March, 03 2025, 03:37pm EDT
Elon Musk is Dismantling Social Security
The following is a statement from Nancy Altman, President of Social Security Works:
“Elon Musk slandered Social Security over the weekend by calling the vital and beloved program a criminal Ponzi scheme, the same lie Donald Trump used before he decided to run for president. Musk’s comment is no surprise, given his recent actions to begin the wholesale dismantling of our Social Security system. Social Security is overwhelmingly popular among all Americans, including those who consider themselves die-hard Trump supporters.
Trump knows that. Last year, he blanketed swing states with flyers promising that he would protect Social Security – despite the fact that he proposed Social Security cuts in every one of his first-term budgets. Musk and Trump want to undermine support for our Social Security system by convincing the American people that this extremely efficiently run program is rife with fraud, waste, and abuse. Even worse, they want to make it impossible for America’s working families to access their earned benefits. At Musk’s direction, the Trump administration is planning to lay off a substantial part of the already understaffed and overworked Social Security Administration workforce.
A large number of senior staff have already been pushed out, taking with them essential institutional knowledge. Moreover, Trump and Musk have announced their intention to close every Social Security field office, so that no one can claim their earned benefits in person. That will increase fraud, since historically it has been caught by those who meet with the public face to face. It will also make it impossible for many Americans to get the support they need to access their benefits. These layoffs are so destabilizing that it is even possible that Americans may see a disruption in their monthly payments.
Reinforcing Musk’s lies, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) recently said that Musk’s algorithms are crawling through our personal Social Security data and finding ‘enormous amounts of waste, fraud, and abuse.’ That is yet another lie. Musk is the one creating waste, fraud, and abuse. He is stealing our data and firing the public servants who make Social Security work. If Congress does not act soon to stop him, our Social Security system may never recover.”
Social Security Works' mission is to: Protect and improve the economic security of disadvantaged and at-risk populations; Safeguard the economic security of those dependent, now or in the future, on Social Security; and Maintain Social Security as a vehicle of social justice.
LATEST NEWS
As Trump Confirms Tariffs Coming, Canada and Mexico Prep for Fight
"Whatever his decision is, we will make our decisions and there is a plan, there is unity in Mexico," said the country's president.
Mar 03, 2025
The Canadian and Mexican governments are preparing for U.S. President Donald Trump's 25% tariffs targeting imports from neighboring nations after he told reporters Monday that the policies will take effect Tuesday after a monthlong delay.
"Very importantly, tomorrow, tariffs—25% on Canada and 25% on Mexico," Trump said, suggesting the damaging policies will make companies "build their car plants, frankly, and other things in the United States, in which case they have no tariffs."
Business leaders, lawmakers, and economists have stressed that the costs of tariffs are passed on to consumers.
Ask whether either government could make a deal before midnight to prevent or further delay the tariffs, Trump responded: "No room left for Mexico or for Canada. No. The tariffs, you know, they're all set, they go into effect tomorrow."
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum addressed the looming tariffs during a press conference earlier Monday.
"It's a decision that depends on the United States government, on the United States president," Sheinbaum said, according toThe Associated Press. "So whatever his decision is, we will make our decisions and there is a plan, there is unity in Mexico."
"It's very important that the people know that we have made a very important effort of coordination, of collaboration, but it depends on the United States," the Mexican leader added. "We have to respond to this decision."
Reutersnoted that Sheinbaum signaled multiple responses, saying that "we have a plan B, C, D," without offering details.
Sheinbaum previously negotiated a one-month delay to Trump's tariffs, pushing her approval rating to 80% among respondents to a poll conducted by Buendía & Márquez for El Universal February 13-18, shortly after that deal was reached. Citing the newspaper's polls, Mexico News Dailyreported last week that her rating rose "from 77% in January and 74% in November," and "only 11% of those polled in February said they disapproved of the president's performance, down from 13% in January."
As Mexico News Daily detailed:
The 1,000 respondents to the most recent El Universal poll were also asked to respond to the question: "In your opinion, what is the best thing Claudia Sheinbaum has done so far as president of the republic?"
The top response was "defending the country from Donald Trump," with 14% of those polled saying that was the president's greatest achievement since she took office on October 1.
While Sheinbaum is facing off against Trump during her first year in office, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is on his way out. The Liberal leader announced his resignation in January, in response to mounting calls for him to step aside. His party is set to choose its next chief on Sunday, ahead of elections later this year.
CBCreported Monday that Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly, a Liberal Party member, previewed retaliatory action:
"We are ready with $155 billion worth of tariffs and we are ready with the first tranche of tariffs, which is $30 billion, which has already been announced," Joly said, referring to countermeasures that were first released when Trump floated his tariff threat last month.
Joly said she will be meeting with her Cabinet colleagues this evening to discuss the country's next steps as it stares down the possibility of economic ruin.
"We know this is an existential threat to us. There are thousands of jobs in Canada at stake. Now, we've done the work, we are ready, should the U.S. decide to launch their trade war," Joly said.
Newly reelected Ontario Premier Doug Ford, leader of the Progressive Conservative Party, discussed Trump's tariffs with reporters on Monday while attending a mining convention in his province's capital, according to the Toronto Sun.
"If they want to try to annihilate Ontario, I will do everything—including cut off their energy with a smile on my face," Ford said. "They rely on our energy, they need to feel the pain. They want to come at us hard, we're going to come back twice as hard."
While Trump's tariffs targeting Canada and Mexico were halted for a month, his administration has imposed tariffs on Chinese imports. The Washington Postreported Monday that "tariffs on China will also increase by an additional 10 percentage points for the second time in two months, bringing the total tax on some Chinese products to 45%."
The newspaper noted that "on Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed down around 1.5%. The broader S&P 500 index fell nearly 2%. Both market measures are now in the red since Trump's election win."
The U.S. president is also planning to impose 25% tariffs on imports from the European Union.
"Mexico, Canada, and Europe have leverage," economist Gabriel Zucman, director of the E.U. Tax Observatory, wrote in a Friday column, arguing that countries affected by Trump's tariffs "should retaliate by taxing U.S. oligarchs."
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'Another Unqualified Billionaire': Senate Confirms McMahon as Education Secretary
"The more the president stacks his administration with eccentric billionaires, the further the system gets rigged against working people, seniors, and students," argued one critic.
Mar 03, 2025
Continuing what one watchdog called "their pattern of rubber-stamping deeply flawed and unqualified" Cabinet nominees of President Donald Trump, Senate Republicans on Monday confirmed sports entertainment billionaire and prolific GOP fundraiser Linda McMahon to head the U.S. Department of Education—an agency the president has repeatedly vowed to abolish.
Senators confirmed McMahon in a 51-45 vote. The loyal Trump ally and top fundraiser previously led the Small Business Administration during the president's first term. However, other than serving one year on the Connecticut Board of Education and as a trustee for Sacred Heart University, she has little experience in the field.
Republicans—many of whom share Trump's desire to end the Department of Education—didn't seem to care, with Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa asserting that "education is still mostly a state and local responsibility."
BREAKING: Senate Republicans just confirmed Linda McMahon as Education Secretary—another unqualified billionaire who doesn't understand the Department she's tasked with leading and who is ready to grab the hatchet and help Trump destroy the Department of Education altogether.
— Senator Patty Murray (@murray.senate.gov) March 3, 2025 at 3:29 PM
McMahon gained a more dubious reputation for what one campaigner called her "documented history of enabling sexual abuse of children and sweeping sexual violence under the rug" during her tenure as World Wrestling Entertainment CEO.
The 76-year-old finds herself in the position of being simultaneously tasked with dismantling the DOE and ramping up attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion programs; "woke" education; transgender students; and other right-wing bugaboos. She is also expected to promote expanded voucher programs, which supporters call "school choice."
Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers—which is leading a "Protect Our Kids" nationwide day of action Tuesday—said in a statement that "we know we will disagree with Secretary McMahon on a host of issues, including her stance on using public funds for private school vouchers."
"We're deeply concerned that her boss, Donald Trump, wants her to take a wrecking ball to the Department of Education and this nation's public schools," Weingarten added. "We want to work with her on strengthening public schools and ramping up high school career and technical education and workforce development efforts across the nation. We ask that she respect the hardworking and amazing educators of this country who are helping young people every day."
National Education Association president Becky Pringle said in a
statement that "every student—no matter where they live, how much their family earns, or the color of their skin—deserves the opportunity, resources, and support they need to grow into their full brilliance."
"Linda McMahon has pledged to dismantle public education and take away resources students need by hollowing out the Department of Education, destroying programs that support students with disabilities, making higher education less accessible, and gutting civil rights protections," Pringle continued.
"While educators and parents would hope McMahon will reflect upon the enormous responsibility she has to our nation's students, sadly there is no evidence to believe she will use her position to focus on strengthening public schools so every student can thrive," she added.
Tony Carrk, the executive director of the watchdog Accountable.US, argued that "every senator who confirmed McMahon is now complicit in the Trump-Project 2025 scheme to abolish the Education Department and jeopardize billions in federal funding needed to strengthen public schools and support special education programs."
"The one-two gut punch of the administration's plans to starve states,
especially conservative ones, of critical federal Medicaid and education money to pay for another wasteful tax break for billionaires like McMahon will leave millions of Americans behind for decades to come," Carrk added. "The more the president stacks his administration with eccentric billionaires, the further the system gets rigged against working people, seniors, and students."
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Israel Threatens to Open 'Gates of Hell' on Gaza to Force Hamas Hostage Release
"If Israel resumes its assault on Gaza, the Trump administration will own it—this is the legacy of its unconditional support for Israeli aggression," said one advocacy group.
Mar 03, 2025
As Israeli officials warned Monday of dire repercussions if Hamas did not release the remaining hostages it holds in Gaza, advocacy groups decried reporting that Israel is planning to obliterate a crumbling six-week cease-fire with a massive escalation against the already flattened Palestinian enclave.
Addressing the Knesset, Israel's Parliament, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamnin Netanyahu said Hamas, which governs Gaza, will face "consequences they cannot imagine" should it fail to free the dozens of Israeli and international hostages it kidnapped on October 7, 2023.
"We are preparing for the next stages of the war—on seven fronts," Netanyahu claimed, adding that "we will not stop until we achieve total victory—returning all our hostages, destroying Hamas' military and governing power, and ensuring Gaza is no longer a threat to Israel."
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz was even more blunt, vowing that "if Hamas does not release the hostages soon, the gates of Gaza will be locked, and the gates of hell will be opened—we will return to fighting, and they will face the [Israel Defense Forces] with forces and methods they have never encountered before."
These comments followed Sunday reporting by Israeli public broadcaster Kan that Israel is readying what it calls a "hell plan" to re-invade Gaza, renew the forced expulsion of its residents, and cut off the remaining water and electricity supply to a people already reeling from a 15-month onslaught and siege that's left most of Gaza in ruins; more than 170,000 Palestinians dead, maimed, or missing; and over 2 million others displaced, starved, or sickened, according to local and international agencies.
"The latest reports of Israel preparing to resume its aggression against Gaza represent yet another blatant retreat from the original cease-fire terms that had been agreed upon by both parties," the Virginia-based advocacy group Americans for Justice in Palestine (AJP) Action said in a statement Monday.
The group continued:
The original agreement, established to halt 15 months of Israeli aggression and genocide, facilitated the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, increased humanitarian aid, and initiated a partial Israeli troop withdrawal. However, the proposed extension of the first stage of the cease-fire by U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, aiming for a temporary truce over Ramadan and Passover, has been met with complications. Witkoff's new unreleased plan deviates from the framework negotiated for deescalation. Instead, it sets the stage for Israel to further entrench its occupation, siege, and genocide with full U.S. complicity and partnership.
Under Witkoff's proposal, Hamas would free half of its living hostages and the bodies of half of those who were killed or died since their abduction. Israeli officials say Hamas still has 59 hostages, 24 of whom are believed to still be alive.
"This moment directly results from the Trump administration's reckless and deliberate policy choices," AJP Action stressed. "[U.S. President Donald] Trump and his officials not only emboldened Israel's most extreme elements but also dismantled even the pretense of a U.S. commitment to a just resolution. If Israel resumes its assault on Gaza, the Trump administration will own it—this is the legacy of its unconditional support for Israeli aggression."
Israel's fresh threat came after it halted all humanitarian aid from entering Gaza following a Saturday decision by the country's Security Council, a move Hamas blasted as a "war crime" and cease-fire violation. Netanyahu claimed the cutoff was made "in full coordination" Trump and "his people."
United Nations Children's Fund Middle East and North Africa Director Edouard Beigbeder warned Monday that "the aid restrictions announced yesterday will severely compromise lifesaving operations for civilians."
"It is imperative that the cease-fire—a critical lifeline for children—remains in place, and that aid is allowed to flow freely so we can continue to scale up the humanitarian response," Beigbeder added.
Children and families across Gaza are struggling to survive without enough food, medicine or shelter. “The ceasefire must hold, and more aid must be allowed in to prevent further suffering and loss of life.” - Edouard Beigbeder, UNICEF MENA Regional Director. Details: unicef.link/41kLyr7
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— UNICEF (@unicef.org) March 3, 2025 at 7:07 AM
However, a source familiar with ongoing cease-fire negotiations toldThe Jerusalem Post Monday that "nothing is currently moving on this front."
On the ground in Gaza, Palestinians continue to endure tremendous hardships—last week, local medical professionals said six infants died of hypothermia—including skyrocketing prices on essential items in scarce supply.
"Often, I find myself weighing up whether I should buy food items or buy blankets for sleeping," Hikmat al-Masri, a 44-year-old professor from Beit Lahia, toldThe Guardian Monday. "Both options are difficult and expensive."
Hassan Musa, a forcibly displaced father of eight from northern Gaza, told the British newspaper that "to subject innocent people to the deprivation of aid and to threaten them with cutting off water and food supplies is the height of injustice and criminality."
"Prices are rising without logic, making financial planning for the family nearly impossible," he added. "Even the aid we used to receive has stopped, which increases the fears of a return of famine to the north, after we thought we had overcome it."
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