Up First Briefing: Inflation; social insurance; Ukraine; Yemen Houthis: NPR

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Today’s top stories

Consumer prices were 3.7% higher in September than they were a year ago, according to a Labor Department report. A spike in energy prices linked to the US war with Iran has increased the cost of living. Excluding energy and food prices, core inflation reached 2.6% in September, up from August. The Social Security Administration has announced a 3.6% increase in benefits for next year following the release of the inflation report. This annual cost of living adjustment is based on July, August and September prices. Some recipients say the increase isn’t enough.

• 🎧 Social Security can run out of money to make full pension payments as soon as 2032. NPR’s Planet money examine possible solutions.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced that he will resume the attacks on Russian oil refineries, despite President Trump’s request to refrain from doing so. Zelenskyy said Financial Times that he had ordered the commanders properly this week to stop, but no more. But Ukraine’s ability to conduct these long-range attacks may be limited, as it has seen sudden crippling restrictions on Starshield, the satellite communications system provided by the United States.

• 🎧 The US is apparently trying to curb Ukraine’s ability to counter Russiaalthough that wasn’t immediately announced, says NPR’s Greg Myre First up. The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense 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 US government and military, says the US government sets its speed and usage limits.

A man shot and injured by US 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 — failed to identify themselves before pulling over Oscar Belgal’s vehicle with their firearms. The filing contradicts the Trump administration’s version of events.

Look at this

Go face-to-face with the person of the moment. NPR and Newsmakers Video podcast brings the biggest names in politics, business, sports, arts and culture out of the headlines and into the interview chair to discuss the mark they are making on the world. Follow the Newsmakers podcast or subscribe to NPR’s YouTube channel to get new episodes as they become available.

California-based Twitch streamer Hasan Piker has emerged as a key target for the GOP ahead of the midterm elections. The president recently called him a “terrible liability” and a “communist”. In Michigan, political ads trying to link him to Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayef repeatedly play Piker’s most controversial statements, including the famous “America deserves 9/11.” Piker remains confident he won’t hinder Democrats this November. In a conversation with Hello editionLeila Fadel, he reflects on his previous remarks, the loneliness that young men feel and his criticism of Tucker Carlson.

Watch or listen to the interview or read the article about their discussion.

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Australian DJ Lenny Pearce is taking over venues with his little rave world tour. Yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like: techno dance party for families. Most of the dance floor is full of little ones under the age of five. Around 17.00 the speakers take cream like “Bingo” and “D’Rieder am Bus”, while the bar offers a refreshing house speciality: apple juice. Pearce kicked off the North American leg of his tour in Baltimore, but has sold out shows in cities like New York and Los Angeles and has already captivated audiences in Bahrain, Singapore and India. Check out these photos of young ravers at his events.

3 things to know before you go

1. Coral reefs worldwide rising threats. On a remote Pacific island, scientists have discovered that seabirds can help them.
2. The New York City Council and Mayor Zohran Mamdani have announced plans to ban carriage horses in Central Park. (via Gothamist)
3. NPR’s Eyder Peralta takes readers to a Mexico City park in the latest installment of Far-Flung Postcards. People still practice bullfighting there, even though it is forbidden.

This newsletter was created by Suzanne Nuyen.