Statement from Patrick Rodenbush, Spokesperson for President Obama: Out of respect for the office of the presidency, our office does not normally dignify the constant nonsense and misinformation flowing out of this White House with a response. But these claims are outrageous enough to merit one. These bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction. Nothing in the document issued last week undercuts the widely accepted conclusion that Russia worked to influence the 2016 presidential election but did not successfully manipulate any votes. These findings were affirmed in a 2020 report by the bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee, led by then-Chairman Marco Rubio.
The U.S. Justice Department recently released on July 21 files regarding the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., despite some members of the King family opposing the release, though one family member supports it. The release contains 230,000 pages of documents and comes following President Donald J. Trump’s Executive Order 14176, said U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi. Dr. King was assassinated on April 4th, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee, while staying at the Lorraine Motel. He was shot by James Earl Ray, a petty criminal. Ray was arrested in London, but not everyone is convinced that he was the assassin. Before he died of prostate cancer, Dexter Scott King, Dr. King’s youngest son, met with Ray in prison, shook his hand, and concluded that Ray did not kill his father. Dexter King died on January 22. He was 62 years old, J. Edgar Hoover hated Dr. King, believing that he would become a Black messiah. Organized crime figures also may have had a hand in his assassination. There are also suggestions that Carlos Marcello, the mob boss of New Orleans, was involved in the killing of Dr. King because he was challenging the way things had been done in the past. The FBI tapped Dr. King’s phone calls and even had people working for Dr. King who reported to the FBI. The FBI showed photographs to President Lyndon B. Johnson and other government officials of Dr. King having sex with other women, not his wife, Coretta Scott King. The release by the Trump administration is controversial. It comes after AG Bondi refused to release the Epstein files. Some observers feel this document release is part of efforts to divert public attention from the Epstein files. “We recognize that the release of documents concerning the assassination of our father, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., has long been a subject of interest, captivating public curiosity for decades,” the family said in a statement. But “the release of these files must be viewed within their full historical context. During our father’s lifetime, he was relentlessly targeted by an invasive, predatory, and deeply disturbing disinformation and surveillance campaign orchestrated by J. Edgar Hoover through the Federal Bureau of Investigation.” The recent disclosure is the product of months of collaboration between the Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). DOJ attorneys spent hundreds of hours preparing and digitizing these documents for release. “The American people deserve answers decades after the horrific assassination of one of our nation’s great leaders,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “The Department of Justice is proud to partner with Director Gabbard and the ODNI at President Trump’s direction for this latest disclosure.”
By Stacy M. Brown Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent
Prices across the United States are about 26% higher than before the COVID-19 pandemic, pushing everything from a weekend hotel stay to a simple cup of coffee out of reach for many families. A budget hotel room in Nashville can now cost $500 for the weekend—without breakfast—and a single cup of coffee can cost $7. Rental cars are also commanding premium rates, with four days in a midsize Toyota Camry easily topping $670. It’s so bad in America that a foreign news organization dug into the pricey details. The Times of London reported that inflation, which began accelerating in 2021, has left American consumers grappling with the most persistent cost increases in decades. According to NerdWallet data cited in the report, the impact has been felt across every income bracket, fueling a growing sense that even basic experiences are becoming unaffordable.
Travel and Lodging: Soaring Costs
Hotel rates have climbed 24% over the past decade, The Times reported. In Manhattan, the average nightly rate hit a record $417 in September 2024, according to real estate analytics firm CoStar. Miami Beach hotels averaged $283 a night last year, up from $230 in 2019, while Las Vegas rooms rose to $198, up nearly 41% over the same period. Rental car prices surged early in the pandemic and remain high. While rates stabilized over the past year, costs have increased 29% since 2015. Airfares are technically down 18.5% compared to 2015, but The Times noted that this decline reflects airlines’ “unbundling” services to show lower headline fares while tacking on fees. Southwest Airlines, for example, ended its “bags fly free” policy and now charges $35 for the first checked bag and $45 for the second.
Dining and Groceries: Everyday Pain Points
Eating out has become markedly more expensive, with restaurant prices up 49.3% in the last ten years. Fast food chains have been forced to raise prices due to wage increases, higher energy costs, and supply chain problems. A dozen large Grade A eggs averaged $6.23 in March before dipping to $4.55 by May, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Waffle House restaurant chain temporarily imposed a 50-cent surcharge per egg.
Grocery essentials have spiked in price, The Times reported. Baby wipes that cost $4.99 four years ago now average $6.63, while a unit of dog food jumped from $5.78 to $8.42, according to NielsenIQ.
Lindsay Owens, executive director of the Groundwork Collaborative, said some companies have exploited the situation for profit. “They decided to see if they could pass along all of their rising costs so that their margins wouldn’t be eaten into,” Owens told The Times. “And when they realized that they could, they decided to go for more.”
Entertainment and Theme Parks: A Luxury for the Wealthy
The price of live entertainment has soared. NerdWallet figures show concert and theater tickets are up 39% since 2015. The most recent Broadway season was the priciest on record, averaging $129 per ticket, and top shows often exceed $1,000 a seat. Dolly Parton’s December Las Vegas shows sold out in minutes, with resale prices climbing to $1,600. At Disney parks, costs have risen steeply. A four-day Walt Disney World trip for a family of four, including a Disney hotel, cost $4,266 last year, more than $1,000 from five years earlier, The Wall Street Journal reported.
What Comes Next
While inflation has retreated from its 9% peak in 2022, The Times cautioned that Americans shouldn’t expect relief anytime soon. New tariffs introduced by the Trump administration are expected to drive prices even higher in the months ahead. With costs still climbing, many households are left with tough decisions about which necessities—and experiences—they can continue to afford. “We’re often seeing the highest demand in the luxury space,” Sally French, a NerdWallet finance expert, said. “People want the hotel that’s going to make for an amazing photo… People are spending more on higher-end things they wouldn’t have done in the past.”
By Stacy M. Brown Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent
A report from the Employee Benefit Research Institute shows that Black Americans continue to face serious challenges in saving for retirement, even as their incomes grow. The 2025 Retirement Confidence Survey, which included a special oversample of Black workers and retirees, found that the wealth gap remains wide at every income level. Among households earning $75,000 or more, only 33% of Black Americans reported having $250,000 or more in savings and investments, compared with 63% of non-Black Americans. Debt remains a significant barrier. 63% of higher-income Black households said debt is a problem, while just 45% of non-Black households at the same income level said the same. Nearly half of upper-income Black respondents said debt affects their ability to save or live comfortably in retirement. While many Black Americans expressed confidence managing day-to-day budgets, fewer felt prepared to invest or plan for the long term. The study showed that Black Americans with higher incomes were less likely to have personally saved for retirement, 77%, compared with 87% of non-Black Americans. Retirement experiences also differed sharply. Forty-four percent of Black retirees said they retired earlier than planned because of a health problem or disability, compared with 32% of non-Black retirees. After leaving their main jobs, Black retirees were more likely to work for pay to make ends meet, and more often said their retirement lifestyle was worse than expected. Access to financial advice and planning remains uneven. Just 31% of Black respondents reported currently working with a financial advisor, although nearly half expect to do so in the future. Black Americans were more likely to seek help with reducing debt, creating wills or estate plans, and arranging life insurance than simply determining if they had saved enough to retire. Researchers Craig Copeland and Lisa Greenwald wrote, “Black Americans reported disproportionately lower financial resources, and how they feel about retirement and financial security is clearly impacted by having less resources.” They continued, “In particular, Black retirees are struggling with higher likelihoods of their retirement lifestyle being worse than expected and having to retire earlier than planned because of a health problem or disability.” “Still,” the researchers concluded, “there are some modifications in the financial system that could help improve their prospects, such as increased assistance in balancing competing financial priorities like debt reduction, supporting family, and building long-term savings.”
Barbara Arnwine, president/CEO of the Transformative Justice Coalition, at a ‘Good Trouble Still Lives On’ Rally in Chicago.
By Hamil Harris
(TriceEdneyWire.com) – When U. S. Rep. John Lewis died on July 17, 2020, instead of somber memorial services, his family and civil rights leaders and activists held rallies and marches and got into what he had described as “good trouble,” meaning pushing for truth and justice even when it means taking a risk. Five years later, in his memory and honor, “Good Trouble Lives On,” a string of protest events took place in more than 1,700 communities across the country July 17. A growing coalition of leaders says their ranks are growing to challenge President Trump’s agenda and hopefully restore crucial public policies that he and his administration have destroyed. “We had more than 1700 events across the country Thursday night, and it was beautiful,” said Barbara Arnwine, president/CEO of the Transformative Justice Coalition, and a co-leader of Good Trouble Lives On. The flagship event for Good Trouble Lives On was held in Chicago with other rallies in major cities like Atlanta, St. Louis and Washington, DC, but also in many smaller venues like Annapolis, Md.; Portland, Ore.; and San Diego, Calif. “People said that it couldn’t be done because they are too angry and were skeptical,” Arnwine said. “But we started to organize and people, Black and White, took to the streets.” “This is what Democracy looks like,” said Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, during the Chicago rally. “Congressman John Lewis, a man who put his body on the line for Justice. There are times when we must defy the status quo and push back against unjust laws and that time is now.” One of the common themes about the Good Trouble Lives On events is that they are positive, diverse, and upbeat. In Washington, DC Rep. Al Green said in a TV interview that the march that Rep. Lewis led across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in 1965 was the “crown jewel of the City Rights Movement.” In New York City, protesters marched and chanted, “We want justice, we want peace, we want ICE off our streets!” In Deland, Fla., protesters yelled “This is what Democracy looks like!” and in St. Louis, Denise Lieberman, director of the Missouri Voter Protection Coalition, said, “We are standing up for the freedom of all people.” While many events are held in Washington DC, Arnwine said she planned for a “flagship,” event to be held in Chicago because she had strong support from city officials as well as labor and Civil Rights leaders. The Mayor of Chicago spoke and even the Rev. Jackson came in his wheelchair alongside labor and civil rights leaders,” said Arnwine, noting that there were major turnouts in other cities. “Chicago as chosen as the national flagship because of its bold and defiant Mayor Brandon Johnson, because it is the headquarters of Rev. Jesse Jackson’s Rainbow/PUSH Coalition and it’s a union town,” Arnwine said. “It also has great voting rights organizations and a wonderful chapter of Indivisible,” a progressive movement and organization that has vowed to fight against infringements upon civil rights gains. In Alabama, there were rallies in the cities of Dothan, Mobile, Tuscaloosa, Montgomery, Birmingham and Huntsville. In Selma, there was a rally at the National Voting Rights Museum on Highway 80, near the spot where John Lewis was beaten on Bloody Sunday in 1965. This was a prelude to a larger statewide demonstration on August 6, 2025 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the signing of the 1965 Voting Rights Acts and to continue the struggle to update and extend the provisions of the VRA which have been invalidated in recent years by Supreme Court decisions and state legislative acts. Arnwine says she is expecting the events to continue and grow, including additional rallies later this summer. In August a rally for voting rights, a labor rally in September as well as a rally in support of the Constitution. “Transformative Justice Coalition is pleased that more than 1,700 activations took place on July 17th through rallies, teach-ins and marches now planned across America’s communities and neighborhoods in the spirit of getting in ‘good trouble’. This has been created in honor of the late Congressman John Lewis, who coined the phrase ‘Good Trouble.’” Arnwine said. “John Lewis once famously quipped, ‘If not now, when. If not us, then who?’” We are determined to reach and activate every American impacted by the poorly thought-out, poorly calculated, and callous budget bill passed on our country’s 249th birthday. While the majority of people impacted by these cuts are White, it will also have a significant impact on Black, Brown, and other communities of color. “The nature of the struggle has changed. It’s a different era that requires a different response ,” Arnwine said. “The beautiful thing is that we are under attack, but we have each other’s backs and there is more good trouble to come.”
On Thursday, Representative Shomari C. Figures, D-Alabama, led a bipartisan effort with the Republican chairmen of the Committees on Energy and Commerce; Education and the Workforce; and the Judiciary to introduce the Student Compensation and Opportunity through Rights and Endorsements (SCORE) Act to establish a national framework that stabilizes the use of student-athletes’ name, image, and likeness.
“The current college sports environment has drastically changed in the NIL era, and this bill provides a framework to where students can not only be compensated but also have access to resources like health care and financial literacy courses, to ensure they have a solid foundation for their lives after college and we can get back to just playing ball,” Figures said. “I look forward to continuing the bipartisan work to make this the strongest bill possible and protect student-athletes, schools, and our athletic conferences.”
The SCORE Act includes the following provisions:
Sets a national framework for student-athletes’ rights and responsibilities related to name, image, and likeness (NIL) compensation, support services, and institutional accountability. Guarantees a range of student-athlete benefits, including academic and career support, health and medical services, injury-related protections, and grant-in-aid guarantees both during and after enrollment for Division I schools. Allows student-athletes to receive NIL payments except when the payment is from a booster without a valid business purpose, from a school in excess of a set pool limit, or in violation of the school’s code of conduct or contractual obligations. Authorizes athletic associations to set rules on NIL transparency, booster payments, recruitment, transfers, and eligibility, among other matters. Establishes federal preemption over related state laws to ensure uniformity across the country.
“NIL offers an endless array of opportunities for student-athletes to make the most of their college experience, but the lack of clear guardrails has left athletes and universities on unstable ground.
The SCORE Act creates a national framework that supports student-athletes and recenters the educational mission of college athletics,” said Chairmen Brett Guthrie, R- Kentucky; Tim Walberg, R-Michigan; and Jim Jordan, R-Ohio. “We are proud of this landmark legislation, and we look forward to working with our colleagues to strengthen this American institution.”
Inhumae cages inside the prison for immigration deportees
By Stacy M. Brown Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent
Florida state Rep. Angie Nixon has condemned the state’s $450 million immigration detention facility in the Everglades—dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz”—as an inhumane, politically motivated stunt that is detaining people accused of minor infractions like driving without a license or running a stop sign. Speaking on the Black Press of America’s “Let It Be Known” program, Nixon described what she called a “hyper-curated, super-sanitized tour” of the sprawling compound. “What I saw was a waste of taxpayer dollars,” she said. “Countless SUVs, law enforcement officers, military personnel—many of whom claimed to be volunteers—are all being paid to carry out a political stunt.” During her tour, Nixon said she observed more than 30 people crammed into cages with just three restrooms. “There was no privacy,” she said. “Folks were getting water from the toilet.” Detainees she saw in shackles included asylum seekers awaiting court dates. “These are construction workers, people who care for our elderly and our children. They are not hardened criminals.” Nixon, who filed legislation to improve prison conditions in Florida, said the facility is consistent with a state correctional system that historically fails to provide adequate care and basic needs. She recounted that state officials rushed her group off-site, citing a supposed security lockdown as rain began, preventing lawmakers from seeing whether flooding, previously documented on video, was recurring. “They kept saying a storm was coming,” Nixon said. “When we insisted on staying, suddenly there was a lockdown, and we were escorted out. We don’t believe it was a real security issue.” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has defended the project as necessary to detain what he has called the “worst of the worst.” But Nixon said the facility’s population tells a different story. “My daughter is 18 and she just got a ticket for running a red light. Under this logic, she could end up there too,” she said. The facility comes as public support for harsh enforcement has waned. According to Gallup polling, only 38% of Americans now favor mass deportations, down from 47% last year. Approval of Donald Trump’s handling of immigration stands at just 35% nationally, and among Hispanic Americans, only 21% approve. While the Trump administration has promoted expanded detention and deportation policies, Gallup found that 78% of Americans support a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. Nixon said Florida’s approach is out of step with public sentiment and legal norms. “They couldn’t even tell us who was mixed together—people who committed no crime at all and people waiting for due process,” she said. “And since when does the state of Florida have the jurisdiction to deport people?” The lawmaker and four colleagues have sued DeSantis and Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, claiming the state violated their statutory rights to conduct unannounced inspections. DeSantis has called the lawsuit “frivolous” and suggested countersuing the lawmakers. Nixon argued that resources wasted on detention should be directed to Floridians’ needs. “They are closing schools in Duval County, our property insurance rates are the highest in the country, we have people with disabilities waiting years for help, and instead, they are spending hundreds of millions on this,” she said. As reports circulate that Florida could soon expand detention camps, Nixon urged Americans to pressure state and federal leaders. “If we don’t stop this here, it’s coming to your backyard next,” she said. “They just revoked TPS for Haitians. What happens when they say, ‘I thought you were undocumented’ and pick up Black Americans without due process?” Nixon warned that the growing disregard for civil rights should alarm all Americans. “Everything Trump has said he would do, he has done. We can’t take this lightly.” She encouraged citizens to call lawmakers, sign petitions, and demand accountability. “We should all be outraged,” she said. “If they can do this to them, they can do it to us.”
Black Lives Matter has reached its 12th anniversary, and the organization’s co-founder and prominent scholar-activist, Dr. Melina Abdullah, says the movement is not only growing internationally but also confronting what she described as an unprecedented wave of “fascism and unmasked racism.”
By Stacy M. Brown Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent
During an appearance on Black Press USA’s Let It Be Known News, Dr. Abdullah detailed the recent summit in Los Angeles, where organizers from 51 chapters—including the newly established Black Lives Matter Stockholm—gathered for workshops, tours, an action, and a celebration at the Center for Black Power on Crenshaw Boulevard. “This is the largest that Black Lives Matter has ever been,” Abdullah said. “We are now 51 chapters in 2025 and thousands of boots-on-the-ground organizers.” The summit, which lasted several days, included discussions on the group’s principles and strategy. Abdullah noted that the movement’s work has taken on new urgency as attacks on Black communities intensify. “I think the world hasn’t seen this level of fascism and unmasked racism,” she said. “I haven’t witnessed a world where African American men from Texas, born and raised, the child descendants of enslaved people, can be deported.” Abdullah also described personal moments of fear, including seeing an unknown truck parked in front of her home after delivering groceries to elders in the community. “I was going, should I get out my car? Because I don’t know who these two men sitting in this truck are,” she recalled. “And will somebody see me if they snatch me up?” The BLM Grassroots leader announced the release of the organization’s annual action report, detailing initiatives ranging from mutual aid to political advocacy. Among the work highlighted was the successful campaign to free Brittany Martin, who was sentenced to prison for remarks made to police during a 2020 protest in South Carolina. “This pregnant mother of six, now of seven, was arrested for simply speaking words,” Abdullah said. “She wound up being ripped away from her family, forced to have her seventh child inside the prison. But we kept fighting, and at the end of 2024, we were able to free Brittany Martin.” In addition to campaigns for policy reforms like Wakiesha’s Law—requiring 24-hour family notification when a loved one dies in custody—the report describes BLM Grassroots’ youth scholarship programs, food distributions, and international solidarity work. Dr. Abdullah also addressed internal conflict over financial stewardship within the broader BLM network. She said that while BLM Los Angeles purchased a community building used for mutual aid and youth programs, the Global Network Foundation bought what she called a “$6 million mansion” in Studio City. “Families of those who have been killed by police and white supremacy have been blocked from being able to ever use or set foot inside that house,” she said, adding that BLM Grassroots leaders recently visited the property to demand accountability and the return of resources. “We stood outside with at least six or seven family members and said, return the money, return the resources to the movement so that we can use it for the good of Black liberation.” Abdullah said that repeated attempts to speak directly with foundation leaders—including letters, calls, and legal filings—have been met with silence or legal counteractions. “They’ve never spoken with us,” she said. “We would love to speak with them and ask them why they feel entitled to travel in private jets with makeup teams and stand on red carpets wearing couture.” She described BLM Grassroots’ philosophy of abolition and the need to dismantle systems that profit from Black suffering. “We have to transform a state that allows for and enables and really sometimes benefits and profits from the murders of Black people,” Abdullah said. The full action report is available at blmgrassroots.org.
Former President Barack Obama addresses the Obama Foundation’s Democracy Forum on December 5, 2024, in Chicago. – Scott Olson/Getty Images
By Arlette Sanz, CNN
Former President Barack Obama issued a call to action for Democrats at a private fundraiser in New Jersey on Friday evening, urging those frustrated by the state of the country under President Donald Trump to “stand up for the things that you think are right.” “I think it’s going to require a little bit less navel-gazing and a little less whining and being in fetal positions. And it’s going to require Democrats to just toughen up,” Obama said at the fundraiser, according to excerpts of his remarks exclusively obtained by CNN. “You know, don’t tell me you’re a Democrat, but you’re kind of disappointed right now, so you’re not doing anything. No, now is exactly the time that you get in there and do something,” he said. “Don’t say that you care deeply about free speech and then you’re quiet. No, you stand up for free speech when it’s hard. When somebody says something that you don’t like, but you still say, ‘You know what, that person has the right to speak.’ … What’s needed now is courage.” Obama’s comments come as the Democratic Party searches for its path forward in the second Trump term and beyond. Many in the party’s base have called for a more forceful response from Democratic leaders at a time when the party is locked out of power. As Democrats debate who should lead the party, Obama encouraged them to channel their energy into the governor’s races in New Jersey and Virginia, saying the off-year elections could be “a big jumpstart for where we need to go.” “Stop looking for the quick fix. Stop looking for the messiah. You have great candidates running races right now. Support those candidates,” Obama said, calling out the New Jersey and Virginia elections, according to the excerpts of his remarks. “Make sure that the DNC has what it needs to compete in what will be a more data-driven, more social media-driven cycle, which will cost some money and expertise and time,” he continued. Obama spoke at a private fundraiser hosted by New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and his wife, Tammy Murphy, at their home in Red Bank, New Jersey. The intimate dinner drew in $2.5 million through in-person and online donations for the Democratic National Committee, a source familiar with the event said. A portion of the haul will be allocated to Democratic efforts in the governor’s race in New Jersey. The Democratic nominee, Rep. Mikie Sherrill, and and DNC Chair Ken Martin were on hand for the event. Obama described Sherrill and former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic nominee for governor in Virginia, as “powerful spokespersons for a pragmatic, commonsense desire to help people and who both have remarkable track records of service.” “The most important thing you can do right now is to help the team, our candidate to win,” he said. “And we’ve got to start building up our coffers in the DNC.” Obama also argued that Democrats need to focus on how to “deliver for people,” acknowledging the different views within the party about how best to do that. “There’s been, I gather, some argument between the left of the party and people who are promoting the quote-unquote abundance agenda. Listen, those things are not contradictory. You want to deliver for people and make their lives better? You got to figure out how to do it,” he said. “I don’t care how much you love working people. They can’t afford a house because all the rules in your state make it prohibitive to build. And zoning prevents multifamily structures because of NIMBY,” he said, referring to “not in my backyard” views. “I don’t want to know your ideology, because you can’t build anything. It does not matter.” Obama has spoken selectively since Trump’s return to power in January. He has criticized the president’s tariff policy and warned the White House was infringing on Americans’ rights. Last month, Obama warned the country was “dangerously close” to a more autocratic government. At the closed-press fundraiser on Friday, the former president said he has not been “surprised by what Trump’s done” or that “there are no more guardrails within the Republican Party.” He repeated his calls for institutions, including law firms and universities, to push back on intimidation efforts by the Trump administration. “What’s being asked of us is make some effort to stand up for the things that you think are right. And be willing to be a little bit uncomfortable in defense of your values. And in defense of the country. And in defense of the world that you want to leave to your children and your grandchildren,” he said. “And if we all do that, if we do our jobs over the next year and a half, then I think we will rebuild momentum and we will position ourselves to get this country moving in the direction it should.”
“Put a face on the deadliness of this big, bad, deadly, ugly bill.” That is what Reverend William Barber says as he conducts Moral Mondays in 11 Southern states today. He is laser-focused on 11 local U.S. Senate offices in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, West Virginia, and Tennessee. In these states, Barbers says 1.5 million people are expected to lose their healthcare due to federal funding cuts to Medicaid. Barber lamented that only one U.S. Senator, Thom Tillis of North Carolina, voted against the “One Big Beautiful Bill.” On July 1st, Tillis broke ranks with most Senate Republicans on the healthcare cuts. Tillis understands that federal cuts to Medicaid funding would hurt his constituents. Three days later, on July 4th, President Donald Trump signed the bill into law, which cuts 17 million people from Medicaid health insurance in this country, over the coming decade. Barber, leading the protest in Memphis, Tennessee, says, “The highest number of people who will lose Medicaid are in the South.” He emphasizes these massive cuts to Medicaid do not discriminate; however, “the highest percentage of Black people being kicked off of Medicaid is in the South.” Barber, who is also looking at the economics of these cuts, says, “40% of the South are poor now and low wage,” and that will further exacerbate the poverty numbers in this nation. These 11 marches will consist of a contingent of clergy and impacted people expected to march with caskets housing the number of people in that state who were negatively affected by the newly passed “One Big Beautiful” law. The list of Medicaid losses according to Rev. Barber, are North Carolina 307,000, Texas 300,000, Louisiana 291,000 , Arkansas 123,000, and Alabama 42,000.
Moral Mondays will resume in the nation’s capital in August, according to Reverend Barber, who also says there will be a continued focus on these healthcare cuts and cuts to SNAP in the South.
