©  Greg Nash / The Hill

The Supreme Court has put the nail in the coffin for President Biden’s plan to erase college loan debt for millions of students. 

The loan bills have been on pause since early in the coronavirus pandemic, but they are set to restart in October. 

Biden, through executive action, attempted to forgive some federal loans, especially for low-income students.  

What’s next: Biden is expected to announce new initiates to address student loans. 

The decision comes on the heels of the court’s ruling Thursday that gutted affirmative action policies in college admissions that were intended to counter racial disparities on campuses. 

Read more here. 

Gay rights redux: The Supreme Court backed a Christian graphic artist who doesn’t want to make wedding websites for same-sex couples. 

The ruling came in a 6-3 decision based on conservative-liberal lines. 

Colorado state law requires that businesses open to the public provide services without discrimination. 

Though she hasn’t started her wedding website business, web designer Lorie Smith argued that the state law violates her religious rights. Opponents argued that a ruling in her favor would open the floodgates for discrimination based on other factors, such as race, gender and religion. (The Hill) 

Déjà vu: If this case sounds familiar … it was also in Colorado, where a baker refused to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple, and that case also made it to the High Court. 

The court ruled in that case that the baker wasn’t in the wrong, but it did not weigh in explicitly on the broader argument of free speech, anti-discrimination and religious freedom issues in the law. 

Affirmative action ruling ripples through colleges: The fallout from the Supreme Court’s affirmative action ruling on Thursday is still to be determined, but some are bracing for what comes next. 

“The Court recognized the Constitution guarantees equal treatment for all races, and exceptions to that rule should be rare and fleeting. I do not expect universities to take this decision lightly — [diversity] has become one of the highest (if not the highest) priority at many schools — and I expect universities to look for loopholes and workarounds,” Brian Fitzpatrick, professor of law at Vanderbilt University, told The Hill. 

Some argue it could be a detrimental blow to inclusivity. 

“This is potentially a step toward resegregating college campuses, and thus a problem for all socially aware institutions,” James E. K. Hildreth, president of Meharry Medical College — one of the nation’s four medical historically Black colleges and universities, told The Hill. 

Others say it’s time to roll back racial-based admissions policies. (The Hill) 

It’s Friday, June 30, and we are leaning hard into the July 4 holiday weekend! I’m Elizabeth Crisp with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Did someone forward this newsletter to you? Sign up here. 

Programming note: Happy weekend! We’ll see you Monday, but there won’t be a newsletter Tuesday because of the July 4 holiday. Send me your suggestions for how people should celebrate Independence Day in the District! I will include some of your ideas in Monday’s edition! 🎆  

©  GIPHY News

The GOP could wrestle back control of the Senate next year, but the odds depend heavily on bitter primaries in West Virginia, Montana and Arizona.  

GOP Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and the National Republican Senatorial Committee chair, Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), are trying to recruit candidates who will be formidable candidates against seasoned Democratic incumbents.   

Will it pay off? The presidential election is also a factor. 

More from The Hill’s Alexander Bolton here. 

It’s the last day of Pride Month, and there are some lawmakers who continue to fight for equality. 

From “America’s gayest congressman” to the first openly gay senator, The Hill’s Brooke Migdon and Mychael Schnell break down the five lawmakers to watch on the issue. 

More than 490 bills targeting LGBTQ rights have been introduced in 44 states, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. 

©  GIPHY News

Renowned performer Henry Rollins once (supposedly) said: “Pizza makes anything possible.” Well, GOP presidential candidate Rob DeSantis, the governor of Florida, is obviously hoping it will light a fire under his sagging campaign. 

DeSantis popped into Grimaldi’s in New York (famous for its coal-burning ovens) this week before a Fox News appearance, during which he bashed a city proposal that would limit the use of coal-fired pizza ovens. The city’s plan calls for pizza places to adopt new filters if they want to keep their wood or coal-fired ovens. 

During his Fox News interview, DeSantis recalled his effort to make gas stoves tax free in Florida after a leaked proposal suggested the Biden administration wanted to limit gas stoves in new construction. Note: Only 8 percent of Florida homes have gas stoves. 

DeSantis and Fox News’s Jesse Watters commiserated over the pizza oven proposal while awkwardly chowing down on a pie. 

“They want to control your behavior,” DeSantis said, munching down. 

The rule wouldn’t shut down pizzerias or force them to change ovens, but they’d have to try to address potentially dangerous emissions they emit. (The Hill) 

Former President Trump has continued his bombastic attacks on GOP 2024 rival Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, but his post on TruthSocial — the social media site Trump has taken to after he was banned from Twitter following the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol — went even further, declaring his opponent’s campaign “dead.” 

He wrote: “The DeSanctimonious campaign is DEAD! His polls are dropping like a rock heading to Hell, and the DOJ/FBI are continuing their illegal and outrageous weaponization against me only because I am leading Biden by so much. It’s called ELECTION INTERFERENCE, and they have NO FEAR against DeSanctus – He’s the one that they are dying to run against, dispute their DISINFORMATION CAMPAIGN!” 

©  GIPHY / Peacock

“They think they’re better than you, smarter than you, more capable than you, and they will tell you to your face.” 

Employers aren’t so keen on Gen Z workers, and they are spilling the deets. 

Generation Z is roughly defined as people born around 1997.  

From the story: “A Gallup report termed them ‘Generation Disconnected,’ noting that Gen Z is less likely than older generations to be actively engaged in work and more likely to suffer stress and burnout.” 

And more bad news for the Gen Z bunch: “In the new survey, taken in April by the survey platform Pollfish, half of employers said they find it difficult to work with Generation Z most or all of the time. Two-thirds said they are more likely to fire Gen Z workers than older staffers, sometimes in the first week of employment.” 

Read the full story here. 

©  GIPHY/ New Years Rockin’ Eve

Think it’s hot here? The South is in a heat dome, and it’s miserable (Source? My fam). And it’s even heating up the Gulf to higher temperatures that could impact marine life. 

Here’s a graphic from WWL meteorologist Payton Malone showing how sweltering it is out there.

The House and Senate are out. President Biden is heading out to Camp David for the weekend and Vice President Harris is in New Orleans. 

• 11 a.m.: President Biden received the Presidential Daily Briefing.    
• 3:15 p.m.: Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre will brief reporters. 
• 4 p.m.: Biden heads out to spend the weekend at Camp David. 
• 4 p.m.: Vice President Harris will deliver the keynote address at the Essence Festival in New Orleans with a focus on reproductive rights.  

All times Eastern.

• 3:15 p.m.: Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre will brief reporters. (Watch here) 

©  The Hill / Greg Nash

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE a good food truck. It’s where so many great chefs, restaurants and others in the food industry get their start. 

Obviously, there are tons in D.C. around the National Mall, especially near the Washington Monument, but you can often spot them around Adams Morgan and near Union Market, among other areas.  

I won’t pick favorites, but I will just say you can get a good bite from a truck! 

My friend, chef Tyler Florence, (OK. Maybe not my friend, per se. I’ve met him a couple of times and have eaten some of his food) even hosts a show dedicated to food trucks. And I will recommend that!  

And because you made it this far, check out this video of some frolicking cows! And really … who wouldn’t be this joyful with that scenery?! Everyone loves a fun cow, even the late Queen Elizabeth. 🐮 

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