Đấu La Đại Lục

Tuesday 02.28.23

Most people around the world have long returned to their pre-pandemic lives: ditching face masks, dining in restaurants, and attending packed concerts, among other things. Meanwhile, one of the last major cities to edge back toward normalcy is Hong Kong, which only announced today it will end its controversial Covid-19 mask mandate -- nearly three years after it was enacted. Here's what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On With Your Day.
 

By Alexandra Meeks

President Biden's student loan forgiveness plan goes before the Supreme Court today.

Student loans

The Supreme Court will take up two challenges today concerning President Joe Biden's student loan forgiveness program, with a decision expected by late June or early July. The initiative, aimed at providing targeted debt relief to millions of student-loan borrowers, has so far been stalled by legal challenges. Republican-led states and conservatives opposing the program say it amounts to an unlawful attempt to erase an estimated $430 billion of federal student loan debt under the guise of the pandemic. The cases being heard today will also ultimately provide guidance on payments that have been paused since 2020 and interest in accrual on student loans. View this timeline to see how the federal education borrowing system began in the 1950s -- and how it ballooned into a trillion-dollar problem for Americans.

Ukraine

In a surprise visit to Kyiv on Monday, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to reaffirm US economic support and to announce the recent transfer of $1.25 billion in assistance. Addressing the Russian economy, which has not buckled under an array of sanctions from the US and other Western countries, Yellen said she expects it to grow weaker as the country loses foreign investment and runs through its reserves. "We will see an increasing toll on Russia's economic trajectory over time," she said. "And their ability to replenish the military equipment that's been destroyed in their attacks on Ukraine, that's been very greatly jeopardized." This comes as Ukraine's military says units of the Russian mercenary group Wagner are throwing their "most trained" units into the battle for the eastern city of Bakhmut, where the situation is "extremely difficult" due to non-stop assaults.

Storms

Nearly 50 million people across the Northeast are under winter weather alerts today as a storm that brought tornadoes and damaging winds to the Central US sweeps into the region. Boston and New York City are on track for their biggest snow events of an unusually warm winter, with 4 to 6 inches of snow and ice expected in New York City. Boston is expecting up to 4 inches of snow through tonight, which would be its biggest snowfall of the season as well. As some Northeast residents get their first taste of snow this season, a new storm system is hitting the West Coast with more snow, high winds, blizzard conditions and unusually cold temperatures -- right after another storm dumped a hefty amount of snow there last week.

Disney

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill Monday that gives him new power over Disney, effectively punishing the entertainment giant for speaking out against the Republican's political agenda. The new law amounts to a state takeover of the Reedy Creek Improvement District, the government body that has given Disney unique powers in Central Florida for more than half a century. It allows the governor to replace the district's existing board with a five-member body that he hand-picks. The move against Disney comes nearly a year after the company spoke out against a Florida bill -- which DeSantis later signed into law -- to restrict certain classroom instruction about sexual orientation and LGBTQ gender identity. 

Mexico

In the wake of a mass protest in Mexico City over the weekend, Mexico's President Andrés Manuel López Obrador dismissed concerns about his plan to shrink the country's electoral watchdog and accused protesters of having links to drug traffickers. Many protesters held signs that read: "Hands off the INE," referencing the National Electoral Institute, which oversees elections and has been accused of partisanship by López Obrador. Mexican lawmakers last week approved a bill backed by the president to cut the budget of the agency, which could lead to an 85% reduction in its staff as well as the closure of several local offices. Electoral officials warn the change will affect their ability to run free and fair elections ahead of the 2024 general election, when López Obrador, who is limited to a six-year term, is expected to anoint a successor.

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30

That's how many days until TikTok must be removed from all government-issued devices, the White House said Monday. US officials have raised concerns that the Chinese government could pressure ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, to hand over information collected from users that could be used for intelligence purposes. 

I would have liked us to be stronger in denouncing it, in hindsight.

-- Rupert Murdoch, the chairman of Fox Corporation, admitting in a deposition that some Fox News hosts endorsed false claims that the 2020 election was stolen. The filing also revealed that Murdoch privately blasted some of former President Donald Trump's election lies as "bulls**t and damaging." Murdoch's remarks were made public in a legal filing Monday as part of a $1.6 billion lawsuit filed on behalf of Dominion Voting Systems against Fox News. 

A whale health spa

Like humans, whales also enjoy pampering themselves from time to time. Watch how they use rocks like pumice stones to recondition their skin. (Click here to view)