Trump in office

[Thiel]

As an added bonus, the feds will probably do policing cheaper.

[Thiel]

President Trump signed a proclamation marking the 90th anniversary of the establishment of Social Security, while boasting changes in his recent tax law aimed at providing relief to seniors.

"On the 90th anniversary of the establishment of this historic program, I recommit to always defending Social Security, rewarding the men and women who make our country prosperous, and taking care of our own workers, families, seniors and citizens first," Trump said in the Oval Office.

"You reported it all the time. In four or five years, it's going to go bust, but not anymore, it's not," he claimed to reporters, while also boasting efforts in the administration aimed at finding "tremendous fraud, where we have illegal aliens."

Trump's comments come as his administration's plans to significantly reduce the agency's workforce to save money and protect benefits.

[Prof Emeritus at Fawk U]

El Presidente Trump es mucho bien!!!   

[Herman]

US tariff revenue surged +300% in July 2025, bringing in a record $29.6 billion in ONE month.

[Herman]

[Brent]

Social Security, and Commissioner Frank Bisignano has outlined efforts to modernize the system.

Bisignano wrote, "Since taking office, I have focused on modernizing operations; investing in our workforce; eliminating fraud, waste, and abuse; and improving how we serve the public, whether online, over the phone, or in person."

Bisignano said the agency is expanding online services and reducing phone and field office wait times. He promoted broader use of My SSA accounts as part of a digital‑first strategy.

Bisignano stated, "We have a clear path to achieving operational excellence and providing best-in-class service. Under President Trump's leadership, I have charted a new course that strengthens service delivery and secures the integrity and efficiency of our systems."

[Brent]

The United States is deploying three Aegis guided-missile destroyers to the waters off Venezuela as part of President Donald Trump's effort to combat threats from Latin American drug cartels, according to a U.S. official briefed on the planning.

[Herman]

Ben Shapiro nails it. Trump is putting America First with his immigration overhaul.

This week, news emerged that the administration of U.S. President Donald has been setting new standards regarding incoming immigrants. According to Axios, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will now consider the "positive attributes" of migrants entering the country. Such attributes can include community involvement and educational level. Instead of simply seeking to rule out those with records of misconduct, the new system seeks to screen for better immigrants — ones who will enrich America.

Along the same lines, CIS will now disqualify applicants who engage in or support "anti-American activity." As USCIS spokesman Matthew Tragesser explained, "America's benefits should not be given to those who despise the country and promote anti-American ideologies. ... immigration benefits — including to live and work in the United States — remain a privilege, not a right."   

Metrics for anti-Americanism include "circumstances where an alien has endorsed, promoted, supported, or otherwise espoused the views of a terrorist organization or group, including aliens who support or promote anti-American ideologies or activities, antisemitic terrorism and antisemitic terrorist organizations, or who promote antisemitic ideologies."

Shockingly, there are those who are concerned about such standards. Presumably, America can't be truly free unless we allow in those who support terrorist groups. One day, if we're lucky, they can even run for mayor of New York or congresswoman of Michigan. Such are the supposed blessings of liberty bestowed on foreigners by the free speech clause of our Constitution.

Professor of sociology Jane Lilly Lopez of Brigham Young University told the Associated Press, "For me, the really big story is they are opening the door for stereotypes and prejudice and implicit bias to take the wheel in these decisions. That's really worrisome." This, of course, ignores that there are evidentiary standards for any allegations of anti-Americanism. Skin colour or country of origin wouldn't presumably be enough to bar someone on grounds of anti-Americanism. But for the left, the only excuse for a pro-American ideology must be some form of subtle racism.

Meanwhile, Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, a senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, objected that the new standards were reminiscent of McCarthyism. This ignores the fact that during the Cold War, America did screen for membership in the Communist Party under the 1952 Immigration and Nationality Act, and that refugees and immigrants were screened by American law enforcement agencies to ensure that they were not agents of a foreign power or sympathetic to America's enemies.

Undergirding all these objections is a simple and ugly proposition: That becoming an American requires no actual investment in America, and that America ought to be a gigantic agglomeration of disassociated populations. Such a proposition would have been de facto impossible before the rise of the welfare state; people immigrating to the United States generally left places with greater security for an America without security but with grand opportunity, which meant that new immigrants had to learn English, learn a trade and embrace the Anglo-American cultural and legal traditions of the country to succeed.

With the rise of an enormous and durable social safety net, the math suddenly changed. People could immigrate to the United States without assimilating in any serious way and could maintain their pre-American cultures in toto. Multiculturalism, as a philosophy, can only survive if effectuated by a state that subsidizes fragmentation.

That process must now be reversed. And that can only be done by raising the bar to admission. Good immigrants make America stronger. Bad immigrants make it weaker. Treating all immigrants similarly isn't just foolish; it's dangerous. And the Trump administration is right for recognizing that root reality.

[Herman]

 

[Prof Emeritus at Fawk U]

A shame that it is a reaction to the idiot that killed those people in Florida.

[DKG]

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. indicated during a congressional hearing in June that kids "get 69 to 92 jabs" by the time they are 18 years old. Now, two doctors are working to change the burden of proof from on the patients who are subjected to them, to on the government agencies that effectively demand them.

Tony Lyons, president of MAHA Actio said that the "vaccines have never been properly tested, either individually, in groupings, or as the full schedule, so no one can honestly say that they are not linked to the chronic disease epidemic."

Two doctors backed by the advocacy group Stand for Health Freedom have filed a lawsuit against the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention challenging the agency's recommended childhood immunization schedule.

Dr. Paul Thomas and Dr. Kenneth Stoller, both of whom had their medical licenses suspended and revoked in recent years for standing up against the vaccination regime, want to flip the burden of proof on the matter.

Their complaint, filed on Aug. 15 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, notes that "America administers more vaccines than any nation on earth while producing the sickest children in the developed world. Yet CDC demands proof of harm while refusing to conduct the studies that could provide it."

[Herman]

[DKG]

Ultra-processed foods are undergoing increased scrutiny as Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and his supporters blame these often tasty snacks for contributing to chronic diseases in the U.S.

But what is ultra-processed food? There still isn't a universal definition.

While many ice creams, chips and sodas are considered ultra-processed, there's also a wide array of other foods that can be included in a healthy diet that fall into the same category, such as tofu, some canned fruits and vegetables, protein bars, cereals and nut milks.

"These are all quite processed and some of them can be classified as ultra-processed foods but because of their nutrient profiles, they might be better for us and not associated with the worst health outcomes," said Michele Polacsek, professor of public health at the University of New England and an expert on promoting healthy food choices.

Does that mean these foods will be targeted, too? Probably not, said Marion Nestle, a nutrition expert and emeritus professor at New York University.

"That would be impossible because of the way that Americans eat," she said, as research shows over 70% of American calories come from ultra-processed foods.

Ultra-processed foods, or UPFs, are foods that have been made by food companies using manufactured ingredients, rather than actual foods. If you've ever taken a look at some food labels, you may not recognize many of the ingredients listed. These are likely ultra-processed ingredients that are used to make food "taste better, look better and last longer on the shelf," Nestle said.