Wednesday, October 21, 2026

Good Morning! On this day in 1797, the USS Constitution slid into Boston Harbor, earning the nickname “Old Ironsides” in the War of 1812 and still serving today as the world’s oldest commissioned warship afloat.

A great white shark crashed a beach photo shoot in California this week, jumping clear out of the water while the phones were rolling. Vote in today’s poll and tell us if you’ve ever seen one in the wild. We have the video below.

Which fast food chain is the best? McDonald’s? Chick-fil-A? Panda Express? All three made this year’s list of America’s best and worst fast food chains. One of them sits near the very top. One is tied for dead last. Ranked by more than 16,000 customers on food quality, order accuracy, and value. A champion that held the crown for 11 straight years just lost it, and the new No. 1 had never been ranked before this year. On today’s episode of The Flyover Podcast, Ayla counts down the five best and five worst fast food chains in America. Where does your favorite rank? Let us know after you listen. Tune in here!

When is the right time to retire? Later today, watch for a message from our partner, Fisher Investments, with a free retirement planning guide.

Car insurance rates are finally coming down. Are you missing out on the savings? Today’s sponsor, Money.com, makes it easy to compare rates and see if switching could save you money.

Trump Unveils $8B Fuel Relief for Farmers

President Trump announced an $8 billion Harvest Fuel Relief program Monday night at a rally in Park City, Kansas, to help farmers cover diesel costs during this harvest season.

The one-time payments will be based on planted acres, production costs, and modeled losses for the 2026 crop year. Crop insurance isn’t required, and payment rates for major crops are due in November.

Diesel averaged about $6.31 a gallon Monday, after hitting a record high in September as conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine tightened global supply.

President Trump credited Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., with pushing the program through and said fuel prices would plunge once the Iran war ends, promising more farm funding if Republicans win next month.

Offshore Nor’easter Floods East Coast Beaches

A strengthening nor’easter hundreds of miles out in the Atlantic is bringing days of onshore winds and coastal flooding from the Jersey Shore to the Outer Banks, with flood advisories posted for 1 to 2 feet of inundation.

North Carolina is taking the worst of it. The storm is parked about 150 miles off the northern Outer Banks, with breaking waves reaching 8 to 12 feet from Duck to Cape Hatteras and repeated overwash on Highway 12.

Visitors remain under a mandatory evacuation order in all seven Hatteras Island villages, and officials warned residents could be stranded for days if the highway stays impassable.

Forecasters give the system a 40% chance of becoming Tropical Storm Josephine, though it would only strengthen as it drifts east and away from the coast, with conditions easing Wednesday night into Thursday.

Frozen Kidneys Open Transplant Options

University of Minnesota researchers froze whole pig kidneys into a glass-like state at minus 238 degrees Fahrenheit, stored them for more than a year, and brought them back to working order.

The breakthrough could have major implications for organ donation. Donor kidneys currently last only 24 to 36 hours on ice, and about 20% of donated kidneys go unused because they can’t reach a recipient in time. More than 100,000 Americans are on the transplant waiting list.

To freeze them, the organs were loaded with chemical antifreeze and iron oxide nanoparticles, then rewarmed evenly with an electromagnetic field. After thawing, the kidneys regained their color and produced urine within about a minute of transplant.

The thawed kidneys produced only about two-thirds the normal amount of urine, and the results await peer review. Next come longer tests in pigs, gentler chemicals, and eventually human kidneys.

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Car Insurance Rates Are Dropping. Are You Missing Out?

After years of steep increases, car insurance rates may finally be giving drivers some relief. In fact, recent government data shows that auto insurance prices have fallen 5% nationwide over the past year.

But here’s the catch: Just because rates are coming down doesn’t mean your insurer is automatically passing those savings along to you.

If you’ve been with the same company for years, you could be paying more than necessary simply because you haven’t checked what else is available.

Money’s free car insurance comparison tool lets you compare rates from providers in your area and see whether switching could save you money in just minutes.

COMPARE CAR INSURANCE RATES

The following stories are featured exclusively on The Flyover Podcast—a daily show that gives you the most important headlines in under 15 minutes.

➤ What are Americans’ favorite fast food chains, and which ones land at the bottom? (Hear List)

➤ Ohio’s Democratic candidate for governor is being denounced as a liar by her mother in a new ad. (Hear Story)

➤ Robert and Ethel Kennedy’s granddaughter has died at 42, years after a paralyzing spinal cord injury. (Listen Now)

➤ Secretary of War Pete Hegseth visited Israel Monday and met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a week before Israeli elections, as President Trump weighs restarting the Iran war. (More)

➤ President Trump and Vice President JD Vance launched a $25 million fraud whistleblower program, with Trump pledging a 1% commission on tips that lead to convictions. (More)

➤ The Supreme Court agreed to hear a challenge from mostly Asian American parents who say Montgomery County, Maryland, magnet middle school admissions lotteries intentionally cut their children’s odds. (See Details)

➤ Residents of Alberta, Canada, voted about 76% to 24% to remain in Canada, rejecting a push toward a separation referendum, in a win for Prime Minister Mark Carney. (More)

➤ WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert told lawmakers that former NBA players Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White are ineligible because they’re “both men,” though she did not say how the WNBA defines “women,” as legislators had requested. (More)

➤ Rock band U2 will headline halftime of the NFL’s first-ever Thanksgiving Eve game, a Packers-Rams matchup streaming Nov. 25 on Netflix. The Irish band also played the Super Bowl halftime show in 2002. (More)

➤ The U.S. under-17 women’s soccer team opened its World Cup with a 17-0 win over Samoa this week, the largest margin in World Cup history at any level. Maddie DiMaria scored six of the goals. (More)

➤ Local TV rights for MLB teams are worth an estimated $1.6 billion this season, even after 13 teams lost their cable networks in the past four years. The league hopes to sell them as one consolidated package. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s results: NBA | NCAAF | NHL | Soccer

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Daily Market Report 10/20/2026

▼	NASDAQ National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations	26,424.82	-0.02%
▲	SPX S&P 500	7,712.57	0.28%
▲	DJI Dow Jones Industrial Average	52,495.88	1.02%
▲	BTC Bitcoin	$82,499.36	0.79%
▼	GOLD Per Ounce	$4,141.80	-0.44%
▲	SILVER Per Ounce	$57.99	1.78%
▼	OIL West Texas Intermediate Crude	$98.08	-5.38%
▼	10Y 10-Year US Treasury Yield	5.12%	-0.31%
▲	BRZE Braze, Inc.	$45.57	+51.70%

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

➤ Big Stock Move: Braze stock soared nearly 52% Tuesday on news that the customer-engagement firm was being acquired by Salesforce in a deal worth about $5.66 billion. (More)

➤ Walmart is selling a new $120-a-year bundle pairing Walmart+ and Sam’s Club Plus, about $100 less than buying both separately, undercutting Amazon Prime’s $139. (More)

➤ Apple committed up to $100 million over three years to Pennsylvania’s Perryman Company to buy U.S.-supplied titanium for its products, including the casing of its $1,999 foldable iPhone Duo. (More)

➤ Kayem Foods recalled nearly 1.6 million pounds of hot dogs, bacon, brisket, and ham after a warehouse cooler malfunction, drawing the USDA’s highest-risk classification. (More)

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➤ Your next big expense could be hiding at home. Everything’s working fine until it isn’t. Before an unexpected breakdown catches you off guard, see how Choice Home Warranty could help protect your budget. A little planning today could make a big difference later. (See Coverage)

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Still Paying the Same Car Insurance Rate?

The average U.S. driver pays about $194 a month for car insurance. But with rates finally showing signs of declining, it may be worth checking whether you’re still getting a competitive deal.

Shopping around can uncover lower-priced options, and comparing quotes only takes a few minutes.

Money’s car insurance comparison tool can help you see rates from providers in your area and find out whether switching could put more money back in your pocket.

COMPARE CAR INSURANCE RATES

➤ Japan launched a $578 million mission to Mars’ moon Phobos, aiming to land a rover and a sampling craft and bring soil back to Earth in 2031. No one has ever touched down on a Martian moon. (See Launch)

➤ A California startup launched a spacecraft Tuesday to test whether a new class of cancer drugs crystallizes better in zero gravity, which could make them easier for the body to absorb. (More)

➤ A tiny jellyfish that reverts to its youth under stress has researchers hunting for the genetic switch behind the trick. They hope it could one day help human tissue heal after strokes or heart attacks. (Meet Jellyfish)

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Wisdom Wednesday is brought to you by:

➤ A psychologist who studies couples says the happiest ones never fight about one particular thing, and that thing isn’t money or intimacy. One small change in how partners talk makes the difference. (Learn Secret)

➤ Women over 50 have a very different dating wish list than they did at 25, and most of it has nothing to do with looks. One blogger lays out the 10 things that matter now. (See List)

➤ The two-day weekend just turned 100 years old, and some say the way we work has changed so much that it’s overdue for a rethink. Here’s where it came from and what might replace it. (Read History)

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➤ Money feeling tight? The Penny Hoarder shares practical ways to stretch a budget, reduce debt, lower everyday expenses, and earn extra cash. From comparing insurance rates to finding savings opportunities and side hustles, these simple strategies could make a difference. (See Tips)

➤ Apu is back on The Simpsons after being yanked from the show a decade ago in the midst of controversy, now unmasked as the villain in a Halloween episode that pokes fun at the show for abandoning him. A new voice actor has the role going forward. (Read More)

➤ A Canadian tourist who admitted to drinking 30 to 40 beers before snatching Peachy the flamingo from a Las Vegas hotel habitat was convicted of felony animal cruelty and faces up to four years in prison. (See Peachy)

➤ A great white shark photobombed a group of friends filming at a beach in Marina, California, leaping several feet out of the water behind them while their phones were recording. (Watch Video)

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➤ Seven hidden signs your body is crying out for magnesium. Anxiety, muscle tension, and an irregular heartbeat aren’t always just part of getting older. New research shows how a single mineral deficiency could be behind dozens of common complaints after 50, and many medications prescribed to older adults may be making it worse. Here’s what to know before accepting another prescription. (Learn More)