President Biden Announces Long-Awaited Student Loan Forgiveness Plan. How Will It Impact You?
President Joe Biden on Wednesday announced his long-awaited plan to deliver on a campaign promise to provide $10,000 in student debt cancellation for millions of Americans — and up to $10,000 more for those with the greatest financial need — along with new measures to lower the burden of repayment for their remaining federal student debt.
Borrowers who earn less than $125,000 a year, or families earning less than $250,000, would be eligible for the $10,000 loan forgiveness, Biden announced in a tweet. For recipients of Pell Grants, which are reserved for undergraduates with the most significant financial need, the federal government would cancel up to an additional $10,000 in federal loan debt. Biden is also extending a pause on federal student loan payments for what he called the “final time” through the end of 2022. He was set to deliver remarks Wednesday afternoon at the White House to unveil his proposal to the public.
Today on AirTalk, Jim Tankersley, White House correspondent for the New York Times who focuses on economic policy, and Dalié Jiménez, professor of law and director of the Student Loan Law Initiative at UC Irvine, join Larry to discuss the latest.
Why Los Angeles Angels Ownership Says They’re Exploring Selling The Team, And What It Means For Their Future
Los Angeles Angels owner Arte Moreno says he is exploring the possibility of selling the franchise. “It has been a great honor and privilege to own the Angels for 20 seasons," Moreno said in a statement. “Although this difficult decision was entirely our choice and deserved a great deal of thoughtful consideration, my family and I have ultimately come to the conclusion that now is the time.”
Moreno purchased the team in 2003, a year after it won its first World Series championship and was known as the Anaheim Angels. He has spent aggressively on aging free agent stars like Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton, but the club hasn't been back to the Fall Classic since he became owner. Los Angeles is set to miss the postseason for the eighth straight year despite featuring AL MVPs Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani. Moreno's announcement comes at a critical moment for the franchise, with Ohtani set to be a free agent after the 2024 season. Ohtani, a two-way sensation who left Japan and joined the Angels in 2018, has made it clear he wants to play for a contending team. If the franchise can't sign Ohtani to a long-term deal, it may decide to trade him before he has a chance to leave as a free agent. Trout, a three-time MVP, is signed through the 2030 season on a $426.5 million, 12-year deal. He's appeared in just three postseason games with the Angels, all in 2014, despite having been the best player in baseball for most of the last decade.
Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins On Her First Year At The Helm, Freeway Expansions, Safety On Public Transit And More
Metro Los Angeles CEO Stephanie Wiggins has been in office for just over a year and has plenty of ongoing projects to keep her and her agency busy. Today on AirTalk, Metro Los Angeles CEO Stephanie Wiggins joins Larry Mantle to discuss some of the big projects, improvements and innovations that her agency is focused on right now. We'll ask her about the latest in transportation and mobility news, including Metro's efforts to improve safety on bus and rail lines, how the agency is preparing for the 2028 Olympics, and how the agency is navigating efforts to reduce congestion around the city while also trying to reduce climate emissions.
As Salvadoran Government Extends Its State Of Exception, We Dig Into The Law And Its Impact
Last week, El Salvador’s congress approved an extension to its state of exception, a policy that grants the government the right to suspend the reason for arrest and access to a lawyer for individuals deemed “gang-affiliated.” The government also can intervene in the calls and mail of anyone they consider a suspect. The law has led to 50,000 arrests, which has had human rights organizations like the University Observatory of Human Rights (OUDH) calling the policy a serious concern. California’s history with El Salvador runs deep, with immigrants arriving to the country at the time of the Salvadoran Civil War and folks seeking refuge recently as a result of gang activity. The international gang MS-13 has its roots in Los Angeles and is also closely tied to El Salvador, serving as a pipeline for not only crime but also a process in which those with gang affiliations are imprisoned in the United States, only to be deported to El Salvador and serve more time. This however has been the source of inconsistencies for president Nayib Bukele’s crime crackdown, with the Salvadoran leader at odds with the U.S. State Department over the extradition of top MS-13 leaders.
Today on AirTalk, we break down the policy and its controversy with assistant professor of history who focuses on modern Central America Andrea Oñate-Madrazo and Alex Sanchez, co-founder of Homies Unidos, a Los Angeles-based organization violence prevention organization that works with gang at-risk and gang-involved youth.
Students With Dyslexia Face An Even Tougher Challenge Once In College
The numbers on how many people have dyslexia are unclear, but estimates show that 8-10% of U.S. children have a learning disability, the most common of which is dyslexia. How does this disability manifest as students move through the school system and into higher education? Unlike in high school, where parents and teachers take charge of managing a student's special education, college students with disabilities largely have to advocate for themselves. Even students who enter higher education with a known learning disability are unlikely to ask for accommodations to help them with their coursework and, therefore, don't receive accommodations. They're also less likely to graduate than their peers without disabilities. Colleges can't discriminate against students with a disability, but they don't have the same legal obligations as K-12 schools to provide a "free appropriate public education."
Today on AirTalk, we continue our series looking at dyslexia with senior reporter covering pathways to higher education at LAist, Jill Replogle and Carolyn Weirick, founder and owner of Capstone Education Advisors, a company that provides college and graduate school counseling for students and their families.
You can read Jill Replogle's full article at LAist.com, where you'll also find linked dyslexia resources as well as links to all of the stories in our dyslexia series. Check it out here.
“Thomas Mann’s Los Angeles” Explores Hidden History Of LA’s Community Of Exiled German Artists And Intellectuals
A new book explores the life and influence of Nobel Laureate and German writer Thomas Mann, who fled Nazi Germany and set down roots in Los Angeles. He and his wife Katia built a home near the ocean in Pacific Palisades, and the community of fellow exiled intellectuals and artists they found and helped cultivate there became known as “Weimar on the Pacific” and included writers, film industry visionaries, musicians and more. 80 years later, the house is still standing and is now owned and funded by the German government as a place for transatlantic debate on issues of politics, society, and culture, and “Thomas Mann’s Los Angeles: Stories from Exiles 1940-1952” tells the story of his time in Los Angeles using the places and people that molded it, and shines light on the influence and impact on the city of this émigré community of German Jewish people exiled during World War II.Thomas Mann’s Los Angeles
Today on AirTalk, we planned to talk with co-editors of the book Benno Herz, the current program director at Thomas Mann House in Los Angeles, and Nikolai Blaumer, Thomas Mann House’s founding program director about Mann’s life, the impact he had on Los Angeles and the ripples from it that we can still see today. However, President Biden's speech on cancelling portions of student debt for some borrowers preempted this segment. We are in the process of rescheduling the conversation.
Our guest Benno Herz will be in conversation with USC Exile Studies Librarian and Instruction Coordinator at USC Libraries’ Special Collections Michaela Ullman tonight (Wednesday, August 24th) at Vroman’s Bookstore in Pasadena. You can find out more about this event via this link.