Good morning! It’s Thursday, June 19, 2025. Today is Juneteenth, a day to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States—and to reflect on the unfinished fight for Black freedom in a system still built on exploitation.
Whether you're marching, resting, or organizing, we're here with the stories the mainstream media would rather ignore.
In today’s newsletter:
More news: Supreme Court guts trans rights
Stories the algorithm is keeping out of your feed
⏱️ Estimated read time: 6 minutes, 44 seconds
TOP STORY
Social Security, Medicare trusts will go broke sooner than expected
Both Social Security and Medicare are running out of money faster than expected—and millions of Americans could see major benefit cuts unless Congress acts soon.
DRIVING THE NEWS: Yesterday the Treasury Department released its annual report on the Social Security and Medicare trust funds.
They say Social Security’s trust fund will run out of cash by 2033—nearly a year earlier than previously expected.
The Medicare trust fund will be depleted in eight years—three years earlier than projected.
ZOOM OUT: Both programs largely pay for themselves. But because more people are retiring than are currently paying into the program, both rely on trust funds to make up the difference.
If Congress doesn’t act, when the trust funds are depleted, Social Security retirement benefits would be slashed by 23%, while Medicare benefits could be cut by 11%.
Social Security disability benefits are covered by a separate trust fund which is expected to remain solvent until 2099.
THE SOLUTION: Progressives want to save both programs by taxing the ultra wealthy—and making sure they pay their fair share.
Currently, top earners don't pay Social Security taxes on any income above $176,100 a year.
Bernie Sanders says ending that cap could keep Social Security solvent while actually expanding benefits.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump is busy working to give the wealthy even more tax breaks—which has been called the largest transfer of wealth from the bottom to the top in history.
GO DEEPER: In a NOTICE News Deep Dive, we wrote at length about the short and long-term problems facing Social Security, and what the different sides want to do about it.
➡️ Question of the Day
Given the turmoil with the trust fund, are you worried about losing Social Security benefits? Tell us why or why not after you vote!
IN DEPTH
Only elites want a war with Iran
As Donald Trump weighs joining Israel’s unprovoked war with Iran, a new poll reveals what the ruling class refuses to acknowledge: the American public doesn’t want this.
DRIVING THE NEWS: A wide-ranging Economist/YouGov poll conducted over the weekend found that just 16% of Americans support joining the war. That includes just 19% of Trump voters.
The result is a damning indictment of elite detachment, as D.C. hawks and billionaire donors beat the war drums for another conflict with a Middle Eastern country that poses no real threat.
YES, AND: The issue has ignited a civil war within Trump’s fragile coalition.
Tucker Carlson and Sen. Ted Cruz clashed in a fiery, viral exchange about Iran, with Carlson accusing Cruz of having no understanding of the region.
The rift underscores a deeper truth: for all the GOP’s talk of strength, they can’t agree on what that even means.
WHAT’S NEXT: Trump repeated yesterday that he hasn’t made up his mind about whether or not to join the war.
If he does, Iran is sure to take action against American military personnel stationed in the region.
Roughly 40,000 U.S. service members and government defense staff are deployed in the Middle East right now, and a Trump-ordered air strike would certainly make them targets.
BOTTOM LINE: Let’s be clear—most Americans are not clamoring for another endless war in the Middle East. Only the ruling elite are. And they’re dragging us toward catastrophe while pretending it’s about “safety.”
➡️ Yesterday’s Question
Yesterday we asked, should the U.S. go to war with Iran? You said almost exactly what we reported above. The resounding answer: NO. Only a single person voted yes.
The lone yes voter wrote this: “There's no choice, nuclear bombs via Iran is a no brainer to stop via bunker bombers, then simply stop so war won't continue.”
The vast majority disagree. Tom wrote, “We've seen this scenario before from a Republican president ‘the sky is falling, the sky is falling!’ Not again. Stay out of war in the Middle East!!!”
Debb wrote, “We have so many problems here at home, we do not need to get involved in someone else's fight. The two countries started this themselves. Keep our noses out of it. Our evil government cannot even handle America.”