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Iranian officer charged with orchestrating murder of US citizen in Iraq

(NEW YORK) -- A captain in Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps faces federal murder and terrorism charges in New York, according to a criminal complaint unsealed Friday that charges Mohammad Reza Nouri with orchestrating the murder of an American citizen to avenge the drone strike killing of a top Iranian general.

Stephen Troell, a 45-year-old American living in Baghdad, was killed in front of his wife in November 2022 after federal prosecutors said Nouri gathered intelligence on Troell's daily routine, procured weapons and housed the operatives who carried out the murder.

"We allege that Mohammad Reza Nouri, an officer in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, orchestrated the murder of Stephen Troell, an American citizen living in Iraq, carrying out the Iranian Regime's efforts to take vengeance for the death of Qasim Soleimani," Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement announcing the charges. "Stephen should still be alive today, and the Justice Department will work relentlessly to ensure accountability for his murder."

The U.S. has said Iran sought revenge for the January 2020 death of Soleimani in an American drone strike in Baghdad.

In November 2022, the Iranian regime struck in Iraq. A group of operatives working on behalf of the IRGC brutally murdered Troell in Baghdad, where he worked at an English language institute, as Troell was driving home with his wife after work.

Nouri, 36, allegedly "played a key role in the IRGC's targeting and ultimate murder of Troell," whom Nouri appears to have believed was working as an American or Israeli intelligence officer.

According to the complaint, Nouri accumulated data including Troell's date of birth, coordinates of his residence, occupation, work schedule, telephone number, wife's name, and children's names, among other information. In the weeks leading up to the murder, he allegedly coordinated with one of his co-conspirators to procure firearms and a vehicle for use in the attack.

Troell was driving home from work with his wife when heavily armed gunmen in two cars forced the couple to stop shortly before they reached their residence, blocked any possible escape route, approached Troell on the driver's side, and, using an assault weapon, shot and killed Troell as his wife witnessed the attack in the passenger seat.

Less than a half hour after the attack, Nouri sent an encrypted messages inquiring about the wellbeing of the operatives tasked with carrying out the hit, allegedly asking, "The guys are fine?" and "They are doing well?"

In March 2023, Iraqi authorities arrested Nouri and he was subsequently convicted by an Iraqi court for his role in Troell's murder. He remains in custody in Iraq.

Texas had the largest population growth in the US again in 2024

HOUSTON – The Houston Chronicle reports that Texas led the nation in population growth again in 2024, according to new data released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau, marking at least the 14th year in a row that Texas has added more residents than any other state in the country. Texas added over 560,000 residents in 2024, according to the bureau’s latest population estimates. That’s nearly 100,000 more than second-place Florida, and more than twice as many new residents as California, which was third in population growth. The Lone Star State is now home to over 31 million residents, a nearly 2% increase from 2023 and over 7% jump since 2020. Only Idaho and Florida have grown at higher rates since 2020, census data shows.

Texas State Demographer Lloyd Potter said that Texas’ relative affordability, coupled with its growing economy and the job opportunities that come with it, have made the state a destination for over a decade. “Relative to other states, Texas is still affordable,” Potter said. “We don’t have income tax, so those factors — the jobs that we have, the affordability and the overall quality of life in Texas — make it an attractive place for people to move to.” Texas’ continued surge comes amid a year of remarkable population growth across the entire country, which the Census Bureau said was driven by an increase in international migration. The 1% growth nationwide marks the fastest annual population growth since 2001. The Census Bureau also, for the first time, included refugees in its count of immigrants in the U.S., though only at a national level. Immigrants accounted for about 84% of the 3.3 million new people in the U.S. in 2024, the bureau said. It was not immediately clear how many of those 2.8 million people were considered refugees, but part of the spike comes from improved methodology within the bureau to track net migration, the agency said. In Texas, more than half the state’s new residents between 2023 and 2024 were international migrants, Census Bureau data shows, the third-most in the nation after Florida and California.

Texas House panel may never hear Robert Roberson’s testimony

PALESTINE – A Texas House Committee was left without its key witness on Friday after Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a motion late Thursday barring death row inmate Robert Roberson from testifying at the Capitol.The bipartisan House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence had planned to hear directly from Roberson on Friday at noon about his failed efforts to overturn his capital murder conviction using the state’s junk science law, which grants new trials in cases that relied on scientific evidence that is later discredited.

But Paxton’s motion, which argued that the panel’s subpoena to Roberson was “procedurally deficient and overly burdensome,” excused the state prison system from complying with the committee’s subpoena and allowing Roberson to testify in person. That left the future of Roberson’s testimony unclear.

Lawmakers have tried for weeks to bring him to Austin after the Texas Supreme Court noted in November that state officials should be able to produce Roberson for testimony in compliance with a subpoena that does not interfere with a scheduled execution. After the committee’s first subpoena expired, it served him with another one this week.

Roberson was convicted of capital murder in 2003 for the death of his 2-year-old daughter Nikki, who was diagnosed with shaken baby syndrome. He has argued that new scientific evidence discredits Nikki’s diagnosis and shows she died of natural and accidental causes. Continue reading Texas House panel may never hear Robert Roberson’s testimony

Friendly fire: Donald Trump wants primary challenger to Texas’ Chip Roy

WASHINGTON – The Dallas Morning News reports President-elect Donald Trump lambasted U.S. Rep. Chip Roy after the Texas Republican pushed back on Trump’s call to suspend or abolish the debt ceiling. Trump posted criticism on social media Thursday that included an implicit political threat to the Austin congressman as he invoked the example of U.S. Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., who lost in the primary this year after getting crosswise with Trump. “Chip Roy is just another ambitious guy, with no talent. By the way, how’s Bob Good doing?” Trump said on Truth Social. “I hope some talented challengers are getting ready in the Great State of Texas to go after Chip in the Primary. He won’t have a chance!” Trump and his allies, including Elon Musk, torpedoed a deal that House Republican leaders negotiated with Democrats earlier this week to keep the government funded past a Friday night deadline and avoid a partial shutdown.

Roy joined Trump and other critics in blasting the deal, in part for including too much spending and too many concessions to Democrats. But he balked at a key Trump demand that the deal address the debt ceiling, a law that caps how much the government can borrow. Congress previously suspended the debt ceiling until Jan. 1, but the Treasury Department can deploy extraordinary measures expected to push the deadline until at least the spring. That sets up Democrats to make demands of Trump next year in exchange for votes to raise the debt ceiling, which is necessary to avoid a potentially devastating default. The incoming president wants to avoid being put in that situation. Roy said on a conservative radio program Thursday that Trump’s desire to deny Democrats leverage is understandable, but he emphasized ditching the debt ceiling without accompanying reforms would be a bad move. “I will not vote for a debt-ceiling increase without structural reforms to spending,” Roy said on The Sean Hannity Show. “I’m not going to do that. I wasn’t sent to Washington to do that.” Republican leaders came up with a new proposal, which Roy described as a “watered-down version of the same crappy bill that people were mad about yesterday” but with the addition of a two-year debt ceiling suspension.

David Rancken’s App of the Day 12/20/24 – Pestle!

Do you need some organization to your cooking? Check out David Rancken’s App Of The Day. It’s called Pestle. You can get Pestle in the app stores below.

YouTuber helps Tyler PD arrest man for solicitation of minors

TYLER– The Tyler Police Department arrested a 27-year-old man for online solicitation of a minor on Tuesday after a call from a YouTuber.

According to court documents, Tyler PD officers responded to a call about a suspicious person near the Residence Inn on Heritage Drive in Tyler at around 5:45 p.m. on Tuesday.
Our news partner, KETK, reports that the caller was later identified as the owner of a YouTube channel used to catch sexual predators called “Predator Poacher.” The owner told Tyler PD officers about a man that the channel had reportedly been in contact with since June 11, 2023.

Officers were shown messages that were reportedly between someone posing as 11 and 13-year-old girls and 27-year-old Jordan Lee Burk. According to the arrest affidavit, Burk had sexual conversations with someone posing as an 11-year-old named “Emily” and a 13-year-old named “Maddi” about dating and pregnancy.

On Tuesday, Tyler PD officers contacted Burk at his workplace, BioLife Plasma, to discuss the alleged messages. After Burk was read his Miranda right and questioned, he allegedly admitted to contacting the 11-year-old. According to Smith County records, Burk was arrested on two charges of online solicitation of a minor and sexual conduct, and booked into the Smith County Jail before being released on Wednesday.

Price of bitcoin falls more than 10%

(NEW YORK) -- The price of bitcoin has tumbled about 12% from a record high reached earlier this week.

After topping $108,000 for the first time on Tuesday, the world’s largest cryptocurrency dropped to a price below $93,000 in early trading on Friday. Bitcoin soon recovered some of those losses, settling around $95,000 at 9:30 a.m. ET.

The selloff rippled through the wider cryptocurrency market. Ether, the second-largest cryptocurrency, ticked down about 1%. Lesser-known dogecoin fell 4% and crypto-trading exchange Coinbase fell nearly 2%.

The slide for bitcoin has largely come after the Federal Reserve announced late Wednesday that it expects fewer interest rate cuts next year.

Lower interest rates typically stimulate economic activity, drive up corporate profits and lift the value of forward-looking assets like stocks and cryptocurrencies. In theory, a longer-than-expected period of high interest rates could diminish those returns.

The Fed’s forecast sent stocks falling within minutes and helped push bitcoin to its lowest level in weeks.

The recent slide for bitcoin erases some of the gains enjoyed since the election of former President Donald Trump, who is widely viewed as friendly toward cryptocurrency. Still, the price has climbed about 36% since Election Day.

Bitcoin had climbed to a new high earlier this week after Trump reaffirmed support for a U.S. bitcoin strategic reserve.

A U.S. bitcoin strategic reserve would amount to a substantial government holding of bitcoin similar to the country’s stockpile of oil or gold. Bitcoin bulls expect such a potentially large acquisition of bitcoin to drive up demand and hike the price.

Supporters of a bitcoin strategic reserve also say the asset would help diversify the nation’s financial holdings, protecting it from the possible decline in value of other assets, such as the U.S. dollar.

Since the price of bitcoin is highly volatile, a large purchase of the asset could end up threatening the nation’s financial stability rather than safeguarding it, some critics say.

The major stock indexes rebounded on Thursday, recovering some of the losses they took after the Fed’s unwelcome forecast.

Weekend Watchlist: What’s new on streaming

Ready, set, binge! Here's a look at some of the new movies and TV shows streaming this weekend:

Apple TV+
The Secret Lives of Animals: Watch the documentary series that shows off never-before-seen animal behaviors.

Max
Fast Friends: Whitney Cummings hosts a trivia game show to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Friends.

Peacock
Laid: A woman’s former lovers start dying in mysterious ways in the new romantic comedy series.

Netflix
Virgin River: In need of a comfort watch? Say “I do” to season 6 of the TV series.

The Six Triple Eight: Kerry Washington is an Army captain leading a team of female soldiers in the new film.

Disney+
What If ...?: Stream the third and final season of the animated Marvel series What If ...?

That’s all for this week’s Weekend Watchlist – happy streaming!

Pope Francis appoints new Bishop of Tyler

TYLER– The Diocese of Tyler has announced that Pope Francis appointed Bishop Gregory Kelly, the current Auxiliary Bishop of Dallas, as the new Bishop of Tyler on Friday. According to our news partner KETK, Kelly will be the fifth Bishop to ever be appointed to lead the Tyler Diocese since it was founded in 1986 by Pope St. John Paul II. Kelly’s appointment comes after Bishop Joseph Strickland was removed as Bishop of Tyler in November of 2023, following a months-long investigation by the Vatican.

Kelly was born in Le Mars, Iowa on Feb. 15 1956. He received his Bachelor’s of Arts in philosophy from the University of Dallas in 1978 while he was in the Holy Trinity Seminary in Irving, according to the Diocese of Dallas.Later in 1982, he received his master’s degree in divinity from the University of Dallas and he was ordained as a priest in that same year. He was made Auxiliary Bishop for Dallas in 2016 and has served as a Vicar General and moderator for the Curia.

The Diocese of Tyler will have an announcement press conference at 10 a.m. on Friday in the St. Paul meeting room at the Diocesan Chancery, located at 1015 E. Southeast Loop 323.

Chicago’s O’Hare airport issues ground stop amid snow, as storm moves east

(CHICAGO) -- Chicago's O'Hare International Airport issued a ground stop on Friday, pausing departures amid snowy and icy conditions as airports around the country grappled with inclement weather.

The stop came as the clipper system that brought heavy snow and airport delays to the Upper Midwest on Thursday is moving on Friday morning through the Illinois city.

As of 11:30 p.m. ET on Friday, 9,376 flights were delayed nationwide. The day ended with 523 cancellations.

Southwest Airlines lead the cancellations with 113 flights, or 2% of its scheduled flights. Ground stops and delays are expected to continue at airports in impacted areas throughout the night.

The most impacted airports were San Diego International with 157 cancellations and Boston Logan International with 154 cancellations.

Up to 10 inches of snow fell in the Upper Midwest on Thursday. Ten states are now on snow alert, stretching from Wisconsin down through the mountains of North Carolina.

A band of moderate snow with low visibility is moving into Chicago just in time for their morning commute.

A dusting to 1 inch is possible, just enough to make the roads very slick and dangerous in the city.

Also this morning, snow is moving through Michigan and Ohio and on its way to the Northeast.

This afternoon and evening the rain and snow will move into the I-95 corridor making roads slick.

Rain and snow will continue for the I-95 corridor into early Saturday morning.

Most areas will see only a dusting, the same as Chicago, but this could be enough to make roads dangerously slick, as temps fall to near freezing.

Locally about 3 to 6 inches of snow are possible in the mountains of West Virginia and into western NY, and northern New England.

Locally more than a foot possible in the highest elevations.

Christmas Eve rain or snow in the Northeast?

Another storm system is expected for Christmas Eve in the Northeast, with rain and snow possible.

Rain and snow could fall along the I-95 corridor on Tuesday, Christmas Eve.

With this storm, the highest chance for accumulating snow will be in upstate NY and in New England. It is too early to say how much snow is possible.

An arctic plunge will move into the Northeast this weekend, as temperatures fall into the teens and single digits Saturday night into Sunday.

Wind chills could be below zero for inland areas and in the single digits even for coastal major cities.

Looking ahead, warmer weather is forecast after Christmas for the Northeast and most of eastern U.S.

ABC News' Ayesha Ali contributed to this report.

Woman paralyzed by fallen tree finds hope with newly FDA-cleared device

Jessie Owen was left paralyzed nearly 12 years ago when a tree fell on a car in which she was a passenger. Via ABC News.

(NEW YORK) -- Nearly 12 years ago, Jessie Owen's life changed forever.

"My family was going over a mountain pass and a tree fell on our car. In that moment, my parents passed away, my siblings were severely injured, and I became quadriplegic," Owen said. "I lost my independence. I lost my job. I lost my apartment. I lost my autonomy and the life that I dreamed for myself."

Like Owen, more than 300,000 people live with spinal cord injuries in the United States, with an estimated 18,000 new cases each year, data shows.

Motor vehicle accidents account for the majority of spinal cord injuries and are closely followed by falls, acts of violence and sports activities, according to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center.

For years, options for recovery have been limited, but a newly FDA-cleared external spinal stimulator, ARC-EX Therapy, which received clearance on Dec. 19, may offer hope for people like Owen.

"ARC-EX is simply electrodes attached to skin on the back of the neck," explained Chet Moritz, M.D., a professor of rehabilitation medicine at the University of Washington. "It allows us to pass current through the skin to activate the sensory nerves as they enter the spinal cord. Now, those sensory nerves make direct connections to the motor nerves which help people to move."

Owen, who participated in the Up-LIFT study, a clinical trial focusing on the health benefits of ARC-EX Therapy, saw a life-changing impact.

"I was wildly surprised and pleased to see that it was making meaningful change in my life. I can now paint with my hands. I can open a jar of peanut butter. I can tie my shoes. It [used to] take me 30 minutes to get dressed. Now it takes 12. [I used to require] 20 caregiving hours a week and I was able to move down to about eight."

The Up-LIFT study produced promising results.

Of the 60 patients with cervical spinal cord injuries studied, 72% saw improvements in hand strength and function. Participants also reported fewer muscle spasms, better sleep, less pain, and improved independence during daily activities.

"The success of [this] study of people with spinal cord injuries is phenomenal," noted Moritz. "There are essentially no current therapies for chronic spinal cord injury, and so having the majority of patients respond in both strength and function measures [is] just an outstanding result."

With FDA approval, ARC-EX Therapy is expected to become more accessible.

"Patients can work with their local rehabilitation clinics to see a therapist and work with them in the clinic at first to tune the device," Moritz said. Results may appear quickly -- some participants noticed changes within just a few sessions, he added.

While the device is currently cleared for improving hand strength, function and sensation, Moritz noted other benefits: "Some people will have modest improvements in their bladder function, heart rate, or blood pressure control."

Leah Croll, M.D., vascular neurologist at Maimonides Health and assistant professor of neurology at SUNY Downstate, shared the excitement over the device.

"The idea that ARC-EX Therapy may accelerate or augment neurologic recovery is really exciting. Any improvement in neurologic function is meaningful and has far-reaching impact in the daily lives of these patients and their families," she said.

The road to recovery after a spinal cord injury is grueling, Croll said.

"After emergency and ICU care is completed, the mainstay of treatment is working closely with physical therapists, occupational therapists and other rehabilitation professionals to support neurologic recovery," said Croll. "Patients may also need medications and certain procedures, depending on their unique symptoms."

For Owen and others, ARC-EX Therapy represents a renewed sense of hope and an exciting change in the way these patients can be treated.

"[With ARC-EX Therapy], I continued to gain function back, and I found I was able to pour more into other people," Owen said. "The first indicator of success that I noticed was my own happiness. It works, and it gives us hope and passion."

Natalie S. Rosen, M.D., is a physician in the Hematology & Oncology Department at New York-Presbyterian Columbia and a member of the ABC News Medical Unit.

In brief: ‘You’ fifth, final season to hit Netflix in 2025 and more

Hello there, You. Season 5 of the series starring Penn Badgley as Joe Goldberg will arrive on Netflix in 2025, the streamer confirmed on Thursday. It was renewed for its fifth and final season back in March 2023. Along with Badgley, season 5 will star Charlotte Ritchie, Madeline Brewer, Anna Camp and Griffin Matthews, with Baby Reindeer breakout star Nava Mau guesting as Detective Marquez ...

It seems there are even more lies to tell. The Hulu series Tell Me Lies has been renewed for a third season. The renewal of the popular show, which stars Grace Van Patten and Jackson White, comes a little over two months after the season 2 finale was released. Much like the first season, the sophomore one ended on a cliff-hanger twist. The show's creator, Meaghan Oppenheimer, has also just signed an overall deal with 20th Television, which is part of Disney Television Studios ...

There's even more Sonic headed our way. Paramount is going forward with a fourth Sonic the Hedgehog movie, Variety reports. The news comes just as Sonic the Hedgehog 3 goes into previews at movie theaters, ahead of its weekend release. Jeff Fowler has directed all three Sonic live-action films, with Ben Schwartz lending his voice to the titular hedgehog and Jim Carrey starring as the evil Dr. Robotnik ...

Teamsters say ‘momentum continues’ as Christmastime strike against Amazon enters 2nd day

(NEW YORK) -- As the Teamsters' cross-country Christmastime strike against Amazon entered its second day on Friday, the union said that "momentum continues to mount" as workers seek "fair treatment" from the online retailer.

"The Amazon Teamsters movement grows bigger and stronger every day and will not be stopped," the International Brotherhood of Teamsters said in a statement posted on social media late Thursday.

Workers affiliated with the Teamsters began striking at Amazon facilities across the country early Thursday. The union said thousands of workers were walking off their jobs at facilities in New York City, Atlanta, Southern California, San Francisco and Illinois, but did not provide specific numbers.

Teamsters President Sean M. O’Brien is expected to join a picket line in California's City of Industry on Friday, the union said.

Amazon said the strike was not expected to impact operations and claimed the strikes were being attended by outside organizers. Kelly Nantel, director of Global Corporate Issues and Media Relations at Amazon, said the company had not seen an impact on deliveries.

"Thankfully, the vast majority of our employees and the drivers who deliver on our behalf came to work today to do what they do every day," Nantel said on Thursday. "They're doing a great job of working for their customers and their communities and as a result of their hard work."

The strike, which the Teamsters referred to as the largest strike in history, arrived during the busiest shopping season of the year, less than a week before Christmas.

In addition, the Teamsters said local unions were also picketing "hundreds" of Amazon Fulfillment Centers nationwide.

Overall, nearly 9,000 Amazon workers, across 20 bargaining units, have affiliated with the powerful Teamsters union, according to the union. The striking workers represent less than 1% of the company's 1.5 million employees worldwide, including 800,000 in the United States.

The National Labor Relations Board officially certified the union representing workers, but Amazon has appealed that ruling. The union said Amazon ignored a Sunday deadline for contract negotiations to begin.

"If your package is delayed during the holidays, you can blame Amazon's insatiable greed," O'Brien said in a statement Thursday announcing the strike. "We gave Amazon a clear deadline to come to the table and do right by our members. They ignored it."

In a statement to ABC News, an Amazon spokesperson said the Teamsters illegally coerced workers to join the union. The company in a statement described the people walking the picket lines as "almost entirely outsiders—not Amazon employees or partners."

"The truth is that [the Teamsters] were unable to get enough support from our employees and partners and have brought in outsiders to come and harass and intimidate our team, which is inappropriate and dangerous," Amazon said. "We appreciate all our team’s great work to serve their customers and communities, and are continuing to focus on getting customers their holiday orders.”

Amazon's market cap is $2.35 trillion. Shares of the retailer ticked up $2.77 on Thursday, climbing about 1.26%. The stock was down about 2 in premarket trading on Friday.

ABC News' Taylor Dunn and Soo Youn contributed to this report.

1 dead in ‘brutal’ Russian missile attack on Kyiv, US ambassador says

(LONDON) -- A Russian missile strike killed one person and wounded nine others early on Friday morning, Ukrainian officials said, an attack that U.S. Ambassador Bridget A. Brink described as "brutal."

"Early this morning Russia launched a ballistic missile attack against the capital, killing a civilian and resulting in debris and fires around the city," Brink said in a statement on social media.

Brink added that the United States and its partners were "surging security assistance and energy support" to the country "in response to these brutal attacks."

First responders were battling fires in the streets, and several high-rise buildings were damaged. Debris had fallen in at least four districts in the city, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on the Telegram messaging app.

More than 600 buildings, including more than a dozen medical sites, were without heat after the strike damaged a heating main in the city's southwestern Holosiivskyi District, he said. Seventeen schools and 13 kindergartens also were without heat early Friday.

Russia last month launched several aerial assaults that targeted energy infrastructure throughout Ukraine.

"Ukraine needs more air defense systems," Ukraine's Defense Ministry said on Friday. "Russian terror must be stopped."

Nine people were injured, including four who were hospitalized, in the strike on Kyiv, the mayor said, revising the number of injured from the previous seven.

ABC News' Helena Skinner contributed to this report.

Biden to announce $4.28 billion in student loan relief for 55,000 borrowers

(Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz)

(WASHINGTON) -- President Joe Biden's administration will announce on Friday another $4.28 billion dollars in student loan relief for nearly 55,000 public service workers.

The announcement will bring the total loan forgiveness by the Biden administration to "approximately $180 billion for nearly 5 million Americans," according to a fact sheet from the Department of Education.

The forgiveness will be delivered to individuals enrolled in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program (PSLF), which allows for debt forgiveness for people in jobs like firefighting, nursing and teaching after 10 years of continuous payment.

The Biden administration has made fixes to this program that had failed to deliver student loan relief to many due to poor implementations and errors in the program, officials said.

"The public servants approved for debt cancellation today include teachers, nurses, service members, law enforcement officials, and other public service workers who have dedicated their lives to giving back to their communities and who are finally earning the relief they are entitled to under the law," Biden said in a statement.

Of the nearly 5 million borrowers who have had more than $180 billion in debt relieved by the administration, more than 1 million were through the PSLF. The relief for those PSLF borrowers totals about $78 billion, the administration said.

"From Day One of my Administration, I promised to make sure that higher education is a ticket to the middle class, not a barrier to opportunity," Biden said in the statement.

He added, "Because of our actions, millions of people across the country now have the breathing room to start businesses, save for retirement, and pursue life plans they had to put on hold because of the burden of student loan debt."