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A sharply divided Supreme Court on Friday effectively killed President Joe Biden’s $400 billion plan to cancel or reduce federal student loan debts for millions of Americans.
“This fight is not over,” Biden said of the decision that set off the political left.
The 6-3 decision, with conservative justices in the majority, said the Biden administration overstepped its authority with the plan, and it leaves borrowers on the hook for repayments that are expected to resume in the fall.
Biden was to announce a new set of actions to protect student loan borrowers later Friday, according to a White House official who was not authorized to speak publicly beforehand and discussed the matter on condition of anonymity. The president said in a statement the ruling was wrong and accused Republicans of “stunning” hypocrisy on the issue.
The court held that the administration needed Congress’ endorsement before undertaking so costly a program. The majority rejected arguments that a bipartisan 2003 law dealing with national emergencies, known as the HEROES Act, gave Biden the power he claimed.
“Six States sued, arguing that the HEROES Act does not authorize the loan cancellation plan. We agree,” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the court.
Justice Elena Kagan, wrote in a dissent, joined by the court’s two other liberals, that the majority of the court “overrides the combined judgment of the Legislative and Executive Branches, with the consequence of eliminating loan forgiveness for 43 million Americans.” Kagan read a summary of her dissent in court to emphasize her disagreement.
Roberts, perhaps anticipating negative public reaction and aware of declining approval of the court, added an unusual coda to his opinion, cautioning that the liberals’ dissent should not be mistaken for disparagement of the court itself. ”It is important that the public not be misled either. Any such misperception would be harmful to this institution and our country,” the chief justice wrote.
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Also from the AP: How the Supreme Court decision affects you.
It’s almost time to resume student loan payments. Not doing so could cost you
Apple is close to becoming the first public company valued at $3 trillion
Apple is near to becoming the first publicly traded company to close a trading day with a $3 trillion market value, marking another milestone for a technology juggernaut that has reshaped society with a line-up of products that churn out eye-popping profits.
As of 1 p.m. CDT Friday, Apple shares were up almost 2%, bringing its intraday market value to $3.04 trillion. Apple is one of a handful of technology companies, including Microsoft and chipmaker Nvidia, that have helped drive the S&P 500 to a gain of more than 15% in the first half of the year.
The 47-year-old company co-founded by Silicon Valley legend Steve Jobs had briefly eclipsed a $3 trillion market value on back-to-back days in January 2022, but couldn’t hold on by the time the market closed
Microsoft is the second-most valuable public company at $2.53 trillion. Oil giant Saudi Aramco has a market value of $2.08 trillion.
Although the significance of reaching a $3 trillion market value is largely symbolic, its magnitude is still breathtaking.
Consider, for instance, that $3 trillion could buy nearly 9 million homes in the U.S., based on the average sales price during the past year as calculated by Zillow.
An inflation gauge tracked by the Federal Reserve falls to its lowest point in 2 years
An inflation index that is closely monitored by the Federal Reserve tumbled last month to its lowest level since April 2021, pulled down by lower gas prices and slower-rising food costs.
At the same time, consumers barely increased their spending last month, boosting it just 0.1%, after a solid 0.6% gain in April.
The inflation index showed that prices rose 3.8% in May from 12 months earlier, down sharply from a 4.4% year-over-year surge in April. And from April to May, prices ticked up just 0.1%.
Still, last month’s progress in easing overall inflation was tempered by an elevated reading of “core” prices, a category that excludes volatile food and energy costs. The increase underscored the Fed’s belief that it will need to keep raising interest rates to conquer high inflation.
Read the full story here.
Also from the AP: Biden is eager to run on the economy — ‘Bidenomics’ — but voters have their doubts.