News From Around the Web
#10 The Estimated Social Security Increase for 2025 Keeps Dropping - Michael Bartiromo for The Hill, Barron's, and Dr. Barbara O'Neill on X
The next cost-of-living increase for Social Security recipients — which was already projected to be the lowest in years — is continuing to fall even lower, according to the latest figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Based on the department’s consumer price index (CPI) data through August, Social Security recipients might expect a 2.5% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) to their payments next year, according to The Senior Citizen’s League (TSCL), a nonpartisan senior advocacy group...
#9 SpaceX Launches Billionaire’s Private Crew on Milestone Spacewalk Mission - Joey Roulette and Gerry Doyle for Reuters, Tara Bull, and Teslaconomics on X
Four private astronauts blasted into space early on Tuesday in a modified SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, kicking off the company's five-day Polaris Dawn mission, which aims to test new spacesuit designs and conduct the first private spacewalk. The crew, a billionaire entrepreneur, a retired military fighter pilot, and two SpaceX employees, lifted off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida at about 5:23 a.m. EST (0923 GMT). The capsule reached orbit about nine and a half minutes later, and the crew batted around a small plush astronaut toy dog as free fall - zero gravity - became apparent. Crew Dragon separated from its support trunk three minutes after that, with onboard cameras revealing a spectacular view of the capsule over the sunlit Earth...#8 Dozens of Attorneys General Urge Congress to Add Social Media Warning Labels - April Rubin for Axios, FIRE, and Steve Lowe on X
Bipartisan attorneys general in 42 states and D.C. said in a letter on Tuesday that they support a federal effort to add a surgeon general warning to social media platforms about risks to youth well-being. Why it matters: This demand shows mounting support for U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy's plea to Congress. "We sometimes disagree about important issues, but all of us share an abiding concern for the safety of the kids in our jurisdictions — and algorithm-driven social media platforms threaten that safety," the attorneys said in the letter. The plea is addressed to House Speaker Mike Johnson, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. A surgeon general's warning label requires congressional action...
#7 70% of U.S. Troops Suffer From Obesity - Tracy Beanz and Michelle Edwards for The HighWire, Anne on X
Obesity in the United States Armed Forces costs the Pentagon more than $1 billion per year, with nearly 70 percent of U.S. troops being overweight or obese. And, across all armed services, that number is rising. A new study explains how our military faces an unprecedented challenge, with active-duty manpower at an all-time low. Obesity is the leading cause of recruitment disqualifications and separations, contributing to the largest recruitment crisis since 1973. Last year, over 52,000 applicants were disqualified due to obesity. The situation—made worse by the pandemic—is so dire that strategies like easing fitness standards, granting weight waivers, and retaining service members with obesity have been vital to sustaining sufficient force strength.
#6 Dem Rep. Nadler Pictured With Head Down, Eyes Closed During Testimony From Mothers of Migrant Crime Victims - Michael Ruiz for Fox News, Voice Against Oppression on X
Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., is under fire after he appeared to close his eyes and lower his head during congressional testimony on the impacts of migrant crime on victims' families Tuesday – prompting criticism that leading Democrats are not taking the issue seriously and have disrespected those in mourning. Reps. Chip Roy, R-Texas, and Dan Bishop, R-N.C., skewered the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee after the incident had people in the audience fuming. The photo, with a box of tissues in the foreground, also shows an aide next to Nadler, looking at his cell phone as mothers who lost their daughters to suspected foreign rapists and killers shared their traumatic stories of loss with the committee...
#5 State Election Officials Warn Postal Service Isn’t Ready for the Election - NBC News, Chief Nerd, and I Meme Therefore I Am on X
Election officials from across the country publicly accused the postmaster general on Wednesday of failing to adequately prepare for the Nov. 5 general election. In an unusually frank joint open letter, the National Association of Secretaries of State and the National Association of State Election Directors said Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has failed to address numerous shortcomings in the U.S. Postal Service that election officials have said could lead to fewer people voting and a loss of trust in the electoral system. “State and local election officials need a committed partner in USPS,” the letter reads. “We implore you to take immediate and tangible corrective action to address the ongoing performance issues with USPS election mail service. Failure to do so will risk limiting voter participation and trust in the election process.”
#4 Michigan Secretary of State Refuses to Tell Congress Whether Dead People Are on Voter Rolls - Logan Washburn for The Federalist, and Overton
In a hearing on Wednesday, Rep. Greg Murphy, R-N.C., asked Democrat Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson if there are dead people on the state’s voter rolls, and she would not answer yes or no. “Why the hell are deceased people still on your voter rolls?” Murphy asked. “Do you have deceased people on your voter rolls, yes or no?” “We do everything we can, and just like every other state, to remove — ” Benson said. “Should a deceased person be on your voter roll?” Murphy insisted. “No, and that’s why we remove them once we receive information,” Benson replied...
#3 Nearly 1M Medicare Beneficiaries Potentially Affected After Data Breach - Aislinn Murphy for FOX Business, Incogni.Com, and Wayne Wallace on X
Nearly 1 million Medicare beneficiaries are being warned that their personal information may have been compromised in a cybersecurity incident last year. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and Wisconsin Physicians Service Insurance Corporation (WPS), the contractor that utilized the affected MOVEit software, said last week that 946,801 people on Medicare were notified that they may have had "protected health information or other personally identifiable information" compromised. Names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, mailing addresses, Medicare Beneficiary Identifiers and certain other personal information may have been exposed, according to CMS...
#2 Petition Being Created to Recall Entire Springfield City Commission After Haitian Influx - Julio Rosas for The Blaze, Oakharbor, and Matthew J. Peterson on X
A petition to recall the entire city commission for Springfield is being processed in response to the town's leadership failing to address long-standing issues that have been made worse through the influx of Haitians in recent years. Citing Section 59 of the city's charter, the petition, obtained by Blaze Media, says it is seeking to recall "the entire membership" of the Springfield City Commission. Mayor Rob Rue, Assistant Mayor David Estrop, and Commissioners Krystal Brown, Bridget Houston, and Tracey Tackett are named on the draft document. The petition accuses the city of not enforcing building codes and says the city has used money earmarked for hiring police officers for other purposes. It also calls for the removal of the city's leadership because...
#1 National Constitutional Carry Act Introduced - Rep. Thomas Massie, National Association for Gun Rights, and Trump History on X
Today, I introduced HR 9534, the National Constitutional Carry Act. No one should have to beg the government to exercise a constitutionally protected right anywhere in the country. "I’m fortunate to live in a state where people are free to exercise their right to keep and bear arms without begging the government or paying a fee," said Rep. Thomas Massie...And Now for Something Special 
