Trans air force members sue Trump administration over denied pension

Complaint slams government's actions as 'unlawful and invalid' after air force revoked early retirement benefits…

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/16/trans-air-force-trump-administration-lawsuit-retirement-pension-benefits

 

Can you read cursive? Help transcribe military pension files from the Revolutionary War!

In celebration of the 250th anniversary of American independence, the National Archives and the National Park Service are collaborating on a special project to transcribe Case Files of Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Applications Based on Revolutionary War Service, ca. 1800 - ca. 1912. These Revolutionary War Pension Files consist of applications and other records pertaining to claims for pensions and bounty land warrants. 

These records may contain valuable details about Revolutionary War veterans and their families, such as rank, unit, period of service, age, residence, date and place of marriage, and date and place of death of spouse. Also within these records, you may find copies of marriage or other family records, information pertaining to military activities or details about soldier's lives, along with letters, diaries, or family trees. Read more about these records and what you may find from the National Park Service's article Tips and a Guide for the Curious. 

Not interested in transcribing cursive? Join our Revolutionary War Tagging Mission - read the transcriptions by other Citizen Archivists and add tags to enhance searchability.

https://www.archives.gov/citizen-archivist/missions/revolutionary-war-pension-files

Opinion | Before Slashing Social Security, Cut 401(k)s - POLITICO

Perhaps, you might suppose, these programs are ignored because they exist in the private sector — but they are actually heavily subsidized by the government. According to the Joint Committee on Taxation, the tax advantages for DBs, DCs and IRAs will cost the federal government $371 billion this year. There is no similar tally for state tax breaks, but including those would likely bring the total bill close to half a trillion dollars. 

Given these tremendous expenses, it is initially hard to understand why people who seem so worried about the costs of old-age benefits choose to focus solely on Social Security. But it becomes easier to understand once you realize who benefits the most from the various parts of the old-age system...

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2023/03/01/social-security-cut-401ks-00084730

US pension funds are on the brink of implosion – and Wall Street is ignoring it

…private equity firms may have told their pension officials that their assets were worth much more than they actually are, all while the firms were skimming billions of dollars of fees off retirees' money. 

If write-downs now happen, it could mean that when it's time to sell the assets to pay promised retiree benefits, pension funds would have far less money available than private equity firms led them to believe. At that point, there are three painful choices: cut retirement benefits, slash social programs to fund the benefits, or raise taxes to recoup the losses…

https://www.theguardian.com/business/commentisfree/2023/feb/02/us-pension-funds-implosion-wall-street-private-equity

McConnell Said No to Money for Miners, Yes to Russian-Backed Plant - The Daily Beast

The Senate majority leader worked to keep money out of Kentucky coal miners' hands—even as he maneuvered to steer federal cash to an aluminum plant connected to a Putin ally.....
https://www.thedailybeast.com/mitch-mcconnell-blocked-millions-for-coal-miners-steered-funds-to-russian-backed-plant

Police officer who fatally shot sobbing man temporarily rehired to apply for pension - NBC News

The shooting of Daniel Shaver by Mesa, Arizona, Officer Philip Brailsford last year was caught on bodycam in a case that drew national scrutiny over the use of deadly force.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/police-officer-who-fatally-shot-sobbing-man-temporarily-rehired-apply-n1028981

The Census and Disenfranchisement (Opening Arguments podcast OA286)

Today’s episode takes a deep dive into recent developments following the death of Republican operative Thomas Hofeller — the architect of the REDMAP — that may impact the census question case currently pending before the Supreme Court, Department of Commerce v. New York.

First, however, we begin with an Andrew Was Wrong about the 2006 midterm elections and the Pension Protection Act. That was, in fact, a Democratic wave year — but the PPA was passed in August, nearly five months before that new Democratic congress was seated. Oops.

Then it’s time to delve into the strange files of Thomas Hofeller, the architect of REDMAP — you know, the gerrymandering strategy and software that turned Republican minorities into majorities in states like Wisconsin and tiny Republican majorities into one-sided dominance in states like North Carolina. Want to know his plan for helping “Non-Hispanic Whites?” Of course you do!

We break down exactly how this development may affect Dep’t of Commerce v. New York, which has already been briefed and argued before the Supreme Court, and the interesting strategy that the respondents used to make SCOTUS aware of what Hofeller was up to.

After all that, it’s time for the answer to Thomas (and the Entire Puzzle in a Thunderstorm Crew) Takes the Bar Exam #129 involving comparative negligence, joint and several liability, and intra-family liability in connection with a car accident. Did you get it right? Remember you can play along every Friday by sharing our show on social media using the hashtag #TTTBE.
Interview:
https://openargs.com/oa286-the-census-and-disenfranchisement/

Drain the Swamp, Starring Gordon Hartogensis (Opening Arguments podcast OA284)

Today’s episode is a tragedy in three acts, bringing together three seemingly-unrelated stories: (1) understanding the looming crisis at the Pension Benefits Guarantee Corporation; (2) figuring out who Gordon Hartogensis is and why he’s about to gain control over potentially hundreds of billions of dollars in assets; and finally, (3) putting together all the pieces to see how President Trump has acted to protect his crony, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, from potential criminal and civil liability in connection with his management of Sears. Strap in; it’s going to be a bumpy ride!

We begin in Act I, in which the guys break down the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), its creation, the Pension Benefits Guaranty Corporation (PBGC), and the developments over the last 45 years that have pushed the PBGC to the brink of collapse.

Act II, then, takes over with the recently-appointed International Man of Mystery, Gordon Hartogensis, to lead the PBGC. Who is this guy, and what has he done to inspire confidence that he can right the ship? Listen and find out!

Act III weaves these stories together with the ongoing civil lawsuit by Sears against Steven Mnuchin and his buddy Eddie Lampert, who are alleged to have looted Sears’s assets, driving it into bankruptcy. You’ll never guess who bought those assets in bankruptcy… or, perhaps you’ll instantly guess who did.

After all that, it’s time for the answer to Thomas Takes the Bar Exam #128 involving a crazy fast-food heist involving an imaginary sniper and the drive-thru lane. Did you get it right??
Interview:
https://openargs.com/todays-episode-brings-together-three-seemingly-unrelated-stories-1-understanding-the-looming-crisis-at-the-pension-benefits-guarantee-corporation-2-figuring-out-who-gordon-hartogensis-is-and-wh/

Underfunded pensions, but LaPierre still living like a king: the NRA's troubles keep getting worse - Daily Kos

Every passing day seems to bring new signs of financial trouble for the NRA, all of it self-inflicted. It seems the primary purpose of the group is to provide Chief Executive Wayne LaPierre with the lifestyle he has become accustomed to...
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/5/16/1857895/-Underfunded-pensions-but-LaPierre-still-living-like-a-king-the-NRA-s-troubles-keep-getting-worse

2 millionaire senators introduce plan to make sure Congress is only for the rich - ThinkProgress.org

Let's start this column off with a bold assertion. Paying lawmakers good salaries is one of our country's most important progressive reforms because it means that they don't have to be wealthy to serve. High congressional pay is a safeguard against corruption, not a sign of it. ....
https://thinkprogress.org/rick-scott-seeks-to-make-senate-a-plutocrat-playground-46be0dcd38ed/

Poverty Scold Paul Ryan Retires at 48 to Join Ranks of Idle Rich - Vanity Fair

Delivering for your corporate sugar daddies has its perks. ....
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2018/04/poverty-scold-paul-ryan-retires-at-48-to-join-ranks-of-idle-rich

'Call me': Dem lawmaker trolls Trump and Sessions by offering job to McCabe so he can qualify for his retirement -- Raw Story

Responding to a comment by MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell that fired former Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe might still be eligible for his retirement, a Democratic lawmaker from Wisconsin offered McCabe a 2-day temp job to help him regain his reward for 21 years of government service. ....
https://www.rawstory.com/2018/03/call-dem-lawmaker-trolls-trump-sessions-offering-job-mccabe-can-qualify-retirement/

The Real Reason the Investor Class Hates Pensions - The New York Times

No issue in America today better illustrates the divergent interests of working Americans and the 1 percent than pension reform. Substantial empirical evidence shows that America’s favored retirement vehicle — the 401(k), recently renounced by its own inventors — is grossly inadequate and will leave tens of millions of Americans with insufficient retirement assets. And yet states and cities are busy converting traditional pensions into these failing 401(k)s or equivalents, to the great benefit of money managers and the finance class.....
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/05/opinion/investor-class-pensions.html

This Is What Life Without Retirement Savings Looks Like - The Atlantic

Many seniors are stuck with lives of never-ending work—a fate that could befall millions in the coming decades. ....
https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2018/02/pensions-safety-net-california/553970/

You can’t make America great without killing the 401(k) and bringing back real pensions – ThinkProgress

A wonky fight brewing over specific rules of the 401(k) system is a shiny distraction from the real action on retirement security....
https://thinkprogress.org/dont-reform-the-401k-kill-it-f60e68dddcd0/

Labor Department seeks to delay rule that protects investors -- ThinkProgress.org

The Labor Department would like to delay a rule that would require financial advisors to act in the best interest of their customers and their retirement accounts. ...
https://thinkprogress.org/labor-department-delay-rule-protect-investors-a9307807b6d4/

Obama speeches revive GOP bid to target his pension

As former President Barack Obama hits the speaking circuit, Republican lawmakers say they plan to reintroduce a bill that would directly target pensions for ex-presidents raking in more than $400,000 after leaving the Oval Office. ...
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/05/04/obama-speeches-revive-gop-bid-to-target-his-pension.htm

If Christian Hospitals Can’t Even Take Care of Their Own Employees, They Shouldn’t Be In Business

We know religious hospitals rarely provide the sort of comprehensive coverage we expect from secular hospitals. They refuse to deal with contraception, ectopic pregnancies, vasectomies, tubal ligations, etc. But the Supreme Court heard a case this week, Advocate Health Care Network (AHCN) v. Stapleton, showing how religious hospitals are also subpar when it comes to covering pensions for their employees....
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2017/03/30/if-christian-hospitals-cant-even-take-care-of-their-own-employees-they-shouldnt-be-in-business/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

Should Religiously Affiliated Hospitals Be Allowed To Ignore A Federal Law That Protects Employee Pensions?

Today the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in a trio of cases that will decide whether religiously affiliated hospital systems must comply with federal pension protections. The large health systems don’t want to; they argue they should get a narrow exemption to the law carved out for houses of worship. But these health systems, with nearly 100,000 employees, are not churches....
https://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/should-religiously-affiliated-hospitals-be-allowed-to-ignore-a-federal-law

Were 401(k) Plans Just a Big Mistake? | Mother Jones

The Wall Street Journal ran a piece yesterday about the folks who (accidentally) created the 401(k) retirement plan. They aren't happy with their creation:...
http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2017/01/were-401k-plans-just-big-mistake