation. Read more here

©  AP

While several House Republicans are eager to begin impeachment proceedings, there’s no agreement on which Biden administration official will be the first target thereof.

From The Hill’s Rebecca Beitsch and Emily Brooks: “In May and June alone, lawmakers introduced 11 different impeachment resolutions for top Biden officials, five of them sponsored by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.). Aside from [President] Biden, [Attorney General Merrick] Garland and [United States Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro] Mayorkas, Greene also has her sights on FBI Director Christopher Wray and Matthew Graves, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia.”

Read the full report here

Sabato’s Crystal Ball released ratings for the 2024 presidential election, showing four states as “Toss-ups”: Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and Wisconsin. Those states have a combined 43 electoral votes of the total 538 at stake. 

People in prison become eligible for Pell Grants on July 1, marking the end of a ban on federal school aid for incarcerated individuals that’s been in place since 1994. Read more here

“College admissions shouldn’t be treated like a race” — Carol Quillen, professor of history and president emerita of Davidson College and a senior fellow at the Aspen Institute. (Read here)

“Diversity, equity and inclusion: The new American battlefield” — Tirien Steinbach, an attorney who has served as associate dean for diversity, equity and inclusion at Stanford Law School and as chief program officer at the ACLU of Northern California. In 2017, she launched the Coalition for Equity and Inclusion in Law. (Read here)

495 days until the presidential election.

The final day of the Federal Election Commission‘s fundraising quarter and of the Supreme Court‘s current term.

There a story you think should be getting more attention? Something people should be talking about? Drop me a line: ALaTour@digital-staging.thehill.com

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