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The Biden Administration's goal to eliminate the sale and use of menthol cigarettes is raising alarms among critics who believe it disproportionately impacts the Black community. Recent statistics shed light on this issue. A 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health shows that a staggering 85% of menthol smokers are Black.

In a recent interview with The New York Post, Gwen Carr, the mother of Eric Garner, expressed her concerns regarding New York state's proposed ban on menthol cigarettes. Garner, as many may recall, tragically lost his life after being put in a chokehold by a New York City police officer. Officers were aware of Garner's involvement in selling cigarettes. Carr warns that a prohibition on menthol cigarettes could have "unintended consequences."

The Food and Drug Administration, responsible for implementing this policy, claims that by making tobacco-related diseases and deaths part of America's past, they are working towards a healthier future. However, given the overwhelming number of menthol cigarette users are in the Black community, questions arise as to why this particular demographic appears to be targeted directly.

Critics argue that the proposed ban may lead to the creation of a black market for menthol cigarettes, potentially further exposing various communities to criminal activity. The Biden administration's decision has ignited an ongoing debate surrounding public health measures and their potential impact on marginalized communities.

A final decision is expected to be announced in August.

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The U.S. Supreme Court is striking down President Biden's student debt forgiveness plan. In a 6-3 decision, the justices ruled the president overstepped his authority when he didn't get authorization from Congress.

The plan would've canceled $20,000 in loans for people who got Pell Grants, which is aid for low-income students, or up to $10,000 for all other federal borrowers.

In another decision, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of a Christian web designer who refused to design websites for same-sex weddings. The high court in another 6-3 ruling says the Colorado web designer has a free speech right under the First Amendment to refuse to endorse messages she disagrees with.

LGBTQ advocates argue with the decision, saying it could allow business owners to evade punishment under laws in dozens of states aimed at protecting LGBTQ rights.

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Colleges and universities can no longer use race as a factor in their admissions decisions. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of challenges to affirmative action programs at the University of North Carolina and Harvard University.

The reactions are pouring in. Here's NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson:

"It created a Clarence Thomas who benefited from the program and now is in a position where he's going to deny many young African-American talented individuals an opportunity."

And while the group that sued to overturn affirmative action is praising the decision, Princeton University Professor Eddie Glaude says the decision means a step back.

"We're gonna go back to those classes where you had 1, 2, 3. We already had a small percentage of black and brown students. That percentage will get even smaller," Glaude said.

President Biden says he's going to be directing the Department of Education to look into what other practices can help build more diversity on college campuses.

"While talent, creativity, and hard work are everywhere across this country, not equal opportunity, it is not everywhere across this country," the president said.

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From wrongful imprisonment to now winning a seat on the New York City Council, an exonerated member of the Central Park Five will now represent Harlem. Dr. Yusef Salam was one of five teens wrongly convicted for the rape of a white female jogger in Central Park in 1989.

Salaam and four other teens from Harlem had their convictions overturned in 2022 after DNA evidence linked a serial rapist to the attack.

He was just 15 years old when he was arrested and spent nearly seven years in prison for a crime he did not commit. Salaam declared victory in his speech to supporters late Tuesday night.

"This campaign has been about those who have been forgotten. This campaign has been about our Harlem community, who has been pushed into the margins of life and made to believe that they were supposed to be there," Salaam said.

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In a 6-3 ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against affirmative action in college admissions. Race can no longer be considered a factor, despite the lack of diversity in higher education.

The justices ruled in favor of a Harvard University group calling itself Students for Fair Admission, which accused the school of holding Asian-American students to a higher educational standard than it does African American or Hispanic students.

However, the lower court found no evidence of this. Affirmative action was created by a Black Republican named Arthur Fletcher, known as the "father of affirmative action."

In 1969, universities and colleges began to use affirmative action in their admissions policies, resulting in a record number of students being admitted to schools with majority white student bodies and much more diverse campuses at both public and private universities.

A subsequent result, some say, was the growth of the Black middle class since so many more people were emerging with degrees and competing in the professional job market.

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Ralph Yarl, a teenager who was shot after ringing the wrong doorbell in Kansas City, spoke out for the first time on ABC's "Good Morning America."

"I've been having headaches, trouble with sleep, and sometimes my mind is just foggy," Yarl said.

The 16-year-old was shot by an 84-year-old white man, Andrew Lester, who's now facing two felony charges.

Yarl went on to talk about that day when he thought he went to the right home to pick up his brother.

"I hear the door open. I see this old man and I'm assuming, oh, this is -- this must there be like their grandpa. And then he pulls out his gun. So I like back up. He points it at me, so I kind of like brace and I turn my head. Before that, I'm thinking there's no way he's actually gonna shoot, right? The door isn't even open. He's gonna shoot through his glass door and glass is gonna get everywhere. Then it happened."

Yarl's mother added that her son has moved past feelings of hatred for Lester but wants him to face consequences.

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The International African American Museum celebrated its community dedication ceremony in Charleston, South Carolina. Charlamagne tha God, a South Carolina native and host of The Breakfast Club, emceed the event, which featured a speech by Mayor John Tecklenburg and various performances including from BeBe Winans and Patti Austin.

The celebration also included Boeing South Carolina's DreamLearners interactive programming and the Barbados Genealogy Marketplace, which honored the ancestral ties between Barbados and South Carolina.

Through its 11 galleries and memorial garden, the museum showcases a remarkable collection of art, objects, artifacts, and interactive multimedia installations, embodying the spirit of authentic and compassionate storytelling of American history.

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Former President Donald Trump claims he did nothing wrong discussing what prosecutors say were classified documents with his staff and others after he left office.

While rallying in New Hampshire, he took time out to say he and his staff were going through a lot of things besides the documents.

"Copies of magazines, copies of different plans, copies of stories having to do with many, many subjects," Trump said of the materials.

He was responding to a CNN audio recording of a 2021 meeting where he clearly discussed holding on to classified documents.

"And what was said was absolutely fine and very, very perfectly. We did nothing wrong. This is a whole hoax," the former president continued.

Earlier this month, Trump pleaded not guilty to 37 counts involving those documents.

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When Trump decisively lost the 2020 election, Republicans attempted to institute the “independent state legislature” theory, which would allow state legislatures to overturn the votes of the people, giving states the primary authority to determine elections.

In a 6-3 vote, the Supreme Court declined to uphold this radical Republican legal effort. The ruling was a win for voting rights groups.

Former President Barack Obama reacted on Twitter, "Today the Supreme Court rejected the fringe independent state legislature theory that threatened to upend our democracy and dismantle our system of checks and balances.”

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Howard University has appointed esteemed civil rights attorney and scholar Sherrilyn Ifill as the first Vernon E. Jordan, Jr., Esq. Endowed Chair in Civil Rights.

Recognized for her remarkable contributions to law, civil rights, and social justice, her appointment pays tribute to the legacy of Thurgood Marshall, a Howard Law School alumnus, who was the first Black justice in the U.S. Supreme Court.

The endowed chair, named after the revered Vernon Jordan, will establish a multidisciplinary center at Howard Law School called the 14th Amendment Center for Law & Democracy. This center looks to uphold the values of equality, justice, and reimagined citizenship outlined in the 14th Amendment and will collaborate with institutions such as the Charles Hamilton Houston Center at Harvard Law School.

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