Today in one sentence: A group of Republicans threatened to delay plans to fast-track the House-passed bill to suspend the debt ceiling and limit federal spending before Monday's default deadline; the Senate passed a Republican effort to overturn Biden’s plan to cancel up to $20,000 in federal student loans for 43 million borrowers; the largest property insurer in California will stop selling coverage to homeowners because of the state's “rapidly growing catastrophe exposure”; humans have pushed Earth past seven of the eight safety limits related to planetary health and human well-being; and two Alabama congressional representatives want to block funding for U.S. Space Command's temporary headquarters in Colorado.

1/ A group of Republicans threatened to delay plans to fast-track the House-passed bill to suspend the debt ceiling and limit federal spending before Monday’s default deadline. Lindsey Graham said he’d keep the Senate tied up “until Tuesday” unless he received assurances that there would be a supplemental funding bill to spend more money on the military than the debt limit deal allowed. Under the bill, defense spending would be capped at $886 billion next year – a 3% increase – which Susan Collins called “woefully inadequate.” Biden needs to sign the debt ceiling bill into law by Monday to avoid a default. “Time is a luxury the Senate does not have if we want to prevent default,” Chuck Schumer said. “June 5 is less than four days away. At this point, any needless delay or any last-minute holdups would be an unnecessary and even dangerous risk.” (CNBC / Washington Post / New York Times / Associated Press / NBC News / Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal)

2/ The Senate passed a Republican effort to overturn Biden’s plan to cancel up to $20,000 in federal student loans for 43 million borrowers. Biden has promised to veto the measure. The legislation would also repeal the freeze on student loan repayment and limit the Education Department’s ability to cancel student loans in the future. It passed in a 52-46 vote, with two Democrats and one independent senator joining with Republicans. (Associated Press / CNBC / Politico / USA Today / NBC News)

  • 💡 Why should I care? Imagine you and your friends want to play at the arcade, but some of them don’t have enough allowance left because they owe money. Or maybe some of your friends live in neighborhoods where they don’t get as much allowance or have to use it for other things, and so they don’t get to play at the arcade as often. If their parents cancel this debt, they would have more money to spend at the arcade, which means more fun for everyone and more business for the arcade. This is similar to how student loan forgiveness can help people from different backgrounds have the same chances to learn and succeed. Student loan forgiveness isn’t just about money; it’s about fairness and giving everyone an equal shot at success.

3/ The largest property insurer in California will stop selling coverage to homeowners because of the state’s “rapidly growing catastrophe exposure.” State Farm, which insures more homeowners in California than any other company, cited wildfire risk, rising construction costs, and challenges with reinsurance (which is when insurance companies buy their own insurance coverage). Disasters linked to climate change have caused $33 billion in damages since 2017 in the state. (New York Times / E&E News / Politico / Grist / Curbed)

4/ Humans have pushed Earth past seven of the eight safety limits related to planetary health and human well-being. A study by the Earth Commission found that only air pollution wasn’t already in “the danger zone,” revealing that significant damage to the planet is already occurring even before breaching the globally agreed 1.5 degree Celsius warming threshold. This study also introduced the concept of “justice” when quantifying what’s safe for the planet and people by incorporating factors such as human well-being, air pollution, overuse of fertilizers, groundwater supplies, the health of fresh surface water, and the overall natural and human-built environment. The study concludes that humans are taking “colossal risks with the future of civilization and everything that lives on Earth.” (Associated Press / The Guardian)

  • 💡 Why should I care? Climate change directly impacts our lives and the future of our planet. It affects the well-being of communities, threatens biodiversity, and jeopardizes our economic stability. By addressing climate change, we can protect vulnerable populations, preserve the natural world, create a sustainable economy, and ensure a safe and livable future for ourselves and generations to come.

5/ Two Alabama congressional representatives want to block funding for U.S. Space Command’s temporary headquarters in Colorado. The two lawmakers submitted a draft House bill seeking to block the Biden administration from spending money on SPACECOM until “an official decision” is made on the location of its permanent headquarters, which the Trump administration said would be in Huntsville, Alabama. The Biden administration, however, has considered reversing the planned move to Alabama over concerns about the state’s near-total ban on abortion. (NBC News / The Hill / AL.com)

poll/ 84% of Americans who don’t identify as LGBTQ support equal rights for the LGBTQ community. 70% of non-LGBTQ Americans agree that companies should publicly support the LGBTQ community through hiring practices, advertising, and sponsorships. (GLAAD)