Trump's norm-breaking closeness to DOJ helped fuel Epstein furor
He signaled in speeches that he would work closely with his law enforcement leaders to carry out his campaign promises to shake up the justice system. On one point, the president, Attorney General Pam Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel and Assistant Director Dan Bongino were in lockstep: to be more transparent about the FBI files on sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein that they hinted could expose powerful allies who were part of his debauchery.
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26 minutes ago
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Who Killed Adam Walsh? Inside the Decapitation Case That Inspired a Father to Host 'America's Most Wanted'
John Walsh's son was just 6 years old when he was brutally murdered, inspiring his dad to host the famous crime show 'America's Most Wanted' Before John Walsh was the host of America's Most Wanted, he was a devastated father desperately searching for answers in the disappearance — and subsequent murder — of his 6-year-old son. Forty-four years ago, on July 27, 1981, Adam Walsh vanished from a department store with his mother nearby. "[Losing him] broke my heart; it almost killed me," John told PEOPLE in 1996. "Believe me, you never get over it." Two weeks later, Adam's head was found in a drainage ditch. The case, which wasn't closed until 27 years later, haunted John and his wife, Revé, who harnessed their grief into action. "The pain is a huge wound that scabs over, and certain things set it off: birthdays, memories, pictures. You're not supposed to bury your children," John previously told PEOPLE. "They're your legacy. But I would never have accomplished the things I have, such as the Missing Children's Act, which brings the FBI immediately into cases involving missing children, if it wasn't for Adam and my love for him." John and Revé also helped create the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) in 1984, as well as the Code Adam program and spearheaded the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act, which was signed into law in 2006. In 1988, John became the host and the face of America's Most Wanted, which ran for 23 years on Fox and had a brief revival on Lifetime in 2012. The series was brought back once more in 2021 with Elizabeth Vargas hosting, and in December 2023, John and his son, Callahan Walsh, took over as co-hosts. The dad is also the host of In Pursuit with John Walsh. Here is everything to know about the killing of Adam Walsh and how it inspired his dad, John Walsh, to advocate for missing children and host America's Most Wanted. What happened to John Walsh's son Adam? On July 27, 1981, Adam, then 6 years old, went shopping with his mother, Revé, at a Sears department store in a mall near their Hollywood, Fla., home. Revé left Adam in the toy section with a group of boys playing a video game and went looking for a lamp, per the police report. When she returned, Adam had disappeared. A store security guard allegedly ordered the group of boys to exit the store and mistakenly thought Adam was with them, so the Walshes believe he may have been outside when he was abducted, per Missing Kids. After an in-store search and police investigation proved fruitless, a mutual friend helped John reach then-Good Morning America host David Hartman. The anchor then showed Adam's photo on air. Two weeks after Adam disappeared, John and Revé flew to New York to appear on the morning talk show, when they received horrifying news: Adam's severed head was discovered in a canal in Vero Beach, Fla., about 120 miles north of the mall where the boy first went missing, per Florida Today. "I started screaming and trashed the hotel room. I didn't believe that someone could kill this beautiful little boy," John recalled to PEOPLE. "The most horrible thing was telling Revé. It was unbearable." Who killed Adam Walsh? Serial killer Ottis Toole — partner of one of history's most prolific serial killers, Henry Lee Lucas — confessed to murdering Adam before later recanting his testimony. According to the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, Toole said he abducted Walsh and subsequently started hitting him when he wouldn't stop talking. Despite being insistent that he had killed Adam, Toole later recanted. Toole had reportedly previously confessed to and then recanted his words about several crimes, including Adam's murder, but both police and Adam's parents consistently believed him to be Adam's killer. In a taped interview with Texas Rangers, Toole said Adam was the youngest victim he ever had, per ABC News. Toole died in prison in 1996 while serving life sentences for other crimes. In 2008, police closed the investigation and announced that they fully believed Toole was Adam's killer, though he was never charged in the case. "Who could take a 6-year-old and murder and decapitate him? Who?" John said at the time. "We needed to know. We needed to know. And today we know. The not knowing has been a torture, but that journey's over." Still, some theories have emerged since: In March 2010, a report suggested that witnesses actually saw serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer with Adam on the day the boy went missing. While all of Dahmer's confirmed slayings took place in or near Milwaukee, at the time of Adam's abduction, Dahmer was living in Miami Beach, about 20 miles from the Hollywood, Fla., mall where Adam was last seen alive. The Miami Herald reported that Dahmer denied involvement in Adam's killing. Did police ever find Adam Walsh's body? The rest of Adam's remains have still never been recovered, according to The New York Times. John told Nightline that in 1988, Toole wrote him and Revé a letter asking for $5,000 in exchange for telling them where the rest of Adam's remains were located. The dad also claimed that the Hollywood, Fla., police department didn't take the missing persons case seriously enough when Adam was abducted, and mishandled the murder investigation, calling it "one nightmare after another." Given Toole's confession, police planned to test his car and blood-stained vehicle carpet, but they could never locate the items in their storage, per NBC News. When the case was officially closed in 2008, Hollywood Police Chief Chadwick Wagner apologized to John and Revé and acknowledged the pitfalls of the department's investigation. What is Code Adam? Inspired by the terrifying loss of Adam, John and Revé helped create Code Adam, a program to help businesses, parks and other busy or public areas and their staff help locate children who get lost or go missing on or from their grounds. As of 2001, Code Adam was used in at least 20,000 establishments, including Walmart, Lowe's, ShopRite and more. John told The New York Times of the initiative at the time, "There are contingencies for protecting shoppers from fire and tornadoes, and now with 'Code Adam' all retailers can fight an even more frightening problem -- missing children." Read the original article on People
Yahoo
26 minutes ago
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Social Security Isn't Broke — but These 4 Fixes Could Change Your Benefits
It's no secret that Social Security is running low on funds. According to the Congressional Budget Office, if actions aren't taken to fix the program, recipients won't receive their full benefits starting in 2034. Hence, it's a major issue that worries most Americans. Learn More: Find Out: A recent LendingTree survey showed 62% of respondents fear they won't be able to retire without Social Security, while 59% worry the program won't exist by the time they leave the workforce. President Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill is also causing concern. He campaigned on eliminating Social Security taxes, but instead, some Americans over 65 who are eligible will get a temporary tax break, which will expire in 2028. While it's clear Trump broke his promise, it's not time to panic just yet, according to experts. There is time to repair Social Security so retirees receive 100% of their benefits. Here are four changes that could get the program back on track. Increase FICA Rates The Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) is the federal payroll tax, and is deducted from employee's paychecks. It's the main way Social Security is funded and increasing the current FICA rate — which is 12.4% between employees and employers combined — could make an impact, according to Nicole E. Asher, CFP®, CPWA®, ChFC® Senior Vice President, Senior Wealth Management Advisor at Greenleaf Trust. 'When FICA originated in 1937, it was 2%. It has slowly increased over the years,' she explained. 'In 1950, we saw the first increase to 3%. By 1960, we were at 6%. By 1970, it was 8.4%. And by 1980, at 10.10%. In 1990, it was raised to 12.4%, and has not been raised since.' Read More: Raise the Wage Cap As of 2025, the wage cap for Social Security is $176,100, according to the Social Security Administration (SSA). This means wages above said amount are not taxed for Social Security. 'By gradually increasing or eliminating the cap, higher-income earners would contribute more, extending the life of the trust fund,' Michael Liner, head disability lawyer and founder of leading Social Security Disability firm Liner Legal, said. But boosting the wage cap isn't that straightforward. 'It sounds simple, but it breaks the long-standing principle that benefits are tied to what you pay in–because benefits are capped, but taxes wouldn't be,' explained Chris Barnes, president at Escalent. Diversify the Trust Fund's Investment Strategy The Social Security Trust Fund is where surplus payroll taxes are held to pay future benefits. Right now, it's mainly invested in U.S. Treasury securities, which are safe, but offer low returns, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP). However, 'allowing a small portion to be invested in higher-yield assets, like index funds, could increase returns,' Liner explained. 'Over time, stronger investment returns would reduce the need for drastic cuts or tax hikes.' This change wouldn't immediately affect current beneficiaries, but could secure the system for future generations. Adjust the Full Retirement Age Raising the retirement age from 67 to 68 or 69 for younger workersis another option. 'For people retiring early, benefits would be reduced slightly more, while those who wait would receive a higher monthly check,' Liner said. 'However, any increase should be paired with protections for workers in physically demanding jobs, or those with chronic health issues — a key concern we see at Liner Legal.' Increasing the retirement age hits people who work physical labor the hardest and 'may not have the luxury of working longer,' Barnes said. What This Means for Current Retirees Current recipients of Social Security are not likely to see changes, but a reduction could happen if changes are not implemented. 'If you are like me and still working, it is likely that when we file, we will still receive benefits from Social Security. But they may be less than what we were expecting,' Asher said. 'It could also mean that depending on what course of action is chosen to remedy the problem, we could face higher taxes, reduced after tax income, or a delay on when we can file for benefits.' The situation is still uncertain, but Asher suggested speaking with a financial advisor to run an analysis and model your retirement with a reduction in Social Security benefits and or reduced after-tax income to prepare. 'What you might find is that, while it is not ideal to face reduced benefits, you are still able to live comfortably. If not, start planning now to address that shortfall,' she said. Multiple changes need to happen to fix the problem, and Barnes believes we will see a 'blend of the most talked-about options: a significant hike in the income cap, modest payroll tax increases (though this has the least political support), a gradual increase in the retirement age and a revised COLA formula.' While these changes will make a notable impact, it won't solve every problem; it will simply buy the program more time. More From GOBankingRates Mark Cuban Warns of 'Red Rural Recession' -- 4 States That Could Get Hit Hard How Far $750K Plus Social Security Goes in Retirement in Every US Region Warren Buffett: 10 Things Poor People Waste Money On This article originally appeared on Social Security Isn't Broke — but These 4 Fixes Could Change Your Benefits Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
Yahoo
26 minutes ago
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As Trump's trade deal deadline approaches, his tariffs face legal pushback in court
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump's plan to realign global trade faces its latest legal barrier this week in a federal appeals court — and Canada is bracing for the U.S. president to follow through on his threat to impose higher tariffs. While Trump set an Aug. 1 deadline for countries to make trade deals with the United States, the president's ultimatum has so far resulted in only a handful of frameworks for trade agreements. Deals have been announced for Japan, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines and the United Kingdom — but Trump indicated last week that an agreement with Canada is far from complete. "We don't have a deal with Canada, we haven't been focused on it," Trump told reporters Friday. Trump sent a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney threatening to impose 35 per cent tariffs if Canada doesn't make a trade deal by the deadline. The White House has said those duties would not apply to goods compliant with the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement on trade. Canadian officials have also downplayed expectations of a new economic and security agreement materializing by Friday. "We'll use all the time that's necessary," Carney said last week. Countries around the world will also be watching as Trump's use of a national security statute to hit nations with tariffs faces scrutiny in the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. The U.S. Court of International Trade ruled in May that Trump does not have the authority to wield tariffs on nearly every country through the use of the International Economic Emergency Powers Act of 1977. The act, usually referred to by the acronym IEEPA, gives the U.S. president authority to control economic transactions after declaring an emergency. No previous president had ever used it for tariffs and the U.S. Constitution gives power over taxes and tariffs to Congress. The Trump administration quickly appealed the lower court's ruling on the so-called "Liberation Day" and fentanyl-related tariffs and arguments are set to be heard in the appeal court on Thursday. The hearing combines two different cases that were pushing against Trump's tariffs. One involves five American small businesses arguing specifically against Trump's worldwide tariffs, and the other came from 12 states pushing back on both the "Liberation Day" duties and the fentanyl-related tariffs. George Mason University law professor Ilya Somin called Trump's tariff actions a "massive power grab." Somin, along with the Liberty Justice Center, is representing the American small businesses. "We are hopeful — we can't know for sure obviously — we are hopeful that we will continue to prevail in court," Somin said. Somin said they are arguing that IEEPA does not "give the president the power to impose any tariff he wants, on any nation, for any reason, for as long as he wants, whenever he feels like it." He added that "the law also says there must be an emergency and an unusual and extraordinary threat to American security or the economy" — and neither the flow of fentanyl from Canada nor a trade deficit meet that definition. U.S. government data shows a minuscule volume of fentanyl is seized at the northern border. The White House has said the Trump administration is legally using powers granted to the executive branch by the Constitution and Congress to address America's "national emergencies of persistent goods trade deficits and drug trafficking." There have been 18 amicus briefs — a legal submission from a group that's not party to the action — filed in support of the small businesses and states pushing against Trump's tariffs. Two were filed in support of the Trump administration's actions. Brent Skorup, a legal fellow at the Washington-based Cato Institute, said the Trump administration is taking a vague statute and claiming powers never deployed by a president before. The Cato Institute submitted a brief that argued "the Constitution specifies that Congress has the power to set tariffs and duties." Skorup said there are serious issues with the Trump administration's interpretation of IEEPA. "We don't want power consolidated into a single king or president," he said. It's expected the appeals court will expedite its ruling. Even if it rules against the duties, however, they may not be immediately lifted. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has said the Supreme Court should "put an end to this." There are at least eight lawsuits challenging the tariffs. Canada is also being hit with tariffs on steel, aluminum and automobiles. Trump used different powers under the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 to enact those duties. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 27, 2025. Kelly Geraldine Malone, The Canadian Press
