Friday, May 15, 2026

Good Morning! On this day in 1800, President John Adams ordered the federal government to relocate from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C. Philadelphia officially ended its role as the nation’s capital on June 11, 1800.

Today, we report on a new state-by-state breakdown of retirement costs that might surprise you. See where your state ranks below. And tell us: where would you retire if money were no object? Reply to this email. We read every response.

Today’s sponsor, Lemonade Pet Insurance, helps pet owners manage rising vet costs with affordable plans starting around $10/month and flexible coverage designed to protect both your pet’s health and your budget.

GOP Redistricting Slows in Some States

GOP governors and legislatures in two states pulled back from aggressive map-drawing efforts this week, giving Democrats some relief in the 2026 redistricting wars.

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves delayed his pledge to redraw congressional maps, dealing a blow to President Trump’s midterm strategy in a state where Republicans had hoped to flip an additional seat.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp called a special session for June 17 that would allow the legislature to redraw the state’s congressional map. But he has pushed any new maps to 2028 because early voting had already started, effectively taking the state off the board for next year.

Not all GOP-dominated states are waiting. South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster called the state’s legislature into a special session set for today to work on a new map that’s expected to eliminate South Carolina’s only majority-minority district, held by senior Democrat Rep. James Clyburn.

Pope’s First Encyclical Targets AI

Pope Leo XIV is expected to sign his first encyclical as soon as today, framing AI as the defining moral challenge of a new industrial revolution.

Titled Magnifica Humanitas, or Magnificent Humanity, the document is intended to place human dignity, labor rights, and ethics at the center of the global AI race.

The signing falls on the anniversary of Rerum Novarum, Pope Leo XIII’s 1891 encyclical on industrial-era worker exploitation. Pope Leo XIV chose his name to signal AI marks a similar turning point.

Speaking at a Rome university on Thursday, he condemned AI-directed warfare as a “spiral of annihilation” and called for peace in Ukraine and the Middle East. The Church has 1.4 billion members.

List: Annual Cost of Retirement in Every State

Hawaii topped a new list of the most expensive states for a comfortable retirement at $156,610 a year, more than four times the cost in last-place West Virginia.

Thirteen states require at least $100,000 in annual spending, including California ($121,879), Massachusetts ($111,145), Washington, New Jersey, and Colorado. New York and Connecticut also made the cut.

The cheapest states are clustered in the South. After West Virginia ($33,223), the most affordable were Mississippi ($35,130), Louisiana, Arkansas, and Oklahoma, where lower housing costs drove the gap.

Popular retirement spots fell in the middle. Florida came in at $63,445, and Texas at $51,355, thanks to no state income tax. The figures factor in the average Social Security check, now $2,079 a month.

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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:

➤ A CIA whistleblower has accused the agency of seizing JFK and MKUltra files from Tulsi Gabbard’s office. (Hear Details)

➤ The same CIA whistleblower told senators the agency’s own analysts concluded a lab leak was the likely origin of COVID-19, but those findings were buried. (Hear Episode)

➤ New federal data shows teen drug, alcohol, and vaping use has dropped to record lows. (Listen Now)

➤ Chinese President Xi Jinping warned President Trump during their summit in China that mishandling Taiwan would put the U.S.-China relationship in “great jeopardy.” (More)

➤ DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin rejected reports that Alligator Alcatraz is closing, saying the department has no shutdown plan despite the Florida detention facility’s operating costs approaching $1 billion. (More)

➤ The Senate voted unanimously to advance a resolution suspending senators’ pay during government shutdowns, in an effort to make shutdowns more expensive for lawmakers. (More)

➤ Miami residents filed a federal lawsuit over Florida’s donation of a $300 million parcel for Trump’s presidential library, calling it a violation of the Constitution’s Emoluments Clause. (More)

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➤ The Trump administration is waiving visa bond requirements of up to $15,000 for World Cup ticket holders from countries whose teams qualified for the tournament. (More)

➤ NBA referees are calling about 11% more fouls per game in this year’s playoffs than they did during the regular season, one of the largest postseason increases in league history. (More)

➤ The FIFA World Cup final halftime show will feature Madonna, Shakira, and South Korean K-pop group BTS on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. (More)

➤ A fan at Wednesday night’s Royals-White Sox game was hospitalized after falling over a railing into the Kansas City bullpen at Rate Field in Chicago. (More)

Daily Market Report 05/14/2026

▲	NASDAQ National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations	26,635.22	0.88%
▲	SPX S&P 500	7,501.39	0.77%
▲	DJI Dow Jones Industrial Average	50,063.46	0.75%
▲	BTC Bitcoin	$81,495.99	2.80%
▼	GOLD Per Ounce	$4,662.10	-0.76%
▼	SILVER Per Ounce	$84.12	-5.36%
▲	OIL West Texas Intermediate Crude	$101.84	0.81%
▲	CSCO Cisco Systems Inc.	$115.53	+13.41%

Bitcoin, gold, silver, and oil are traded 24 hours a day.

➤ Big Stock Move: Cisco stock rose over 13% today after reporting better-than-expected earnings and revenue and announcing it was cutting nearly 4,000 jobs. (More)

➤ U.S. retail sales posted a third straight monthly gain in April, up 0.5%, though some of the gain came from higher prices due to inflation. (More)

➤ Walmart is cutting or relocating about 1,000 corporate jobs as the world’s largest retailer simplifies its operating structure and shifts to a unified technology platform. (More)

➤ The 30-year fixed mortgage rate climbed to 6.46%, a five-week high, but applications for mortgages still rose 4% for the week and were 7% higher than the same week one year ago. (More)

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➤ NASA’s Psyche probe flies past Mars today, coming within 2,800 miles of the surface for a gravity boost. The spacecraft is on a 2.2-billion-mile journey to a rare metal asteroid that may be the exposed core of an ancient planet. (See Flyby)

➤ Researchers in Thailand identified a new long-necked dinosaur species estimated to weigh 27 tons, more than twice the size of an African elephant. They’ve nicknamed it “the last titan” of Thailand. (See Dinosaur)

➤ Scientists have identified a fish that looks surprisingly similar to Mr. Snuffleupagus from Sesame Street. In fact, they named the hairy ghost pipefish for the character: Solenostomus snuffleupagus. (See Photo)

Friday Entertainment is brought to you by:

➤ Apple Corps Ltd, the company founded by the Beatles, announced plans for a seven-floor London fan experience at 3 Savile Row, the site of the band’s final public performance in 1969. (More)

➤ The Corleone crime family will return in Connie, a new Godfather novel from bestselling author Adriana Trigiani that follows Connie Corleone decades after the last book and film installments. (More)

➤ Lawrence Kasdan’s Netflix documentary Marty, Life Is Short portrays Martin Short as a resilient, joy-driven performer whose humor and friendships helped him navigate decades of personal tragedy and professional setbacks. (More)

Flying together with our sponsor

➤ If you’re still looking for a Father’s Day gift that’s actually useful, today’s sponsor may be worth a look. The Sonic Glow Brush combines deep cleaning technology with an easy-to-use design that helps improve your daily routine without overcomplicating it. It’s one of those gifts people end up using every single day. (More)

➤ The Ocean Dream, a 5.5-carat blue-green diamond billed as the world’s rarest, sold for $17.3 million at a Geneva auction on Wednesday, more than double its 2014 price. (See Diamond)

➤ A Norwegian hiker unearthed a 1,500-year-old gold sword scabbard fitting beneath a storm-felled tree. It’s one of only 18 such finds in Northern Europe and likely belonged to a sixth-century chieftain. (See Sword)

➤ Anchor Tony Dokoupil abruptly ended Wednesday’s CBS Evening News broadcast from Taiwan when a cameraman suffered a medical emergency on set. The network said he is recovering. (More)

Do you still use a physical address book?

Yesterday’s Results:

Which most closely matches how often you talk to your neighbors?

Weekly: 38%
A few times a year: 17%
Daily: 16%
Monthly: 16%
Rarely or never: 12%

Daily Quote

“This very spiritual malaise of many young people reminds us that we are not the sum of what we have, nor matter randomly assembled in a mute cosmos. We are a desire, not an algorithm.””

— Pope Leo XIV, calling on society to remain vigilant about AI in warfare and everyday life