The Western Journal

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Biden Administration Announces Cancellation of $3.9 Billion in Student Loan Debt

President Joe Biden is set to cancel $3.9 billion in student loans, announcing that the federal government will discharge all remaining federal student loans for students who attended the ITT Technical Institute.

The student loan borrowers who attended the now-defunct institute will receive a discharge through “borrower defense to repayment” according to Forbes and do not need to apply to have their loans canceled.

“It is time for student borrowers to stop shouldering the burden from ITT’s years of lies and false promises. The evidence shows that for years, ITT’s leaders intentionally misled students about the quality of their programs in order to profit off federal student loan programs, with no regard for the hardship this would cause,” Secretary of Education Dr. Miguel Cardona said.

“The Biden-Harris Administration will continue to stand up for borrowers who’ve been cheated by their colleges while working to strengthen oversight and enforcement to protect today’s students from similar deception and abuse.”

The ITT Technical Institute was a well-known private technical institute based in Indiana with approximately 140 satellite campuses all over the United States. The institute operated until announcing on Sept. 6, 2016, that it would “discontinue academic operations at all of its ITT Technical Institutes permanently”.

Since taking the White House in 2021 Biden has canceled almost $32 billion in student loans, essentially subsidizing the educational expenses of a combined 1.8 million borrowers spread across “borrower defense to student loan repayment and school closures,” “public service loan forgiveness” and “total or permanent disability”.

Democrats continue to call for Biden to “#CancelStudentDebt“, a move that conservatives believe would obfuscate the transfer of debt from the individual borrowers to the American taxpayer.

Democratic Rep. Pramila Jaypal of Washington urged Biden to cancel all student debt.

Representative Cori Bush of Missouri also joined the refrain.

Conversely, Republicans have heavily criticized student loan forgiveness.

“Expansive student loan forgiveness does nothing to solve the problems in higher education and exacerbates the economic disaster fueled by the President’s lack of fiscal responsibility,” Rep. Virginia Foxx of North Carolina said according to Forbes.

“Time and again, President Biden operates as if he can issue any decree he wants on student loan forgiveness, even if it means exercising authority that he does not have.”

In an Op-Ed for Fox News, Foxx and Sen. Richard Burr, also of North Carolina, wrote, “By caving to progressives, President Biden is breaking his promise to over 100 million taxpayers without student debt who are subsidizing this boondoggle.”

They pointed the finger squarely at their Democrat colleagues in Congress, “Yet, when in the position to actually legislate, House and Senate Democrats are (un)surprisingly quiet on student loan debt. Rather than do their jobs, top Democrats are asking the president to do their dirty work for them, calling for an additional extension through the end of the year and debt forgiveness by executive fiat.”

Do you believe that student loan forgiveness is unfair?

The GOP legislators also voiced concerns that the proposed student loan cancelation would “easily push inflation above 9 percent” back in April when the piece was written.

Inflation hit 9.1 percent in June before pulling back slightly to 8.5 percent in July, according to Trading Economics.

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Horrific Surprise After 'Storage Wars'-Style Auction: Family Uncovers Gruesome Secret Within

A New Zealand family that bought the contents of a storage unit in a practice seen on the reality show “Storage Wars,” in which bidders duel for hoped-for prizes left in abandoned storage lockers, got something they did not expect: human remains.

The incident took place in Auckland, according to the New Zealand Herald.

The Herald reported that the family purchased the locker’s contents in an online auction. The grisly discovery was made after the family unloaded the goods in their front yard on Thursday.

The remains were found in a number of suitcases. A relative of the family said they do not know how many bodies the luggage contained.

The Herald quoted a neighbor of the family as saying that he could smell the suitcases’ contents.

“I thought it was a dead cat or something,” the neighbor said. “They brought it back on a trailer. How did they not pick up the smell?”

The Daily Mail reported that three hearses were used to carry away the remains.

A homicide investigation is underway.

Detective inspector Tofilau Faamanuia Vaaelua said the family that made the discovery is “not believed to be involved in the incident.”

The family has left town for the time being to avoid media attention.

Police said their first priority is to identify the dead.

Former police crisis negotiator Lance Burdett said he expects the crime can be solved, according to a separate report from the Herald.

“It’s a small country. We have very few unsolved homicides. We have a handful of them. You can count them. So I’m quite hopeful,” he said, cautioning that depending upon when the crime was committed, whoever did it could have left the country.

“But again, you leave a trail. … Somebody will brag,” Burdett said.

He said that for the police, “It’s all about finding who is responsible. When you have something like this, the No. 1 goal is to find who’s responsible and it just motivates you. It’s used as a motivation rather than a negative: ‘We must find who is responsible.'”

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Watch: Trump Has Epic Message for Liz Cheney Before Primary Polls Even Open: 'You're Fired'

Few things are more twisted than the self-described “principled conservative.”

Oftentimes, the “principled conservatives” anoint themselves with such distinctions for the purpose of self-adulation.

Take Liz Cheney, for example.

The Wyoming congresswoman has been seemingly heralded — by Democrats and establishment types alike — as the preeminent “principled conservative.”

What does that mean for Wyoming voters? It means their leader would rather talk about “orange man bad” than stop the godless Communists from taking over the country.

It’s no surprise that, because of this, Cheney is expected to lose her Tuesday primary, according to NPR. Furthermore, in an article updated on Tuesday, the Casper Star-Tribune reported Cheney trailing behind her opponent by 29 points.

Her most hated enemy, “orange man bad” himself, was very happy to point this out during a rally on Monday for Cheney’s opponent Harriet Hageman.

“This is your chance to send a message to the RINOs (Republican in Name Only) and the fake news media, the radical left lunatics, that we have unfortunately too many in our country, and you’re going to elect Harriet, and you’re going to tell warmonger Liz Cheney — so bad, so negative — Liz, you’re fired,” Trump said, according to the Independent.

This isn’t the first time Trump has said as much about Cheney, he also did so back in May according to the U.K. Daily Mail.

And, as Trump spouted off his old “Celebrity Apprentice” catchphrase, the crowd erupted with applause.

“The people of Wyoming are going to tell her ‘Liz, you’re fired, get out of here,'” Trump said.

There’s no doubt that Trump, the Republican Party and conservatives in general often fall short of perfection.

But such failings don’t justify Cheney’s twisted priorities.

A truly “principled” conservative would prioritize defending the rights of families, businesses and churches; the innocence of children and the individual freedoms of every American.

Instead, Cheney has opted to show how much more “principled” she is than her peers while they fight in the trenches, desperately trying to preserve some semblance of the American dream for future generations.

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Two Iconic American Muscle Cars Killed Off So Company Can Transition to Electric Vehicles

Dodge is planning to discontinue two of America’s most famous muscle cars due in part to emissions regulations put in place by the Biden administration.

The American car manufacturer announced its plans to halt production of the Challenger and Charger muscle cars at the end of 2023, CNBC reported.

The cars first gained popularity with their release in the 1960s and ’70s.

They were brought back in the mid-to-late 2000s, which caused a resurgence of interest and admiration among car lovers, according to CNBC.

“Dodge, with the Challenger and Charger, they really found a way to really get to that muscle car root,” S&P Global principal analyst Stephanie Brinley said. “These cars definitely expressed it … and were able to hold onto that essence.”

The iconic design of the Dodge Challenger serves in the minds of many Americans as the poster child for auto manufacturing in the United States. But thanks to the left, its days are now numbered.

In a Jan. 2021 interview with CNBC, Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis predicted the day was nearing in which the company would no longer be able to manufacture the iconic muscle cars.

“The days of an iron block supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 are numbered,” Kuniskis said. “They’re absolutely numbered because of all the compliance costs.”

Kuniskis was referring to emissions regulations put on car manufacturers by the federal government. Under President Joe Biden, those regulations have become even more strict.

According to Reuters, former President Donald Trump rolled back previous rules to require just 1.5 percent annual increases in efficiency. Before him, former President Barack Obama had required five percent annual increases.

Trump’s policies were set to ease the burden on American manufacturers, but as soon as Biden got into office, he ramped the pressure right back up.

Under Biden’s direction, the Environmental Protection Agency finalized rules that would require the full fleet of vehicles in America to average about 40 miles per gallon by 2026. This was a massive increase from Trump-era requirements, which would have stipulated an average of about 32 mpg, Reuters reported.

Biden has called for 50 percent of new vehicles sold to be electric or plug-in hybrids by 2030. The new EPA rules, which will go into effect in 2023, will require vehicle emissions to be reduced by 28.3 percent through 2026.

All of these regulations have made it nearly impossible for Dodge to continue justifying the manufacture of the Challenger and Charger.

Stellantis, the parent company of Dodge, is the worst major manufacturer in the U.S. for fuel economy and carbon emissions, CNBC reported. This also means it will have to make the most drastic changes in order to comply with Biden’s new rules.

Dodge tried to hold out for as long as possible, even unveiling new Hellcat models as other manufacturers focused on fuel efficiency. Now, Biden’s big government regulations are set to put a nail in the coffin of these iconic American vehicles.

Kuniskis attempted to suggest that discontinuation was a good thing because it would lead to new possibilities for electric muscle cars. But something about a “muscle car” that runs on electricity and makes little to no noise just isn’t that appealing.

In the name of fighting climate change and promoting green energy, Biden contributed to the death of American muscle cars as we know them. While the left may see this as a win, many Americans will be devastated to see such an iconic American vehicle disappear.

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Musk Finally Getting What He Wants - Judge Orders Release of Key Info That May Change Everything

Elon Musk has eked out a legal victory in his battle with Twitter, as a judge has ordered information about fake accounts to be handed over to Musk.

Delaware Chancery Court Judge Kathaleen McCormick handed Musk a defeat as well in ruling that 21 other people from whom Musk wanted data do not have to provide him with information, according to TechSpot.

Information from Twitter’s former head of consumer product, Kayvon Beykpour, must be released.

According to Reuters, Musk’s team of lawyers had identified Beykpour as “a key figure in calculating the amount of fake accounts on the platform.”

Beykpour was fired by current Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal in May.

“We look forward to reviewing Beykpour’s communications and will continue to seek information and witnesses until the full truth comes out,” said Alex Spiro, a lawyer for Musk, according to Bloomberg.

The issue of fake accounts emerged as a major bone of contention in Musk’s proposed purchase of the social media platform. Twitter estimates that about 5 percent of its accounts are bots. Musk has said the figure is closer to 20 percent.

Musk said he decided not to go through with the $44 billion deal because he could not verify the number of fake accounts. Twitter then took Musk to court to force him to buy the company.

 Dan Brahmy, CEO of the Israeli tech company Cyabra, agrees that Twitter has lowballed its number of fake accounts, according to Reuters.

“They have underestimated that number,” he said, putting the share of fake accounts at 13.7 percent.

Will the Musk-Twitter deal go through in the end?

In a countersuit filed against Twitter, Musk argued that “misrepresentations or omissions” by the company have inflated Twitter’s actual value, The Washington Post reported.

The countersuit said Twitter has 65 million fewer monetizable daily active users — people who can be seeing ads — than the 238 million that Twitter says it has.

Twitter undercounted bots as part of a “scheme to mislead investors about the company’s prospects,” Musk’s countersuit alleged, according to The Guardian.

Lawyers for Musk and Twitter will meet in court in October to debate whether the deal must be completed, the Washington Examiner reported.

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Biden Can't Resist Sick Move with His Hand, Eyes Look Wild as He Returns to WH for 5 Hours

This can’t be healthy.

President Joe Biden flouted health practices during a Tuesday White House event in which the Inflation Reduction Act was signed.

Biden coughed immediately into his hand after removing a face mask at the event.

The president tested positive for COVID-19 as recently as earlier this month, dealing with a bout of the disease that resurfaced after testing negative.

Biden delivered a speech touting the merits of the spending bill after arriving at the podium, celebrating a new law that was rammed through the Senate in a partisan-line vote.

Biden was joined by several congressional Democrats just over ten minutes after he coughed into his hand.

Biden handed the pen he used to sign the new law to Sen. Joe Manchin immediately after doing so, in a questionable and potentially unsanitary move.

He went on to shake the hand of Manchin, a Democratic senator known for stymying Biden’s progressive legislative agenda.

Only after the signing did Biden once again don the mask — having decided it was necessary after unmasked and close contact with several individuals.

The president’s ceremonial signing at the White House was merely a stopover in between two separate vacations.

Biden arrived in Washington, D.C., from a South Carolina resort island, only to jet off to Delaware after the event.

The first vacation was provided to Biden free of charge from an affluent Democratic Party political donor.

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