5 things to know for Oct. 23: CNN town hall, McDonald’s, Hurricane aftermath, Middle East, Inflation

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The FAA has published new rules that it calls “the final piece of the puzzle” toward allowing electric “air taxis” to start whizzing through the skies. Pilots must now learn the new subset of aircraft designs, part of a budding industry being flooded with investment money in hopes of a future that closely mirrors the flying cars from “The Jetsons.” Here’s what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day. Vice President Kamala Harris will participate in a CNN town hall at 9 p.m. ET tonight with an audience of undecided voters from Pennsylvania. Former President Donald Trump declined CNN’s invitation to participate in a town hall. Trump on Tuesday also falsely said that Harris was “taking another day off tomorrow” as she readies for the live CNN event. “She’s taking another day off tomorrow, they say. What the hell? Maybe she knows something that we don’t know,” Trump said at a rally in North Carolina. The former president has been raising doubts about the integrity of the election as he accuses Democrats, without evidence, of trying to cheat in the 2024 race. Analysts say Trump, who wrongly insists the 2020 election was marred by massive fraud, is setting the stage to challenge a potential defeat in November. The CDC issued a food safety alert Tuesday regarding a multistate E. coli outbreak that it says is linked to McDonald’s Quarter Pounders. At least 49 illnesses have been reported across 10 states, including one death. Most of the illnesses are in Colorado and Nebraska. The agency says that the investigation is “fast-moving” and that information reviewed by the FDA shows that slivered onions are a likely source of contamination. McDonald’s said in a statement that it has removed the slivered onions and quarter-pound patties from stores in Colorado, Kansas, Utah, Wyoming and portions of Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico and Oklahoma. In other states, Quarter Pounder burgers may not be available. The North Carolina county that is home to Asheville overcounted deaths caused by Hurricane Helene by as many as 30, according to a statement Tuesday from its sheriff’s office and data from the state, significantly reducing the death toll from the historic storm. Buncombe County officials, who previously reported 72 deaths, are now deferring to a state tally of 42 deaths for the county. Meanwhile, some areas in Florida have seen a recent increase in confirmed cases of flesh-eating bacteria following the devastating hurricanes Helene and Milton, according to state health department data. Health officials issued a statement urging residents to remain vigilant and avoid floodwaters where the Vibrio vulnificus bacteria can multiply rapidly. Lebanon marked the most fatalities in a single day since September 30, according to a CNN tally based on data from the Lebanese health ministry. At the same time, Palestinians trapped in three cities of northern Gaza are recounting scenes of horror after Israel’s military launched a renewed incursion that it said is targeting Hamas. Aid workers say hospitals are running out of supplies and thousands of people in the Jabalya Refugee Camp are stranded without water. On Tuesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken underscored the need to “capitalize” on the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar to secure the release of the remaining hostages and to end the war in Gaza during his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.