National News - Page 116

Education Department eliminates $5.8 billion in student loan debt for some disabled borrowers

By Paul LeBlanc The US Education Department announced Thursday it will cancel $5.8 billion in outstanding student loans for borrowers who are unable to work because of permanent disabilities. More than 320,000 “total and permanent disability” borrowers will benefit from the move, the agency said in a press release, and hurdles for relief will become automatic for those who qualify moving forward. “Today’s action removes a major barrier that prevented far too many borrowers with disabilities from receiving the total and permanent disability discharges they are entitled to under the law,” Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said in a statement. The statement continued:

Far fewer Americans owed federal income tax in 2020 because of the pandemic

By Tami Luhby Nearly 107 million US households — about 61% — owed no federal income tax in 2020, a huge spike from pre-pandemic times. But that increase should be short-lived. The coronavirus-fueled upheaval in the economy, which cost more than 20 million jobs in April 2020, and the sweeping federal relief packages drove up the share of non-payers by roughly 40%, according to the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center. Only about 75 million households, or 44%, didn’t pay federal income tax in 2019, said Howard Gleckman, a senior fellow at the center, who called the increase for 2020 “eye-popping, but temporary.” Many

Parents defend Atlanta principal after mom claims that Black students were assigned classes by race

By Nicquel Terry Ellis A mother’s claim that her children’s school was assigning Black students to certain classes has shaken up one Atlanta school community with some parents insisting the principal would never group students based on race. It’s also fueled a debate about whether the practice would even be considered legal or productive for the children. Kila Posey filed a civil rights complaint with the US Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights last month. She alleges that during the 2020-2021 school year Mary Lin Elementary School Principal Sharyn Briscoe designated only two second-grade classes for Black students without the consent of

Georgia officials advance controversial review of Fulton County elections operations

By Fredreka Schouten and Dianne Gallagher Georgia’s state elections board on Wednesday named a three-person review panel to examine election operations in the state’s most populous county — under a provision of a new state election law that voting rights activists have warned could lead to a partisan takeover of a Democratic stronghold in this battleground state. The panel that will review the performance of Fulton County includes a Democrat, Stephen Day, who sits on the Gwinnett County election board, and a Republican, Rickey Kittle, who is chairman of the Catoosa County elections board. Ryan Germany, the general counsel in the secretary

Texas schools seek ways around Covid-positive Gov. Abbott’s ban on mask mandates

By Eric Bradner Some Texas school districts and students are seeking ways around Republican Gov. Greg Abbott‘s ban on mask mandates as the state grapples with a spike of coronavirus cases. One of those cases is Abbott himself: The second-term governor, who has played to his party’s base and blocked health mandates intended to slow the pandemic’s spread ahead of a reelection bid next year and a potential presidential run in 2024, has tested positive for Covid-19, his office said Tuesday. He’s now isolating at the governor’s mansion and receiving the same treatment then-President Donald Trump did last year. The governor’s positive test

Black New Yorkers may have the lowest vaccination rates, but community groups refuse to give up

By Athena Jones, Aaron Cooper and Keely Aouga Months after the rollout of the Covid-19 vaccine, Miriam Vega is still in a battle to persuade some people to get the shot. “It’s extremely challenging fighting the misinformation we’re fighting. You know, Facebook, we’re fighting Twitter,” the CEO of the Joseph P. Addabbo Family Health Center in New York City told CNN about claims made on social media. “But we’re also fighting people’s misperceptions and distrust of the system as a whole.” The stakes are high in the neighborhood where the center is located. Far Rockaway, Queens, is one of the

As Georgia school district bucks CDC mask guidance, parents are taking their kids out of school

By Eliott C. McLaughlin It’s the third week of school in Cobb County, Georgia, and many parents are livid with what they perceive to be the district’s lax Covid-19 protocols and dangerous misinformation being disseminated by a school board member via his official email account. Some parents, including those with children suffering from asthma and one whose 13-year-old has a flagging immune system after fending off a rare leukemia as a younger child, are taking their kids out of school, they told CNN. “Every day, there’s a chaotic event — entire grades sent home,” said Jessica Zeigler, who has taken her

Biden says US will require nursing homes get staff vaccinated or lose federal funds

By Jeremy Diamond and Tami Luhby President Joe Biden announced on Wednesday that he is directing all nursing homes to require their staff be vaccinated against Covid-19 in order to continue receiving Medicare and Medicaid funding. Biden said he is directing the Department of Health and Human Services to draw up new regulations making employee vaccination a condition for nursing homes to participate in Medicare and Medicaid. The decision on nursing home staff represents a significant escalation in Biden’s campaign to get Americans vaccinated and the tools he is willing to use, marking the first time he has threatened to withhold federal funds in order to

Rates of Covid-19 hospitalizations for children and adults under 50 reach their highest levels yet, CDC data shows

By Madeline Holcombe The pace of Covid-19 hospitalizations is surging across the US, with the rates for children and adults under 50 hitting their highest levels yet, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Every age group under 50 has surpassed its previous record of hospitalizations, which was in the first half of January. The biggest increase was in adults ages 30 to 39 and children under 18, both of which were more than 30% more than their previous peak, according to the CDC data. The rate for all ages is still below the January high. But

Stimulus Plan Lends College Students And Loan Borrowers A Helping Hand

  By Simon Osuji   College students scored some big wins in President Biden’s $1.9 trillion stimulus package. The legislation expanded the pool of dependents, including children in college, who are eligible for $1,400 stimulus checks. It also expanded child care credits, which will benefit students who are also parents. “Putting more money in the hands of struggling students — and their families — could help many stay on track” toward earning a degree, said Anna Helhoski, a student loan expert with NerdWallet. The stimulus package also features a less widely publicized but potentially more significant provision that makes student

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