By ADRIANA MORGA, Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Between collections resuming, courts blocking student loan programs and layoffs at the Education Department, borrowers might be confused about the status of their student loans.

Recently, the Education Department announced it would start involuntary collections on defaulted loans, meaning the roughly 5.3 million borrowers who are in default could have their wages garnished by the federal government.

At the center of the turmoil are the government’s income-driven repayment plans, which reduce monthly payments for borrowers with lower incomes. Those plans were temporarily paused after a federal court blocked parts of the plans in February.

“There’s so much confusion, they’ve made it very complicated,” said Natalia Abrams, president and founder of the Student Debt Crisis Center.

At the same time, some borrowers are struggling to get their loan servicers on the phone, making it hard to find answers to their questions, said Abrams.

If you’re a student loan borrower, here are some answers to your questions.

What if I want to enroll in an income-driven repayment plan?

Applications for income-driven repayment plans are open, but they’re taking longer than usual to process.

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The applications were temporarily shut down earlier this year after a federal court in Missouri blocked the SAVE plan, a Biden administration plan that offered a faster path to loan forgiveness. The judge’s order also blocked parts of other repayment plans, prompting the Education Department to pause income-driven applications entirely.

Amid pressure from advocates, the department reopened the applications on May 10.

Borrowers can apply for the following income-driven plans: the Income-Based Repayment Plan, the Pay as You Earn plan and the Income-Contingent Repayment plan.

Abrams expects applications will continue to be approved but at a slower pace than before the application pause.

Borrowers currently enrolled in an income-driven plan should be receiving notifications about recertification, said Khandice Lofton, counsel at the Student Borrower Protection Center. Recertification is required annually to update information on family size and income, and dates are different for each borrower.

To review income-driven repayment plans, you can check the loan simulator at studentaid.gov.

What if I applied to the SAVE plan?

Borrowers enrolled in the SAVE plan have been placed in administrative forbearance while a legal challenge is resolved. That means they don’t have to make payments and interest is not accruing. Time in forbearance normally does not count toward Public Service Loan Forgiveness.

The Education Department will notify borrowers with updates on payments and litigation.

“We don’t know for sure when the SAVE forbearance is going to end,” Abrams said.

While the future of the SAVE plan is decided in court, Abrams encourages borrowers to explore their eligibility for other income-driven repayment plans.

What if I want to consolidate my student loans?

The online application for loan consolidation is available again, at studentaid.gov/loan-consolidation. If you have multiple federal student loans, you can combine them into one with a fixed interest rate and a single monthly payment.

The consolidation process typically takes around 60 days to complete. You can only consolidate your loans once.

What if my loan was forgiven?

It would be difficult for the Education Department to reinstate loans that were canceled during President Joe Biden’s administration. So far, it isn’t believed to be happening, Abrams said.

What about the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program?

Nothing has changed yet.

President Donald Trump wants to change the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program to disqualify workers of nonprofit groups deemed to have engaged in “improper” activities. He signed an executive order to that effect, but it has yet to be enforced.

Borrowers enrolled in PSLF should keep up with payments to make progress toward loan forgiveness, said Sarah Austin, policy analyst at the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators.

“There could be some changes coming in regards to PSLF but at this current time PSLF is still functioning and there is still loan forgiveness being processed under the PSLF provision,” said Austin.

An income-driven repayment tracker has disappeared from the federal student loan website for many borrowers, said Abrams. For keeping track of their status, Abrams is recommending that borrowers take screenshots of their payments.

What if I can’t get a hold of my loan servicer?

Contacting your loan servicer is crucial to managing and understanding your student loans. Due to the large number of people trying to get answers or apply for programs, loan servicers are taking longer than usual to respond.

Abrams recommends borrowers prepare for long wait times.

“We’ve heard borrowers being in hold for three or four hours, then being transferred to a supervisor and then being hung up on, after all that wait time. It’s incredibly frustrating,” Abrams said.

What can I do if I’m delinquent on my student loans?

If you’re delinquent, try to get back on track. Borrowers who don’t make their payments for 270 days go into default, which has severe consequences.

“If you’re delinquent but have not defaulted yet, do whatever you can do to avoid going default,” said Kate Wood, a student loans expert at NerdWallet.

Borrowers who are delinquent on their student loans take a massive hit on their credit scores, which could drop 100 points or more, Wood said. A delinquency stays on your credit report for seven years.

Wood recommends contacting your servicer to ask for options, which can include forbearance, deferment or applying for an income-driven repayment plan.

What if I’m in default on my student loans?

The Education Department is recommending borrowers visit its Default Resolution Group to make a monthly payment, enroll in an income-driven repayment plan or sign up for loan rehabilitation.

Betsy Mayotte, president of The Institute for Student Loan Advisors, recommends loan rehabilitation.

Borrowers in default must ask their loan servicer to be placed into such a program. Typically, servicers ask for proof of income and expenses to calculate a payment amount. Once a borrower has paid on time for nine months in a row, they are taken out of default, Mayotte said. A loan rehabilitation can only be done once.

What happened to Fresh Start?

The Fresh Start program was a one-time temporary program that helped borrowers get out of default. This program ended Aug. 31, 2024.

The Associated Press receives support from Charles Schwab Foundation for educational and explanatory reporting to improve financial literacy. The independent foundation is separate from Charles Schwab and Co. Inc. The AP is solely responsible for its journalism.

By WAFAA SHURAFA and BASSEM MROUE

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel launched dozens of airstrikes across northern and southern Gaza on Friday, killing more than 93 people and wounding hundreds — attacks that Israeli officials described as a prelude to a larger military campaign in the territory aimed at pressuring Hamas to release hostages.

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Also on Friday, Israel struck two ports in Yemen that it said were used by the Houthi militant group to transfer weapons.

The strikes in Gaza followed days of similar attacks that killed more than 130 people, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, and came as U.S. President Donald Trump wrapped up a visit to Gulf states — but not Israel.

There had been widespread hopes that his trip to the region could increase the chances of a ceasefire deal, or the resumption of humanitarian aid to Gaza, which Israel has prevented for more than two months.

Speaking to reporters in Abu Dhabi on the final day of his trip, Trump said he was looking to resolve a range of global crises, including Gaza. “We’re looking at Gaza,” he said. “And we’ve got to get that taken care of. A lot of people are starving. A lot of people are — there’s a lot of bad things going on.”

In southern Gaza, Israel struck the outskirts of Deir al-Balah and the city of Khan Younis. It said it hit anti-tank missile posts and military structures.

In northern Gaza, the attacks sent people fleeing from the Jabaliya refugee camp and the town of Beit Lahiya. Israel said it eliminated several combatants who were operating in an observation compound.

Dark smoke was seen rising over Jabaliya as people grabbed what they could of their belongings and fled on donkey carts, by car and foot.

“We got out of the house with difficulty, killing and death, we did not take anything,” said Feisal Al-Attar, who was displaced from Beit Lahiya.

There were no immediate reports of casualties after the strikes on Yemen. The Houthis’ satellite channel Al-Masirah acknowledged the attacks, but provided no other details.

Israel’s military said it had intercepted several missiles fired from Yemen toward Israeli airspace during Trump’s trip.

Netanyahu vows to step up war

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed earlier in the week to push ahead with a promised escalation of force in Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip to pursue his aim of destroying the Hamas, which governs Gaza.

In comments released by Netanyahu’s office Tuesday, the prime minister said Israeli forces were days away from entering Gaza “with great strength to complete the mission … It means destroying Hamas.”

An Israeli official said the strikes on Friday were preparatory actions in the lead-up to a larger operation and to send a message to Hamas that it will begin soon if there isn’t an agreement to release the 58 hostages still in Gaza since Hamas’ October 2023 attack that launched the war. The official was not authorized to brief media and spoke on condition of anonymity

The same official said that Cabinet members were meeting Friday to assess negotiations in Qatar, where ceasefire talks are taking place, and to decide on next steps.

Israeli government spokesman David Mencer told The Associated Press on Friday that Israel’s military is intensifying its operations as it has done since Hamas stopped releasing hostages. “Our objective is to get them home and get Hamas to relinquish power,” he said.

‘Historic opportunity’

In Israel, families of hostages said they awoke Friday with “heavy hearts” to reports of increased attacks and called on Netanyahu to “join hands” with Trump’s efforts to release hostages.

Edan Alexander, the Israeli-American hostage released Monday after backdoor U.S.-Hamas diplomacy, left the hospital Friday, according to a statement released by his parents, who said his recovery was far from over.

“Missing this historic opportunity for a deal to bring the hostages home would be a resounding failure that will be remembered in infamy forever,” the families said in a statement released by the hostage forum, which supports them.

The war began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led terrorists killed 1,200 people and abducted 251 others during an attack on southern Israel. Hamas has been designated a terrorist organization by the United States, Canada, and European Union.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 53,000 Palestinians, many of them women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not say how many were combatants.

Almost 3,000 have been killed since Israel broke a ceasefire on March 18, the ministry said.

Of the hostages that remain in Gaza, Israel believes as many as 23 are still alive, although Israeli authorities have expressed concern for the status of three of those.

Gaza blockade enters third month

Dozens of Palestinians in Khan Younis lined up at a charity kitchen to obtain food Friday in a scene that quickly turned chaotic as the enclave entered its third month of Israel’s aid blockade.

Several children behind a metal partition screamed and cried out for food. At one point, the scene descended into chaos as charity kitchen workers struggled to push people back into line.

Some workers were attacked as the crowd surged forward, pressing against the partition and lunging toward the large pots of rice to grab whatever they could. One child used his hand to scoop the last bits of rice from the nearly empty pot, while holding his food container with the other hand.

Israel’s blockade is preventing food, fuel medicine and all other supplies from entering, worsening a humanitarian crisis. Israel says the blockade aims to pressure Hamas to release the hostages it still holds.

“Our only hope was that Donald Trump’s visit to the Middle East would result in solutions and somehow open crossings to bring in humanitarian assistance as soon as possible into the Gaza Strip, but the visit is almost over and not a drop of water or bread entered Gaza,” said Saqer Jamal, a displaced man from Rafah who was at the kitchen.

Earlier this week, a new humanitarian organization that has U.S. backing to take over aid delivery said it expects to begin operations before the end of the month — after what it describes as key agreements from Israeli officials.

A statement from the group, called the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, identified several U.S. military veterans, former humanitarian coordinators and security contractors that it said would lead the delivery effort.

Many in the humanitarian community, including the U.N., said the system does not align with humanitarian principles and won’t be able to meet the needs of Palestinians in Gaza and won’t participate it.

Mroue reported from Beirut. Associated Press writers Tia Goldenberg and Sam Mednick in Tel Aviv, Israel, contributed to this report.

Follow AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

By ALANIS THAMES, Associated Press

Breanna Stewart will start her ninth WNBA season in a few days. The New York Liberty All-Star and WNBA champ has been around the league long enough to watch her peers fight for visibility. She’s seen only a small uptick in player salaries over the years amid the WNBA’s meteoric rise in popularity.

Stewart has been a part of negotiations for two collective bargaining agreements as a member of the WNBA’s players union. A third round of negotiations is ongoing, perhaps the most important of Stewart’s career. By the end, she hopes to see player salaries grow to unprecedented numbers.

“It’s been going up incrementally,” Stewart said. “But hopefully with the new TV deal that’s coming, it’ll really kind of boost itself into a category of its own.”

That’s what WNBA players were hoping for when they opted out of the current CBA two years before its expiration. The WNBA is bringing in more money than ever from sponsors and ticket sales, and will bring in much more from its 11-year media rights deal, worth around $200 million per year starting in 2026.

With its expanding reach, the WNBA’s progress has come in a few areas: More teams are being added to the league, meaning more roster spots. Full-time charter flights were added last season after years of players lobbying for better travel.

But as the league booms, players are looking for a larger share in that growth. WNBA players currently earn only a small fraction of the league’s revenue share.

Player salaries have been a longstanding point of contention between the NBA — which owns about 60% of the WNBA and leads CBA negotiations — and women’s basketball players. It’s one of the biggest financial hurdles the league still faces, and players have said they’re willing to sit out games if negotiations don’t lead to a pay structure they feel is fair.

“The talent is there, the product is there,” Dallas Wings guard Arike Ogunbowale said. “Now we need to be compensated for it.”

The current WNBA CBA, which was signed before the 2020 season, boosted the maximum salaries for star players from $117,500 in 2019 to $215,000 in 2020.

FILE – Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) plays against the Dallas Wings in the second half of a WNBA basketball game in Indianapolis, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)

But that was long before the league’s recent popularity burst, before star players like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese brought in record numbers of fans.

“The league has only soared since” 2020, said Risa Isard, an assistant sports management professor at UConn. “And so this is the chance for the players to kind of recoup all of the value that they’ve produced in the last five years that they hadn’t gotten to see themselves so directly.”

What WNBA players are paid compared to NBA players

Paige Bueckers, the No. 1 pick in last month’s WNBA draft, signed a rookie deal that will be worth just over $78,000 in base salary, which is around what Clark received as the No. 1 pick a year ago. They’ll make much more in marketing deals and performance bonuses.

Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers poses for photos during a WNBA basketball media day in Arlington, Texas, Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Both are considered generational talents. Both are regarded as franchise-altering players. Both will make significantly less in base salary than most players in other leagues who have been just as hyped for their potential to change the trajectory of their teams.

That’s true for established stars like Stewart and three-time MVP A’ja Wilson, too. Players of their caliber can make at most around $240,000.

FILE – Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson (22) plays against the Seattle Storm in Game 2 of a WNBA basketball first-round playoff game Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)

The minimum salary for NBA players is $1,157,153. Victor Wembanyama, the superstar San Antonio Spurs center drafted No. 1 in 2023, earned $12.2 million as part of his $55 million rookie contract.

The NBA’s numbers are much bigger in part because of the huge difference in profit margins of both leagues. The NBA generated around $11 billion in revenue last season. The WNBA does not publicly release its revenue numbers, though Bloomberg reported the league made around $200 million in 2023.

WNBA player salaries are also significantly less than what the NBA paid its players when it last generated around $30 million — $200 million today, when adjusted for inflation — in the early 1970s, said David Berri, an economics professor at Southern Utah University. It’s top players then were making around $300,000, which today would be roughly $2 million, he said.

“They’re paying the women today so very, very little relative to what they were paying the men 50 years ago,” Berri added, “and the explanation of that to me, (is) you’re obviously just treating the women differently than the men.”

How much WNBA player salaries could increase

How much of a salary increase players receive remains to be seen. Berri said a 50% share of $200 million revenue earnings would equal an average player salary of at least $1 million, with max salaries going anywhere from $3 million to $5 million.

That’s easier said than done, he added.

Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese (5) shoots against Brazil forward Manu Alves (21) in the second half a WNBA exhibition basketball game in Baton Rouge, La., Friday, May 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

“Is the NBA going to acknowledge how little they were paying them?” Berri said, “and suddenly just come out with an agreement and say, ‘Oh, we’re going to pay you $5 million now?”

No WNBA player has ever earned close to $1 million in salary, but Stewart said reaching that number could set an important precedent.

“There are players in this league that are valued at more than $1 million,” Stewart said. “That’s just the reality of what it is. But for everyone else, seeing that number and realizing that, OK — now by that point, the league will be probably 30 years into it — and look what we’ve done.”

Pros and cons of WNBA players sitting out games

CBA negotiations have never led to WNBA players sitting out games, and many are hoping that it doesn’t come to that point.

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Though the WNBA, which is only 29 years old, has experienced a financial boom, it is still very small in terms of revenue compared to the NBA, which has been around for 80 years. That means WNBA players’ leverage is limited if they decide to sit out games, Berri said.

“Because if you walk off the job and don’t show up, the owners, the NBA owners are like, you’re actually not costing me much money,” he added.

Berri pointed to the U.S. women’s national soccer team’s fight for equal pay as a blueprint for potential success. Many of those players constantly brought attention to the gender pay gap in soccer through the media and their own online accounts. It ended in the U.S. House passing an equal pay bill in 2022, and Berri expects WNBA players could use similar methods.

If players do decide to sit out games, Isard, the UConn professor, said it wouldn’t be surprising given their history of standing up for causes they believe in.

“Often, they’re really selfless in what those causes are,” Isard said, “and they’re looking out for everyone and anyone else and the community, and what is happening in the Senate race, and what’s happening in reproductive justice and what’s happening in gun legislation — so many ways that they stand up for so many populations across this country.

“And I guess when I hear them say, ‘We would consider that,’ What I hear them say is, ‘Why wouldn’t we stand up for ourselves? We stand up for everyone. So us, too.’”

AP Basketball Writer Doug Feinberg and AP Sports Writer Stephen Hawkins contributed to this report.

By ZEKE MILLER and JON GAMBRELL

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that Iran has an American proposal over its rapidly advancing nuclear program as negotiations between the two countries go on.

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Trump’s remarks represent the first time he’s acknowledged an American proposal is with Tehran after multiple rounds of negotiations between U.S. Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

Negotiations have gotten into the “expert” level — meaning the two sides are trying to see if they can reach any agreement on the details of any possible deal. But one major sticking point remains Iran’s enrichment of uranium, which Tehran insists it must be allowed to do and the Trump administration increasingly insists the Islamic Republic must give up.

Trump discusses proposal on Air Force One

Trump made the comment aboard Air Force One as he ended his trip to the United Arab Emirates, the last stop on his three-nation tour of the Middle East that also included Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

At nearly every event he attended in the region, he insisted that Iran could not be allowed to obtain a nuclear bomb — something American intelligence agencies assess Tehran is not actively pursuing though its program is on the cusp of being able to weaponize.

A reporter asked Trump: “On Iran, has the U.S. given them a formal proposal? Has Steve Witkoff handed that over?”

“They have a proposal,” Trump responded. “But most importantly, they know they have to move quickly, or something bad is going to happen.”

Trump did not elaborate on the substance of the proposal and Iran did not immediately acknowledge having it.

On Thursday, Araghchi spoke to journalists at the Tehran International Book Fair and said that Iran did not have any proposal from the Americans yet.

Araghchi also criticized what he called conflicting and inconsistent statements from the Trump administration, describing them as either a sign of disarray in Washington or a calculated negotiation strategy. Witkoff at one point suggested that Iran could enrich uranium at 3.67%, then later began saying that all Iranian enrichment must stop.

Friday night, Araghchi wrote on the social platform X: “Iran has not received any written proposal from the United States, whether directly or indirectly.”

“In the meantime, the messaging we—and the world—continue to receive is confusing and contradictory,” he added. “Mark my words: there is no scenario in which Iran abandons its hard-earned right to enrichment for peaceful purposes.”

Talks have been held in Oman and Rome

Iranian and American officials have been in Oman and Rome for the negotiations, always mediated by Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi, a trusted interlocutor between the two nations. The talks seek to limit Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of some of the crushing economic sanctions the U.S. has imposed on the Islamic Republic, closing in on half a century of enmity.

Trump has repeatedly threatened to unleash airstrikes targeting Iran’s program if a deal isn’t reached. Iranian officials increasingly warn that they could pursue a nuclear weapon with their stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels. Meanwhile, Israel has threatened to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities on their own if it feels threatened, further complicating tensions in the Mideast already spiked by the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.

Gambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Associated Press writers Nasser Karimi and Amir Vahdat in Tehran, Iran, contributed to this report.