The state of Utah, Kane and Garfield counties filed a lawsuit against the federal government accusing President Biden of abusing the Antiquities Act. The suit argues that the president’s designation of the monuments hampers the state’s abilities to enact conservation efforts in the southern Utah desert and has received great support from federal and state lawmakers. Conversely, Bears Ears has been a political football since the Obama administration when a tribal coalition pushed for the designation of the monument only to have the size reduced and restored by the following two administrations.

Survey: Americans support student loan forgiveness — for those with real need

And now for the news on everyone’s minds. Wednesday, President Joe Biden announced student loan forgiveness of $10,000 or $20,000 for Pell Grant recipients for anyone earning under $125,000 per year saying, “In keeping with my campaign promise, my Administration is announcing a plan to give working and middle class families breathing room as they prepare to resume federal student loan payments in January 2023.”

In an upcoming American Family Survey, it suggests that while many Americans are in favor of student loan forgiveness, nearly a third of respondents oppose any student loan forgiveness and around one-quarter believe the household income should be below $50,000 to qualify.

See what the early results of the survey are here.

What about you? Is this a welcome announcement, or do you have reservations about the policy? Reply to this email with your thoughts, and I might share it in a future newsletter.

More Headlines in Student Loan Forgiveness:

• Mitt Romney has a word for Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan: bribe (Deseret News)
• Opinion: Why I can’t be happy for students who get loans forgiven (Deseret News)
• Perspective: Biden’s student loan plan isn’t what Americans want (Deseret News)

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Health:

• Herd immunity? Best case may be ‘herd safety,’ new COVID-19 study suggests (Deseret News)

The Economy:

• How many days in a row have gas prices fallen? (Deseret News)
• U.S. home prices fall for first time in 3 years — but not in this Utah city (Deseret News)
• Is corporate greed driving inflation? (Utah Business)

Business:

• This woman has a solution for one of America’s most broken markets (Deseret News)

Education:

• Utah teacher who said she built classroom for ‘nonwhite students’ placed on paid leave (Deseret News)
• Can the University of Utah find answers to climate change? It just got $20 million to try (Deseret News)

The Environment:

• What’s causing the traffic on Salt Lake’s canyon roads? Wildfire mitigation (Deseret News)
• What’s in the Farmers’ Almanac forecast for this winter? (Deseret News)

The Courts:

• Utah judge weighing whether to dismiss lawsuit to overturn new congressional districts (KSL)

The West:

• What the Texas drought revealed that is more than 100 million years old (Deseret News)

The Nation:

• Unredacted Barr memo details DOJ rationale for not charging Trump (The Hill)
• Uvalde School Board Fires Police Chief (Wall Street Journal)

The World:

• How war in Ukraine has created a refugee and poverty crisis (Deseret News)
• Ukraine war: Russia railway station strike kills 22, injures dozens (BBC)

Sports:

• ‘Now the crowd is starting to chase him’: How Clark Phillips III’s work ethic, faith helped him become Utah’s minister of defense (Deseret News)