A consensus is growing that federal student aid, however well-intentioned, is directly responsible for increases in college tuition over the past few decades. One studyestimates that expansions of federal student aid roughly doubled tuition costs relative to a baseline, while anotherfinds that each dollar of subsidized Stafford student loans boost tuition by 65 cents. The logic is simple: when students have access to a generous line of credit, colleges will raise their prices because their students can easily borrow the money to pay them.
In theory, since there is a cap on how much students may borrow through the Stafford student loan program (the most common form of student loan), there should be an upper limit to how much federal student aid can fuel tuition increases. Currently, the aggregate cap stands at $31,000 for undergraduate dependent students. But as the cost of college approaches this cap, more and more borrowers may take advantage of a back door—the Parent Loans for Undergraduate Students (PLUS) program.
PLUS loans are loans which the federal government makes to the parents of dependent undergraduate students to finance the students' tuition. (Independent graduate students are also eligible.) They carry a higher interest rate (6.8 percent) than Stafford loans, which have a rate of 4.3 percent for undergraduates. Parents are eligible if they or an "endorser" can pass a basic credit check. Most importantly, there is effectively no credit limit—parents may borrow up to their student's cost of attendance.
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DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
Friday, March 11, 2016
MAYOR TELLS RESIDENTS TO STAY HOME DURING OBAMA VISIT
"...When his motorcade is on the move, you won’t be," mayor said.
Residents should stay home when President Obama visits Austin, Texas, on Friday, the mayor said.
Mayor Steve Adler cited highway shutdowns due to the Obama motorcade when he encouraged employers to allow residents to work from home.
“Safe to say, when his motorcade is on the move, you won’t be, at least downtown,” he said in a newsletter. “That’s why I am asking you to strongly consider either working from home or asking your employees to work from home on those days.”
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Residents should stay home when President Obama visits Austin, Texas, on Friday, the mayor said.
Mayor Steve Adler cited highway shutdowns due to the Obama motorcade when he encouraged employers to allow residents to work from home.
“Safe to say, when his motorcade is on the move, you won’t be, at least downtown,” he said in a newsletter. “That’s why I am asking you to strongly consider either working from home or asking your employees to work from home on those days.”
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UNLESS SOMEONE GETS TO 1,237 DELEGATES, THE REPUBLICAN CONVENTION IS GOING TO BE A GIANT MESS
Trump only has 44.8 percent of the delegates that have been awarded up to this point.
2016 is turning out to be the strangest election season that we have seen in decades, and it may soon get far stranger.
At this point, most people assume that Donald Trump is going to be the Republican nominee, and without a doubt he has had a tremendous amount of success. But because most of the states so far have apportioned delegates proportionally, Trump only has 44.8 percent of the delegates that have been awarded up to this point. So Trump is going to have to do significantly better through the rest of the process in order to get to the magic number of 1,237 delegates, especially since not all of the delegates are awarded through the primaries and caucuses. As Real Clear Politics has detailed, every state “is awarded so-called ‘RNC delegates,’ who are party officials with automatic credentials to the convention“.
Right now, more than 40 percent of all the delegates to the convention have already been awarded, and Trump is sitting at just 458. To get to 1,237, he is going to have to do really well in the upcoming winner-take-all states. That is why there is so much focus on Florida and Ohio on March 15th. If Trump wins both of them, he will have a path to 1,237 delegates. If he doesn’t, that is where things get tricky.
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2016 is turning out to be the strangest election season that we have seen in decades, and it may soon get far stranger.
At this point, most people assume that Donald Trump is going to be the Republican nominee, and without a doubt he has had a tremendous amount of success. But because most of the states so far have apportioned delegates proportionally, Trump only has 44.8 percent of the delegates that have been awarded up to this point. So Trump is going to have to do significantly better through the rest of the process in order to get to the magic number of 1,237 delegates, especially since not all of the delegates are awarded through the primaries and caucuses. As Real Clear Politics has detailed, every state “is awarded so-called ‘RNC delegates,’ who are party officials with automatic credentials to the convention“.
Right now, more than 40 percent of all the delegates to the convention have already been awarded, and Trump is sitting at just 458. To get to 1,237, he is going to have to do really well in the upcoming winner-take-all states. That is why there is so much focus on Florida and Ohio on March 15th. If Trump wins both of them, he will have a path to 1,237 delegates. If he doesn’t, that is where things get tricky.
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Bernie Sanders confronted with decades-old clip of him praising Fidel Castro
During the Wednesday-night Democratic debate, Univision moderator Maria Elena Salinas confronted Bernie Sanders with a decades-old clip of him heaping apparent praise on former Cuban President Fidel Castro.
Sanders, who has identified himself as a democratic socialist, had earlier in the debate called for "full and normalized political relations with Cuba" — a position he shares with Hillary Clinton, the Democratic frontrunner.
"I think at the end of the day, it will be a good thing for the Cuban people," Sanders said. "It will enable them, I think, when they see people coming into their country from the United States, move in a more Democratic direction, which I what I want to see."
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Sanders, who has identified himself as a democratic socialist, had earlier in the debate called for "full and normalized political relations with Cuba" — a position he shares with Hillary Clinton, the Democratic frontrunner.
"I think at the end of the day, it will be a good thing for the Cuban people," Sanders said. "It will enable them, I think, when they see people coming into their country from the United States, move in a more Democratic direction, which I what I want to see."
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The Chevy Volt is the perfect car — but nobody seems to care
Let me set the Wayback machine to 2010 for a moment.
Excitement then around electric cars and plug-in hybrid electric cars was running high. The Toyota Prius had revolutionized the way Americans thought about fuel economy.
But the original Prius design didn't involve all-electric operation. So the next logical step in the the evolution of the automobile was a different type of hybrid gas-electric design.
The Prius' parallel-hybrid powertrain, with gas and electric motors running at the same time, would be supplanted by a serial hybrid design, with an electric motor delivering about 40 miles of range before depleting its batteries, at which point, a small gas engine would kick in to generate more electricity.
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Excitement then around electric cars and plug-in hybrid electric cars was running high. The Toyota Prius had revolutionized the way Americans thought about fuel economy.
But the original Prius design didn't involve all-electric operation. So the next logical step in the the evolution of the automobile was a different type of hybrid gas-electric design.
The Prius' parallel-hybrid powertrain, with gas and electric motors running at the same time, would be supplanted by a serial hybrid design, with an electric motor delivering about 40 miles of range before depleting its batteries, at which point, a small gas engine would kick in to generate more electricity.
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This one photo shows how much of an engineering feat 'El Chapo' Guzmán's escape from prison was
It was soon discovered — as shown by the display below, from a new exhibit at The Mob Museum in Las Vegas — that the escape was also a marvel of clandestine engineering, featuring an elaborate tunnel passage designed by engineers trained in Germany specifically to build the tunnel.
Guzmán entered the mile-long tunnel through a hole in the floor of his cell's shower with a length and width of 1 1/2 feet. He then descended a 32-foot ladder into the tunnel, which was 5 1/2 feet high and 2 feet 7 inches wide.
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Police Confiscate Guns from Concealed Permit Holder Who Believes in Bigfoot, UFOs
Police confiscated firearms from 74-year-old Ralph Gilbertsen, although he is not a felon or domestic abuser, and he has never been ruled dangerous to others because of mental illness.
Gilbertsen, who lives in Richfield, Minnesota, believes in Bigfoot and UFOs. And while he does receive treatment for a “mild” mental health disorder, the Star Tribune reports that a psychologist sent a letter to the judge in the case, stating that “Gilbertsen is compliant with his medications and poses no danger to himself or others.”
A former Marine, Gilbertsen is also a concealed carry permit holder, which means he passed the in-depth background check required to obtain such permit, and he was the proud owner of three handguns, until the police knocked on his door.
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Gilbertsen, who lives in Richfield, Minnesota, believes in Bigfoot and UFOs. And while he does receive treatment for a “mild” mental health disorder, the Star Tribune reports that a psychologist sent a letter to the judge in the case, stating that “Gilbertsen is compliant with his medications and poses no danger to himself or others.”
A former Marine, Gilbertsen is also a concealed carry permit holder, which means he passed the in-depth background check required to obtain such permit, and he was the proud owner of three handguns, until the police knocked on his door.
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Megyn Kelly to Be Honored at Variety ‘Power of Women’ Event
Kelly will join actresses Lupita Nyong’o and Julianne Moore, fashion designer Vera Wang and renowned ballet dancer Misty Copeland at the April 8 luncheon in New York, where the five women will be honored for their philanthropic endeavors.
“We are honored to provide a platform that celebrates the outstanding women in entertainment who support and promote philanthropic causes making the world a better place to live,” Variety publisher Michelle Sobrino said in a statement announcing the honorees.
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US Air Force Veteran Convicted of Attempting to Join ISIS
A U.S. Air Force veteran was found guilty on Wednesday of attempting to join Islamic State, according to Newsday and other local media.
Tairod Pugh, 48, was convicted after a week-long trial in Brooklyn federal court. The case is the first in more than 75 Islamic State-related prosecutions brought since 2014 by the U.S. Department of Justice to reach a jury verdict.
Prosecutors said Pugh immersed himself in violent Islamic State propaganda for months before buying a one-way flight from his home in Egypt to Turkey, where he hoped to cross the Syrian border into territory controlled by the extremist group.
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Tairod Pugh, 48, was convicted after a week-long trial in Brooklyn federal court. The case is the first in more than 75 Islamic State-related prosecutions brought since 2014 by the U.S. Department of Justice to reach a jury verdict.
Prosecutors said Pugh immersed himself in violent Islamic State propaganda for months before buying a one-way flight from his home in Egypt to Turkey, where he hoped to cross the Syrian border into territory controlled by the extremist group.
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FBI Penetrated New York-based Russian Spy Ring Using Hidden Recorders
The FBI eavesdropped on meetings involving Russian intelligence personnel in New York City, including a suspected spy posing as a trade representative, by hiding recorders in binders containing supposedly confidential information about the energy sector, U.S. prosecutors said.
The hours of covert recordings from 2013 were disclosed in papers filed in Manhattan federal court on Tuesday in the case of Evgeny Buryakov, a Russian citizen who U.S. prosecutors say posed as a banker while participating in a Cold War-style spy ring.
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The hours of covert recordings from 2013 were disclosed in papers filed in Manhattan federal court on Tuesday in the case of Evgeny Buryakov, a Russian citizen who U.S. prosecutors say posed as a banker while participating in a Cold War-style spy ring.
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Cuba Says Obama 'Welcome' But Shouldn't Expect Much
Cuba's state newspaper said Wednesday US President Barack Obama will be warmly welcomed when he makes a historic visit this month, but warned him not to expect political concessions.
"The US leader will be welcomed by the government of Cuba and its people with the hospitality that distinguishes them and will be treated with all consideration and respect," official daily Granma said in an editorial.
But it hastened to add: "No one can harbor the slightest doubt about Cuba's unconditional adherence to its revolutionary and anti-imperialist ideals."
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"The US leader will be welcomed by the government of Cuba and its people with the hospitality that distinguishes them and will be treated with all consideration and respect," official daily Granma said in an editorial.
But it hastened to add: "No one can harbor the slightest doubt about Cuba's unconditional adherence to its revolutionary and anti-imperialist ideals."
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Iran Told to Pay $10.5 Billion to 9/11 Kin, Insurers
U.S. District Judge George Daniels in New York issued a default judgment Wednesday against Iran for $7.5 billion to the estates and families of people who died at the World Trade Center and Pentagon. It includes $2 million to each estate for the victims’ pain and suffering plus $6.88 million in punitive damages.
Daniels also awarded $3 billion to insurers including Chubb Ltd. that paid property damage, business interruption and other claims.
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RNC Sues State Department for Clinton Aides' Email
The Republican National Committee sued the U.S. State Department seeking the release of years of records and e-mails from Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, her aides and associates.
The legal assault comes nine days after the State Department released the last of the more than 52,000 pages of messages stored on the former secretary of state’s private e- mail server. A judge ordered those released in a separate case - - one of more than a dozen lawsuits filed in relation to Clinton’s e-mails and use of the private server.
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The legal assault comes nine days after the State Department released the last of the more than 52,000 pages of messages stored on the former secretary of state’s private e- mail server. A judge ordered those released in a separate case - - one of more than a dozen lawsuits filed in relation to Clinton’s e-mails and use of the private server.
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Subject: Rubio's Campaign Tells Ohio Supporters to Vote for Kasich
Marco Rubio’s campaign says supporters of the Florida senator should back John Kasich in Ohio on Tuesday if they want to stop Donald Trump.
Republican presidential candidates have each called on voters to consolidate and unite behind their campaigns, but the Rubio campaign’s suggestion appears to be the fiercest example yet of the anti-Trump movement, aimed at doing whatever it takes to bar the New York billionaire from accruing the 1,237 delegates necessary to secure the Republican nomination outright.
Alex Conant, Rubio’s communications director, acknowledged that Kasich is the only candidate who can defeat Trump in Ohio, which awards all of its 66 delegates to the winner. “If you are a Republican primary voter in Ohio and you want to defeat Donald Trump, your best chance in Ohio is John Kasich,” Conant told CNN on Friday.
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Republican presidential candidates have each called on voters to consolidate and unite behind their campaigns, but the Rubio campaign’s suggestion appears to be the fiercest example yet of the anti-Trump movement, aimed at doing whatever it takes to bar the New York billionaire from accruing the 1,237 delegates necessary to secure the Republican nomination outright.
Alex Conant, Rubio’s communications director, acknowledged that Kasich is the only candidate who can defeat Trump in Ohio, which awards all of its 66 delegates to the winner. “If you are a Republican primary voter in Ohio and you want to defeat Donald Trump, your best chance in Ohio is John Kasich,” Conant told CNN on Friday.
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Newsmax/Fabrizio Lee Poll: Trump Trounces Clinton Among Independents
While the online survey of 1,500 registered voters shows the former secretary of state essentially tied with the GOP front-runner, 45 to 44 percent, the poll's most eye-popping result is Clinton's pronounced weakness among independent voters, where she trails Trump by 16 points.
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Pat Caddell: When Trump Finds Out Kasich Voted for NAFTA, Kasich Will Lose Ohio
Veteran pollster Pat Caddell warns that Ohio Gov. John Kasich’s vote for the North American Free Trade Agreement during his tenure in Congress could cost him both his approval rating as governor and the critical state primary.
“I believe — I haven’t gone back and looked — but I think he was in Congress in ’93 and if so, I’d bet you he voted for NAFTA. How much do you want to bet? Somebody ought to look that one up. That’s the real point this morning that could change the election in Ohio,” he told Breitbart News executive chairman and host Stephen K. Bannon on Breitbart News Daily Friday morning.
“If he did, as I suspect, vote for NAFTA, he could get killed on this now,” he continued.
Caddell warned that voters who saw their state and the nation’s manufacturing core gutted by free trade deals would dump Kasich for Trump.
“If Kasich voted for NAFTA and Trump gets a hold of that, he will lose Ohio,” he said.
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“I believe — I haven’t gone back and looked — but I think he was in Congress in ’93 and if so, I’d bet you he voted for NAFTA. How much do you want to bet? Somebody ought to look that one up. That’s the real point this morning that could change the election in Ohio,” he told Breitbart News executive chairman and host Stephen K. Bannon on Breitbart News Daily Friday morning.
“If he did, as I suspect, vote for NAFTA, he could get killed on this now,” he continued.
Caddell warned that voters who saw their state and the nation’s manufacturing core gutted by free trade deals would dump Kasich for Trump.
“If Kasich voted for NAFTA and Trump gets a hold of that, he will lose Ohio,” he said.
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Flint Suspending Water Bills Amid Lead Crisis
The mayor of Flint, Michigan, on Wednesday announced the city will stop billing for water as it tries to implement a program designed to assist residents who have been exposed to lead poisoning.
Michigan's governor last week approved a $30 million plan to help Flint residents with water bills amid the "man-made disaster," Flint Mayor Karen Weaver said in a statement, and the bills are being suspended while the city tries to get that program going.
"Flint residents need and deserve this relief," Weaver said. "I've said from day one, Flint residents should not have to pay for water they can not and are not using.
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Michigan's governor last week approved a $30 million plan to help Flint residents with water bills amid the "man-made disaster," Flint Mayor Karen Weaver said in a statement, and the bills are being suspended while the city tries to get that program going.
"Flint residents need and deserve this relief," Weaver said. "I've said from day one, Flint residents should not have to pay for water they can not and are not using.
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Ben Carson Buries "The Hatchet," Endorses Donald Trump for President
PALM BEACH, Florida (AP) — Former Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson says he and Donald Trump have "buried the hatchet" after months of political wrangling, and he is endorsing the GOP front-runner's White House bid.
At a press conference in Palm Beach, Florida on Friday, Carson, who left the race earlier this month, described "two Donald Trumps" — the persona reflected on stage, and a private, "very cerebral" person who "considers things carefully."
In his introduction to Carson Friday, Trump described the retired neurosurgeon as a "special, special person — special man," and a "friend" who is respected by everyone.
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Amazon to lease 20 Boeing aircraft for cargo delivery
Amazon.com Inc will lease 20 Boeing 767 freighter aircraft, lessor Air Transport Services Group Inc said on Wednesday, as the online retailer moves closer to setting up its own air delivery network.
The deal comes at a time when Amazon, which offers fast and increasingly free deliveries for millions of online orders, has been trying to make shipments even faster as well as assume more control over its business and costs.
The e-commerce giant has been testing deliveries by drones, but has not said when it expects to have them in service.
The duration of the leases will be five to seven years, ATSG said.
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The deal comes at a time when Amazon, which offers fast and increasingly free deliveries for millions of online orders, has been trying to make shipments even faster as well as assume more control over its business and costs.
The e-commerce giant has been testing deliveries by drones, but has not said when it expects to have them in service.
The duration of the leases will be five to seven years, ATSG said.
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Obama Admin Knew About Benghazi Before It Happened
Judicial Watch: Defense, State Department Documents Reveal Obama Administration Knew that al Qaeda Terrorists Had Planned Benghazi Attack 10 Days in Advance
Administration knew three months before the November 2012 presidential election of ISIS plans to establish a caliphate in Iraq
Administration knew of arms being shipped from Benghazi to Syria
(Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch announced today that it obtained more than 100 pages of previously classified “Secret” documents from the Department of Defense (DOD)and the Department of State revealing that DOD almost immediately reported that the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi was committed by the al Qaeda and Muslim Brotherhood-linked “Brigades of the Captive Omar Abdul Rahman” (BCOAR), and had been planned at least 10 days in advance. Rahman is known as the Blind Sheikh, and is serving life in prison for his involvement in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and other terrorist acts. The new documents also provide the first official confirmation that shows the U.S. government was aware of arms shipments from Benghazi to Syria. The documents also include an August 2012 analysis warning of the rise of ISIS and the predicted failure of the Obama policy of regime change in Syria.
The documents were released in response to a court order in accordance with a May 15, 2014, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit filed against both the DOD and State Department seeking communications between the two agencies and congressional leaders “on matters related to the activities of any agency or department of the U.S. government at the Special Mission Compound and/or classified annex in Benghazi.”
Spelling and punctuation is duplicated in this release without corrections.
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Administration knew three months before the November 2012 presidential election of ISIS plans to establish a caliphate in Iraq
Administration knew of arms being shipped from Benghazi to Syria
(Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch announced today that it obtained more than 100 pages of previously classified “Secret” documents from the Department of Defense (DOD)and the Department of State revealing that DOD almost immediately reported that the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi was committed by the al Qaeda and Muslim Brotherhood-linked “Brigades of the Captive Omar Abdul Rahman” (BCOAR), and had been planned at least 10 days in advance. Rahman is known as the Blind Sheikh, and is serving life in prison for his involvement in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and other terrorist acts. The new documents also provide the first official confirmation that shows the U.S. government was aware of arms shipments from Benghazi to Syria. The documents also include an August 2012 analysis warning of the rise of ISIS and the predicted failure of the Obama policy of regime change in Syria.
The documents were released in response to a court order in accordance with a May 15, 2014, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit filed against both the DOD and State Department seeking communications between the two agencies and congressional leaders “on matters related to the activities of any agency or department of the U.S. government at the Special Mission Compound and/or classified annex in Benghazi.”
Spelling and punctuation is duplicated in this release without corrections.
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