Good Morning! Today’s edition is 1,083 words, a 4-minute read.

What’s on tap: 

• Lost Maya city discovered with lasers

• Starbucks wants corporate employees back in the office

• McFlurry machines could be fixed faster now

First-time reader? Sign up here!

**Editor’s note: There was an error in yesterday’s edition. The final score of the Dodgers - Yankees game was 4-2, not 4-0.

Big Story

Know Your Rights When Your Flight Is Delayed

The Department of Transportation’s new rule to help travelers get refunds for canceled or delayed flights is fully in effect.

• Now, if a domestic flight is delayed over three hours or an international flight is delayed over six hours, airlines must automatically issue a full refund without the passenger requesting it.

• Refunds are also available if passengers experience significant changes, like flight reroutes or downgrades, and choose not to take the altered flight.

• If checked bags are delayed, passengers can get refunds on bag fees—if bags aren’t delivered in 12 hours for domestic flights and 15-30 hours for international flights.

• Airlines must also refund fees for services like Wi-Fi, seat selection, or in-flight entertainment if these services are non-functional during the flight.

• If travelers are advised by a doctor not to fly due to a serious illness or face government travel restrictions after booking, they can get an airline credit valid for at least five years.

Big Story

Lost Maya City

A team of researchers discovered a lost Maya city of temple pyramids in the Mexican jungle.

• Using a technology called Lidar, which uses laser pulses to map structures beneath vegetation, researchers revealed the city’s complex layout.

• They found pyramids, sports fields, plazas, and amphitheaters connected by roads. The city — named Valeriana — is thought to be one of the densest Maya sites, second only to the nearby Calakmul.

• Valeriana is estimated to have held 30,000-50,000 people at its peak, more than the number of people in the area today. It was hidden in plain sight, only 15 minutes from a major road.

• Six years ago, some of the same researchers used LiDAR to uncover tens of thousands of Maya houses & buildings in the Guatemalan rainforest. The study estimated that 10 million people once lived in the Maya lowlands.

Big Story

Duterte’s “Death Squad”

Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte admitted that a “death squad” existed during his time as mayor of Davao City to fight crime.

• He initially claimed the squad was run by police officers but later suggested it was made up of gangsters. When he was president, some people testified that the squad carried out killings on his orders, though there was no proof found.

• In a recent Senate hearing about his anti-drug campaign, Duterte named “commanders” of the death squad, including former police chief Ronaldo dela Rosa. He said he never ordered direct killings but instructed the squad to make criminals "fight back" and then "solve" the issue by killing those who resisted

• Human rights groups recorded around 1,400 suspicious deaths in Davao during Duterte’s mayoral years. Later, his war on drugs as president saw over 6,200 deaths, sparking an ongoing International Criminal Court investigation.

Quick Stories

U.S. News

• Virginia asked the Supreme Court to allow the removal of over 1,600 people from its voter list, claiming they aren’t citizens. The Justice Department disagreed and had a district judge reinstate them, arguing that the removals happened too close to the election. (More)

• A judge sentenced the man who attacked Nancy Pelosi’s husband to life in prison. David Depape broke into Pelosi’s San Francisco home in 2022 and attacked her husband with a hammer. (More)

• A New York museum curator discovered a new piece of music believed to be written by Frédéric Chopin. He found the unknown waltz on a card with the composer’s name in the Morgan Library and Museum vault. (More)

World

• Mount Fuji is missing its usual snowcap. Japan had its hottest summer on record this year. And unusual warmth has continued into fall, making this the latest it’s been without snow since records began in 1894. (More)

• Hezbollah named a new leader — former deputy Sheik Naim Kasem. Israel killed its former chief and his presumed successor in missile strikes earlier this month. (More)

• The UK teen accused of murdering three girls at a dance class is facing terrorism charges. Police discovered he produced deadly poison ricin and found a jihadi training manual on his computer. (More)

Business & Economy

• US stock markets closed mixed on Tuesday (S&P +0.16%, Nasdaq +0.78%, Dow -0.36%). (More)

• Starbucks has ordered corporate employees back into the office. Employees will risk losing their jobs if they don’t work from the office three times a week starting in Jan. 2025. (More)

• TikTok’s founder is now China’s richest person. Zhang Yiming is worth $49.3bn. He stepped down from the company in 2021 but owns 20% of the firm. (More)

Sports & Entertainment

• The Yankees avoided a World Series sweep by pounding the Dodgers 11-4. New York has a steep hill to climb, as no MLB team has ever won the championship after being down 3-0. Game 5 is tonight at 8:08 PM ET. (More)

• Duke freshman Cooper Flagg signed an NIL with Gatorade. He is the first male collegiate basketball player to sign with the company. (More)

• The USWNT came back from a 1-0 halftime deficit to beat Iceland 3-1 on Sunday — their second win against the team in three days. The USWNT are 12-0 under new head coach Emma Hayes. They play Argentina tonight at 7 PM. (More)

Science, Health, & Tech

• Marijuana is bad for babies. New research shows that prenatal exposure to cannabis can negatively impact children’s behavioral development, including impulse control, attention, and aggression. (More)

• LinkedIn has upped its AI game. The professional networking platform launched Hiring Assistant, a new product to take on the role of job recruiters. (More)

• Paleontologists found a 450-million-year-old arthropod preserved in fool’s gold. The species has a leg jutting out of its head called a “great appendage” that likely helped it live in harsh environments. (More)

Extra Credit

🎃 Iowa kids will trick-or-treat on Halloween for the first time since 1938.

🍦 A government ruling will help McDonald’s McFlurry machines get fixed faster.

🏘️ Elon Musk is allegedly building a compound for all 11 children. 

🐺 Michigan’s new “I Voted” sticker has a werewolf.