Should I Cancel My Student Loan Refund Now That Biden’s Forgiveness Plan Is on Hold?

Reuters
Palestinian family lives atop rubble of demolished home in Gaza
The al-Kahloot family is living on memories in Gaza after being displaced by Israeli bombardment and then returning to live in a large tent pitched atop the rubble of their home. Many Palestinian families share their plight as Israeli air strikes and heavy shelling has killed tens of thousands of people and reduced much of the Gaza Strip to ruins since Hamas carried out a cross-border attack on Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostage. Many homes like that of the al-Kahloots have been pulverised, displacing families, some of whom have returned in hope that at least part of their dwellings might have survived air strikes and shelling.
Associated Press
G7 summit opens with deal to use Russian assets for Ukraine as EU's traditional powers recalibrate
A Group of Seven summit opened Thursday with agreement reached on a U.S. proposal to back a $50 billion loan to Ukraine using frozen Russian assets as collateral, giving Kyiv a strong show of support even as Europe's political chessboard shifts to the right. Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni welcomed the G7 heads of state to the summit at a luxury resort in southern Italy, saying she wanted the message of this meeting to be one of dialogue with the global south and unity. Beyond the the war in Ukraine, Pope Francis will become the first pope to address a G7 summit, adding a dash of celebrity and moral authority to the annual gathering.
Reuters
Nasdaq futures surge as tech gains offset Fed caution
Investor sentiment got a boost from softer-than-expected inflation data and Fed Chairman Jerome Powell's acknowledgement that progress had been made in tackling price pressures. "Ultimately, whether there are one or two rate cuts this year matters much less than the overall path of policy rates, the FOMC remains entirely data-dependent, but it acknowledges that policy must stop being restrictive before it harms the economy," said Paolo Zanghieri, senior economist at Generali Investments. Benchmark Treasury yields slid on Wednesday, helping the S&P 500 and Nasdaq close at record highs even though they pared gains from earlier in the session.
NBC News
Hostage rescue brings hope — and fear — for families of captives still in Gaza
Families of more the more than 100 hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza say the rescue brought hope and fear about their relatives.
Reuters
UK's Labour pledges to recognise Palestinian state as part of peace process
Britain's opposition Labour Party, which is far ahead in polls before a July 4 election, pledged on Thursday to recognise a Palestinian state as a contribution to a renewed peace process. "Palestinian statehood is the inalienable right of the Palestinian people," said Labour's election manifesto - the collection of policies it would enact if it forms the next government. "We are committed to recognising a Palestinian state as a contribution to a renewed peace process which results in a two-state solution with a safe and secure Israel alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian state."
AFP
French citizen returns home after Iran prison ordeal
Frenchman Louis Arnaud returned to Paris on Thursday after his release from an over 20-month prison ordeal in Iran, but a dozen Europeans are still detained in the Islamic republic.In a statement after his release, Arnaud's mother Sylvie said "we have been waiting for our son to return for almost 21 months.
AFP
French citizen Louis Arnaud held in Iran arrives in Paris
French citizen Louis Arnaud returned to Paris Thursday after being held in Iran since September 2022 and sentenced last year to five years in jail on national security charges."Our diplomatic service is still at work" to free three other French citizens: Jacques Paris, Cecile Kohler and a man named only as Olivier held in Iranian jails, he added.
NBC News
Vandals deface homes of Brooklyn Museum's Jewish leaders; NYPD probes pattern
Authorities are investigating reports of vandals targeting the homes of the Brooklyn Museum’s Jewish director and some board members.
Associated Press
What we know ahead of Friday's deadline for South Africa to form a coalition and elect a president
South Africa's Parliament is due to elect a president on Friday and major political parties are still working out the last details of a coalition agreement that might or might not see Cyril Ramaphosa return for a second term as leader of Africa's most industrialized economy. It appears likely to go to the wire after Ramaphosa's African National Congress party said it would hold a meeting of its most senior officials in Cape Town on Thursday night, barely 12 hours before Parliament convenes in the city and begins the process of choosing the president.
USA TODAY
Daily Briefing: Can inflation please calm down?
Prices stay steady, but inflation is still too high. Here is the news to know on Thursday.
CNN
Pro-Palestinian protesters breach California State University, Los Angeles, building with staff still inside, reports say
After weeks on campus, pro-Palestinian protesters entered and barricaded the Student Services Building at California State University, Los Angeles, Wednesday, video from CNN affiliate KABC showed.
Reuters
Greece closes more ancient tourist sites as heatwave persists
Greece shut more ancient tourist sites in Athens on Thursday and elderly people took refuge at designated air-conditioned spots as the first heatwave of the summer persisted for a third day. The famous Acropolis, set on a rocky hill overlooking the capital, and other nearby tourist attractions were closed on Thursday afternoon as winds from North Africa pushed temperatures towards 43 degrees Celsius (109 degrees Fahrenheit). In Athens, tourists stopped at drinking fountains to cool their heads and necks.
Time
Taiwan's New President Lai Ching-te Is Standing His Ground
Taiwan's Lai Ching-te was inaugurated with a start marked by cultural celebration and political turmoil
Yahoo Finance
The Fed isn't really taking 2 rate cuts off the table
The Federal Reserve's median projection for one interest rate cut did little to rattle markets on Wednesday.
CNN
Biden campaign seizes upon Trump’s Capitol Hill visit with a televised reminder of his role on January 6
President Joe Biden’s campaign is intensifying its focus on Donald Trump and his role in the January 6, 2021, riot, seizing on the presumptive Republican nominee’s Capitol Hill appearance Thursday to launch a new attack ad spotlighting the insurrection.
CNN
$3.4 trillion in individual tax cuts are expiring next year. Biden and Trump would handle it very differently
Whoever wins the presidency in November will have some especially tough financial choices to make next year.
Associated Press
Rights groups urge Thailand not to extradite Vietnamese activist, saying he's at risk if sent home
Human rights groups urged Thailand on Thursday not to extradite a Vietnamese activist detained in Bangkok, saying that he could be at risk if handed back to Vietnam. Y Quynh Bdap, who had United Nations refugee status in Thailand, was picked up by local police on Tuesday, the day after he had met with Canadian Embassy officials as he pursued asylum there, according to the Peace Rights Foundation, a Thai organization that had been in contact with him. The co-founder of the Montagnards Stand for Justice group was convicted in absentia in Vietnam in January on allegations that he was involved in organizing anti-government riots in Vietnam's central highland province of Dak Lak last June.
AFP
Zelensky's diplomatic offensive draws leaders to Swiss peace summit
When heads of state and senior officials from some 90 countries gather in Switzerland this weekend to discuss Kyiv's proposed plan to end the war in Ukraine, it will be largely due to one person: Volodymyr Zelensky.Contacts with heads of states matter," said Orysia Lutsevych, head of Chatham House's Ukraine Forum.
Reuters
Germans' dissatisfaction with ruling coalition at record high, poll shows
German voters' dissatisfaction with the ruling coalition has hit a record high, a poll published by national broadcaster ZDF showed on Thursday, after all the coalition parties showed weak results during the European election last week. Among 1,334 participants of the survey held on June 10-12, 71% said they were dissatisfied with the government's work, up from 66% in May.
AFP
Why are Chinese electric cars in EU crosshairs?
The European Union said this week it would slap additional tariffs of up to 38 percent on Chinese electric cars from next month after an anti-subsidy probe.Almost 40 percent of those exports went to the European Union, making it the largest recipient of Chinese EVs. Who are the key players?

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