Latest news with #socialsecurity
Bloomberg
4 days ago
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Panetta on SCOTUS Giving DOGE Access to Social Security Data
Leon Panetta, Former US Secretary of Defense, voices his concerns about the US Supreme Court giving DOGE access to social security data after Elon Musk and President Trump's feud. He also criticizes President Trump's latest position on Russia and Ukraine. Leon Panetta speaks with Kailey Leinz and Joe Mathieu on the late edition of Bloomberg's 'Balance of Power.' (Source: Bloomberg)
RNZ News
4 days ago
- Business
- RNZ News
US Supreme Court grants DOGE access to social security data
A Social Security Administration (SSA) office in Washington, DC. File photo. Photo: Saul Loeb / AFP A divided US Supreme Court has granted President Donald Trump's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) access to the social security data of millions of Americans. The decision came after the Trump administration appealed to the top court to lift an April order by a district judge restricting DOGE access to Social Security Administration (SSA) records. "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 top court said in a brief unsigned order. The three liberal justices on the Supreme Court dissented, with Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson saying the move poses "grave privacy risks for millions of Americans". "Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses, bank-account numbers, medical records - all of that, and more, is in the mix," Jackson said. "The Government wants to give DOGE unfettered access to this personal, non-anonymised information right now - before the courts have time to assess whether DOGE's access is lawful," she said. In her April ruling, District Judge Ellen Hollander banned DOGE staff from accessing data containing information that could personally identify Americans such as their social security numbers, medical history or bank records. Social security numbers are a key identifier for people in the United States, used to report earnings, establish eligibility for welfare and retirement benefits and other purposes. Hollander said the SSA can only give redacted or anonymised records to DOGE employees who have completed background checks and training on federal laws, regulations and privacy policies. The case before Hollander was brought by a group of unions which argued that the SSA had opened its data systems to unauthorised personnel from DOGE "with disregard for the privacy" of millions of Americans. DOGE, which has been tasked by Trump with slashing billions of dollars of government spending, was headed at the time by SpaceX and Tesla founder Elon Musk, who has since had a very public falling out with the president. Trump has been at loggerheads with the judiciary ever since he returned to the White House, venting his fury at court rulings at various levels that have frozen his executive orders on multiple issues. - AFP
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Millcreek man says over $1000 was stolen from EBT account
David Cannavino is just one of the countless people here in Erie who depend on his EBT card to buy food and other necessities. He said he had over $1,000 in his account, but when he checked it again on Thursday, he was left with only $1.05. 'I just… I'm still dumbfounded about it,' said Cannavino, a Millcreek resident. Cannavino's account showed his card was charged twice to a bodega he's never heard of in Chicago. Credit card skimming scams: What they are, and how to avoid being a victim He said he doesn't use a credit card machine without checking for skimmers first and always shops at the same places, and he believes his account was hacked. 'It's going to be nuts until the card gets loaded again because I'm retired, I'm on social security and that's all I get, so it impacts me hard,' said Cannavino. After he learned that his EBT account was empty, he came to the Erie County Assistance Office on Holland Street, but he didn't get very far. 'I let them know about it, I gave them my card, and then they said, 'Okay, well…' They sent me in to talk to some guy and the guy says, 'There's nothing we can do about it. Our hands are tied.' So, you know, what am I going to do now?' said Cannavino. SNAP funds stolen from 17 Pennsylvanians, over $8,000 lost Cannavino said he spoke to other recipients at the assistance office who said their money disappeared, too. An official at the assistance office told JET24/FOX66 that they couldn't answer our questions but referred us to another official in Harrisburg. That official told us that he hadn't heard about the problem but assured his office is working to get to the bottom of it. However, that's not going to help Cannavino and the other recipients who now don't have money to buy food. New lock safety feature could help SNAP benefit recipients avoid theft 'Due to the end of congressional authorization in December 2024, benefits stolen via card skimming, fraud or other electronic theft after December 20, 2024, cannot be reissued,' said Val Arkoosh, PA Department of Human Services Secretary. According to the US Food and Nutrition Service, the 2025 American Relief Act did not extend the authority to replace stolen SNAP benefits. However, the Department of Human Services has already launched a program to help people lock their EBT cards, and you can find more information . Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Associated Press
5 days ago
- Politics
- Associated Press
AP PHOTOS: Panama protests have lasted 45 days and counting
ARIMAE, Panama (AP) — Protests have persisted in parts of Panama for a month and a half. They've covered a range of issues including the changes to social security and opposition to a security agreement giving U.S. soldiers and contractors access to some facilities in Panama. Authorities and protesters were injured Thursday in eastern Panama when border police tried to open a highway blocked in an Indigenous community. President José Raúl Mulino has said he will not reverse the social security changes, nor will he allow protesters to obstruct roads. ___ This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.
The Independent
5 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
Protesters and police clash in eastern Panama
Authorities and protesters were injured Wednesday in eastern Panama when border police tried to open a highway blocked in an Indigenous community as part of monthlong demonstrations against changes to the country's social security system. Border police in riot gear launched tear gas and fired rubber-coated metal balls to disperse balaclava-wearing protesters firing rocks from slingshots and throwing Molotov cocktails. The National Border Service said in a statement that three of its members were taken for medical treatment. Among the protesters, at least one man's back and arm were studded with a constellation of wounds from pellets fired by police and another appeared to suffer a serious injury to one eye. An Associated Press journalist saw at least one home burned when police fired a tear gas canister onto its thatch roof. The roadway was covered in felled trees. A resident who requested anonymity because they feared retaliation, said they feared one protester was going to lose his eye after being struck in the melee. The small community is in the Darien, the remote province that borders Colombia and that has seen hundreds of thousands of migrants pass through until the flow effectively stopped earlier this year. Protests have persisted in parts of Panama for a month and a half. They've covered a range of issues including the changes to social security and opposition to a security agreement giving U.S. soldiers and contractors access to some facilities in Panama. President José Raúl Mulino has said he will not reverse the social security changes, nor will he allow protesters to obstruct roads. __
