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- Proud Boys leader Ethan Nordean has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Proud Boy Dominic Pezzola was also sentenced Friday to 10 years in prison, while former Proud Boys leaders Joseph Biggs and Zachary Rehl were sentenced Thursday to 17 and 15 years, respectively.
- Mohamed Al Fayed, the wealthy businessman who questioned the events surrounding the 1997 car crash that killed Princess Diana and his son Dodi, has died at age 94.
- A judge appointed by former President Barack Obama has dismissed a case seeking to block former President Donald Trump from appearing on Florida's 2024 primary ballot due to his alleged role in the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021.
- The family of Ta'Kiya Young, the pregnant Black woman who was fatally shot outside an Ohio supermarket by police who suspected her of shoplifting, is calling for the arrest of the officer who fired the gun.
- Ruby Franke, the woman who offered parenting advice on her "8 Passengers" YouTube channel, was arrested in Utah this week amid child abuse suspicions, local authorities said.
- French President Emmanuel Macron said there will be "intractable" enforcement of a new and controversial school ban on robes often worn by Muslims when students return to classrooms next week.
- Narcan is becoming available over-the-counter in the U.S. this month. Some major pharmacies expect to have the opioid overdose treatment on shelves next week, though experts are concerned its suggested $44.99 retail price may be too costly.
- Prosecutors in Germany have charged a 98-year-old former Nazi concentration camp guard with being complicit in the murders of more than 3,300 people.
- In the ongoing war in Ukraine, Ukrainian troops have made "notable progress" against Russia in the Zaporizhzhia region over the last few days, according to White House officials. Meanwhile, a suspected Ukrainian drone has damaged a building in the western Russian town of Kurchatov, which is home to the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant. The plant said it's "operating normally" and that radiation in the area is at a "natural level."
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TL/DR: Student loans will resume accruing interest after Biden’s debt relief plans were shot down, with experts worrying that repayments restarting may impact consumer spending in an already shaky economy.
Federal student loans will resume accruing interest today and payments will restart in October when a three-year pause prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic ends. But the millions of borrowers who hoped to see their balances decreased or wiped away before the Supreme Court struck down President Joe Biden's debt forgiveness plan can seek relief in another way.
The big question: What happens if borrowers don't pay? The end of the repayment pause could have a major impact on the U.S. economy. The total amount of student debt is around $1.8 trillion, and the payment moratorium has freed up expendable income for millions of Americans, keeping the economy afloat through the pandemic. Now, with a cost of living crisis in full swing, restarting repayments will likely cause consumers to tighten their belts and could even trigger a recession. Biden's next move is to reportedly seek to secure debt forgiveness through the Higher Education Act, which allows the Secretary of Education to "compromise, wave or release" claims against student borrowers, a power usually reserved for unique or unprecedented circumstances.
What happens now? Payment collection on federal student loans will begin in October, though a firm date has not been set, and borrowers will receive a bill with the amount due and the deadline at least 21 days in advance. Borrowers will automatically be enrolled on a 10-year repayment plan, but can opt-in to monthly payment plans tied to their income. Borrowers who fell into default before repayments were paused can apply for the Biden administration’s “Fresh Start” program, which automatically transfers their loans to a loan servicer, removing the default from their credit report by switching the loan to an “in repayment” status.
TL/DR: "CDC continues to recommend that all people are up to date on their COVID-19 vaccines and take steps for themselves and others," a CDC spokesperson said. "Anyone may choose to wear a mask at any time."
A 'we will not comply' movement is spreading on social media, spurred by Donald Trump's renewed focus on mask mandates and COVID-affiliated lockdowns that he initiated at the pandemic's inception. Trump vowed to reject any "fearmongering" and to strip federal funds from schools and airlines that reintroduce mandates if he is re-elected.
Many of his supporters—and some lawmakers, including Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves—are following suit to encourage individuals to ignore mandates. The movement has grown at a potentially pivotal time for the U.S. New coronavirus variants now emerging with case spikes in certain parts of the country include EG.5 and BA.2.86, with some colleges and hospitals introducing temporary mask mandates. Around 15,000 hospitalizations were reported for COVID-19 cases over the seven days ending August 19, a 19% jump from the week prior and the continuation of a six-week climb from a low of 6,300 seen in late June. Hawaii and Florida have seen the highest hospitalization rates this week.
What happens now? Major companies like Pfizer and Moderna, who were highly involved in the swift rollout of vaccines at the height of the pandemic, are scheduled to release a new vaccine in mid-September to combat the omicron subvariant XBB.1.5. A CDC spokesperson told Newsweek that its advice around COVID-19 is tied to hospital admission levels, which are currently low for more than 97% of the country. However, things could get worse before they get better. Count Kelly Oakeson, chief scientist for next-generation sequencing and bioinformatics for the Utah Department of Health and Human Services, told The Deseret News that the number of mutations and the speed of the spread of the latest variants are “comparable to what we saw in omicron,” a highly contagious variant that first emerged in late 2021.
TL/DR: The odds of the Fed keeping interest rates as high as they are now could negatively impact Biden's chances of reelection, Greg Ip, chief economics commentator at The Wall Street Journal said.
Jerome Powell, Donald Trump-appointed Federal Reserve Chair, might hold the key to the future of the U.S. economy—and with it, the future of President Joe Biden's 2024 reelection campaign. Powell recently signaled that the Fed may raise interest rates once again to fight inflation — which is ~3%, down from a peak of ~9% but above the Fed's 2% target. The Biden Administration is taking credit for the strong economy, with the president touting that 'Bidenomics' is working. But the Fed appears to disagree.
Macroeconomist Dean Baker told Newsweek that neither the rate hikes nor Biden's Inflation Reduction Act had much impact on inflation. It dropped mostly because of the "reversal of the supply chain problems." Inflation can severely impact the average American's wallet. "Raising rates puts the burden of fighting inflation mostly on middle-class and low-wage workers and does nothing to address corporate price gouging," Newsweek columnist Robert Reich said about the Federal Reserve's intention to hike rates again.
What happens now? The Fed is likely to continue with its rate hike campaign, Ip said. A recession could negatively impact Biden's chances of reelection as what will influence voters most is what happens with inflation, Ip said. “If the president gets lucky, we'll have inflation continuing to move down lower next year without a recession." This "soft landing" is "more in the hands of the Federal Reserve than it is in the hands of the president," Ip added. But former Biden Treasury official Kitty Richards told Newsweek that she's optimistic about the impact of Biden's initiatives. "Corporate profits data shows that there's plenty of room for prices to fall and wages to rise further, but only if corporations are forced to invest in production and pay their workers fairly." Republicans are unhappy about rate increases, and Trump has said he would not reappoint Powell if he wins in 2024.
TL/DR: Court rulings in Arizona and Illinois have backed the governors’ rights to fill Senate vacancies, raising questions about whether a judge could allow Kentucky’s Democratic governor to have autonomy over his choice for a possible Mitch McConnell replacement.
Speculation has been mounting about Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's ability to serve out the final years of his term as Kentucky's senior senator after he appeared to freeze for a second time recently, sparking calls for him to resign. The biggest question, however, might be who will step up to fill the seat in a state where Democrats are increasingly competitive in statewide elections.
There is talk that Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat, could break the rule and appoint a Democrat anyway. Doing so could prompt lawsuits, which legal expert Joshua Douglas told Newsweek would be tough for Democrats to win. Even so, Douglas pointed to recent rulings backing governors' rights to fill vacancies, which leave questions about the future of McConnell's seat. A similar debate surrounds Democrat Dianne Feinstein, the Senate's oldest member at 90. Senate Republicans remain loyal to McConnell, and he's been medically cleared to work. But other conservatives say he's "deteriorating in public" and should resign to make way for new party leadership.
What happens now? McConnell’s term is set to end after the 2026 elections. He has not yet indicated whether he will seek re-election. Meanwhile, his leadership position in the Senate is set to last through the 2024 elections. McConnell intends to hold that role until the term expires, his team has said. If McConnell were to leave office early, Senate Republicans would elect a new minority leader to succeed him.
TL/DR: Several pharmaceutical companies and trade groups are pushing back against Medicare’s drug negotiation program. Experts now tell Reuters that the challenges could get a friendly ruling from the Supreme Court’s conservative justices.
Drugmakers are challenging the Medicare drug price negotiation program as part of the Inflation Reduction Act in a conflict that could potentially be pushed to the conservative-leaning Supreme Court. And experts tell Reuters that they could get a sympathetic hearing. "The court has shown a considerable hostility to federal agency action, particularly when they are trying to do big things," said Lawrence Gostin, a professor at Georgetown Law, pointing to a 2022 ruling that limits the federal authority to curb carbon emissions.
The government recently selected 10 medications — from blood thinners to blood cancer drugs — that will be subject to negotiations with Medicare. At least eight lawsuits have been filed this year to derail the program. Companies make similar claims that it violates their Constitutional rights, including the Fifth Amendment, by taking their property for public use without just compensation. Americans pay far more for prescription medicines than those in developed nations. Although hailed by the Democrats, Republicans say it imposes federal control on prices.
What happens now? Companies have until October 1 to decide whether or not they will participate in the negotiations to lower prices on 10 drugs that will go into effect in 2026. Those who decline will be required to pay hefty fines or withdraw products from the Medicare and Medicaid programs. The program is projected to save the government $98.5 billion over a decade and also reduce insurance premiums and out-of-pocket costs for older Americans. The lawsuits are scattered across the U.S., a tactic many believe gives the industry a better chance of taking conflicting rulings to the Supreme Court. Reuters noted the court has upheld a strong view of property rights over Fifth Amendment rights. Pharma companies worry that the program will lead to fewer drugs and harm many older Americans. Companies claim that the program violates their First Amendment rights by asking them to sign off on the negotiated prices as "fair," an argument professor James Blumstein told Reuters was one of the strongest claims.
TL/DR: “I have never been asked. I have never been credited. I have never been compensated one penny, and that’s for the use of almost the entirety of my work,” artist Karla Ortiz said in a Senate hearing.
Three San Francisco visual artists are awaiting a judge's decision after suing AI companies who repurpose their work in their software engines — and jeopardize their careers. The suit claims prominent AI image-generators violate millions of artists' rights by producing derivative works based on human pieces in their databases that compete with originals.
AI image generators are trained to learn pre-existing data and spit out a new image based on a user-written prompt in any style imaginable. The head of public policy for image generator Stability AI acknowledged that artists are not paid for using billions of their images at a Senate Judiciary Committee in July. Getty Images has sued Stability AI for "brazen infringement," copying over 12 million images from its database without permission. While many artists embrace the rise in visual AI technology, the consensus is worrisome. An Arts Workers Japan Association survey found 94% of artists were concerned about copyright infringement or job loss from AI.
What happens now? Head of public policy for Stability AI, Ben Brooks, said that AI will not destroy creativity suggesting the tools create “new demand for services, new markets for content, and new creators.” However, he has also said there is “no arrangement in place” to compensate the artists whose work has been used for AI-generation. Artists and plaintiffs in the San Francisco suit — Sarah Andersen, Kelly McKernan, and Karla Ortiz — hope to stop companies from exploiting vulnerable artists. However, a judge could rule against them, previously finding flaws in their complaints and expressing doubt as to whether these companies truly infringe on copyright by creating something new from billions of images.
Sudden Shifts From Drought to Floods Are Getting More Common in the U.S.
Sudden shifts from drought conditions to heavy floods are becoming more common in the U.S. as the climate changes, a study has found.
The findings were presented in a study published in Communications Earth & Environment. Researchers from the University of Texas, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University Research Institute for Land and Space, and Columbia University's Department of Earth and Environmental Engineering, also found that so-called feedback loops—a process that can either increase or decrease the effects of greenhouse gases—are likely contributing.
"We are especially concerned with the sudden shift from drought to flood," co-author Zong-Liang Yang, a professor at The University of Texas at Austin Jackson School of Geosciences, said in a statement on the findings. "Society usually has difficulty responding to one kind of natural disaster like drought, but now you suddenly have floods too. And this has been happening in many places."
The Full STORY- "In Georgia, we will not be engaging in political theater that only inflames the emotions of the moment. We will do what is right. We will uphold our oaths as public servants. And it's my belief that our state will be better off for it," Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said after rejecting requests for a special legislative session to consider removing Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.
- "Why is it that a distribution company, a smaller distribution company like Neon and STX International, can meet the dream demands of what SAG is asking for—and this is pre-negotiation, the dream version of SAG's wish list—but a big company like Netflix and Amazon can't? And every time people from SAG go and support a movie that has agreed to these terms, the interim agreement, it just makes it more obvious that these people are willing to support the people that they collaborate with, and the others are not," actor Adam Driver said of the ongoing actors strike at the Venice Film Festival.
- "The Japanese side has failed to give a sincere reply and address our concerns. Instead, it has made groundless accusations against its neighbors over their legitimate concerns and eventually forcibly started the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water into the sea. This is not the right attitude or approach to solve the problem," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said.
- Former Proud Boys chapter leader Ethan Nordean is expected to be sentenced following his conviction on seditious conspiracy charges. Prosecutors have asked for Nordean to be sentenced to 27 years in prison.
- Nonfarm payrolls, S&P and ISM manufacturing PMIs, and construction spending are due from 8:30 a.m. Nonfarm payrolls are expected to rise 170,000 in August, a decline from the 187,000 increase recorded in July, in a further sign that the labor market is slowing down.
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