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Friday, August 21, 2026
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Good Morning! On this day in 1959, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a proclamation making Hawaii the 50th state and ordered a new American flag with 50 stars arranged in staggered rows. This flag was officially adopted on July 4, 1960. See the proclamation signed here.
Is a TV in the bedroom the perfect way to wind down, or the fastest way to wreck a good night’s sleep? Every household has a stance, and the folks who gave theirs up swear they don’t miss it. Cast your vote in today’s Poll Position.
We’re always interested in products that take an everyday task and simply make it easier. That’s what caught our attention about today’s sponsor, the Sonic Glow Brush. If you’ve ever wished brushing your teeth was quicker without sacrificing a thorough clean, this is worth a look.
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 Trump Declares ‘Economic D-Day’ on Iran
President Trump announced what he calls “Economic D-Day” against Iran, vowing economic warfare “on an unprecedented scale” after a 60-day negotiating window closed Monday with no deal.
He warned any country that offers Iran a financial “lifeline” will face “tremendous” consequences of its own, naming oil smuggling, cash transfers, and front companies. “It all needs to stop NOW. You know who you are,” he wrote on Truth Social. See the post here.
Tehran is said to be looking for workarounds. Russia is reportedly shipping ammunition, drone parts, and explosives to Iran across the Caspian Sea, and Iran’s central bank chief says the country will soon join a BRICS-backed development bank.
Iranian inflation hit 62% in February, and food prices have more than doubled in a year. The UAE, Iran’s largest import source, halted all trade on Wednesday after what it said were two Iranian missiles fired at the country.
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North Korea Fires 10 Ballistic Missiles
North Korea fired about 10 short-range ballistic missiles Thursday, a day after President Trump said he expects to meet Kim Jong Un later this year.
The launches came in the final days of U.S.-South Korean military exercises. Trump said he ordered the exercises cut short after asking South Korea’s president to “give us a little hand” with Iran and being told, “No thanks.”
The two sides do not agree on the size of Pyongyang’s arsenal. South Korea’s defense minister told lawmakers the North is believed to hold 80 to 120 nuclear warheads, well above the 57 that Trump cited a day earlier.
South Korean officials said the higher range comes from private researchers and said Seoul will keep relying on the U.S. nuclear umbrella rather than build its own arsenal.
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Super El Niño Could Flip US Winter
Federal forecasters now give better than 90% odds that a very strong El Niño shapes this winter, and it could rank as the strongest on record since 1950.
If you live in the northern U.S., expect a milder winter than usual. The South is likely to be wetter, with storms tracking from California to Florida and an elevated tornado risk along the Gulf Coast.
Planning a ski trip? Forecasters favor the southern Rockies and Sierra for above-average snow, while drier seasons are likely in the Northwest, Great Lakes, and New England.
A milder winter could also mean lower heating bills. The last super El Niño, in 2015-16, cut U.S. heating demand 18% and heating oil prices 29% from the previous winter.
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Flying together with our sponsor
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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 links will take you directly to these stories:
➤ Two fishermen were found off the coast of Mexico after a shipwreck left them clinging to a large cooler for five days. (Hear Details)
➤ Is intermittent fasting overhyped, or does it really work? (Hear Episode)
➤ In sorority basements across the country, hidden teams are digging up dirt that can tank a recruit’s chances. (Full Story)
  
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➤ The Democratic National Committee named Boston, Denver, and Philadelphia as finalists to host the 2028 convention, with Atlanta and Chicago cut from contention. (More)
➤ A Missouri judge upheld a Trump-backed congressional map for November, rejecting a referendum bid in a win for the GOP’s slim House majority. (More)
➤ FBI agents confronted former Rep. Eric Swalwell at San Francisco Airport and seized his electronics, including his cellphone and laptop, as part of a federal sexual misconduct probe. Swalwell denies wrongdoing. (See Details)
➤ Stars and Stripes publisher Max Lederer announced he was retiring over differences with the Pentagon’s efforts to reshape the military newspaper’s editorial direction. (More)
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➤ A Louisiana judge granted 33 college athletes a temporary restraining order to allow them to return for a fifth season. Several affected football players are already on NFL rosters and would need to be released before going back. (More)
➤ Houston Texans wide receiver Jayden Higgins tore his ACL during a joint practice with the Raiders and will miss the upcoming NFL season. The second-year player caught six touchdowns last year, and many observers tabbed him as a breakout candidate. (More)
➤ U.S. Open will pay its singles champions a record $5.5 million each this year, the highest prize in Grand Slam tennis history. Total player compensation is rising 20% to $108 million, with play beginning next week in New York. (More)
➤ The Bruins play in Munich, the hometown of forward JJ Peterka, while the Oilers play in Cologne, where star forward Leon Draisaitl grew up. (More)
➤ Yesterday’s Results: NFL | MLB | Golf | Tennis | WNBA | Little League World Series
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 Daily Market Report 08/20/2026
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NASDAQ
National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations |
26,067.17 |
-1.00%
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SPX
S&P 500 |
7,641.16 |
-0.87%
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DJI
Dow Jones Industrial Average |
52,759.21 |
-1.32%
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BTC
Bitcoin |
$72,674.47 |
4.92%
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GOLD
Per Ounce |
$4,574.40 |
1.89%
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SILVER
Per Ounce |
$68.14 |
3.66%
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OIL
West Texas Intermediate Crude |
$86.47 |
0.75%
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MARA
MARA Holdings |
$11.14 |
+15.44%
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Bitcoin, gold, silver, and oil are traded 24 hours a day.
➤ Big Stock Move: MARA Holdings stock jumped more than 15% on Thursday, driven largely by gains in the company’s Bitcoin assets. (More)
➤ America’s national debt surpassed $40 trillion for the first time, doubling in under a decade, with the year-to-date deficit nearing $1.8 trillion. (More)
➤ Walmart received nearly $2.9 billion in tariff refunds from the federal government and says it will invest part of the windfall in lower prices, raising its annual sales and profit outlook. (More)
➤ Google paid $10 million at a bankruptcy auction for defunct Spirit Airlines’ internal data, including emails, chats, and business records, to train its AI models. (More)
Flying together with our sponsor
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This is a paid advertisement for Automated Retail Technologies (ART)’s Regulation CF offering. Please read the offering circular at https://invest.automatedrt.com/
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➤ NASA has called off a first-of-its-kind attempt to rescue a dying space telescope after the private spacecraft sent to solve the problem malfunctioned. Swift will burn up in Earth’s atmosphere this year. (More)
➤ U.S. cardiologists have issued new cholesterol guidelines for the first time since 2018. Doctors are urged to start medication earlier and screen all kids by age 11. (See Guidelines)
➤ Astronomers have found an Earth-like planet just 25 light-years away that could hold liquid water. The super-Earth gets about 90% of the sunlight Earth does. (See Rendering)
Flying together with our sponsor
➤ Four warning signs of declining vision. Nearly 93 million Americans are considered at high risk for serious vision loss, yet many skip annual eye exams. Because eyesight can change gradually, and some eye diseases have few early symptoms, knowing what to watch for matters. Discover four warning signs of declining vision and steps for supporting eye health. Learn More >>
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Friday Entertainment is brought to you by:
➤ Country music icon Reba McEntire will release her new EP Tourist today, continuing a monthly series that celebrates her nearly 50-year career by pairing new songs with thematically linked catalog favorites. (More)
➤ Christian metal band Demon Hunter sued Netflix and AEG Presents, alleging that the streaming service’s KPop Demon Hunters tour infringes its trademarks and confuses consumers. Netflix called the claims meritless. (More)
➤ Demand for Dune: Part Three tickets overwhelmed AMC’s website and app on Tuesday, drawing triple the traffic of its Spider-Man: Brand New Day launch as resale prices for IMAX 70mm tickets reached $600 per ticket. (More)
Flying together with our sponsor
➤ You may have more home equity than you think. The average U.S. homeowner now sits on approximately $315,000 in equity, and most have never tapped it. Some are putting it to work: consolidating higher-rate debt, renovating, covering big summer expenses. Rates and fees vary widely by lender, so the trick is to compare before you commit. [Match with a HELOC lender in under a minute →]
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➤ Melania Trump is teaming up with IndyCar, Indiana University, and Purdue to fund college scholarships for foster children. The racing league made her a custom red, white, and blue helmet. (See Helmet)
➤ A severe drought in Europe has dropped Serbia’s Sava River low enough to expose a 1913 steam tugboat that hit a mine in 1945. Locals call it “Sava’s Titanic.” (See Wreck)
➤ A polar bear cub at a Japanese aquarium is charming visitors by wearing a traffic cone on its head. Eight-month-old Momota was born there in December. (Watch Cub)
Flying together with our sponsor
➤ Some “Healthy” Snacks May Be Working Against Your Waistline. According to gut health expert and former heart surgeon Dr. Steven Gundry, some foods commonly considered healthy may not be as waistline-friendly as you think. His list includes surprising staples like sourdough bread, cottage cheese, and olives, as well as one that appears in many healthy diets. See which snack Dr. Gundry recommends watching out for >>
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 Daily Quote
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“It’s truly something you don’t see every day.”
— Historian Andrija Popovic on the famed Slovenian, a century-old ship sunk in 1945, that’s emerging from Serbia’s parched Sava River
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 Today’s Trivia
Was Duncan Hines a real person, or was the cake mix brand name invented?
Show me the answer
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