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☆ Student debt forgiveness is on hold for now—here's why it's blocked and what could happen next
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Kamaron Mcnair | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

After appearing to clear a number of other legal hurdles, President Joe Biden's student debt forgiveness plan has been blocked. If the president's appeal in Texas is successful, it's likely the plaintiffs will escalate the case to the Supreme Court or vice versa. Still, federal judges are appointed by elected officials, and it so happens the judges striking down Biden's debt forgiveness were nominated by Republican presidents. Aside from appealing in Texas, the president has not yet announced next steps for the debt forgiveness plan or other relief for borrowers. The 8th Circuit Court's decision to keep the block on debt forgiveness for now adds to the likelihood of a Supreme Court case, she says.

Christopher Gregory/Getty ImagesDonald McGahn, Trump campaign counsel: I was at the top. Trump's 2016 campaign aides said they paid about 50 people, including part-time actors, to appear as supporters for his 2016 campaign announcement. Corey Lewandowski, Trump campaign managerCorey Lewandowski: I called my wife just as we were getting onto the plane. Stuff that would be from Mars on any other campaign was perfectly normal for the Trump campaign. Mark J. Terrill/AP photo Show less Trump at the Republican National Convention while Cruz speaks on July 20, 2016.

☆ Amid court challenges to its student debt forgiveness, Biden administration could extend payment pause yet again
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Annie Nova | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

With the legal blows to President Joe Biden's student loan forgiveness plan mounting, it's possible that the administration could extend the payment pause on the monthly bills yet again, experts say. "I'm sure they have to be considering it as an option," said Scott Buchanan, executive director of the Student Loan Servicing Alliance, a trade group for federal student loan servicers. If the president's policy remains blocked in the courts by the end of the year, higher education expert Mark Kantrowitz said, "the Biden Administration is likely to further extend the payment pause." Federal student loan payments have been on pause since March 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic first hit the U.S. and crippled the economy. The U.S. Department of Education closed its student loan forgiveness portal last week after a federal judge in Texas called Biden's plan "unconstitutional" and struck it down.

☆ Opioid settlement: Walmart agrees to $3.1 billion framework
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Kristina Sgueglia | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN Business —Walmart agreed to the framework of a $3.1 billion settlement, which resolves allegations from multiple states’ attorneys general that the company failed to regulate opioid prescriptions contributing to the nationwide opioid crisis. The framework will resolve virtually all opioid lawsuits and potential lawsuits by state, local, and tribal governments against Walmart, assuming all the settlement’s conditions are satisfied. As part of the framework of the agreement, New York state will receive up to $116 million. The settlement is still pending approval from other states, but James’ office believes they will give the deal their blessing by the end of the year. “Promising negotiations,” are still underway with other pharmacies including Walgreens and CVS, James’ office said.

☆ As Trump prepares 2024 announcement, Mike Pompeo is running ads in key presidential primary states
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Nicole Gaudiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Mike Pompeo has launched digital ads through his PAC in early voting presidential primary states. Pompeo has said a Trump presidential bid alone would not keep him out of the race. Pompeo has said a Trump 2024 presidential bid would not alone keep him from entering the race. He said he'd vote for Trump with "no hesitation" if Trump were to win the 2024 GOP presidential nomination. To date, none have formally announced 2024 presidential bids.

Companies United States of America FollowNov 14 (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court has extended a block on President Joe Biden's administration from fulfilling his plan to cancel hundreds of billions of dollars in student loan debt at the urging of six Republican-led states, a court filing on Monday showed. Circuit Court of Appeals issued an injunction barring the U.S. Department of Education from erasing student loan debt as part of Biden's plan to deliver "life-changing relief" to tens of millions of borrowers. The court on Oct. 21 temporarily barred Biden's administration from discharging student loans while it considered an emergency request by the six states for an injunction. Debt forgiveness would eliminate about $430 billion of the $1.6 trillion in outstanding student debt and that over 40 million people were eligible to benefit, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. The plan calls to forgive up to $10,000 in student loan debt for borrowers making less than $125,000 per year, or $250,000 for married couples.

The injunction will put the program on hold pending an appeal of a lower court ruling that had allowed the debt relief program to go forward. The Biden administration could ask the Supreme Court to lift the injunction. "The injunction will remain in effect until further order of this court or the Supreme Court of the United States," a three-judge panel of the appeals court said in its ruling. Monday's decision by the appeals court came after six GOP-led states argued in a lawsuit that the loan relief program threatens their future tax revenues, and that the plan circumvents congressional authority. The ruling by 8th Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis is the latest in a series of legal challenges to President Joe Biden's plan to cancel up to $20,000 in student debt for millions of Americans.

☆ Colorado just legalized ‘magic mushrooms,’ an idea that’s growing nationwide
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( Danica Jefferies | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

DENVER, CO - MAY 19: "u201cFun guy"u201d with harvested Mazatec psilocybin mushrooms from their growing tubs May 19, 2019 in Denver, Colorado. Bills that would decriminalize possession have been introduced in 19 states — including Missouri, Iowa and Kansas — though none have been enacted. And more than a dozen states — including Florida, Oklahoma and Texas — have introduced legislation to further study the health benefits of psilocybin. Some opponents of the Colorado measure say it would promote using these substances before the FDA says they are safe. "I'm hoping the rest of the country can learn the hard lessons from my state's foray," said Luke Niforatos, who leads two national organizations that opposed the drug legalization measure.

National Democrats were fairly happy on Election Day as they dodged a predicted trouncing at the polls, but state Democrats might have even more to celebrate. And Democrats appear on track to flip the state House in Michigan, as well as in Pennsylvania and Minnesota, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), the nonpartisan organization that represents legislative chambers. Democratic wins this cycle signals a shift in state legislative priorities that could have major ramifications on contentious issues. The Republican-controlled state legislatures in Pennsylvania and Michigan had entertained election denial conspiracies after the 2020 election, for example. "Success does beget success," she said, noting that many state legislative candidates outperformed those competing at the federal level.

Crop Watch fields were harvested within the last week, all corn, and two of them fell short of expectations, consistent with this year’s trend. The North Dakota corn ended at 2.75, down a quarter-point from expectations but above last year’s 2. The 11-field average, unweighted 2022 Crop Watch corn yield ends at 3.57, down from 3.7 a week ago. Crop Watch yield scores 2022SIGHTS ON 2023More than half of the Crop Watch producers said they have already purchased seed for 2023 and an even larger share said they had priced next year’s inputs. Most of the Crop Watch producers are in rotation-heavy areas, but acres in North Dakota and Kansas can swing the pendulum.

Ransomware hackers hit MercyOne in early October, part of a larger breach that caused hospitalwide outages at multiple health systems, according to The Des Moines Register. CommonSpirit Health, a nonprofit health system based in Chicago, oversees 140 hospitals in 21 states; it was not clear how many of them hospitals were affected, and it declined to share the number. For Rachel Cupples of Western Washington, the CommonSpirit Health ransomware attack meant delaying important surgery for weeks. Like some other CommonSpirit Health hospitals that were affected, hers announced it was having trouble scheduling new patients. Parsi and Cupples said they blamed the hackers, not the hospitals, for their pain caused by delayed care.

☆ Sen. Chuck Grassley, Iowa's longest-serving US senator in state history, faces off against Democrat Mike Franken
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Explore more race results below. Sen. Chuck Grassley is running against Democrat Mike Franken in Iowa's Senate race. Iowa Senate candidatesGrassley, who is seeking an 8th term that would keep him in office well into his 90s, is one of the chamber's feistiest octogenarians. The money raceAccording to OpenSecrets, Grassley has raised more than $9.8 million, spent more than $8.6 million, and has $2.16 million cash on hand, as of October 19. His opponent, Franken, has raised more than $9.2 million, spent $8.6 million, and has $608,000 million cash on hand, as of October 19.

☆ When do the polls close for the 2022 U.S. midterm elections?
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

2022 U.S. midterm elections When the polls close and races to watchEarliest poll closing time by state (EST) 6:00 7:00 7:30 8:00 8:30 9:00 10:00 Past 11:00Map showing poll closing times for each state in the United StatesOn Tuesday, November 8, 34 out of 100 U.S. States close polls in staggered times across the nation and results will begin to trickle in shortly after. 7:00 p.m. Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, New Hampshire, Vermont and VirginiaMap showing 7:00 p.m. EST poll closing times for the United StatesPolls will close in six more states. And in Kansas’s third district, Democrat U.S. House Representative Sharice Davids faces a difficult race after Republicans redrew her suburban Kansas City district. She will face Amanda Adkins, a former chair of the state Republican Party.

☆ Fact Check-Official U.S. election vote counts legally take weeks to certify
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

While media organizations often “call” elections on election night or soon after, experts on election processes told Reuters elections are frequently never confirmed on election night and the process of verifying ballots can take weeks. Confusion online may stem from the fact that media organizations “call” an election for a certain candidate on election night or shortly after. As explained by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC), “Many voters believe that the election results they see on television on election night are the final results. Similarly, during the 2020 general election, which resulted in a Biden win against Trump, Mississippi did not certify election results until Dec. 3 (here). Different states have specific rules on when mail-in ballots can start being counted, ranging from before election day, on election day before polls close and after polls close on election day (here).

☆ Iowa teen who killed rapist escapes from probation center, authorities say
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

DES MOINES, Iowa — Iowa authorities say an 18-year-old sex trafficking victim who pleaded guilty to killing a man she said raped her escaped from a women’s center where she was serving her probation sentence. Prosecutors had called the probation sentence she was given in September merciful for a teen who endured horrible abuse, although some questioned the $150,000 restitution she was ordered to pay. Polk County Judge David Porter told Lewis that her probation sentence “was the second chance you asked for. You don’t get a third,” the Des Moines Register reported. Lewis was 15 when she stabbed Brooks more than 30 times in a Des Moines apartment.

☆ Student-loan companies are 'ready to apply' debt cancellation to borrowers' balances, Biden's Education Secretary says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Miguel Cardona said student-loan companies are "ready to apply" debt relief. But they cannot actually cancel any student debt right now because the plan continues to be stalled. That's due to a ruling from the 8th Circuit in response to a GOP-led lawsuit seeking to halt the relief. "Unfortunately, our ability to process loan forgiveness has been paused," Cardona wrote. "We believe strongly that the lawsuits are entirely meritless, and that the debt relief plan is lawful and necessary," he added.

☆ Powerball used to have a jackpot limit. Then it exploded
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN Business —The Powerball lottery jackpot is expected to hit $1.9 billion for Monday’s drawing, making it the largest lotto prize ever. But in 1987 when Lotto America, the precursor to Powerball, was introduced, organizers prohibited jackpots of more than $80 million. ”This is a whole new ballgame” Lotto America spokesman Jack Ratigan said at the time. These changes have pushed Powerball jackpots way up. Lotteries are regressive, meaning lower-income groups spend more of their budgets on lottery games than higher-income groups.

☆ How Diverse Are the Candidates in the Midterm Elections?
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-05 | by ( Maggie Astor | Eleanor Lutz | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +11 min

The House of RepresentativesThere are at least 403 people of color, women or nonbinary candidates running for seats in the House of Representatives in Tuesday’s midterm elections. Incumbent Democrat Republican White men women Black men women Hispanic men women Other and multiple race men womenThere are 11 Senate candidates who are Black this year. Democrat Black candidates Republican Ga. Raphael Warnock Ala. Will Boyd Ark. Incumbent Democrat Republican White men women Black men women Other and multiple race men womenThere are 25 women nominated for governor — 16 Democrats and nine Republicans. Democrat Black candidates Republican Ala. Yolanda Flowers Ark.

☆ Marjorie Taylor Greene gets rally to boo Paul Pelosi, says he should have had a gun and shot his attacker
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene spoke at a rally in Iowa on Thursday ahead of the mid-term elections. She told the crowd that Paul Pelosi "should have been a gun owner and shot his attacker." But the only crime victim you hear about from Democrats in the media is Paul Pelosi," Greene said, drawing boos from the crowd. "Paul Pelosi was brutally attacked by a drugged-out illegal alien that should have been deported," she said, adding that he "should have been a gun owner and shot his attacker." Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) November 3, 2022Pelosi, 82, was attacked last week by a man who broke into the couple's San Francisco home and hit him in the head with a hammer.

Voting in the midterm elections ends on Nov. 8, but there is still plenty of time to cast your ballot. Here's a guide to the most important things you should know as Election Day approaches. Early voting for the the 2022 midterm elections on November 8 has already begun. Start and end times for early voting vary by state, but can extend all the way up to Election Day. You can also drop off your ballot at some in-person polling locations during early voting and on Election Day.

☆ For voters submitting absentee ballots, your state may require it to be verified. Here are the ways your ballot is checked for authenticity.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Kayla Gallagher | Annie Fu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

To ensure authenticity, some states require ballot verification for votes to count. In order to better prevent the risk of election fraud, some states have implemented ballot verification rules to ensure the authenticity of a voter's ballot. Currently, 27 states require absentee ballots to be verified using a few different methods: signature match, voter signature only, notary or witness signatures, photo ID, or the last four digits of a person's Social Security number. Three states — Mississippi, Missouri and Oklahoma — require the envelope containing the absentee ballot to be notarized, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. There are 24 states that require voters to be notified when there is a signature missing or a signature discrepancy on their ballot.

☆ 26 million borrowers have applied for student loan forgiveness. But GOP challenges put plan at risk
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Annie Nova | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

SKLA | iStock | Getty ImagesClose to 26 million Americans have applied for student loan forgiveness, and the Biden administration has already approved 16 million of the requests, the White House said Thursday. Yet its entire loan cancellation plan could be in jeopardy due to the legal challenges brought by Republicans, it warned. "If Republican officials get their way, tens of millions of Americans' monthly costs will rise dramatically when student loan payments resume next year," according to a statement by the administration. Most recently, a legal challenge from six GOP-led states temporarily stopped the administration from starting to forgive borrowers' debt. Tribe agreed, and said the other challengers also were on shaky legal standing.

☆ Iowa teens killed Spanish teacher over bad grade, prosecutors say
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

DES MOINES, Iowa — Two Iowa teenagers killed their high school Spanish teacher last year because of frustration over a bad grade, prosecutors said Tuesday in court documents that for the first time reveal a possible motive. Investigators allege that one of the teens met with Graber at Fairfield High School on the afternoon of Nov. 2, 2021, to discuss their poor grade in her class. Graber later drove her van to a park where she was known to take daily walks after school, authorities say. “The poor grade is believed to be the motive behind the murder of Graber," court documents filed by Jefferson County Attorney Chauncey Moulding and Assistant Iowa Attorney General Scott Brown said. Iowa Supreme Court rulings require juveniles convicted of even the most serious crimes to be given a chance for parole.

☆ If you haven't registered to vote, here are the states where you can register in-person on Election Day
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Kayla Gallagher | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

While voter registration has closed in many states, some offer same-day, in-person voter registration. In 17 states and DC, voters can register and cast their ballot at the same time. While the deadline to register to vote online or by mail has passed in most states, 17 states and the District of Columbia offer same-day and in-person voter registration. For states that offer same-day registration, you must provide proof of residency, along with a valid photo or non-photo ID. Some states, like Maine, do not offer online voter registration.

☆ Powerball jackpot grows to $700M after months without a big winner
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: 1 min

DES MOINES, Iowa — The eighth-largest lottery jackpot will be up for grabs when numbers are drawn for an estimated $700 million Powerball grand prize. No one has matched all six numbers and won Powerball’s top prize since Aug. 3, allowing Wednesday night’s jackpot to slowly grow for a nearly three months. The $700 million jackpot is for those who take an annuity option, paid out annually over 29 years. The biggest lottery jackpot was a $1.586 billion Powerball prize that three ticket holders won in 2016. Powerball is played in 45 states as well as Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

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