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Opinion - Leland Vittert's War Notes: War Time President

Opinion - Leland Vittert's War Notes: War Time President

Yahoo01-05-2025

NewsNation Chief Washington Anchor and On Balance host Leland Vittert was a foreign correspondent for four years in Jerusalem. He gives you an early look at tonight's 9 pm ET show. Subscribe to War Notes here.
Game time: 'War Notes' comes out at 7:05 p.m. ET … that means we are less than 55 minutes away from the NewsNation town hall 'The First 100 Days.'
Bill O'Reilly joins Chris Cuomo, starting with an interview of President Trump himself.
We will do a postgame show to debrief the town hall at 10 p.m. ET.
The 100-day mark of President Trump's second term brought another record — a two-hour Cabinet meeting complete with an impromptu press conference.
It comes just over 50 days after his (record) long address to a joint session of Congress and after last night's 90-minute stump rally-esque speech in Michigan.
What I am thinking 💭: The Cabinet room is tiny — I can't imagine standing in there for that long.
Did it get hot? Did anybody need to go to the bathroom?
What happens to the Gulf of America hats sitting in front of each Cabinet member — are they personalized?
Can you imagine being one of the audio technicians holding a boom microphone that long?
The level of sycophancy by the Cabinet would have made North Korea's Kim Jong Un jealous.
The Cabinet members went around the table:
Professing their loyalty.
Universally praising Trump's performance.
Reporting back on all their victories in his name.
Plus: Complaining about what a mess former President Joe Biden left.
Be fair: Sometimes, they varied the order of these talking points.
Okay: Enough about that.
Always winning: Trump learned long ago to flood the zone with so much news that the media can't keep track of it all and to always claim victory.
Most presidents run from cameras when embattled, but Trump runs towards them.
It muddies the waters — networks will cut away to 'fact check' him, but for most Americans consuming news, this strategy works in his favor.
The more Trump says, the less any one issue actually matters.
Trump views victory in terms of how much of the news cycle he owns — today, he will own it all.
As we told you yesterday, Trump knows he is vulnerable on the economy and tariffs — actions speak louder.
Today, he blamed Biden for bad economic numbers:
'This is Biden's Stock Market, not Trump's. I didn't take over until January 20th. Tariffs will soon start kicking in, and companies are starting to move into the USA in record numbers. Our Country will boom, but we have to get rid of the Biden 'Overhang.' This will take a while, has NOTHING TO DO WITH TARIFFS, only that he left us with bad numbers, but when the boom begins, it will be like no other. BE PATIENT!!!' Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
This is to be expected.
Much like Biden found, even a president can't tell the American people how to feel about the economy — Trump is learning the same lesson. We will see.
Name the villain: America is great because we all love our country — Trump knows this.
Today, he talked about how badly China is hurting because of the trade war.
Watch: In the coming days, weeks and months, the Trump administration will brand this like a war.
Who wins which battles?
What hardships are other countries paying?
Why does America need to win?
100 days in, and we are surprised by the speed of Trump's total victories on the border and DEI.
Similarly, we are surprised by the speed at which he's blown up the world economic order and assumptions.
Now, he's faced with a challenge not seen by an American president since FDR — and one largely of his own making,
We can all hope the economy defines the next 100 days — if it's something else, it will be really bad!
Tune into 'On Balance with Leland Vittert' weeknights at 9/8 CT on NewsNation. Find your channel here.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily of NewsNation.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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4 Social Security changes Washington could make to prevent benefit cuts
4 Social Security changes Washington could make to prevent benefit cuts

USA Today

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  • USA Today

4 Social Security changes Washington could make to prevent benefit cuts

4 Social Security changes Washington could make to prevent benefit cuts Show Caption Hide Caption Biden criticizes Trump administration's handling of Social Security Social Security overhaul sparks criticism from Biden over service disruptions, layoffs and automation as Trump defends changes as efficiency. Straight Arrow News Social Security is an important source of income for millions of Americans, but the program has a serious financial problem. Costs have increased faster than revenues in recent years because the aging population is growing more quickly than the working population. As a result, the trust fund, the financial account that pays benefits, is on track to be depleted within a decade. Specifically, the Congressional Budget Office estimates the trust fund will be exhausted in 2034. That would eliminate one source of revenue (i.e., interest earned on trust fund reserves), and the remaining tax revenues would only cover 77% of scheduled payments. That means a 23% benefit cut would be necessary in 2035. Fortunately, the lawmakers in Washington have several years to find a better solution. Here are four Social Security changes that could prevent deep, across-the-board benefit cuts. 1. Apply the Social Security payroll tax to income above $400,000 Social Security is primarily funded by a dedicated payroll tax, which takes 6.2% of wages from workers and employers. But some income is exempt from the payroll tax. Specifically, the maximum taxable earnings limit is $176,100 in 2025. Income above that threshold is not taxed by Social Security. Importantly, the Social Security program is projected to run a $23 trillion deficit over the next 75 years as it's strained by shifting demographics. But the deficit could be slashed by applying the payroll tax to more income. For instance, including income above $400,000 would eliminate 60% of the 75-year funding shortfall, says the University of Maryland. 2. Gradually increase the Social Security payroll tax rate to 6.5% over six years Under current law, the Social Security payroll tax rate is 6.2% for workers and their employers. But gradually raising that figure would eliminate a portion of the long-term deficit. For example, increasing thetax rate by 0.05% annually over a six-year period would eliminate 15% of the 75-year funding shortfall, according to the University of Maryland. Now that I've discussed two possible changes, let's step back and look at the big picture. There are basically three ways to resolve Social Security's financial problems: (1) increase revenue, (2) reduce costs or (3) some combination of the first two options. The changes discussed so far would increase revenue, but the next two changes would cut benefits. However, they are more subtle cuts than the 23% across-the-board reduction that would follow trust fund depletion. 3. Gradually increase full retirement age to 68 by 2033 Workers are eligible for retirement benefits at age 62, but they are not entitled to their full benefit — also called the primary insurance amount (PIA) — until full retirement age (FRA). Anyone that claims before full retirement age receives a smaller payout, meaning they get less than 100% of their PIA. FRA is currently defined as 67 years old for workers born in 1960 or later, but raising the figure would reduce the long-term deficit. For instance, increasing FRA to 68 years old by 2033, meaning it would apply to workers born in 1965 or later, would eliminate 15% of the 75-year funding shortfall, according to the University of Maryland. 4. Reduce benefits for retired workers with income in the top 20% Social Security benefits are determined as percentages of two bend points. Specifically, income from the 35 highest-paid years of work is adjusted for inflation and converted to a monthly figure called the average indexed monthly earnings (AIME) amount. The AIME is then run through a formula that uses two bend points to determine the PIA for each worker. Modifying the second (highest) bend point would eliminate a portion of the long-term deficit by reducing benefits for high earners. For instance, the University of Maryland estimates that reducing benefits for individuals with income in the top 20% could reduce the 75-year funding deficit by 11%. Here's the big picture: The four changes I've discussed would eliminate 101% of Social Security's $23 trillion funding shortfall, which would prevent across-the-board benefit cuts in 2035. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. The Motley Fool is a USA TODAY content partner offering financial news, analysis and commentary designed to help people take control of their financial lives. Its content is produced independently of USA TODAY. The $23,760 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook Offer from the Motley Fool: If you're like most Americans, you're a few years (or more) behind on your retirement savings. But a handful of little-known "Social Security secrets"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. JoinStock Advisorto learn more about these strategies. View the "Social Security secrets" »

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