U.S. show of support amid Canadian cross-border slowdown
A group of Americans hopped in their cars and headed to Montreal on Saturday to show their support for Canada and to plead for their northern neighbours to reciprocate. Dan Spector reports.
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Yahoo
34 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Supreme Court allows DOGE staffers to access Social Security data
June 7 (UPI) -- The U.S. Supreme Court is allowing members of the Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency to access personal Social Security Administration data. On Friday, the Court's six conservatives granted an emergency application filed by the Trump administration to lift an injunction issued by a federal judge in Maryland. Opposing the injunction were the three liberal justices: Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson. There are 69 million retirees, disabled workers, dependents and survivors who receive Social Security benefits, representing 28.75% of the U.S. population. In a separate two-page order issued Friday, the Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration for now to shield DOGE from freedom of information requests seeking thousands of pages of material. This vote also was 6-3 with no written dissenting opinions. In the two-page unsigned order on access, the court said: "We conclude that, under the present circumstances, SSA may proceed to afford members of the SSA DOGE Team access to the agency records in question in order for those members to do their work." The conservatives are Chief Justice John Roberts, and Associate Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett. Three of them were nominated by President Donald Trump during his first term. U.S. District Judge Ellen Hollander, appointed by President Barack Obama, had ruled that DOGE staffers had no need to access the specific data. The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, based in Virginia, declined to block Hollander's decision. The lawsuit was filed by progressive group Democracy Forward on behalf of two unions, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, and the American Federation of Teachers, as well as the Alliance for Retired Americans. They alleged broader access to personal information would violate a federal law, the Privacy Act and the Administrative Procedure Act. "This is a sad day for our democracy and a scary day for millions of people," the groups said in a statement. "This ruling will enable President Trump and DOGE's affiliates to steal Americans' private and personal data. Elon Musk may have left Washington, D.C., but his impact continues to harm millions of people. We will continue to use every legal tool at our disposal to keep unelected bureaucrats from misusing the public's most sensitive data as this case moves forward." Social Security Works posted on X: "No one in history -- no commissioner, no president, no one -- has ever had the access that these DOGE minions have." White House spokesperson Liz Huston after the ruling told NBC News that "the Supreme Court allowing the Trump Administration to carry out commonsense efforts to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse and modernize government information systems is a huge victory for the rule of law." Brown Jackson wrote a nine-page dissenting opinion that the "Government fails to substantiate its stay request by showing that it or the public will suffer irreparable harm absent this Court's intervention. In essence, the 'urgency' underlying the government's stay application is the mere fact that it cannot be bothered to wait for the litigation process to play out before proceeding as it wishes." She concluded her dissent by writing: "The Court opts instead to relieve the Government of the standard obligations, jettisoning careful judicial decisionmaking and creates grave privacy risks for millions of Americans in the process." Kathleen Romig, who worked as a senior adviser at the agency during the Biden administration, told CNN that Americans should be concerned about how DOGE has handled highly sensitive data so far. She said the personal data runs "from cradle to grave." "While the appeals court considers whether DOGE is violating the law, its operatives will have 'God-level' access to Social Security numbers, earnings records, bank routing numbers, mental and reproductive health records and much more," Romig, who now is director of Social Security and disability policy at the left-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. When Trump became president again on Jan. 20, he signed an executive order establishing DOGE with the goal of "modernizing Federal technology and software to maximize governmental efficiency and productivity." Nearly a dozen DOGE members have been installed at the agency, according to court filings. In all, there are about 90 DOGE workers. DOGE, which was run by billionaire Elon Musk until he left the White House one week ago, wants to modernize systems and detect waste and fraud at the agency. "These teams have a business need to access the data at their assigned agency and subject the government's records to much-needed scrutiny," Solicitor General D. John Sauer wrote in the court motion. The data includes Social Security numbers, date and place of birth, gender, addresses, marital and parental status, parents' names, lifetime earnings, bank account information, immigration and work authorization status, health conditions for disability benefits and use of Medicare. SSA also has data-sharing agreements with the IRS and the Department of Health and Human Services. The plaintiffs wrote: "The agency is obligated by the Privacy Act and its own regulations, practices, and procedures to keep that information secure -- and not to share it beyond the circle of those who truly need it." Social Security Administration Commissioner Frank Bisignano, who was sworn in to the post on May 7, said in a statement: that"The Supreme Court's ruling is a major victory for American taxpayers. The Social Security Administration will continue driving forward modernization efforts, streamlining government systems, and ensuring improved service and outcomes for our beneficiaries." On May 23, Roberts temporarily put lower court decisions on hold while the Supreme Court considered what next steps to take. Musk called Social Security "the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time" during an interview with Joe Rogan on Feb. 28. The Social Security system, which started in 1935, transfers current workers' payroll tax payments to people who are already retired. The payroll tax is a mandatory tax paid by employees and employers. The total current tax rate is 12.4%. There is a separate 2.9% tax for Medicare.
Associated Press
an hour ago
- Associated Press
Canadian Coast Guard Welcomes New Fleet Officers at College Graduation Ceremony
SYDNEY, NS, June 7, 2025 /CNW/ - For the past six decades, the Canadian Coast Guard College has been a leader in maritime training, equipping students with the skills needed to safeguard Canada's waters. Today, the College is celebrating its latest graduates, welcoming 51 new Officers to the Canadian Coast Guard. The Honourable Joanne Thompson, Minister of Fisheries, honoured the graduating class of 2025 during a ceremony at the Canadian Coast Guard College in Sydney, Nova Scotia. Minister Thompson was joined by Deputy Minister, Annette Gibbons and Canadian Coast Guard Commissioner, Mario Pelletier. The Officer Training program plays an important role in ensuring the Coast Guard has the professional employees it needs to provide essential services to Canadians. The graduates have spent the last four years studying and getting hands-on experience of ship operations and cutting-edge knowledge in marine technology. Now, they will be joining vessels across the country in various positions to put their skills to use in protecting Canadians, the environment, and ensuring safe navigation. The Canadian Coast Guard College is an internationally-recognized maritime training facility that provides training and services in both official languages. This year, the College is celebrating it's 60th anniversary of training Canadian Coast Guard personnel. Since its establishment more than 1,500 Fleet Officers have graduated from the College. Quotes 'For the past 60 years, the Canadian Coast Guard College has been one of our country's most trusted, respected and cherished institutions. Congratulations to our newest graduates as they embark on a long, rewarding and adventurous career with the Canadian Coast Guard. The Honourable Joanne Thompson, Minister of Fisheries 'The Canadian Coast Guard is proud to welcome this year's graduating class into its ranks. As a graduate of the College myself, I can attest to the commitment these students have put forth over the past four years and congratulate them on their success. These graduates will now put their dedication and skills to serving Canadians as part of our Coast Guard family.' Mario Pelletier, Commissioner, Canadian Coast Guard Quick facts Associated links Stay Connected SOURCE Canadian Coast Guard
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Here's How Elon Musk's Daughter Vivian Jenna Wilson Reacted To Her Dad's Fallout With President Trump
Vivian Jenna Wilson shared her thoughts on the viral feud between President Donald Trump and Elon Musk. It only took a few minutes for Tesla CEO's daughter to chime in after her dad dropped a now-deleted bombshell accusation against Trump, alleging the president's name was in the FBI files on Jeffrey Epstein. If you didn't know, Elon's 21-year-old daughter has been estranged from her father since coming out as trans, but she's remained a vocal critic of her father's actions and involvement in politics. "I mean, I'll see things about him in the news and think, That's fucking cringe, I should probably post about this and denounce it, which I have done a few times," Vivan told Teen Vogue back in March. Well, now that her dad and the president are trending for their big fallout, it's no surprise Vivian would find a way to address it. A quick recap: On Jun. 4, Elon voiced his opposition to Trump's "One Big, Beautiful Bill," which didn't go over well with the president. Speaking with reporters, Trump responded, "I'm very disappointed because Elon knew the inner workings of this bill better than almost anybody. He had no problem with it. All of the sudden he had a problem, and he only developed the problem when he found out we're gonna have to the cut EV mandate... He hasn't said bad about me personally, but I'm sure that'll be next. But I'm very disappointed in Elon. I've helped Elon a lot." Related: "We Don't Import Food": 31 Americans Who Are Just So, So Confused About Tariffs And US Trade Elon fired back with X posts on Jun. 5, claiming the president "would have lost the election," and Trump's response is a sign of "ingratitude." Then, when Trump threatened to "terminate Elon's Governmental Subsidies and Contracts," Elon dropped his "really big bomb" of an X post, which has since been removed. Elon's now-deleted X post read, "Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!" Related: AOC's Viral Response About A Potential Presidential Run Has Everyone Watching, And I'm Honestly Living For It Although Elon has since removed the X post claiming the president's name was in the Epstein files, the claim went viral, so of course, his daughter, who's been critical of her billionaire father in the past, had to post about it. Vivian posted a video of herself with the caption, "I love being proven right." In the video, she says, "I do not want to comment," before laughing on camera. @vivllainous / Instagram: @vivllainous Vivian also posted an Instagram Story of her Threads post, which read, "Such beauty in life," with Chase Icon's "Job Application" playing in the background. If it wasn't obvious that Vivian was throwing a little shade at Elon and President Trump's online feud, people in the comments sure as heck made it clear. "I love that everyone knows EXACTLY what you're talking about with just 4 words. I fucking L O V E I T," one person wrote. Another person said Vivian was "the best at giving shade without naming anyone." People were really celebrating with Vivian in the replies. Finally, somebody wrote, "I really hope you're taking this day to put your feet up with a glass of wine. You've endured so much shit -this must feel glorious." Whew. What a week! Also in In the News: People Can't Believe This "Disgusting" Donald Trump Jr. Post About Joe Biden's Cancer Diagnosis Is Real Also in In the News: Republicans Are Calling Tim Walz "Tampon Tim," And The Backlash From Women Is Too Good Not To Share Also in In the News: JD Vance Shared The Most Bizarre Tweet Of Him Serving "Food" As Donald Trump's Housewife
