The Monday Flyover Replay : Cost of Groceries, Melania’s Letter, and Foldable Phones.

“I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

The Monday Flyover Replay : Cost of Groceries, Melania’s Letter, and Foldable Phones.

Presented by Russell Sherrard.

Narrated by Artificial Intelligence, Our Hosts are Christopher and Jenny.

THE FLYOVER REPLAY.

We are also a Podcast, if you want to listen there instead. Plus current and all previous episodes. Go to The Monday Flyover Replay and search for The Monday Flyover Replay. Choose episode you want to listen to.

Monday, August 18, 2025.

Good Morning! On this day in 1872, Aaron Montgomery Ward started what would become a 113-year business with the first mail-order catalog on a single sheet of paper. In honor of this, today the U.S. celebrates National Mail Order Day.

We hope you enjoyed reading today’s Flyover. Let us know how we’re doing by replying to Russell Sherrard at russellsherrard@reagan.com.

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TAKEOFF.

Putin Concedes to Key Measure for Ukraine.

Russia has agreed to allow the U.S. to provide security guarantees to Ukraine as part of ending the war, according to President Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, who attended Friday’s peace summit between Trump and Russian President Putin in Alaska.

The security guarantee would essentially treat Ukraine as a member of NATO in the event of a future Russian invasion. Article 5 of the NATO alliance treats an attack on one member as an attack on all.

The announcement comes ahead of President Trump’s meeting with Ukrainian President Zelensky today at the White House. A potential land swap with Russia will be central to the discussion.

Zelensky will be joined by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and other European leaders in working toward “ironclad security guarantees” for Ukraine.

Three Red States to Assist in DC Crackdown.

Three Republican-led states have committed National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., after President Trump enforced a federal intervention in the city last week, citing “complete and total lawlessness.”

West Virginia, South Carolina, and Ohio will deploy more than 700 troops combined to D.C. in the coming days. West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey said his state “is proud to stand with President Trump in his effort to restore pride and beauty to our nation’s capital.”

The move follows a request from the Pentagon’s National Guard Bureau and will roughly double the Guard’s presence in the capital.

Troops will assist with patrols, security, and crowd control near landmarks like the National Mall and Union Station.

List: US Cities with Most Expensive Groceries.

A new data visualization ranked the top 20 American cities with the highest cost of groceries, with Honolulu at the top—food prices there run over 20% higher than in New York City.

The index uses NYC as the baseline at 100: San Francisco scores 100.1, Seattle 95.3, and Boston 90.5. Less expected entries include Atlanta (79.9) and Denver (77), where grocery costs now rival those in traditionally pricey coastal cities.

Honolulu’s high prices are driven by isolation and import costs, while mainland cities are feeling the effects of rising meat prices, farm labor shortages, and inflation across the supply chain.

After a word from one of our sponsors Jenny will be Narrating the last half of the news.

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Thanks Christopher.

Now, back to the News.

POLITICS.

The White House brushed off reports that summit documents for President Trump’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin were left on a public hotel printer in Alaska, calling the coverage “hilarious” and mocking NPR for treating a lunch menu as a security breach.

Also from the Alaska summit: Russian President Putin immediately read a letter from First Lady Melania Trump about the plight of children in Ukraine and Russia during his meeting with President Trump, according to reports.

Former FBI Director James Comey revealed in a video that he listens to Taylor Swift as a coping mechanism for dealing with his ongoing frustrations with President Trump, saying he admires her advice about not giving critics power.

SPORTS

SJ Taxiltaridis, a starting pitcher for Connecticut in the Little League World Series, went viral for telling an opposing hitter what pitch was coming and staring him down after striking him out.

The Baltimore Orioles have promoted top prospect Samuel Basallo to the major leagues.

Los Angeles Lakers star guard Luka Dončić suffered a scary knee injury during a FIBA Eurobasket exhibition game, but appears to have avoided anything serious.

FINANCE.

ChatGPT’s mobile app has earned an estimated $2 billion since launching in May 2023. The app makes about $2.91 per download globally and $10 per download in the U.S., according to new data.

Volkswagen is charging European drivers to unlock the full 228 bhp performance of its ID.3 electric car, with the boost available only through a $20/month or $760 lifetime subscription.

Samsung is gaining U.S. market share from Apple as its foldable phones surge in popularity and showcase growing consumer interest in new form factors.

SCIENCE AND TECH.

A new experimental cancer vaccine has shown early promise in stopping deadly cancers like pancreatic and colon cancer from coming back. In a small trial led by UCLA, most patients who got the vaccine stayed cancer-free for nearly 20 months.

Scientists in Beijing have made a meteorite-style diamond in the lab for the first time—a hexagonal crystal structure believed to be up to 58% harder than regular diamond, with potential applications in high-performance tools and electronics.

Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, will cast a rare shadow across the planet’s cloud tops on Tuesday, offering skywatchers a fleeting glimpse of a celestial alignment that occurs only once every 15 years.

THE ROTATOR.
BEYOND OUR BORDERS.

Israel said Saturday it will begin relocating Palestinians to southern Gaza as it prepares for a major military offensive in some of the territory’s most heavily populated areas.

Air Canada pushed its flight restart to Monday after the flight attendants’ union refused a government-backed return-to-work order, extending a strike that’s disrupting travel for 130,000 passengers a day.

Bolivia headed to the polls Sunday amid 40-year high inflation and deep political division, with no candidate commanding a clear lead and support for the country’s long-dominant leftist party at its lowest.

ET CETERA.

British actor Terence Stamp, known for roles in Superman II and The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, died Sunday at age 87. Stamp earned an Oscar nomination for his 1962 debut in Billy Budd and built a decades-long career playing both villains and unexpected heroes.

Also announced: Tristan Rogers, best known for his decades-long role as super spy Robert Scorpio on General Hospital, has died at 79, just weeks after a final appearance on the show and a public reveal of his lung cancer diagnosis.

A Michigan high school cross country team went viral for hauling a downed tree up the 450-foot dunes at Sleeping Bear, turning a popular tourist challenge into a grueling team workout.

Sylvester Stallone offered a glimpse inside his art-filled Palm Beach estate, calling it a warm, livable retreat after leaving Los Angeles with wife Jennifer Flavin for a fresh start.

Daily Quote.

“There is an important discussion to be had […] hopefully we can cut through and make some decisions right then and there on that.”

— Steve Witkoff, U.S. special envoy, on a potential Ukraine-Russia land swap to be discussed in today’s meeting between President Trump and Ukrainian President Zelensky.

Inspirational Verse of the Day.

Proverbs Chapter 3 Verse 13 Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding. KJV

And thats the news for today. Thanks for listening.

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