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Social Security checks could rise 3.5% next year, adding nearly $68 monthly, as Wednesday's inflation report approaches, while Bank of America faces a $1.2 billion penalty for unreported suspicious transactions.

Meanwhile, CVS agrees to a $315 million opioid settlement, and hospital fees are adding unexpected costs to routine doctor visits.

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The Social Security Administration will announce the 2027 cost-of-living adjustment Wednesday, and experts estimate benefits will rise 3.5% to 3.6%, the largest increase in three years. The figure arrives alongside September's consumer price index report, which economists polled by Dow Jones expect to show headline prices up 3.6% from a year earlier.

A 3.5% bump would lift the average monthly check by $67.90, to about $2,008, according to the Senior Citizens League, after a 2.8% raise this year. Still, 76% of adults 50 and older told an AARP survey that 3.5% isn't enough, as Medicare Part B premiums are projected to reach $209.50 in 2027.

Treasury is fining Bank of America $1.2 billion Tuesday, saying the nation's second-largest bank failed for years to report more than $5 billion in suspicious transactions. The bank admits it willfully violated the 1970 Bank Secrecy Act, and $750 million goes to the Comptroller of the Currency, that agency's largest fine ever.

Treasury tied more than $1 billion of unreported activity to national security and other risks, including Chinese money-laundering networks and illicit finance along the southwest border. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said even the biggest institutions are not above the law, and the penalty lands on the eve of Bank of America's earnings report.

CVS agreed to pay $315 million to resolve a Justice Department lawsuit alleging its pharmacies unlawfully dispensed medically unnecessary prescriptions for opioids and other controlled substances. The 2024 suit, filed under President Joe Biden, accused CVS of supplying massive amounts of the drugs to fuel its own profits at public safety's expense.

Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward called the deal a significant milestone in the department's effort to crack down on pharmacies that unlawfully fill prescriptions for controlled substances. CVS said it strongly disagreed with the lawsuit's claims, noted the settlement admits no wrongdoing and said its pharmacists are trained in safe and appropriate medication use.

Missiles and drones aimed at Riyadh were intercepted, Saudi officials said Tuesday, after the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen struck a fuel depot near the Houthi-held capital, Sanaa.

Congo's Ebola outbreak has now passed 9,000 confirmed cases, with more than 4,300 deaths recorded across seven provinces as health authorities struggle to contain the spread.

Argentina's government escalated its Falklands row with Britain, lodging a legal claim seeking to block oil and gas exploration north of the islands at the international law-of-the-sea tribunal.

New York City is poised to ban horse-drawn carriages starting June 2028, with a council vote set for October 22 after a teenager died falling from a Central Park carriage.

A federal judge temporarily barred the Trump administration from cutting more trees at East Potomac Golf Links in Washington after more than 400 came down last weekend.

Cornell suspended parties at fraternity houses through the 2026-27 academic year and gave state police a role in sexual assault investigations amid outrage over its handling of a rape allegation.

Walmart will cover more than 250 prescriptions, including some insulin, inhalers and GLP-1s, at no cost to employees in 2027 as it expands benefits to attract and keep workers.

United Airlines is making elite status harder to reach, dropping flight segments as a path to Premier status in 2027 and counting only points earned from eligible spending instead.

Netflix bought exclusive rights to broadcast the 2030 World Cup in Spain, planning to stream all 104 games live while a free-to-air public broadcaster still shows daily matches.

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Apple introduced its HomeView home hub, a 7-inch screen starting at $299 that recognizes household members by face, marking CEO John Ternus' first launch beyond iPhones since taking over.

Wildlife managers are detecting zero black-footed ferrets in the Absaroka Range foothills near Meeteetse, Wyoming, where the species was saved, with plague and drought suspected in the collapse.

A cyberattack disrupted refrigeration systems at about 700 of France's supermarkets, and Ahold Delhaize separately shut websites for its Stop & Shop, Food Lion and Giant brands.

The NFL suspended Bears defensive end Montez Sweat for two games without pay for violating its performance-enhancing substances policy, sidelining last season's team sacks leader against Atlanta and New England.

The Atlanta Dream will host WNBA Finals Games 3 and 4 at the Hawks' State Farm Arena, with Game 3 moved up to October 21 against the Golden State Valkyries.

Celtics guard Payton Pritchard agreed to a two-year, $44.2 million contract extension, plus a mutual option for 2029-30, cementing the former Sixth Man of the Year in Boston's plans.

HBO has greenlit a five-episode revival of Lena Dunham's "Girls," with all four core stars returning and production starting in 2027, a full decade after the series wrapped.

Greta Gerwig unveiled the first trailer for "The Magician's Nephew," her Narnia film, which hits theaters February 12 as Netflix's first global theatrical release before streaming in April.

Michael Jackson's 1993 Super Bowl halftime show is getting a new Hulu and ESPN documentary, debuting in February 2027 with never-before-seen footage of the King of Pop's preparations.

What it is: Michigan patients are paying millions of extra dollars a year in hospital facility fees buried in bills, charges that traditionally cover costs like laundry, computer networks and security. Hospitals are increasingly adding them to outpatient services such as labs and physicians' offices, often leaving patients to help fund hospitals they have never even visited.

The detail: State Rep. Curt VanderWall requested an itemized bill for a routine blood test and found a facility fee for each of three vials, adding nearly $75 for one draw. Facility fees added an average of $100 to primary care doctor bills in 2022 by one estimate, and a federal report put Medicaid's share alone in the tens of billions.

Why it matters: States including Ohio and Indiana have begun limiting the charges, and Rhode Island's cap on annual increases slowed its hospital charge growth by 9%, according to a Brown University study. Hospitals counter that the fees keep them afloat, operating on thin margins of 2.6% nationally last year, and 33 Michigan hospitals lost money or broke even in 2024.

What to watch: Michigan lawmakers are weighing legislation, part of a bipartisan reform push, that would prohibit the fees at off-campus sites, for telemedicine appointments and for some outpatient services. Price transparency is also a governor's race issue, with Democrat Jocelyn Benson and Republican John James both saying they would require hospitals to disclose costs upfront to patients.

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A neighborhood cat in southeast London strolled into a stranger's home and helped itself to the resident dog's dinner, until the dog spotted it from the stairs and gave chase.

North Carolina's Pick 3 drawing came up 0-0-0 Monday night, and 4,917 tickets shared the top prizes, splitting $1.7 million among players who all bet on the same triple zero.

Serial record-breaker David Rush of Idaho caught 20 paper airplanes in his mouth in one minute, beating the old record of 17, with his 13-year-old niece doing the throwing.

France's King Philip IV orders the mass arrest of the Knights Templar (1307) · The cornerstone of the White House is laid in Washington (1792) · The International Meridian Conference adopts Greenwich as the prime meridian (1884) · Margaret Thatcher is born in Grantham, England (1925) · Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 crashes in the Andes (1972)

"You turn if you want to. The lady's not for turning." — Margaret Thatcher, British prime minister, 1980 Conservative Party conference

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