US Domestic News Roundup: First Trump allies in Georgia election subversion case surrender; New Biden student loan plan cuts payments for millions, White House says and more

The changes would save $1,000 a year for the typical borrower and $2,000 a year on loans taken by a typical graduate of a four-year U.S. public college or university, the White House and the Department of Education said, adding that tens of millions of Americans are eligible to enroll in the plan. As Republicans debate, Biden campaign, Trump, RFK Jr to target voters off stage As Republican presidential hopefuls converge in Milwaukee, Wisconsin for their first debate Wednesday evening, an unusual amount of the United States' political action will take place off stage.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

First Trump allies in Georgia election subversion case surrender

The first of Donald Trump's co-defendants in Georgia's criminal case accusing the former U.S. president and his associates of subverting his 2020 election loss surrendered at an Atlanta jail on Tuesday, according to county records and a statement. Trump's former lawyer John Eastman and Republican poll watcher Scott Hall both surrendered to the county sheriff's office.

New Biden student loan plan cuts payments for millions, White House says

The Biden administration on Tuesday said it was overhauling student loan repayment plans, seeking to make payments more affordable by reducing the amount owed each month and curbing unpaid interest. The changes would save $1,000 a year for the typical borrower and $2,000 a year on loans taken by a typical graduate of a four-year U.S. public college or university, the White House and the Department of Education said, adding that tens of millions of Americans are eligible to enroll in the plan.

US wildland firefighter pay threatened by Republican feud in Congress

U.S. federal wildland firefighters are facing a huge potential pay cut this autumn that lawmakers in Washington warn could cause thousands to walk off the job, due to a feud among Republicans in Congress over federal spending. That could mean dire consequences for 16 U.S. states, mostly in the West and Southwest, where about 16,600 firefighters were battling more than 90 large fires across nearly 630,000 acres as of Tuesday, National Interagency Fire Center data show.

Maui wildfire victims fear land grab may threaten Hawaiian culture

Deborah Loeffler felt she could not lose much more after a wildfire destroyed the home in Maui, where five generations of her family have lived, and a son died the same day on the U.S. mainland. Grieving and overwhelmed, Loeffler was soon beset by emails with unsolicited proposals she sell the Lahaina beachfront plot in Maui where her grandfather built their teal-green wooden home in the 1940s.

Factbox-Who is Vivek Ramaswamy, Republican presidential hopeful?

Vivek Ramaswamy, a multimillionaire former biotech executive, has a chance to build on the attention he has been getting in the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination at Wednesday night's debate. Here are some facts about Ramaswamy's life and career:

With lei, Maui locals weave together grief, thankfulness, and hope

Niki Roberts walked around her Maui neighborhood, loading her collapsible green wagon with cuttings from the ti plant, whose foot-long leaves are woven into the lei central to Hawaiian culture. Roberts was making lei to present to Red Cross workers who had flown in from the mainland United States to help with the recovery effort for the Maui town of Lahaina, which was devastated by a wildfire that claimed homes, cultural landmarks, and the lives of over 100 people.

Factbox-When is the first Republican primary debate? Who will be there?

Eight top Republican presidential contenders will take part on Wednesday in the first debate of the 2024 primary election cycle. Here are some facts about the showdown: WHEN AND WHERE WILL IT TAKE PLACE?

In Trump's absence, DeSantis seen as 'punching bag' in first Republican debate

Eight Republican presidential contenders will duel in the party's first debate of the 2024 race in the hopes of emerging as a viable alternative to front-runner Donald Trump, who is expected to cast a long shadow over an event he plans to skip. With a commanding lead in the Republican nomination race to take on Democratic President Joe Biden, Trump said this week he would not attend the debate in Milwaukee on Wednesday. Instead, he sat for an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson set to air at the same time, potentially siphoning off debate viewers.

As Republicans debate, Biden campaign, Trump, RFK Jr to target voters off stage

As Republican presidential hopefuls converge in Milwaukee, Wisconsin for their first debate Wednesday evening, an unusual amount of the United States' political action will take place off stage. Former President Donald Trump, leading significantly in the early polls, is skipping the debate and doing an interview with former Fox News commentator Tucker Carlson instead. President Joe Biden's re-election campaign is making its first big media push, using ad buys, Milwaukee events and a crush of online volunteers to make the case that even if Trump is not on the stage, the Republicans there embrace his world view.

Hollywood writers union says new proposal from studios not enough

Hollywood studios and streaming services on Tuesday released the terms of a revised proposal to striking writers, but the union urged members to continue picketing as the new offer failed to address all their concerns. The Writers' Guild of America (WGA) had walked off the job on May 2 after negotiations reached an impasse, and were later joined by members of the Screen Actors Guild, halting productions across Hollywood and costing the California economy billions of dollars.