New film company with ties to Palantir pitches pro-America movies as Hollywood culture war heats up
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Yahoo
22 minutes ago
- Yahoo
How Much Is Joe Biden's Social Security Check?
If you've ever wondered if former presidents and senators are eligible for Social Security, the answer is yes. Just as every other American who earns pays into Social Security Insurance through taxes, when they reach retirement age, they are eligible to draw benefits. Discover More: Find Out: And after 36 years as a senator, eight years as vice president and four years as president, Joe Biden is not only eligible, but collecting Social Security benefits. In fact, he's collecting well above the average Social Security recipient. How Much Is Joe Biden's Monthly Social Security Check? Unlike President Donald Trump, Joe Biden has released his annual tax returns since 1998. His 2024 return is not released yet, but his 2023 joint federal tax return, with his wife Dr. Jill Biden, states that he received $42,842 in Social Security income. That works out to approximately $3,570 per month. His wife received $21,412 in Social Security for the year of 2023. That works out to about $1,784 per month. The fact that this amount is almost exactly half of Joe Biden's suggests that she is likely drawing spousal benefits since those are capped at 50%, according to the Social Security Administration. Learn More: How Much Did Joe Biden Make as a Politician? You may be wondering why Joe Biden's Social Security is so high. The simple answer is that as a U.S. senator he drew a pretty good salary by most people's standards. Therefore, he paid and earned a high Social Security rate. Biden was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1972, when senators made $42,500 per year, according to the U.S. Senate website. That's more than $333,000 in today's dollars. Over the next few decades, his salary as senator gradually increased to $89,500 in 1987. He then ran for president and lost, but became a senator again from 1990 to 2007, finishing with a salary of $165,200. He then, of course became vice president and president. Biden first began receiving Social Security benefits in 2008 ($6,534) and in full in 2009 ($27,923). What Is the Average Social Security Check Amount? If you're wondering where Biden stands in relation to other Americans drawing Social Security benefits, he's above average. According to the Social Security Administration's (SSA) Monthly Statistical Snapshot, for the month of June 2025, the average benefit for retired workers was $2,005.05. More From GOBankingRates 5 Old Navy Items Retirees Need To Buy Ahead of Fall Mark Cuban Tells Americans To Stock Up on Consumables as Trump's Tariffs Hit -- Here's What To Buy This article originally appeared on How Much Is Joe Biden's Social Security Check?
Yahoo
22 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Flutter Entertainment plc announces launch of fourth tranche of share repurchase program
NEW YORK, Aug. 08, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Flutter Entertainment plc ("Flutter") (NYSE:FLUT; LSE:FLTR), the world's leading online sports betting and iGaming operator, announces that it has entered into non-discretionary arrangements with Davy Securities UC to repurchase ordinary shares on Flutter's behalf for an aggregate maximum consideration of up to $245 million on the New York Stock Exchange (the "Buyback"). The Buyback will commence on October 1, 2025 on the New York Stock Exchange, and will end no later than December 31, 2025. The purpose of the Buyback is to reduce the share capital of Flutter. This Buyback is the fourth tranche of the multi-year share repurchase program of up to $5bn announced on September 25, 2024. In 2025, we expect to return approximately $1bn to shareholders via the program. Davy Securities UC will conduct the Buyback on Flutter's behalf and will make trading decisions under the Buyback independently of Flutter in accordance with certain pre-set parameters. The maximum number of ordinary shares which may be acquired pursuant to the Buyback is an aggregate of 17,674,003 ordinary shares less the total amount of ordinary shares acquired as part of the first tranche of our share buyback programme announced on November 13, 2024, the second tranche of our share buyback programme announced on March 5, 2025, and the third tranche of our share buyback programme announced on May 8, 2025. The Buyback will be conducted within the parameters prescribed by (i) Rule 10b5-1 and Rule 10b-18 under the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and (ii) the EU Market Abuse Regulation (596/2014) and Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/1052 as such legislation forms part of law in the United Kingdom pursuant to the EU (Withdrawal) Act 2018 (as may be amended, extended and/or supplemented from time to time). The repurchased ordinary shares will be cancelled. Any decision in relation to the amount and timing of any future buyback tranche will be based on an ongoing assessment of the capital needs of the business and general market conditions. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including with relation to our share repurchase program. These statements reflect our current expectations as to future events based on certain assumptions and include any statement that does not directly relate to any historical or current fact. In some cases, you can identify these forward-looking statements by the use of words such as "outlook", "believe(s)", "expect(s)", "potential", "continue(s)", "may", "will", "should", "could", "would", "seek(s)", "predict(s)", "intend(s)", "trends", "plan(s)", "estimate(s)", "anticipates", "projection", "goal", "target", "aspire", "will likely result", and or the negative version of these words or other comparable words of a future or forward-looking nature. Such forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties. Accordingly, there are or will be important factors that could cause actual outcomes or results to differ materially from those indicated in these statements. Factors that could cause the Company's results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found in Part I, "Item 1A. Risk Factors" of the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and other periodic filings with the SEC, which are accessible on the SEC's website at Accordingly, there are or will be important factors that could cause actual outcomes or results to differ materially from those indicated in these statements. These factors should not be construed as exhaustive and should be read in conjunction with the other cautionary statements that are included in the Company's filings with the SEC. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or review any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as required by law. About Flutter Entertainment plc Flutter is the world's leading online sports betting and iGaming operator, with leading positions in markets across the world, including the US. Our ambition is to leverage our significant scale and our challenger mindset to change our industry for the better. By Changing the Game, we believe we can deliver long-term growth while promoting a positive, sustainable future for all our stakeholders. We are well-placed to do so through the distinctive, global competitive advantages of the Flutter Edge, which gives our brands access to group-wide benefits to stay ahead of the competition, as well as our clear vision for sustainability through our Positive Impact Plan. Flutter operates a diverse portfolio of leading online sports betting and iGaming brands including FanDuel, Sky Betting & Gaming, Sportsbet, PokerStars, Paddy Power, Sisal, tombola, Betfair, MaxBet, Junglee Games, Snaitech, Betnacional and Adjarabet. To learn more about Flutter, please visit our website at The person responsible for arranging release of this Announcement on behalf of Flutter is Edward Traynor, Company Secretary of Flutter. Enquiries: Investor Relations: Media Relations: corporatecomms@ Links: Sign up to our RNS and SEC alerts here Sign up to our Press Releases here Follow Flutter Entertainment on LinkedIn or X This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact rns@ or visit
Miami Herald
25 minutes ago
- Miami Herald
Jim Acosta's AI interview raises deeper questions about human connection
From Facebook to FaceTime, it is now easier than ever to stay connected with friends and family members. Thanks to technology, I can FaceTime with my parents, send TikTok videos and share photos of my dog with friends with a few clicks. But what happens when we use technology to virtually resurrect the dead and allow an avatar to speak on behalf of the deceased in a video interview sharing a political viewpoint? That question came to the forefront when former CNN White House correspondent Jim Acosta 'interviewed' an Artificial Intelligence avatar of Joaquin Oliver, a teenager killed in the 2018 Parkland high school shooting. In the video, the avatar used a chatbot to generate answers in a voice that supposedly sounded like the boy. Acosta said the boy's father had approached him to do the piece as a way of keeping Joaquin's memory alive. The interview sparked backlash and raised ethical concerns over technology's potential role in tarnishing the memory of the dead or changing their viewpoint. In this case, the Joaquin avatar advocated for 'stronger gun control laws, mental health support and community engagement.' Acosta's interview also raises a larger question: Is AI helping us connect or just simulating human connection while we become more disconnected? Grief is different for everyone, and how people grieve is evolving along with technology. Four years ago, I read about Joshua Barbeau, a guy who lost his fiancée to a rare liver disease. He used Project December — a chat website that simulates a text-based conversation with anyone, including someone who is dead — to communicate via chatbot with an AI version of his deceased fiancée. Traditionally, people processed grief through therapy or with the support of trusted friends or family members. Today, programs like ChatGPT are being used as therapists, for friendships and in some cases, as romantic partners. As Derek Thompson wrote in The Atlantic in February, 'Americans are spending less time with other people than in any other period for which we have trustworthy data, going back to 1965.' Isolation isn't accidental. Many people keep their phones on silent, prefer texting to calling and spend hours doomscrolling. Now, AI can simulate people with avatars. So when grief feels heavy, there is a program to help. When my grandmother died, the grief felt unbearable. Fifteen years later, when I talk about her, the loss still tugs at my heart. There isn't a day that I don't wish she was still here. I keep her memory alive without using AI, but I don't judge how others grieve. Grief is intimate — and that's what makes Joaquin Oliver's AI interview so eerie. It raises emotional questions. Is AI helping a family grieve? Was it a family's attempt to give their son a voice in a country that failed to protect him from gun violence? Maybe it's both. Human emotions can be messy. But what makes it all bearable is human connection — holding space for others in tough times — something technology can't replace. A chatbot can't actually resurrect the dead. It's a mirror of memories, reflecting our own words and thoughts. In the end, as the San Francisco Chronicle reported, Barbeau — the man who lost his fiancee — 'felt like the chatbot had given him permission to move on with his life in small ways, simply by urging him to take care of himself.' Perhaps that's the lesson. Technology can offer us tools for processing grief and maintaining memories, and maybe even give us permission to move on. But AI can't hug you or laugh at inside jokes. It won't sit next to you in silence when the world feels heavy. The loss of my grandmother still hurts. No amount of technology can bring her back. That's part of life's beauty — to love something death can touch. We carry those we've lost not through digital simulations, but by sharing memories and stories with others. The danger isn't just that AI will replace human connection — it's that we may settle for it. Mary Anna Mancuso is a member of the Miami Herald Editorial Board. Her email: mmancuso@
