Latest news with #Security
LBCI
2 hours ago
- Politics
- LBCI
UK says withdraws embassy staff from Iran
The UK said Friday it had withdrawn its embassy staff from Iran on the eighth day of the war with Israel, as the U.S. mulled whether to enter the conflict. "Due to the current security situation, we have taken the precautionary measure to temporarily withdraw our UK staff from Iran. Our embassy continues to operate remotely," the foreign ministry said in a statement. AFP
Miami Herald
a day ago
- Business
- Miami Herald
Social Security could run out sooner than you think
When Social Security was first signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in August 1935, it created a crucial lifeline for Americans as they navigated their golden years. Roosevelt was passionate about the law, saying after signing it, "We can never insure one hundred percent of the population against one hundred percent of the hazards and vicissitudes of life, but we have tried to frame a law which will give some measure of protection to the average citizen and to his family against the loss of a job and against poverty-ridden old age." Don't miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet's free daily newsletter The creation of the law changed the lives of Americans for the better, and ever since then, many have relied on Social Security as a supplement for retirement - or, in some cases, their sole income after retirement. Related: Senate proposes big change to Social Security, SALT income tax deduction This year alone, 70 million people will receive Social Security, according to a statement from Social Security Administration Commissioner Frank Bisignano. However, in recent years, concerns about the program's future started to bubble up. While it was designed to be sufficient to pay benefits through the year 2057, the 1983 Trustees Report pointed out a grim fact: the cost of the program would rise above the annual tax income of the program well before 2057. Now a new report has come out with updated information about when Social Security will run out - and it's deeply concerning. The annual report from the Social Security Board of trustees was released on June 18 and reports that the trust fund Social Security leans on to pay retirement benefits could be depleted by 2033, which is the same thing it predicted last year. After that point, 77% of benefits would be payable. More Social Security: Jean Chatzky sends strong message on 401(k)s, Social SecurityDave Ramsey's blunt advice regarding Social Security and 401(k)sSuze Orman addresses growing Social Security problem However, there is one key change in the report. The combined trust funds, which are made up of the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund and the Disability Insurance Trust Fund, are said to have enough resources to pay out benefits until 2034. Last year, the annual report said the funds would last until 2035. After that point, 81% of the combined benefits will be payable, per the report's new findings. All this can change depending on decisions made by lawmakers - and one expert believes that this news could offer a much-needed push. "Given Social Security's critical importance to millions of retirees and the availability of simple solutions, benefit cuts still seem unlikely," said Jean-Luc Bourdon, CPA and founder of Lucent Wealth Planning. "What's missing is political will. Politicians often require a sense of crisis to tackle fiscal challenges, so the projection that the trust fund shortfall will happen a year earlier than anticipated could finally bring them closer to fixing the problem. Ironically, the worse the news is for the trust fund, the closer the solution might be." On Facebook, CEO of HLS Retirement Consulting Heather Schreiber also shared her thoughts on the new information, stressing that those in her field communicate the brutal truth to their clients. "The most significant contributor to the worsening of the actuarial balance was the passage of the Social Security Fairness Act (#SSFA), which increased benefits for individuals receiving pensions based on work not covered by Social Security," she wrote. "In a press release today, SSA Commissioner Frank Bisignano reaffirmed the financial status of the trust funds as a top priority of the current administration. Sidebar: If lawmakers continue to kick this can down the road and cuts come to fruition, no one is immune to the haircut. So, if your clients think that claiming early to grandfather themselves into a protected class is the answer, please educate them!" Related: Dave Ramsey warns Americans on Social Security The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
LBCI
2 days ago
- Politics
- LBCI
Satellite signal disruption hits Iranian state broadcaster
Netanyahu vows to eliminate Iran's missile and nuclear threats: The Middle East will look different Previous
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Phil Foden has goal and assist to lead Manchester City past Wydad 2-0 in Club World Cup
Wydad's supporters light torches during the Club World Cup group G soccer match between Manchester City and Wydad AC in Philadelphia, Wednesday, June 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton) A pitch invader is taken down by security during the Club World Cup group G soccer match between Manchester City and Wydad AC in Philadelphia, Wednesday, June 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola) A protester runs on the pitch during the Club World Cup group G soccer match between Manchester City and Wydad AC in Philadelphia, Wednesday, June 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton) Manchester City players secelbaret after a goal during the Club World Cup group G soccer match between Manchester City and Wydad AC in Philadelphia, Wednesday, June 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton) Manchester City players celebrate opening goal by Phil Foden, center, during the Club World Cup group G soccer match between Manchester City and Wydad AC in Philadelphia, Wednesday, June 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton) Manchester City players celebrate opening goal by Phil Foden, center, during the Club World Cup group G soccer match between Manchester City and Wydad AC in Philadelphia, Wednesday, June 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton) Wydad's supporters light torches during the Club World Cup group G soccer match between Manchester City and Wydad AC in Philadelphia, Wednesday, June 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton) A pitch invader is taken down by security during the Club World Cup group G soccer match between Manchester City and Wydad AC in Philadelphia, Wednesday, June 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola) A protester runs on the pitch during the Club World Cup group G soccer match between Manchester City and Wydad AC in Philadelphia, Wednesday, June 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton) Manchester City players secelbaret after a goal during the Club World Cup group G soccer match between Manchester City and Wydad AC in Philadelphia, Wednesday, June 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton) Manchester City players celebrate opening goal by Phil Foden, center, during the Club World Cup group G soccer match between Manchester City and Wydad AC in Philadelphia, Wednesday, June 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton) PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Phil Foden scored two minutes into the match and later had an assist to lead Premier League powerhouse Manchester City past Moroccan club Wydad 2-0 in the Club World Cup on Wednesday. City broke Wydad's five-man defensive line early when Foden scored on a deflected cross by goalkeeper El Mehdi Benabid. Advertisement Jeremy Doku doubled City's lead in the 42nd minute off a corner kick from Foden. Shortly thereafter, an animal-rights activist ran onto the field to protest Morocco's treatment of stray dogs and cats. The man was tackled by security workers and escorted out of Lincoln Financial Field, which was just over half full with 37,446 fans in attendance. There was another brief stoppage in the second half after a Wydad supporter threw a flare behind City's goal. In the 88th minute, Rico Lewis was shown a red card after a hard foul on Samuel Obeng, leaving City with 10 men on the field. City summer signings Rayan Cherki and Tijjani Reijnders made their debuts as starters. The club's other new signing, defender Rayan Ait-Nouri, did not play. Advertisement Key moment Doku's strike at the far post put the game away. Takeaways Manchester City leads Group G and will face Al-Ain on Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Wydad remains in Philadelphia, where it will face another tough opponent in Juventus. ___ AP soccer:
The Hill
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Abandoning our Afghan allies is a moral and strategic mistake
It is a bad time for thousands of Afghans who risked their lives helping the U.S. over the past two decades. On June 2, it was announced that the office that helps with relocation of Afghans who helped America will close on July 1. Last month, the Department of Homeland Security formally ended Temporary Protected Status for roughly 10,000 Afghans who fled their country after the Taliban's return to power in 2021. Under the new directive, Afghan nationals currently residing in the U.S. under Temporary Protected Status have just under six weeks to leave, setting a deadline of July 14. Most of these Afghans are waiting for the backlog to clear to get the Special Immigrant Visa that was promised to them because of the help they provided the U.S. since its 2001 invasion. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stated that 'Afghanistan has had an improved security situation, and its stabilizing economy no longer prevent them from returning to their home country.' Yet, only days later, the State Department included Afghan citizens on a new 'travel ban' list due to deteriorating security situation and threat of terrorism from that country, contradicting what Noem and her department had claimed. Anyone paying attention to Afghanistan since the Taliban's return knows that it is not safe. The country has collapsed into an economic and humanitarian crisis. Al Qaeda has reestablished its position, operating training camps and safe houses across the country. According to a recent U.N. report, Afghanistan is now a 'permissive environment' for al Qaeda consolidation. Meanwhile, the Afghan branch of the so-called Islamic State has never been stronger. Girls cannot attend school beyond grade six. Women cannot work or even leave their homes without permission from a male relative. Ethnic and religious minorities continue to face persecution. The Taliban are hunting down Afghans who worked with the U.S. and its allies — often with deadly consequences. The claim that Afghanistan is now 'safe' is false. This issue is tricky for the Trump administration. In February 2020, President Trump reached a deal with the Taliban that planted the seed for the withdrawal of U.S. forces by May 2021. That agreement set in motion the Taliban's return to power. When President Joe Biden took office in 2021, he had the chance to cancel the deal, but he did not. By July, most U.S. and allied troops had left. On August 15, the Taliban seized Kabul. By Sept. 11, 2021 — the 20th anniversary of 9/11 — they controlled more of Afghanistan than they had on that tragic day in 2001. Both presidents share the blame. In the chaotic withdrawal, the U.S. left behind an estimated $7 billion in military equipment — most of which is now in Taliban hands or circulating on the regional black market. But the greater cost has been moral: the abandonment of tens of thousands of Afghans who served alongside American forces. Many of these men and women risked their lives for U.S. forces as interpreters, engineers, medics and contractors. For them, the Taliban's return is not just a change of government — it's a death sentence. Given the chaos the Biden administration allowed at America's southern border, it might be tempting to fold the Afghan resettlement issue into the broader immigration debate. But that approach would be both lazy and strategically short-sighted. Afghanistan and the broader regions of Central and South Asia will remain central to U.S. counterterrorism and foreign policy for the foreseeable future, and pretending otherwise is naive. There are four clear strategic reasons why helping Afghans who aided the U.S. is not only just but smart. First, honoring our commitment to Afghan partners sends a powerful message to future allies. In every modern conflict, American forces have relied on local partners for on-the-ground support. That pattern will almost certainly continue. If local partners believe the U.S. won't protect them when the fight is over, they will be far less willing to take that risk, which would weaken America's global reach and credibility. Second, Afghans already in the U.S. represent a critical talent pool. Many are trained linguists and cultural experts. During the two-decade U.S. mission in Afghanistan, they filled roles that no one else could. Yet in November 2023, Defense Language Institute ceased instruction in Pashto, one of Afghanistan's national languages. Should the U.S. again need Pashto speakers or regional experts, the Afghan American community will be indispensable. Third, these Afghans could help shape a post-Taliban Afghanistan. After 2001, the Afghan American diaspora was key to rebuilding the country. The current Taliban regime is fractured and unlikely to maintain control indefinitely. Offering refuge to educated, professionally trained Afghans bolsters U.S. capacity now and supports future stabilization efforts. Fourth, Afghan immigrants provide indirect humanitarian aid via remittances. In 2019, remittances made up 4.4 percent of Afghanistan's GDP. Since late 2021, the U.S. Treasury has allowed Afghans here to send money home despite sanctions. These remittances reduce the burden on American taxpayers and support Afghan families in crisis. Beyond these strategic benefits, there is the moral argument. Doing right by those who stood with America is a matter of national honor. The way a nation treats its allies — especially when they are vulnerable — says everything about its values. These Afghans risked everything for us. Abandoning them now is a betrayal. Trump began the withdrawal process. Biden finished it. Now, Trump has a rare second chance to do the right thing. His administration can correct a serious moral and strategic failure by reversing the decision to revoke Temporary Protected Status for Afghan nationals and instead prioritizing their protection. Rather than forcing them to leave, the U.S. should expedite visa processing and safe relocation for Afghan allies. This isn't just about compassion — it's about keeping our word, protecting our interests and preparing for the future. Luke Coffey is a senior fellow at Hudson Institute.
