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Episode Date: October 26, 2024

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Support for NPR comes from NPR member stations and Eric and Wendy Schmidt through the Schmidt Family Foundation Working toward a healthy resilient secure world for all on the web at the Schmidt org Live from NPR news. I'm Dale Willman Israel hit Iran with a series of airstrikes overnight The attacks began early Saturday morning local time. Israeli Defense Forces spokesman Daniel Hagare explained why the attacks began. In response to months of continuous attacks from the regime in Iran against the state of Israel, right now the Israel Defense Forces is conducting precise strikes on military targets in Iran. The regime in Iran and its proxies in the region have been relentlessly attacking Israel since October 7th on seven fronts,

including direct attacks from Iranian soil. The stands were vibrating under the stomping feet of the crowd at Shell Stadium in Houston Friday night at a rally for Vice President Kamala Harris. Beyoncé was the special guest, but the crowd was cheering for Congressman Colin Allred, who's challenging Texas Senator Ted Cruz as Democrats try to flip the seat blue this year. MPR's Deepa Shivram was there. The crowd of 30,000 was chanting, beat Ted Cruz, as Allred spoke. Democrats haven't held a Senate seat in Texas in 30 years,

but this year, with reproductive rights front and center in the race, they may have a chance. Harris was in Houston to support Allred and to focus her campaign in the final days on the issue of abortion access. She spoke about what women and mothers have gone through and also how it affects men. Men across America do not want to see their daughters and wives and sisters and mothers

put at risk because their rights have been taken. Beyoncé was the special guest at the rally and introduced Harris. And before her, women who have been denied reproductive care in Texas told their stories on stage. Deepa Sivaram, NPR News, Houston. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, meanwhile, campaigned in Texas Friday before flying to Michigan where he held a rally in Traverse City. He told the crowd that everyone likes him, but one group in particular shows him strong supports.

We're doing unbelievable with men. They've never had anything like it. White men, black men, men like me. Trump was delayed in Texas and was three hours late to that rally in Michigan. The conservative Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Friday against a Mississippi law that allows election officials to count mailed ballots that are postmarked by Election Day but that arrive later. The decision sends the issue back to a lower court. It's likely that it will be appealed to the Supreme Court. For the first time in World Series history, a game ended with a grand slam.

Freddie Freeman hit the homer with two outs in the 10th inning and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the New York Yankees 6-3 in the series opener. The Yankees had taken a 3-2 lead in the top of the 10th. It was the third straight World Series opener that went to extra innings. You're listening to NPR News. DNA testing has confirmed the identity of a skull nearly half a century after it was found in the walls of an Illinois home. As NPR's Rachel Triesman reports, it belonged to an Indiana teen who died in 1866. The skull was discovered in 1978 during renovations to the house in Batavia, a

suburb of Chicago. Kane County coroner Rob Russell announced the results of DNA testing this week, years after the cold case was reopened. We now know the skull found in the wall in Batavia as Esther Granger. Granger died in 1866 at the age of 17 after giving birth to her first child. Authorities say she was buried in Indiana and was likely the victim of grave robbing. The city paid for her remains to be reinterred in Batavia at a ceremony where her great-great-grandson gave the eulogy. Rachel Triesman, NPR News. Delta Airlines has filed a suit against CrowdStrike, the cybersecurity firm that's been blamed

for causing a global technology outage this summer. Delta says the company caused the airline to lose more than $500 million because it was forced to cancel thousands of flights. Delta says CrowdStrike failed to properly test a software update before sending it to Microsoft computers around the world. An assessment of wildfires this year in Brazil has concluded that the blazes have damaged an area equal to the size of Switzerland, and officials with the Amazon Environmental Research Institute say it will take decades for the region to recover if it ever does. The burned area represents an increase of 846 percent over damage during last year's

fire season. I'm Dale Willman, NPR News. This message comes from EasyCater, helping organizations manage all their food needs, with online ordering from restaurants people love, employee lunch programs, and tools to simplify food spend all on one platform. Learn more at EasyCater.com.