Wednesday, May 22, 2024

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1/ Biden canceled $7.7 billion in student loans for another 160,000 borrowers. This latest round of forgiveness brings the total student debt relief approved by the Biden administration to $167 billion. More than one in 10 Americans with federal student loans have been approved for some form of debt relief under Biden. (Axios / Bloomberg / Associated Press)

2/ The Senate confirmed Biden’s 200th federal judge. At this point in his term, Trump had secured 196 judges. Trump ultimately confirmed 234 judges. If Biden and the Democrats exceed 234 confirmed judges, they’ll have replaced about one-quarter of the federal judiciary. (Politico / NBC News / Associated Press)

3/ Spain, Norway, and Ireland said they would recognize an independent Palestinian state. While a largely symbolic move, the group said they were “confident that further countries will join us in taking this important step in the coming weeks.” More than 140 countries currently recognize a Palestinian state, including more than two-thirds of the United Nations. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denounced the move, calling it “a reward for terrorism” that would “not stop us from reaching a victory over Hamas.” The White House also rejected unilateral recognition of Palestinian statehood, saying “a Palestinian state should be realized through direct negotiations between the parties.” Still, the announcement comes days after the International Criminal Court requested arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Israel’s defense minister, and the leaders of Hamas for war crimes stemming from the Oct. 7 attacks and the Israeli offensive in Gaza. (New York Times / Washington Post / Wall Street Journal / Associated Press / NPR / NBC News / CNN)

4/ Months before Trump was indicted for mishandling classified documents, a federal judge said the Justice Department had “strong evidence” that Trump “intended” to hide classified documents at Mar-a-Lago. After Trump was informed by his attorney of a government subpoena for video footage from his Mar-a-Lago club, he realized that the security cameras could capture his employees moving classified government information that officials were attempting to retrieve. Trump allegedly instructed aides to then return several boxes they had previously removed – without being caught on camera. And, four months after the FBI searched Mar-a-Lago, four documents marked “classified” were...

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