Winter Blooms, Speed Dating, and 'Friends' Trivia: Things to Do in Washington, November 23-25 - Washingtonian
Winter Blooms, Speed Dating, and 'Friends' Trivia: Things to Do in Washington, November 23-25 - Washingtonian |
- Winter Blooms, Speed Dating, and 'Friends' Trivia: Things to Do in Washington, November 23-25 - Washingtonian
- What student loan borrowers need to know about the Navient lawsuits - MSN Money
- Five House Democrats who could join Biden Cabinet | TheHill - The Hill
| Posted: 23 Nov 2020 07:00 AM PST Illustration by Hannah Good. Hi all! We've got holiday lights, trivia, and virtual speed dating. Here's what you should check out this week:Tough talk: Learn how to talk about antiracism with The Antiracist Table's virtual event at Politics and Prose. Attorney Kirsten Ivey-Colson and educator Lynn Turner will lead a discussion about how you can talk about these issues with your family at the Zoom dinner table during the holidays. Monday 11/23 at 8 PM; Free, register here. In bloom: See the festive flora at Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens while walking through the winter wonderland of Marjorie Merriweather Post's storied gardens. See holiday decorations and gorgeous Christmas trees. Details: "Seasons Greetings" will be open November 24 through January 10, 2021 with timed-entry passes, $18, buy tickets here. Hillwood will also host a virtual winter story time for kids ("Winter Adventure with the Snow Maiden" is on Zoom on December 12 for $5) and flower design workshops ("Floral Design How-to: Holiday Blooms" is on Zoom on December 9 and 11 for $12-$60). Holiday lights: Celebrate the winter holidays with history in mind at Mount Vernon's "Winter Glow." George Washington's home will be lit up in lavender and blue, while Christmas carolers—in costume—sing classics. Probably the highlight of any visit will be the "special guest" Aladdin the Camel. Wednesday 11/25 through Monday 12/28 (on alternating weekends); $30-$45, buy tickets here. Trivia: If you're a Friends superfan, try your luck playing Friendsgiving Trivia at Pinstripes in Georgetown. All questions will focus on the series' Thanksgiving episodes and there's a maximum of six people per team. Tuesday 11/24 at 7 PM; Free, make a reservation here. Food talk: Learn about pandemic comfort food in the National Museum of American History's "Pandemic Perspectives: Comfort Food During a Pandemic" virtual event. Hear from a panel of curators and historians as they explore the foods we turn to in quarantine now (remember the sourdough starter trend?) and in quarantines past. Tuesday 11/24 at 4 PM; Free, register here. Time to mingle: Has it been hard to date this year? If you'd like to meet people while still glued to your couch, try virtual speed dating. Local org Professionals of the City is putting together a Zoom event to set up men and women (straight folks only, it seems) to chat for a few minutes and see if they spark a connection. Wednesday 11/25 at 8 PM; $20, buy tickets here. Wine Wednesday: Try a variety of wines paired for Thanksgiving dishes at the Wine Outlet store in McLean. The wine tasting sessions are in half-hour intervals throughout the day, and proceeds support the Tyson's Rotary Foundation. Wednesday 11/25 starting at noon; $15, buy tickets here. Virtual yoga: Mount Pleasant's Past Tense Yoga is hosting a three-day series of yoga classes for Thanksgiving to "bring together friends and family who are unable to celebrate in person this year." Register for the class yourself and get a buddy pass that you can share with a loved one to join you for free. There will be a Friends & Family vinyasa session on Wednesday (11/25 at 5:30 PM), a gratitude-focused session on Thanksgiving morning (Thursday 11/26 at 10 AM), and a "chaser" class on Friday to sweat it out (11/27 at 10 AM). Learn more here. Keeping it light:Movies: Spirited Away, The Incredibles and its sequel, She's the Man, The Witches (Anne Hathaway and Angelica Huston versions both), Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse, To All the Boys I've Loved Before, Kiera Knightley's Pride and Prejudice TV shows: The Good Place, Superstore, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Sex Education, Charmed (the Puerto Rican one), Schitt's Creek, Deaf U, A Black Lady Sketch Show, Big Mouth, Avatar: The Last Airbender Thanks for reading! Tell me what you're up to at home by dropping me a line at rcartagena@washingtonian.com.  Web Producer/Writer Rosa joined Washingtonian in 2016 after graduating from Mount Holyoke College. She covers arts and culture for the magazine. She's written about anti-racism efforts at Woolly Mammoth Theatre, dinosaurs in the revamped fossil hall at the Smithsonian's Natural History Museum, and the horrors of taking a digital detox. When she can, she performs with her family's Puerto Rican folkloric music ensemble based in Jersey City. She lives in Adams Morgan. |
| What student loan borrowers need to know about the Navient lawsuits - MSN Money Posted: 23 Nov 2020 03:09 PM PST  © Jonathan Weiss/Shutterstock Exterior of a Navient buildingNavient is one of the largest student loan servicers in the country, with millions of borrowers using it to repay their federal and private student loans. However, a few lawsuits allege harmful and deceptive practices, which could impact your student loans. APPLE INC. -3.49 -2.97% CONSTELLATION BRANDS, INC. +1.01 +0.50% TESLA, INC. +32.24 +6.58% AMAZON.COM, INC. -1.01 -0.03% Whether Navient is your lender or not, here's what these lawsuits mean for your student loans. What are the Navient lawsuits?There are a handful of Navient lawsuits going on right now in a few different states, starting as early as 2017. Here's what they're alleging. Misleading borrowersThe Consumer Financial Protection Bureau says that Navient "illegally fail[ed] borrowers at every stage of repayment." The lawsuit, brought on by the CFPB, alleges that Navient hurt borrowers by providing bad and sometimes false information, not processing payments correctly and not taking appropriate steps to rectify situations when borrowers brought up these complaints. In fact, the lawsuit alleges that Navient purposely made many borrowers pay more on their loans than they needed to, and the CFPB is suing for borrowers to get financial relief from Navient's mishandling. The suit alleges that Navient steered borrowers into forbearance over other options, like income-driven repayment plans. Forbearance temporarily pauses student loan payments without hurting your repayment standing, but interest still builds while you're not making payments. That means borrowers ended up paying more in interest because they went through with forbearance rather than saving money and choosing an IDR plan. Advising expensive optionsA New Jersey lawsuit filed in October 2020 alleges that Navient pushed borrowers into taking out private student loans with co-signers - even if it wasn't in the best interest of the borrower. New Jersey says that Navient told borrowers they could have family members guarantee their private student loans as co-signers, but then set nearly impossible hurdles to let borrowers release their co-signers from the loan. This means that Navient gets paid if the borrower defaults, since Navient can collect by charging the co-signer on the loan. Overcollection and loan liesIf borrowers were behind on their loans, New Jersey says that Navient would tell borrowers that they owed more than they really did. According to New Jersey, Navient did this by collecting not only the amount that was past due, but also the next month's amount. This caused borrowers to overpay - sometimes hundreds of dollars - often when they couldn't afford it. The CFPB alleges that Navient also didn't allow some borrowers to discharge their loans when they qualified for it. "Severely and permanently disabled borrowers with federal student loans, including veterans whose disability is connected to their military service, have a right to seek loan forgiveness under the federal Total and Permanent Disability discharge program," CFPB says. "Navient misreported to the credit reporting companies that borrowers who had their loans discharged under this program had defaulted on their loans when they had not." How does the Navient lawsuit affect my student loans?The majority of these lawsuits are ongoing, which means that your student loans won't see much - if any - impact. But if you're experiencing any issues with your student loan servicer, you can take a few steps to ensure that it's working in your best interest.
Does Navient service my student loans?While Navient services millions of borrowers, it doesn't service every borrower. It also services both federal and private student loans. You can check your servicer with the Department of Education if you have federal loans. The best way to see who services your private loans is to check your latest correspondence regarding your student loans. If you haven't made payments in a while, you might want to check your credit report. You can do this for free through AnnualCreditReport.com. This lets you see all your debt, including the ones that are delinquent, in default or paid off. Will Navient forgive student loan payments?One Navient lawsuit was settled in July 2020; however, no monetary damages will be given to borrowers affected. Instead, Navient will implement improved training for employees regarding PSLF. It's possible that future lawsuits could provide affected borrowers monetary compensation, but at this time it's unlikely that Navient will forgive student loan payments. The bottom lineWith half a dozen different lawsuits still working their way through the court system, Navient is facing a slew of legal battles over how it handles student loans. With many accusing the servicer of misleading borrowers, charging more than what was due and lying to borrowers about their loans, there's a chance that current borrowers could see an impact. If Navient is your student loan servicer, you probably won't see any cash from these lawsuits anytime soon. But you can take control of your student loans by making sure you're on the best repayment plan for your budget. Learn more: |
| Five House Democrats who could join Biden Cabinet | TheHill - The Hill Posted: 23 Nov 2020 02:59 PM PST Several House Democrats are in the running for positions in President-elect Joe Biden The contenders hailing from the House range from the potential first Native American Cabinet secretary to numerous members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC). At least one current House member, Rep. Cedric Richmond ADVERTISEMENT After losing several House seats in this year's elections, Democrats are wary of any potentially costly special elections and are keen to limit any vacancies to safely blue districts. Biden on Monday unveiled his first round of Cabinet nominees for his national security team, including Antony Blinken to serve as secretary of State; Alejandro Mayorkas to serve as Homeland Security secretary; Avril Haines to be director of national intelligence; Linda Thomas-Greenfield to serve as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations; and Jake Sullivan as national security advisor. More are expected in the coming days. Here are five House Democrats currently being floated for additional roles in the Biden administration. Deb Haaland No House lawmaker has more momentum to land a spot in a Biden Cabinet right now than Haaland. If selected, she would make history as the first Native American in a presidential Cabinet. Grassroots progressive groups like Justice Democrats and the Sunrise Movement have been aggressively lobbying Biden to pick her as his Interior secretary. And House Natural Resources Chairman Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) dropped out of consideration for the Interior post and threw his support behind Haaland, his committee's vice chair. ADVERTISEMENT The well-respected chairman and progressive leader last week circulated a letter among his House colleagues urging Biden to tap Haaland at Interior. More than 50 Democrats signed on, including incoming Assistant Speaker Katherine Clark Haaland's allies have been playing up the historic nature of her potential appointment. In 2018, Haaland, a member of the Laguna Pueblo tribe, was one of the first two Native American women ever elected to Congress. If Biden nominates her for Interior, she will make history once again. "Representative Deb Haaland is eminently qualified to be Interior Secretary. She has been a champion for our environment and public lands and has worked tirelessly to improve the nation-to-nation relationship between the United States and Indian tribes," Halaand's Democratic colleagues wrote. "By selecting her to be your Secretary of the Interior, you can make history by giving Native Americans a seat at the Cabinet table for the first time." Haaland, a former New Mexico Democratic Party chair, has already been on Biden's radar. Transition officials are already in the process of vetting her, sources told The Hill. Other lawmakers under consideration for Interior include two other New Mexico Democrats: retiring Sen. Tom Udall Marcia Fudge Fudge, a former CBC chairwoman, has been floated as a potential candidate for Agriculture secretary. She is currently the fourth most-senior member of the House Agriculture Committee and chairs a subcommittee on Nutrition, Oversight and Department Operations with jurisdiction over programs to combat hunger like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Fudge has openly expressed interest in leading the Agriculture Department and, if selected, would be the first Black woman to serve in the role. "If Rep. Fudge is asked to serve as Agriculture Secretary she would be honored to do so," a Fudge spokesperson told The Hill. To date, only one Black person — Mike Espy, who recently ran for Senate in Mississippi — has served as Agriculture secretary in the department's history. Other Democrats in the mix for the Agriculture post include Rep. Chellie Pingree Donna Shalala ADVERTISEMENT Shalala is out of a job following her surprise loss this month to Republican Maria Elvira Salazar, a former television anchor. That's why Shalala, who served as Health and Human Services secretary under President Clinton for eight years, has been mentioned as a potential Biden Cabinet pick in recent days. Some have floated her for Education secretary, given her 14 years as president of the University of Miami (Florida) after her stint with Clinton. It's unclear how serious the Biden transition team is taking Shalala, who is 79. Biden himself turned 78 on Friday, and will become the oldest president on Inauguration Day; and he's expected to look to a younger generation of leaders to fill out his team. "I would suspect it's far-fetched. Why not nominate a much younger person for all the obvious reasons?" said one of Shalala's House colleagues. Still, Shalala would bring much-needed healthcare and management experience to the new administration at a time when the coronavirus pandemic is wreaking havoc on K-12 schools and universities across the nation. While she hasn't ruled out a bid for her old House seat in 2022, Shalala, who has known Biden for decades, also could be tapped for some senior role on Biden's coronavirus task force. "She's enormously qualified and we'd be lucky to have her in any capacity but especially in healthcare and education, where she's been a leader," said a source close to Shalala. ADVERTISEMENT Other House members floated for Education secretary include another Florida Democrat, Rep. Frederica Wilson Hayes told The Hill that she's "honored" to be considered for secretary but that she has "a lot more work to do here" in Congress. Karen Bass Bass's profile shot up this year as chairwoman of the CBC while leading House Democrats' efforts to pass a police reform bill. Her prospects for higher office are also rising. Bass has been floated for multiple roles in a Biden administration, including Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) as well as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. She's also in the mix to fill a soon-to-be-vacant California Senate seat once Sen. Kamala Harris A spokesperson for Bass didn't return a request for comment. But Bass, a former Speaker of the California state assembly who once worked as a physician assistant, was previously vetted this summer as a potential vice presidential candidate. That role ultimately went to Harris, but the Biden team is already familiar with Bass's resume. ADVERTISEMENT Other prospects for HHS include New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham Andy Levin Progressives and numerous labor unions have been pushing for Levin as one of their top picks for Labor Secretary. Levin, who was first elected to the House in 2018, is less well-known or as controversial as other top progressives floated for the role like Sen. Bernie Sanders Levin has deep ties to organized labor. His lengthy resume includes serving as assistant director of organizing at the AFL-CIO; a staff attorney to the Commission on the Future of Worker-Management Relations; running Michigan's No Worker Left Behind program to provide job training for unemployed and under-employed people during the Great Recession; and briefly working as acting director of the Michigan Department of Energy, Labor and Economic Growth. Levin is also the heir to one of Michigan's Democratic political dynasties. He is the son of former Rep. Sander Levin A Levin spokesperson said that he is "preparing with excitement" for the next session of Congress that begins in January and declined to comment on any conversations with the Biden transition team. Aside from Sanders, other prospective candidates for Labor Secretary include Boston Mayor Marty Walsh and California Labor Secretary Julie Su. |
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