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Student loan payment freeze extended again

Laura L. Davis, USA TODAY
·5 min read
12

The pause on student loan payments has been extended – again. An Army vet's heroic actions during the deadly Club Q shooting prevented more bloodshed. And how hard inflation is hitting the Thanksgiving table this year.

👋 Hello! Laura Davis here. It's Tuesday. Time for Tuesday's news!

But first: Police arrests of older adults are on the rise. Those with dementia face deadly consequences.

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With forgiveness in jeopardy, Biden extends student loan payment pause

He's hitting the pause button again. President Joe Biden said Tuesday he will extend the moratorium on student loan payments until as late as June 30, 2023, as his plan for wider loan forgiveness remains tied up in the courts. The pause had been scheduled to end on Dec. 31, but it was supposed to be accompanied by mass debt relief. In a video on Twitter, Biden defended his plan for far-reaching student debt forgiveness and said the extension of the moratorium was a way to address the ongoing legal challenges. "I'm confident that our student debt relief plan is legal. But it’s on hold because Republican officials want to block it," he said. The exact end of the pause is uncertain. What it means for borrowers.

In a video Tuesday, President Joe Biden said, "It isn't fair to ask tens of millions of borrowers eligible for relief to resume their student debt payments while the courts consider the lawsuit."
In a video Tuesday, President Joe Biden said, "It isn't fair to ask tens of millions of borrowers eligible for relief to resume their student debt payments while the courts consider the lawsuit."

As the shooting started, bodies fell, and an Army vet rose

When he saw the muzzle flashes and smelled the gunpowder, Richard Fierro's training kicked in. After four combat deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, he knew what to do. "I just know I got into mode and I needed to save my family," Fierro said, a day after a deadly nightclub shooting stunned a nation already strained by tensions and threats toward the LGBTQ community. "And at that time, my family was everybody in that room." Police say one gunman with a rifle started shooting inside Club Q, shortly before midnight Saturday. Fierro's daughter's boyfriend was one of the five people killed. Seventeen were wounded. The rampage lasted only minutes. Authorities credit Fierro, 45, with stopping the slaughter before it got any worse. Read his story and those of others.

👉 Club Q shooting updates: Video shows suspected gunman threatening to blow home "to holy hell." Follow our coverage.

Rich Fierro, who authorities credit with helping end the shooting at Club Q in Colorado Springs, Colo., on Saturday explains to reporters on Monday how he encountered and disarmed the gunman who was attacking the well-known LGBTQ bar.
Rich Fierro, who authorities credit with helping end the shooting at Club Q in Colorado Springs, Colo., on Saturday explains to reporters on Monday how he encountered and disarmed the gunman who was attacking the well-known LGBTQ bar.

What everyone's talking about

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Supreme Court paves the way for release of Trump's tax returns

In the latest setback Donald Trump has endured from a court he helped to shape, the Supreme Court on Tuesday declined a request from the former president to block the release of his tax returns to a House committee seeking them. Trump asked the high court on Oct. 31 to intervene in his long-running legal battle with the House Ways and Means Committee over access to six years of his tax returns. Time is running short for Democratic efforts to obtain the records: When Republicans take control of the House early next year, they are almost certain to drop the request.

Former President Donald J. Trump speaks at his media event in the ballroom at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla., on Nov. 15.
Former President Donald J. Trump speaks at his media event in the ballroom at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla., on Nov. 15.

An unwelcome guest at Thanksgiving: Inflation

Your Thanksgiving meal will cost more this year because of inflation and supply chain disruptions. The average cost of this year’s classic feast for 10 is $64.05, according to an American Farm Bureau Federation survey. It's the priciest meal in the survey's 37 years and up 20% from $53.31 in 2021. But don't let inflation ruin the holiday: Check out these strategies that can help you feast on a budget.

🧈 Read more: See which foods are more expensive than ever this year.

Inflation is gobbling up those Thanksgiving budgets this year, but there are plenty of ways to save on a beautiful holiday feast.
Inflation is gobbling up those Thanksgiving budgets this year, but there are plenty of ways to save on a beautiful holiday feast.

Real quick

🌤 What's the weather doing in your neck of the woods? Check your local forecast.

✨ Wish: Granted

Let's round this out with some good news: Carter Gomes has known for most of his seven years what he wants to be when he grows up. The second- grader, who has battled leukemia since he was 3, volunteers each Tuesday evening to roll his neighbors’ garbage cans out to the curb in Turlock, California. His father, Walt Gomes, said that during COVID-19 lockdowns, Carter would wake his parents up early in the morning to watch the garbage trucks go by. He didn’t have to wait until he was older to live his dream, thanks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation and his community. With 500 of his peers chanting his name, Carter climbed into the garbage truck for a very special ride to celebrate a major milestone in his cancer journey. After making several stops, they ended up at the Stanford Emanuel Radiation Oncology Center in Turlock, where he got to empty the facility’s garbage. And a smile on his face, the newest garbage man in California eagerly rang the no-more-chemo bell as a crowd cheered him on. Read Carter's story here.

Carter Gomes, 7, gives a thumbs up from a Turlock Scavenger garbage truck on Nov. 7 as the Make-A-Wish Foundation granted him his wish of becoming a member of the garbage company's collection team for a day in Turlock, Calif.
Carter Gomes, 7, gives a thumbs up from a Turlock Scavenger garbage truck on Nov. 7 as the Make-A-Wish Foundation granted him his wish of becoming a member of the garbage company's collection team for a day in Turlock, Calif.

A break from the news

Laura L. Davis is an Audience Editor at USA TODAY. Send her an email at laura@usatoday.com or follow along with her adventures – and misadventures – on Twitter. Support quality journalism like this? Subscribe to USA TODAY here.

This is a compilation of stories from across the USA TODAY Network. Want this news roundup in your inbox every night? Subscribe to the newsletter here or text messages here.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Student loan payment pause extended, Colorado Springs, Club Q shooting, Trump's tax returns, Thanksgiving inflation. Tuesday's news.