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1 Ian Becomes A Hurricane Again With The Carolinas In Its Sights
Its catastrophic journey across Florida complete, Ian regained hurricane strength over the Atlantic Ocean on Thursday night, putting North and South Carolina on alert. A hurricane warning was issued for an area from the Savannah River in Georgia to Cape Fear in North Carolina, an area that includes the entire coast of South Carolina, where the storm is expected to hit. Meanwhile, damage assessments and rescue efforts are underway in Florida, with Dan Allers, a council member in Fort Myers Beach, saying that 90% of the island is gone, adding that “Essentially if your home is not built out of concrete, to FEMA standards over the last five years…there’s literally nothing to come back to.” Millions remain without power in central Florida, and sewer service is also cut off in large parts of Fort Myers, but the damage isn’t limited to that city At least 200 water rescues were conducted in the Orlando area on Thursday, and while officials say it will be some time before a count of fatalities will be available, it’s being estimated by some officials to be at least “in the hundreds.”
2 Biden Administration Scales Back Student Loan Forgiveness Plan
On the same day that six GOP-led states sued the Biden administration over its student debt relief plan, the administration scaled back the guidelines on who is eligible for forgiveness. It was announced on Thursday that borrowers with student loans through the Federal Family Education Loan program and those with Perkins Loans will not be eligible for federal debt relief unless they had already consolidated their debt into direct loans. Those programs are held by private institutions, although they’re federally guaranteed. The Department of Education says on its website that it’s “assessing whether there are alternative pathways to provide relief to borrowers with federal student loans not held by ED.” The department hasn’t explained the reason for the change.
3 House To Vote Today To Avoid Government Shutdown
A bill to avert a federal government shutdown passed the Senate on Thursday with a 72-25 vote and now heads to the House for a vote today. The bill must be passed before the end of the day today to avoid a shutdown; all 25 “no” votes came from Republican senators. In addition to funding the government, the bill includes an additional $12 billion in military and economic aid for Ukraine, $1 billion in heating and utility assistance for low-income families, and $20 million in response to the water crisis in Jackson, Mississippi. If passed, the bill will fund the federal government through the middle of December, past the midterm elections.