The streaming giant announced its first price increase for U.S. subscribers since January 2025, the day after Netflix aired the MLB season opener between the New York Yankees and the San Francisco Giants.

Netflix is ​​increasing the monthly price for ad-supported slots by $1 to $8.99 per month, according to plans and pricing listed on the streamer’s online help center. Ad-free plans will increase by $2 per month.

Netflix currently has more than 325 million paid members worldwide, the company announced in January. A month ago, Netflix scrapped its plans to buy Warner Bros. Discovery after the company refused to accept Paramount Skydance’s bid.

Here are some recent Social Security and tax-related changes you should know about.

6 Recent Social Security Changes

If you’re wondering whether recent changes are good or bad, it’s actually a mixed bag.

1. Good

As in previous years, benefits increased due to the cost of living adjustment (COLA). The latest increase in 2026 was 2.8%. So, for example, if you were collecting $2,000 a month in 2025, you’ll have an additional $56 in 2026, giving you $2,056.

2. Bad

This 2.8% increase is smaller than the 9.7% increase in Medicare Part B standard monthly premiums, which will go from $185 in 2025 to $202.90 in 2026. Many retirees have their Medicare premiums automatically deducted from their Social Security checks, which could end up being smaller than they were in 2025.

The U.S. airline on March 24 announced a new seating product called Relax Row, a special set of three economy seats that “convert into a sofa,” according to a news release. The seat has an adjustable leg rest that can be folded at a 90 degree angle, giving passengers space to sleep or stretch out.

United Airlines says the Relax Row will be introduced in 2027 and will be installed on 200 aircraft by 2030, with up to 12 extra rows per aircraft between economy and premium plus seats.

United Airlines said this seating arrangement is especially helpful for families on an economy class budget who need more space, adding that tickets on these segments include plush blankets, toys and children’s travel kits. Social media users are speculating how this new seat benefit will work, as United Airlines did not reveal several key details, including price.

Slate Auto, an electric vehicle startup backed by Jeff Bezos, plans to build a roughly $7.8 million vinyl wrap kit manufacturing fulfillment facility in Jefferson County, Bluegrass State.

The automotive startup produces a low-cost, modular and fully customizable two-door, two-seat EV pickup truck and plans to begin producing and selling vehicles in 2026.

Vehicles manufactured by Slate Auto at its Warsaw, Ind., plant are expected to be priced in the mid-$20,000 range, Will Nicholas, Slate Auto’s director of business development and government affairs, said at a March 26 meeting of the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority. Nicholas said the company has received more than 160,000 reservations from across the United States since announcing the EV’s availability more than a year ago.

State officials said at the KEDFA meeting that the vehicles are completely built “with all non-essentials removed, so customers can decide how they want to customize them with accessories and customizations.” Because these vehicles are so customizable, Nicholas said the trucks can also be converted into five-seat SUVs.

The Republican-led committee said the Trump administration’s policy of allowing insurance companies to limit treatment was not discriminatory.

Four current and former transgender federal employees have alleged that policies administered by the Office of Personnel Management violate federal civil rights law and unlawfully discriminate on the basis of gender.

“After careful consideration, no violations were found,” the EEOC said in its decision.

In doing so, the EEOC reversed its previous decision that denying gender-affirming care was evidence of sex discrimination.

The agreement ends a long-running lawsuit brought by Missouri, Louisiana and several social media users during President Joe Biden’s presidency. The lawsuit alleges that the Democratic administration unlawfully threatened social media platforms to remove or suppress posts about the coronavirus, the 2020 presidential election and other controversial issues.

The Surgeon General, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency will be prohibited for 10 years from applying legal, regulatory, or economic pressure to persuade platforms to remove protected speech.

The settlement comes nearly two years after the Supreme Court overturned a lower court’s finding that federal officials likely violated free speech protections and refused to impose limits on how the Biden administration communicates with social media platforms.

People who mail packages through the U.S. Postal Service could see their rates go up starting in April, as the U.S. Postal Service may temporarily increase shipping rates.

On March 25, the Postal Service announced it would increase the cost of shipping parcels by 8% for a limited time to “adjust shipping costs to the market,” according to a news release.

This price increase applies to the following products:

• priority mail express
• priority mail
• USPS Ground Advantage
• parcel select

First-class postage stamps and other Postal Service products are not affected. The price changes could take effect at midnight on Thursday, April 26, pending approval by the Postal Regulatory Commission. The price increase will continue until January 17, 2027.

In a statement released Wednesday, March 25, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that it has “issued a temporary emergency fuel exemption to allow the nationwide sale of E15, a 15% ethanol blended gasoline, and to remove all federal impediments to the nationwide sale of E10, a 10% ethanol blended gasoline.”

The agency announced that the exemption will begin on May 1, 2026 and last until May 20, 2026. The EPA said the maximum time period under which further use of ethanol gas can be allowed under the Clean Air Act is 20 days.

“EPA is working with our federal partners to reduce unnecessary costs and uncertainties and keep gasoline prices affordable for all Americans through the summer,” EPA Administrator Zeldin said in a statement. “This emergency measure will provide relief to American families by increasing fuel supplies and consumer choice.”