An Education Department report, released last week, showed that default rates on federal student loans are rising. Kelly Field, The Chronicle's chief Washington reporter, and Sara Hebel, our politics editor, discuss how the report is influencing the debate over President Obama's plan to end bank-based lending.

Kelly Field, The Chronicle's chief Washington reporter, and Sara Hebel, our politics editor, spend a minute (or so) each week discussing the key higher-education debates and behind-the-scenes maneuvering taking place in the nation's capital. Look for new episodes every Tuesday.