Thursday, October 22, 2026

Good Morning! On this day in 1797, André-Jacques Garnerin made the first modern parachute jump from a hydrogen balloon 3,000 feet above Paris, France, safely descending with a parachute he designed himself.

Something big and metal turned up in a Minnesota cornfield, and the local sheriff says whoever knows what it is isn’t telling him. What’s your best guess? Hit reply and let us know. We have details below.

Your milk says it expired seven days ago. Some people pour it straight down the drain, and others pour a glass without a second thought. It’s one of the oldest standoffs in the kitchen. Is the date on the label a hard deadline, or just a suggestion? Researchers at Ohio State have an answer. And milk is just the start. We break down the verdicts on that canned soup from last summer and the mystery bag in your freezer, too. So who has been right all along, the tossers or the keepers? Ayla has the full story on today’s episode of The Flyover Podcast. Tune in here!

Today’s sponsor, FinanceBuzz, is sharing 11 common money mistakes you may be making and simple strategies that could help you cut unnecessary expenses, reduce debt, and keep more money in your pocket.

Russia Frees Jailed American Teacher

Russia freed a retired teacher from Michigan on Wednesday after holding him for more than four years. Stephen Hubbard, 74, was seized in Ukraine in 2022 and later sentenced on a mercenary charge his family denies.

President Trump said Russian President Vladimir Putin released Hubbard at his request, with “no ‘swap’ necessary.” Hubbard, who is in poor health, is headed to Texas for treatment at a military hospital.

U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, in St. Petersburg for talks with Putin, called the Russian leader “a humanitarian,” drawing criticism from some Republicans. North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis called the remark “embarrassing and outrageous.”

Hubbard was the last American the U.S. formally deemed wrongfully detained in Russia. The Kremlin says three-way peace talks with the U.S. and Ukraine could resume in mid-November.

Chemical Explosion Forces Toledo Evacuations

A chemical tank explosion in Toledo, Ohio, on Tuesday night forced nearly 1,000 residents from their homes. Officials also ordered everyone within 3 miles to shelter in place with windows shut.

The 5,500-gallon tank at a chemical transport terminal held glycidyl methacrylate, a chemical used to make plastics and paints. Hazmat crews stayed back overnight because of the risk of another blast.

About 35 people were treated at local hospitals for symptoms possibly tied to the release, and a sheriff’s deputy was injured. Toledo Public Schools closed all 57 of its schools Wednesday.

The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency blamed an “error” during a transfer of the chemical. As of Wednesday afternoon, the evacuation orders remained in place while the release continued.

Map: Home Values State by State

A new state-by-state map puts the typical U.S. home at $368,697 as of August, but the actual value depends on its location, ranging from $179,000 in West Virginia to $833,000 in Hawaii.

Eight of the 10 priciest states sit on a coast, and all 10 of the cheapest are in the South and Midwest, according to Zillow data. Land drives the gap, accounting for about 60% of a home’s value in Hawaii and California, versus under 20% in West Virginia and Mississippi.

Values rose 1.2% nationally over the year but fell in 10 states and D.C., led by Nevada, Texas, and Florida, which permitted the most new housing. See where your state ranks 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.

➤ Expiration dates on your groceries are mostly guesses, except for the one you should never ignore. (Listen Now)

➤ An Australian lawmaker lost both of her legs after a car was deliberately driven into her outside her office. (Hear Story)

➤ Passengers began vomiting mid-flight, forcing a priority landing and a hazmat response in Germany. (Hear Details)

➤ The Supreme Court refused to let the Trump administration enforce new limits on medical treatment for transgender federal inmates, with Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissenting. (More)

➤ The Social Security Administration says it has corrected nearly 50 million records since January 2025, adding 17 million missing death dates and updating 25 million citizenship entries. (More)

➤ U.S. officials said it was Elon Musk who ordered a slowdown of the military-grade Starlink service Ukraine relies on, hampering attack and air-defense drone missions, according to a new report. (More)

➤ Wedgewood Polling admitted fabricating surveys that boosted far-left candidates, calling it an experiment, as aggregators pulled dozens of its polls and Democratic strategists demanded prosecution. (More)

➤ The NFL players’ union is demanding a “full investigation” into the medical care the Philadelphia Eagles gave Jalen Hurts, who was cleared to play in London after doctors found a blood clot. (More)

➤ Topps drew a company-record 664,325 orders in one week for its Lionel Messi “Final Farewell” card pack, honoring the end of the soccer star’s international career. The previous high marked Shohei Ohtani’s 50-50 season in 2024. (More)

➤ The Tennessee Titans released defensive lineman Jordan Elliott, who reportedly tried to retrieve a gun from his car after a practice dispute with teammate JC Latham. (More)

➤ Maryland fired football coach Mike Locksley midway through his eighth season, with the 2-5 Terrapins on a 13-game losing streak against power-conference opponents. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: NCAAF | NBA | WNBA | NHL | Soccer

Daily Market Report 10/21/2026

▲	NASDAQ National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations	26,702.86	+1.05%
▲	SPX S&P 500	7,757.17	+0.58%
▲	DJI Dow Jones Industrial Average	52,856.09	+0.69%
▲	BTC Bitcoin	$84,645.82	+2.06%
▲	GOLD Per Ounce	$4,151.80	+0.22%
▲	SILVER Per Ounce	$58.01	+0.53%
▼	OIL West Texas Intermediate Crude	$97.49	-4.22%
▲	10Y 10-Year US Treasury Yield	5.15%	+0.64%
▲	SPCX Top Gainer	$159.31	+7.79%

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

➤ Big Stock Move: SpaceX stock rose nearly 8% on Wednesday after reporting third-quarter revenues and profit that surpassed Wall Street’s estimates. (More)

➤ Mortgage rates dipped for the first time in two months, with the average 30-year fixed rate easing to 7.41%. Mortgage applications still fell 5.3%, and home purchase applications ran 18% behind last year’s pace. (More)

➤ Elon Musk floated the idea of a merger between his Tesla and SpaceX companies, and said both companies have formed committees of independent directors to study a deal. Shareholders would have to approve any merger. (More)

➤ United Airlines opens its biggest airport lounge today in Houston. The 54,000-square-foot club, nearly the size of a football field, seats 800 and anchors a $2.6 billion terminal overhaul at George Bush Intercontinental Airport. (See Photos)

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Small changes can add up and help your savings stretch further without sacrificing the things you enjoy. See the money moves FinanceBuzz recommends for cutting retirement costs.

➤ Pompeii’s grandest home, buried in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. and closed to the public since 1980, is getting a $1.6 million restoration paid for entirely by a German businessman. Part of it could open for guided tours by Christmas. (See Photos)

➤ A bat beauty contest run by the federal government returns Saturday after last year’s shutdown canceled it. The last winner, a hoary bat from Oregon, went by Hoary Potter. (See Details)

➤ A skeleton buried in a Roman-era stone coffin at Westminster Abbey in London, England, likely belongs to one of two 11th-century abbots, a new study finds. Carbon dating places the man’s life between 987 and 1052. (More)

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Throwback Thursday is brought to you by:

➤ Crossword puzzles and paperbacks are making a comeback with young people, who keep stacks of them by the bed to reach for instead of their phones. They call it “brain stacking,” and some call the pastimes “grandma hobbies.” (See Trend)

➤ Remember the merry-go-round? Some playground equipment from decades past was so risky it disappeared from schoolyards after federal regulators began writing safety standards in 1975. (See Equipment)

➤ Forgotten gas station giveaways, from free road maps to drinking glasses and even dinnerware, were once collected like treasure. Drivers in the 1950s through the ’70s came back fill-up after fill-up to complete their sets. (See Giveaways)

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➤ Pokémon and sports cards worth at least $963,000 were stolen from an unattended FedEx truck outside a card-grading company in Santa Ana, California. One collector says the losses could run into the millions. (See Details)

➤ A charred metal object about 11 feet across turned up in a western Minnesota cornfield, and officials believe it fell from space. The local sheriff says the federal agencies investigating it aren’t telling him much. (See Photo)

➤ A pair of volcanoes glowing magenta in Chile helped win the top honor at this year’s Epson International Pano Awards. Other winners include charging rhinos in Kenya and the Milky Way arching over New Zealand. (See Photos)

Flying together with our sponsor

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