As President-elect Joe Biden mulls forgiving $10,000 in student loan debt — and leading Democrats and others on his left push for more — one of our listeners wants to know: What would that do to the economy, and is it even possible for the White House to do it on its own? To find out, we called University of Michigan public policy, education and economics professor Susan Dynarski. She helps us look beyond the obvious micro-economic benefits and inject some nuance into the conversation about what it actually takes to get out of this $1.6 million hole.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

“Student Loan Cancellation Sets Up Clash Between Biden and the Left” from The New York Times

“Would canceling $10,000 in student debt really help that much?” from Marketplace

An interactive map of debt in America

“Americans want to cancel student loans — but not all of them” from Vox

“The student loan trap” from Marketplace’s podcast “This Is Uncomfortable”

“Google CEO delays office return to next September, but axes idea of permanent remote work” from CNBC

“USPS ‘gridlocked’ as historic crush of holiday packages sparks delays” from The Washington Post

“Is Louis DeJoy’s XPO Logistics divestiture a sham?” from Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington

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