Medicare Open Enrollment ends Monday, December 7, 2026, and any changes take effect January 1, 2027. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) says about eight in 10 Medicare Advantage members can keep their current plan with the same or a lower premium next year. The remaining two in
Veterans Day 2026 falls on Wednesday, November 11, a federal holiday honoring everyone who has served in the U.S. Armed Forces. The National Veterans Day Observance begins at 11 a.m. at Arlington National Cemetery, while post offices and Federal Reserve Banks close for the day. Because the holiday lands midweek,
Pumpkin carving remains a core Halloween tradition in 2026, with 42% of consumers planning to carve a jack-o’-lantern, according to the National Retail Federation’s annual Halloween survey. That level is roughly in line with last year, even as shoppers watch prices and look for ways to stretch their Halloween budgets.
U.S. consumer confidence rose to 91.7 in October 2026 from 84.2 in September, The Conference Board reported October 27, the first increase in four months. Easing gas prices lifted the mood, but households still expect high inflation and plan to cut back on services and big-ticket purchases heading into the
Global nuclear power capacity could more than triple by 2060, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency told the United Nations General Assembly on October 23. The agency cited AI-powered data centers among the drivers. In the U.S., data centers already used 4.4% of the country’s electricity in 2023,
Fewer Americans are losing their jobs than at almost any point in the past five decades, but those who do are waiting longer to get hired. Initial jobless claims fell to 194,000 for the week ending October 17, the Department of Labor reported October 22, while continuing claims rose to
The 2026 time change happens on Sunday, November 1, when daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m. local time and clocks fall back one hour to 1 a.m. That means most Americans gain an hour, as the night of October 31 into November 1 runs one hour longer. Hawaii and
Some business owners are wealthy on paper but short on cash. Their homes carry no mortgage, their companies bring in steady revenue, and their credit is good. Michael Iuculano has built much of his lending career around that situation. He is the founder and president of MJI Capital, a Scottsdale,
Anthropic, the San Francisco company behind the Claude AI models, announced on October 18 that it will commit 5% of its shares to a new Anthropic Public Benefit Fund, subject to stockholder approval. The fund’s stake can grow as the company’s value rises, and Anthropic named AI-driven disruption to workers
Street Fighter opened at No. 1 at the weekend box office with about $31 million from 3,575 theaters over October 16 to 18, 2026. The weekend’s bigger surprise came from A24’s You Can See Everything, which earned more than $15 million from only 855 theaters, the biggest opening for a
Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) announced on October 15, 2026, that he will introduce the Power to the Players Act. The bill would direct the Federal Trade Commission to write rules ensuring that consumers own the video games they buy, not a revocable license. It would also require games with online
The National Historic Preservation Act turned 60 on October 15, 2026, six decades after President Lyndon B. Johnson signed it into law in 1966. The act created the National Register of Historic Places, State Historic Preservation Offices and the federal review process that still governs how historic sites are protected
Jessica Chastain’s horror film “Other Mommy” opened at No. 1 at the North American box office with an estimated $27.5 million from 3,365 theaters over the October 9 to 11 weekend. The film cost about $19 million to produce. Its debut came as the 2026 domestic box office passed $8
Verity, the film adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s psychological thriller, opened at No. 1 at the domestic box office with $32.6 million from 3,510 theaters over the October 2–4 weekend. Starring Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett, the film added about $30 million overseas for a global start of roughly
NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center puts the chance that the current El Niño reaches historic strength during October through December 2026 at 75%, which would make it stronger than any event on record since 1950. With a very strong El Niño now considered nearly certain, Americans should expect it to shape
Buying or selling a home is one of the largest financial decisions most families will ever make. Price, timing, financing, and negotiation all carry real consequences. A single misstep can cost a family money, time, or peace of mind. For Tracie Benetz, leader of the Moving Memphis Group at Emmett
A pound of ground roast coffee averaged $9.317 in July 2026, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, just below the record $9.723 set in April. The high prices frame this week’s National Coffee Day on September 29 and the first UN-observed International Day of Coffee on October 1. Key
U.S. employers had 7.1 million job openings at the end of August 2026, down 256,000 from July, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on September 29. The openings rate slipped to 4.3%. Hiring, quits, and layoffs held roughly steady, so labor demand is cooling without a rise in job losses.
The nor’easter that hit the Northeast from September 25 to 28, 2026, wiped out one of the fall’s busiest live music weekends. Organizers canceled the Global Citizen Festival in Central Park, the three-day All Things Go NYC festival in Queens, and both of Ed Sheeran’s concerts at Gillette Stadium, shutting
The 2026 Atlantic hurricane season has reached late September without producing a single hurricane, the first time that has happened since 1914. Six named storms have formed, but none reached hurricane strength. Forecasters point to a strengthening El Niño that NOAA expects to rival or surpass the strongest on record
Diesel fuel prices in the United States have surpassed their all-time high, reaching a national average of more than $6.51 per gallon according to AAA, as American farmers enter the fall harvest season with no viable alternative to the fuel that powers their combines, tractors, and transport trucks. The previous