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Thursday, October 23, 2025
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Good Morning! On this day in 2001, Apple introduced the iPod, a portable music player that was advertised with the slogan “1,000 songs in your pocket,” transforming Apple into a consumer electronics leader and revolutionizing the music industry.
We live in an age of smart tech, but sometimes our gadgets are about as bright as a mattress taking a math test, as you can read in today’s Et Cetera section. An AWS outage this week turned “smart” beds into overheating torture racks stuck upright, proving that when the cloud crashes, your bed might too.
🤖 Keep an eye on your inbox today: Our partner, Miso Robotics, shares how AI is transforming the fast-food industry and why Oct. 23 is the final day to invest.
If you’re thinking about how to protect your assets and secure your family’s future, today’s sponsor, SmartAsset, can help you find a trusted advisor to guide you through setting up a family trust the right way.
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US Hits Russia with New Sanctions
The U.S. Treasury announced sweeping new sanctions Wednesday against Russia’s two largest oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil, targeting dozens of subsidiaries in a bid to choke off funding for the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the action comes amid President Putin’s refusal to negotiate a ceasefire, adding that further steps may follow if Moscow remains defiant.
Peace efforts led by President Trump have stalled, with a planned summit with Putin now scrapped. Trump has backed a ceasefire along current front lines, which Ukrainian President Zelensky called a “good compromise,” but the Kremlin has shown little urgency to negotiate.
President Trump, meanwhile, ruled out sending Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine, citing their complexity and a “tremendous learning curve” that would require lengthy U.S. training. Speaking during a White House meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, Trump said the U.S. won’t fire the weapons on Ukraine’s behalf or train foreign militaries to use them.
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Earth Has a Temporary Second ‘Moon’
NASA has officially confirmed the presence of a second, albeit temporary, celestial companion to Earth: an asteroid named 2025 PN7.
Known as a quasi-moon, the 19-meter-wide rock has been traveling alongside our planet since the 1960s, following a similar orbit around the Sun.
Discovered this year by astronomers at the Pan-STARRS observatory in Hawaii, 2025 PN7 is not gravitationally bound to Earth, unlike our natural Moon. It will fly off on its own in 2083, 58 years from now.
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Military Robot Breaks Industry Taboo
Foundation, a San Francisco startup, has openly defied Silicon Valley’s ethical norms by developing the first humanoid robot explicitly designed for warfare. The 5-foot-9, 175-pound robot, called the Phantom MK-1, can carry up to 44 pounds and is expected to be weaponized for battlefield deployment.
Co-founder Mike LeBlanc, a former Marine, described the robots as “bullet sponges instead of soldiers,” positioning them as autonomous ground drones capable of handling high-risk missions.
“The future of warfare is real-life video games,” CEO Sankaet Pathak said. “Air, land, sea—all of them will be autonomous.”
Foundation has already moved beyond prototypes, securing $10 million in defense contracts with the U.S. Navy, Air Force, and Army for logistics, planning, and aircraft sustainment. The company plans to produce 10,000 units by next year. Watch a report here.
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The following stories are featured exclusively on The Flyover Podcast—a daily show that gives you the most important headlines in under 15 minutes. Clicking the link will take you directly to these stories:
➤ A preservation group has called for President Trump to halt his White House ballroom addition. Here’s why. (Listen Now)
➤ The Pakistan Navy seized more than 2 tons of methamphetamine during a raid in the Arabian Sea, reportedly worth a stunning amount. (Hear Details)
➤ NYC mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa vowed he’d rather be impaled than back Andrew Cuomo. (Listen Now)

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➤ The U.S. military struck another alleged drug vessel Tuesday night, this time on the Pacific side of South America, in the eighth known U.S. attack on a boat, killing two people in international waters off Colombia. (More)
➤ Former GOP Sen. John E. Sununu announced Wednesday that he’s running for the seat he held for a single term before Democrat Jeanne Shaheen defeated him in 2008. Shaheen is retiring next year. (More)
➤ GOP Senate leaders tried for the 12th time to reopen the government on Wednesday and were voted down again by Senate Democrats as the shutdown became the second-longest in U.S. history. (More)
➤ The North Carolina House gave final approval to new congressional districts designed to help protect Republicans’ slim majority in Congress by eliminating the state’s only competitive district. The new districts favor GOP candidates in 11 of 14 districts. (More)
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➤ A 10% stake in the New York Giants was sold at a price that values the team at $10.3 billion—a new NFL record. The buyer was Julia Koch, the widow of billionaire businessman David Koch. (More)
➤ The NFL announced it would push the league’s Pro Bowl festivities into Super Bowl week this season. The flag football game between the AFC and NFC will take place on Tuesday, Feb. 3—just five days before the Super Bowl itself. (More)
➤ The Women’s Professional Baseball League picked four cities to represent its first four teams: New York, Boston, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. All games will be played at a neutral site during the inaugural season. (More)
➤ Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo criticized the NCAA for allowing two basketball players to jump from the NBA G League—a professional league—back into college basketball. (More)
➤ Yesterday’s Results: NBA | NHL | NCAAF | Soccer | Tennis
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Daily Market Report 10/22/2025
▼ |
NASDAQ National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations |
22,740.40 |
-0.93%
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SPX S&P 500 |
6,699.40 |
-0.53%
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DJI Dow Jones Industrial Average |
46,590.41 |
-0.71%
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BTC Bitcoin |
$107,361.30 |
-1.03%
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GOLD Per Ounce |
$4,118.10 |
0.74%
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VICR Vicor Corp. |
$85.76 |
+30.33%
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Bitcoin and gold are traded 24 hours a day.
➤ Big Stock Move: Vicor stock jumped 27% on Wednesday after the power conversion and control solutions provider reported third-quarter results that exceeded analysts’ expectations. (More)
➤ Amazon plans to avoid hiring 600,000 workers by using an AI automation strategy to double sales by 2033. The company says that robots will work alongside current employees, rather than replacing them. (More)
➤ Applications to refinance a mortgage rose 4% for the week, to a level 81% higher than the same week a year earlier, as mortgage rates fell to their lowest level in a month. (See Details)
➤ Meta will lay off roughly 600 employees within its artificial intelligence unit to reduce management layers and operate more efficiently, with notifications beginning today. (More)
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➤ General Motors announced it will launch a fully hands-free, “eyes-off” autonomous driving system on the Cadillac Escalade IQ SUV by 2028, starting with highway use and later expanding to city streets. Unlike Tesla’s camera-only approach, GM’s system will combine LiDAR, radar, and cameras to enhance safety. (See Details)
➤ In what sounds like the setup for a late-night joke but is actually serious medical science, researchers in Japan have completed the first human trial of rectal oxygen delivery, bringing us one step closer to an emergency breathing backup system for patients with blocked airways. (See Details)
➤ Uber has rebranded its eco-friendly ride option from Uber Green to Uber Electric and is offering $4,000 grants to help high-mileage drivers in select states switch to electric vehicles. (See Details)
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Throwback Thursday is brought to you by:

➤ For his 50th birthday, a German collector bought 50 vintage cars from 1950 and parked them in a private forest where they’ve been quietly rusting for 25 years. The open-air “car sculpture park” includes a Jaguar XK120, a Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost, and a Porsche 356, now overgrown with moss, mushrooms, and autumn leaves. (See Cars)
➤ Turns out, weird isn’t new. A roundup of 60 historical photos includes people racing alligators underwater, trampoline-jumping with kangaroos, and Tour de France riders casually sharing cigarettes mid-race. (See Photos)
➤ This new $65 digital point-and-shoot camera mimics the feel of a disposable film camera, complete with a 24-hour wait to see your photos. (See Camera)
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➤ A widespread Amazon Web Services outage earlier this week reportedly caused thousands of dollars worth of internet-connected smart beds to overheat and become stuck in the upright position, leaving owners in an uncomfortable bind. (More)
➤ Philadelphia Eagles offensive tackle Jordan Mailata delivered a surprise vocal performance at the Philly Music Fest, captivating the crowd with a rendition of Amy Winehouse’s Valerie. (See Video)
➤ The 1839 Photography Awards, named for the year photography was made available to the public, spotlighted stunning images from 79 countries this year, showcasing wildlife, landscapes, and life’s quiet moments in vivid detail. (See Photos)
➤ A 39-year-old Virginia man claims to have ridden all 1,069 adult-accessible roller coasters in the United States, capping off his 28-year coast-to-coast quest last week. (More)
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Daily Quote
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“I call it the ‘Seinfeld’ shutdown because it’s a shutdown about nothing.”
— Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, criticizing Democrats as the government shutdown became the second-longest in U.S. history
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Today’s Trivia
Which state is considered the diner capital of the world?
Show me the answer
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