Biden administration

Stories 1 - 20 |  Next >>

317K People See Their Student Loans Erased

Former students of the for-profit Art Institutes see loans canceled, payments refunded

(Newser) - The Biden administration on Wednesday said it will cancel $6 billion in student loans for people who attended the Art Institutes, a system of for-profit colleges that closed the last of its campuses in 2023 amid accusations of fraud. Saying the chain lured students with "pervasive" lies, the Education...

Biden Administration Stalls FDA Ban on Menthol Cigarettes

White House officials have been meeting with opponents of the rule ahead of the election

(Newser) - For the second time in recent months, President Biden's administration has delayed a sweeping plan to ban menthol cigarettes, a decision that is certain to infuriate anti-smoking advocates but could avoid angering Black voters ahead of November elections. In a statement Friday, Biden's top health official gave no...

EPA Cracks Down Hard on Coal Power Plants

New rules, applauded by climate groups, tell plants to capture emissions or close

(Newser) - Coal-fired power plants would be forced to capture smokestack emissions or shut down under a rule issued Thursday by the Environmental Protection Agency, per the AP . New limits on greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel-fired power plants are the Biden administration's most ambitious effort yet to roll back planet-warming...

Biden Makes It Official: TikTok Must Be Sold or Banned

He signs $95B war aid measure that includes provision regarding China-owned site

(Newser) - President Biden signed into law on Wednesday a $95 billion war aid measure that includes assistance for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan and that also has a provision that would force social media site TikTok to be sold or be banned in the US . The announcement marks an end to a...

Airline Passengers Get Good News From the DOT

New guidelines require airlines to spell out all fees, quickly issue cash refunds for canceled flights

(Newser) - Airline passengers will soon see some relief when it comes to refunds and so-called junk fees. Per new rules set out by the Biden administration on Wednesday, airlines must now show the full price of travel when passengers are booking their trip, reports NPR . That means that airlines have to...

EPA Puts Companies on the Hook for PFAS Cleanup

Rule change could cost companies that release toxic substances billions

(Newser) - The Environmental Protection Agency has announced a change that will shift the burden for cleaning up two "forever chemicals" from government to the companies responsible for the pollution. The rule designates the manmade compounds as hazardous substances under the Superfund law, the New York Times reports. The Biden administration'...

Gaetz Alleges 'Massive Cover-Up' by US Over Niger

GOP lawmaker's report says US soldiers aren't getting meds, mail amid confusing situation abroad

(Newser) - US troops in Niger have told GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz that they're "functionally stranded" in the landlocked West African nation, and a new report by the congressman accuses the Biden administration—specifically the State Department—of engaging in a "massive cover-up," per the Intercept . The hubbub...

EPA Goes After Forever Chemicals in Your Water

Biden administration sets new, enforceable drinking water standards

(Newser) - In what some are calling a "huge breakthrough," the Biden administration on Wednesday laid out the first national standard to limit "forever chemicals" in drinking water. These long-lasting chemicals, found in the blood of nearly every American, help nonstick cookware, outdoor furniture, disposable packaging, and other products...

'Plan B' to Cancel Interest for Half of Those in Student Debt

Biden administration's revamped plan will test the 1965 Higher Education Act

(Newser) - More than 25 million people with student debt could see some of that debt forgiven under new plans laid out Monday by the Biden administration. Narrower than the effort struck down by the Supreme Court as unconstitutional , "Plan B" targets the 25 million borrowers who owe more money now...

Supreme Court Seems to Back Government Lobbying on Posts

Louisiana, Missouri call administration's efforts a First Amendment issue

(Newser) - While looking for when the lobbying would become coercion, the Supreme Court sounded unreceptive to arguments Monday that the government should not be able to try to persuade news or social media companies to not publish certain information. The case began with the Biden administration's efforts last year to...

Inflation Did Not Cooperate Last Month

Consumer prices ticked up as Biden administration hopes they ease

(Newser) - Consumer prices in the United States picked up last month, a sign that inflation remains a persistent challenge for the Federal Reserve and for President Biden's reelection campaign, both of which are counting on a steady easing of price pressures this year.
  • Slight increase: Prices rose 0.4% from
...

Huge Credit Card Late Fees May Be Going Away

New regulation capping late charges at $8 goes into effect in spring, but banks will likely push back

(Newser) - Back in October, the White House announced an ambitious initiative to get rid of rampant junk fees, including in the banking industry. On Tuesday, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau announced a big move toward that end, with a new regulation that will significantly reduce the late fees that customers have...

Putin: Russia Not Deploying Nuclear Weapons in Space

Russian president denies recent US claims

(Newser) - Russian President Vladimir Putin declared Tuesday that Moscow has no intention of deploying nuclear weapons in space, claiming that the country has only developed space capabilities similar to those of the US, the AP reports. "Our position is quite clear and transparent: we have always been and remain categorically...

Failure of Border Bill Adds Fuel to Biden Campaign
After Border Bill Fails,
Biden Looks to Make Move
the rundown

After Border Bill Fails, Biden Looks to Make Move

President is reportedly considering executive action amid GOP leadership struggles

(Newser) - After Senate Republicans blocked a bipartisan border bill Wednesday, it's looking more likely that the Biden administration will move forward with plans to take executive action to deter illegal migration at the southern border. Two sources tell NBC News that the White House is considering measures that would be...

Biden Targets Israelis Who Attack West Bank Palestinians

Executive order will look to crack down on settlers carrying out attacks

(Newser) - President Biden is expected to issue an executive order targeting Israeli settlers in the West Bank who've been attacking Palestinians in the occupied territory, according to four people familiar with the matter. The White House was expected to announce the order later Thursday, reports the AP . Biden has spoken...

Mad Scramble in US Museums on Native American Displays

New rules handed down by Biden administration prohibit such exhibits without consent from tribes

(Newser) - Museums across America have started closing exhibits highlighting Native American artifacts in an attempt to comply with new Biden administration rules that mandate venues get the OK from Indigenous tribes before displaying those samples. The requirements under the updated Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act , originally passed in 1990,...

John Kerry to End Tenure as Climate Envoy

Former secretary of state considers Biden's reelection key to climate battle

(Newser) - John Kerry has told President Biden he plans to resign as special envoy for climate—a job created for him— by spring. The former secretary of state and US senator told the president on Wednesday and his staff on Saturday, the New York Times reports. Kerry will instead work on...

Biden Slams SCOTUS Decision on Idaho Abortion Ban

High court says state can enforce ban, even in medical emergencies, until legal fight resolves

(Newser) - The Supreme Court on Friday allowed Idaho to enforce its strict abortion ban, even in medical emergencies, while a legal fight continues. The justices said they would hear arguments in April and put on hold a lower court ruling that had blocked the Idaho law in hospital emergencies, based on...

Tattoos Sank His Green Card, and SCOTUS May Step In

High court to review case of Salvadoran man who says he was wrongly pegged as gang member

(Newser) - For nearly a decade, a Salvadoran man has missed Christmas after Christmas in the United States with his wife—not because he doesn't want to spend it in California with her, but because he can't. Luis Asencio-Cordero has long been denied a visa from the American government, partly...

Biden Slams 'Failed Approach' to Pot, Clears Path for Pardons

President makes thousands more people eligible to receive pardons for marijuana-related crimes

(Newser) - President Biden is making thousands of people who were convicted of use and simple possession of marijuana on federal lands and in the District of Columbia eligible for pardons, the White House said Friday, in his latest round of executive clemencies meant to rectify racial disparities in the justice system....

Stories 1 - 20 |  Next >>
Most Read on Newser