New estimates suggest that Social Security benefits will increase by about 3.5% to 3.6% in 2027, which is a smaller rise than previously expected. This adjustment is meant to help benefits keep up with inflation, but it is based on past price changes and the exact amount will be confirmed in October.
Key Facts
The 2027 Social Security cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) is now projected between 3.5% and 3.6%.
Previous forecasts predicted a higher increase of around 3.8%.
The projections are based on July Consumer Price Index (CPI) data showing inflation easing to 3.4%.
An average retired worker currently receives $2,071 per month in Social Security benefits.
A 3.6% increase would raise this average benefit by about $75 monthly, to roughly $2,146 in 2027.
The official COLA for 2027 will be announced on October 14, after the release of August and September inflation data.
COLA adjustments are designed to help benefits keep pace with inflation but may lag behind actual rising costs.
In 2026, the COLA was 2.8%, but inflation has been higher than that since March, causing concerns among seniors.
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An Alaskan surrogate mother, McKenna West, is in a legal battle with a Californian couple who want her to abort their unborn baby after doctors found the baby has hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), a serious heart defect. West has traveled to Texas seeking legal protection because doctors in Alaska refused to perform a high-risk, late-term abortion.
Key Facts
McKenna West, an Alaskan nurse and surrogate mother, became pregnant with a baby for a Californian couple through a surrogacy agency.
At 20 weeks pregnant, an anatomy scan showed the baby had hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), a severe congenital heart defect.
HLHS is a condition where the left side of the heart doesn’t form properly, causing major blood flow problems.
Babies with HLHS need several complicated surgeries soon after birth to survive but the condition is not curable and may cause lifelong health issues.
The Californian couple asked West to have an abortion based on their surrogacy agreement, which includes an “abortion-upon-demand clause.”
Doctors in Alaska refused to perform the late-term abortion because it is high risk.
West went to Texas to seek legal protection as the case involves laws from multiple states.
About 925 babies in the U.S. are born with HLHS each year, but the causes are not fully understood.
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Sailors on the USS Abraham Lincoln have faced very difficult conditions during an extended deployment related to the war with Iran. Reports say some crew members tried to jump overboard due to stress and poor living conditions, while families and government officials have raised concerns about their mental health and basic needs.
Key Facts
The USS Abraham Lincoln's crew has been deployed at sea for nine months, with 250 days in a row without going ashore.
There are more than 5,000 sailors and marines aboard this aircraft carrier.
Multiple sailors have attempted to jump overboard because of mental stress and burnout.
Families held a town hall meeting in San Diego to express concern over the sailors’ mental health and living conditions.
Reported poor living conditions include moldy showers, broken toilets, no hot water, and limited food options.
The deployment was extended due to the US-Israel conflict involving Iran, originally planned to last until May but continuing into the summer.
Some lawmakers criticized the defense secretary for dismissing these serious concerns.
Studies show deployed sailors often face loud noises, little rest, and poor mental and physical healthcare.
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New York City is investigating four companies that run prediction markets because of concerns about misleading advertising. These companies let people bet on events like sports and elections, and the city is reviewing whether their marketing is honest, especially toward young people.
Key Facts
New York City Council is investigating Gemini Titan, Kalshi, Polymarket, and Coinbase for deceptive advertising.
These companies offer prediction markets where users can bet on various events including sports and politics.
The investigation focuses on whether these companies use misleading marketing tactics, especially targeting young adults.
This comes after a report showed Polymarket paid online creators to make videos that exaggerated earnings from trades.
New York Attorney General Letitia James has sued Coinbase, Gemini Titan, and Kalshi for running illegal gambling operations.
The federal agency CFTC, which regulates futures and derivatives, is suing to prevent states from imposing stricter rules on prediction markets.
There is legal uncertainty about whether the CFTC’s rules apply to sports betting, which is a major part of these markets.
Polymarket has said it will audit its promotional materials and cooperate with the investigation.
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The Social Security Administration (SSA) has added 14 new serious medical conditions to its Compassionate Allowances list. This program helps people with severe illnesses get faster decisions on their disability benefit claims.
Key Facts
The update was announced by SSA on August 11.
The Compassionate Allowances program speeds up disability claims for people with severe conditions.
There are now 314 conditions on the Compassionate Allowances list.
More than 1.2 million people have benefited from this fast-track process so far.
The 14 new conditions include rare genetic disorders, aggressive cancers, and severe epilepsy.
Many of the new conditions start in infancy or childhood and cause major health problems.
Examples include Adenylosuccinate Lyase Deficiency, Aicardi Syndrome, and Primary Cardiac Sarcoma.
The SSA aims to reduce delays and improve support for people with life-changing illnesses.
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Four original copies of important American founding documents are kept in the United Kingdom. Three of these copies were taken from the United States without permission.
Key Facts
The UK holds four original copies of key American founding documents.
Three of these copies were removed from the U.S. without agreement.
These documents are part of America’s historical heritage.
The article calls for these documents to be returned to the U.S.
The documents are important symbols of American history and government.
Their presence in the UK is not widely known.
Recovering them would reunite important parts of American history in the U.S.
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Voters in six Midwestern states in the U.S. took part in primary and special elections to choose candidates for the November midterm elections. In Wisconsin, David Crowley won the Democratic race for governor narrowly, and Darline Graham reached a runoff in the Republican Senate primary.
Key Facts
Elections were held in six states in the U.S. Midwest.
These were primary and special elections to pick candidates for the November midterms.
David Crowley, a moderate Democrat, narrowly defeated Francesca Hong, a Democratic socialist, in Wisconsin’s governor race.
Darline Graham, sister of the late Senator Lindsey Graham, advanced to a runoff in the Republican Senate primary.
The news was reported by Yuka Royer.
The primaries are important for shaping key races in the upcoming November midterm elections.
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The FDA says people can safely eat fresh fruits and vegetables again after an outbreak of cyclospora, a parasite, linked to iceberg lettuce. The agency confirmed that the contaminated lettuce has been removed from stores in over a dozen states.
Key Facts
Cyclospora is a parasite that can cause foodborne illness.
An outbreak was linked to iceberg lettuce sold in more than twelve U.S. states.
The FDA acted to remove the affected lettuce from the market.
The FDA encourages people to continue eating fresh produce, saying it is safe.
FDA Acting Commissioner Kyle cited the U.S. food supply as the safest worldwide.
The agency’s actions aim to prevent further cyclospora infections.
The FDA is monitoring the situation to protect public health.
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Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan won the Democratic Senate primary in Minnesota by defeating Rep. Angie Craig. Flanagan’s campaign focused on opposing corporate influence and challenging Republican President Donald Trump.
Key Facts
Peggy Flanagan is the Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota.
She won the Democratic Senate primary against Angie Craig, who is seen as more centrist.
Flanagan identifies as a progressive, meaning she supports change and reforms.
Her campaign promised to reduce the power of corporations in politics.
She aims to oppose policies and actions of Republican President Donald Trump.
The victory signals a win for progressive Democrats over the party’s traditional leaders.
The primary took place as part of the Minnesota midterm elections.
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David Crowley won a very close Democratic primary for governor in Wisconsin, defeating Francesca Hong. He will face Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, who has a strong voting record aligned with President Donald Trump.
Key Facts
David Crowley won the Wisconsin Democratic primary for governor by a very small margin.
Crowley defeated Francesca Hong, a democratic socialist who was initially the frontrunner.
Crowley aims to become Wisconsin’s first Black governor.
He is seen as a moderate Democrat who works across party lines.
Crowley will compete in the general election against Republican Tom Tiffany.
Tom Tiffany has voted 100% in line with President Donald Trump.
Wisconsin is a key swing state with very close past election results.
Crowley accuses Tiffany of being loyal to Trump’s "Make America Great Again" movement instead of Wisconsin voters.
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Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the State Department has canceled over 600 visas in a new effort to stop "birth tourism," where people come to the U.S. to have children so they can get citizenship. The effort targets fraud and abuse in the visa system but does not change the constitutional right to citizenship for children born in the U.S.
Key Facts
Marco Rubio, whose parents were not U.S. citizens when he was born, announced the crackdown on birth tourism.
Birth tourism involves foreign nationals traveling to the U.S. to give birth so their children automatically become U.S. citizens under the 14th Amendment.
The crackdown cancels visas and targets networks that help people commit visa fraud to enable birth tourism.
A new Birth Tourism Prevention Task Force was created to investigate and act against these networks.
The task force has already taken action against hundreds of foreign nationals worldwide within its first month.
This effort follows a Supreme Court ruling confirming that children born in the U.S. to parents here unlawfully or temporarily are still citizens at birth.
President Donald Trump has criticized birthright citizenship and wants to limit what he calls "citizenship tourism," but the constitutional protection remains in place.
The State Department has not shared specific countries involved or groups targeted by the task force yet.
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President Donald Trump is considering changes to the capital gains tax to help certain wealthy Americans and improve his party’s chances in upcoming elections. The proposals include adjusting capital gains for inflation and increasing exemptions for home sales, benefiting asset owners and homeowners with expensive properties.
Key Facts
President Trump discussed potential tax changes with Kevin Hassett and Larry Kudlow.
One idea is to adjust capital gains taxes based on inflation, so people pay taxes only on real gains, not price increases caused by inflation.
Another idea is to raise the exemption limit for capital gains tax on home sales, potentially up to $2 million.
These changes have not been made yet and would require new laws passed by Congress.
The proposed changes would mostly help wealthy Americans who own stocks or valuable homes.
Currently, most stock wealth in the U.S. is held by the richest 10% of households.
Existing home sale exemptions already protect many homeowners from capital gains taxes unless their homes are very expensive.
Critics say these changes would mainly benefit the richest and not help most Americans.
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The article compares the far-left movement in the U.S. Democratic Party, including groups like the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), to the experience of the British Labour Party under Jeremy Corbyn from 2015 to 2019. It highlights concerns about shifts toward socialist policies, anti-Israel views, sympathy toward Russia, and challenges with antisemitism within these groups.
Key Facts
The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) shares similarities with the British Labour Party's far-left wing under Jeremy Corbyn.
Jeremy Corbyn, a lifelong socialist, led Labour from 2015 to 2019 and nearly fractured the party.
Corbyn’s faction had views including anti-Israel positions, skepticism of NATO, sympathy toward Russia, and strict gender ideology stances.
Similar hard-left ideas are present in some DSA leaders and members of the Democratic Party.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said she avoided the Democratic nominating convention due to antisemitism fears.
In 2018, Corbyn’s response to the poisoning of Sergei Skripal by Russia was criticized as overly conciliatory toward Vladimir Putin.
DSA co-chair Megan Romer questioned U.S. support for Ukraine and promoted more diplomatic approaches toward Russia.
Both movements attracted voters frustrated with mainstream politics but faced internal controversies.
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More than 24,000 people in the United States have gotten sick with cyclosporiasis, a parasite infection linked to shredded iceberg lettuce. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say new cases are growing more slowly, but health officials recall lettuce from Taylor Farms due to the outbreak.
Key Facts
Cyclosporiasis is caused by a parasite called Cyclospora cayetanensis that infects the intestines.
The CDC reports at least 13,895 lab-confirmed cases and 740 hospitalizations so far.
An additional 10,455 cases are suspected but not yet confirmed by labs.
The outbreak is linked to iceberg lettuce that was supplied by Taylor Farms and sourced from central Mexico.
The lettuce was recalled voluntarily by Taylor Farms last month.
The outbreak has affected at least 15 states, with 6,358 illnesses linked to the recalled lettuce.
Two deaths connected to the outbreak were reported in Michigan, both involving people with serious health problems.
There is a delay of about six weeks between when people get sick and the CDC reports cases, so more cases may appear.
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Four human rights groups sued the Trump administration for imposing sanctions on officials linked to the International Criminal Court (ICC). They claim these sanctions unlawfully block the ICC’s work on international criminal justice.
Key Facts
Four human rights groups filed the lawsuit in New York.
The lawsuit targets the Trump administration’s sanctions against ICC judges, prosecutors, and others.
The sanctions are part of an economic pressure campaign against the ICC.
The groups argue the sanctions interfere with the ICC’s legal work.
The ICC is an international court that deals with serious crimes like war crimes and genocide.
The Trump administration imposed these sanctions to push back against the ICC’s investigations.
The lawsuit asks the court to stop the sanctions and protect the ICC’s independence.
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Senator Darline Graham and Representative Ralph Norman will compete in a runoff election in South Carolina's special Republican primary to fill the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by the late Senator Lindsey Graham. Darline Graham, who was appointed to serve the remaining months of her brother's term, received strong support and led the 10-candidate race.
Key Facts
Senator Lindsey Graham passed away on July 11, creating a Senate vacancy.
Governor Henry McMaster appointed Darline Graham to temporarily fill the seat.
Darline Graham and U.S. Representative Ralph Norman were the top two vote-getters in the special Republican primary.
There were 10 candidates competing in the special primary election.
The runoff between Graham and Norman is scheduled for August 25.
President Donald Trump quickly supported Darline Graham's campaign.
The election is seen as a test of President Trump's influence over Republican voters in South Carolina.
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In July, U.S. consumer inflation rose slightly by 0.1% compared to June but was 3.4% higher than a year ago. Energy prices dropped briefly, helping slow inflation, but they remain much higher than last year due to ongoing issues in the Strait of Hormuz, which affects oil shipping and prices.
Key Facts
Consumer inflation increased 0.1% from June to July and was 3.4% higher than last year.
Energy prices fell 1.5% in July but rose 14.7% over the past year.
The Strait of Hormuz remains blocked after Iran set up a maritime checkpoint amid conflict involving the U.S. and Israel.
Brent crude oil prices fell 7% last week but recently rose slightly to about $89 per barrel.
Gasoline prices dropped 2.9% from last month but went up 39.1% from a year ago, averaging about $4.03 per gallon.
Food prices went up 0.1% in July and 3% compared to last year.
The U.S. economy lost 23,000 jobs in July, mainly in retail, local government, and hospitality, while healthcare jobs grew.
The Federal Reserve kept interest rates steady in July at 3.50–3.75%, with debate about raising rates in September.
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Rosie O’Donnell said that President Donald Trump’s repeated attacks against her over many years have made her well-known again. She shared this during an interview on Amy Poehler’s podcast.
Key Facts
Rosie O’Donnell has a long public feud with President Donald Trump.
President Trump has verbally attacked and threatened her multiple times.
O’Donnell feels she has become famous again because of this attention.
She made these remarks on the podcast called "Good Hang," hosted by Amy Poehler.
The interview was released on a Tuesday.
O’Donnell is a former co-host of the TV show "The View."
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The ABC aired a satirical film with offensive comments about billionaire Gina Rinehart, leading to public backlash and threats of legal action. In response, ABC's managing director, Hugh Marks, apologized and said the broadcaster will change its editorial rules to ban violent comedy targeting individuals.
Key Facts
ABC aired a four-minute satirical film containing offensive remarks about Gina Rinehart on 12 July.
The film ended with a violent joke about Rinehart, which caused widespread complaints and criticism.
ABC managing director Hugh Marks apologized and pledged to change editorial guidelines.
New rules will forbid comedy that describes violence against any individual in ABC programming.
The ABC’s ombudsman found the film did not breach harm or offense policies but noted it fell below community expectations.
Critics said the satire was poor but further policy changes may lead to censorship pressures.
Media outlets like News Corp and The West Australian heavily criticized the program, prompting over 980 complaints to the ombudsman.
Some experts believe the apology was sufficient and stricter editorial rules may limit creative satire.
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Victorian police are investigating claims that a car drove quickly toward a protester during an anti-racism rally in Melbourne on July 25. The protester was hit on the legs by the car, and witnesses say racial abuse was shouted from the vehicle. Police confirmed they know about the event and are looking into the matter.
Key Facts
Over 150 people attended a peaceful anti-racism rally in Broadmeadows, Melbourne on July 25.
The protesters marched on a two-lane road, occupying one lane.
A car driving on the same road honked its horn and a passenger opened the door twice, allegedly trying to push people aside.
Video shows a protester kicking the car before it clipped him on the legs and sped away without slowing down.
Witnesses reported hearing racial abuse shouted from the car.
Several protesters reported the incident to police within hours and days afterward.
Police confirmed awareness of the rally and said the incident is under active investigation.
Organizers and community leaders expressed concern that police did not attend the rally to provide safety.
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