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Protests, parades and Pride: One week in June 2025 is drawing stark American fault lines

Protests, parades and Pride: One week in June 2025 is drawing stark American fault lines

WASHINGTON —
On the first weekend: a vision of the nation built upon inclusivity and the tenets of liberalism — a conception of country that incorporates generations of fights for equity, for compassion, for expanding what it means to be an American.
On the second weekend, in the same town: a public show of strength and nationalism constructed on a foundation of military might, law and order, a tour de force of force.

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An Aggressive Social Security Garnishment Is Underway for Over 1,000,000 Beneficiaries -- Here's How You Can Legally Avoid It
An Aggressive Social Security Garnishment Is Underway for Over 1,000,000 Beneficiaries -- Here's How You Can Legally Avoid It

Yahoo

time27 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

An Aggressive Social Security Garnishment Is Underway for Over 1,000,000 Beneficiaries -- Here's How You Can Legally Avoid It

Between 80% and 90% of retirees count on their Social Security income, in some capacity, to cover their expenses. The Trump administration has ended the Joe Biden-era overpayment and recovery rate of 10% and implemented a monthly clawback rate of 50% on Social Security overpayments. Beneficiaries who've received an overpayment letter from the Social Security Administration have multiple options available that can waive or reduce the amount they'll need to repay. The $23,760 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook › In May, nearly 53 million retired workers brought home a Social Security check, with the average payout making history by cresting $2,000 for the first time ever. Though this is a relatively modest amount of monthly income, it's imperative to the financial well-being of most aging Americans. For more than 20 years, national survey-taker Gallup has polled retirees annually to gauge their reliance on Social Security income. Without fail, 80% to 90% of retirees have consistently responded that their monthly check was a necessity, in some capacity, to make ends meet. For beneficiaries, nothing is more important than knowing how much they're going to receive each month and having their payout keep pace with the inflationary pressures they're contending with on a year-to-year basis. But based on a new policy recently implemented under President Donald Trump, more than 1 million beneficiaries can expect their Social Security checks to shrink by up to 50%. With so many beneficiaries reliant on Social Security income to cover their expenses, this is income some can't afford to lose. Since Trump took office for his nonconsecutive second term, he's overseen a number of critical changes to America's leading retirement program. This includes beefing up personal identification methods, signing an executive order to eliminate paper Social Security checks, and creating the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which encouraged the Social Security Administration (SSA) to slash 7,000 jobs and shutter some of its locations to reduce its administrative expenses. But what's making headlines above all else are the two Social Security garnishments that the Trump administration has improved. For instance, by "sometime this summer," a 15% monthly garnishment is expected to be reinstated for the roughly 452,000 delinquent federal student loan borrowers who are currently receiving a Social Security benefit. Federal student loan payments ceased in March 2020 during the height of the pandemic and haven't recommenced. Between 2017 and 2023, the number of federal student loan borrowers aged 62 and above surged by 59% to roughly 2.7 million, based on data from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. But a 15% monthly garnishment is peanuts compared to the 50% garnishment rate that's currently underway for beneficiaries who were overpaid. Keep in mind that "beneficiaries" encompass retired workers, survivors of deceased workers, and workers with disabilities. Under the Joe Biden administration, Social Security clawbacks for overpayments were reduced to 10% per check, which is down from the 100% clawback rate that existed when President Barack Obama was in office, as well as during Donald Trump's first term. Based on statements from then-acting SSA Commissioner Kilolo Kijakazi in 2023, the agency overpaid more than 1 million beneficiaries in fiscal 2022 (the federal government's fiscal year ends on Sept. 30) and over 980,000 recipients in fiscal 2023. With the garnishment rate slashed to just 10% under President Biden and having no new overpayment data published since fiscal 2023, it's likely safe to assume that more than 1,000,000 beneficiaries are still making good on their overpayments. Social Security overpayments can occur for a number of reasons. Sometimes, these errors are entirely the fault of the SSA and result in beneficiaries receiving too much per month. But they can also be caused by a recipient not updating their income. For example, non-blind workers with disabilities can earn up to $1,620 per month in wages and salary without having their long-term Social Security disability benefit stopped in 2025. If a worker with disabilities began collecting $3,000 in monthly income and didn't report this income change to the SSA, their federal tax filing would show they received Social Security disability benefits they weren't due, thusly resulting in an eventual clawback from the SSA. For the more than 1,000,000 beneficiaries who've received a letter from the SSA informing them they've been overpaid, there are options. The most desirable of these options is to request and be approved for an overpayment waiver (Form SSA-632BK, "Request for Waiver of Overpayment Recovery"). If the overpayment wasn't your fault and repaying the added benefits you received would lead to financial hardship -- you'll often need to supply documentation of your income and qualified expenses -- there's the possibility that the SSA will grant your request and waive your need to refund the overpayment. Along these same lines, beneficiaries can also file Form SSA-561, which is officially known as a "Request for Reconsideration." This route is taken by beneficiaries who don't agree with the SSA's decision that they've been overpaid and essentially want to appeal, as well as those who admit they've been overpaid but don't agree with the amount presented by the SSA. If your appeal is granted, you won't have to refund a dime to America's leading retirement program. Your appeal may also reduce how much you'll have to repay. The third option available to beneficiaries who've received a notice informing them of eventual clawbacks due to overpayment is to negotiate a different payment rate. Going this route is an admission that you've been overpaid but that removing 50% from your check on a monthly basis would create a financial hardship. Filing Form SSA-634 ("Request for Change in Overpayment Recovery Rate") with the SSA requires you to explain your financial situation, which includes documentation of your income and qualified expenses. Though the SSA typically aims to recover an overpayment within 12 months, some payment plans extend payments up to 60 months (five years) out. If you're like most Americans, you're a few years (or more) behind on your retirement savings. But a handful of little-known could help ensure a boost in your retirement income. One easy trick could pay you as much as $23,760 more... each year! Once you learn how to maximize your Social Security benefits, we think you could retire confidently with the peace of mind we're all after. Join Stock Advisor to learn more about these Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. An Aggressive Social Security Garnishment Is Underway for Over 1,000,000 Beneficiaries -- Here's How You Can Legally Avoid It was originally published by The Motley Fool Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data

Live Updates: Manhunt for Minnesota Assassin Enters 2nd Day as State Mourns Victims
Live Updates: Manhunt for Minnesota Assassin Enters 2nd Day as State Mourns Victims

New York Times

timean hour ago

  • New York Times

Live Updates: Manhunt for Minnesota Assassin Enters 2nd Day as State Mourns Victims

The police have said that the suspect in Saturday's attacks, Vance Boelter, 57, disguised himself as a police officer before going to the homes of two state lawmakers in the Minneapolis suburbs. The man suspected of shooting two Democratic state lawmakers in Minnesota early on Saturday had served on a state board with one of the victims, records show. The suspect identified by the authorities, Vance Boelter, 57, was appointed several times by Minnesota governors to the Workforce Development Board, where he served with State Senator John A. Hoffman, who was shot and survived. Mr. Boelter and Senator Hoffman attended a virtual meeting together in 2022 for a discussion about the job market in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic, minutes from the meeting show. Drew Evans, the superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, said investigators did not yet know how well the two knew each other, if at all. Mr. Boelter was appointed to the board in 2016 by Mark Dayton, a Democrat who was then the governor. More recently, he was appointed by Gov. Tim Walz, also a Democrat. The board has 41 members who are appointed by the governor, and its goal is to improve business development in the state. A state report in 2016 listed Mr. Boelter's political affiliation as 'none or other,' and another report in 2020 listed him as having 'no party preference.' Voters do not declare political affiliation when they register in Minnesota. The police have said that the suspect in the attacks disguised himself as a police officer and went to the homes of two state lawmakers in the Minneapolis suburbs. He shot and wounded Senator Hoffman, and his wife, Yvette, and fatally shot State Representative Melissa Hortman, and her husband, Mark. He remains on the run. U.S. Senator Tina Smith, Democrat of Minnesota, said in an interview that the gunman had a list that included her name and the names of other lawmakers, all of whom were Democrats. The list included about 70 potential targets, a federal law enforcement official said, including doctors, community and business leaders, and locations for Planned Parenthood and other health care centers. Some of the targets were in neighboring states. Image A State Patrol helicopter flies near a home where a search warrant was executed in Minneapolis on Saturday. Credit... Tim Gruber for The New York Times David Carlson lives at an address in Minneapolis where the police executed a search warrant for Mr. Boelter and said he has been one of his best friends since fourth grade. Mr. Boelter's listed address is in Green Isle, Minn., about an hour's drive away. Mr. Carlson said that Mr. Boelter also rented a room in the same home as him, and stayed there several days a week. Mr. Boelter worked at a funeral home, owned guns and had voted for President Trump last year, he said. Mr. Carlson read a text message that he had received from Mr. Boelter early on Saturday morning, in which he wrote that he might be dead soon. The message did not describe any details of the attacks, Mr. Carlson said. On Friday, Mr. Boelter had given Mr. Carlson four months' worth of advance rent payments — which was about $220 a month — for a small room in the shared house. He had said he needed some rest and so Mr. Carlson left him alone. Mr. Carlson said Mr. Boelter is a Christian who strongly opposed abortion. He had never mentioned either of the lawmakers who were shot, Mr. Carlson said, and had generally avoided talking about politics. He said Mr. Boelter had been experiencing financial and mental health challenges. Mr. Boelter and his wife run a private security company in Minnesota, according to its website. The company, Praetorian Guard Security Services, lists Mr. Boelter as the director of security patrols and his wife as the president. The firm's website describes using Ford Explorer S.U.V.s, 'the same make and model of vehicles that many police departments use.' On Saturday afternoon, the police towed a Ford Explorer from outside Representative Hortman's home. The firm says it offers only armed security. 'If you are looking for unarmed guards, please work with another service to meet your needs better,' the website says. Image The police towing a Ford Explorer that they said the suspect used from near Representative Melissa Hortman's home in Brooklyn Park, Minn., on Saturday. Credit... Tim Gruber for The New York Times Mr. Boelter's public professional history is varied. State reports and his LinkedIn profile indicate that he was recently a general manager of a 7-Eleven in Minneapolis and, before that, had worked as the general manager of a gas station in St. Paul. A report in 2017 listed him as an executive at an energy company. More recently, he had said on LinkedIn that he was the chief executive of a company called Red Lion Group, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, dedicated to creating 'good jobs for local people,' according to its website. Mr. Boelter has delivered several sermons at a church in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In a video of one that was posted online, he appeared to criticize gay and transgender people. 'There's people, especially in America, they don't know what sex they are,' he said. 'They don't know their sexual orientation, they're confused. The enemy has gotten so far into their mind and their soul.' In the sermon, he said he had given his life to Jesus as a teenager and had been blessed with five children. In a video posted online, seemingly for an educational course, Mr. Boelter said he had picked up work at funeral homes to help pay his bills. It was not clear when the video was uploaded, but Mr. Boelter said he worked six days a week for two funeral homes in the Minneapolis area. At one, he said, he sometimes helped to remove bodies from crime scenes and would work with police officers and death investigators. A spokesman for Des Moines Area Community College, in Iowa, said Mr. Boelter took classes in the school's mortuary science program, an online program, in 2023 and 2024. The website for Mr. Boelter's security company makes expansive claims about his work experience, which could not immediately be verified, including that he had been 'involved with security situations' in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and that he had worked for 'the largest U.S. oil refining company, the world's largest food company based in Switzerland and the world's largest convenience retailer based in Japan.' Image Sweeping the neighborhood near the home of Ms. Hortman in Brooklyn Park, Minn., on Saturday. Credit... Tim Gruber for The New York Times I.R.S. tax forms show that Mr. Boelter and his wife once led a Christian nonprofit called Revoformation Ministries. An archived version of the group's website described Mr. Boelter as becoming an ordained minister in 1993. Mr. Boelter, the site said, had traveled previously to violent areas 'in the Gaza Strip and West Bank,' the site said, and had 'sought out militant Islamists in order to share the gospel and tell them that violence wasn't the answer.' In November 2018, Mr. Boelter urged his followers on LinkedIn to vote in that year's election, saying he had been to countries where people could not elect their leaders and that were 'not places that anyone of us would want to live in.' 'I am very big on just telling people to be a part of the process and vote your values,' he wrote, 'and be part of this adventure we are all a part of living in the United States of America.' 'I think the election is going to have more of an impact on the direction of our country than probably any election we have been apart of, or will be apart of for years to come,' he continued. One of the victims on Saturday's attacks, Ms. Hortman, ran successfully for re-election that year. Julie Bosman , Kevin Draper , Adam Goldman , Bernard Mokam and Jay Senter contributed reporting. Jack Begg and Kitty Bennett contributed research.

Legal immigrant sees small business boom after opening doors to police injured during anti-ICE riots
Legal immigrant sees small business boom after opening doors to police injured during anti-ICE riots

Fox News

timean hour ago

  • Fox News

Legal immigrant sees small business boom after opening doors to police injured during anti-ICE riots

LOS ANGELES – A restaurant owner outside Los Angeles is opening up about her decision to help police officers who were tear-gassed during riots outside her business June 7. Elizabeth Mendoza is the owner of La Ceiba Restaurant, a Salvadoran eatery in Long Beach, who told Fox News Digital she welcomed both police and protesters who entered her business seeking help after being pepper-sprayed that Saturday afternoon. "I feel sad because my city … it's a good city," she said. "My people is honest. My people have to work a lot. I'm here for 14 years. I know my people, and I feel bad … when I saw the police. The police need my help, too, because they are human like me. They feel everything like me. "They have to … work," she said, adding she has received thanks from police for helping officers that day Mendoza initially said her restaurant had suffered because the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids and police presence in the area made people "scared" to walk around. But now her business is thriving due to the positive attention she has received nationally for helping officers. She has been living in the United States for more than 30 years and is a legal U.S. citizen. The business owner said the recent riots and ICE raids have made her "sad" because immigrants like her want "peace" and "work" in the United States. While outsiders have treated what she described as her "hole-in-the-wall" restaurant with respect, Mendoza called on protesters to condemn violence against other local businesses. "Everything is OK. I want to say that protest is good," she said. "But no[t] something bad — the street, the windows. Please, don't do that." Protests escalated in the Los Angeles area beginning June 6 and June 7, when ICE raids began across the county, resulting in hundreds of illegal immigrant arrests. The Department of Homeland Security shared information with Fox News about some of the most violent offenders arrested by ICE those two days. Rioting broke out on the evening of June 7, a Friday, as agitators burned cars, threw objects and fireworks at police, blocked traffic, vandalized public buildings with graffiti and smashed windows of the Los Angeles Police Department headquarters downtown. The rioting continued into the weekend and ensuing weeknights.

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