Biden administration cancels another $1.2 billion in student loans for public service workers

The Biden administration is cancelling an additional $1.2 billion in student loans for borrowers who work in public service through changes to an existing forgiveness program. The relief for roughly 35,000 borrowers was announced Thursday by the Education Department and made through changes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, which benefits workers such as teachers, nurses and firefighters. Those qualifying for forgiveness have their remaining loan balance eliminated after making 120 qualifying monthly payments.

Missouri high court clears the way for a woman’s release after 43 years in prison

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Missouri Supreme Court cleared the way Thursday for a Missouri woman whose murder conviction was overturned to be freed after 43 years in prison. A circuit court judge ruled last month that Sandra Hemme’s attorneys showed evidence of her “actual innocence,” and an appeals court ruled she should be freed while her case is reviewed. But Hemme’s immediate freedom has been complicated by lengthy sentences she received for crimes she committed while behind bars — a total of 12 years, which were piled on top of the life sentence she received for her murder conviction.

FDA OKs best-selling e-cigarette Vuse Alto, but only in tobacco flavor

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal health officials have authorized sales of Vuse Alto, the best-selling e-cigarette in the U.S. The Food and Drug Administration made the decision Thursday, allowing Reynolds American to keep its reusable e-cigarette on the market for years to come. The authorization only applies to several tobacco-flavored versions of reusable product, which takes cartridges filled with liquid nicotine. The FDA previously rejected an application for Vuse’s more popular menthol flavor. The FDA said smokers who completely switch to Vuse can reduce their exposure to deadly carcinogens found in cigarettes. The agency stressed that non-smokers should not use any vaping products, including Vuse.

More Americans apply for jobless benefits as layoffs settle at higher levels in recent weeks

(AP) — U.S. filings for unemployment benefits rose again last week and appear to be settling consistently at a slightly higher though still healthy level. The Labor Department reported Thursday that jobless claims for the week ending July 13 rose by 20,000 to 243,000 from 223,000 the previous week. The total number of Americans collecting unemployment benefits rose after declining last week for the first time in 10 weeks. About 1.87 million Americans were collecting jobless benefits for the week of July 6, around 20,000 more than the previous week. That’s the most since November of 2021. Weekly unemployment claims are widely considered as representative of layoffs.