The Biden administration reversal on student loan forgiveness

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President Biden changes the student loan forgiveness guidelines; Putin illegally annexes four regions of Ukraine.

Tonight's Sentences was written by Jariel Arvin.

The student debt the Biden administration won’t forgive

Stefani Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images 

• The Education Department has changed guidance on who will qualify for federal student loan forgiveness, a plan that now faces lawsuits from several Republican-led states. [Reuters / Nandita Bose and Paul Grant]
• Borrowers with Federal Family Education (FFEL) or Perkins loans, which are privately held but government guaranteed, are no longer eligible for forgiveness unless they had consolidated their debt before September 29. [CNN / Katie Lobosco]
• The Biden administration estimates that the rule change will directly impact about 800,000 borrowers. [NPR / Cory Turner]
• On Thursday, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and South Carolina joined Arkansas in filing a federal lawsuit against the Biden administration. The states argue sweeping federal student debt relief exceeds executive authority and would harm loan servicers. [Associated Press / Seung Min Kim]
• In August, Biden announced plans to cancel $10,000 for borrowers making up to $125,000 or couples making $250,000. Recipients of Pell Grants, which help low-income students pay for college, can receive an additional $10,000. [CBS News / Kathryn Watson]

📍 If you read just one story

Vox’s Libby Nelson explains two leading criticism in the “fairness” debate over student loan forgiveness. [Vox / Libby Nelson]

Putin illegally annexes parts of Ukraine

• Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that four occupied regions in eastern and southern Ukraine are now part of Russia — which constitutes an illegal annexation. [Vox / Jen Kirby]
• The move follows staged referendums widely criticized by the international community. Annexing additional provinces could help mobilize Russian troops. [BBC / Paul Kirby]
• Biden on Friday condemned the annexation and said the US and its allies would impose new sanctions on Russia. [ABC News / Shannon K. Crawford]
• Meanwhile, Ukraine says 25 civilians were killed Friday in an attack on one of the recently annexed regions, Zaporizhzhia. [NYT / Michael Schwirtz and Andrew E. Kramer]

Around 200,000 people lost power Friday as Hurricane Ian made landfall a third time in Georgetown, South Carolina. [Accuweather / Adriana Navarro]

• At least 19 people, mostly girls, were killed Friday in a suicide bombing at an educational center in Kabul, Afghanistan. [Washington Post / Sudarsan Raghavan]
• Friday, the US House voted 230-201 to pass a stopgap spending bill to fund the federal government until December 16. [CNBC / Chelsey Cox]
• Far-right Jair Bolsonaro faces leftist Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in Brazil’s presidential election Sunday. [NPR / Carrie Kahn]

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“This is a gut punch, to say the least.”

 [Betsy Mayotte, president of the Institute of Student Loan Advisors on guidance changes / CNBC]

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