America in Brief

Elon Musk speaks during a town hall in Lancaster, Pa., on Oct. 26, 2024. Samuel Corum/Getty Images

Elon Musk Can Proceed With $1 Million Giveaway

Elon Musk can continue with his $1 million giveaways to U.S. voters, a judge ruled on Oct. 31.

Musk had been sued by Philadelphia District Attorney Lawrence Krasner for giving away $1 million cash prizes to voters in swing states who had signed a petition with his America PAC group to say they were in support of the U.S. Constitution.

Krasner argued that Musk’s actions amounted to election interference, but a judge has ruled to put the case on hold while a federal judge decides whether or not to take up the case.

The swing states in question—Pennsylvania, Georgia, Nevada, Arizona, Wisconsin, Michigan, and North Carolina—are not historically aligned with a political party and could vote either way.

Musk has said he will give away $1 million to someone every day until the election on Nov. 5.

McDonald’s E. Coli Outbreak Increases to 90 Cases

An E. coli outbreak at McDonald’s fast food restaurants has increased to 90 cases, U.S health authorities revealed on Oct. 30, although they appear to be from before the company took action to remove outbreak-linked onions from their McDonald’s Quarter Pounders.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there have been 15 new cases with five new hospitalisations.

McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski issued an apology on Oct. 29.

“On behalf of the entire system, we are sorry for what our customers have experienced. We offer our sincere and deepest sympathies, and we are committed to making this right.”

Number of Early Voters Surpasses 65 Million

Nov. 5 is less than a week away and the number of people who have already cast their vote has surpassed 65 million.

According to the University of Florida’s Election Lab website, 65,075,397 people have voted as of Nov. 1, which makes up approximately 18 percent of the population of the United States.

The number of people voting in person is 34,277,250, and so far 30,680,312 mail-in ballots have been returned.

According to Pew Research Center the 2020 presidential election had the highest population turnout since 1900, with about 66 percent of the voting-eligible population turning out to vote.

Voters prepare to cast their early ballots in Tempe, Arizona, on Oct. 10, 2024. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

Jaywalking Becomes Legal in New York City

Jaywalking, a term used to describe pedestrians crossing the street outside designated walkways and against traffic lights, has now become legal in New York City.

The new law went into effect on Oct. 28, allowing pedestrians to cross the street at any location and disregard traffic light signals, although the new law states that crossing outside of designated walkways does not give pedestrians right of way.

Jaywalking became an offence in New York City in 1958, carrying a maximum penalty of $250.

The term jaywalking originated in Kansas in the early 1900s, from the term “jay” meaning an ignorant person. Then with the rise in popularity of the car industry, the term “jay driver” was applied to someone who didn’t follow traffic laws, before becoming immortalised as “jaywalking” during the height of pedestrian killings in America.

Council Member Mercedes Narcisse said in an emailed statement, “Let’s be real, every New Yorker jaywalks.”

A pedestrian moves quickly outside of a crosswalk at the busy intersection of W. 96th Street and Broadway in the Upper West Side of New York City on Jan. 27, 2014. Craig Ruttle/AP Photo