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Trump White House takes 100-day victory lap on reforming key agency amid fierce pushback
FIRST ON FOX: As President Trump marks his first 100 days in office on Tuesday, the administration is touting all of their fulfilled campaign promises when it comes to Social Security, an issue where he has been much maligned by Democrats and some in the media.
«I am proud of the extraordinary work by our dedicated employees at SSA to help deliver on President Trump’s promise to protect Social Security,» Lee Dudek, acting commissioner of the Social Security Administration (SSA), told Fox News Digital in a statement.
«They have worked tirelessly to improve customer service while safeguarding Americans’ hard-earned benefits from waste, fraud, and abuse. It will take time to fully recover from the disastrous policies of the previous administration, which led to sky-high wait times for customer service and unconscionable delays for benefit decisions,» Dudek continued. «But SSA employees are leading the turnaround by refocusing their work on frontline customer service, modernizing IT for a better customer experience, and bolstering program integrity.»
The administration, which has called Trump’s first 100 days the most successful of any administration, says that it has made «significant strides» in moving the Social Security Fairness Act forward and has paid over $14.8 billion in retroactive payments to over 2 million individuals affected by the Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset.
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The Trump administration is touting its improvements to Social Security during President Donald Trump’s first 100 days. (Getty)
Trump’s moves on Social Security come as Democrats, including former President Joe Biden, have accused the administration of plotting to slash Social Security benefits, particularly through the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE’s) efforts to reform the agency.
However, the administration says that it is focused on reforms, not cutting benefits, and a White House official told Fox News Digital that SSA has identified over $1 billion in cost avoidance or efficiencies for fiscal year 2025 «through new, common-sense approaches in areas such as payroll, information technology, contracts and grants, real property, printing, travel, and purchase card policies.»
Examples include reducing software licensing, salvaging and repairing tables and chairs, returning leased motor vehicles, converting in-person training to online, streamlining case assignment and tracking systems, and reducing travel card spending allowances.
Additionally, the White House official says the agency has made strides in implementing fraud prevention tools, including tools that help identify fraudulent claims via telephone.
Many, including DOGE chief Elon Musk, have raised concerns about the accuracy of Social Security records, particularly when it comes to data related to whether a person is deceased or still on the rolls despite being well over 100 years old.
The White House told Fox News Digital that progress has been made on that front as well to improve the accuracy of death data and called that effort a «high priority» that was a low priority in the previous administration.
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Social Security card. (Kurt «CyberGuy» Knutsson)
Musk has drawn the ire of Democrats by referring to Social Security as a «Ponzi scheme.»
Fox News Digital spoke to an expert earlier this year who made the case that Musk has a point in using the term «Ponzi scheme.»
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DOGE leader Elon Musk has been hit with 96% negative coverage on ABC, NBC and CBS evening newscasts, according to the Media Research Center. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
«Musk’s statement about Social Security being the world’s biggest Ponzi scheme does have validity,» James Agresti, president of the nonprofit research institute Just Facts, told Fox News Digital in response to pushback from Musk’s claim, which included a «false» rating from Politifact.
«A Ponzi scheme operates by taking money from new investors to pay current investors. That’s the definition given by the SEC, and contrary to popular belief, that’s exactly how Social Security operates.»
Politics,Social Security,Trump’s First 100 Days
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Estados Unidos envía al portaaviones más grande del mundo al Caribe y crece la tensión con Venezuela
El Pentágono anunció este viernes el despliegue de un portaaviones y su flotilla acompañante para “contrarrestar el narcoterrorismo” en América Latina.
Estados Unidos movilizó en agosto destructores, un submarino y barcos con fuerzas especiales en aguas internacionales del Caribe sur, cerca de las costas de Venezuela, con el supuesto propósito de combatir el tráfico de drogas.
Leé también: Máxima tensión en el Caribe: Trump amenazó con atacar por tierra a organizaciones narco en Venezuela
Aunque ha habido regularmente presencia de portaaviones para ejercicios de entrenamiento con fuerzas de países vecinos, es la primera vez que Estados Unidos despliega una fuerza de esta magnitud en América Latina contra el narcotráfico.
El despliegue del grupo de ataque del portaaviones USS Gerald R. Ford se produce “en apoyo a la directiva del presidente de desmantelar las Organizaciones Criminales Transnacionales (TCOs) y contrarrestar el narcoterrorismo en defensa de la Patria”, dijo en X el portavoz del Pentágono, Sean Parnell.
Anuncio del portavoz del Pentágono, Sean Parnell. (Foto: X / @SeanParnellASW)
En tanto, el comunicado del Pentágono no indica la fecha en que llegará el portaaviones a la región. El USS Ford, que tiene cinco destructores en su grupo de ataque, está desplegado actualmente en el mar Mediterráneo.
Una persona familiarizada con la operación dijo a la agencia AP que uno de esos destructores está en el mar Arábigo y otro en el mar Rojo. En el momento del anuncio, el portaaviones estaba en un puerto de Croacia, en el mar Adriático.
La persona, que declaró bajo condición de anonimato para hablar de operaciones militares sensibles, no quiso decir cuánto tiempo tomaría para que el grupo de ataque llegue a las aguas frente a Venezuela o si los cinco destructores harían el viaje.
Horas antes de este anuncio, el secretario de Guerra, Pete Hegseth, informó vía X el décimo ataque contra una presunta narcolancha, con un balance de seis muertos.
En la noche del jueves, el Departamento de Guerra de Estados Unidos lanzó el décimo ataque contra una presunta narcolancha que navegaba frente a las costas de Venezuela. (Video: secretario de Defensa Pete Hegseth X @SecWar)
Al menos 43 personas han muerto en el Caribe y en el Pacífico desde que Estados Unidos inició su actual campaña sin precedentes de ataques letales mediante misiles en la región, el 2 de septiembre.
La embarcación destruida en la noche del jueves al viernes operaba para el cártel Tren de Aragua, aseguró el secretario en la red X. “Nuestros servicios de inteligencia sabían que la embarcación estaba involucrada en el contrabando de narcóticos”, agregó, y dijo que el ataque tuvo lugar en “aguas internacionales”.
Leé también: Aseguran que el chavismo le ofreció a EE.UU. un nuevo gobierno de transición sin Nicolás Maduro
Este fue el primer ataque nocturno en la zona, explicó Hegseth, que acompañó su mensaje con un video en blanco y negro en el que se ve una lancha que circula a velocidad normal, hasta que explota.
El jefe del Pentágono advirtió que Estados Unidos tratará a los “narcoterroristas” como ha tratado a la organización terrorista “Al Qaeda” de Osama bin Laden.
Petro acusó a EE.UU. de cometer “ejecuciones extrajudiciales”
Estados Unidos está cometiendo “ejecuciones extrajudiciales”, afirmó el jueves el presidente colombiano, Gustavo Petro, que mantiene un pulso particular con el inquilino de la Casa Blanca, Donald Trump.
El líder republicano avisó al inicio de su actual mandato que estaba dispuesto a utilizar todo el potencial militar estadounidense para acabar con las rutas del narcotráfico y con los cárteles.
Para ello, declaró a los cárteles como el de Sinaloa o Tren de Aragua “organizaciones terroristas”, mediante decreto presidencial. Estados Unidos está cometiendo “ejecuciones extrajudiciales”, afirmó el jueves el presidente colombiano, Gustavo Petro. (Foto: Reuters)
Esto permitiría a Washington, según el gobierno, utilizar las mismas herramientas que usó durante dos décadas en todo el mundo tras los ataques del 11 de septiembre de 2001 de Al Qaeda.
Estados Unidos está en “conflicto armado” con los cárteles de la droga, explicó Trump en una carta enviada al Congreso. Además, asegura que el tráfico marítimo de droga prácticamente ha sido erradicado. Sin embargo, el ritmo de los ataques con misiles contra las embarcaciones se ha incrementado.
Al mismo tiempo, el presidente evoca de manera creciente que está dispuesto a emprenderla contra los intereses “narcoterroristas” en tierra firme, sin aclarar dónde. El Pentágono no indicó la fecha en que el portaaviones llegará al Caribe sur. (Foto: AFP / Jonathan Klein)
El jueves, Washington anunció junto a Trinidad y Tobago ejercicios militares conjuntos frente a las costas de Venezuela con el buque de guerra USS Gravely. El gobierno del país caribeño decidió brindar “categóricamente su claro apoyo a la intervención militar en curso”.
“Incendiar” América del Sur
Venezuela movilizó tropas y milicias ante la amenaza estadounidense.
Nicolás Maduro, acusado por el gobierno estadounidense y encausado oficialmente ante un tribunal en Nueva York por supuestamente encabezar el denominado cártel de los Soles, sostiene que la verdadera intención de Washington es promover un cambio de régimen en su país.
En este contexto, Celso Amorim -asesor especial del presidente brasileño, Lula da Silva- sentenció que una “intervención externa” en Venezuela “puede incendiar” América del Sur, durante una entrevista con la AFP.
Leé también: Venezuela aseguró que un sector “extremista” de EE.UU. quiere colocar explosivos en su embajada en Caracas
“No podemos aceptar una intervención externa porque eso va a crear un resentimiento inmenso”, agregó Amorim.
Trump llegó a confirmar que la CIA podría llevar a cabo operaciones encubiertas dentro de Venezuela.
La oposición demócrata en el Congreso estadounidense también exigió explicaciones, ya que la Constitución establece que el Congreso debe autorizar expresamente una declaración de guerra.
Ante esta situación, Trump declaró que está dispuesto a enviar a Hegseth ante el Congreso para dar explicaciones antes de pasar a una nueva fase en tierra.
Con información de AP y AFP.
Narcotráfico, Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, Venezuela
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Frantic manhunt launched after asylum seeker who sexually assaulted teen accidentally freed from prison
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Britain’s immigration system is under fire after officials confirmed an Ethiopian asylum seeker who sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl and another woman was accidentally released from prison Friday, sparking a manhunt for the fugitive sex offender.
Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, 38, was sentenced in September to 12 months behind bars, Reuters reported.
An «appalled» British Prime Minister Keir Starmer slammed the release of Kebatu, calling it «totally unacceptable,» according to The Associated Press.
His arrest in July ignited weeks of protests outside the Bell Hotel in Epping, a migrant housing site about 20 miles north of London, according to the report.
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At its peak in 2023, the home secretary said more than 400 hotels were being used to house asylum seekers, costing nearly £9 million GBP per day, or roughly $11.3 million.
Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu was convicted of two counts of sexual assault, one count of attempted sexual assault, one count of inciting a girl to engage in sexual activity and one count of harassment without violence. (Essex Police)
«We share the view of communities nationwide that these hotels must close — including the Bell Hotel in Epping,» U.K. Foreign Secretary and Labour MP Yvette Cooper wrote in a previous statement. «We are moving to do so as quickly as possible through a structured and sustainable plan, rather than through one-off court rulings that create more problems for other local areas or councils.
«Such piecemeal decisions risk repeating the chaos that led to the large-scale use of hotels in the first place.»
Officials said Kebatu was supposed to be transferred to an immigration detention center for deportation but was mistakenly freed, according to the report.
People protest outside Epping Forest District Council after the British government won a court ruling resulting in asylum seekers not being evicted from The Bell Hotel in Epping, Britain. (Reuters/Jack Taylor)
Britain’s Secretary of State for Justice David Lammy wrote in an X post he was «appalled at the release in error at HMP Chelmsford.»
«We are urgently working with the police to track him down, and I’ve ordered an urgent investigation,» Lammy wrote. «Kebatu must be deported for his crimes, not on our streets.»
Kemi Badenoch, a conservative member of Parliament for North West Essex, also made a fiery post, saying the «entire system is collapsing under Labour.»
«The fake asylum seeker who sexually assaulted a child in Epping has been ‘released in error,’» Badenoch wrote. «How does that happen? Because the entire system is collapsing under Labour. Govt mistakenly letting people out instead of deporting. Those they deported are coming back. Nothing of substance has been done to address the threat to women and girls living in these communities.»
Protesters react next to police during a protest near Epping Forest District Council after the British government won a court ruling resulting in asylum seekers not being evicted from The Bell Hotel in Epping, Britain, in August. (Reuters/Jack Taylor)
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Badenoch said conservatives voted against Labour’s prisoner release program because it was «putting predators back on our streets,» but she pointed out Kebatu was just convicted.
«A level of incompetence that beggars belief,» she wrote. «Only Conservatives have a plan for stronger borders and public order.»
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Nigel Farage, a member of Parliament for Clacton and the leader of Reform UK, added on X, «The Epping hotel migrant sex attacker has been accidentally freed rather than deported. He is now walking the streets of Essex. Britain is broken.»
united kingdom,world,immigration
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The White House pushed back on reports claiming President Donald Trump will likely name the upcoming White House ballroom after himself, saying any name designation for the event space will come directly from the president.
«Any announcement made on the name of the ballroom will come directly from President Trump himself, and not through anonymous and unnamed sources,» White House spokesman Davis Ingle told Fox News Digital Friday.
Reports spread like wildfire Friday afternoon that Trump planned to name the ballroom after himself, with ABC News publishing a report that administration officials were reportedly already calling the project «The President Donald J. Trump Ballroom.»
«I won’t get into that now,» Trump told ABC News Thursday when asked about a potential name, the outlet noted.
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The White House said President Trump would directly reveal a name for the upcoming White House ballroom. (Eric Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Trump announced Monday that construction had begun on the ballroom, after months of Trump touting the upcoming project to modernize the White House. The project does not cost taxpayers and is privately funded, the administration has repeatedly said.
«For more than 150 years, every President has dreamt about having a Ballroom at the White House to accommodate people for grand parties, State Visits, etc. I am honored to be the first President to finally get this much-needed project underway — with zero cost to the American Taxpayer!» Trump posted to Truth Social on Monday. «The White House Ballroom is being privately funded by many generous Patriots, Great American Companies, and, yours truly. This Ballroom will be happily used for Generations to come!»
TRUMP CELEBRATES WHITE HOUSE DEMOLITION AS NEW BALLROOM RISES: ‘MUSIC TO MY EARS’
An excavator works to clear rubble after the East Wing of the White House was demolished on Oct. 23, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Eric Lee/Getty Images)
The ballroom’s official construction set off a firestorm of criticisms among Democrats who have characterized Trump as destroying the iconic American residence.
«Oh you’re trying to say the cost of living is skyrocketing? Donald Trump can’t hear you over the sound of bulldozers demolishing a wing of the White House to build a new grand ballroom,» Democratic Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren posted to X in response to Trump’s Monday announcement.
«The White House became my home when I was twelve years old. I always understood that it wasn’t my ‘house’; it was The People’s House,» former first daughter Chelsea Clinton posted to X. «The erasure of the East Wing isn’t just about marble or plaster — it’s about President Trump again taking a wrecking ball to our heritage, while targeting our democracy, and the rule-of-law.»
A McCrery Architects rendering provided by the White House of the exterior of the new ballroom. (White House)
«I wanted to share this photo of my family standing by a historic part of the White House that was just torn down today by Trump,» New Jersey Sen. Andy Kim posted to X Monday. «We didn’t need a billionaire-funded ballroom to celebrate America. Disgusting what Trump is doing.»
HILLARY CLINTON FIRES UP VOTERS AGAINST TRUMP’S WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM CONSTRUCTION: ‘NOT HIS HOUSE»
The Trump administration repeatedly has hit back at the criticisms, including White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt saying on Fox News that presidents historically have wanted a large entertaining space at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
President Donald Trump shows an image of his planned ballroom as he meets with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Oct. 22, 2025. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)
«Nearly every single president who’s lived in this beautiful White House behind me has made modernizations and renovations of their own,» Leavitt said on Fox News’ «Jesse Watters Primetime» Tuesday. «In fact, presidents for decades — in modern times — have joked about how they wished they had a larger event space here at the White House, something that could hold hundreds more people than the current East Room and State Dining Room.»
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«President Obama even complained that, during his tenure, he had to hold a state dinner on the South Lawn and rent a very expensive tent.»
donald trump,white house,democrats
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