Today's essentials include: CNN town meeting, McDonald's developments, Hurricane aftermath assessment, Middle East updates, and Inflation insights.
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1. CNN town hall
Vice President Kamala Harris will participate in a CNN town hall at 9 p.m. ET tonight with an audience of voters who are undecided from Pennsylvania. Former President Donald Trump declined CNN’s invitation to join a town hall. Trump also stated falsely this Tuesday that Harris was “taking another day off tomorrow” as she prepares for the live CNN event. “She’s taking another day off tomorrow, they say. What the hell? Maybe she knows something we don’t know,” Trump said at a rally in North Carolina. Analysts note that Trump, who insists erroneously that the 2020 election was marred by massive fraud, is setting the stage for challenging a potential defeat in November should it occur.
2. McDonald’s
The CDC issued a food safety alert on Tuesday regarding a multistate E. coli outbreak that is said to be linked to McDonald’s Quarter Pounders. At least 49 cases of illness have been reported across 10 states, including one death. Most of the illnesses are in Colorado and Nebraska. The agency states that the investigation is moving quickly, and information examined by the FDA indicates that slivered onions are likely the source of contamination. McDonald’s stated in a press release that it has removed the slivered onions and quarter-pound patties from stores in Colorado, Kansas, Utah, Wyoming, and parts of Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, and Oklahoma. In other states, Quarter Pounder burgers may not be available.
3. Hurricane aftermath
The North Carolina county that houses Asheville overreported deaths caused by Hurricane Helene by up to 30, according to a statement from its sheriff’s department and data from the state, lowering the death toll from the historic storm. Buncombe County officials, who previously reported 72 deaths, have now deferred to the state’s count of 42 deaths for the county. Meanwhile, some Florida areas have seen a recent increase in confirmed cases of flesh-eating bacteria following the destructive hurricanes Helene and Milton, according to data from the state health department. Health officials urged caution and warned against coming into contact with floodwaters where the Vibrio vulnificus bacteria can multiply rapidly.
4. Middle East
Lebanon registered the most fatalities in a single day since October 30, based on data from the Lebanese health ministry, according to CNN. At the same time, Palestinians who are trapped in three cities of northern Gaza are recounting stories of terror following Israel’s military intervention that targeted Hamas. Aid workers say hospitals are running low on supplies, and thousands of people in the Jabalya Refugee Camp are stranded without water. Secretary of State Antony Blinken underscored the importance of capitalizing on Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar’s death to secure the release of remaining hostages and to end the conflict in Gaza during his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
5. Inflation
High inflation has mostly been defeated worldwide, the International Monetary Fund stated on Tuesday, providing a surprisingly optimistic assessment of prices after warning only three months ago that progress in reducing inflation had stalled. “It seems like the global struggle against inflation has largely been resolved, even if price pressures persist in some countries,” the IMF said in its latest World Economic Outlook. The organization believes that global inflation will slow to 5.8% this year and drop to 3.5% by the end of 2023. The positive outlook on consumer prices comes less than two weeks before the US election, with inflation being a concern for voters. Meanwhile, at least 23 Nobel Prize-winning economists recently signed a letter stating that Kamala Harris’ economic agenda is “far superior” to Donald Trump’s proposed plans.
BREAKFAST BROWSE
Yelp removes reviews for the McDonald’s where Trump served fries
Some internet users viewed Trump’s visit to a Pennsylvania McDonald’s as an excellent opportunity to troll the business online. Yelp froze the franchise’s page following an influx of misleading reviews.
The world’s best bars for 2024 unveiled
A two-level speakeasy in Mexico City’s fashionable Colonia Juarez neighborhood has been crowned the world’s best bar. This image may provide evidence as to why it won first place.
LeBron and Bronny James create NBA history
Fans cheered on Tuesday when LeBron and Bronny James became the first father-son duo to play together in an NBA game. Here’s a recap of the iconic moment.
Walmart’s new threat to CVS?
Walmart is introducing a 30-minute prescription delivery service, posing a challenge to US drugstores. The service is already available in six states and is scheduled to reach 49 states by 2025.
Former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO facing sex trafficking charges
The clothing retailer's former CEO has been indicted on 16 federal charges of sex trafficking and international prostitution in New York.
Fernando Valenzuela, the legendary ballplayer who shot to fame with his incredible performance for the Los Angeles Dodgers, igniting the fan frenzy known as "Fernandomania" and altering baseball's cultural landscape, passed away on Tuesday, as reported by the Dodgers. He was 63. During his 17-year stint in Major League Baseball, Valenzuela was named an All-Star six times. He concluded his career with 173 regular-season victories and over 2,000 strikeouts.
TODAY’S NUMBER
$50 millionThat's the hefty fine dished out to American Airlines by the federal government following a comprehensive probe, which exposed multiple major infractions of rules safeguarding airline passengers using wheelchairs.
TODAY’S QUOTE
“We can no longer tolerate a corporation causing ongoing harm to our physical wellbeing, mental health, and overall life quality.”
— Rockdale County Commissioner Sherri Washington, expressing the sentiments of many Georgia residents pushing for BioLab's expulsion from the Conyers city, situated approximately 25 miles east of Atlanta. A fire in a BioLab industrial complex blanketed nearby communities in toxic smoke for days, forcing evacuations on a large scale and keeping schools closed for several weeks.
TODAY’S WEATHER
Get your local forecast here>>>
AND FINALLY ...
Identifying allergies vs. a coldCNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta shares insights on why allergy seasons are persisting longer than ever, and offers advice on discerning between allergies and a cold.
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- The investigation into the E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald's Quarter Pounders is progressing quickly, and US customers should be aware if Quarter Pounder burgers are not available in their local stores as a precaution.
