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The Social Security Administration said it will no longer allow individuals to verify their identity over the phone but instead require online authentication or in-person visits for those seeking benefit claims and direct deposit changes. Changes are set to go into full effect March 31, impacting more than 72 million Americans who rely on the platform amid a slew of planned office closures across the country. The Department of Government Efficiency’s website says it plans to shut down at least 47 Social Securit

Elon Musk’s eleventh-hour support for a child online safety bill is creating an early test of the tech billionaire and Trump ally’s influence on Capitol Hill. Musk called for the passage of the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA)—a polarizing bipartisan bill intended to create more protection for minors online—after his social media platform, X, worked on changes with the bill’s Senate sponsors. Advocates for KOSA

White House chief of staff Jeff Zients outlined the priorities for President Biden’s final days in office. Zients said to expect, as part of Biden’s investing in America agenda, more action on high-speed internet funds to states, CHIPS and Science Act incentives funding and Inflation Reduction Act funding.

President-elect Trump has tapped Federal Communications Commissioner Brendan Carr to be the next chair of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), teeing the agency up for a likely clash with Big Tech and media companies he has accused of “censoring” conservative views.  Here’s what to know about Carr: