‘The Hill with April Ryan’: CBC summit, Sudan conflict and preparing for recession

TheGrio’s White House correspondent and Washington Bureau Chief April Ryan breaks down the latest in Washington. 

On the latest episode of “The Hill with April Ryan,” host and theGrio’s White House correspondent and Washington bureau chief April Ryan breaks down the latest happenings in Washington. 

On Capitol Hill, the Congressional Black Caucus will hold a May 9 summit focused on democracy and race and the intersecting issues impacting Black America. U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas spoke to Ryan about the summit’s top agenda items, including the need to pass new laws to protect the right to vote amid Republican-led restrictions to voting and racial gerrymandering of congressional maps.

Jackson Lee, who is running for mayor of Houston, told theGrio as we approach the 2024 presidential election, “President Biden must make this…a crucial element” of his reelection campaign.

“The Hill with April Ryan” also caught up with Philip Smith, founder and president of the National African American Gun Association. He explained his angst with calls from lawmakers to enact red flag laws, which would allow the authorities to confiscate a firearm if someone is deemed a danger to themselves or others. 

Smith said such laws would pose as an impediment for Black people. “Oftentimes in the Black community, those laws are weaponized against Black men and women to take their guns for no reason.”

This week we also dive into the violent conflict in Sudan that has led more than 1,000 U.S. citizens to evacuate to safety. During a recent press briefing, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said U.S. national security officials were in direct contact with leaders involved in the Sudan conflict and urged them to “end hostilities immediately without conditions.”

The United Nations recently warned that Sudan is at a “breaking point” amid gunfire and explosions in the capital city Khartoum. 

And as the nation experiences an ongoing economic crunch, financial advisor Allan Boomer shared with Ryan what Black people can do to stay financially afloat. Boomer notably said 1 in 7 Americans have funds they’ve been “out of touch with” for so long that it’s been turned over to state or federal agencies for them to claim. 

Catch an all-new episode of “The Hill with April Ryan” every Thursday on theGrio.com and theGrio’s social media platforms.

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