By CHEYANNE MUMPHREY

Borrowers who have defaulted on their federal student loans will no longer be at risk of having their Social Security benefits garnished, an Education Department spokesperson said Tuesday.

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The government last month restarted collections for the millions of people in default on their loans. An estimated 452,000 people aged 62 and older had student loans in default, according to a January report from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

The department has not garnished any Social Security benefits since the post-pandemic resumption of collections and has paused “any future Social Security offsets,” department spokesperson Ellen Keast said.

“The Trump Administration is committed to protecting Social Security recipients who oftentimes rely on a fixed income,” Keast said.

Advocates encouraged the Trump administration to go further to provide relief for the roughly 5.3 million borrowers in default.

“Simply pausing this collection tactic is woefully insufficient,” said Persis Yu, executive director of the Student Borrower Protection Center. “Any continued effort to restart the government’s debt collection machine is cruel, unnecessary and will further fan the flames of economic chaos for working families across this country.”

Student loan debt among older people has grown at a staggering rate, in part due to rising tuition that has forced more people to borrow heavily. People 60 and older hold an estimated $125 billion in student loans, according to the National Consumer Law Center, a sixfold increase from 20 years ago.

That led Social Security beneficiaries who have had their payments garnished to balloon from approximately 6,200 beneficiaries to 192,300 between 2001 and 2019, according to the CFPB.

Associated Press writer Collin Binkley contributed to this report.

The Associated Press’ education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

By JIM MUSTIAN and JACK BROOK, Associated Press/Report for America

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A man who identifies himself as New Orleans jail escapee Antoine Massey released videos on social media while still on the run from authorities, leading to a police raid that failed to recapture him, an Associated Press source says.

Authorities were so convinced about the authenticity of the videos that they searched a New Orleans home late Monday where they believe the videos were filmed, according to a senior law enforcement official who spoke to The AP on the condition of anonymity. The official said he was not authorized to publicly discuss the ongoing investigation into the May 16 jail escape by 10 inmates.

Massey was not at the home, the official said, but authorities did locate some clothing they believe he wore during the filming.

Authorities had been tipped to the videos, which were posted on Sunday, by relatives who recognized the residence from which Massey was speaking. It was not immediately clear who owned the home.

Authorities say they are investigating the videos as they race to recapture Massey and convicted murderer Derrick Groves more than two weeks after 10 inmates made an audacious breakout from a New Orleans jail. Eight of the other escapees have since been recaptured.

Louisiana State Police, the agency leading the search for the fugitives, declined to comment on whether it had verified Massey’s identity in the videos. The agency carried out the search related to the videos, which have since been removed from Instagram.

The New Orleans Police Department said it “cannot confirm the authenticity” of the videos circulating on social media seemingly showing a man with the same facial tattoos as Massey sitting near a kitchen.

“Please, I’m asking for help,” said Massey, appealing to President Donald Trump and several rappers including Lil Wayne, a New Orleans native, in one video. “When I get back in custody I’m asking y’all please to come and help.”

Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson called on Massey to “come forward and turn himself in.”

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“Cooperating with law enforcement is in his best interest and may help avoid additional charges,” Hutson said in an emailed statement. “It is important that justice is served appropriately and that due process is followed.”

Massey, 32, faced charges of rape, kidnapping, domestic violence involving strangulation and violation of a protective order all stemming from a November 2024 incident, St. Tammany Parish authorities say. In Orleans Parish, where he was incarcerated, he faced charges of motor vehicle theft and domestic battery.

Massey said he is innocent.

A woman police identified as being in a relationship with Massey has suffered multiple alleged instances of physical abuse from him, according to police reports, and had a protective order against him last year, court records show.

This woman has been arrested and charged with obstruction of justice and being a principle to aggravated escape. Authorities said the woman knew of Massey’s escape plans in advance, communicated with him after his escape and misled authorities.

Massey also claimed in the video that he had been “let out” of jail.

Footage and images released by authorities show inmates yanking open a faulty cell door, removing a toilet and crawling through a hole where steel bars had been cut. They then scaled a barbed wire fence using blankets.

A maintenance worker charged with helping the incarcerated men escape has denied knowingly aiding them via his lawyer.

Brook is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

By HYUNG-JIN KIM and KIM TONG-HYUNG

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Lee Jae-myung, who rose from childhood poverty to become South Korea’s leading liberal politician vowing to fight inequality and corruption, was elected president Wednesday in an election that closed one of the most turbulent chapters in the nation’s young democracy.

Lee, 60, the candidate of the liberal opposition Democratic Party, is to take office later Wednesday for a full, single five-year term, succeeding Yoon Suk Yeol, a conservative who was felled over his stunning yet brief imposition of martial law in December.

It was unclear whether Lee’s election would cause any major, immediate shift in South Korea’s foreign policy. Lee, previously accused by critics of tilting toward China and North Korea and away from the U.S. and Japan, has repeatedly stressed South Korea’s alliance with the U.S. as the foundation of its foreign policy.

The toughest external challenges awaiting the new president are U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff policy and North Korea’s advancing nuclear program. But experts say whoever becomes president can’t do much to secure major progress in South Korea’s favor on those issues.

As of 3 a.m. Wednesday, with over 97% of the votes counted, Lee obtained 49% of the votes cast, while main conservative contender Kim Moon-soo trailed with 41.6% — a gap of more than 2.5 million votes that was impossible to overcome mathematically.

Pre-election surveys have long suggested Lee appeared headed for an easy win, riding on deep public frustration over the conservatives in the wake of Yoon’s martial law debacle.

Even before Lee’s win was formally declared, Kim conceded, telling journalists he “humbly accepts the people’s choice” and congratulated Lee.

Earlier, Lee appeared before thousands of cheering supporters in the streets of Seoul. He didn’t formally claim victory but reiterated his major policy goals such as revitalizing the economy, promoting peace with North Korea and easing a domestic divide.

“Let us move forward with hope and make a fresh start from this moment on,” he said. “Though we may have clashed for some time, even those who did not support us are still our fellow citizens of the Republic of Korea.”

Pragmatic diplomacy

Lee, who served as governor of Gyeonggi province and mayor of Seongnam city, has been a highly divisive figure in politics for years.

As a former child laborer known for his inspirational rags-to-riches story, Lee came to fame through biting criticism of the country’s conservative establishment and calls to build a more assertive South Korea in foreign policy. That rhetoric has given him an image as someone who can institute sweeping reforms and fix the country’s deep-seated economic inequality and corruption.

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His critics view him as a dangerous populist who relies on political division and backpedals on promises too easily.

On foreign policy, Lee has vowed to pursue pragmatic diplomacy. He has promised to solidify a trilateral Seoul-Washington-Tokyo partnership, a stance that isn’t much different from the position held by South Korea’s conservatives.

He said he would pursue better ties with North Korea but acknowledged that it would be “very difficult” to hold a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un anytime soon. This signals Lee won’t likely initiate any drastic steps meant to improve relations with North Korea.

Experts say there aren’t many diplomatic options for South Korea as it tries to address Trump’s tariff hikes and calls for South Korea to pay more for the cost of the U.S. military presence, as well as North Korea’s headlong pursuit of nuclear weapons. Experts say that has made both Lee and Kim Moon Soo avoid unveiling ambitious foreign policy goals.

Paik Wooyeal, a professor at Seoul’s Yonsei University, said foreign policy strategists for Lee understand there isn’t much South Korea can do to bring about a denuclearization of North Korea. Paik said Lee also doesn’t share the Korean nationalistic zeal held by ex-liberal President Moon Jae-in, who met Kim Jong Un three times during his 2017-22 term.

Impact of tariff hikes

Lee’s government still could become engaged in “a little bit of friction” with the Trump administration, while a Kim Moon Soo government, which prioritizes relations with Washington, would likely offer more concessions to the U.S., said Chung Jin-young, a former dean of the Graduate School of Pan-Pacific International Studies at South Korea’s Kyung Hee University.

Chung predicted Lee won’t be able to pursue overly drastic steps on foreign policy and security, given the country’s foreign exchange and financial markets are vulnerable to such changes.

Lee has preached patience over Trump’s tariff policy, arguing it would be a mistake to rush negotiations in pursuit of an early agreement with Washington. Kim Moon Soo has said he would meet with Trump as soon as possible.

On Monday, South Korean trade officials held an emergency meeting to discuss a response to Trump’s announcement that the U.S. will raise tariffs on steel and aluminum products to 50% beginning Wednesday. South Korea’s central bank last week sharply lowered its 2025 growth outlook to 0.8%, citing the potential impact of Trump’s tariff hikes and weak domestic demand worsened by the political turmoil of past months.

Healing domestic divide

The election serves as another defining moment in the country’s resilient democracy, but observers worry a domestic divide could pose a big political burden on the new president.

The past six months saw large crowds of people rallying to either denounce or support Yoon, while a leadership vacuum caused by Yoon’s impeachment and ensuing formal dismissal rattled the country’s high-level diplomatic activities and financial markets.

Lee has promised to heal the national split, but his vow to thoroughly hold those involved in Yoon’s martial law stunt accountable has sparked concerns that he would use investigations to launch political retaliations against his opponents.

In a Facebook posting earlier Tuesday, Lee called for voters to “deliver a stern and resolute judgement” against the conservatives over martial law. In a campaign speech Monday, Lee claimed that a win by Kim Moon Soo would mean the “return of the rebellion forces, the destruction of democracy and the deprival of people’s human rights.”

Kim, a former labor minister under Yoon, claimed that a Lee win would allow him to wield excessive power.

By DEE-ANN DURBIN, AP Business Writer

If McDonald’s ever doubted it needed to bring back the Snack Wrap, consider this: Nine years after the fast-food powerhouse discontinued the item in the U.S., customers have continued to order it at drive-thrus.

Those customers won’t have to leave empty-handed for long. On Tuesday, McDonald’s announced that a new version of the Snack Wrap will go on sale July 10.

McDonald’s invented the Snack Wrap — a tortilla full of chicken, lettuce, shredded cheese and sauce — almost two decades ago to make it easier to eat its chicken on the go. But it was too complicated for its kitchens to prepare, so the burger giant abandoned the Snack Wrap in the U.S. in 2016.

The decision devastated fans like Alicia Force, a musician and administrative assistant at a high school in Missouri. Force tried to make Snack Wraps at home and sampled alternatives from Arby’s and other restaurants, but nothing was the same. So she started a Facebook group with 86 members urging McDonald’s to resurrect the Snack Wrap.

Other loyal noshers weighed in too. A Change.org petition asking McDonald’s to bring back the Snack Wrap has nearly 19,000 signatures. A TikTok video showing a U.S. food reviewer eating Snack Wraps in Ireland — where they’re still sold — racked up more than 1.4 million views.

It had an impact. McDonald’s began teasing a Snack Wrap reappearance earlier this year.

“We listen to our fans, and the Snack Wrap’s return is a testament to that,” McDonald’s U.S. President Joe Erlinger told The Associated Press.

But McDonald’s has other reasons for the reboot. The Snack Wrap’s lower price point could lure back inflation-weary customers, who have been eating fewer fast-food meals in recent months. The wraps’ smaller size and tortilla casing also appeal to the health-conscious.

Steve Davis, a mental health counselor in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, used to buy six grilled chicken Snack Wraps at a time and keep them in his fridge as a grab-and-go snack.

“I’m not actually a fast-food fan, but Snack Wraps felt different, like I was eating an actual ‘wrap.’ I felt like I was being healthier,” Davis said.

Snack Wraps will also help McDonald’s compete with a growing number of rivals. Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen introduced its own chicken wraps on Monday, while Burger King and Wendy’s have sold them since 2023. Even the convenience store chain Wawa sells a chicken wrap.

“There’s so much opportunity in the chicken category,” Erlinger said. Fast-food chicken sales are nearly twice the size of beef and are growing more quickly across the globe, Erlinger said.

Reviving the Snack Wrap was a years-long process, Erlinger said. First, McDonald’s wanted to develop a better fried chicken strip. After several years of testing, the Chicago-based company debuted its peppery McCrispy Strips in early May.

McDonald’s also had to update its Snack Wrap tools, simplify the preparation process and train workers at its 13,500 U.S. restaurants, Erlinger said.

“With this being one of our most highly anticipated menu items, we knew we had one chance to knock it out of the park. It had to be easy for crew to execute,” Erlinger said.

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For the U.S. comeback, McDonald’s is offering fewer kinds of Snack Wraps to ensure faster service. It used to have both grilled and fried chicken options, but it’s only offering fried chicken in the U.S. for now. And the relaunched Snack Wraps will only come in two flavors: Ranch or Spicy. The company used to offer additional sauces like honey mustard and sweet chili.

That could disappoint some fans. Force was partial to a Snack Wrap with honey mustard sauce, for example. Davis always got grilled chicken on his Snack Wraps, and he rarely went to McDonald’s after they disappeared.

McDonald’s continues to have a wider range of options in some other markets where Snack Wraps never went away. Canada still offers grilled or fried chicken in its Snack Wraps, for example, as well as chicken, fish and breakfast versions of full-sized wraps. McDonald’s wouldn’t say if it plans to add more Snack Wrap varieties in the U.S.

“We’ll continue listening to our fans when it comes to menu innovations,” the company said.

Snack Wraps are returning at a sluggish period for fast-food restaurants. From January through April, U.S. fast-food traffic was down 1% compared to the same period a year ago, said David Portalatin, a senior vice president and industry advisor for food service at market research firm Circana.

McDonald’s same-store sales – or sales at locations open at least a year – were down 3.6% in the first quarter of the year compared to the same period last year. Its same-store sales grew less than 1% in 2024.

Inflation is the main culprit, Portalatin said. In the first quarter of this year, the average check at a U.S. fast-food restaurant was up 41% from the same period in 2019, he said. The higher prices have led many Americans – especially middle- to lower-income families – to eat at home instead of going out.

McDonald’s has tried to counter that with a limited McValue menu and increased deals. But less expensive options like a Snack Wrap may also help.

The company won’t say how much the Snack Wrap will cost in the U.S. because prices will vary by location. But Burger King’s prices may give a clue. At a Michigan restaurant this week, Burger King charged $2.99 for its Royal Crispy Wrap, the 310-calorie equivalent of a Snack Wrap. Burger King’s Royal Crispy Chicken sandwich, with a bun, a larger chicken breast and nearly twice the calories, cost $5.49.

Portalatin said snack-sized options from McDonald’s and others also reflect Americans’ changing dining habits. More people are choosing to eat smaller meals throughout the day instead of having having breakfast, lunch and dinner at their traditional times.

“The consumer doesn’t think about things in the neat buckets that we as marketers like to think about them,” Portalatin said. “We like to say, ‘This occasion is lunch and these are lunch foods.’ The consumer simply says, ‘I’m hungry. What time is it? Where am I?’”

That was certainly true for Force, who said she has fond memories of picking up a Snack Wrap after school as a teenager. She’s looking forward to making that part of her routine once more.

“Hopefully, they come back and they taste the same, and they don’t break my heart again, quite frankly,” she said.