Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown is pushing forward with his proposal to provide a $10,000 payoff to all federal student loan borrowers.
“The next round of stimulus, we want to do that,” Brown told Cheddar from his home in Cleveland, Ohio on Tuesday.
Brown said that he and other Democratic senators have already been partially successful with bringing relief to those burdened by student loan debt.
“Senator Warren and I wanted two major things. We wanted a freeze on payments so nobody had to pay during this six-month or so period,” Brown explained. “We also wanted $10,000 in forgiveness of federal loans. The Republicans wouldn’t accept that. Trump opposed that.”
Brown also lobbied for $4,500 in direct payments for every American adult and child, with restrictions on higher-income families. The $2.2 trillion stimulus package included a one-time payment of $1,200 to most adults and $500 for every child.
When asked about Republicans accusing Democrats of trying to use the coronavirus crisis to push long-sought progressive legislation, Brown shrugged off the criticism saying the government is obligated to take action.
“This is the role of government to help people that are unemployed, to help people that are sick, to help people that are struggling, to help people that are hungry,” he said. “I don’t apologize for a second for any of that.”
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) joined Cheddar to discuss her new book "Antitrust," tackling the issues of monopolistic business practices, particularly in Big Tech.
Turkey’s shipbreaking yard is located in the town of Aliaga - about 30 miles north of Port Izmir. Usually, this yard breaks down cargo and container ships. But in 2020, it started bringing in another type of vessel. And business is booming.
Bill and Melinda Gates say they're divorcing. The Microsoft co-founder and his wife, who launched the world’s largest charitable foundation, said they would continue to work together at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
From Wall Street to Silicon Valley, these are the top stories that moved markets and had investors, business leaders, and entrepreneurs talking this week on Cheddar.
Lincoln Mondy, advocate and filmmaker behind the short film "Black Lives/Black Lungs," talked to Cheddar about the FDA's announcement it will move to ban menthol-flavored cigarettes.
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This time the Food and Drug Administration is under pressure from African American groups to remove the mint flavor, which is popular among Black smokers.