How much are Social Security benefits expected to increase in 2027?

FILE -- A traditional paper Social Security benefit payment comes in the form of a light-green U.S. Treasury check. (Tony / MGN)

The Social Security Administration is expected to announce next year’s cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, in October.

Retirees can expect to know the official number on Oct. 14 at 8:30 a.m., when the September Consumer Price Index data is also scheduled to be released.

Those receiving financial support from the government program are forecast to see an increase in 2027 ranging from 3.2% to 3.6% in their monthly paychecks.

AARP estimates that retirees’ cost-of-living adjustment could be at the higher end of that range, at about 3.6%.

The organization that advocates for people 50 and older said the bump would increase the average retired worker’s monthly benefit by approximately $75, noting its estimate is based on projections from the Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Federal Reserve.

The Senior Citizens League, a nonpartisan group advocating for seniors, is also projecting a COLA increase close to 3.6% for 2027, which would raise average monthly benefits by $69.75 if the increase took effect immediately.

In 2026, the Social Security Administration announced that its COLA was 2.8%, benefiting approximately 75 million Americans.

The annual COLA is intended to help recipients keep pace with inflation and assist with daily expenses, including groceries, utilities and housing.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the latest reported 12-month inflation rate was 3.4% for the period ending in July.

Eminem reveals heartfelt note Dolly Parton wrote him for Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction

FILE -- Eminem honors Dolly Parton on social media. (AP)

Eminem revealed a letter Dolly Parton wrote him after he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame following the legendary singer’s death on Tuesday.

The Grammy Award-winning rapper said the megastar’s note congratulated him on the honor as they were both inducted into the Hall of Fame in the same year, 2022.

“I’m sorry we never got a chance to meet, but getting this note from Dolly really had an impact on me,” Eminem wrote in a social media post with the note. “She definitely didn’t have to take the time to do it.”

The musician-actor himself joined the many others in praising the country music icon and actress after word of her death at 80.

“A superstar in every sense. Rest easy, Dolly. And thank you for the kind words,” Eminem’s post concluded.

Love and support have come in from across the world to remember Parton and her legacy.

Parton’s publicist shared that the iconic singer-songwriter died peacefully in Nashville, Tennessee.

Elon Musk calls for Derek Chauvin’s release; former officer files petition to overturn murder conviction

FILE -- Elon Musk [left] and Derek Chauvin.(AP Photo/Markus Schreiber | Court TV via AP, Pool)

Minneapolis

Billionaire Elon Musk is calling for the release of Derek Chauvin.

Musk took to X on Wednesday, stating that “Chauvin was unjustly convicted of murder” and therefore “He should be freed.”

The chief executive officer of Tesla also retweeted others who spoke out against Chauvin’s conviction.

“The facts show that he was not the cause of death, nor did he at any time intend for a death to occur. Whatever else he may be, he is not a murderer,” he continued.

Musk’s comments come a day after Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer, once again requested a dismissal of state murder charges in the 2020 killing of George Floyd.

This is Chauvin’s third time asking to have the charges dismissed, with the previous petitions being denied.

According to court documents filed Tuesday in the Minnesota Court of Appeals, Chauvin’s legal team is requesting a dismissal of the conviction over violations of his due process rights.

The alleged violations listed included the “illegitimate” assignment of the case to Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and the Hennepin County District Court’s failure to convene a grand jury before charges were decided.

Chauvin has been in federal prison since 2021 and is currently serving a 22 1/2-year state sentence for second-degree murder and a concurrent 21-year federal sentence for violating Floyd’s civil rights.

Floyd died on May 25, 2020, after Chauvin used his knee to pin his neck to the ground for a reported 9 1/2 minutes.

Chauvin’s attorneys have previously appealed his conviction to the Minnesota Court of Appeals, citing a long list of reasons, including procedural errors and pretrial publicity that deprived him of a fair trial. Minnesota’s top court rejected those petitions.

Prosecutors have not filed an immediate response to Chauvin’s defense team’s latest petition.

Boxer Prichard Colon dies at 33 after suffering severe brain injury in 2015 fight

FILE -- Prichard Colon, left, exchanges punches with Daniel Calzada during a junior middleweight title boxing match, Saturday, April 11, 2015, at New York. Colon won by TKO. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

A former professional boxer has died after suffering a devastating brain injury during a fight more than a decade ago.

Prichard Colon’s father, Richard Colon, confirmed his son’s death Thursday on social media.

“I regret to inform you of the passing of my son Prichard from this earthly world. He is now in a better place,” the father shared.

Prichard Colon, 33, was a Puerto Rican super welterweight boxer and a rising star in the sport, winning his first 16 fights.

Prichard Colon was also favored in the fight where he suffered a brain bleed against boxer Terrel Williams in northern Virginia in 2015.

Multiple outlets reported that Prichard Colon complained about Williams landing repeated blows to the back of his head that night.

It was also reported that Prichard Colon started showing symptoms in his dressing room soon after the bout. He was rushed to the Inova Fairfax Hospital, where doctors performed surgery to relieve pressure on his brain.

However, the injuries were life-changing for the young boxing star, who reportedly went into a coma for more than 200 days and needed round-the-clock medical assistance ever since.

“I did everything possible to fulfill his wish, his dream of bringing him on vacation to Puerto Rico as much as he desired, but couldn’t,” his father continued. “Thank you for so many years of love and prayers. As much as you can, please keep us in your prayers.”

Scientists have created new viruses using AI

FILE -- Generic virus graphic. (Source: MGN)

Artificial Intelligence has been used to design brand new viruses.

According to The New York Times, scientists have used AI to create viruses in hopes of medical advances, but it has also raised concerns that the technology could possibly be used to invent dangerous pathogens.

The study, which was shared online, says this was the first time complete genomes were successfully designed by AI that resulted in 16 novel viruses.

The team reportedly used AI to recognize natural DNA patterns before using the data to create viruses not found in nature.

“Our approach expands what synthetic genomics can achieve alongside methods such as directed evolution and rational engineering,” the study shared.

The viruses that were made were said not to pose a threat to humans because they were similar to a naturally occurring virus that can infect only bacteria.

But the breakthrough has also provoked fears that the reported technology used points to AI’s ability to design new biology outside of the natural world.

Dr. Moritz Hanke, with the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, shared with The NY Times that governments and scientific organizations have been slow to develop guardrails that could block the creation of a deadly virus.

“There’s just a huge disconnect,” Hanke was quoted as saying regarding the situation.

According to the BBC, the technology used in the study was similar to what ChatGPT uses, but in this case it predicted the language of life rather than sequences of text.

Prof Patrick Cai, of the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, called the study an “important milestone.”

“The significance extends far beyond phages; it suggests that genome language models are beginning to learn the design principles encoded by evolution, opening the door to AI-assisted genome writing,” Cai was quoted by the BBC.

Researchers noted that they did not provide the model used with data about viruses that infect humans, and they also used safety measures to exclude similar viruses that infect other animals, plants and fungi. Therefore, the technology used could not generate genomes of viruses that could threaten humans.