Daily Briefing: Student debt relief talks end bitterly

Education Department representatives left the door open for extending talks about President Joe Biden's alternative student loan relief plan, but didn’t explicitly commit to it. Also in the news: The Federal Reserve is meeting today and is expected to leave interested rates unchanged. Happy Birthday, Taylor Swift!

🙋🏼‍♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing author. Mercury is in retrograde.

Now here we go with Wednesday's news.

Student loan relief committee feels Biden's Plan B doesn't go far enough

President Joe Biden's alternative plan for student loan debt forgiveness was deflated this week by a committee set up to determine how far-reaching and generous it would be.

Why they're not happy: Most felt it didn't go far enough. By the end of what was supposed to be their last round of negotiations on Tuesday afternoon, tensions among the stakeholders − who range from borrowers to loan servicers − were on full display.

• Fading collegiality at the end of the meeting indicated how far apart the Biden administration seems to be from some of the nation’s leading student loan experts about what to do after the Supreme Court got in the way of the president’s first plan.

• The Biden administration is trying to navigate two competing forces: an appetite by some for the kind of widespread forgiveness the Supreme Court struck down this summer, and critics who are poised to file legal challenges against any debt erasure plan the administration comes up with.

• Despite frustrations, Tuesday was a success for one group of borrowers: Those who have attended colleges with dubious business practices.

UN General Assembly overwhelmingly supports cease-fire

The U.N. General Assembly voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to demand a cease-fire in Gaza. Though the vote on the resolution is not binding, it reflects the growing international opposition to a war that has left about 18,000 Palestinians dead and large parts of Gaza in tatters, creating a humanitarian crisis. While President Joe Biden first criticized how Israel is conducting its war against Hamas Tuesday, the U.S. and Israel opposed the measure. The U.S. vetoed a similar Security Council resolution Friday, the only member to vote against it. Read more

• For the first time since Israel-Hamas war broke out, President Biden and Netanyahu are at odds.

• White House left U.S. hostage families off the Hanukkah party invite list. Now they'll meet Biden.

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Biden delivered a last-ditch plea to Congress for aid.

More news to know now

• Special Counsel Jack Smith asked the Supreme Court to weigh Donald Trump's legal immunity.

• Harvard President Claudine Gay will remain in her role as university leaders affirm support.

• A Georgia election worker and her mother are suing Rudy Giuliani for up to $43 million for defaming them with bogus accusations.

• A new tool helps patients compare hospital costs.

• For subscribers: What will Caitlin Clark mean for the Indiana Fever?

• On today's The Excerpt podcast, a look at the influence of Trump's base. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your smart speaker.

What's the weather today? Check your local forecast here.

Will the Federal Reserve raise interest rates?

The last Federal Reserve meeting of 2023 ends Wednesday when it's expected to leave its key interest rate unchanged for the third straight month. The pause follows aggressive rate hikes dating back to March 2022, a period in which the central bank raised rates 11 times to a 22-year rate high of 5.25% to 5.5%. Despite the increased cost, the economy has stayed resilient and could dodge a long-feared recession. But attention is still focused on the Fed — as it tries to temper economic growth without tipping the U.S. into a recession in the new year. Read more

• Inflation is coming down, but not without some twists and turns.

Woman in Kentucky abortion lawsuit learns embryo has no heartbeat

A pregnant woman in Kentucky who is challenging state officials over the right to have an abortion has learned that her embryo no longer has cardiac activity. Her attorneys did not immediately comment on what her new condition means for the class-action lawsuit, which the woman filed on behalf of herself and any other person in Kentucky who is pregnant or will become pregnant and wants to get an abortion. The Kentucky lawsuit follows a similar case out of Texas, where a Dallas area mother carrying a fetus with a fatal condition had asked for a court to authorize an abortion. Read more

• The Texas state Supreme Court's opinion said Kate Cox did not qualify for an abortion under state laws based on her doctor's "good faith belief" that she needed the procedure.

• Ron DeSantis called out Donald Trump over his abortion policies in a town hall.

• The Biden campaign says Kate Cox abortion case shows the ''chaos and cruelty'' of post-Roe laws.

Keep scrolling

• André Braugher, Emmy-winning ''Homicide'' and ''Brooklyn Nine-Nine'' actor, has died at 61.

• Supreme Court let Washington state's ''conversion therapy'' ban for LGBTQ+ minors remain.

• Forget ''rizz.'' What should the word of the year actually be?

• Review: In ''The Iron Claw,'' Zac Efron is ripped and terrific.

• Amanda Bynes is back in the spotlight with a new podcast post-conservatorship.

• Here's how AI is emerging as a potential tool to aid athletes beat drug tests.

• Here are the top players in the college football transfer portal.

• Why are there NFL games on Saturday?

Over 140 people displaced after building partially collapses in the Bronx

The right corner of a century-old apartment building in the Morris Heights neighborhood of the Bronx – made up of 47 residential units and six businesses – crumpled Monday afternoon. Two people received minor injuries while they were fleeing the building, but 141 people – 37 households – were displaced. In the last two years, the building has been the subject of 179 complaints, raging from heating issues to a collapsed ceiling, which was reported in November and was soon closed following an inspection by the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development. Read more

Photo of the day: 'Eras' movie hits streaming on Taylor Swift's birthday

Swifties got a special gift to celebrate Taylor Swift's 34th birthday: "Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour" has been released to streaming services for fans to enjoy at home.  The blockbuster, which is nominated for a Golden Globe, includes three bonus songs: "Wildest Dreams," "The Archer" and "Long Live." Read more

Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at USA TODAY, sign up for the email here. Want to send Nicole a note? Shoot her an email at NFallert@usatoday.com or follow along with her musings on Twitter. Support journalism like this – subscribe to USA TODAY here.

Associated Press contributed reporting.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Student debt relief, cease-fire, Israel, Hamas, inflation, abortion, Taylor Swift