Justice Thomas wrote of ‘crushing weight’ of student loans
The Supreme Court won’t have far to look for a personal take on the “crushing weight” of student debt that underlies the Biden administration’s college loan forgiveness plan. A legal challenge to that plan has reached the court and arguments are set for Tuesday. Justice Clarence Thomas didn’t finish paying off his law school debt until his third year on the court and he’s written about the role student loans played in his financial struggles. It’s not clear whether any of the other justices borrowed money for higher education or have done so for their children’s educations. But four who are parents have signaled through their investments that they don’t want their children to be saddled with onerous college debt.
Rights to ‘Crying Indian’ ad to go to Native American group
Since its debut in 1971, an anti-pollution ad showing a man in Native American attire shed a single tear at the sight of smokestacks and litter taking over a once unblemished landscape has become an indelible piece of TV pop culture. It’s been referenced for decades on shows like “The Simpsons” and “South Park” and in internet memes. But the “Crying Indian” public service announcement has been painful for some Native Americans who saw it as a trope. That’s why Keep America Beautiful, the nonprofit that originally commissioned the advertisement, announced Thursday that ownership of the ad’s rights will be transferred to the National Congress of American Indians. NCAI plans to retire the use.
EPA orders ‘pause’ of derailment contaminated waste removal
Federal environmental authorities have ordered a temporary halt in the shipment of contaminated waste from the site of a fiery train derailment in Ohio involving hazardous materials. Region 5 administrator Debra Shore of the Environmental Protection Agency said Saturday the agency had ordered Norfolk Southern to “pause” shipments from the East Palestine derailment but vowed that removal of the material would resume soon. She said officials had heard concerns from residents and others in a number of states. No one was injured when 38 cars derailed Feb. 3 but fears of a potential explosion prompted an evacuation and a controlled burn of toxic vinyl chloride.
G-20 meeting in India ends without consensus on Ukraine war
A meeting of finance chiefs of the Group of 20 leading economies has ended without a consensus, with Russia and China objecting to the description of the war in Ukraine in a final document. The meeting hosted by India on Saturday issued the G-20 Chair’s summary and an outcome document stating that there was no agreement on the wording of the war in Ukraine. India’s Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told reporters that the communique carried two paragraphs from the G-20 Bali meeting in November, but Russia and China demanded they be deleted and said they could not be part of the final document this time. She said their contention was they had approved the Bali declaration under the then prevailing circumstances.
Bills would let transgender people seal name-change requests
Legislators in at least two states are trying to allow transgender people to keep records of their name change out of the public record. A bill in Washington would allow gender expression and identity as reasons to seal a petition for a name change. And a California bill would require the sealing of petitions by minors to change their name and gender on identity documents. Advocates warn transgender people can be open to cyberbullying or violence because their previous lives are an open book. One advocate notes school students can and do easily find and share such records on their peers.
Bipartisan plans to move aggressively on China face political hurdles in Congress
Republicans and Democrats are pressing for major legislation to counter rising threats from China, but mere weeks into the new Congress, a bipartisan consensus is at risk of dissipating amid disputes about what steps to take and a desire among many Republicans to wield the issue as a weapon against President Joe Biden. In the House and Senate, leading lawmakers in both parties have managed in an otherwise bitterly divided Congress to stay unified about the need to confront the dangers posed by China’s militarization, its deepening ties with Russia and its ever-expanding economic footprint.
Five killed in medical plane crash in Nevada, officials say
Five people were killed, including a patient and a family member, after a medical airplane crashed in Nevada on Friday night, the company Care Flight said. Care Flight, which is a service of REMSA Health in Reno, Nevada, and Guardian Flight, in Utah, confirmed the fatal crash in a statement. The people who died were the pilot, a flight nurse, a flight paramedic, a patient and a patient’s family member. The names of the victims have not been released yet, as Care Flight said it was working to notify family members.
By wire sources