News Briefs: Hostages found dead; Southwest seating change; Puerto Rico vote; ABC lawsuit

Today’s news briefs include: Southwest seating changes; More Israeli hostages found dead; Puerto Rico vote; Lawsuit against ABC granted.

Southwest ditches hated open seating

Southwest Airlines will do away with the much-hated open seating arrangement where customers must pay to guarantee theycan sit together. The carrier also announced it will follow other airlines and charge a premium for other seats. Southwest said customers demanded the change – “when people switch to a competitor from Southwest, the company said the No. 1 reason the unhappy passengers cite is open seating. But the change will also help the company charge some passengers more for their tickets,” according to CNN. The company said that 80% of Southwest customers, and 86% of potential customers, “prefer an assigned seat,” the airline revealed in a statement.

More hostage bodies found in Gaza

The BBC reports the bodies of kindergarten teacher Maya Goren as well as the soldiers Major Ravid Aryeh Katz, Master Sergeant Oren Goldin, Staff Sergeant Tomer Ahimas and Sergeant Kiril Brodski were found during an operation in the Khan Younis area. The military said it had determined that Goren was murdered in captivity, while the soldiers were killed in combat on 7 October and their bodies then abducted. The announcement means 111 of the 251 people taken hostage are still being held by Palestinians in Gaza. The military says about 1/3 of those are presumed dead.

Lawsuit against ABC, Sephanopolous may proceed

A judge on Wednesday rejected ABC’s motion to dismiss a defamation lawsuit filed against anchor George Stephanopolous and the network by former President Trump, allowing it to proceed. The lawsuit is over comments Stephanopoulos made in March when he falsely claimed that Trump was found “liable for rape.” Judge Cecilia Altonaga ruled a reasonable jury “could conclude Plaintiff was defamed and, as a result, dismissal is inappropriate.” Stephanopolous made the false claim 10 times in a Sunday morning segment. A Jury refused to find Trump guilty of rape, instead concluding he harassed E. Jean Carroll.

Puerto Rico to vote on independence

The island of Puerto Rico’s will vote on its political status on Nov. 5 about its future. Three choices in the following order will be offered, according to AP: independence with free association; statehood and independence. “Under the free association option, issues like foreign affairs, U.S. citizenship and use of the U.S. dollar would be negotiated,” AP reports. Regardless of the non-binding election, any decision for statehood or nationhood would require approval from the U.S. Congress and the U.S. president. Puerto Rico already has held six referendums, the most recent one in 2020, when voters were asked a single question: “Should Puerto Rico be admitted immediately into the Union as a State?” Nearly 53% were in favor of statehood.