Supreme Court weighs Biden student loan plan worth billions
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is taking up a partisan legal fight over President Joe Biden’s plan to wipe away or reduce student loans held by millions of Americans. The high court, with its 6-3 conservative majority, is hearing arguments Tuesday in two challenges to the plan. So far, Republican-appointed judges on lower courts have blocked the plan. Arguments are scheduled to last two hours, but likely will go much longer. The Biden administration says 26 million people have applied and 16 million have been approved to have up to $20,000 in federal student loans forgiven. The program is estimated to cost $400 billion over 30 years.
Latino Republicans push back on party’s immigration agenda
MIAMI (AP) — The GOP’s dominance of Florida’s 27th congressional district is emblematic of the party’s inroads with Latino voters in recent years in much of the U.S. Those gains helped Gov. Ron DeSantis decisively win reelection last year and contributed to the GOP taking back control of the U.S. House. That strong showing, however, is leading to some tension as the newly emboldened Republicans in Washington aim to launch an aggressive agenda, particularly around immigration policy. Republican Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar is among a handful of lawmakers pushing back against a sweeping proposal being considered in the House that would restrict asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border.
For man behind gene-edited babies, a rocky return to science
Five years ago, scientist He Jiankui shocked the world with claims that he created the first genetically edited babies. Now, after three years in a Chinese prison, he faces obstacles and critics as he tries to reenter science. For months he’s been touting plans to develop affordable gene therapies for rare diseases, starting with the muscle-wasting condition Duchenne muscular dystrophy. In early February He spoke remotely about this new endeavor at an event hosted by the University of Kent in the United Kingdom. But scientists are divided about his comeback efforts, with some expressing serious doubts and others saying he’s simply trying to start over.
New China committee debuts with eye on major policy shifts
WASHINGTON (AP) — A special House committee dedicated to countering China is set to make its debut in prime time on Tuesday. It’s the opening act in what lawmakers hope will be a robust effort to overcome partisan divisions and address what some call a “generational challenge” to America’s national security. The House committee’s chairman, Wisconsin Republican Mike Gallagher, says he’s looking to bridge differences rather than exploit them. His first efforts in that regard will be a hearing focused on informing Americans about the threat posed by the Chinese Communist Party. Gallagher says he hopes the committee will issue a set of recommendations on long-term policies for dealing with China as well as pass legislation.
Murdoch says some Fox hosts ‘endorsed’ false election claims
DOVER, Del. (AP) — Court documents say Fox Corp. chairman Rupert Murdoch acknowledged that some Fox News commentators endorsed false allegations of a stolen 2020 presidential election. Those allegations are at the heart of a defamation lawsuit against the cable news giant by Dominion Voting Systems. In court filings released Monday referencing Murdoch’s deposition, Dominion says he acknowledged that Fox commentators Lou Dobbs, Maria Bartiromo, Jeanine Pirro and Sean Hannity endorsed the false notion of a stolen election. Attorneys for Fox Corp. note that Murdoch testified he never discussed Dominion or voter fraud with any of the accused hosts.
India revives civil militia after Hindu killings in Kashmir
DHANGRI, India (AP) — Days after seven Hindus were killed in a village in disputed Kashmir, hundreds of residents staged protests across the region’s Hindu-dominated areas. In response, Indian authorities revived a government-sponsored militia and began rearming and training villagers. The militia, officially called the “Village Defense Group,” was initially formed in the 1990s as the first line of defense against anti-India insurgents in remote villages that government forces could not reach quickly. It was largely disbanded after the insurgency waned and some of its members gained notoriety for rights violations. But the January violence stirred unpleasant memories of past attacks in Rajouri district, which is near the militarized Line of Control that divides Kashmir between India and Pakistan.
DeSantis takes over Disney district, punishing company
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed a bill that gives him control of Walt Disney World’s self-governing district, punishing the company over its opposition to the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” law. The bill requires the Republican DeSantis to appoint a five-member board to oversee the government services that the Disney district provides in its sprawling theme park properties in Florida. The governor signed the legislation on Monday. The move comes as DeSantis gears up for an expected presidential run and marks a high-profile legislative victory for a governor whose leveraging of cultural and political divides has pushed him to the fore of national Republican politics.
Chicago Mayor Lightfoot taking on 8 rivals in reelection bid
CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot is fighting for reelection. A history-making but tumultuous four years in office and a bruising campaign threaten to make her the city’s first one-term mayor in decades. Lightfoot in 2019 became the first Black woman and first openly gay mayor of the third-largest U.S. city, and only the second woman to hold the office. Multiple candidates in Tuesday’s election have hammered Lightfoot on issues such as crime. With none of the nine candidates likely to receive over 50% of the vote, the race is expected to move to an April runoff between the top two vote-getters.
Coronavirus origins still a mystery 3 years into pandemic
WASHINGTON (AP) — Did the coronavirus originate in animals or leak from a Chinese lab? Governments and health agencies around the world have been trying to answer that question since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Now, the U.S. Department of Energy has assessed with “low confidence” that it began with a lab leak. That’s according to a person familiar with the report who was not authorized to discuss it and was granted anonymity by The Associated Press to confirm its contents. Others in the U.S. intelligence community, however, disagree with the DOE. While some scientists are open to the lab-leak theory, others continue to believe the virus mutated and jumped from animals.
White House: No more TikTok on gov’t devices within 30 days
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is giving all federal agencies 30 days to wipe TikTok off all government devices, as the Chinese-owned social media app comes under increasing scrutiny in Washington over security concerns. The Office of Management and Budget calls the guidance, issued Monday, a “critical step forward in addressing the risks presented by the app to sensitive government data.” Some agencies, including the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security and State already have restrictions in place; the guidance calls on the rest of the federal government to follow suit within 30 days.