January 20, 2024 - Daily Digest

Today is January 20, 2024 and here are all the stories you may have missed from today. If you enjoy this content and want to support my work consider becoming a monthly subscriber at the link below:

1) President Biden Forgives Another 4.9 Billion Dollars In Student Loan Debt

The Biden Administration announced that it will be forgiving an additional $4.9 billion in student loan debt, impacting over 73,000 borrowers across the country. This relief is coming as a result of then Department of Education's fixes to the income drive loan repayment program and the public service loan forgiveness program. According to reports, $1.7 billion in forgiveness will go to approximately 29,700 individuals enrolled in the income based repayment program while approximately 43,900 borrowers, who have worked in a public service profession for a decade or more, will receive the remaining $3.2 billion in forgiveness.

Since taking office, the Biden Administration has cancelled over $136 billion in student debt, more than any prior Administration in American history. This is yet another example of the President fulfilling his campaign promises. It is important to note that the Administration initially proposed a $10,000 reduction in student loans for every borrower, but due to the United States Supreme Court, that program was blocked. The Administration is now pursuing alternative avenues to provide necessary relief to student loan borrowers. As of this morning, it is unclear when this new relief will hit the accounts of borrowers, but given prior rollouts, forgiveness should come soon.

2) President Biden And VP Harris To Put Reproductive Rights At The Forefront Of Their First Joint 2024 Event

With the 51 year anniversary of Roe v. Wade approaching, President Biden and Vice President Harris are expected to appear at their first joint event for the 2024 election season in northern Virginia on Tuesday, January 23rd. This event will coincide with the New Hampshire primaries being held later that evening. According to reports, the President and Vice President are expected to put reproductive rights and the fight to codify abortion rights at the forefront of the event. The 51st anniversary of Roe v. Wade will be commemorated one day prior on the 22nd. The President and Vice President will be joined by the First Lady and Second Gentleman. 

This latest event comes just days after Vice President Harris appeared on The View where she emphasized the importance of fighting for reproductive rights in 2024. 

It is clear that the issue of abortion rights will be central, if not the top issue, for the campaign as it runs against Republicans who are in favor of complete nationwide abortion bans. Even Republican commentators acknowledge that this is a winning issue for Democrats during this election cycle as Republicans have lost on the abortion issue time and time again. 

The Vice President is also expected to hold her own rally on abortion rights in the battleground state of Wisconsin following this joint event. Stay tuned for more updates from the campaign. 

3) Maine Secretary Of State Appeals Ruling Keeping Trump On The Ballot

Maine's Secretary of State, Shenna Bellows, has announced that she will be appealing a recent Maine court decision that keeps Donald Trump on the state's presidential primary ballot pending the United States Supreme Court's decision on the issue. Previously, Bellows, in her role as Secretary of State, issued a ruling finding that Trump violated the 14th Amendment's insurrection clause, thereby removing him from the state's primary ballot. Her ruling came after the Colorado Supreme Court issued similar findings, removing Trump off of Colorado's ballot. The Maine decision, like the Colorado decision, was appealed, and this month, a Maine court declined to uphold Bellows' ruling, instead delaying resolution of the issue until after the United States Supreme Court decides whether Trump should remain on the ballot. 

The United States Supreme Court agreed to take the Colorado appeal earlier this month and is expected to hear oral argument in February. A decision on the issue is expected to come during this term sometime before the end of June. However, Bellows is appealing the Maine court's decision in an effort to remove Trump from the primary ballot while the issue is pending in front of the Supreme Court. 

4) Ruby Freeman & Shaye Moss Accuse Rudy Giuliani Of Using Bankruptcy To Avoid Paying Their Judgment

Georgia poll workers Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss have accused Rudy Giuliani of using the bankruptcy system in bad faith to avoid the $148 million judgment imposed by a Washington, D.C. federal jury. Previously, the jury found that Giuliani owed Freeman and Moss over $148 million for making defamatory statements related to their work during the 2020 elections in Georgia. In the latest filing, which was filed in the venue where Giuliani filed for bankruptcy (the Southern District of New York), accuses Giuliani of intentionally filing for bankruptcy to avoid paying that judgment. 

As part of their filing, the poll workers allege that if Giuliani's sole intent was to appeal the judgment, then he could have done that without filing for bankruptcy and that none of the other outstanding creditors he currently owes triggered the latest filing. However, had Giuliani simply appealed, he would likely have to put up a bond in the amount of the judgment, which he currently does not have. They allege that Giuliani's tactic was a shield against creditors and that his action, “is a flawed, impermissible litigation tactic from an actor with a history of engaging the judicial system in bad faith.”