The U.S. Supreme Court this Friday handed a blow to the Biden administration and tens of millions of college students, by the way. Its nine judges reversed the partial cancellation of education loans granted by the Department of Education in the final sentence of the court case. The Supreme Court ruling particularly hurts students of lesser means, mostly Hispanics and African Americans. It is the second legal setback for these groups after the conservative supermajority of the Supreme Court of six judges against three on Thursday dealt a fatal blow to positive discrimination in university access based on applicants’ ethnicity.

The same majority has backed the new ruling, which agrees with the six plaintiff states, with a Republican majority believing that the Biden administration had no authority to order that removal without Congressional approval. However, the president is rebelling and promised on Friday he would use a new formula to ease the burden of student debt. At the same time, he has slammed Republicans for opposing the measure while benefiting from much larger cuts in student loans. Pandemic.

The Joe Biden administration decided to provide $10,000 in general debt relief based on a provision of a post-September 11, 2001 statute called HEROES. The amount could be as high as $20,000 for recipients of Pell Grants, a widespread federal program of Department of Education loans that benefits some six million students from low-income families. The measure involved the cancellation of around $400 billion. For Biden, it was one of the central arguments in the search for the young voice for his re-election campaign in 2024.

The 77-page sentence was signed by Supreme Court President John Roberts and includes a dissenting individual opinion from Liberal Elena Kagan, supported by Ketanji Brown Jackson and Sonia Sotomayor. Roberts writes: “Secretary [de Educación, Miguel Cardona] He claims that the HEROES Act gives him the power to cancel student loans. It is not so. It is our opinion today that you may “repeal or amend” any existing statutory or regulatory provision that applies to financial assistance programs under the Education Act, but you cannot rewrite this charter from scratch.” Elsewhere, the President goes further and says Cardona transcended the way in which “the French Revolution ‘changed’ the status of the French nobility” when it “abolished their rights and replaced them with an entirely new regime”.

For his part, Kagan argued that the government had the power to draft the plan and that the verdict would affect “40 million Americans.”

“This fight is not over yet,” Biden said this Friday. “My government’s student debt relief plan would have been the lifeline needed by millions of hard-working Americans to recover from a once-in-a-century pandemic,” he added. “It would have changed the lives of millions of Americans and their families. And it would have been good for economic growth in both the short and long term,” he said in a statement.

He then called Republicans “hypocrites” for “obviously” pushing to make former President Donald Trump’s tax cuts permanent, which would constitute “handouts to the wealthiest Americans” while they fight the student tax cuts. “It’s not about reducing the deficit. It’s not about fairness. It’s just about forgiving them the loans they have to pay back.”

Biden has pledged that he will seek to pass another student debt relief program based on a 1965 statute, the Higher Education Act, which gives the Secretary of Education the power to “change rights, titles, claims, liens, etc .to oblige to waive or release them.” claim, however acquired, including any shares or rights of redemption”.

Biden has also said the Department of Education will not refer borrowers who are 12 months late on their student loans to the credit bureaus to give borrowers time to “get back on track.”

The decision also comes at a time when the three-year moratorium on the disbursement of these loans, imposed by the pandemic, is expiring. This moratorium decreed in September; Payments for beneficiaries of this pause will resume from October.

Borrowers were eligible for this partial waiver if their individual income was less than $125,000 ($250,000 for married couples), excluding the top 5% of the population. According to the White House, the decision could benefit up to 43 million people, and that includes removing the entire balance for about 20 million.

Since 1980, the total cost of public and private four-year colleges has tripled, even adjusting for inflation. Pell Grants used to cover almost 80% of the cost of a four-year public university degree for students from working families, but now they only cover a third. This has left many low- and middle-income students with no choice but to take out loans if they wish to pursue a college degree in a country where tuition fees for both public and private universities are much more expensive than other countries.

The White House has argued that skyrocketing federal student loan debt — $1.6 trillion and rising for more than 45 million borrowers — is placing a significant strain on America’s middle class. “They struggle with high monthly payments and rising balances that make it difficult for them to accumulate wealth, buy homes, save money for retirement and start small businesses,” he argued.

For the most vulnerable borrowers, the impact of leverage is even worse. According to a Department of Education analysis of a recent sample of college students, nearly a third of borrowers have debt but no title. Many of them could not complete their studies because the tuition fees were too high.

Approximately 16% of borrowers default, which can result in the government spiking their wages or downgrading their credit ratings – a number critical to the financial health of American society.

The burden of student debt also weighs disproportionately on African-American communities. According to a report from Massachusetts’ Brandeis University, the average black student who entered college in the 1995-96 school year still owes 95% of his original college debt twenty years after he first enrolled.

That’s not exactly good news: Researchers have found that hurricanes not only stir up water on the surface, but also push heat deep into the ocean where it can persist for years, ultimately affecting regions far from the ocean storm away.

Mathilde Fontez, editor-in-chief of the science magazine Epsilon, talks to us today about hurricanes. Researchers discover that they store heat in the oceans.

franceinfo: Oceanologists have studied the effects of hurricanes: not their devastating effects on the earth, but on the oceans?

Mathilde Fontez: Yes, that’s another aspect of hurricanes that this University of California team is discovering: It’s not about how the climate, the heat of the ocean, shapes these storms – it’s now widely accepted that global warming is driving their intensity and Strength increased. But how, conversely, do hurricanes change the distribution of heat in the oceans – a sensitive variable for global warming? We are currently measuring a marine heatwave of unprecedented proportions in the North Atlantic.

And what the researchers found is that hurricanes do in fact have an impact on the heat stored by the oceans. They whirl up the water masses much more than one would expect. Until the heat is stored in the depths.

Hurricanes warm the ocean?

It is a multi-stage mechanism: these storms first cool the sea surface and extract heat from a layer about fifty meters thick – this energy gives them their power. At the same time, however, the cyclone’s winds create turbulence, waves that mix the water masses deep down and heat up the layers below.

The researchers draw a parallel to a vinaigrette: Normally, hot and cold water pile up without mixing, the cyclone mixes everything up. As a result, the colder sea surface warms up in the sun immediately after the cyclone impacts – the ocean’s absorption capacity at the surface increases. But underneath, the layer heated by the cyclone falls down several hundred meters and gets stuck there. The cyclone warms the ocean deep down.

This hot water then remains blocked at depth?

It all depends on the dynamics of the currents. The heat from hurricanes can remain trapped at depth for decades—so it would tend to smooth out the effects of air warming and somehow mitigate them. But it can also alter the circulation of currents over thousands of kilometers months after the cyclone’s passage.

The researchers’ observations in the Philippine Sea — they’ve measured three typhoons in particular with sensors that dive 300 meters deep — show that the deep warm layer can begin to circulate and continue to rise thousands of kilometers where it would amplify warming locally. It could be involved in reef stress, coral bleaching. A new twisted effect of global warming to consider in the future.

When planning a vacation in a particular region, it is always important to familiarize yourself with the local flora and fauna.

Plants (photo by Canva) – Ecoo.it

While it’s exciting to see colorful plants and flowers blooming throughout the Sioux Empire, there are some plants worth admiring from afar as they can be poisonous and potentially dangerous.

If you are on holiday here, you should beware of these plants: they are poisonous!

Plants (photo by Canva) – Ecoo.it

Hosts from South Dakota various harmful plants that can cause diseases or side effects, even with just a simple touch. Although these plants appear harmless, they can have serious consequences, especially for livestock.

Accordingly Extension of South Dakota State University (SDSU Extension) numerous poisonous plants grow in the fields. Some of these plants are invasive species that can form dense stands in disturbed pastures. Hemicycle, Halide, and Buffalo Burr are three examples of poisonous plants found throughout South Dakota that pose a hazard to livestock.

Let’s take a closer look at these poisonous plants and understand why they should be avoided:

• Migraine: Migraine belongs to the carrot family and has small leaves with five petals. Surprisingly, they are poisonous to both animals and humans. South Dakota has water hemlock and poison hemlock and contact with these plants can cause severe skin reactions.
• Halides: Halides are plants that may not appear dangerous at first, but appearances can be deceiving. Found primarily in the badlands of South Dakota, they have long bluish-green leaves resembling those of an aquatic plant. Animals that ingest halides can experience weakness, shallow breathing, and even coma within a few hours. Consuming this plant can lead to kidney failure.
• Buffalo: Also known as prickly nightshade, buffalo is a prickly plant that blooms in summer. It has bright yellow flowers and can be found in a variety of locations in South Dakota, including in ditches, on farms, and along riverbanks. This plant is deadly to livestock and people with sensitive skin may get a rash when handling it.

Due to the presence of these poisonous plants in the area, care should be taken when exploring the natural environment. Whether you are a local or a visitor, being aware of potential risks can help ensure a safe and enjoyable experience.

If you come across unfamiliar plants while on vacation, it is best to admire them from afar and avoid touching or ingesting them. It is also wise to inquire about other poisonous plants that may be common in the region you are visiting.

Remember that nature is beautiful, but it can also be unforgiving. By educating yourself and taking the necessary precautions, you can ensure a safe and memorable vacation experience in the Sioux Empire.

The US government made mistakes in managing the crisis before and during the withdrawal from Afghanistan. That emerges from a US State Department investigation report, which the agency published in part on Friday. The decisions by US President Joe Biden and his predecessor Donald Trump to withdraw the armed forces “posed significant challenges” for the State Department.

Reasons given include gaps in filling on-site management positions or staff shortages due to the corona pandemic. Overall, worst-case scenarios have not been sufficiently considered at the highest level. Nor was consideration given to how quickly this could occur.

The Tagesspiegel app Current news, background information and analysis directly on your smartphone. Plus the digital newspaper. Download here for free.

In view of future crises, it should also be ensured that the widest possible range of views is heard, in line with the report’s recommendations for action. Voices that question policy decisions must also be heard.

Operation in Afghanistan devoured huge sums of money

US-led foreign troops invaded Afghanistan in 2001 in response to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. At the time, the international operation led to the downfall of the Taliban government, which harbored al-Qaeda terrorists.

The military operation cost huge sums of money, tens of thousands of Afghan civilians and security forces lost their lives, as well as several thousand international troops, including 2,461 Americans.

At the end of August 2021, the last US troops finally left Afghanistan. This ended the international military operation in the country after almost 20 years – shortly after the Taliban seized power again in Kabul.

The troop withdrawal initiated by the Americans proved chaotic and received international criticism and misunderstanding.

In Germany, entry into Germany for endangered Afghans has been made possible since the last week of June through the federal admission program. As a Foreign Ministry spokeswoman in Berlin told the Evangelical Press Service (EPD), the necessary visas are being processed in Islamabad, Pakistan.

Endangered Afghans can re-enter Germany

The program, which began last October, was suspended in March over security concerns. However, no one had come to the Federal Republic up to that point in the course of this process.

“The possibility of leaving for Germany” was officially announced on a website of the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Federal Ministry of the Interior for the Federal Admissions Programme. However, an exit “from a transit country other than Pakistan” is not currently planned, he said.

Persons eligible for the program would be contacted directly by a commissioned service provider. According to the information, anyone in Iran should travel to Islamabad.

14,000

vulnerable from afghanistan have been waiting for his departure for months, despite having been accepted.

According to NDR Info, around 14,000 at-risk people from Afghanistan have been waiting for months to travel to Germany despite being hospitalized. The vast majority are still in the Taliban-ruled area. The admissions program’s website states that as soon as it is possible for those at risk who are in Afghanistan to leave the country, “the Federal Government service provider will contact interested parties on an individual basis”.

More on the subject in Tagesspiegel Plus:

Air Force Inspector Ingo Gerhartz “We need more operational mindset” Scathing criticism of visa freeze for Afghans “Time is pressing. It’s a matter of life and death” Lessons from Afghanistan The Bundeswehr is tidying up in Mali

Afghans, on the other hand, “who leave Afghanistan without prior consultation with the service provider generally cannot be supported by the service provider during their transit stay in Pakistan”.

Specifically, the program addresses the protection of people who are in danger in Afghanistan because of their commitment to human rights or their work in the judiciary, politics or the media. The program is scheduled to run until September 2025. It is planned that 1,000 particularly vulnerable people will come to Germany every month. (dpa, epd)