Today’s edition of quick hits.
* Big news on student loan forgiveness: “The Education Department announced Friday it would automatically forgive student loans for more than 800,000 borrowers. The action is a result of what the department calls a ‘fix’ to income-driven repayment plans. It’s expected to total $39 billion in federal student loan forgiveness.”
* The obvious call: “The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday granted a temporary stay of a July 4 order putting sweeping limitations on the Biden administration’s communications with social media companies.”
* As expected: “Iowa Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds on Friday signed a six-week abortion ban into law, setting in motion a new legal battle over the future of reproductive rights in the key early presidential state, and further escalating the presence of a divisive issue in the campaign.”
* On a related note: “If abortion-rights activists prevail in court, [Iowa’s new abortion ban] could be suspended at least temporarily while the legal case proceeds. Joseph Seidlin, a district court judge in Polk County, said he would not make a ruling on Friday, even as the groups pushing for abortion rights said the law would lead to immediate harms.”
* Economic news: “There’s still a long way to go — but U.S. consumers are starting to feel better about the economy. The University of Michigan’s monthly Consumer Sentiment Index hit 72.6 for July — the highest reading since September 2021.”
* The latest Jan. 6 sentence, Part I: “A self-described ‘idiot’ who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 and stole a wallet and a framed photo of the late civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis from then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office was sentenced to more than four years in federal prison on Friday.”
* The latest Jan. 6 sentence, Part II: “A butcher from Maine who assaulted five police officers during the riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, was sentenced on Thursday to more than seven years in prison.”
* This was a thoroughly convincing court filing: “Special counsel Jack Smith is opposing former President Donald Trump’s request to delay the trial over his alleged mishandling of classified documents until after the 2024 election.”
* Climate: “A massive coast-to-coast heat dome is sprawled over the western and southern United States and is forecast to strengthen into the weekend. It’s generating soaring temperatures that are poised to approach all-time records. … In many areas, the longevity of this ongoing heat wave is more remarkable than its intensity. Some locales have seen no relief from dangerous temperatures for over a month, and this heat wave shows no signs of relenting soon.”
* Giuliani’s future does not appear bright: “Rudy Giuliani was threatened Thursday with contempt of court by a judge presiding over a defamation suit filed by two Georgia poll workers that Giuliani accused of fraud after the 2020 presidential election. Court records show that Giuliani was cautioned with “severe” sanctions — including contempt — for failing to turn over electronic records in discovery despite repeated court orders to do so.”
* Twitter’s future isn’t bright, either: “On Thursday, Twitter announced that it would begin sharing ad revenue with content creators on its platform for the first time. But the offer won’t apply to all creators. … So far, many of the influencers who have publicly revealed that they’re part of the program are prominent figures on the right. Andrew Tate, for example, who was recently released from jail on rape and human trafficking charges, posted that he’d been paid over $20,000 by Twitter.”
Have a safe weekend.
