News

NPR reports: Quincy Jones, whose decorated music career ran from the early 1950s through the best-known works of Michael Jackson and beyond, died Sunday. He was 91. His death was confirmed by his publicist in a statement to NPR that did not mention the cause of death. The statement said that Jones died peacefully at his home in Bel Air, …

Axios reports: More than 75 million Americans have already cast their ballots as of the Sunday before Election Day. That’s over 48% of the total number who voted in 2020 (154.6 million), indicating that early and mail-in voting has become increasingly popular methods to vote and become a new normal in American politics. In Georgia, more than 4 million have …

The Hill reports: A Federal Communications Commission (FCC) commissioner has claimed that Vice President Harris’s recent appearance on “Saturday Night Live” violates the “equal time” rule. “This is a clear and blatant effort to evade the FCC’s Equal Time rule,” Commissioner Brendan Carr posted on the social platform X Saturday in response to a post from The Associated Press about …

The Guardian reports: Restaurant chain TGI Fridays filed for bankruptcy protection Saturday, saying it is looking for ways to “ensure the long-term viability” of the casual dining brand after closing many of its branches this year. The Dallas-based company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in a Texas federal court. TGI Fridays executive chair Rohit Manocha in a statement said …

Politico Europe reports: Green politicians from across Europe on Friday called on U.S. Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein to withdraw from the race for the White House and endorse Democrat Kamala Harris instead. “We are clear that Kamala Harris is the only candidate who can block Donald Trump and his anti-democratic, authoritarian policies from the White House,” Green parties …

ABC News reports: Target is helping people put an affordable meal on the table this Thanksgiving with a four-serving offering that only costs $20. The retailer announced the return of its popular Thanksgiving meal on Monday, and it’s $5 less than last year. The $20 dinner includes all the traditional Thanksgiving favorites: A Good & Gather Turkey up to 10 …

Restaurant Business reports: TGI Fridays has closed another large swath of restaurants across the country, continuing the casual-dining chain’s decline toward a potential bankruptcy filing. According to TGI Fridays’ website, the chain now has 164 U.S. locations, 51 fewer than it had two weeks ago. Local media reports from New Jersey, New York, Ohio and California indicated that TGI Fridays …

Democracy Docket reports: The U.S. Postal Service told voters in a release Monday that if their mail-in ballots must be delivered by Election Day, they should mail them by Tuesday, Oct. 29. “We continue to recommend that it is a good common-sense measure for voters who choose to mail in their ballots to do so before Election Day and at …

Democracy Docket reports: A judge declined to order South Carolina’s Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and State Election Commission (SEC) to register thousands of young voters whose registrations were mistakenly denied because they were not yet 18 when they registered but would be by Election Day. These voters will not be allowed to cast a ballot this November. The Richland …

Florida Politics reports: A U.S. Mail contract postal worker is accused of throwing 1,000 pieces of mail — including at least one mail-in ballot and 400 political mailings — into the woods Tuesday in Orange County instead of delivering the items just before the Nov. 5 election, according to a new federal criminal complaint. Ottis Nicole McCoy Jr. tossed the …

From the Justice Department: A former Border Patrol agent was sentenced in a federal court in San Antonio to 50 years in prison for 10 counts related to the production, distribution and possession of child sexual abuse material. According to court documents, Paul Casey Whipple, 41, of Hondo, was arrested Dec. 19, 2017, during a search warrant at his residence. …

NBC News reports: At least 75 people have gotten sick after eating McDonald’s Quarter Pounders linked to a deadly E. coli strain, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Friday. The 75 cases, up from 49 on Tuesday, have been reported in 13 states. Twenty-two people, up from 10, have been hospitalized. The CDC said Tuesday that one person …

NewsNation reports: Costco has recalled more products over fears of listeria contamination, part of a much larger recall of ready-to-eat chicken. The most recent recalls include Readywise 110 Serving Emergency Protein Bucket and Red’s Southwestern Grill Chicken Mini Burritos, El Monterey Mexican Grill Chicken & Cheese Taquitos, Rana Chicken Truffle Carbonara and Tagliatelle Grilled White Chicken & Portabello Mushroom Sauce. …

The New York Times reports: One day after a multistate E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald’s Quarter Pounder hamburgers was publicized, a major supplier of onions in that region has issued a recall. Though federal regulators have not confirmed the source of the outbreak, which has so far killed one person and sickened 49, initial investigations have suggested that the …

NBC News reports: The president of McDonald’s USA said Wednesday that the company can “restore confidence” as it seeks to minimize the damage from an E. coli outbreak linked to the chain’s Quarter Pounders in multiple states. “We are very confident that you can go to McDonald’s and enjoy our classics. We took swift action yesterday to remove the Quarter …

Oklahoma City’s NBC affiliate reports: Benjamin Glaze, a former “American Idol” contestant, was arrested in Tulsa, Oklahoma, last week after authorities say they found hundreds of images and videos of child pornography on a smartphone in his home. The Tulsa Police Sexual Predator/Digital Evidence Recovery Unit says it received a tip about Glaze, 26, back in April 2024, claiming that …

USA Today reports: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Tuesday that multiple agencies are investigating an E. coli outbreak linked to Quarter Pounder burgers at McDonald’s. The agency said there have been at least 49 people sickened across 10 states, with 10 people requiring hospitalization and one death. The majority of illnesses have been reported in Colorado and …

NBC News reports: Harvey Weinstein, the disgraced Hollywood mogul whose alleged sexual misconduct fueled the #MeToo movement and who was recently indicted on new charges, has chronic myeloid leukemia, two sources told NBC News. The sources added that Weinstein is undergoing treatment in prison at Rikers Island in New York. Chronic myeloid leukemia is an uncommon form of cancer of …

The New York Times reports: With two weeks until Election Day, more than 15 million people have already cast their ballots, the clearest sign yet that voting habits were forever changed by the coronavirus pandemic and that early voting has become a permanent feature of the American democratic process. While many people cast a mail-in ballot or voted early in …

Axios reports: The race to succeed Joe Biden as the 47th president remains close, but a new Atlanta Journal-Constitution/University of Georgia poll shows former President Trump with a slight edge over Vice President Kamala Harris in the Peach State. Trump leads Harris 47% to 43%, outside the margin of error of 3.1%, among the 1,000 likely voters in Georgia who …