5 things to know for October 26: Senate race, January 6, Iran, voting machines, LinkedIn | CNN

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Window or driveway? Many travelers prefer the window seat on flights for the overhead view — and to avoid the discomfort of an accidental arm brush. Others like the aisle seat for its easy access to the toilet. Whatever your preference, one thing is certain: the middle seat is unquestionably the least desirable place. A major airline is aware of this fact and has just introduced a lottery allowing passengers to win money simply by sitting in the middle seat.

Here’s what else you need to know to Level up and get on with your day.

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The two candidates competing in arguably the most publicized Senate race of the year squared off in a televised debate on Tuesday. Democrat John Fetterman and Republican Mehmet Oz are vying for votes in Pennsylvania in a race that is seen as the Democrats’ best chance to flip a Senate seat, with Republican Sen. Pat Toomey retiring at the end of the term. During the debate, Fetterman’s delivery was at times hesitant and repetitive, dropping words during responses and occasionally losing his train of thought. He is currently recovering from a stroke he suffered in May. Much of the debate’s attention has focused on how Fetterman’s struggle with auditory and speech processing might impact the conversation against Oz, a famous doctor who rose to fame hosting a show. of daily television for years. But the debate ultimately focused on the deep political differences between the candidates, with the two clashing over energy policy, abortion and the economy.

The Justice Department is asking a federal judge to force two of former President Donald Trump’s White House lawyers to testify about their conversations with the former president, according to three people familiar with the investigation. The decision to demand additional testimony from former White House attorney Pat Cipollone and deputy White House attorney Patrick Philbin last week is part of a series of secret court proceedings. Trump fought to block former advisers from testifying before a criminal grand jury about certain Capitol riot conversations on Jan. 6, 2021, citing executive and attorney-client privileges to keep confidential information or slow down criminal investigators. Separately, Hope Hicks, who served as Trump’s communications director, is being called back for a formal interview with the House select committee investigating the insurgency, a source familiar with the details told CNN.

Anti-government protests have gripped Iran since the September death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who died after being taken by morality police to a “re-education center” for not wearing her hijab properly. Today marks the 40th day since his death and in Iranian culture, the 40-day mark of a person’s death is an important day of mourning. According to Iranian state media IRNA, Amini’s family will not hold a rally for his death today in an effort to quell the violence. “Given the circumstances and in order to avoid any unfortunate issues, we will not be holding a ceremony marking the 40th day,” the family statement read, according to IRNA. On Sunday, President Biden gave his support to protesters in the country, saying the United States stands with the “brave women of Iran who are now demonstrating to secure their basic rights.” In response, Iran said it would sue the United States, alleging “direct involvement” in the protests.

Two counties in the western battleground states of Arizona and Nevada are moving forward with plans to hand-count ballots in this year’s back-to-back midterm elections – a sign of the deep distrust of electronic vote counting machines in some pockets of the country. Officials from the two communities still plan to use machines for the tallies, but experts fear the extra tallies could result in two different totals and further undermine public confidence in the election. Critics also say counting thousands of ballots by hand is unlikely to produce accurate results. Meanwhile, local election workers are leaving their posts en masse due to continued threats and harassment ahead of November’s midterm elections. In some places, the exodus has opened the door for election deniers seeking positions in county election offices.

LinkedIn is rolling out new features to catch bots and fake accounts on its site. Although often seen as a tame social platform for professionals and job seekers, LinkedIn is not immune to inauthentic behavior, which experts say can be difficult to detect and is often perpetrated by sophisticated bad actors on the site. Last year, the professional networking company came under fire for accounts containing artificial intelligence-generated profile pictures used for cryptocurrency marketing or promotion, and other fake profiles listing big companies like employers to apply for high-level job vacancies. In the second half of 2021, the company removed 11.9 million fake accounts during signup and another 4.4 million before they were reported by other users, according to its latest Transparency Report. The company told CNN Business this week that the new features will soon help users assess the authenticity of accounts before engaging with them.

A baby beaver builds a makeshift dam to ward off his nemesis

A cute beaver goes viral for her gnaw-ledge on how to fend off enemies. Watch the video here.

Corporate America cancels Kanye West

On Monday, Adidas ended its partnership with Ye, also known as Kanye West. Here are the companies, people and athletes who have also cut ties.

The search for habitable planets may have just gotten much narrower

Scientists have long theorized that some type of star could support life beyond Earth…but now that idea seems unlikely.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg honored on new postage stamp

The late Supreme Court Justice RBG will be honored with a new postage stamp in 2023, the U.S. Postal Service announced. See a photo of it here.

Coke products might look a little different next year

You may have heard of the bizarre, limited-time flavors of Coke. Well, now the company is also experimenting with its packaging.

Ash Carter, who served as President Barack Obama’s last defense secretary, has died, his family has announced. He was 68 years old. Carter, who led the Defense Department from February 2015 to January 2017, suffered a “sudden cardiac event” Monday in Boston, his family said in a statement. As head of the Pentagon, Carter oversaw the final years of US involvement in Afghanistan under President Obama and US efforts to combat the rise of ISIS in the Middle East. Her tenure also saw efforts to expand the roles available to women in combat as well as lifting the ban on transgender people serving openly.

7,560

That’s the number of pounds of sausages produced by Bob Evans Farms that have been recalled due to possible contamination, according to the FDA. The item, labeled “Bobs Evans Italian Sausage”, was recalled after some consumers reported finding small pieces of thin blue rubber in the product. The USDA has recommended that customers not consume the sausage if its expiration date is 11/26/22.

“Unfortunately, we are working with our outside partner to add to our program, gun safety, of all the things to add.”

– Superintendent of St. Louis Public Schools, Dr. Kelvin Adams, on adding gun safety to the system’s curriculum after a gunman killed two people and injured several others in a shooting at a school on Monday. “Not just reading, writing and arithmetic, but reading, writing, arithmetic and gun safety,” Adams said. The 19-year-old shooter graduated from school last year and returned Monday with an AR-15 type rifle, more than 600 rounds and more than a dozen high-capacity magazines, police said. He died in a hospital after a shootout with officers.

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Impressive indoor skydiving

Watch this indoor skydiver defy gravity in a skillful routine. (Click here to see)