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<ul class="summary-list"><li>Trump wants to cut taxes on Social Security benefits, impacting current and future beneficiaries.</li><li>Experts warn these cuts could deplete the Social Security fund three years earlier than expected.</li></ul>Donald Trump plans to make changes to America's Social Security system with his return to the White Housein January. The president-elect promised on the campaign trail to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trumps-tax-plan-social-security-retirement-medicare-2024-8">cut taxes on Social Security benefits</a> in his second term. "People on Social Security are being killed, and one of the things I'm doing is no tax for seniors on Social Security, and I'll get it done quickly," Trump told "Fox &amp; Friends" in August. For some baby boomers, lower <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/retirement-savings-social-security-baby-boomers-without-savings-401k-poverty-2024-8">Social Security</a> taxes could mean larger monthly checks in the short-term. But experts predict that the <keyword id="23944791" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Social-Security-tax-cuts" source="keywords">Social Security tax cuts</keyword>, along with other campaign promises made by Trump, could quickly drain the national Social Security fund. That would put benefits at risk for low-income retirees and younger generations, who may <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/retirement-savings-social-security-baby-boomers-without-savings-401k-poverty-2024-8">rely on that income</a> as they age. "It's designed to help retirees, but the people it's going to hurt are people that rely on Social Security the most," Taylor Lee, a certified financial planner at Belmont Capital Advisors, told BI of Trump's Social Security tax cut. More than 72 million Americans receive Social Security and the estimated average monthly check is <a target="_blank" href="https://faq.ssa.gov/en-us/Topic/article/KA-01903">$1,92</a>4.35 a month, per the Social Security Administration. Americans can begin taking Social Security at age 62, or wait until their full benefits kick in at 67, the national retirement age. Trump's campaign promise comes as Business Insider has <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/older-americans-regret-retirement-savings-taking-social-security-early-investments-2024-10">heard from older adults</a> with limited retirement savings, many of whom are struggling to afford necessities like housing and groceries on their fixed Social Security income. Income taxes on Social Security apply to all beneficiaries with an annual household income above $25,000, and most pay taxes on at least <a target="_blank" href="https://www-origin.ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/planner/taxes.html">50%</a> of their benefits. Lower-income beneficiaries pay less in taxes. <h2>Social Security tax cuts would hurt low-income retirees, younger generations</h2>US Social Security will be depleted<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/when-will-social-security-benefits-run-out-retirement-crisis-boomers-2024-5">in the next decade</a> without Congressional action. The fund is largely financed through payroll taxes that Americans contribute to throughout their career. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.crfb.org/blogs/what-would-trump-campaign-plans-mean-social-security">A report</a> published in October by the nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget said that Trump's campaign promises — which alsoincludes ending taxes on tips, reducing <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-tax-plan-tarriffs-benefits-top-earners-study-2024-10">some income taxes</a>, expanding deportations, and imposing tariffs — would take a toll on the Social Security fund, making it "insolvent" within the next six years. That's three years earlier than the Congressional Budget Office's current estimation. Those policies would also lead to a 33% <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.crfb.org/blogs/what-would-trump-campaign-plans-mean-social-security">benefit cut</a> in 2035, a 10% increase from what the Congressional Budget Office projects under the current law. Lee said that low-income boomers and younger generations are likely to feel the brunt of these cuts. Low-income boomers living on Social Security already pay less income taxes, so they wouldn't see the benefits Trump promised. Lee said that many don't have other <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/social-security-no-savings-snap-benefits-debt-boomers-experiences-2024-6">retirement savings </a>to fall back on if their benefits are slashed. He added that older Americans who are wealthy or middle class would feel less stress from Social Security cuts, and may benefit in the short term from Trump's tax plan. "It would help people in the middle class, people that have the luxury of having a 401(k) or an IRA and have multiple sources of retirement income," Lee said. "But the people that's going to hurt the most are people that don't have that traditional retirement income." Lee said it's possible that <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gen-z-social-security-insolvency-medicare-donald-trump-biden-mcconnell-2023-3">younger generations</a> will have lower Social Security benefits, requiring them to rely more heavily on retirement savings. To be sure, any changes Trump hopes to make the tax or Social Security systems would need to be approved by Congress. Working in his favor is that the<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/republicans-win-senate-election-majority-election-2024-11">Senate will have a Republican majority</a>.(Votes for House representatives are still being counted.) Lee added that tax funding is also not the only challenge facing Social Security: people are living longer, meaning that more benefits funding is required per person. As for other retirement finances, like <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/personal-finance/investing/what-is-401k">401(k) accounts</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-election-victory-impact-investments-costs-housing-taxes-childcare-2024-11">investments</a>, it's unclear what impact a second Trump term will have. The president-elect plans to impose tariffs on foreign goods and make broad tax cuts, a move that is likely to drive inflation and make the cost of living <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-tariffs-higher-inflation-fed-interest-rates-taxes-mortgage-rates-2024-11">more expensive</a>. With the <keyword id="23944794" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="future-of-Social-Security" source="keywords">future of Social Security</keyword> uncertain, Lee said it's important for retirees to build a strong financial plan. "There's a lot of planning that we can still do," Lee said. "Government policy — we really can't affect that. So we just have to control what we can control." Are you relying on Social Security in retirement? Are you adjusting your retirement plans based on Trump's return to office? If so, reach out to this reporter at <a target="_blank" class="" href="mailto:allisonkelly@businessinsider.com">allisonkelly@businessinsider.com</a>.

Trump's plan for Social Security will help baby boomers in the short term and cut benefits for anyone younger

Meta’s Threads app is undergoing a significant transformation, adding features that enhance user control and overall experience. These updates come in response to growing competition from Bluesky, a decentralised platform that has seen a sharp rise in popularity, hitting 20 million users recently. Let us take a look at all we know about the updates so far. <h2>Custom feeds and default options </h2> Threads now lets users customise their feed, a move aimed at giving them more control over their browsing experience. Users in the test phase can pin multiple curated feeds to their homepage, choosing what appears when they open the app. These feeds can be built around specific topics or accounts, providing an alternative to the algorithm-driven recommendations. Setting a default feed is straightforward: users simply tap and hold on a feed at the top of the homepage and reorder it, with the first slot becoming their default view. This update ensures a personalised experience and brings Threads closer in line with the flexibility offered by competitors like Bluesky. <h2>Smarter algorithms and search updates </h2> To improve relevance, Threads has refined its algorithm, prioritising posts from accounts users follow instead of bombarding them with suggestions. In addition, search functionality is being enhanced to include advanced filters, such as searching within a specific date range or posts from a single account—features long available on platforms like X. Trending topics are also receiving an upgrade, with a new trending page in development that will feature AI-generated summaries of discussions. For now, this feature is being tested in the US. <h2>Landscape video and other enhancements </h2> Another user-centric update is the addition of landscape video playback. This long-awaited feature finally allows Threads users to enjoy videos in a widescreen format. Alongside this, the platform now lets users view replies while composing their own, making interactions smoother and more intuitive. It is to be noted that while these updates are promising, many are still in the testing phase or limited to specific regions. Threads is expected to roll them out widely in future.

Meta's Threads gets new features as competition with Bluesky heats up, all we know

Top 10 social media influencers who turn their fame into billions

<ul><li><keyword id="22496070" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="AI-based-technology" source="keywords">AI-based technology</keyword> will be used for <keyword id="20074926" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="crowd-management" source="keywords">crowd management</keyword> at <keyword id="23948812" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Mahakumbh-Mela-2025" source="keywords">Mahakumbh Mela 2025</keyword>.</li><li>Around 2,700 <keyword id="19997866" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="CCTV-cameras" source="keywords">CCTV cameras</keyword> are being installed at the fair area ahead of the event.</li><li><keyword id="19897919" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="social-media" source="keywords">Social media</keyword> platforms like Facebook and X will provide immediate assistance in locating lost relatives.</li></ul>As Prayagraj gears up for the festivities of Mahakumbh Mela 2025, AI-based technology will be used for crowd management for the convenience of devotees, SSP Mahakumbh Mela said. In a bid to ensure the safety and convenience of an estimated 45 crore devotees, the Yogi Adityanath government is preparing for the upcoming Maha Kumbh. For the first time, the grand event is being digitized on such a large scale, leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) and social media platforms to enhance management and security. "Around 2700 CCTV cameras are being installed in the district and the whole fair area. This will help us in crowd management... Cameras with AI features have also been installed in the area. These cameras will automatically send us alerts based on their feed. This step would be in addition to human intelligence. AI is adding to the information of human intelligence. We have already installed 25 police stations in the area and a total of 56 stations will be placed,” said Rajesh Dwivedi, SSP, Mahakumbh Mela. AI-powered cameras are being installed throughout the Kumbh site to monitor the massive crowd and ensure 24/7 surveillance. These state-of-the-art cameras will not only bolster security but also assist in reuniting individuals who may get separated during the event. In addition, popular social media platforms like Facebook and X will provide immediate assistance in locating lost relatives, streamlining the process of reuniting families amidst the sea of pilgrims. This time, visitors from across the country and abroad attending the Mahakumbh 2025 won't have to worry about losing their loved ones in the crowd. The Mela administration has devised an extensive plan to address this concern. A digital 'khoya paaya kendra' (lost-and-found centre) will go live on December 1, utilizing advanced technology to reunite separated individuals quickly and efficiently. The entire fair area is being equipped with 328 AI-enabled cameras, which have already been tested at four key locations. These cameras will monitor the crowd 24/7 and assist in locating lost individuals. Under the directives of the Yogi government, the large-scale installation of these cameras is in its final stages. The digital lost-and-found centres will immediately register every missing person's details digitally. Once registered, the AI-powered cameras will begin searching for the individual. Additionally, information about missing persons will be shared on social media platforms like Facebook and X (formerly Twitter), making it easier to locate them quickly. Face recognition technology will be used at the Maha Kumbh to identify individuals who get separated from their loved ones. This advanced system will work instantly, capturing photographs and identifying individuals among the estimated 45 crore attendees. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/oppo-find-x8-and-find-x8-pro-launched-in-india-starting-at-69999/articleshow/115521010.cms">Oppo Find X8 and Find X8 Pro launched in India starting at ₹69,999</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/android-16-developer-preview-announced-new-features-timeline-and-everything-you-need-to-know/articleshow/115476441.cms">Android 16 Developer Preview announced – new features, timeline and everything you need to know</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/indian-wearables-market-declines-20-7-in-q3-2024-smartwatch-and-earwear-categories-struggle/articleshow/115447720.cms">Indian wearables market declines 20.7% in Q3 2024, smartwatch and earwear categories struggle</a>

AI-based technology to be used for crowd management at the Mahakumbh Mela 2025

<ul class="summary-list"><li>I hate mixing my social life with my work life, so I avoid company social events.</li><li>Since I graduated during the pandemic, most of my schooling and work-life is virtual.</li></ul>When I got the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/tech/slack-notifications-not-working">Slack notification</a> about a social event at work, there was a little tug in my brain. I had an immediate, gut reaction of "no," followed by a quick brainstorming session of possible excuses and believable illnesses I could fake.It wasn't a result of avoidance or disdain for my company or <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coworker-badmouthed-to-everyone-forced-to-quit-2024-4">my coworkers</a>; I'm fortunate to work with a wonderful group of people at an easygoing organization where I feel respected and valued. They're a joy to collaborate with, and I genuinely appreciate my interactions with them — but only at work.The prospect of mixing the work and social worlds gives me a headache. I can see myself in a decorated <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/remote-work-virtual-3d-offices-see-coworkers-katmai-2023-12">conference room</a> washing down a catering taco with a lukewarm White Claw; I feel like my head could explode.I can only speak for myself, but I think many <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gen-zers-are-leading-a-sober-dating-revolution-2024-7">Gen Zers</a> my age would agree that we're just not built to mix our work and social worlds. We're wired differently, which I attribute to the strange context in which we began our careers.<h2 id="f2fcd107-d7d0-4a7b-a77e-21414af77239">Older generations mixed their work and social lives</h2>My <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-grandparent-death-isnt-treated-the-same-as-other-relatives-2020-5">late grandfather</a> on my mom's side was a creative services director for State Farm. I grew up on stories of him and his work buddies gathering at that Playboy club in Chicago for cigars, steaks, and a shot.When I was young, it wasn't uncommon for my parents to come home late from a work social or <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/office-quiet-but-happy-hour-still-kicking-after-pandemic-2024-4">happy hour</a>. They both graduated from college in the early 90s and grew their careers over nearly two decades of boom time.It was actually because of the relationship my dad developed with his boss that his job was saved, and we were spared the worst of the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/woman-warned-great-recession-2008-brooksley-born-wall-street-sexism-2024-3">2008 recession</a>. So maybe I should eat my words.<h2 id="cc599088-c156-4e16-b7c4-d5d8659f74ae">But my schooling and job is virtual now</h2>Gen Z is entering the workforce at a pivotal time. The pandemic obliterated the last two years of my college life — right as I had solidified my <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tiktokers-debunk-large-friend-groups-authentic-people-few-friends-2024-1">friend groups</a> and was baby-stepping into building a network.I graduated in 2021 when the world was still seemingly on hold. No one was hiring, so I freelanced. After a year, I did well enough to move out of my parents' house. My current <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/working-2-full-time-remote-jobs-overemployed-millennial-started-business-2024-7">full-time job</a> was offered to me through a long-term freelance partner, and I never formally interviewed.All of the freelance work was also done remotely. Though I do go into the office a few times a month for my current gig, I am still primarily remote.The end result is a natural barrier between work and my <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/social-life-differences-living-in-uk-compared-to-us">social life</a>. Work exists on my laptop through emails, slack messages, and the occasional office visit. Though I sometimes wish it wasn't the case, seeing it bleed into my social world can feel unnatural.<h2 id="a188061f-72e8-49f0-b6a8-766bfa180ac0">Building a social life at work is not my priority</h2>I tell my dad that his company should sell all of its real estate, torch its branded blimps and <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/united-states-car-models-interactive-guide-politics-color-brand-location-2024-10">company cars</a>, and give everyone a raise. I do this mostly to get a rise out of him but also because I struggle with superfluous company spending of any kind, including after-hours social events.For us Gen Zers, I'd argue that our unique upbringing has made us an efficient generation. We'll work in the office if it makes us more productive, but can easily pivot to remote work to save money and commuting time. When remote work bums us out, we learn how to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ballroom-dancing-helped-gen-z-make-friends-work-from-home-2024-10">ballroom dance</a>.Gen Z likes flexibility. We are deeply conscious of the time economy. With so much time already dedicated to work, it can be hard to justify an extra few hours making a strained company <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/get-better-at-small-talk-2017-6">small talk</a> over loud music at a bowling alley or an escape room. I would rather budget that time at concerts with people I can swear around.I would rather forge great work relationships through productive collaboration and great discussions. So, for the time being, I will avoid all company social events.I work for my money but won't work for a social life.

I'm Gen Z and avoid all social events at my job. I don't like mixing my social life with my professional life.

X (formerly Twitter) is experiencing its largest user exodus since <keyword id="6355315" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="elon-musk" source="Orion">Elon Musk</keyword> took over in 2022. The tipping point is a perfect storm of political controversy, privacy fears, and discontent with the platform’s new policies, culminating in a dramatic shift of users to alternative platforms like <keyword id="412371" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="bluesky" source="Orion">Bluesky</keyword> and <keyword id="1163500" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="threads" source="Orion">Threads</keyword>. Here’s a breakdown of the recent changes and why they’ve left users saying goodbye to X. <h2>Political backlash</h2>The day after the U.S. presidential election on November 6, X saw over 115,000 account deactivations — the most since Musk's acquisition. Many users were disillusioned by Musk's perceived alignment with newly elected President Donald Trump. Musk's vocal support for Trump during his campaign, coupled with his attendance at Republican rallies, alienated users who once trusted X as a politically neutral platform. One user, Kara Wurtz, said the election was the “final straw.” After eight years on the platform, the finance director from St. Louis decided that X was no longer delivering the content she valued. “Every time I opened it, it would throw things at me that put me in a bad mood,” she said. The political fallout didn’t just affect individuals. Prominent organisations and brands, including The Guardian and former CNN anchor Don Lemon, have also bid farewell to the platform. <h2>New terms of service spark outrage</h2>On November 15, X's updated terms of service came into effect, granting the platform a sweeping global licence to use user-generated content. This includes using posts, photos, and creative works to train artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) models. The backlash was immediate: <ul><li>Privacy Concerns: By continuing to use X, users implicitly agree to have their data — personal photos, creative work, and more — used for AI training. Artists and creators fear their intellectual property could be exploited to develop AI tools that might one day replace human creativity.</li><li>Legal Implications: Disputes over the new terms will be handled in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, home to Judge Reed O'Connor, a Tesla investor. This has raised questions about potential bias in legal proceedings related to the platform.</li></ul>Alex Fink, CEO of the AI-powered platform Otherweb, criticised X’s lack of transparency, stating, “Unlike other platforms with vague licensing terms, X removes any ambiguity about its intentions.” <h2>Changes to blocking and safety settings</h2>Safety concerns have also escalated due to alterations in X’s block feature. Users now allegedly receive notifications that even those they block can still view their posts — though they can’t interact. This tweak is particularly alarming for users who have faced harassment on the platform. Many feel their safety is compromised, prompting them to seek refuge in safer alternatives like Bluesky, which saw a surge of 500,000 new users in just one day following the policy updates. Initially developed by former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, Bluesky offers customizable feeds and decentralised control, which many find refreshing. With over 16 million users (and counting), it’s quickly becoming the top choice for X refugees. Threads, Instagram’s text-based app, also surpassed 275 million monthly active users by November, with 15 million new sign-ups last month alone. For many, these platforms represent a chance to escape X’s chaos while reclaiming control over their online experience. <h2>Is Fediverse the future?</h2>Experts believe the exodus from X could mark the beginning of a new era of decentralised social networks. Bluesky, built on a protocol that enables interconnected platforms, is part of the "Fediverse," which could allow users to interact seamlessly across different apps. This shift reflects growing dissatisfaction with centralised platforms that control user data, content visibility, and privacy settings. While Musk touts record-breaking engagement on X, the cracks in the platform’s foundation are evident. Critics warn that X could become a training ground for Musk’s xAI venture, leveraging user interactions to fuel lucrative AI models. Whether X can weather this storm remains uncertain, but one thing is clear: the days of Twitter’s broad appeal as a space for open, inclusive dialogue seem to be fading fast.

Mass X-odus: What are the controversial changes on X that are driving users away?

India's most influential digital stars by Forbes

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="19918985" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Donald-Trump" source="keywords">Donald Trump</keyword> won the election with the help of personalities like <keyword id="20341465" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Joe-Rogan" source="keywords">Joe Rogan</keyword>.</li><li>Rogan is a podcaster, right? Well, yes, but he's also a YouTuber.</li></ul><a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-joe-rogan-tony-hinchcliffe-rally-election-campaign-2024-10">Podcasts played a huge role in getting Donald Trump re-elected</a> this week. Right? Or maybe it was Twitter. Or TikTok. Could be all of them. And it could also be that people interested in those mediums and platforms have reasons to want to believe they were important. But if you're going to look at the way the internet played a role in the election and you're not talking about YouTube, you're doing it wrong. So, once again: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/youtube-valuation-mrbeast-how-much-worth-2024-3">YouTube is massive</a> — so massive <a target="_blank" href="https://abc.xyz/assets/71/a5/78197a7540c987f13d247728a371/2024q3-alphabet-earnings-release.pdf">it generated $50 billion in revenue over the last year</a>, with the majority of that coming from advertising. Advertisers are spending that money because that's where the eyeballs are. And certainly, some of those eyeballs consumed a lot of political/election content over the last year. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/fact-sheet/social-media-and-news-fact-sheet/">Pew Research</a> says 32% of American adults regularly get their news from YouTube — more than any other social media platform except for Facebook, at 33%. And I'm very confident — based on my non-scientific poll of my teenage sons, who inhale YouTube — that those numbers are way, way bigger for young people. What do people who watch political stuff watch on YouTube? In some cases, it's just another version of TV: Fox News reportedly drew as many as 1.1 million concurrent viewers for its election-day livestream on YouTube. That was about 10% of its conventional TV audience, but still notable for a platform that skews very young. Overall, YouTube viewers consumed 67 million hours of live streams on Election Day, per <a target="_blank" href="https://fortune.com/2024/11/06/youtube-election-news-trump-harris-twitch-rumble-stream-fox-nbc/">Streams Charts</a>. But what was most interesting about the election was the way the Trump campaign spent the summer embracing YouTube personalities. Starting with people you've heard of, like Joe Rogan, down to ones you may have never heard of before this year, like the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/FULLSENDPODCAST">Nelk Boys</a>. Wait a minute! I can hear you saying. Isn't Joe Rogan a podcaster? Absolutely. But Rogan, like many other creators/influencers/personalities, creates content that lives on multiple platforms at the same time. You can listen to his <keyword id="20677488" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="podcasts" source="keywords">podcasts</keyword> on Spotify, but you can listen to them — and watch them — on YouTube. And that happens way more often than you might think. <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.edisonresearch.com/youtube-is-the-preferred-podcast-listening-service/">Edison Research</a> says YouTube — including both regular, free YouTube and YouTube's paid YouTube Music service — is the most popular way for people to listen to (or watch) podcasts. You can see it in some of the numbers. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBMoPUAeLnY">Rogan's October interview with Trump</a> has drawn a staggering 47 million views (note: Don't try comparing this to a TV rating, since YouTube reportedly counts a "view" as 30 seconds of watching — and someone who watches for a bit, stops and comes back to the same video later in the day, will count as a second view). <a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRyyTAs1XY8">The one he did with JD Vance</a> this month is now above 15 million. But even <a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/@joerogan">a standard-issue Rogan interview</a> can generate 2 million views or more. And there is a universe of conservative podcasts, or podcasts that aren't political but are open to conservative guests that do big numbers on YouTube, from former Fox hosts Tucker Carlson and Megyn Kelly to former reality TV star Theo Von. Trump visited all of them. You can also find bits of their shows on places like Instagram and TikTok. But they focus their efforts on YouTube, for the reasons many creators do. For starters, you can find a big audience there. And YouTube's algorithmic discovery mechanism means creators can get themselves in front of audiences that weren't looking for them. Podcast audiences, by contrast, grow slowly — but tend to stick around once they connect with someone they like, says Chris Balfe, CEO of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.redseatventures.com/clients">Red Seat Ventures</a>, a company that helps the likes of Carlson, Kelly and The Free Press' Bari Weiss sell ads for their shows. And, unlike platforms like Instagram and TikTok — podcasters can get a meaningful share of the <keyword id="20015770" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="advertising-revenue" source="keywords">advertising revenue</keyword> generated by their YouTube audiences. (There are also liberal/left podcasters/YouTubers, like Crooked Media, the company behind Pod Save America. But there aren't nearly as many of them, and they don't have the same kind of reach, as journalist <a target="_blank" href="https://www.usermag.co/p/why-democrats-wont-build-their-own">Taylor Lorenz notes</a>.) So should we be calling these folks podcasters? Or YouTubers? Yes, says Balfe. "I think they're the same thing. We should think about it as a podcast plus a <keyword id="23944857" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="YouTube-election" source="keywords">YouTube election</keyword>," he says. "Or a <keyword id="20437786" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="creator-economy" source="keywords">creator economy</keyword> election. The best-performing talents do well everywhere." Correction: November 11, 2024 — Streams Charts is the name of the company that tallied Election Day YouTube live-stream viewing, not Stream Charts.

Let's call it the YouTube election

Under-35 entrepreneurs with the highest social media following

On July 13, shortly after Donald Trump was targeted by an assassination attempt, <keyword id="19903807" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Elon-Musk" source="keywords">Elon Musk</keyword>, the billionaire owner of X (formerly Twitter), tweeted to his 200 million+ followers: I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery. Musk's efforts to influence who wins next week's US presidential election have continued. For example, over the past three months, he has donated more than US$100 million to a political action committee called America PAC that's promoting Trump. Shortly after Musk endorsed Trump's presidential campaign, there was a statistically anomalous boost in engagement with his X account. Suddenly, his posts were getting much higher views, retweets, and likes in comparison to other prominent political accounts on the platform. This raises suspicions as to whether Musk has tweaked the platform's algorithm to increase the reach of his posts in advance of the US presidential election. It also demonstrates the problems with how <keyword id="19897919" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="social-media" source="keywords">social media</keyword> platforms like X are currently regulated around the world. <h2>Not the first time</h2>Musk has a history when it comes to tweaking X's algorithms so his content reaches more people. Last year, he reportedly mobilized a team of around 80 engineers to algorithmically boost his posts. This came after his tweet supporting the Philadelphia Eagles during the Super Bowl was outperformed by a similar one from President Joe Biden. Musk seemed to confirm this happened, posting a picture depicting one woman labeled "Elon's tweets" forcibly bottle-feeding another woman labeled "Twitter." To see whether Musk has done this again in the lead-up to the <keyword id="20204585" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="US-election" source="keywords">US election</keyword>, we compared Musk's engagement metrics—such as the number of views, retweets, and likes—with a set of other prominent political accounts on the social media platform. The data spans the period from January 1, 2024, to October 25, 2024. Other political accounts that served as a basis of comparison include those of right-wing commentators Jack Posobiec, Tucker Carlson, and Donald Trump Jr. The study also examined accounts at the other end of the political spectrum, including those of US Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, US Senator Bernie Sanders, and Vice-President Kamala Harris. <h2> A sudden and significant increase</h2>Since July, engagement with Musk's X account has seen a sudden and significant increase. The view counts for his posts increased by 138%, retweets by 238%, and likes by 186%. In contrast, other prominent political accounts on X saw more moderate increases: 57% in view counts, 152% in retweets, and 130% in likes. This suggests that while engagement went up for all accounts after July, Musk's metrics saw a particularly large boost, particularly in retweets and likes. The research further found that since July, other conservative and right-wing X accounts have performed better in terms of visibility of posts compared to progressive and left-wing accounts. Without backstage access to the workings of the company, it is impossible to know for sure whether changes to its curation system are boosting its owner's posts. The platform has limited the access it provides to researchers since Musk took over. However, the Washington Post recently found that tweets from Republicans are far more likely to go viral, receiving billions more views than those from Democrats. Similarly, an investigation by the Wall Street Journal revealed that new users to the platform "are being blanketed with political content" that disproportionately favors Trump. Since Musk purchased the platform, it has become more congenial to figures on the right, including people who were previously banned for spreading harmful and false information. <h2>The myth of neutrality</h2>The findings raise the question of the extent to which Musk's influential social media platform is reinforcing its owner's political agenda. Musk, whose businesses have extensive government contracts, has made a public and financial spectacle of his unabashed support of Trump. The billionaire tech tycoon is reportedly Trump's second-biggest financial donor. He also promoted Trump in a glitchy live interview on X and authored a stream of tweets promoting Trump's campaign. Musk is also handing out $1 million a day to selected registered voters. This plan (which has met with questions over its legality) aims to boost <keyword id="20759059" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="voter-registration" source="keywords">voter registration</keyword> among sympathizers in swing states. Musk's actions have torpedoed the fantasy that social media platforms such as X are neutral. Given he has previously tweaked X's algorithm to amplify the reach of his posts, it would be surprising if he were not tilting the platform in favor of Trump, whom he believes is "the path to prosperity." For too long, social media platforms have enjoyed immunity for the information they selectively inject into users' feeds. It's time for governments to reconsider their approach to regulating the oligopolistic power over our information environment wielded by a handful of tech billionaires.

Tech billionaire Elon Musk's social media posts have had a 'sudden boost' since July, new research reveals

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Men far outnumber women as news influencers on social media, per a new Pew Research Center study.</li><li>That contrasts with other parts of the creator industry, where women dominate.</li></ul>News anchoring was once a male-dominated enterprise led by figures like Walter Cronkite and Edward R. Murrow. That gender skew is showing up again in the latest platform for news: social media.Male influencers far outnumber female creators when it comes to delivering the news on social media, according to a new <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/2024/11/18/americas-news-influencers/">study</a> from the Pew Research Center.Pew analyzed a sample set of 500 news influencers with at least 100,000 followers and found that 63% were male and 30% were female. The remaining 7% were either non-binary or had undetermined genders.That gender gap stands out for a few reasons:<ul><li>First, there's a much narrower gender divide (51% male and 46% female) among working US journalists, per a 2022 Pew <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/04/04/us-journalists-beats-vary-widely-by-gender-and-other-factors/">survey</a>.</li><li>Second, women tend to outnumber men in the influencer industry broadly. Influencer agency Izea saw a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://izea.com/resources/insights/2023-state-of-influencer-equality/#:~:text=2023%20Report&amp;text=Over%20the%20past%20eight%20years%2C%20average%20earnings%20have%20dramatically%20risen,in%20the%20United%20States%20population.">gender gap</a> when it compared the share of sponsorship deals earned by women (77%) and men (21%) in 2022.</li></ul>As creators take on a bigger role in educating the public about current events, the gender gap among social-media news influencers could shape what stories end up reaching people.The social-media gender split was a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/podcaster-new-politics-power-broker-harris-and-trump-know-it-2024-10">hot-button issue</a> in the 2024 US presidential election, as both parties <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/influencers-dnc-democratic-national-convention-traditional-media-journalist-digital-strategy-2024-8">courted influencers</a> to make content around their campaigns.Donald Trump and JD Vance may have benefited from a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.wired.com/story/donald-trump-online-campaign-era/">media strategy</a> centered on male influencers. The candidates went on a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/youtube-donald-trump-podcasts-joe-rogan2024-11">tour</a> this year to reach young men via appearances with Joe Rogan, the Nelk Boys, and Adin Ross. John Della Volpe, director of polling at the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/21/opinion/trump-gen-z-men-harris.html">described</a> the strategy as "bro whispering." Exit <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://apnews.com/article/election-harris-trump-women-latinos-black-voters-0f3fbda3362f3dcfe41aa6b858f22d12">polls</a> suggest Trump did gain ground with young men in 2024 compared to his 2020 run.Kamala Harris turned to a different niche of creator to try to reach young women, including an interview with "Call Her Daddy" podcaster Alex Cooper.<div type="image" title="Nabela Noor was one of five content creators that spoke at the Democratic National Convention on Monday night." height="683" width="1024" msid="115423848" hostid="261" sizebytes="21738"></div>Harris also made overtures to reach men, such as an appearance on the sports podcast "All The Smoke," as well as on "The Howard Stern Show." But in the wake of her election loss, some political commentators <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4QHOS4osEM">lamented</a> her decision not to appear on Rogan's podcast, which is consistently the top-ranked show on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.In Pew's analysis, there was a much smaller (and flipped) gender gap in the overall audience for news content on social media among young people. Twenty-three percent of US adult women under 30 said they regularly got news from news influencers, compared to 19% of men in that age group."The influencers who are providing news and people who are getting news don't necessarily look the same," Galen Stocking, a senior computational social scientist at Pew who coauthored the report, told BI.This suggests that a strategy of trying to reach women voters by focusing on podcasts anchored by women could miss a portion of the electorate.<h2 id="14166cf2-6038-4c35-86d0-7299411a9a16">Are news influencers widening the US political gender gap?</h2>Young people are increasingly divided along partisan lines. Men between the ages of 18 and 29 are becoming more conservative and women in that age group are becoming more liberal, per <a target="_blank" href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/649826/exploring-young-women-leftward-expansion.aspx">Gallup polling</a>. The extent to which media diets are contributing to that change is harder to drill down, however.Pew's sample set of news influencers skewed slightly conservative, with 27% identifying as right-leaning and 21% as left-leaning. Still, only around half of the news influencers explicitly shared their political orientation.Whatever their impact on partisanship, creators have clearly taken on a bigger role in shaping the information landscape as traditional newsrooms have lost some trust. Fifty-nine percent of US adults surveyed by Pew in September said they had a lot or some trust in information from national news organizations, down from 76% in 2016. Trust in information from social media remained steady over the same period, growing from 34% to 37%.<h2 id="210dd0f2-1334-4ec8-80f2-1c59ca935fa9">YouTube had the biggest gender gap, while TikTok's was minimal</h2>The gender divide among news influencers was fairly consistent across all platforms in Pew's study. The one exception was TikTok, where 50% of news creators were male and 45% were female.TikTok has become an <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gen-z-gets-news-from-tiktok-influencers-media-industry-2023-12">increasingly important news source</a> among young adults, who turn to the app for news commentary and on-the-ground videos tied to current events.YouTube saw the biggest gender divide among news influencers, a gap that other researchers said showed up in the YouTube audience, too. A Spring poll of 18- to 29-year-old Americans by the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics found that 31% of young men turn to YouTube to learn about current events, compared to 20% of women.

There's a gender gap among news influencers on social media, new Pew data shows

Australia all-rounder <keyword id="19899526" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Glenn-Maxwell" source="keywords">Glenn Maxwell</keyword> revealed that he was blocked by star India batter <keyword id="19907934" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Virat-Kohli" source="keywords">Virat Kohli</keyword> for mocking his <keyword id="20348325" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="shoulder-injury" source="keywords">shoulder injury</keyword> back in 2017 during the <keyword id="20534757" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Border-Gavaskar-Trophy" source="keywords">Border-Gavaskar Trophy</keyword> held in India. Maxwell was speaking at the Willow Talk Podcast. Speaking at the podcast, Maxwell revealed that he was welcomed well by the Indian superstar when he joined the <keyword id="21019173" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Royal-Challengers-Bengaluru" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Royal Challengers Bengaluru" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Royal Challengers Bengaluru">Royal Challengers Bengaluru</keyword> (<keyword id="20282652" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="RCB" source="keywords">RCB</keyword>) camp in the <keyword id="19966825" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-Premier-League" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Indian Premier League" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Indian Premier League">Indian Premier League</keyword> (<keyword id="19906063" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="IPL" source="keywords">IPL</keyword>) 2021. He said that after having a chat with his then skipper in training camp, he tried to find him on <keyword id="19897919" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="social-media" source="keywords">social media</keyword> but could not find him. "When I knew that I was going to RCB, Virat was the first guy to message me and welcome me to the team. When I turned up for the pre-IPL training camp, we obviously got chatting and spent a fair bit of time training together as you do. So I go to his social media, to follow him. Did not even think about it before that. Never really crossed my mind. I was like 'I cannot find him'," said Maxwell. He revealed that someone mentioned to him that Virat probably had blocked him and after asking him, it was indeed the case. It was because Maxwell had mocked Virat's shoulder injury during the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Ranchi. "I am sure he is on social media somewhere so I did not think anything of it. Not really that maybe he was not savvy with <keyword id="19900288" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Instagram" source="keywords">Instagram</keyword>. Did not really understand why he was not coming up and then someone mentioned that he might have blocked you. That is the only way you are not able to find him. I was like surely not," Maxwell added. "Then I went and asked him 'Have you blocked me on Instagram?' And he was like, 'Yeah probably. It was when you mocked me during that Test match. I was like 'yeah, that's fair enough'. So yeah, he ended up unblocking me, and we became great friends after that," concluded Maxwell. Since joining RCB, Maxwell has played 52 matches for the franchise, scoring 1,266 runs at an average of 28.77 and a strike rate of 159.25, having smashed 12 fifties for the side with the best score of 78. As the IPL retentions will be announced on Thursday, all eyes will be on RCB if Maxwell is retained by them.

Maxwell reveals why Virat Kohli blocked him on Instagram

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Americans are increasingly relying on government aid thanks to aging populations and rising costs.</li><li>Money from programs like Social Security accounted for 18% of total personal income in 2022.</li></ul>Americans are increasingly relying on government assistance — and it reflects a shifting economic landscape.A growing share of income in most US counties is coming from social safety net programs like <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/snap-alice-food-stamps-hunger-government-assitance-free-meals-2024-5">SNAP</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-tax-cuts-social-security-boomers-benefit-fund-depletion-2024-11">Social Security</a>, and Medicaid, per a <a target="_blank" href="https://eig.org/great-transfermation/">report</a> published in September by the research firm Economic Innovation Group. Government transfers of funds from these programs accounted for about 18% of total personal income in the US in 2022, a nine percentage-point increase from 1970, and the equivalent of $3.8 trillion. The spike is in both urban and rural counties.The report said that Americans' increasing dependence on government assistance is in part due to an aging population. One in six people in 2022 were over the age of 65 — compared to one in 10 in 1970 — and just over half of the national transfer income flows from Medicare and Social Security.What's more, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/healthcare-childcare-expensive-costs-wage-growth-employment-ai-risks-2024-8">healthcare</a> is straining people's finances. The report said Medicare and Medicaid prices are becoming more expensive as costs for care rise.The report's findings come as Business Insider has spoken with many <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/boomers-living-social-security-government-aid-snap-loneliness-crisis-isolation-2024-8">retirees</a> — who are living solely on Social Security income because they don't have savings or retirement investments — who say they are struggling to afford basic necessities."I don't want to be rich, I just need to be comfortable," a baby boomer living on <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/social-security-no-savings-snap-benefits-debt-boomers-experiences-2024-6">$1,104 monthly in Social Security</a> previously told BI. "I just want to know that I can have food when I need it and a nice roof over my head."The EIG's analysis of county and county-equivalent data (such as parishes in <a target="_blank" href="https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/2010/geo/state-local-geo-guides-2010/louisiana.html">Louisiana</a> that are considered similar to a county) shows how much government aid transfers as a share of total income varied across the US. Just a handful of places with data had shares above 40% in 2000, as seen in the map below.Most counties from EIG's analysis saw government transfers as a share of total income rise between 2000 and 2022, with many increasing by at least 10 percentage points."Today, most US counties depend on a level of government transfer income that was once reserved only for the most distressed places," the report said.Paychecks and investments are Americans' main sources of income outside government assistance. Still, many don't make enough to get by: 13% of individuals live below the federal poverty line, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/middle-class-americans-earning-above-poverty-live-paycheck-to-paycheck-2024-4">per a report</a> from the nonprofit United Way's United for ALICE program. That's <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="c-link" href="https://aspe.hhs.gov/topics/poverty-economic-mobility/poverty-guidelines">$15,060 annually</a> for one person.The EIG report suggests that reliance on government transfers will continue to be a norm in many US counties. EIG said enacting policies that boost wages and encourage workforce participation would be possible solutions to help reduce reliance on government assistance.Are you living on a limited income or relying on government assistance? Are you open to sharing how you budget and afford basic necessities? If so, reach out to these reporters at <a target="_blank" href="mailto:allisonkelly@businessinsider.com">allisonkelly@businessinsider.com</a> and <a target="_blank" href="mailto:mhoff@businessinsider.com">mhoff@businessinsider.com</a>.

2 maps show how Americans rely on income like Social Security more than they used to

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Some American workers are encountering an unpleasant surprise when they reach <keyword id="25452" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="retirement" source="Orion">retirement</keyword>.</li><li>Murky provisions slash <keyword id="19966945" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="social-security" source="keywords">Social Security</keyword> for people who work in both the government and private sector throughout their careers.</li></ul>Patrice Earnest, 66, expected to have much more money for retirement. But after her husband died, she checked her <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/retirement-savings-social-security-baby-boomers-without-savings-401k-poverty-2024-8">Social Security survivor benefits</a>. The total: $0. "It's absolutely stunning," Earnest said. "My husband worked all his life since he was 16 bagging groceries, and that Social Security was something we had planned to have in our retirement." Earnest won't see a penny of the benefits her husband worked for — and it's due to her work history, not his. She's one of a few million Americans who see cuts to either their own Social Security benefits or to their <keyword id="44080" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="survivor" source="Orion">survivor</keyword> benefits when a spouse dies because they have a career history that includes both government and private sector jobs. The idea is to ensure public servants with pensions don't get overly generous retirement benefits, keeping people like Earnest from receiving full benefits from both a government pension and Social Security. But like many people affected by this, Earnest was caught by surprise — throwing her retirement budget for a loop. The two provisions at play here are the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset, or <keyword id="19921812" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="wep" source="keywords">WEP</keyword> and GPO for short. They typically affect middle-class workers in select states who spent some time in a public-sector job, such as teachers, firefighters, and police officers, with government pensions and no Social Security taxes. The measures reduce Social Security benefits accrued during private-sector work to compensate for the state or local government pension benefits. Even a short time with a pension can trigger cuts to Social Security that workers might have earned in a private sector role. WEP reduces a worker's own Social Security benefits, while GPO applies to spousal or widower benefits like those Earnest expected to collect. "Certainly, I could use the extra money owed to me to pay the bills that I thought we could with a two-income household," she said. Right now, the provisions are part of a political firestorm over how the US should care for its older workers, with Social Security <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/when-will-social-security-benefits-run-out-retirement-crisis-boomers-2024-5">already imperiled</a> and many retirees struggling to pay their bills. On September 19, a bipartisan bill to eliminate WEP and GPO received the number of signatures needed for a vote in the <keyword id="19910021" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="house" source="keywords">House</keyword>. While supporters of WEP and GPO say they're necessary for ensuring equity, critics say they're applied unevenly across states and professions, sometimes resulting in benefit calculation mistakes. Those advocating for eliminating the provisions say they also hurt middle-class government workers the most. <h2>Unpredictable cuts to Social Security benefits make it impossible to plan for retirement</h2>The provisions can end up slashing your Social Security payments by up to half if you have a government pension, whether you were planning on survivor and spousal payouts or your own checks from time spent in the private sector. Workers with a private-sector 401(k), on the other hand, are not barred from collecting full Social Security. <keyword id="23551078" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="jane-roth" source="keywords">Jane Roth</keyword>, 74, a widow in New Haven, said she may have reconsidered becoming an educator if she had known about the provisions. <keyword id="20163067" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="roth" source="keywords">Roth</keyword> worked in the private sector before becoming a teacher. Because she pulled money out of her teacher retirement fund after six years of teaching to help finance life with a child, she said she has to work six extra years before cashing out her full pension. She's still teaching and has another 14 years before she can receive her full pension. In the meantime, she can't afford to live off the $32,000 she gets annually through her late husband's Social Security survivor benefits. If she retired now and started receiving her partial pension, she'd get even less because the GPO would kick in and zero out her survivor benefits. "What are my choices? Do I retire with a partial pension and lose 100% of my Social Security survivor benefits, or do I work until I am 88?" Roth said. "We are not asking for a handout. This is our money. They took our money and said this will be waiting for you upon retirement, and it's not." WEP and GPO were instituted in the 1980s to make retirement income more equitable, as many believed <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-retirement-of-peak-boomers-could-affect-economy-social-security-2024-4">workers with governmentpensions</a> had an advantage over Social Security recipients. But even pensions have become less of a sure economic bet, with <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.brookings.edu/articles/teacher-pensions-systems-are-increasingly-underfunded-making-teachers-vulnerable-and-salaries-less-attractive/">returns less funded</a> and many states <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/101700/how_have_teacher_pensions_changed_since_the_great_recession_0.pdf">cutting back the benefits</a> they offer to teachers. "Essentially, it's a substitute," <keyword id="23551077" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="karen-smith" source="keywords">Karen Smith</keyword>, a senior fellow at the Income and Benefits Policy Center at the Urban Institute, said. "The reason they don't pay Social Security is because they have this alternate pension." Today, however, major criticisms center on the uneven application, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://oig.ssa.gov/assets/uploads/a-13-20-50970.pdf">rampant errors</a>, and <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.aft.org/news/retirees-advocate-fairness-retirement-benefits">poor communication</a> with those impacted. WEP and GPO impact teachers in 15 states, while state, county, and municipal employees are penalized in 26 states. An audit by the Office of the Inspector General for the Social Security Administration <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://oig.ssa.gov/assets/uploads/a-13-20-50970.pdf">found</a> that WEP and GPO were two of the "leading causes of improper payments" in the system. According to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://scottweisbenner.web.illinois.edu/RESEARCH/PAPERS/JPEF_Brown_Weisbenner.pdf">a 2013 paper,</a> the WEP reduces benefits disproportionately for lower-earning households in some<a target="_blank" href="https://scottweisbenner.web.illinois.edu/RESEARCH/PAPERS/JPEF_Brown_Weisbenner.pdf"> cases</a>. The Bipartisan Policy Center wrote in a July paper that limitations to WEP calculations resulted in "an imprecise approach to adjusting Social Security benefits." Many who support WEP and GPO, whether in their current or modified forms, say the math still has merit, as those affected by the provisions tend to be better off. The Social Security Administration reported the average monthly check as of July 2024 is about $1,783. Meanwhile, <a target="_blank" href="https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/RS/98-35/60">nearly half</a> of WEP-affected Social Security beneficiaries had pensions above $3,000 a month in 2023. Proponents of the provisions argue that because of how Social Security <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/personal-finance/investing/what-is-social-security">calculates benefits</a>, a worker who spent a short period of time in the private sector and the rest of their career working toward a public pension <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.urban.org/urban-wire/getting-rid-social-security-offsets-teachers-flunks-equity-test">could end up</a> getting a proportionally larger Social Security benefit than a worker making the same amount of money in the private sector for their whole career. Additionally, canceling WEP and GPO could worsen Social Security's financing, moving the depletion date for funds from 2035 to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/when-will-social-security-run-out-pay-full-benefits-plan-2023-3">2034 or sooner</a>. According to the Urban Institute, this could disproportionately benefit those with higher incomes who have 401(k)s or other private retirement accounts. But some of those workers on the other end of the provision disagree. "I had a 76-year-old lady call me up. She taught for 40 years and retired, but recently her husband passed away. She lost all his earned benefits, and she's going to wind up either selling her house or lookfor a part-time job," said Janis Hernandez, a retired teacher in Louisiana, who sits on the communications committee for The National Task Force to Repeal the WEP and GPO. <h2>The future of WEP and GPO</h2>The Task Force <a target="_blank" href="https://ssfairness.org/gpo-wep-faq/">notes</a> that 83% of those penalized by the GPO are women, many of whom took time away from their careers to raise children and thus have less in Social Security than their spouses. Many impacted by the GPO also can't fully calculate their reductions until their spouse dies, like Earnest. Critics of the programs also note that there is no similar means testing for private-sector retirement plans. "If somebody is in the private sector and they've got a good 401(k), you don't tell them, 'Oh, we're not going to give you your Social Security,'" Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Republican who's focused on Social Security solvency, told BI. WEP and GPO are front and center in Congress this month when the House of Representatives votes on the bipartisan <a target="_blank" href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/82">Social Security Fairness Act</a>, which aims to eliminate both provisions. An alternative to eliminating the provisions completely is simplifying the formula for calculating Social Security benefits, which the Bipartisan Policy Center found would be less costly over time. As the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities finds, there's "widespread support" for a more proportional formula to calculate the amount these provisions shave off. But right now, any action on Social Security or altering those provisions may be a long shot, especially with the presidential election looming. Anne <keyword id="20223028" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="mcleod" source="keywords">McLeod</keyword>, 68, said the provisions can be punitive. In her 20s, McLeod worked various part-time and lower-paying clerical roles, all of which paid into Social Security. She then taught in New Orleans for 28 years and worked part-time jobs after school hours. She's retired now and gets $67 monthly in Social Security — $500 less than she would've gotten sans WEP. She gets $2,910 monthly in state retirement, and she creates and sells artwork for extra income. While she and her husband are up to date on their bills, they simplified their lives by selling their house and renting because it's cheaper. "It's almost like a punishment in a way because we chose to be educators or firemen or policemen," McLeod said. "They said you get a good enough retirement from the state, so you'll be OK not getting all your Social Security." Correction: October 1, 2024 — An earlier version of this article provided the wrong figure for Jane Roth's Social Security survivor benefits.

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Let's call it the YouTube election

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