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Biden to attend Juneteenth celebration in Galveston

Biden to attend Juneteenth celebration in Galveston

The Hill18-06-2025
Former President Biden will attend a Juneteenth celebration at a historic church in Galveston, Texas, on Thursday, The Associated Press reported.
Biden will attend the event hosted by the Reedy Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church — one of the places the order announcing the end of slavery in Texas was read on June 19, 1865.
That historic day is now commemorated each year on June 19. Biden signed legislation into law making Juneteenth a federal holiday in 2021.
The church, which describes itself as 'the birthplace of Juneteenth,' hosts an annual celebration including a 'family fun day,' a historic reenactment of the 'emancipation march,' and an 'emancipation service,' according to the website.
Biden marked Juneteenth last year about a week early, hosting a celebration concert at the White House that included singers Gladys Knight and Patti LaBelle.
'The day reminds us that we have a helluva lot more work to do,' Biden told the nearly 1,700 attendees. 'Let's keep marching. Let's keep the faith.'
President Trump does not have any public events listed for Thursday.
The Hill has reached out to Biden's office about his plans.
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‘They roll right over': Many Democrats call their party weak and ineffective, AP-NORC poll finds
‘They roll right over': Many Democrats call their party weak and ineffective, AP-NORC poll finds

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‘They roll right over': Many Democrats call their party weak and ineffective, AP-NORC poll finds

WASHINGTON (AP) — Many Democrats see their political party as 'weak' or 'ineffective,' according to a poll that finds considerable pessimism within Democratic ranks. Republicans are more complimentary of their party, although a small but significant share describe the GOP as 'greedy' or say it is generally "bad." The poll conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research in July reveals warning signs for both major U.S. parties as the political focus shifts to elections in New Jersey and Virginia this fall and the midterm contests next year. Respondents were asked to share the first word or phrase that came to mind when they thought of the Republican and Democratic parties. Answers were then sorted into broad categories, including negative and positive attributes. Overall, U.S. adults held a dim view of both parties, with about 4 in 10 using negative attributes, including words such as 'dishonest' or 'stupid." 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How Americans view the parties overall Among all Americans, the poll finds that the Republican Party is viewed slightly more negatively than the Democratic Party. The different is not large: 43% used negative words to describe the Republicans, compared with 39% for the Democrats. Much of the negativity is driven by the opposing party — and independents' distaste for both. Independents are much likelier to describe both parties with negative attributes rather than positive descriptors, though a significant share did not offer an opinion at all. Curtis Musser, a 60-year-old unaffiliated voter from Beverly Hills, Florida, said both parties have shifted too far toward the extreme for his liking. He said he is ready for a serious third party to emerge before the next presidential election, pointing to Elon Musk's new 'America Party,' which has been slow to launch. 'Maybe he would get us headed in the right direction,' the retired schoolteacher said. ___ The AP-NORC poll of 1,437 adults was conducted July 10-14, using a sample drawn from NORC's probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 3.6 percentage points.

‘They roll right over': Many Democrats call their party weak and ineffective, AP-NORC poll finds

timean hour ago

‘They roll right over': Many Democrats call their party weak and ineffective, AP-NORC poll finds

WASHINGTON -- Many Democrats see their political party as 'weak' or 'ineffective,' according to a poll that finds considerable pessimism within Democratic ranks. Republicans are more complimentary of their party, although a small but significant share describe the GOP as 'greedy' or say it is generally "bad." The poll conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research in July reveals warning signs for both major U.S. parties as the political focus shifts to elections in New Jersey and Virginia this fall and the midterm contests next year. Respondents were asked to share the first word or phrase that came to mind when they thought of the Republican and Democratic parties. Answers were then sorted into broad categories, including negative and positive attributes. Overall, U.S. adults held a dim view of both parties, with about 4 in 10 using negative attributes, including words such as 'dishonest' or 'stupid." But nearly nine months after Republican Donald Trump won a second presidential term, Democrats appear to be harboring more resentment about the state of their party than do Republicans. Democrats were likelier to describe their own party negatively than Republicans. Republicans were about twice as likely to describe their own party positively. 'They're spineless,' Cathia Krehbiel, a 48-year-old Democrat from Indianola, Iowa, said of her party. She believes the party's response to the Trump administration has been 'scattershot.' 'I just feel like there's so much recently that's just going abhorrently wrong," Krehbiel said. "And they speak up a little bit and they roll right over.' Overall, roughly one-third of Democrats described their party negatively in the open-ended question. About 15% described it using words like 'weak," or 'apathetic,' while an additional 10% believe it is broadly 'ineffective' or "disorganized.' Only about 2 in 10 Democrats described their party positively, with roughly 1 in 10 saying it is 'empathetic,' or 'inclusive.' An additional 1 in 10 used more general positive descriptors. It is unclear what impact the Democrats' angst may have on upcoming elections or the political debate in Washington, but no political organization wants to be plagued by internal divisions. Still, the Democrats' frustration appears to reflect their concern that party leaders are not doing enough to stop Trump's GOP, which controls Washington. There is little sign that such voters would abandon their party in favor of Trump's allies in upcoming elections, and the vast majority of Democrats described the GOP negatively. But disaffected Democrats might decide not to vote at all. That could undermine their party's push to reclaim at least one chamber of Congress in 2026. Jim Williams, a 78-year-old retiree from Harper Woods, Michigan said he typically supports Democrats, but he is 'disappointed' with the party and its murky message. He feels much worse about the Republican Party, which he said 'has lost it' under Trump's leadership. 'All he does is bully and call names. They've got no morals, no ethics. And the more they back him, the less I like them,' the self-described independent, said of Trump. Republicans are about twice as likely as Democrats to describe their party positively, with many also using straightforward ideological descriptors like 'conservative.' About 4 in 10 Republicans used positive attributes to characterize the GOP, making general mentions of words such as 'patriotic' or 'hardworking,' or offering associations with the word 'freedom.' Samuel Washington, 65, of Chicago, said he typically votes Republican. Washington praised Trump's leadership, even while acknowledging that the president's policies on trade and spending might be creating short-term economic hardship. 'There's a lot of pain, but the pain is the result of 12 years of misuse and misguided leadership from the Democratic Party,' he said. 'I'm feeling really good about Republicans and the direction that they're going.' But views were not uniformly good. About 2 in 10 Republicans said something negative about the party, including phrases such as 'greedy,' 'for the rich' or 'corrupt.' Republican Dick Grayson, an 83-year-old veteran from Trade, Tennessee, said he is 'disappointed' by his party's fealty to Trump. Among other things, he pointed to the price tag of Trump's tax-and-spend package, which will add nearly $3.3 trillion to the nation's debt over the next decade, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. 'I've always been a Republican, but I'm disillusioned about both parties,' Grayson said. Among all Americans, the poll finds that the Republican Party is viewed slightly more negatively than the Democratic Party. The different is not large: 43% used negative words to describe the Republicans, compared with 39% for the Democrats. Much of the negativity is driven by the opposing party — and independents' distaste for both. Independents are much likelier to describe both parties with negative attributes rather than positive descriptors, though a significant share did not offer an opinion at all. Curtis Musser, a 60-year-old unaffiliated voter from Beverly Hills, Florida, said both parties have shifted too far toward the extreme for his liking. He said he is ready for a serious third party to emerge before the next presidential election, pointing to Elon Musk's new 'America Party,' which has been slow to launch. 'Maybe he would get us headed in the right direction,' the retired schoolteacher said. ___ Peoples reported from New York. ___ The AP-NORC poll of 1,437 adults was conducted July 10-14, using a sample drawn from NORC's probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 3.6 percentage points.

Social Security Is Owed Tens of Billions of Dollars, and the Donald Trump Administration Aims to Collect. Will Your Benefit Be Garnished?
Social Security Is Owed Tens of Billions of Dollars, and the Donald Trump Administration Aims to Collect. Will Your Benefit Be Garnished?

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time3 hours ago

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Social Security Is Owed Tens of Billions of Dollars, and the Donald Trump Administration Aims to Collect. Will Your Benefit Be Garnished?

Key Points President Donald Trump has been the catalyst for a number of changes to America's leading retirement program during his second term. His administration has overseen the reversal of a Biden-era policy on Social Security overpayments, resulting in a more aggressive 50% clawback rate. Overpaid beneficiaries have a trio of options at their disposal to potentially waive their liability or meaningfully reduce what they owe. The $23,760 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook › For most retirees, their Social Security income is indispensable. When surveyed by national pollster Gallup in April, 86% of retirees said that their monthly check is a "major" or "minor" income source. In other words, it's a necessity, to some varied degree, to make ends meet. However, this all-important retirement program isn't on the best financial footing. 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And the president has overseen the revamp of personal identification methods via the Social Security Administration (SSA). For example, changing your direct deposit information (with few exceptions) will require an in-person visit to the SSA or two-factor authentication via a "my Social Security" account. Furthermore, Trump is responsible for the creation of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which preempted the SSA to announce a reduction of 7,000 employees and the shuttering of some of its offices. These actions fit with the Trump administration's theme of reining in federal costs and making Capitol Hill more efficient. But this isn't all. Making Washington, D.C., more efficient includes Social Security's trust funds, and not just the program's administrative expenses. America's leading retirement program is owed tens of billions of dollars -- and the Trump administration aims to collect. The question is: Are you one of the more than 1 million beneficiaries who could see their Social Security benefit garnished by the SSA? The Trump administration has placed a bull's-eye on Social Security overpayments If there's such a thing as a clear target for the SSA and Trump administration, it's collecting the $23 billion in Social Security overpayments that were outstanding at the end of fiscal 2023 (Sept. 30, 2023). According to data from health policy researcher KFF and Cox Media Group, nearly 2 million beneficiaries had been overpaid. Sometimes these overpayments are entirely the SSA's fault. Other times, responsibility lies with beneficiaries not updating their income information with the SSA, thereby resulting in an overpayment. Prior to the pandemic, the clawback rate on Social Security overpayments stood at 100%. This means President Trump's first term featured a 100% garnishment rate for Social Security checks until an overpayment was fully recouped. However, this garnishment rate was lowered to just 10% per benefit check during Joe Biden's presidency (which coincided with the pandemic). Although the SSA announced plans to reinstate the 100% clawback rate in March, public backlash caused the agency to rethink this strategy and amend its garnishment rate to 50% in April. With the SSA beginning to send out 90-day notices on April 25, overpayment garnishments for potentially more than 1 million beneficiaries began on July 24. If there's a silver lining for these folks, it's that legal options do exist that can potentially waive or reduce what they owe the SSA: SSA-632BK ("Request for Waiver of Overpayment Recovery"): The best outcome would be to have your overpayment from the SSA completely waived. Filing Form SSA-632BK makes sense if the overpayment you received wasn't your fault and you can provide documentation that paying back the extra benefits would cause a financial hardship. SSA-561 ("Request for Reconsideration"): Going this route makes sense if you can provide evidence that you weren't overpaid and want your liability waived. Form SSA-561 is also an option if you agree that you've been overpaid but are contesting how much in extra benefits you received. SSA-634 ("Request for Change in Overpayment Recovery Rate"): Filing Form SSA-634 is the way to go if you admit to being overpaid, but can demonstrate a financial hardship to the SSA with qualified expenses. In other words, you're still going to have to repay the extra benefits you've received, but this route may allow you to work out an extended payment plan that lowers the garnishment rate from 50% to a more palatable percentage. With the Biden-era recovery rate a thing of the past, more beneficiaries can expect a significant haircut to their monthly check if they don't opt for one of these three perfectly legal options to potentially waive or reduce what they owe. The $23,760 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook 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. Social Security Is Owed Tens of Billions of Dollars, and the Donald Trump Administration Aims to Collect. Will Your Benefit Be Garnished? was originally published by The Motley Fool

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