Inflation Report, Social Security Increase, and Ukraine Developments: Morning News Roundup
inflation report and social security. Consumer prices rose 3.7% in September, prompting a 3.6% Social Security benefits increase. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy plans to resume attacks on Russian oil refineries, and a shooting involving ICE agents in New York faces scrutiny.
Consumer prices in September were 3.7% higher than they were a year ago, according to a Labor Department report. A spike in energy prices linked to the U.S. war with Iran drove up the cost of living. Excluding energy and food prices, core inflation reached 2.6% in September, up from August. The Social Security Administration announced a 3.6% increase in benefits for next year after the release of the inflation report. This annual cost-of-living adjustment is based on prices from July, August and September. Some recipients say the increase is not enough.
Social Security may run out of money to make full payments to retirees as soon as 2032.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced he will resume attacks on Russian oil refineries, despite President Trump’s request to refrain from doing so. Zelenskyy told the Financial Times that he had ordered commanders to stand down earlier this week, but wouldn’t anymore. But Ukraine’s ability to conduct these long-range attacks may be limited, as it has seen sudden crippling restrictions to Starshield, the satellite communications system provided by the U.S.
Ukraine’s defense ministry said today that operations are back to normal. The country relies on the Starshield system for offensive and defensive drones to protect against Russian strikes. Elon Musk, who developed the system for the U.S. government and military, says the U.S. government sets its speed and usage limits.
A man shot and wounded by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in New York last week says he didn’t know the men who shot him were ICE agents until after he woke up in the hospital. A new petition filed in Brooklyn federal court says the agents — many of them masked — didn’t identify themselves before approaching Oscar Belgal’s vehicle with their firearms drawn. The filing contradicts the Trump administration’s version of events.
California-based Twitch streamer Hasan Piker has emerged as a key target for the GOP ahead of the midterm elections. The president recently labeled him a “terrible liability” and a “communist.” In Michigan, political ads attempting to link him to Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayef repeatedly play Piker’s most controversial statements, including the infamous America deserved 9/11. Piker remains confident that he won’t hinder Democrats this November.
Australian DJ Lenny Pearce is taking over venues with his toddler rave world tour, featuring techno dance parties for families where most of the dance floor is filled with little ones under the age of five. Pearce kicked off the North American leg of his tour in Baltimore, but has sold-out shows in cities such as New York and Los Angeles and has already captivated audiences in Bahrain, Singapore and India.
Meanwhile, the New York City Council and Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced plans to ban carriage horses in Central Park.
