Today’s top stories

A man wearing a black short-sleeve shirt and gray shorts pumps gas at a gas station.

Isabelle Souriment/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images

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. NPR's Planet Money examines possible solutions.

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.

🎧 The U.S. is seemingly trying to limit Ukraine's ability to fight Russia, though that has not been announced outright, NPR’s Greg Myre tells Up First. 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.

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Hasan Piker is seen from the shoulders up, wearing a light brown suit jacket.

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Go face-to-face with the person of the moment. NPR’s 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’re making on the world. Follow the Newsmakers podcast or subscribe to NPR's YouTube channel to get new episodes as soon as they’re available.

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. In a conversation with Morning Edition's Leila Fadel, he reflects on his past remarks, the loneliness young men feel and his critique of Tucker Carlson.

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

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Australian DJ Lenny Pearce performs to a crowd mostly children 5 and under, along with their parents. He stands on the stage with a mic in hand. Behind him is an oversized, colorful circular stacker toy for children.

KT Kanazawich for NPR

Australian DJ Lenny Pearce is taking over venues with his toddler rave world tour. Yes, it’s is exactly what it sounds like: techno dance parties for families. Most of the dance floor is filled with little ones under the age of five. Around 5 p.m., the speakers blast nursery rhymes like "Bingo" and "The Wheels on the Bus," while the bar offers a refreshing house specialty: apple juice. 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. Take a look at these photos of the young ravers at his events.

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3 things to know before you go

A woman wearing a long blue shirt stands in the water and looks over at land with a tree filled with birds.

Claire Harbage/NPR

1

Coral reefs worldwide face rising threats. On a remote Pacific island, scientists discovered that seabirds can help them.

2

The New York City Council and Mayor Zohran Mamdani 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. There, people still practice bullfighting, even though it is banned.

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This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.

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