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President Biden discusses efforts to prevent wider war in Middle East as US helps Americans leave Lebanon [Video]
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President Biden discusses efforts to prevent wider war in Middle East as US helps Americans leave Lebanon [Video]

President Joe Biden said his team was in constant contact with Israel as tensions escalate in the Middle East and discussed his plan to prevent an all-out war in the region.”Try to rally the rest of the world and our allies into participating like the French are in Lebanon and other places to tamp this down,” Biden said during his first appearance at the White House press briefing as president.His remarks come amid increased fighting between Israel and Hezbollah and Iran’s retaliatory attack on Israel this week.”If I were in those shoes, I would be thinking of other alternatives than striking oil fields,” Biden said, addressing potential targets in an Israeli response.This comes as the State Department is urging Americans to leave Lebanon and has started blocking airline seats for citizens and organizing flights out this week.Officials report that 8,000 people are in touch with them seeking some sort of assistance.”Because we recognize that some flights are a little bit limited, we have organized U.S. flights, U.S.-organized flights to be able to augment commercial availability,” said Rena Bitter, assistant secretary of consular affairs at the State Department.However, some criticize the administration’s efforts.Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib posted on social media that more than 100 of her constituents are struggling to get out and accused the administration of “failing to protect their own citizens.””There are flights out to many locations. It may not be the exact location that somebody in Lebanon wants to go, but we urge them to take the first available flight out,” Bitter said.Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer also highlighted that some families are dealing with canceled or expensive flights up to $8,000.The State Department said they have not seen any indication that flights are costing exorbitant amounts of money, adding the most an American will pay for a seat on the flights it has organized is around $280.Loans are available for those who cannot afford that or need help relocating.Those in need of help in Lebanon are encouraged to go to travel.state.gov and fill out a crisis intake form. Family members in the U.S. can also fill it out on their behalf.

Biden’s student loan cancellation put on hold again by judge [Video]
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Biden’s student loan cancellation put on hold again by judge [Video]

A federal judge in Missouri put a temporary hold on President Joe Biden’s latest student loan cancellation plan on Thursday, slamming the door on hope it would move forward after another judge allowed a pause to expire.Related video above: Delinquency reports for student loan borrowers restart in OctoberJust as it briefly appeared the Biden administration would have a window to push its plan forward, U.S. District Judge Matthew Schelp in Missouri granted an injunction blocking any widespread cancellation.Six Republican-led states requested the injunction hours earlier, after a federal judge in Georgia decided not to extend a separate order blocking the plan.The states, led by Missouri’s attorney general, asked Schelp to act fast, saying the Education Department could unlawfully mass cancel up to hundreds of billions of dollars in student loans as soon as Monday. Schelp called it an easy decision.Biden’s plan has been on hold since September, when the states filed a lawsuit in Georgia arguing Biden had overstepped his legal authority. But on Thursday, U.S. District Court Judge J. Randal Hall decided not to extend the pause after finding that Georgia doesn’t have the legal right to sue in this case.Hall dismissed Georgia from the case and transferred it to Missouri, which Hall said has clear standing to challenge Biden’s plan.Proponents of student loan cancellation briefly had a glimmer of hope the plan would move forward Hall’s order was set to expire after Thursday, allowing the Education Department to finalize the rule. But Schelp’s order put the question to rest.This is yet another win for the American people, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey said in a statement. The Court rightfully recognized Joe Biden and Kamala Harris cannot saddle working Americans with Ivy League debt.Bidens plan would cancel at least some student loan debt for an estimated 30 million borrowers.It would erase up to $20,000 in interest for those who have seen their original balances increase because of runaway interest. It would also provide relief to those who have been repaying their loans for 20 or 25 years, and those who went to college programs that leave graduates with high debt compared to their incomes.Video below: Older Borrowers Struggle with High Student Loan DebtBiden told the Education Department to pursue cancellation through a federal rulemaking process after the Supreme Court rejected an earlier plan using a different legal justification. That plan would have eliminated up to $20,000 for 43 million Americans.The Supreme Court rejected Bidens first proposal in a case brought by Republican states including Missouri.In his order Wednesday, Hall said Georgia failed to prove it was significantly harmed by Bidens new plan. He rejected an argument that the policy would hurt the states income tax revenue, but he found that Missouri has a strong case.Missouri is suing on behalf of MOHELA, a student loan servicer that was created by the state and is hired by the federal government to help collect student loans. In the suit, Missouri argues that cancellation would hurt MOHELA’s revenue because it’s paid based on the number of borrowers it serves.In their lawsuit, the Republican states argue that the Education Department had quietly been telling loan servicers to prepare for loan cancellation as early as Sept. 9, bypassing a typical 60-day waiting period for new federal rules to take effect.Also joining the suit are Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, North Dakota and Ohio.