3 Things To Know Today

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1 President Biden Cancels $4.5-Billion In Student Debt For Over 60,000 Public Service Workers

The Biden administration announced yesterday that an additional $4.5-billion in student debt is being canceled for roughly 60-thousand teachers, nurses, firefighters, and others. According to the Department of Education, over $73-billion in loans have been forgiven for more than one million borrowers under the government’s Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, which was signed into law by President George W. Bush in 2007. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said in a statement that the program was “so riddled by dysfunction that just seven-thousand Americans ever qualified and counts public servants were trapped making payments on debts that should have been forgiven.” The Supreme Court voted 6-3 last year to block another plan by the Biden administration to forgive the student debt of more than 40-million people, just as the SAVE plan was temporarily blocked by a federal appeals court.

2 Texas Supreme Court Halts Execution In Shaken Baby Case At The Last Minute

Shortly before he was set to become the first person put to death for a murder conviction tied to shaken baby syndrome, the Texas Supreme Court halted his execution last night. Robert Roberson was convicted of killing his two-year-old daughter in 2002. His execution was scheduled for 6 pm local time in Huntsville, Texas, but hours later the order from the court to halt the procedure. Both the US Supreme Court and the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals had rejected appeals from Roberson earlier yesterday. A bipartisan group of lawmakers supported stopping the execution, saying his conviction was based on faulty scientific evidence. A committee in the Texas state legislature went so far as to subpoena Roberson to testify before them next week in a bid to delay his execution.

3 Human Trafficking Sting In Florida Leads To Arrest Of 157 People

A five-day operation at the beginning of the month resulted in 157 arrests related to human trafficking in Polk County, Florida. Sheriff Grady Judd said in a press conference yesterday that “Operation Autumn Sweep” was originally planned to last longer than five days, but approaching hurricanes interrupted the operation. Of the 157 suspects, Sheriff Judd said the youngest person arrested was 15, while the oldest was 61, with most of the suspects arrested were “involved in illegal acts related to soliciting prostitutes, offering to commit prostitution, or aiding and abetting prostitutes” according to Judd. Officials also said that four possible human trafficking victims were identified during the operation, and one trafficker was apprehended. Three of the people arrested were charged with soliciting “who they thought were children online and charged with traveling to meet a minor, attempted lewd and lascivious battery on a minor, and use of a computer to seduce a child” according to a news release. Several employees of Disney were among those arrested, as well as members of the military. Sheriff Judd also pointed out during his press conference that 26 of the suspects charged were in the country illegally.


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