• The Nintendo Switch is a bonafide hit, and a great console on its own merits. 
• But the Nintendo 3DS family of portable systems might be a better bet for younger Nintendo fans, especially. 
• The consoles are cheaper — the Switch costs $300; the most expensive 3DS is $199. 
• The games are plentiful — the 3DS boasts some all-time great games in the "Super Mario" and "Legend of Zelda" franchises, plus lots and lots of others. 
• For the holiday season, Nintendo is selling an $80 2DS console, which can play just about every 3DS game, bundled with "Super Mario Maker." It's an amazing deal.

Nintendo is on one of the hottest streaks of its 128-year history: The new Nintendo Switch console is a bona fide smash hit, with lots of amazing games available and more to come. 

But while the Nintendo Switch is super-great, I'd urge you to at least think twice about picking one up.

While all eyes are on the Switch, the 8-year-old Nintendo 3DS has quietly become one of the best deals in video-game history. You can get started with the Nintendo 3DS for a lot less than the Switch, and play some of the very best games of this or any other generation. It's especially great for the younger generation — the consoles and games are both cheaper, and there are so many timeless classics for them to enjoy.

Here are a few reasons why the Nintendo 3DS might be the console to pick up for the young Nintendo fan in your life this holiday season. 

SEE ALSO: Nintendo just unveiled a new portable console — here's what it is and why you should want one

1. Price

The Nintendo Switch costs $299. Meanwhile, the cheapest member of the Nintendo 3DS family of systems costs $79. 

Wait, "family" of systems? Stick with me here, because this is where it gets a little complicated. Nintendo offers a selection of consoles, in different shapes and sizes, all of which can play Nintendo 3DS games. 

The lineup, as you'll see on store shelves today: 

Nintendo 2DS ($79)— Not only is it the cheapest option, but it comes with a game pre-installed. You can buy a 2DS bundled with "Super Mario Maker," a great game that lets you design your own "Super Mario" levels. The drawbacks: It doesn't offer Nintendo's neat glasses-less 3D feature (if that's what you're into), you can't scan Nintendo's Amiibo figurines without a dongle, and it doesn't support buying and downloading classic Super Nintendo games like "Super Mario World," as the others do.

New Nintendo 2DS XL ($150) — The most recent addition to the line, and probably the best balance between power and price on the menu. It boasts a clamshell design, so you can fold it up and shove it in a pocket or backpack without worrying about damaging the screen. The only real trade-off is that you lose that same glasses-less 3D feature. But honestly, you won't miss it. It comes bundled with "Mario Kart 7."

New Nintendo 3DS XL ($199) — The best of the best, the tip of the top. It has all the same specs as the 2DS XL, but also offers that 3D feature. It's not strictly necessary, but the 3DS XL is for those who don't want to limit their options.

2. Aesthetics

Props to Nintendo for letting users customize their Nintendo Switch consoles — you can buy the system's Joy-Con controllers in an expanding range of colors, adding some flair. 

But if you want something that really stands out, the 3DS family might be right for you. 

The Nintendo 2DS comes in a slick yellow-and-red that matches the construction zone aesthetic of the included "Super Mario Maker" game.

There's also a $159 version of the New Nintendo 2DS that comes in a flashy "Legend of Zelda" motif, to match to included copy of "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D." Otherwise, the "Mario Kart 7" bundle comes in a slick black-and-blue design.

3. Battery life

The Nintendo Switch gets three, maybe four hours of battery life when it's not connected to power, depending on what you're playing. 

Meanwhile, the New Nintendo 2DS XL and New Nintendo 3DS XL both get around 7 hours of playtime — though you'll get less if you use the 3D effects on the 3DS. The 2DS tops out at around 5.5 hours, which is still better than the Switch.

• Amazon told some customers on Wednesday that their email address and name had been exposed.
• Amazon informed customers in an email that it happened because of a "technical error."
• The company did not release an estimate of the number of customers affected by the breach.
• One security expert said that Amazon's email to customers "could be viewed as one of the worst breach notes in history."

Amazon told some customers on Wednesday that their email address and name had been exposed because of a "technical error." Beta News was first to report the breach.

Here's what the email to customers said, according to text shared on Amazon's seller forums:

Hello,

We're contacting you to let you know that our website inadvertently disclosed your email address due to a technical error. The issue has been fixed. This is not a result of anything you have done, and there is no need for you to change your password or take any other action.

Sincerely,
Customer Service

Though Amazon told customers that they would not need to change their passwords, a list of confirmed email addresses does leave customers vulnerable to things like brute-force hacking, in which a hacker tries to enter a user's account by trying commonly used passwords until successful.

Read more: Amazon's reputation is taking another hit in the wake of its HQ2 decision

"We have fixed the issue and informed customers who may have been impacted," a representative for Amazon said in a statement.

The company did not explain how or where the information became visible but said it was not a breach of Amazon's website or systems.

Some customers who received the email responded with confusion on social media.

"This email is more alarming than it is helpful,"one customer said on Twitter.

Another suggested the leaked emails and names might result in customers appearing on spam lists.

"Not nearly good enough Amazon,"the person tweeted.

Andy Norton, an online security expert at the network security provider Lastline, didn't mince words when sharing his thoughts on Amazon's email to customers.

"The Amazon 'breach' note that was shared with customers states that the affected users don't need to take any further action if the names and emails were inadvertently disclosed to unknown parties," Norton said in an email.

Instead, he said Amazon should have advised customers to be careful when opening email and to be on the lookout for phishing scams.

"Because the cybersecurity and e-commerce industries are undoubtedly on edge ahead of the holiday shopping rush, this could be viewed as one of the worst breach notes in history," Norton said.

"It is creating confusion and uneasiness, and creating more questions than answers, when it should have done the opposite."

SEE ALSO: Walmart just hit a major milestone in its quest to take on Amazon

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: How Alibaba turned a fake holiday into a $25 billion shopping extravaganza that's bigger than Black Friday and Cyber Monday combined

• Water is crucial for your body to function properly. 
• There is, however, such a thing as drinking too much water and becoming overhydrated. 
• Overhydration can lead to falling electrolyte levels resulting in headaches, nausea, and weakness.

Water is vital to the human body and staying hydratedshould be a top priority for anyone looking to maintain a healthy lifestyle. You can, however, actually take your quest for hydration too far.

Experts recommend that healthy adults drink betweennine-13 cups of fluids per day. Drinking too much water can cause side effects that range from annoying to life-threatening.

Here's how to know if your water intake is too high.

You're drinking water even when you're not thirsty.

Experts believe that the vast majority of people meet their daily water needs by simplyletting their thirst tell them when to drink. If you're chugging water even when you're not thirsty, you could be drinking more than your body needs.

Overhydration is dangerous because itcan lead to an imbalance of electrolytes in the body. Electrolytes such as potassium, sodium, and magnesium help regulate everything from your kidneys to your heart function. If you consume too much water, there may not be enough of these electrolytes in your blood to keep your body working properly.

Though it's important to increase your water intake if you're engaging in strenuous physical activity or outside in hot weather, allow your natural thirst to be your guide in most situations.

Your urine is completely clear.

You might know that dark-colored urine can be a sign of dehydration, but that doesn't mean that you should aim to produce urine that's completely clear.

According to Healthline,pale yellow urine that looks like lemonade indicates a healthy level of hydration. Colorless urine, on the other hand, might mean that you are overhydrated and need to reduce your water intake.

You get up multiple times during the night to urinate.

Most people urinatesix or seven times every 24 hours, according to Medical New Today. If you find yourself urinating more frequently and needing to wake up at night to use the bathroom, you may be drinking too much water.

Other conditions such as urinary tract infections, diabetes, prostate problems, and pelvic floor weaknesscan also cause frequent urination, so talk to your doctor if you notice yourself peeing much more than usual.

• GameStop announced Wednesday that it will sell its Spring Mobile business, which owns and operates 1,289 AT&T wireless stores, for $700 million. 
• In September, the company reported second-quarter results that beat on revenue but missed on earnings.
• It's set to report third-quarter financial results after the market closes on November 29.
• Watch GameStop trade live.

GameStop shares surged as much as 18% on Wednesday after the company said it had agreed to sell its Spring Mobile business. 

In a statement, the company said it was selling the division, which owns and operates 1,289 AT&T wireless stores, to Prime Communications for $700 million. 

GameStop shares were halted before the announcement and touched an intraday high of $14.49 when trading resumed. The 18% gain was the most in over 13 years according to Bloomberg data.

The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2018, and proceeds from the sale will be used to lower outstanding debt, fund share repurchases, and reinvest in the core video-game and collectibles businesses, GameStop said.

"This transaction enables GameStop to enhance our performance with an increased focus on the video game industry and the rapidly-growing collectibles space," said executive chairman Dan DeMatteo in the press release.

"These are areas where we have considerable experience and where we are well positioned to capitalize on our competitive position."

In September, the company reported second-quarter results that beat on revenue but missed on earnings. It's set to report third-quarter financial results after the market closes on November 29.

GameStop is down 26% this year.

Now read:

• GameStop slides after missing on earnings and saying it's still looking into a sale

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: 4 lottery winners who lost it all

While many celebrate the holidays with homemade feasts filled with turkey and stuffing, there are some who choose to enjoy theirs at some of the world's finest restaurants. 

Eateries that have earned Michelin stars are considered some of the best restaurants in the world — and eating there usually comes with a big price tag.

While the holiday menus at such places look very different than what your grandma is serving, each dish is expected to be a holiday gift to your taste buds. 

From foie gras to squab, keep reading to find out what Michelin-starred restaurants are serving this holiday season. 

Quince in San Francisco

Quince in San Francisco earned three Michelin stars with its contemporary menu, which is best represented in its unique holiday dishes. 

Christmas Eve menu:

• Perigord truffle "carbonara" with smoked egg, pecorino, and savoy cabbage
• Roast goose with red cabbage cooked in goose fat and mushrooms

Cost: $335 per person 

Aureole in New York City

Although Aureole has "only " one Michelin star, it is considered one of the best restaurants in Manhattan. Its holiday courses show why. 

Christmas Eve menu:

• Butternut squash soup
• Poached Maine lobster with leeks and carrots
• Roasted Christmas goose with cabbage and brioche dumpling
• Venison loin with celery puree
• Prime beef tenderloin with roasted Brussels sprouts
• Red wine poached pear with spiced hot chocolate

Cost: $145 per person

La Pergola in Rome, Italy

La Pergola in Rome, Italy, has three stars and an impressive holiday menu. On Christmas Eve, the restaurant serves a wide variety of dishes from tuna tartare to lobster. But the Christmas Day dinner is most mouthwatering.

Christmas Day menu:

• Buffalo meat with smoked ricotta
• Squid filled with punk shrimps
• Capon tortellini with pumpkin puree
• Sole with spinach and black truffle
• Duck breast with black salsify and hazelnuts

Cost: $561 per person

• Sagittariuses are born between November 22 and December 21.
• Celebrities including Charlie Puth, Chrissy Teigen and Miley Cyrus were all born in Sagittarius season.

It's the beginning of Sagittarius season. Those born between November 22 and December 21 are known for their wanderlust, quick wit, and senses of humor.

From Miley Cyrus to Jay-Z, we've rounded up all of the celebrities that you didn't realize were born in Sagittarius season.

Scarlett Johansson

The Black Widow herself was born November 22.

Mark Ruffalo

The "Avengers" actor was born November 22.

Miley Cyrus

The newly-countrified singer turns 26 this November 23.

• Yes, people eat salad at Thanksgiving.
• About 28% of tables in the US will serve a green salad, 9% a Caesar salad.
• The people most likely to have a salad are on the West Coast and are spread all over the political spectrum.

Thanksgiving is a time to eat thousands upon thousands of calories by gorging ourselves on turkey, potatoes, gravy, and more.

But does anyone eat salad on Thanksgiving? We set out to investigate.

INSIDER conducted a nationwide survey using SurveyMonkey Audience. We got 1,217 individual respondents from November 16-17, 2018, and asked them to select all the dishes they expected would appear on their Thanksgiving table this year. All told, 1,211 respondents identified 11,153 expected dishes.

Read more: What Thanksgiving dinner looks like in your part of the country

So is anyone eating salad? You bet! According to our survey, 28% of Thanksgiving tables will have a green salad and 9% will have a Caesar salad. Indeed, 3% of our respondents said they would have both a green salad and a caesar salad.

That's some serious penetration. Green salads will appear on more Thanksgiving tables than macaroni and cheese, than cornbread, than casseroles, than sweet potatoes with the marshmallows on top. More people will have green salads on the table than stuffing from inside the bird.

But who, truly, eats salad at Thanksgiving? Green salads are on 37% of tables in the Pacific region comprised of California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska and Hawaii, and on 31% of tables in the Mountain West. Meanwhile, less than 1 in 5 respondents who live in the south would put out fresh greens with dressing.

Salad isn't on some political fault line either. Among people who identified as moderately to very liberal or conservative, the presence of a green salad on a Thanksgiving table was within a point, on 30% of right-leaning tables and 31% of left-leaning tables, with the remainder in the political center only eating green salad 27% of the time. Consumption of salads at Thanksgiving isn't even linked to income.

Read more:How liberals and conservatives do Thanksgiving dinner differently

Looking at the reported ethnic background of respondents, the only groups who were outside the margin of error of the national average were Hispanic respondents and Asian or Pacific Islander respondents, who each had an elevated 39% salad presence.

So should you bring a salad to a Thanksgiving potluck? Absolutely not, bring hearty food like cheesy potatoes or brussels sprouts. Also, absolutely do not do a caesar salad this year the CDC is recalling the romaine. But if you're hosting, it's perfectly fine to have a salad, if not encouraged: Nothing quite like eating a small pile of lettuce to completely assuage any guilt over a single 3,000-calorie meal.

SurveyMonkey Audience polls from a national sample balanced by census data of age and gender. Respondents are incentivized to complete surveys through charitable contributions. Generally speaking, digital polling tends to skew toward people with access to the internet. SurveyMonkey Audience doesn't try to weight its sample based on race or income. Total 1,217 respondents, margin of error 3% with 95% confidence level.

Visit INSIDER's homepage for more.

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NOW WATCH: This mind-melting thought experiment of Einstein's reveals how to manipulate time

• Black Friday means massive deals at retailers including Belk, JCPenney, and Kohl's.
• However, some stores are offering bigger discounts than others, according to an analysis of almost 7,000 Black Friday deals. 
• Here are the top 10 stores that are offering the largest Black Friday deals this year. 

As Black Friday grows near, shoppers need to get strategic about where to find the best deals. 

The power of Black Friday has cooled in recent years. Stores are more likely to offer deals year-round, and with other major sales day — such as Amazon's Prime Day in July — the kickoff of the holiday shopping season isn't quite what it used to be. 

However, that doesn't mean there are not incredible discounts to be found. Shoppers just need to know where to look for them.

WalletHub surveyed nearly 7,000 deals from Black Friday ads of 35 of the largest retailers in the United States. The website then analyzed which retailers were offering the largest average discounts.

Here are the top 10 stores to visit for the biggest possible Black Friday deals this year:

SEE ALSO: Alibaba just had the biggest online shopping day of all time, nearly tripling every company's 2017 Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales combined

10. Shopko

Average discount: 45.2%

Shopko is letting customers in at 2 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day and keeping stores open until 10 p.m. Black Friday.

9. Fred Meyer

Average discount: 45.3%

The supermarket — which is open on Thanksgiving Day — will kick off Black Friday at 5 a.m. 

8. Macy's

Average discount: 48.7%

The department store will be open between the hours of 5 p.m. and 2 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day.

• Gilead CEO John Milligan said in July that he'll step down by the end of the year.
• Four months later, the biotech company still hasn't announced his replacement.
• According to RBC Capital Markets analyst Brian Abrahams, here's who could replace Milligan. 

It's been four months since Gilead Sciences CEO John Milligan said he'd be stepping down from the role at the end of the year.

And so far, it's not clear who will pick up the torch after he departs. Gilead is known for its HIV and hepatitis C medications, and in 2017 it acquired drugmaker Kite Pharma, launching it into a cutting-edge area of cancer medicine.  

Read more: Here's why Gilead broke its dealmaking hiatus and splurged $12 billion on a cancer treatment

With 2019 fast approaching, RBC Capital Markets biotech analyst Brian Abrahams posited a list of likely candidates for the job. 

"Our sense from speaking with investors is that a CEO with a strong history of successful business development would be particularly well received," Abrahams wrote in a note Tuesday. 

A spokeswoman for Gilead said there's no update on the search

Here are the likely candidates:

• Jennifer Teubert, Johnson & Johnson's executive vice president and worldwide chairman for pharmaceuticals. Teubert has experience in HIV, infections diseases, cancer, and immunology — all areas of focus for Gilead. 
• Pascal Soriot, CEO of AstraZeneca. The Sunday Times reported in November that the pharma giant has begun succession planning for Soriot.
• Emma Walmsley, CEO of GlaxoSmithKline. Walmsley has only been in the role for a little over a year, but Abrahams notes that she, GSK Pharmaceuticals President Luke Miels, or chief strategy officer David Redfern would make good replacements as Gilead CEO because of their experience in HIV. 
• Daniel O'Day, CEO of Roche Pharmaceuticals. At the helm of Roche, O'Day has been involved in deals like the $1.9 billion acquisition of Flatiron Health and the $2.4 billion bid for Foundation Medicine. 
• Ian Smith, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Vertex Pharmaceuticals. Smith's been at Vertex since 2001. 
• Paul Clancy, chief financial officer of Alexion Pharmaceuticals. Clancy stepped into the role in July 2017 after serving as Biogen's CFO for a decade. 
• Gilead could also turn to executives with scientific background like Hal Barron, who joined GSK in 2017 as chief scientific officer, long-time Regeneron CSO George Yancopoulos, or Lawrence Blatt, who was formerly the global head of infectious disease and vaccines at J&J. 

Gilead could also count on some former executives to step back into the CEO role. 

• Bob Hugin, former Celgene CEO. Hugin recently lost a bid for US senator.
• Jeremy Levin, CEO of Ovid Therapeutics. Levin had a short stint as CEO of Teva Pharmaceuticals between 2012 and 2013. 
• David Hung, former CEO of Medivation. Hung left the company after Pfizer acquired the cancer drugmaker for $14 billion acquisition. Hung served as CEO of biotech Axovant for 10 months before stepping down in February. 
• Chris Viehbacher, former CEO of Sanofi. Viehbacher currently serves as a managing partner at Gurnet Point Capital, a venture fund based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. 

Gilead could also choose to promote internally. Should that happen, Abrahams wrote, Laura Hamill, the company's newly hired executive vice president of worldwide commercial operations, could be a good fit. 

See also: 

• The first female big pharma CEO had the perfect response to a question about women in leadership
• Regeneron’s coming late to a group of drugs that’s already worth billions — here’s why the company thinks it can still compete
• We spoke to the CEO of Roche Pharmaceuticals about how the pharma giant became a deal machine in 2018

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: The first woman in space almost didn't make it back to Earth and she had to keep it a secret for 30 years

• Condé Nast said it would no longer publish a monthly print edition of Glamour, but would publish occasional print issues.
• Glamour's print ad revenue declined 24% year to date, per MediaRadar.
• The shift of advertising online makes it hard to support mass-circulation magazines.

Glamour used to be the cash cow of Condé Nast. Now it's become the latest casualty of the shift to digital reading from print.

The glossy magazine publisher announced this week that the magazine would no longer publish a monthly print edition. The move was preceded by the hiring of an experienced digital editor Samantha Barry in January, and a cutback in the annual frequency, from 12 to 11 issues.

Barry said the move was intended to follow Glamour's readership, which she said was 20 million digitally and growing. But that's far from the whole story.

At 2.2 million, Glamour still has a huge circulation in print. That was fine when print advertising was robust enough to pay the bills. But declining print ad revenue and advertiser demand to reach engaged audiences has forced many big-circulation magazines to cut unprofitable circulation. Other magazines that have cut back the circulation they guarantee advertisers in recent years include Time, Family Circle, and Reader's Digest.

The ad declines have hit different magazines in different ways. Luxury advertisers are still wedded to print. But the mass fashion and beauty advertising Glamour relied on is fast moving to the web.

MediaRadar, which tracks ad spending across media, found that for the first 10 months of 2018, fashion advertisers spent 16% less in print versus a year ago, while their digital spending grew 60%. For its part, Glamour's print revenue declined 24% in the first 10 months of the year, said Todd Krizelman, founder and CEO of MediaRadar.

There's new competition for these ad dollars.

Snap won 150 fashion advertisers so far this year, almost all of them new over 2017, by MediaRadar's count. YouTube grew its fashion advertising 20% on the same basis, to 408 advertisers. "There are clearly new people you're fighting against," Krizelman said.

The Glamour shift also shows the challenges that legacy publishers face to get their expenses in line with revenue. Condé Nast is still known in the industry for high production costs. With losses estimated at $120 million last year, the company is looking hard for places to cut expenses, selling or closing magazines that aren't core to its future and consolidating staff. At the same time, like other publishers, it's pushing paywalls hard at titles like The New Yorker and Vanity Fair.

"You do have a notion across Condé Nast that the magazines were built so rich in salaries and perks and production costs," said Rick Edmonds, media business analyst at Poynter. "It's very hard to dial that back quickly. And with these magazines, their circulation is too large. If you're having to spend more to keep that base up, and the added expense of postal and delivery, you can be losing money on some of those units."

The print trends are sobering and don't look to reverse anytime soon. In its June forecast, IPG's Magna Global predicted traditional print advertising would plunge 17% this year even as the global ad market expands 6.4% this year.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: This mind-melting thought experiment of Einstein's reveals how to manipulate time

• NASA's Insight lander, the first mission to Mars since 2012, is scheduled to land on the red planet Monday, November 26.
• Once there, the lander will study Mars' temperature and check for marsquakes.
• The landing is expected to be difficult because of the planet's thin atmosphere and potential dust storms.

NASA's InSight lander, the first mission to study the deep interior of Mars, is scheduled to complete its six-month trip to the red planet on Monday afternoon. 

InSight, the first spacecraft NASA has sent to Mars since the Curiosity rover landed there in 2012, will drill about 16 feet down to check the red planet's temperature and insert a seismometer into Martian soil to study marsquakes.

But before it can do any of that, the spacecraft has to land. 

It won't be easy — the atmosphere on Mars is very thin compared to Earth's, so it does not produce enough friction for a spacecraft to slow down to a safe landing speed. Only 40% of missions to Mars have survived the landing; the United States is the only country to have successfully landed anything on the red planet.

According to NASA, the InSight lander will enter the Martian atmosphere going about 12,300 mph. It will only have about 6.5 minutes to slow down to about 5 mph, which it will do by using a parachute and firing descent thrusters. If everything goes according to plan, the spacecraft is expected to land on a flat, stable surface at Elysium Planitia — a broad Martian plain with few rocks or boulders — at about 3 p.m. EST on Monday. 

InSight's design, including its heat shield and parachute, are very similar to that of NASA's Phoenix spacecraft, which successfully landed near Mars' north pole in 2008. However, InSight will have more mass when it enters the Martian atmosphere than Phoenix did, which makes the landing more challenging. The new spacecraft is also expected to touch down at a higher elevation than Phoenix did, which means it will have less atmosphere to rely on for slowing down. 

The InSight mission is led by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. InSight, which set off from California's Vandenberg Air Force Base in May, was the first interplanetary rocket that NASA has launched from the West Coast. The lander left Earth accompanied by two small Mars-bound satellites that are collectively called Mars Cube One.

Read more:A tiny satellite bound for Mars just snapped a picture that makes the red planet look puny and insignificant

Once set up, InSight will stretch 20 feet long and weigh about 800 pounds. It'll be powered by two 7-foot-wide solar arrays. To measure marsquakes (which are similar to earthquakes but, of course, not on Earth), the lander has antennas that can record how much the planet shakes and wobbles. This data could help scientists determine whether Mars' core is solid or liquid. 

The lander is supposed to collect data on Mars until at least November 2020. NASA hopes to use this information to draw new comparisons between the interiors of Earth and the red planet. Eventually, the research could be used to learn more about which types of Earth-like exoplanets could support life. 

On Monday, NASA will be relying on other spacecraft and radio telescopes on Earth to monitor InSight's radio signals and determine when it reaches the red planet. The lander's design should allow it to touch down safely on Monday even if it reaches Elysium Planitia during a dust storm, thanks to the thick heat shield that protects InSight from dust. 

Although the entire landing won't be captured on video, NASA will broadcast live commentary and updates, along with photos showing InSight's descent.

You can watch the landing commentary live on NASA's stream below, starting around 2 p.m. ET on Monday:

SEE ALSO: NASA is about to launch a new solar-powered lander to Mars — here's what the InSight will do on the red planet

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: What it's like to pretend to live on Mars for 8 months

• Chief Justice John G. Roberts defended the federal judiciary and rebuked President Donald Trump in a rare statement.
• This came a day after Trump suggested a federal judge, who he called "an Obama judge," let political bias determine his decision to halt his administration's ban on granting asylum to migrants who illegally cross the border.
• "We do not have Obama judges or Trump judges, Bush judges or Clinton judges," Roberts said.

Chief Justice John G. Roberts defended the federal judiciary in a remarkable statement just a day after President Donald Trump suggested a federal judge, who he called "an Obama judge," let political bias determine his decision to halt his administration's ban on granting asylum to migrants who illegally cross the border. 

"We do not have Obama judges or Trump judges, Bush judges or Clinton judges," Roberts said in an unusual Wednesday statement. "What we have is an extraordinary group of dedicated judges doing their level best to do equal right to those appearing before them."

Roberts, who was appointed by former President George W. Bush in 2003, suggested that politicizing the courts is harmful to American democracy.

"That independent judiciary is something we should all be thankful for," he wrote. 

Trump lashed out at the federal judge when talking with reporters on Tuesday. 

"This was an Obama judge. And I'll tell you what, it's not going to happen like this anymore," the president said. "It means an automatic loss no matter what you do. ... People should not be allowed to immediately run to this very friendly circuit and file their case."

Trump has also repeatedly singled out the US Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, which is generally regarded as more left-leaning than other federal appeals courts, calling it a "disgrace" for blocking his immigration ban targeting Muslim countries last year. 

Other Supreme Court justices, including Sonia Sotomayor, have also recently defended the judiciary against charges that it is increasingly a political branch of government. 

"Conservative, liberal, those are political terms," Sotomayor said in a recent interview, arguing that the terms don't apply to federal judges, who rule based on their individual interpretations of the law. 

SEE ALSO: 'Another black eye': Accusations of racism swirl in contentious Mississippi Senate runoff

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: This top economist has a radical plan to change the way Americans vote

• President Donald Trump on Tuesday signaled to the world he feels the US-Saudi relationship is so utterly indispensable that he's willing to give Riyadh a pass on the brutal killing of Jamal Khashoggi.
• Trump touted Saudi Arabia's efforts to thwart Iran, as well as US arms sales and low oil prices in his controversial, forceful defense of the kingdom. 
• Foreign policy and national security experts feel Trump has greatly embellished the extent to which the US needs Saudi Arabia as a partner.
• At the end of the day, Saudi Arabia now needs the US more than it needs the kingdom, but Trump's policy in the region does not reflect this reality whatsoever.

President Donald Trump on Tuesday signaled to the world he feels the US-Saudi relationship is so utterly indispensable that he's willing to give Riyadh a pass on the brutal killing of Jamal Khashoggi.

The foreign policy community in the US was floored by the statement Trump released to this effect, characterizing it as antithetical to America's values and interests. Foreign policy and national security experts also feel Trump has greatly embellished the extent to which the US needs Saudi Arabia as a partner.

"The crime against Jamal Khashoggi was a terrible one, and one that our country does not condone,"Trump said in the controversial statement."In any case, our relationship is with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. They have been a great ally in our very important fight against Iran. The United States intends to remain a steadfast partner of Saudi Arabia to ensure the interests of our country, Israel and all other partners in the region."

The president in his statement also touted the purported economic benefits of the US partnership with Saudi Arabia, making inaccurate claims about US arms sales while emphasizing low oil prices. 

'We are being played'

Aaron David Miller, who helped shape US policy in the Middle East for decades while serving as an adviser to six secretaries of state, told INSIDER that Trump's statement was "astonishing."

"I worked for Republicans and Democrats through five administrations, and there has never been such a statement," Miller said, accusing Trump of "draining" US foreign policy of "any moral or ethical principles."

If put in the same position as Trump, Miller does not believe any of the administrations he advised would have done anything that "would fundamentally undermine the relationship" between Washington and Riyadh, but they would have at least signaled to the Saudis they "cannot have carte blanche to trample all over American interests and have us continue to support them."

Miller, who's now the vice president and Middle East program director at the Wilson Center, said Saudi Arabia and Prince Mohammed have succeeded in "bamboozling" the president. "We are being played," he said. 

Saudi Arabia is an "important security partner," Miller said, but not a true American ally as Trump said given it doesn't share US values. 

With that said, the strategic partnership between the US and Saudis that dates back to the 1940s has begun to crumble in recent years.

For decades, the US has provided security, while the Saudis have provided oil. But the US no longer needs Saudi oil, Miller said, as the shale revolution has made it virtually energy independent.

Indeed, it's the US, not Saudi Arabia, that is now the world's largest crude-oil producer. 

'Saudi Arabia needs us a lot more than we need them'

At the end of the day, Saudi Arabia now needs the US "a lot more than we need them," Gen. Wesley Clark, the former NATO Supreme Allied Commander, told CNN on Tuesday in response to the president's statement.

Clark said that the Saudis "need" US protection but the US no longer needs their oil, adding that though it might be "inconvenient" in the short-run for the US government to take actions that hurt the royal family there's also important strategic value in upholding American ideals.

"If we're going to have America in the world that we want to see, we have to stand up for our values, and we have to put those values up front," Clark said. "We need to help the Saudis come in our direction. And calling it like it is on this would help them." 

'We've allowed the US-Saudi relationship to get out of control'

Miller said Trump's obstinate support for Saudi Arabia is linked to his desire to be fundamentally anti-Obama.

The president felt his predecessor undermined two historically key partnerships with his policy toward Saudi Arabia and Israel and has been "determined to show that these are our core partners in the region and we are going to build policy around them," Miller said.

It's no coincidence that Trump's first trip abroad involved visits to Riyadh and Jerusalem. In the past, presidents often traveled closer to home, visiting neighboring countries like Canada and Mexico, on their initial foreign trips.

Miller said what's required moving forward is more balance in terms of US policy in the Middle East, contending the Trump administration needs to take advantage of the leverage it has over the Saudis in the region. This would involve cooperating with Iran when it serves US interests, but standing against it when it doesn't. 

"We've allowed the US-Saudi relationship to get out of control... and Khashoggi's murder is just the most extreme manifestation of a relationship that's out of control," Miller said.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is suspected of ordering Khashoggi's killing, but Trump is standing by him

Khashoggi, a journalist and US resident who wrote for The Washington Post, was killed in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2.

The Saudi leadership's narrative on Khashoggi's disturbing killing has taken numerous twists and turns, shifting from outright denial to acknowledging that members of the government ended his life. 

Read more: Here's everything we know about the troubling disappearance and death of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi

The CIA has reportedly concluded with "high confidence" that Khashoggi's killing was ordered by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto ruler of the country.

Trump in his statement on Tuesday said "maybe" Prince Mohammed orchestrated the killing, but "maybe he didn't." He's subsequently been accused of once again undermining the US intelligence community.

SEE ALSO: Jamal Khashoggi was barred from writing in Saudi Arabia after he criticized Trump, then left his native country

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Trump once won a lawsuit against the NFL — but the result was an embarrassment

• Elon Musk, CEO and cofounder of Tesla, said in a tweet on November 15 that Tesla has "acquired trucking capacity" to ensure that Model 3 units can be delivered by the end of 2018.
• Musk detailed that Tesla "bought some trucking companies & secured contracts with major haulers."
• However, several leaders within the auto hauling industry told Business Insider that they had not heard of any Tesla acquisitions in the industry. 

Bottlenecks in trucking have aggravated industries ranging from food to personal care to e-commerce this year.

Tesla has been hit, too. Elon Musk, CEO and cofounder of the electric carmaker, said in September that "delivery logistics hell" was delaying orders. 

However, on November 15, Musk said on Twitter that Tesla "just acquired trucking capacity" and "bought some trucking companies and secured contracts with major haulers." He didn't specify which companies were purchased or entered a contract, or how much equipment was acquired.

Now, customers have until November 30 to guarantee receipt of a Model 3 by the end of 2018, replacing the previous order-by date of October 15.

A Tesla spokesperson told Business Insider that the carmaker is focused on continually improving its delivery process, noting that its inventory levels are the lowest in the industry when measured in days of sales. 

The spokesperson said, to maintain this level, Tesla has acquired trucking businesses, purchasing or leasing additional equipment, or forming contracts with hauling companies. These moves are all confidential, according to Tesla. 

However, five executives in auto hauling trucking told Business Insider that they had not heard of Tesla purchasing a car hauler in the past few months, as Musk's tweets describe. 

"I haven’t heard any of our members being sold out or anyone else in the industry," Guy Young, general manager of the Auto Haulers Association of America, told Business Insider.

"I have never been approached and I don't know anybody who has been approached," Don Carney, CEO of Wind Gap, Pennsylvania-based Brothers Auto Transport, which was founded in 1996, told Business Insider. Carney added that he is connected with "a couple hundred carriers across the country."

Read more:One of the biggest problems facing self-driving trucks has little to do with the technology

"I haven't heard anything about Tesla and I follow as much as I can in this industry," John Shank, cofounder of Shank Bros. Auto Transport, told Business Insider.

One auto hauler, who didn't want his name or company printed, said he heard Tesla has purchased additional trucking equipment, but not a company.

Young said it's not unusual to buy additional equipment — but not an entire company. "That's generally what to do when you need to move cars," he said.

This isn't the first time Musk's statements on Twitter have confused industry insiders. Musk attracted controversy when he said on Twitter in August that he had "funding secured" to take Tesla private at $420 a share.

Following that, the Securities and Exchange Commission sued Elon Musk in September for making "false and misleading statements" about Tesla, a public company. Musk settled later that month. 

SEE ALSO: Tesla just had the worst year in its history, but now it's starting to look like the best tech company in the world

DON'T MISS: Driverless technology might actually add as many jobs as it destroys, but the new roles will be 'the worst trucking jobs around'

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Why you shouldn't be afraid to fly, according to a pilot with over 20 years of experience

The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

• KitchenAid's iconic stand mixers are on sale for Black Friday, and these are likely the lowest prices we'll see on them all year.
• Check back at this link for more Black Friday deals to watch on a rolling basis.
• To potentially save more on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, you can visit Business Insider Coupons to find up-to-date promo codes for a range of online stores.

Black Friday 2018 is almost here, and we're keeping a running log of the best deals in categories across the board so you can optimize your shopping with little effort.

You can see our full list of the best Black Friday deals we've found here, but there's some deals that have been on our minds for a while now — KitchenAid stand mixers.

While models and sizes vary, a KitchenAid stand mixer allows you to make everything from mincemeat to salsa, and whip up enough dough for more than 13 dozen cookies in no time one of —  making it one of those coveted kitchen items that home cooks dream of having on their countertop. 

Given their quality design and multitude of uses, KitchenAid stand mixers are undeniably pricey. If you, or any chef on your gift list, has been eyeing one of these devices, you're in luck. Right now, you can find plenty of great deals on KitchenAid stand mixers from retailers across the web, just in time for Black Friday. 

To make it easier for you to shop, we're going to break it down.

If you're new to the KitchenAid game, but are still interested in the product, check out this guide to get a sense of which model is right for you. If you know what you want, keep scrolling. You'll find the best deals on KitchenAid stand mixers, including tilt-head and bowl-lift models, organized by size.

We've scoured the web for the best KitchenAid stand mixer deals around — and we're pretty happy with what we've found.

3.5-Quart KitchenAid Stand Mixers

At the time of publication, Best Buy has the lowest price by $50.

• KitchenAid Artisan Mini Tilt-Head Stand Mixer, available at Best Buy, $199.99 (originally $329.99) [You save $130]
• KitchenAid Artisan Mini Tilt-Head Stand Mixer, available at Williams Sonoma, $249.95 (originally $430) [You save $180.05]
• KitchenAid Artisan Mini Tilt-Head Stand Mixer, available at Amazon, $249.95 (originally $399.99) [You save $150.04]
• KitchenAid Artisan Mini Tilt-Head Stand Mixer, available at Jet.com, $249.99 (originally $329.99) [You save $80]
• KitchenAid Artisan Mini Tilt-Head Stand Mixer, available at Bed Bath & Beyond, $249.99 (originally $329.99) [You save $80]

4.5-Quart KitchenAid Stand Mixers

At the time of publication, Walmart has the lowest price by $1.

• KitchenAid Classic Tilt-Head Stand Mixer, available at Walmart, $189 (originally $229) [You save $70]
• KitchenAid Classic Plus Tilt-Head Stand Mixer, available at Amazon, $189.99 (originally $321.99) [You save $132]
• KitchenAid Classic Plus Tilt-Head Stand Mixer, available at Macy's, $189.99 (originally $324.99) [You save $135]
• KitchenAid Classic Tilt-Head Stand Mixer, available at Best Buy, $189.99 (originally $259.99) [You save $70]
• KitchenAid Classic Tilt-Head Stand Mixer, available at Target, $189.99 (originally $259.99) [You save $70]

5-Quart KitchenAid Stand Mixers

At the time of publication, Macy's and Best Buy have the lowest price by $60.

• KitchenAid Artisan Series Tilt-Head Stand Mixer, available at Macy's, $219.99 (originally $374.99) [You save $155]
• KitchenAid Professional Series Bowl-Lift Stand Mixer, available at Best Buy, $219.99 (originally $499.99) [You save $280]
• KitchenAid Artisan Series Tilt-Head Stand Mixer, available at Williams Sonoma, $279.95 (originally $500) [You save $220.05]
• KitchenAid Artisan Series Tilt-Head Stand Mixer, available at Amazon, $279.95 (originally $429.99) [You save $150.04]
• KitchenAid Artisan Series Tilt-Head Stand Mixer with Glass Bowl, available at Bed Bath & Beyond, $299.99 (originally $429.99) [You save $130]

6-Quart KitchenAid Stand Mixers

At the time of publication, Macy's has the lowest price by $50.

• KitchenAid Professional 600 Bowl-Lift Stand Mixer, available at Macy's, $299.99 (originally $624.99) [You save $325]
• KitchenAid Professional 600 Bowl-Lift Stand Mixer, available at Amazon, $349.95 (originally $499.99) [You save $150.04]
• KitchenAid Professional 600 Bowl-Lift Stand Mixer, available at Williams Sonoma, $349.95 (originally $650) [You save $300.05]
• KitchenAid Professional 600 Bowl-Lift Stand Mixer, available at Bed Bath & Beyond, $349.99 (originally $499.99) [You save $100]
• KitchenAid Professional 6500 Bowl-Lift Stand Mixer, available at Williams Sonoma, $449.95 (originally $760) [You save $310.05]

7-Quart KitchenAid Stand Mixers

At the time of publication, Amazon has the lowest price by $5.

• KitchenAid Pro Line Bowl-Lift Stand Mixer, available at Amazon, $475 (originally $779.99) [You save $304.99]
• KitchenAid Pro Line Bowl-Lift Stand Mixer, available at Bed Bath & Beyond, $479.99 (originally $599.99) [You save $120]
• KitchenAid Pro Line Bowl-Lift Stand Mixer, available at Williams Sonoma, $749.95 (originally $1,300) [You save $550.05]

Looking for more deals? We've rounded up the best Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals on the internet.

Join the conversation about this story »

• Blade, an aviation startup that offers on-demand private flights on helicopters and seaplanes, is providing its employees with an unusual perk: electric scooters for all.
• Blade says it's providing employees with electric scooters to save them money on transportation and ease commutes to their office.
• The office already has a helipad, but em
• Scooters will be dockless and available for employees to check out for 24 hours at a time.

Employees of Blade, an on-demand helicopter ride startup, may not be able to fly to work like some of its posh clientele, but at least they'll be able to commute in style thanks to the company's latest work perk: electric scooters.

The Manhattan-based Blade will soon provide electric scooters to its 25-full time employees, chief financial officer Sean Grennan told Business Insider in an email. The "scooter-sharing pilot program" is meant to ease the back-and-forth commute to work for employees and save money on transportation costs, Grennan said.

Under the Blade pilot program, electric scooters can be checked out for up to 24 hours from the company's helipad-equipped headquarters, which is located in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood. Like many electric scooter startups run by Lime, Bird and Spin, the Blade scooters will be dockless, meaning that they can be left anywhere — an app will tell the users, in this case Blade employees, where the closest available scooter can be found. 

Grennan says that the scooters, pictured below, are being provided by "various manufacturers," giving Blade the opportunity to test out their models.

The company notes that the scooters would help "a number of Brooklyn based employees" impacted by next year's shutdown of the L subway line, a popular route for connecting Manhattan and Brooklyn.

Even as transportation startups are entering the scooter ride-share industry, Blade doesn't have any intention of expanding beyond helicopters and into the fast-growing scooter sector, Greenan said.

Blade, a startup founded in 2015, offers on-demand private flights on helicopters, seaplanes, and jets. Through its app, customers can book seats on daily scheduled flights, or charter their own on-demand flights. 

Read more:'Uber-for-helicopters' startup Blade just raised $38 million — here's what it's like to fly to the Hamptons

The company initially offered flights only between Manhattan and nearby destination spots, like the Hamptons, Nantucket, Westchester, and the Jersey Shore. Blade has since then expanded its offerings to five-minute Blade Bounce helicopter flights to New York area airports, commercial-sized aircraft flights to Miami, and jet planes to Vermont ski resorts.

Blade started off with its one helipad located at its office headquarters, but now has four private helipads (as well as customer lounges for pre-takeoff imbibing) located around the city. Take a look:

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Amazon wants to open 3,000 cashier-less grocery stores — and they'll have a major advantage over their competitors

• LeBron James and his business partner Maverick Carter formed SpringHill Entertainment years ago to get involved in show business.
• James' move to Los Angeles has seemingly helped SpringHill Entertainment, which has taken on several projects in recent months.
• Below is a list of James' current projects, from documentaries to scripted comedy series.

LeBron James has been involved in Hollywood for some time, and though he says his move to the Los Angeles Lakers wasn't about the entertainment business, it didn't hurt.

James and his business partner Maverick Carter founded SpringHill Entertainment together and have already produced several projects, from "The Wall" to "Survivor's Remorse" to "Cleveland Hustles."

Now that James is in LA, though, the production company has taken off, with James producing and co-producing several documentaries, docu-series, and scripted series, from dramas to comedies. He's even had some time to be involved in the filmmaking.

Here are all of the projects James is and has been working on, according to IMDB and SpringHill Entertainment's website.

1. "Space Jam 2"

Release date: Unclear; filming begins in 2019

What to know: The long-awaited sequel to Michael Jordan's 1996 hit is finally here, with LeBron starring in the movie. James' business partner Maverick Carter has said it won't be a sequel to the first film.

2. "The Shop"

Release date: On air now

What to know: James and company brought "The Shop" over from Uninterrupted to HBO this year, with two episodes airing this fall. Set in a barbershop, James, other athletes, musicians, and celebrities discuss sports, politics, race, and more.

3. "Shut Up and Dribble"

Release date: Out now

What to know: The three-part documentary, directed by Gotham Chopra ("Tom vs. Time") came out on Showtime in October and has received praise for its examination of the effect of the NBA on race relations and politics.

• Many stores have already launched their video game sales for Black Friday and the holiday season.
• Sony's main offerings are a discounted PlayStation 4 bundle with "Marvel's Spider-Man," and a big price drop on PlayStation VR headset bundles.
• Plenty of PlayStation 4 games will be on sale during the weekend too, including PS4 exclusive titles like "God of War" and "Horizon: Zero Dawn."

With Black Friday just a few days away, early video game sales have begun.

Sony recently announced that the PlayStation 4 has sold 86 million units worldwide, making it the most popular video game console on the market. That number will certainly grow during this year's holiday sales with a special bundle dropping the PlayStation 4 to its lowest price ever and steep discounts on the console's virtual reality headset, the PlayStation VR.

Here are the lowest prices for PlayStation consoles and games this holiday season:

SEE ALSO: Here are all the best deals for Xbox One consoles and games this holiday season

SEE ALSO: There's only one really good deal on the Nintendo Switch this holiday shopping season

This $200 PlayStation 4 bundle is the cheapest the system has ever been.

This $200 PlayStation 4 bundle with "Marvel's Spider-Man" will be one of the most sought after video game gifts this holiday season. Sony is offering the redesigned slim model with the year's most popular PS4 exclusive. "Marvel's Spider-Man" broke sales records with a massive launch in September; the game is a open-world adventure for gamers of all ages.

PlayStation VR bundles are $100 cheaper for the holidays.

The PlayStation VR is one of the most well-received virtual reality headsets, and it's reached its lowest price point so far. There are a few PSVR bundles out there offering different games, but I'd recommend the "Astrobot: Rescue Mission" and Moss" bundle pictured above. Both games came out this year and offer a wonderfully immersive VR experience.

If you're willing to pay a bit more, the "Creed: Rise to Glory" and "SUPERHOT VR" bundle comes with two PlayStation Move controllers, a slightly better value for the price. "SUPERHOT VR" is also one of the most exciting VR games I've played, making full use of the motion controls and VR headset.

Keep in mind that the headset must be hooked up to a PlayStation 4 to work, and games with motion controls may require the PlayStation Move controllers, which are not included in every bundle. Here are the available PlayStation VR bundles:

• PlayStation VR ASTRO BOT Rescue Mission and Moss Bundle - $199 at GameStop, Best Buy, Target, Walmart, Amazon and NewEgg
• PlayStation VR "Creed: Rise to Glory" and "SUPERHOT VR" Bundle (Comes with 2 PlayStation Move Controllers) - $249 at GameStop, Best Buy, Target, Walmart, Amazon and NewEgg
• PlayStation VR "Doom VFR" Bundle - $199 at GameStop, Best Buy, Target, Walmart, Amazon and NewEgg
  
• PlayStation VR "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR" Bundle (Comes with 2 PlayStation Move Controllers) - $249.99 at GameStop and Target (only available in stores).

You'll find deals on PlayStation games new and old in stores and online.

Hundreds of PlayStation games will be on sale for Black Friday and throughout the holiday season, including new games released during the last few months.

Here are more than 20 discounted games to look out for, at the cheapest prices we could find (Keep in mind that most major stores will have sales on the same games, even if the prices are a few dollars apart):

• "Assassin’s Creed Odyssey"— $27 at GameStop
• "Call of Duty Black Ops 4"— $38 at GameStop
• "Dragon Ball FighterZ"— $17 at Walmart
• "Fallout 76"— $39.99 at GameStop
• "Far Cry 5"— $19.99 at Best Buy
• "Final Fantasy XV Royal Edition"— $19.99 at Best Buy and GameStop
• "God of War"— $17 at GameStop
• "Grand Theft Auto V: Premium Edition"— $19.99 at Best Buy and GameStop
• Horizon: Zero Dawn Complete Edition"— $9.99 at GameStop
• "Injustice 2: Legendary Edition"— $19.99 at GameStop and Best Buy
• "Marvel's Spider-Man"— $39.59 in the PlayStation Store
• "Madden 19"— $27 at GameStop
• "Middle Earth: Shadow of War"— $9.99 at GameStop
• "Monster Hunter: World"— $17 at Walmart
• "NBA 2K19"— $29.99 at Best Buy, Walmart, and Target
• "No Man's Sky —$24.99 at Best Buy
• "Onrush"— $19.99 at Best Buy
• "Overwatch: Origins Edition"— $15 at Target
• "Persona 5"— $19.99 in the PlayStation Store
• "Red Dead Redemption II"— $59.99 with $10 gift card at GameStop
• "Resident Evil 7: Biohazard Gold Edition"— $17 at Walmart
• "Shadow of the Tomb Raider"— $27 at GameStop
• "Soulcalibur VI"— $35 at Walmart and Target
• "Star Wars Battlefront II"— $7.99 at Best Buy
• "Starlink: Battle for Atlas — $34.99 at Best Buy
• "Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection"— $19.99 at Best Buy and GameStop
• "We Happy Few"— $35 at Walmart and Target
• "WWE 2K19"— $27 at GameStop

If you're interested in getting digital copies of your games, Sony is also offering a bunch more sales in the PlayStation Store.

• Romaine lettuce is banned from the table once again as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention investigates a multistate outbreak of E. coli that has sickened at least 50 people across the US and Canada.
• This is the third time in less than 12 months that romaine lettuce has been deemed unsafe to eat.
• The problem shows how difficult it can be to control a supply of fresh, uncooked produce that touches dirt and changes hands countless times before it reaches consumers.
• Still, fresh produce is not the deadliest source of pathogens that we eat. That prize goes to meat.  

Once again, salad eaters are being told to avoid romaine. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced on Tuesday it is investigating an E. coli outbreak that spans at least 11 US states and two Canadian provinces. 

"Consumers who have any type of romaine lettuce in their home should not eat it and should throw it away," the CDC said, just two days before Thanksgiving. The ban comes as peak harvest season picks up at some of the nation's busiest romaine farms in states like Arizona.

"At this time, no common grower, supplier, distributor, or brand of romaine lettuce has been identified," the CDC added.

Lettuce-related outbreaks are starting to feel like a wintertime tradition. Seven months ago, another E. coli outbreak in romaine killed five people and sickened nearly 200 more. A year ago, one person was killed in another leafy-green outbreak that made 25 people ill. Here's why this keeps happening:

There's only one way that romaine gets contaminated with E. coli

E. coli is a broad species of gut bacteria (you have some of it in your intestines right now), but the strains that public-health investigators have discovered in sick people's feces recently are not the kind that keep us healthy. Instead, the E. coli in question — called O157:H7 — can make people develop bloody diarrhea, stomach cramps, vomiting, and kidney failure. In severe cases, the gut poisoning can kill. It's most dangerous for elderly adults and children.

An E. coli outbreak in lettuce can only mean one thing: The leaves have poop on them. The feces could come from livestock in a farm close to where lettuce grows, or they could come from washing the lettuce in water that's not clean. The contamination could also come from one of the countless people who touch the lettuce before it reaches consumers' mouths.

Read More: What is E. coli? 

It's pretty easy for bits of contaminated soil to get lodged into the folds of lettuce leaves. Although washing your produce at home can help reduce the chances of infection, it won't eliminate your risk of getting sick. That's probably why fresh produce accounts for nearly half of all foodborne illnesses in the US. 

An easy way to reduce your risk of getting sick, though, is to cut down on the number of hands that touch your leaves before you eat them.

Tim Richter, a romaine farmer in Puyallup, Washington, told the Associated Press that he encourages his customers to buy their own romaine heads and then wash and chop them at home, rather than buying pre-chopped bags of lettuce. That way, the leaves touch fewer hands, knives, and countertops as they go from soil to table. 

There's probably nothing inherently bacteria-prone about romaine lettuce as compared to other fresh leafy greens. Outbreaks probably just affect more people and are easier to notice when tied to a leaf that's commonly consumed. Lettuce is one of the most common veggies on American plates, and romaine's share of the market has been growing steadily since it was introduced in the late '80s. Romaine and leaf lettuce account for well over 60% of per capita lettuce consumption across the US, according to the USDA.

Uncooked leaves are not the deadliest thing on the menu this Thanksgiving

People infected with the O157:H7 strain of E. coli can develop "severe abdominal cramps and watery diarrhea, which may become bloody within 24 hours," according to the Merck Manual.  

"People usually have severe abdominal pain and diarrhea many times a day. They also often feel an urge to defecate but may not be able to," the manual says. In severe cases, the illness can lead to kidney failure. 

There's typically no fever involved, and there isn't much that otherwise healthy people can do about the infection besides staying hydrated. It can take anywhere from one to eight days for the illness to pass. 

Fresh produce is the most common source of food contamination, but food poisoning from meat and poultry is more deadly.

Taken together, meat and poultry account for 29% of the foodborne illnesses that kill people, while produce (fruit and vegetables combined) accounts for 23% of deaths. 

In fact, veggies are not even the worst source of E. coli infections — beef's track record is equally bad. Vegetable row crops (mostly leafy greens) and beef each account for roughly 40% of E. coli cases across the country, according to a 2013 CDC report.

Chicken and other poultry can also get people really sick — the birds are commonly a source of listeria and salmonella infections. This Thanksgiving, a salmonella investigation is underway for raw turkey that has sickened more than 160 people and killed at least one.

The good thing about meat is that correct preparation involves an easy "kill step"— cooking it to a high temperature ensures you won't sick. But there isn't a step like that for fresh greens. That's why the CDC urges travelers not to eat fresh salad or unpeeled fruits in developing countries, where night soil (i.e. human manure) might be used as fertilizer, and water used to rinse fruits and veggies may not be clean enough to drink.

Fortunately, these contamination concerns are less of an issue in the US. Americans consume, on average, nearly 25 pounds of lettuce per person each year. So a couple dozen cases of food poisoning this fall (while miserable for those infected) are still a drop in the proverbial salad bowl.

SEE ALSO: An E. coli outbreak from romaine lettuce has sickened 50 people — here's how to avoid getting sick

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: RANKED: The 10 healthiest leafy greens you should be putting in your salad

• Macy's will start its Black Friday sales on Thanksgiving.
• The department store will be open between the hours of 5 p.m. and 2 a.m. on Thursday, November 22, a spokesperson for Macy's told Business Insider. 
• This is the third year in a row that Macy's has opened during the holiday. The 5 p.m. opening time in 2016 marked the retailer's earliest Black Friday kickoff in history.

Macy's is opening its stores during Thanksgiving.

The department store will be open between the hours of 5 p.m. and 2 a.m. on Thursday, November 22. 

This is the third year in a row that Macy's has opened during the holiday. The 5 p.m. opening time in 2016 marked the retailer's earliest Black Friday kickoff in history.

A spokesperson for Macy's told Business Insider that employees that work on Thanksgiving will be paid overtime. 

Retailers have come under fire in recent years for kicking off their Black Friday sales on Thanksgiving. As a result, several have started to buck the trend and stay closed. 

At least 60 retailers including Costco, Home Depot, and TJ Maxx confirmed they would remain closed on Thanksgiving. 

While some retailers are still hoping to capitalize on Black Friday sales early by opening during Thanksgiving, some have likely pulled back because the famous shopping day doesn't carry the same weight it once did. This is partly because consumers are increasingly shopping for deals online, which means they don't need to waste time lining up in stores for one big day of shopping. They are also used to having deals year-round, which takes pressure off of the day.

On Black Friday last year, Macy's suffered a major technical glitch that prevented customers from paying with a credit card or using gift cards in its stores.  

"Came to the Macy's on State for some Black Friday shopping and all of the registers are down," one angry customer wrote on Macy's Facebook page at the time. "No credit or debit, only cash! Wasted time picking things out only to leave empty-handed with all my merchandise at the register."

More on Black Friday 2018:

• What you need to know about Black Friday this year
• Black Friday is dead — and constant discounts could be to blame
• Black Friday sales are starting soon — here's when stores will open
• Here's when Costco is kicking off Black Friday
• JCPenney is opening for Black Friday sales earlier than almost any other retailer

SEE ALSO: Black Friday is dead — and constant discounts could be to blame

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Target has a few sneaky ways it gets customers to spend more money