FINALLY, GOOD NEWS FOR DRUMPF / TRUMP VOTERS!!!

 

SCRAP THE CAP

 

Sign the petition: Trump's backdoor to privatizing Social Security 11AUG25

 EVERYONE knows by now NOT MY pres drumpf / trump is a compulsive, repulsive sociopathic psychopathic LIAR. He campaigned promising to protect and maintain Social Security but all along has been planning to privatize it. Please sign this petition from Demand Progress telling congress to protect Social Security from privatization and also e mail your representative and senators to prevent the privatizing of Social Security and to strengthen it by lifting the tax cap ( the amount of income subject to Social Security taxes, set at $176,000 for 2025 ). My e mails will be at the end of this post..... 

TELL CONGRESS: After months of slashing funding and staff at the Social Security Administration, the White House now says that Trump's big budget law includes a "backdoor way for privatizing Social Security." The fight to protect Social Security is urgent. Sign the petition: Block Trump's scheme to destroy Social Security. ADD YOUR NAME Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent openly admitted that Trump’s big budget bill includes a "backdoor way for privatizing Social Security."1 The existential threat to Social Security has grown ever-more serious under Trump 2.0. For months, the Trump administration, DOGE and GOP leaders have taken a sledgehammer to the Social Security Administration. The White House fired thousands of workers at the agency and closed field offices. Call wait times are now the worst on record, with seniors waiting hours, days, or weeks just to get basic help with the income they rely on.2,3 Now, the Trump administration isn’t even trying to hide its attacks on Social Security. Our lawmakers need to take action immediately and save the public benefits program before Trump rips it away from millions of people. Sign the petition: Don’t let Trump privatize and destroy Social Security! ADD YOUR NAME Trump has claimed over and over again that he won’t touch Social Security. But the reality is that his big ugly budget bill not only slashed Medicaid and handed tax breaks to billionaires — it also set in motion a plan to undermine Social Security. “Republicans' ultimate goal is to privatize Social Security, and there isn't a backdoor they won’t try to make Wall Street's dream a reality,” said the top Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee, Rep. Richard Neal.4 For decades, Social Security has provided tens of millions of seniors and people with disabilities with economic security and the ability to live with dignity. Our lawmakers can’t allow the Trump administration to take this critical program away from so many people. Sign the petition: Save Social Security from DOGE and Trump! Thanks for taking action, Joey and the Demand Progress team DONATE Sources: Common Dreams, "Bessent Admits Trump Tax Scam Offers 'Backdoor for Privatizing Social Security',” July 30, 2025. NPR, “Employee cuts at Social Security are leaving remaining workers struggling to keep up,” July 4, 2025. The Hill, "Warren wants answers from Social Security chief on phone wait times,” July 28, 2025. Common Dreams, "Bessent Admits Trump Tax Scam Offers 'Backdoor for Privatizing Social Security',” July 30, 2025. Contributions to ActBlue Civics and Demand Progress Action are not deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes. Join our online community on Instagram or Twitter. Bessent Admits Trump Tax Scam Offers 'Backdoor for Privatizing Social Security' "Despite their repeated claims they wanted to protect Social Security, the Trump administration said the quiet part out loud," said one critic in response to the billionaire treasury secretary's candid comments. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Wednesday admitted that a provision in Republicans' One Big Beautiful Bill Act is a mechanism for privatizing Social Security—something President Donald Trump has repeatedly said he won't do. Speaking at a policy event hosted by the far-right news site Breitbart, Bessent touted the so-called "Trump accounts" available to all U.S. citizen children starting next July under the OBBBA signed by the president earlier this month. "In a way, it is a backdoor way for privatizing Social Security," the billionaire former hedge fund manager said of the accounts. "Social Security is a defined benefit plan paid out—that to the extent that if all of a sudden these accounts grow, and you have in the hundreds of thousands of dollars for your retirement, that's a game-changer." Responding to Bessent's admission, Tim Hogan—the Democratic National Committee senior adviser for messaging, mobilization, and strategy—said that the treasury secretary "just said the quiet part out loud: The administration is scheming to privatize Social Security." "It wasn't enough to kick millions of people off their healthcare and take food away from hungry kids," Hogan added. "Trump is now coming after American seniors with a 'backdoor' scam to take away the benefits they earned. Democrats won't stand by as Trump screws over working families in order to give more handouts to billionaires." House Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Richard Neal (D-Mass.) said in a statement: "Today, the treasury secretary said the quiet part out loud: Republicans' ultimate goal is to privatize Social Security, and there isn't a backdoor they won't try to make Wall Street's dream a reality. For everyone else though, it's yet another warning sign that they cannot be trusted to safeguard the program millions rely on and have paid into over a lifetime of work." Nancy Altman, president of the advocacy group Social Security Works, mocked Trump's promises to preserve the key program upon which more than 70 million Americans rely—and called him out for eviscerating the Social Security Administration (SSA). "So much for Donald Trump's campaign promise to protect Social Security," Altman said in a statement. "First, he gave Elon Musk the power to gut SSA. Now, Trump's treasury secretary has said the quiet part out loud. He is bragging about the administration's goal to privatize Social Security." "First, they are undermining public confidence in Social Security by making false claims about fraud (which is virtually nonexistent) and wrecking the system's service to the public," Altman continued. "Then, once they have broken Social Security, they will say that Wall Street needs to come in and save it." "That is a terrible idea," she added. "Unlike private savings, Social Security is a guaranteed earned benefit that you can't outlive. It has stood strong through wars, recessions, and pandemics. The American people have a message for Trump and Bessent: Keep Wall Street's hands off our Social Security!" Alliance for Retired Americans executive director Richard Fiesta said that "Bessent let the cat out of the bag: This administration is coming for Social Security." "We're not surprised—but we are alarmed because this administration has already taken multiple steps to weaken and dismantle Social Security," Fiesta added, highlighting the weakening of the SSA, false fraud claims, and "the massive tax breaks to the wealthy and corporations" under the OBBBA that experts say will hasten the Social Security Trust Fund's insolvency. The progressive watchdog Accountable.US called Bessent's remarks "a shocking confession." "Despite their repeated claims they wanted to protect Social Security, the Trump administration said the quiet part out loud: The Big Ugly Betrayal is a backdoor way to privatize Social Security," Accountable.US executive director Tony Carrk said in a statement. "Once again the administration is risking the financial security of millions of Americans in order to protect a system rigged in the favor of big corporations and billionaires," Carrk added. In another blow to Social Security recipients, the Trump administration is set to implement a new policy next month that is expected to further increase wait times for basic services. As Common Dreams reported Wednesday, starting in mid-August, SSA will no longer allow seniors to use their phones for routine tasks they've been able to perform for decades. Brett Wilkins Brett Wilkins is a staff writer for Common Dreams. Full Bio > From Your Site Articles Survey Shows US Voters Want Congress to Expand--Not Cut or Privatize--Social Security › Trump's Social Security Lies in Speech to Congress Seen as 'Prelude to Vicious Cuts' › 'Prelude to Privatizing Social Security': Cuts Came Straight From White House › Sanders Warns Musk's Call for $700 Billion in Cuts Is a 'Prelude' to Social Security Privatization › Here Comes Trump's Privatization of the Social Security Administration › MY E MAILS TO REP SUBRAMANYAM D-VA 10TH, SEN WARNER D-VA AND SEN KAINE D-VA NOT MY pres drumpf / trump plans on privatizing Social Security though he campaigned on protecting it. Privatizing Social Security is not protecting it. I expect you to work with the entire Virginia congressional delegation as will as representatives and senators of all states from both parties to prevent Social Security from being privatized. I also expect you to work with these politicians to eliminate the Social Security tax cap or at the very least to raise it from $176,000.00 to a minimum of $500,000.00. I, like the majority of retirees, need my Social Security, and also want it to be financially viable for future retirees. Thank you

POLITIFACT THIS WEEK, War narratives move fast. Facts take time: Fact-checking fallout from US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, to the extent possible, False war imagery flooded social media after the US attack. Here’s how to tell real footage from fake., What is the economic importance of the Strait of Hormuz?, Fact-checks of the week, Fact-checking falsehoods about Trump's ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ and taxes, deficit, Medicaid, Did the VA approve new hospital rules that allow discrimination against Democrats and unmarried veterans?, At fact-checking conference, Brazilian leaders defend social media regulation, Quick links to more fact-checks & reports , Do you smell smoke? Here's your Pants on Fire fact-check of the week: We go back to Iran. This viral video of an Iranian woman in a rainbow hijab was AI-generated! See what else we've rated Pants on Fire this week.

 

This week:  Our work on ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ rhetoric … Easy tips for not falling for fake imagery after US’ Iran attacks … Unpacking the Strait of Hormuz’s economic value … Do new VA hospital rules allow discrimination? … Fact-checkers gather in Rio  A weekly note from the editor-in-chief of    Thank you for being a member. We couldn't do this without you. Refer a friend Share PolitiFact

(AP)

Fact-checking fallout from US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, to the extent possible President Donald Trump took a victory lap Saturday after U.S. armed forces conducted targeted strikes on key Iranian nuclear facilities, saying in clear terms that the undercover bombing raid succeeded. “Tonight, I can report to the world that the strikes were a spectacular military success,” Trump said June 21. “Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated.” Yet the smoke at Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan had not cleared, so to speak. So how was Trump certain about total destruction? Top officials fanned out the next morning, with softer language. Asked about the assessment on ABC “This Week,” Vice President JD Vance said, "Severely damaged versus obliterated — I'm not exactly sure what the difference is. What we know is we set their nuclear program back substantially." Gen. Dan Caine, the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, said at a Sunday morning news conference, “Final battle damage will take some time, but initial battle damage assessments indicate that all three sites sustained extremely severe damage and destruction.” As the week went on, Trump lashed out at people questioning his early use of “obliterated.” Speaking from the NATO summit Wednesday morning, Trump said the U.S. strikes were “very, very successful. It was called obliteration.” With an abundance of unknowns, we examined Trump’s messaging that the U.S. “totally obliterated” the sites.  The answer is too murky for a Truth-O-Meter rating at this time. But even before media outlets reported Tuesday about an initial U.S. intelligence assessment saying the strike has set back Iran's program by months, a wide array of military experts said Trump’s "completely and totally obliterated" characterization was premature. "It would have been difficult to confidently make such a statement right after the raid," said Mark F. Cancian, a senior adviser with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington-based think tank. It’s difficult to have definitive information within a couple of days about damage to the facilities at Fordo, which are located hundreds of feet under the surface and would not be visible on satellite imagery.  Experts said Caine’s more measured take on the bunker-busting bombs was more plausible. As of this writing, the Trump administration has not released evidence for Trump’s conclusion. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Politico on Wednesday that Iran is “much further away” from a nuclear weapon after the undercover raids. “That’s the most important thing to understand — significant, very significant, substantial damage was done to a variety of different components, and we’re just learning more about it.” Our takeaway? Answers take time.  Read our story by Chief Correspondent Louis Jacobson. RELATED: Ask PolitiFact: Was Iran ‘weeks away’ from having a nuclear weapon, as Trump said? Share Tweet Forward You're a current PolitiFact donor. Thank you so much for supporting our work!  Did Trump violate the War Powers Act when he approved the US military strikes in Iran? False war imagery flooded social media after the US attack. Here’s how to tell real footage from fake. Images and videos of explosions, fires, protests and weapons went viral after the U.S. attack — but many of them didn’t show what was actually happening.  Instead, they were generated by artificial intelligence, taken out of context or recorded from video games or flight simulators.  It can be difficult to know at first glance on social media platforms whether fearmongering captions actually fit the photo or video you see; sometimes community notes programs add context, but sometimes they don’t.  Here’s a guide of what to avoid and tips about how to verify conflict imagery. — Loreben Tuquero What is the economic importance of the Strait of Hormuz? In response to strikes, the Iranian parliament approved a potential closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial oil shipping route that connects the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.  Iran has previously threatened to close the strait during other conflicts, but has never followed through. Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei have the final power to close the strait.  It’s unclear exactly what a closure of the Strait of Hormuz might look like. But closing the strait would come at a steep price for Iran — and countries that rely heavily on Iran’s oil exports, such as China. Keep reading. — Madison Czopek and Ella Moore Fact-checks of the week Social Security break? Not exactly. The conservative American Action Network attacked Democrats who voted against the Trump-backed “big, beautiful” bill, saying in an ad that the bill delivers "a tax cut for Social Security recipients.” It’s not that direct, and it’s not the Social Security break Trump promised during his campaign. We rated the ad’s statement Half True. Medicaid markup for red states? U.S. Sen. Rick Scott of Florida criticized New York’s Medicaid program, saying it gets far more from the federal government than his home state. "Take Florida. I have four million more people who live in my state," Scott said on “Fox News Sunday.” "New York gets $20 billion more for Medicaid than we get in Florida. Why? … Because blue state governors are gaming the system to take care of illegal immigrants and adults without chronic illness.” We rated Scott’s statement Mostly False. New York extends Medicaid benefits to some undocumented immigrants: children and pregnant people and people over age 65. But Medicaid coverage for these groups is supported by state funds not by any federal funds. He was correct that New York, unlike Florida, expanded Medicaid under a provision in the Affordable Care Act to cover some adults without chronic illness; but it is partially paid for with federal funds. Fact-checking falsehoods about Trump's ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ and taxes, deficit, Medicaid Republican leaders tout Trump’s "One Big Beautiful Bill" as a way to prevent a 68% tax increase, rein in the deficit and maintain current levels of food assistance for low-income people. The trouble: All of those supposed selling points lack factual basis.  The tax and spending legislation — which passed the House on May 22 — could receive a Senate vote this week and can be passed by a simple majority. Trump has said he wants it on his desk by July 4, directing senators in a June 24 Truth Social post to "lock yourself in a room if you must.” With so many Trump priorities packed into the bill, politicians and social media users have commented at length about elements of the bill.  Here are some of their false and misleading statements. — Amy Sherman, Louis Jacobson and Loreben Tuquero Did the VA approve new hospital rules that allow discrimination against Democrats and unmarried veterans? As veterans navigate changes to the Department of Veterans Affairs under the Trump administration, a story from British newspaper The Guardian said the Department of Veterans Affairs had adopted changes that could allow hospitals to refuse treatment to some veterans.  "‘Extremely disturbing and unethical’: New rules allow VA doctors to refuse to treat Democrats, unmarried veterans," the story’s original headline read.   The VA had changed its bylaws and eliminated previous discrimination protections for patients and employees based on marital status and political affiliation. The story spread rapidly on social media and prompted condemnation from Democratic elected officials. But members of the Trump administration called the story "false" and "ridiculous."  The Guardian has since updated its story to include comments from the VA and rewrote the headline to read, "VA hospitals remove politics and marital status from guidelines protecting patients from discrimination." The story also notes the VA’s statements that federal law and a 2013 policy directive "will continue to protect patients from discrimination despite the redactions in its bylaws."  Here’s what happened. — Grace Abels  At fact-checking conference, Brazilian leaders defend social media regulation I’m writing this email from GlobalFact, an annual summit of world fact-checking representatives that kicked off Wednesday in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  Angie Drobnic Holan, director of Poynter’s International Fact-Checking Network and former PolitiFact editor, opened the 12th summit by acknowledging the challenging year for fact-checking journalists and calling on organizations to meet the moment. “The future of informed democracy rests on our ability to evolve methods while holding firm to values,” she said. “We must develop engaging approaches to fact-checking that draw people in. We must seize opportunities to make truth compelling and accessible. And we must move beyond defensive rhetoric to emphasize our true purpose: supporting the public and promoting human knowledge.” Holan welcomed three Brazilian officials — Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes; Cármen Lúcia, Superior Electoral Court president; and Attorney General Jorge Messias — who are considered the country’s top leaders against online disinformation. They called for regulating social media platforms. (De Moraes and Lúcia appeared virtually.) “We must always repeat that what is not allowed in the real world is not allowed in the digital world,” said De Moraes. He led an investigation into former Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro and temporarily banned X from operating in the country for refusing to comply with court orders. Lúcia compared regulating disinformation on social media platforms with creating laws around driving. “Your freedom does not mean to be free to go the wrong way and crash into another car and kill another driver,” Lúcia said. PolitiFact Staff Writer Maria Ramirez Uribe covered the discussion for Poynter.org. We’ll have more news out of GlobalFact for you to read next week. Quick links to more fact-checks & reports  Viral photo shows a trailblazing Chilean naval pilot, not an Israeli pilot captured by Iran. No proof Gov. Tim Walz posted, or deleted posts, about Minnesota shooting suspect Vance Boelter. From The 19th: The future of federal abortion data collection is unclear. Viral video claims to show fire from Israel-Iran war, but it’s from an abandoned England college. From the MAGA-Meter: Trump extends TikTok sale deadline for a third time. Do you smell smoke?  Here's your Pants on Fire fact-check of the week:  We go back to Iran. This viral video of an Iranian woman in a rainbow hijab was AI-generated! See what else we've rated Pants on Fire this week.  Coming soon to PolitiFact.com: stories about the “Alligator Alcatraz” detention facility planned in the Florida Everglades and a fact-check about New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani’s political views.    Thanks for reading! Katie Sanders PolitiFact Editor-in-Chief Send this link to your friends so they can sign up for this email!

Copyright © 2025 PolitiFact, All rights reserved.

TUESDAY, 20 MAI 2025 IS THE ACLU'S ANNUAL GIVING DAY

 HERE is just a brief note on the work the ACLU is doing to defend our democracy in the courts, the streets, and the halls of Congress from the attacks of the drumpf / trump-musk-vance-administration supported by the gop / greed over people-republican party controlling Congress. Please donate if you can, what you can, no amount is too small. And thank you.

Donate Now Tomorrow is the ACLU's annual Giving Day – a moment when we pause, reflect on victories achieved, and share the urgency of the ACLU's work. In a minute, I'm going to ask you to make a donation toward our $100,000 Giving Day goal to advance our liberties. But first, I'd like to take a moment to share some reflections with you about our ongoing work to defend civil rights against the Trump administration's attacks. We're in a truly unprecedented moment when it comes to the fight for civil liberties. Since taking office, the Trump administration has attacked immigrants' rights and LGBTQ rights. They've undermined free speech and attempted to deport individuals for their political views. But here's what gives me hope: Since day one of the new administration, the ACLU has fought in the courts, legislatures, and the streets to defend our civil rights against any attack: We and our affiliates have joined the legal teams of students and scholars targeted by the government in retaliation for their speech in support of Palestinian rights, including Mahmoud Khalil, Dr. Badar Khan Suri, Rümeysa Öztürk, and Mohsen Mahdawi. We will always fight to protect the First Amendment. We're suing in response to Trump's threats to slash funding to schools that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, and for removing medical research by private doctors from a government website for including the words "LGBTQ" and "trans[gender]." We're suing the Trump administration to protect gender-affirming care for transgender youth. Next month, the Supreme Court will decide the outcome of our case, U.S. vs. Skrmetti, which could secure the right to health care for transgender youth nationwide. We're suing the Social Security Administration and the Department of Veterans Affairs for information about DOGE's secretive efforts to access and analyze Americans' sensitive personal information. These lawsuits come after those agencies failed to promptly respond to the Freedom of Information Act requests that we filed with over 40 federal agencies. We've had 17,000+ people join Know Your Rights trainings on immigrants' rights. Trainings of this kind have been so impactful that Tom Homan, head of border enforcement, complained about how disruptive they have been to planned ICE raids. All of this work is powered by the support of more than 1.3 million members, including people like you, who continue to support our work and defend civil rights alongside us. But our work isn't over. In fact, it's just getting started. That's why today, before we officially kick off the ACLU's Giving Day, I'm urgently asking: Will you make a donation to make sure we meet our $100,000 goal? Thank you so much for all you do. I'm so grateful to have you in this fight with us. Anthony D. Romero Pronouns: He, him, his Executive Director, ACLU

DONATE NOW

This email was sent by: American Civil Liberties Union 125 Broad Street, 18th Floor New York, NY 10004, USA