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Friday, December 12, 2025
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Good Morning! On this day in 1901, physicist Guglielmo Marconi sent the first transatlantic radio signal, disproving claims that Earth’s curvature capped transmissions at 200 miles. The Morse code for the letter “S” traveled more than 2,000 miles from England to Canada.
Today, we report on a piece of Star Wars history that just broke a franchise record: the original 1977 movie poster painting sold for $3.8 million on Wednesday. Do you own any movie memorabilia? Reply to let us know.
If you’re determined to finish the year without losing momentum, today’s sponsor, Upwork Business Plus, gives you the on-demand talent and speed you need to keep every project moving.
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 Senate Rejects Extending Insurance Subsidies
The Senate rejected both Democratic and Republican health care proposals Thursday, virtually guaranteeing that millions of Americans will see steep premium increases in January when enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies expire.
The Democratic bill to extend subsidies for three years failed 51-48, with four Republicans crossing party lines to support it.
The Republican alternative, which offered health savings accounts instead of extending subsidies, also failed 51-48.
Premiums are expected to double on average for the 22 million Americans who had benefited from the expiring COVID-era tax credits.
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Mass Evacuations Ordered as Washington Floods
More than 100,000 people in western Washington were ordered to evacuate as heavy rain pushed multiple rivers to historic flood levels.
The flooding, caused by a strong atmospheric river system, affected communities from Mount Vernon to Monroe, triggering widespread road closures, school shutdowns, and emergency rescues. See photos here.
Governor Bob Ferguson declared a state of emergency and deployed the National Guard. Officials reported that the Skagit and Snohomish Rivers were expected to crest near or above levels not seen since the major floods of 2006 and 1990.
Local authorities warned residents in floodplains to evacuate immediately, citing life-threatening conditions and the potential for levee failures. Watch footage from the state here.
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Disney Sends Characters to OpenAI
The Walt Disney Co. has agreed to invest $1 billion in OpenAI and will use the AI company’s technology to build new tools and experiences for Disney+ subscribers in a three-year deal that amounts to a major Hollywood endorsement of AI-created content.
Disney will use OpenAI’s technology to develop new products for its streaming service, give employees access to ChatGPT, and license its characters for use in OpenAI’s Sora video-generation platform.
As part of the agreement, fans can create short videos featuring more than 200 Disney, Marvel, Pixar, and Star Wars characters on Sora, though voices won’t be included.
The deal marks Disney’s first major AI partnership and comes on the same day that the company accused Google of using its copyrighted content to train AI without permission.
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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:
➤ MyPillow founder Mike Lindell has officially entered Minnesota’s governor’s race. (Hear Details)
➤ A Utah hiker needed a rescue team after getting trapped in quicksand. (Hear Episode)
➤ Forecasters confirmed La Niña’s pattern is steering winter in a new direction. (Listen Now)
  
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➤ The Trump administration is planning to appoint an American two-star general to command the International Stabilization Force in Gaza, according to officials, increasing U.S. responsibility for securing Gaza. (More)
➤ Republicans poll better than Democrats with older voters heading into next year’s midterms, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll, which also found that those voters may be less swayed by cost-of-living issues. (See Details)
➤ Kilmar Abrego Garcia was released from immigration detention after a federal judge ruled the Trump administration lacked a valid removal order to keep the illegal immigrant detained pending deportation. (See Details)
➤ The White House killed a plan to honor the abolition of slavery, women’s suffrage, and the civil rights movement on quarters for the nation’s 250th birthday. Those themes were replaced with images inspired by the Mayflower Compact, the Revolutionary War, and the Gettysburg Address. (More)
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➤ Former Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore was taken into police custody on suspicion of assault just hours after being fired by the Wolverines. (See Details)
➤ The OKC Thunder are now 24-1 to start the NBA season—tying the 2016 Warriors for the best start through 25 games in league history. (More)
➤ The NCAA Men’s College Cup soccer semifinals kick off tonight with Furman playing Washington, then NC State facing Saint Louis. The winners of these matches will face each other for the title on Monday. (More)
➤ Yesterday’s Results: NFL | NBA | NHL | NCAAM | NCAAW | Soccer
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 A woman created a miniature Hanukkah village on her Victorian home’s window bench, using mini houses lit by string lights. She added snow blankets, tiny dreidels, street lamps, and animal ornaments from Target and HomeGoods. (See Village)
U.K. intelligence agency GCHQ released its 10th annual Christmas card puzzle challenge, featuring seven brainteasers designed by its codebreakers, with three featuring artwork by children. (See Cards)
These 12 beloved Christmas songs may be causing your pet serious stress due to their high beat-per-minute levels. Last Christmas tops the list at 206 bpm, while research shows dogs prefer slow music around 50-60 bpm to reduce cortisol. (See Songs)
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 Daily Market Report 12/11/2025
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NASDAQ
National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations |
23,593.86 |
-0.25%
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SPX
S&P 500 |
6,901.00 |
0.21%
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DJI
Dow Jones Industrial Average |
48,704.01 |
1.34%
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BTC
Bitcoin |
$93,009.48 |
1.07%
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GOLD
Per Ounce |
$4,309.50 |
2.70%
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ORCL
Oracle Corporation |
$198.85 |
-10.83%
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Bitcoin and gold are traded 24 hours a day.
➤ Big Stock Move: Oracle stock fell nearly 11% on Thursday after the database software giant reported lower-than-expected quarterly revenue. (More)
➤ The Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 hit record highs on Thursday, with the Dow rising 646 points as a Federal Reserve interest rate cut, followed by the day’s disappointing Oracle results, prompted investors to move out of high-flying tech stocks and into broad mainstream stocks. (More)
➤ McDonald’s pulled a 45-second AI-generated Christmas ad titled The Most Terrible Time of the Year after social media users in the Netherlands complained about how upsetting it was. (See Ad)
➤ Home prices have finally fallen from a year ago—though only slightly—with new data showing the average price down 1.4% over the past three months. (More)
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Flying together with our sponsor
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➤ OpenAI launched GPT-5.2, its smartest AI model yet, after CEO Sam Altman declared a company-wide “code red” to compete with Google’s surging Gemini. (See Details)
➤ The FDA approved the first at-home brain stimulation headset for depression, delivering gentle electrical currents to regulate mood as an alternative to antidepressants with side effects. (See Details)
➤ Archaeologists discovered the first physical evidence of a battlefield from the Hanukkah story near Jerusalem, uncovering lead sling bullets and ancient coins at the site where Judah Maccabee fought Greek forces in 163 BC. (See Discovery)
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Friday Entertainment is brought to you by:
➤ The original 1977 Star Wars movie poster painting sold for $3.8 million at auction on Wednesday, surpassing the franchise’s previous record of $3.6 million set by Darth Vader’s lightsaber. (See Painting)
➤ The Supergirl teaser trailer debuted this week, showcasing Milly Alcock as Kara Zor-El, the return of Krypto the Superdog, and a first look at Jason Momoa as Lobo. (See Trailer)
➤ Taylor Swift said she seeks advice from Fleetwood Mac’s Stevie Nicks, praising the singer’s wise guidance and noting that Nicks’ experiences and support have positively shaped her career. (More)
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➤ Harvard Scientists have just made a terrifying discovery…It turns out that people who permanently lost their hearing had this one thing in common…They couldn’t hear these four words, one year before the damage was done. Watch this video to find out if you’re at risk of irreversible hearing loss.
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➤ Hundreds of Porsche owners in Russia reported that their luxury vehicles suddenly refused to start after something severed the connection between the cars’ vehicle tracking systems and satellites, activating engine immobilizers. No hacker group has claimed responsibility yet. (See Details)
➤ Time magazine named the architects of AI its 2025 Person of the Year. The cover features eight tech leaders, including Jensen Huang, Sam Altman, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Lisa Su, Dario Amodei, Demis Hassabis, and Fei-Fei Li, sitting on a beam resembling the 1932 Lunch Atop a Skyscraper photo. (See Cover)
➤ World Cup final tickets will cost fans between $4,185 and $8,860, up to seven times more than the 2022 Qatar tournament. A fans’ group called it a “monumental betrayal.” (See Prices)
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➤ Upgrade your kitchen with this ultra-durable Titanium Cutting Board from TIBO, designed to resist scratches, odors, and bacteria. Its sleek, non-porous surface protects your knives while offering unbeatable stability for everyday prep. Easy to clean and built to last, it’s the premium board serious home cooks swear by. (LEARN MORE)
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 Daily Quote
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“This is not just another flood.”
— Washington Sen. Maria Cantwell on the looming threat of catastrophic flooding from multiple rivers in Washington state.
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 Today’s Trivia
Which department store created Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer in 1939?
Show me the answer
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