1 Mass Shooting At VA Walmart Sees At Least 10 Dead
Multiple people are dead after a mass shooting at a Walmart in Chesapeake, Virginia. It's not clear at this time how many people are dead or injured, but Chesapeake Police spokesman Leo Kosinski says "no more than ten" have been killed. The gunman is believed to be among those found dead. Officials say the got involved about 10pm last night with a call about an active shooter. When they arrived on the scene, officers reportedly started finding the dead and injured. In the hours after, the scene was searched from top to bottom as there were concerns about more victims – and more people hiding and afraid to come out. At last check, there were five people being treated at a local hospital. Reactions from lawmakers are coming in. Senator Mark Warner tweeted that he was sickened by the reports of yet another mass shooting. State Senator Louise Lucas represent the area. She tweeted, "I am absolutely heartbroken that America's latest mass shooting took place in a Walmart in my district in Chesapeake, Virginia tonight. I will not rest until we find the solutions to end this gun violence epidemic in our country that has taken so many lives."
2 White House Extends Student Loan Repayment Pause
The White House is extending the student loan repayment pause. President Biden said in a video posted on Twitter that he's confident in his student debt relief plan despite Republican officials trying to block it. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona is pushing the pause to June 30th instead of the start of the New Year. Biden announced in August his plan to hand out $10-thousand of federal student loan debt relief for certain borrowers up to $20,000 for Pell Grant recipients and those making less than $125,000 per year. Taking to Twitter, the president said he is "confident" that his "student debt relief plan is legal." And Cardona? He wants borrowers to know that the administration "has their backs." "Callous efforts to block student loan debt relief in the courts have caused tremendous financial uncertainty for millions of borrowers who cannot set their family budgets or even plan for the holidays without a clear picture of their student debt obligations,” he said in a statement via Twitter. “And it’s just plain wrong.”
3 SCOTUS Rejects Trump's Plea To Block House Committee From Getting Tax Returns
Former President Trump's tax returns will soon likely be in the hands of a House committee. That’s because the Supreme Court has refused to block those records from being released to the Democrat-led House Ways and Means Committee. The court's refusal to intervene came after Chief Justice John Roberts stopped the process earlier this month – giving the court time to review material and hear the arguments. The court's ruling comes as Democrats are losing control of the House after the first of the year – and this means they’ll have access before turning the reins of the House over to Republicans.