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Social Security Distributed Almost $72 Billion in Improper Payments; Car Prices Out of Reach

Thursday 22 August 2024

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The Social Security Administration (SSA) made nearly $72 billion worth of improper payments over a period of seven years, with almost a third yet to be recouped, according to the... ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ 
August 22, 2024
WORDS OF WISDOM
"I hope I shall possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider the most enviable of all titles, the character of an honest man."
GEORGE WASHINGTON
Good morning! Today, we're covering Social Security's distribution of nearly $72 billion in improper payments, car prices becoming increasingly unaffordable for many Americans, an upcoming major announcement from the RFK campaign, and the largest downward revision to job numbers since the global financial crisis.

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Social Security Distributed Almost $72 Billion in Improper Payments
Social Security Distributed Almost $72 Billion in Improper Payments
The Social Security Administration (SSA) made nearly $72 billion worth of improper payments over a period of seven years, with almost a third yet to be recouped, according to the...

Car Prices Out of Reach

For most Americans, affording a car is far more difficult now than it was before the COVID-19 pandemic, and it's not getting much easier. The U.S. automotive market is returning to normalcy after years of supply chain issues, depressed demand for new cars, and low vehicle inventories.

However, a new or used car is often too expensive for Americans who are already battling inflation. "Cars are not nearly as affordable today as they were five years ago," Karl Brauer, an executive analyst at car search engine and price aggregation service iSeeCars.com, told our colleague, Austin Alonzo.

In 2019, a consumer with a budget of $20,000 could afford about 50 percent of the used cars on the lot in the United States, Brauer said. In 2023, only 13 percent of used cars fell within that price range.

Things are harder for new car buyers, especially when high interest rates are added to already elevated car prices. Read the full story here›


RFK Jr. to Address Path Forward for Campaign

Independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will address the country on Friday amid speculation about the end of his campaign. RFK's principal campaign committee announced on Thursday that Kennedy would speak to the nation live on Aug. 23 about the "present historical moment and his path forward."

On Tuesday, Nicole Shanahan, Kennedy's running mate, said the campaign is considering dropping out and endorsing former President Donald Trump. According to a statement, Kennedy will speak at an as-yet-unannounced location in Phoenix at 2 p.m. Eastern Time.

Trump has said he would welcome Kennedy's endorsement. Trump implied on Tuesday that he would be willing to find a place for Kennedy in a second Trump administration. Read the full story here›


US Job Creation Revised Down by 818,000

The U.S. economy from April last year to March this year created 30 percent fewer jobs than what the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported. The correction, totaling 818,000 jobs, represents the largest downward revision to payrolls since the global financial crisis.

The updated numbers were a part of the Department of Labor's annual benchmark revisions to the payroll data. The BLS adjusts employment data annually to make the payroll figures more accurate, although it is less timely. Officials incorporate state unemployment insurance tax records and cover almost all U.S. jobs. Read the full story here›

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A Hero Homing Pigeon
A Hero Homing Pigeon
During the fall of 1870, Paris found itself cut off from the world by a Prussian siege. With communication lines severed, who did the Parisians turn to? Homing pigeons. And it wasn't the last time in history the birds played a heroic role.

Homing pigeons were used to carry thousands of messages during war. In some ways, they faced even more dangers than the soldiers themselves, like bad weather and trained enemy falcons. But one pigeon stood above the rest—Cher Ami, whose bravery saved nearly 200 American soldiers during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive in 1918.

How did a humble pigeon become a wartime hero? The story points to the ingenuity and determination of those who sought to keep communication alive even in the most challenging of circumstances. This one bird, and the thousands of others like it, remind us that history is shaped by even the smallest participants.
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