List of All Articles with Tag 'eric'

Donald Trump sat down with Sean Hannity for a town hall in Iowa on Thursday evening to answer questions from local voters, although almost all of the questions came from the Fox News host himself. Before a raucous and adoring crowd, the Republican former president was asked about domestic and foreign policy topics, claiming he would solve most within six months of retaking office, boasting of his tough stance towards Russia and Iran. When other GOP primary candidates like Ron DeSantis and Asa Hutchinson were brought up, he dismissed the threat they posed as his audience booed and jeered the very mention of their names. But there was no mention whatsoever of Fox’s recent $787m settlement with Dominion Voting Systems over the former’s coverage of Mr Trump’s bogus claims that the 2020 presidential election fraud was “rigged” against him by a vast Democrat-led conspiracy to deprive him of a second term. Mr Trump did use the opportunity provided to try to shoot down the latest allegations that he knowingly stored classified Pentagon documents from his presidency at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, insisting: “I don't know anything about it. All I know is everything did was right.” Read More Trump’s Fox and CNN town halls expose media’s inability to fact-check a fountain of nonsense Trump plays down legal threat of secret papers recording at Fox News town hall Trump surprises crowd by mocking people who say ‘woke’ – including his own son who runs businesses off it

The Senate has passed a bipartisan agreement forged by US president Joe Biden and House speaker Kevin McCarthy to raise the $31.4 trillion US debt ceiling after the deal survived a Republican rebellion in the House of Representatives. The Fiscal Responsibility Act, which will also implement new federal spending cuts, cleared the lower chamber with 314 votes in favour and 117 against on Wednesday night. The narrowness of its passage through the House was made possible through the support of Democrats, who stepped in to thwart a Republican rebellion that badly undermined Speaker McCarthy’s claims to control over his increasingly divided party. On Thursday, the Senate rejected 11 proposed amendments before passing the bill 63 for to 36 against. Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer will now send the bill to President Biden’s desk for his signature. Full congressional approval was required before Monday 5 June, when the Treasury Department was expected to run out of funds to pay its debts for the first time in American history. Read More Underestimated McCarthy emerges from debt deal empowered as speaker, still threatened by far right Lauren Boebert didn’t turn up to vote on debt ceiling deal she furiously campaigned against What’s next for Biden-McCarthy debt ceiling deal as Senate races to beat default deadline?

Clashes between police and supporters of Senegalese opposition leader Ousmane Sonko left nine people dead, the government said Friday, with authorities issuing a blanket ban on the use of several social media platforms in the aftermath of the violence. The deaths occurred mainly in the capital, Dakar, and Ziguinchor in the south, where Sonko is mayor, Interior Minister Antoine Felix Abdoulaye Diome said in a statement. Some social media sites used by demonstrators to incite violence, such as Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter have been suspended, he said. “The state of Senegal has taken every measure to guarantee the safety of people and property. We are going to reinforce security everywhere in the country,” Diome said. Sonko was convicted Thursday of corrupting youth but acquitted on charges of raping a woman who worked at a massage parlor and making death threats against her. The court sentenced Sonko to two years in prison. He didn't attend his trial in Dakar, and was judged in absentia. His lawyer said a warrant hadn't been issued yet for the politician’s arrest. Sonko came in third in Senegal’s 2019 presidential election and is popular with the country’s youth. His supporters maintain his legal troubles are part of a government effort to derail his candidacy in the 2024 presidential election. Sonko is considered President Macky Sall’s main competition and has urged Sall to state publicly that he won't seek a third term in office. Corrupting young people, which includes using one’s position of power to have sex with people under the age of 21, is a criminal offense in Senegal that is punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of up to more than $6,000. Under Senegalese law, his conviction would bar Sonko from running in next year’s election, said Bamba Cisse, another defense lawyer. “The conviction for corruption of youth hinders his eligibility, because he was sentenced in absentia, so we can’t appeal,” Cisse said. However, the government said that Sonko can ask for a retrial once he is imprisoned. It was unclear when he would be taken into custody. Shortly after the verdict was announced Thursday, clashes erupted throughout the country with Sonko’s PASTEF party calling for people to take to the streets. In Dakar, protesters threw rocks, burned vehicles and in some places erected barricades while police fired tear gas. Plumes of black smoke and the sound of tear gas being fired were seen and heard throughout the city. Those who weren't protesting stayed indoors, leaving much of Dakar a ghost town with boarded-up shops and empty streets as people feared the violence would escalate. “The verdict cements the criticism that Sall’s government is weaponizing the judiciary to eliminate prominent rivals that could shake his rule,” said Mucahid Durmaz, senior analyst at global risk intelligence company Verisk Maplecroft. “Despite being presented as a beacon (of) democracy, the Sonko cases demonstrate the structural issues Senegal grapples with. The court decision and the prospect of Sall’s bid for a third term in the election next year will fuel fierce criticism around erosion of judicial independence and democratic backsliding,” Dumaz said. Government spokesman Abdou Karim Fofana said that the damage caused by months of demonstrations has cost the country millions of dollars. “These calls (to protest), it’s a bit like the anti-republican nature of all these movements that hide behind social networks and don’t believe in the foundations of democracy, which are elections, freedom of expression, but also the resources that our (legal) system offers,” Fofana said. Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide US reopens embassy in Seychelles after 27-year absence US expands slots for asylum app at land crossings as demand overwhelms supply Restoration lags for Syria's famed Roman ruins at Palmyra and other war-battered historic sites

Jeffrey Epstein had unsuccessfully tried to reach out to another high-profile paedophile via a letter that was eventually returned to sender, a new trove of documents about the disgraced billionaire financier has revealed. The previously unreported letter was penned to Larry Nassar, who was sentenced to between 40 and 175 years in jail for abusing more than 150 women and young girls in the biggest sexual abuse scandal in sports history. The letter was found returned in the jail’s mailroom weeks after Epstein’s death, according to the more than 4,000 pages of documents reported by the Associated Press on Thursday. New details in the documents shed light on Epstein’s behaviour during his 36 days in jail, his death and its chaotic aftermath. Epstein, who was arrested in July 2019 on federal charges of sex trafficking and conspiracy died in a prison cell of Metropolitan Correctional Center on 10 August 2019 as he awaited trial. The contents of the letter to Nassar were not included in the documents turned over to the news agency. “It appeared he mailed it out and it was returned back to him,” the investigator who found the letter told a prison official by email, according to documents. “I am not sure if I should open it or should we hand it over to anyone?” The documents were handed over by the Bureau of Prisons under the Freedom of Information Act and included a detailed psychological reconstruction of the events leading to Epstein’s controversial death, his health history, internal agency reports, emails, memos and other records. Just two weeks before he died by suicide, Epstein was seen sitting in a corner of his jail cell with his hands covering his ears as he desperately tried to muffle the sound of a toilet that kept running. After once living a life of luxury and comfort, Epstein complained of struggling to adapt to his new life behind bars and called himself a “coward” at one point. He remained agitated at times and was unable to sleep, the documents revealed. Epstein was on a suicide watch for 31 hours after a suicide attempt that left his neck bruised and scraped. He, however, insisted to a jail psychologist that he had a “wonderful life” and it “would be crazy” to end it. The night before his death, Epstein excused himself from a meeting with his lawyers and said he needed to make a call to his family. He told a jail attendant he was calling his mother, who had been dead for 15 years by then, according to a memo from a unit manager. His death came as a federal judge had unsealed about 2,000 pages of documents in a sexual abuse lawsuit against him just a day before he died. That event combined with the erosion of social connections, lack of significant interpersonal connections and “the idea of potentially spending his life in prison were likely factors contributing to Mr Epstein’s suicide,” officials wrote. The documents also exposed lapses in the management of the Bureau of Prisons and the now-shuttered Metropolitan Correctional Center. The guards who were on duty for Epstein that night were sitting on their desks just 15ft away from Epstein’s cell as they shopped online for furniture and motorcycles and did not make required rounds every 30 minutes, prosecutors alleged. The two guards, Tova Noel and Michael Thomas, were charged with lying on prison records after they said they made the required checks before Epstein’s body was found. Both appeared to be asleep during a two-hour period that night, according to their indictment. After arriving at the Metropolitan Correctional Center on 6 July 2019, Epstein complained about having to wear an orange jumpsuit like a “bad guy” and requested a brown uniform instead for his near-daily visits with his lawyers. He said during his initial health screening that he had 10-plus female sexual partners within the previous five years. According to records, he tried to make adjustments to his new lifestyle. He had signed up for a Kosher meal and sought permission to exercise outside. Just two days before he was found dead, he bought $73.85 worth of items from the prison commissary. The items included a radio and headphones. If you are a child and you need help because something has happened to you, you can call the NSPCC free of charge on 0800 1111. You can also call the NSPCC if you are an adult and you are worried about a child, on 0808 800 5000. The National Association for People Abused in Childhood (Napac) offers support for adults on 0808 801 0331 Read More JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon says he never heard of Jeffrey Epstein until after his 2019 arrest How Donald Trump’s sex abuse verdict is paving the way for countless women to hold powerful men to account Elon Musk subpoenaed by US Virgin Islands in Jeffrey Epstein lawsuit

The Senate voted late on Thursday night to raise the debt limit and avoid allowing the United States to default on its debt for the first time in history after having an all-night marathon session of votes to assuage Republican concerns. The legislation passed 63 to 36 after senators held 11 votes on amendments —10 from Republicans and 1 from Democrats — to address concerns about the bill. All but five Senators in the Democratic caucus--Sens Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Ed Markey (D-MA), John Fetterman (D-PA) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR)--voted for the legislation while 31 Republican Senators opposed it. “America can breathe a sigh of relief because in this process we are avoiding,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said before the votes began on Thursday evening. The vote came after the House passed the legislation on Wednesday that was the result of bipartisan negotiations between the House and the White House. The bill will now head to President before 5 June, the date that Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen had warned that the United States would default on its debt. Republicans raised concerns about some of the restraints on defence spending, which is capped at $886bn. “Well, my message is, I'm a Reagan Republican,” Sen Lindsey Graham (R-SC) told The Independent. “And you do military budgets based on threats and you want to fight over the role of the Republican Party on national defence, I welcome the fight.” Mr Graham expressed concern that it would lead to the United States not being able to support Ukraine in its war against Russia. “And if you want to avoid conflict, you better stand up to aggression,” he said. Sen Susan Collins (R-ME) echoed those concerns in a floor speech. “It would trigger an automatic meat an indiscriminate across-the-board cut in our already inadequate defence budget and in the domestic discretionary non-defence funding,” Sen Susan Collins (R-ME) said in a floor speech. “This would happen automatically if in fact all 12 appropriations bills have not been passed.” Ms Collins said that such a problem could be remedied through a defence supplemental package, which other Senators have also discussed. “It was important for some of our members to have folks on the record, acknowledging that there clearly could be a need will be a need for additional assistance for our national security interests,” Senate Minority Whip John Thune (R-SD) told The Independent. But some Republicans said they still opposed the debt limit increase. “Trade deficit with China,” Sen Josh Hawley (R-MO) told The Independent about why he opposed the bill. “Not gonna do anything about it.” Before the votes began, the Senate went into overtime with negotiations, with Sen Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) serving as an intermediary between Democrats and Republicans. “The President took too long but he had his own process and we got to save the country from having to fall,” Sen Mitt Romney (R-UT) told The Independent. “Speaker McCarthy has been underestimated and he's proven that he could get something done.” Conversely, Sen Tim Kaine (D-VA) proposed an amendment to strike a provision to expedite the completion of the Mountain Valley Pipeline, a natural gas pipeline that spans from West Virginia to Virginia, that ultimately failed 30 to 69. The pipeline is a top priority for Sen Joe Manchin (D-WV). Mr Manchin celebrated the inclusion of the pipeline in the agreement. “It’s important for our country, very much important,” Mr Manchin told The Independent. The approval of the pipeline triggered Sen Ed Markey (D-MA), an outspoken advocate for combating climate change, from opposing the legislation. But Sen Brian Schatz (D-HI), another climate hawk, said he would vote for it. “The agreement is the agreement we're going to have to vote for it,” he told The Independent. Other Democrats criticised the fact the bill imposed work requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP and formerly called food stamps, for adults between the ages of 50 and 54 who do not have children and do not have disabilities. “I did not agree to these SNAP restrictions, and I won’t give Republicans an opening to try and take food from more food insecure Americans in Farm Bill negotiations later this year,” Mr Fetterman said in a statement after the vote. “As I communicated to leadership and the White House, I would have voted to avoid default if it would have made the difference. All in all, this was a tough vote and an ugly situation manufactured by extortionists. While we avoided a catastrophe this time around, we should never put the country in this situation again.” Mr Fetterman said Mr Biden should have invoked the 14th amendment to the US Constitution to avoid a default on the nation’s debt. The vote signals the end to a drawn-out fight between the Republican-controlled House on one end and a Democratic-controlled Senate and the White House on the other. Mr Schumer said the quick passage of the legislation showed the willingness to the Senate to avoid a catastrophic default. Read More 'Shrink the room:' How Biden and McCarthy struck a debt-limit deal and staved off a catastrophe Underestimated McCarthy emerges from debt deal empowered as speaker, still threatened by far right Biden and McCarthy’s debt limit deal went through – but there are winners and losers 'Shrink the room:' How Biden and McCarthy struck a debt-limit deal and staved off a catastrophe Biden and McCarthy’s debt limit deal went through – but there are winners and losers What’s next for Biden-McCarthy debt limit deal as Senate races to beat default?

Donald Trump returned to a familiar refrain on Thursday, insisting once again that he had done nothing wrong even as new challenges pop up seemingly every day for the ex-president who faces a bevy of criminal and civil investigations. Mr Trump returned to his favoured cable network, Fox News, for a town hall-style event moderated by primetime opinion host Sean Hannity, who is now the Fox star probably closest to the former president given the firing of Tucker Carlson, the network’s star pundit. And confronted with a new leaked recording indicating that Mr Trump knew that he was retaining classified materials after his presidential term ended, he once again insisted that he had done nothing wrong. “News broke yesterday there might be a tape recording where you acknowledged that you understood that these were classified documents [at Mar-a-Lago],” the Fox News host began. While asking also if the ex-president knew who had leaked the recording of the phone call, he questioned: “Do you know anything about this?” “No, I don’t know anything about it,” Mr Trump responded. “All I know is this: Everything I did was right. We have the Presidential Records Act, which I abided by 100 per cent.” He then moved on to attack President Joe Biden, before claiming: “I have the right to declassify as president.” The explanation was nothing new. Mr Trump has long claimed that any classified materials seized by investigators at Mar-a-Lago were in fact previously declassified by him during his presidency — though he has shown no evidence of an order to do so. And notably, the nod to the Presidential Records Act was another mistruth. The law does not allow for ex-presidents to retain original copies of presidential records after their terms end without the express consent of the National Archives, an agency that the former president has roundly denounced. Nonetheless, it was a familiar claim for the one-term president who escaped two impeachment proceedings despite bipartisan support for his removal; Mr Trump has long asserted that any investigation or civil suit filed against him is merely the work of his political foes in an attempt to block him from power. More follows... Read More Republicans want Biden to trip up – literally E Jean Carroll, Mary Trump, and Jennifer Taub are co-writing a romance novel Woman interrupts DeSantis speech to claim her son’s murder was covered up in Florida Ivanka and Jared split over attending Trump 2024 launch – follow live Why was Donald Trump impeached twice during his first term? Four big lies Trump told during his 2024 presidential announcement

Gov Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign event in Manchester, New Hampshire was interrupted by a woman who claimed that her son’s murder had been covered up in Florida. The woman who made the accusation was led out of the facility where the rally was being held. As she was walking out of the event, the woman threw down a DeSantis hat she was holding and vowed to replace with a hat representing former President Donald Trump. Mr DeSantis made his first swing through the Granite State on Thursday, making headlines at an earlier stop for snapping at a reporter who asked him why he hadn’t taken questions from voters at the preceding event. There were several Trump supporters at the DeSantis event in Manchester in red shirts with the words “Union Carpenters for President Trump 2024” on them. Mr DeSantis trailed Mr Trump by more than 20 points in a mid-May poll of New Hampshire, the first primary state on the Republican calendar in 2024. Read More Ivanka and Jared split over attending Trump 2024 launch – follow live Why was Donald Trump impeached twice during his first term? Four big lies Trump told during his 2024 presidential announcement

Senator Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma sparked a round of laughter in the a Senate hearing room after misspeaking and snapping “I don’t want reality!” at a witness. Mr Mullin’s comment came during a Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) hearing on race and education where he was aggressively questioning a panel of witnesses about whether it’s better to teach the book Our Skin: A First Conversation About Race or the lyrics of the song “Jesus Loves Me.” After Mr Mullin became irritated with a response given by Cheryl Morman, president of the Virginia Alliance for Family Child Care Associations, and cut her off, Sen Bernie Sanders, the committee chair, asked Mr Mullin to allow her to answer the question he had posed. One of the witnesses started saying: “The reality is ...” at which point Mr Mullin cut her off. “No, I don’t want reality, I’m asking the question, which one is better?” Mr Mullin said. “That’s exactly what it is.” Spectators in the hearing room errupted with laughter as Mr Mullin acknowledged that he “misspoke” and then continued with his questioning. The HELP committee was convened for a hearing called “Solving the Child Care Crisis: Meeting the Needs of Working Families and Child Care Workers.” When it was Mr Mullin’s turn to question the panel of witnesses, he pulled out a copy Our Skin — a book meant to teach young children about the history and function of race — and announced that he would read a passage from it. “‘A long time ago, way before you were born, a group of white people made up an idea called race,” Mr Mullin said. “They sorted people by skin colour and said that white people were better, smarter, prettier, and they deserved more than everybody else.” Mr Mullin later said he disagreed with the book “one thousand percent” and suggested it would prejudice children against white people. Mr Mullin, who is a member of the Cherokee Nation, said schools should instead teach the song “Jesus Loves Me,” a Christian hymn written before the onset of the Civil War that would likely violate the prohibition against religious activity in many public school districts. Mr Mullin has frequently made headlines in the last several months for his conduct on the HELP committee, where he’s clashed with figures ranging from Mr Sanders to Teamsters president Sean O’Brien. Mr Sanders has significantly raised the profile of the committee since he took over as chair at the beginning of the current Congress, bringing a range of activists, labour leaders, and major CEOs like Starbucks’ Howard Schultz to Washington to testify in high-profile hearings. Mr Mullin, a multimillionaire business owner who was elevated to the Seante in a special election last year, has chafed in past hearings at Mr Sanders’ treatment of major corporate executives like Mr Schutlz. Read More Trump launches rant after reports of bombshell classified documents tape - live Roger Stone caught on hot mic explaining how he manipulated Trump Trump and Maga allies mock Biden for Air Force graduation fall Teamsters boss boasts about taking on ‘schoolyard bully’ Republican at fiery Senate hearing

Donald Trump surprised a crowd in Iowa by mocking people obsessed with using the Republican buzzword “woke”, insisting that most people cannot even define what it means. The former president has himself regularly used the phrase to attack opponents, and just last month his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr, announced the launch of a “non-woke men’s lifestyle magazine.” The magazine, which is called Field Ethos, says that it will focus on “a forgotten lifestyle to those who refuse to conform,” with fishing and hunting articles written by “old-school adventurers who make no apologies for who we are.” Mr Trump’s main rival for the GOP 2024 presidential nomination, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, is also obsessed with the term and has said as president he would destroy the “woke mind virus.” In 2021, Mr DeSantis also signed into law Florida’s “Stop WOKE Act,” which banned college professors in the state from teaching critical race theory. “I don’t like the term ‘woke’ because I hear ‘woke woke woke’—it’s just a term they use, half the people can’t even define it, they don’t know what it is,” Mr Trump said at the Westside Conservative Club in Urbandale, Iowa, on Thursday. During the event, Mr Trump attacked trans athletes, a popular right-wing grievance, calling it a “woke” issue before catching himself. “I guess they define that as ‘woke,’ but that’s all woke. We have to bring common sense back to the country,” he said. Read More Trump news - live: Trump slammed for campaign ad amid silence on reports of bombshell classified papers tape DeSantis news - live: Florida governor snaps at reporter for simple question at New Hampshire campaign event Marjorie Taylor Greene cryptically says the FBI knows who mystery Capitol pipe bomber is Trump accuses DeSantis of faking his own name Oath Keeper who guarded Roger Stone before Jan. 6 attack gets more than 4 years in prison

Joe Biden tripped and fell on stage as he took part in the Air Force graduation ceremony in Colorado. The president dropped to his knees but was quickly helped back to his feet by officials during the event at the service academy in Colorado Springs on Thursday. Mr Biden, 80, pointed to a black sandbag on the stage seemingly blaming it for the stumble. The president did not appear hurt by the fall and continued to stand on stage until the ceremony ended several minutes later, according to the White House pool. “President Biden fell down on stage after handing out the last diploma to the Air Force cadets. He appeared to slip and fall going down on his knees. He was helped up by Air Force officials,” the pool report stated. White House communications director Ben LaBolt took to Twitter to say that Mr Biden was fine. “There was a sandbag on stage while he was shaking hands,” he tweeted. Mr Biden, a Democrat, is running for re-election in 2024 and his doctors declared him fit and healthy after his February physical examination. Earlier, during the commencement address, Mr Biden warned the graduates that they would enter military service in an increasingly unstable world, citing challenges from Russia and China. And he predicted that Swedend would “soon” join NATO, without giving any details of their entry into the alliance. “It will happen, I promise you,” he said, Read More Watch Biden trip and fall on-stage at Air Force graduation ceremony Biden and McCarthy’s debt limit deal went through – but there are winners and losers Biden tells US Air Force Academy graduates their leadership needed in increasingly confusing world Boeing signs alternative fuel deal with Los Angeles startup to cut carbon footprint Underestimated McCarthy emerges from debt deal empowered as speaker, still threatened by far right Senate passes GOP bill overturning student loan cancellation, teeing it up for Biden veto

A Colorado mother-of-three was shot dead while trying to protect her elderly father during a home invasion at her farm in southern Ecuador. Francesca Williams, 44, was killed when robbers burst onto the family property in the village of Vilacamba where she lived with her father John, husband Michael and the couple’s three teenage daughters on 20 May, according to reports. Michael Williams told KDVR that the first he realised the farm was under attack was when he was struck by a hard object in the head while standing outside and collapsed to the ground. Francesca had been hanging washing when the gunmen showed up, and was fatally shot in the back while trying to protect her birth father John, her adoptive mother Marianna Bacilla told NBC San Diego. John, who suffered from emphysema and dementia, was stabbed three times during there attack but is out of hospital and expected to make a full recovery. The couple’s daughter Rachel told KDVR that she had witnessed the gunfire strike her mother. “I saw my grandpa on the floor with a strange man to the right, then I saw another man with my mom and she was scrambling after him, basically fighting him off,” the teenager said. “Then I saw two sparks of a gun and heard gunshots.” The family reported hearing the men asking in Spanish for the “large aunt”, and believe they were at the wrong address. Michael Williams told the news site he was tied up before the assailants ransacked the home taking any valuables they could find, including iPads and laptops. After they left he discovered his wife badly wounded and drove to the nearest medical facility, but she had already succumbed to her injuries. Her body has since been returned to her former hometown of Kremmling, Colorado, and a funeral is due to be held on 3 June. On a fundraising page set up to help the family, Ms Bacilla said they had moved several years ago to the farm in rural southern Ecuador where they were raising chickens, goats, horses, pigs, ducks and guinea fowl. “It was their humble Shangri-La,” she said. Francesca Williams was described as a devoted wife and mother, who graduated from the University of California, San Diego with a degree in linguistics. She was fluent in French, Spanish and Lithuanian, worked as a translator and had recently published her first illustrated children’s book The King’s Magic. A few days after the attack, Michael Williams said the family were in a “heightened level of anxiousness and security because we aren’t in a safe place”. A GoFundme page has received nearly $30,000 in donations. Read More New Jersey attorney linked to three rapes after family submitted DNA to genealogy website Ecuador lawmakers denounce president's disbanding of National Assembly, argue it wasn't legal Lauren Boebert didn’t turn up to vote on debt ceiling deal she furiously campaigned against

A Republican measure overturning President Joe Biden's student loan cancellation plan passed the Senate on Thursday and now awaits an expected veto. The vote was 52-46, with support from Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Jon Tester of Montana as well as Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, an independent. The resolution was approved last week by the GOP-controlled House by a 218-203 vote. Biden has pledged to keep in place his commitment to cancel up to $20,000 in federal student loans for 43 million people. The legislation adds to Republican criticism of the plan, which was halted in November in response to lawsuits from conservative opponents. The Supreme Court heard arguments in February in a challenge to Biden's move, with the conservative majority seemingly ready to sink the plan. A decision is expected in the coming weeks. “The president’s student loan schemes do not ‘forgive’ debt, they just shift the burden from those who chose to take out loans onto those who never went to college or already fulfilled their commitment to pay off their loans,” said Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, lead sponsor of the Senate push. The legislation aims to revoke Biden’s cancellation plan and curtail the Education Department’s ability to cancel student loans in the future. It would rescind Biden’s latest extension of a payment pause that began early in the pandemic. It would retroactively add several months of student loan interest that was waived by Biden’s extension. The GOP challenge invoked the Congressional Review Act, which allows Congress to undo recently enacted executive branch regulations. Passing a resolution requires a simple majority in both chambers, but overriding a presidential veto requires two-thirds majorities in the House and Senate, and Republicans aren't expected to have enough support to do that. "If Republicans were to get their way and pass this bill into law, people across the country would have relief they are counting on snatched away from them,” said Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash. ___ The Associated Press education team receives support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. The AP is solely responsible for all content.