World

Biden tries again at student loan cancellation, this time for those with financial hardships

Published

12 months ago

October 25, 2024

Biden tries again at student loan cancellation, this time for those with financial hardships

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is moving ahead with a new path to student loan cancellation for Americans who face steep medical bills, child care costs and other types of financial hardship that prevent them from repaying their loans.

Announced Friday, the proposed rule is President Joe Biden’s third attempt at student loan cancellation as he faces repeated legal challenges from Republican states. His first plan was rejected by the Supreme Court last year, and his second plan has been temporarily halted by a federal judge in Missouri.

The new rule would have to clear a number of hurdles before it becomes official, and it’s unclear if it could be realized before Biden leaves office in three months. Like Biden’s other loan forgiveness proposals, it could face court challenges from conservatives who say it’s unconstitutional and unfair.

If finalized, the new rule would allow the Education Department to proactively cancel loans for borrowers if the agency determines they have an 80% chance of being in default on their loans within two years. Others could apply for a review to determine if they meet the criteria for cancellation.

It’s meant to help borrowers who are unlikely to ever be able to repay their loans. The Education Department estimates about 8 million Americans would qualify for cancellation.

“For far too long, our broken student loan system has made it too hard for borrowers experiencing heartbreaking and financially devastating hardships to access relief, and it’s not right,” said Education Secretary Miguel Cardona.

Those who could be eligible include people with unexpected medical bills, high child care costs, heavy costs related to caring for relatives with chronic illnesses, and those struggling financially in the wake of natural disasters, the Education Department said.

Under the proposal, the department could use a range of factors to judge whether someone is likely to fall into default on their loans. It includes household income, age, whether they receive public benefits, and their overall debt — not just from student loans.

It also allows consideration of “any other indicators of hardship identified by the Secretary.” A loan is usually considered in default if no payment has been made in about nine months.

With about 1 million borrowers in default every year, Cardona said the new rule would prevent his agency from trying to collect money it’s unlikely to recoup.

“Servicing and collecting on defaulted loans is not free, it costs taxpayer dollars,” Cardona said in a call with reporters. “And there’s a point when the cost of trying to collect on a defaulted loan just is not worth it.”

The proposal will enter a 30-day public comment period before it could become official. The administration said it plans to finalize the rule in 2025. It faces an uncertain future arriving less than two weeks before the Nov. 5 presidential election.

Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, has not detailed her plans for student debt cancellation if she wins the presidency. Republican nominee Donald Trump has called Biden’s cancellation proposals unfair and illegal.

Biden’s latest proposal is the result of a federal rules process that included experts from across higher education. Advocates pushed hard for the hardship provision, saying too many borrowers get trapped with debt they’ll never be able to repay.

The Biden administration said it has authority under the Higher Education Act, which allows the education secretary to waive debt in certain cases. It also noted that other federal agencies routinely waive debts owed to them, considering factors like “good conscience” and equity.

It’s a similar legal argument used to justify Biden’s second attempt at student loan forgiveness, which proposes relief for groups of borrowers including those with large sums of interest and those with older loans. A federal judge in Missouri blocked that plan amid a legal challenge from Republican states.

Biden campaigned for the White House on a promise of new student loan cancellation, but his biggest plans have been halted by Republican opponents. Last year, the Supreme Court rejected a plan to forgive up to $20,000 for millions of Americans after several Republican states sued to block it.

Amid its legal battles, the administration has increasingly shifted attention to its work canceling student loans using existing programs, including one for public service workers. In total, the administration says it has now canceled $175 billion for about 5 million borrowers.

The hardship provision was originally discussed as part of the second-attempt plan that’s now on hold in Missouri, but the Education Department broke it off into its own proposal to spend more time on the details.

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The Associated Press’ education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

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World

Trump calls off federal agent deployment to San Francisco

Published

10 hours ago

October 24, 2025

Press Room

Trump calls off federal agent deployment to San Francisco

WASHINGTON/OAKLAND, Oct 23 (Reuters) – Donald Trump will not deploy federal agents to San Francisco, the U.S. president and the California city’s mayor said in separate social media posts on Thursday, a surprising stand-down as Trump pressures Democratic-led cities around the country to step up enforcement against crime and illegal immigration.

San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie, a Democrat, said in a post on X that Trump called him Wednesday night to tell him he was calling off any plans for a federal deployment. Lurie said the city would continue to partner with federal agencies to combat drug crime, but that “militarized immigration enforcement” would not help.

“We appreciate that the president understands that we are the global hub for technology, and when San Francisco is strong, our country is strong,” Lurie said.

Trump confirmed the agreement in a post on Truth Social, saying the federal government had been preparing a surge in San Francisco but would cancel it.

“I spoke to Mayor Lurie last night and he asked, very nicely, that I give him a chance to see if he can turn it around,” Trump said. “The people of San Francisco have come together on fighting Crime, especially since we began to take charge of that very nasty subject.”

The Republican president said two major tech executives – Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff – had called him “saying that the future of San Francisco is great.”

Trump had indicated San Francisco would be a next stop for National Guard troops he was sending to various U.S. Democratic-led cities, moves that have been challenged in courts.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported on Wednesday, opens new tab that the Trump administration would send more than 100 federal agents to the city to ramp up immigration enforcement.

Item 1 of 4 Canada geese fly overhead while people hold placards as they protest against the arrival of federal agents at the Coast Guard base in Alameda, California, U.S, October 23, 2025. REUTERS/Manuel Orbegozo TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

[1/4]Canada geese fly overhead while people hold placards as they protest against the arrival of federal agents at the Coast Guard base in Alameda, California, U.S, October 23, 2025. REUTERS/Manuel Orbegozo TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

BORDER PATROL AGENTS FACE PROTESTS

Despite the apparent stand-down, a handful of U.S. Border Patrol vehicles arrived at a U.S. Coast Guard base in the Bay Area on Thursday morning and were met with several hundred protesters.

Demonstrators carried signs reading “Stop the Kidnappings” and “Protect Our Neighbors,” with one protester smacking the window of a truck as it passed by. Federal agents eventually used less-lethal rounds to disperse the crowd, with protesters saying one person was injured by a projectile and that another had their foot run over.

Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee, the former member of Congress and civil rights activist, said in televised remarks that a federal deployment would divide and intimidate.

“We will not allow outsiders to create chaos or exploit our city,” said Lee, a Democrat.

Trump aims to deport record numbers of immigrants in the U.S. illegally, portraying them as criminals and a drain on U.S. communities. Democrats in major U.S. cities have criticized the crackdown, saying it has terrorized law-abiding residents, separated families and hurt businesses.

Trump has long highlighted what he views as rampant crime in San Francisco and had signaled in recent weeks that he would send federal agents there.

“We’re going to San Francisco and we’ll make it great,” Trump told Fox News on Sunday.

Reporting by Jasper Ward in Washington and Nathan Frandino in Oakland; Additional reporting by Susan Heavey and Doina Chiacu in Washington and Peter Henderson and Max Cherney in San Francisco; Writing by Ted Hesson; Editing by Rami Ayyub and Diane Craft

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World

Hegseth says US conducted another strike in Eastern Pacific targeting alleged narco-traffickers

Published

11 hours ago

October 24, 2025

Press Room

Hegseth says US conducted another strike in Eastern Pacific targeting alleged narco-traffickers

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said on Wednesday that the U.S. military has carried out another strike in the Eastern Pacific targeting alleged terrorists he says were engaged in narco-trafficking.

Three suspected narco-terrorists were killed, according to Hegseth. The strikes were ordered at the direction of President Donald Trump.

Hegseth said the Pentagon conducted “yet another lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization (DTO). Yet again, the now-deceased terrorists were engaged in narco-trafficking in the Eastern Pacific.”

TRUMP APPROVES MILITARY ACTION AGAINST LATIN AMERICAN CARTELS CLASSIFIED AS TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS

“The vessel was known by our intelligence to be involved in illicit narcotics smuggling, was transiting along a known narco-trafficking route, and was carrying narcotics,” he continued. “Three male narco-terrorists were aboard the vessel during the strike, which was conducted in international waters. All three terrorists were killed and no U.S. forces were harmed in this strike.”

This is the ninth vessel strike since September and the second strike reported in the Eastern Pacific. A total of 37 have reportedly been killed while two survived and were later repatriated to their home countries.

TRUMP UNLEASHES US MILITARY POWER ON CARTELS. IS A WIDER WAR LOOMING?

U.S. drone strike against narco-terrorists

A U.S. military drone strike ordered by President Trump destroyed a vessel in the Eastern Pacific on Oct. 22, 2025, killing three suspected narco-terrorists, according to the Department of War. (Department of War)

“These strikes will continue, day after day,” Hegseth said on Wednesday. “These are not simply drug runners—these are narco-terrorists bringing death and destruction to our cities. These DTOs are the ‘Al Qaeda’ of our hemisphere and will not escape justice. We will find them and kill them, until the threat to the American people is extinguished.”

The Pentagon has refused to release the identities of those killed or evidence of drugs on board.

The Trump administration has been scrutinized in recent weeks over the strikes, including by Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who raised concerns about killing people without due process and the possibility of killing innocent people.

U.S. military drone strike against narco-terrorists

In a recent interview, Paul cited Coast Guard statistics that show a significant percentage of boats boarded for suspicion of drug trafficking are innocent.

The senator has also argued that if the administration plans to engage in a war with Venezuela, as it has targeted boats in recent weeks it claims are transporting drugs for the Venezuela-linked Tren de Aragua gang, it must seek a declaration of war from Congress.

World

Trump says all trade talks with Canada are terminated over Reagan ad

Published

13 hours ago

October 24, 2025

Press Room

Trump says all trade talks with Canada are terminated over Reagan ad

BREAKING,

US President says fraudulent advertisement featuring the late President Ronald Reagan to blame for termination of talks.

Published On 24 Oct 2025

US President Donald Trump said that all trade talks with Canada have been terminated following what he called a fraudulent television advertisement in which former President Ronald Reagan spoke negatively about tariffs.

“The Ronald Reagan Foundation has just announced that Canada has fraudulently used an advertisement, which is FAKE, featuring Ronald Reagan speaking negatively about Tariffs,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform late on Thursday.