Julián Castro, the former mayor of San Antonio and housing secretary under former President Barack Obama, is still struggling to make headway in the Democratic presidential primary polls, but he is keeping pace with his more established competitors when it comes to releasing fully-formed campaign platforms.

Castro, who provided a detailed rundown of his immigration plan last month, rolled out his plan for education on Monday. The plan was built around five principles: universal pre-kindergarten, ensuring all high schoolers have a fair opportunity to graduate, affordable — and in many cases free — higher education, higher pay and more resources for teachers, and providing a fair education for all Americans regardless of race and socioeconomic class.

The plan is sweeping, but Castro really gets into the weeds when explaining his ideas for student loan forgiveness. In order to alleviate existing student debt, Castro's administration would cap monthly loan payments at $0 until the individual's income is at least 250 percent above the federal poverty line. This is not, Castro writes, a deferred payment. Once the borrower is earning the minimum salary, they will not pay more than 10 percent of their qualified income each month. After 240 monthly payments, including months where the payment is $0, the borrower will receive "non-taxable forgiveness of any remaining amount." Finally, all loans will have an interest accumulation cap that limit lifetime increase in the loan to 50 percent.

Castro's plan comes on the heels of another student loan forgiveness proposal from Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), also a presidential candidate, and the issue is likely to be a frequently-discussed topic as the 2020 election approaches. Read Castro's full plan at his campaign website. Tim O'Donnell

The consensus among economists was that unemployment would rise in May, potentially coming in at around at 20 percent because of the coronavirus pandemic. So when the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that a slew of job gains meant unemployment actually dropped from 14.7 percent to 13.3 percent, some people were either left scratching their heads, or, as The Washington Post reports, wondering whether the Trump administration tinkered with the data to give the White House an economic win.

But many experts, including the former top economist for former President Barack Obama, jumped in to explain why that "100 percent" isn't the case. The BLS did indeed acknowledge a "misclassification error" in the report — people who should've been classified as "temporarily unemployed" were instead classified as employed but "absent" from work. Without the mix-up, May's real unemployment figure likely would've been about 3 percentage points higher. But it turns out it's the result of dealing with challenging amounts of data, rather than book cooking.

The bureau has apparently been dealing with the issue for months, which means April's unemployment was also higher than the official figures. So much so, that it makes May's improvement more dramatic.

Those with a glass half-full perspective will focus on the fact that unemployment declined in May; the half-empty crowd on the fact the numbers remain historically high. The misclassification doesn't change either stance. Tim O'Donnell

Former Vice President Joe Biden, who recently locked up enough delegates to clinch the Democratic presidential nomination, said in a statement Friday that he is "proud" the party is "united" heading into November's general election against President Trump. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Politico reports, appears to have something to do with that.

Sanders received a portion of the blame for Trump's 2016 victory within some Democratic circles because many folks didn't think he did enough to help Hillary Clinton after she defeated him in the primaries that year. But even some of his more vocal critics don't feel that way way now. Neera Tanden, president of the liberal think tank Center for American Progress and a longtime Clinton aide, said Sanders "has been a tremendous force in helping unify the party," adding that she's "grateful for his work to urge his supporters to support Biden and fight Trump."

The senator has maintained throughout the election cycle that he'd support the Democratic nominee, and it sounds like his team isn't messing around when it comes to sticking by that promise. Gregory McKelvey, a Sanders supporter from Oregon who ran to be one of his delegates at the Democratic National Convention, told Politico he spoke with a Sanders aide who told him that if they find anything expressing dissent, such as posts including catch phrases "DemExit" or "Never Joe", on a person's social media feed, "then you are out" as a delegate. Read more at Politico. Tim O'Donnell

Two Buffalo police officers, Robert McCabe and Aaron Torgalski, were both charged with one count of second-degree assault Saturday, prosecutors said, after they were seen on video Thursday shoving a 75-year-old man to the ground during a protest against police brutality. The officers have pleaded not guilty and were released without bail, The Associated Press reports.

The video sparked outrage across the country, and criticism intensified when the Buffalo Police Department said the protester, Martin Gugino, tripped and fell. Gugino, described as a longtime peace activist, was hospitalized with a head injury resulting from the fall. He is now in "serious, but stable condition" and is "progressing in his recovery."

McCabe and Torgalski were suspended without pay Friday, prompting all 57 of their colleagues on the Buffalo Police Department's emergency response team to resign from the unit — but not the police force altogether — in their defense.

The charges are the latest examples of swift action being taken against police officers in the wake of George Floyd's death. In Minneapolis, the officer who pressed his knee against Floyd's neck has been fired and charged with second-degree murder, while three other ex-officers who watched the scene unfold and did not intervene were charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder. And two officers in Atlanta were fired this week after footage captured them using excessive force against two African-American college students who were out after a citywide curfew. Read more at The Associated Press and NPR. Tim O'Donnell

President Trump has reportedly directed the Pentagon to permanently reduce the number of U.S. troops stationed in Germany from 34,500 to 25,000. Germany's conservatives aren't pleased with the move, while the country's left wing parties welcomed it, The Guardian reports.

"The plans show that the Trump administration is neglecting an elementary task of leadership, to bind coalition partners into decision-making processes," said Johann Wadephul, the deputy chair of the parliamentary group of the Christian Democratic Union, to which Chancellor Angela Merkel belongs.

While the Trump administration's decision reportedly isn't linked to recent disagreements between Trump and Merkel, it does reflect the president's longstanding view that Germany hasn't pulled its weight in terms of defense spending as a key member of NATO. Subsequently, Berlin is concerned the alliance is fraying, which Wadephul says benefits only Russia and China. James Townsend, a former Pentagon official for Europe and NATO, told The Wall Street Journal the plan "erodes trust" with Germany, as well as other allies, even those outside NATO. South Korea, for example, may be worried about a similar maneuver while Seoul and Washington try to sort out how much South Korea should pay to defray the cost of U.S. military deployment there, per The Journal.

But not everyone's upset. Dietmar Bartsch, the leader of the parliamentary group of Germany's democratic socialist Die Linke Party, said Berlin should be thankful for the decision and "promptly start preparing the complete withdrawal of U.S. soldiers." Poland is also pleased with the development, considering reports that at least some of the 9,500 troops scheduled to leave Germany will head there, since Warsaw is meeting NATO's military-spending goal. Polish Prime Minister Matuesz Morawiecki said bolstering NATO's eastern border "will be a security boost to all of Europe." Read more at The Wall Street Journal and The Guardian. Tim O'Donnell

The Maryland-National Capital Park Police arrested a man who was filmed accosting a young woman and ramming a man with his bike while cycling on a trail in Bethesda, Maryland, a suburb of Washington, D.C, earlier this week. Anthony Brennan III, 60, of nearby Kensington, Maryland, was reportedly found after the agency received hundreds of tips from people who watched the video, though social media users reportedly previously incorrectly identified two other men as suspects. Brennan has been charged with second-degree assault.

In the video, a group of three people between aged 18 and 19 can be seen putting up flyers in support of the George Floyd protests. The suspect, who apparently objected to the group's actions, then forcibly grabbed one of the flyers from one of the women before charging at the man holding the camera, knocking him to the ground.

Brennan, who turned himself in after police found evidence in his home and obtained an arrest warrant, said he is "sick with remorse for the pain and fear I caused the victims," noting that he is cooperating with authorities and is committed to "addressing, through counseling, the underlying issues that led to my abhorrent behavior." Read more at The New York Times. Tim O'Donnell

The NFL has changed its tone.

The league worked its way into the spotlight this week, as several players and coaches spoke out about police brutality amid protests over George Floyd's death. Tensions rose when New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, who is white, said he would never agree with anyone who "disrespected" the United States flag, an issue that has divided the league since 2016 when former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick launched a movement to kneel during the national anthem before games in the hopes of bringing attention to racial injustices, including police brutality, in the U.S.

Brees, a well-respected player, faced backlash from even his own teammates, and eventually apologized. And, now, so has NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. In response to demands from players, many of whom appeared in a video featuring several of the sport's biggest stars, Goodell said Friday the league now encourages players to "speak out and peacefully protest" and that "we were wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier." Goodell said he is also personally protesting and wants "to be part of the change much needed change in this country."

Critics noted that Goodell's statement did not include a specific apology to or mention of Kaepernick, and it's unclear if Goodell was encouraging players to kneel during the anthem. A rule requiring players to stand remains in limbo, though it doesn't seem likely to be enforced. It's also unclear if this will pave a path for Kaepernick, who many analysts and some coaches believe could at the very least fill a backup role, to return the league. Read more at The Wall Street Journal and ESPN. Tim O'Donnell