Americans Prepare for Upcoming Election Day


The U.S. is on edge as it enters Election Day. In the final sprint of the campaign, Donald Trump delivered a 90-minute, grievance-filled speech in North Carolina yesterday while Kamala Harris focused all of her energy on Pennsylvania, the largest of the seven swing states that will choose the next president.

This presidential campaign has been darker than any in recent memory. In dozens of interviews over the final days of the campaign, Americans reported heading to the polls with a grim sense that their nation was coming undone.

Right-wing groups are using Telegram to urge their followers to watch the polls. Some have spread conspiracy theories that anything less than a Trump victory would be a miscarriage of justice worthy of revolt.

Counting the votes will extend beyond election night, and determining the outcome of the presidential race could, too.

The Israeli authorities are investigating a spokesman for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office who is suspected of illegally obtaining and leaking classified documents to the news media. Three other suspects in the case are members of the military and security establishment.

The case has caused an uproar in Israel, where critics have accused Netanyahu of torpedoing a deal to return hostages and of prolonging the war in Gaza for political reasons.

Israeli bombardment damaged an already crippled major hospital in Jabaliya, just north of Gaza City, injuring medical staff and patients, according to the Gazan health ministry.

A Gazan man was faced with a perilous choice as Israel’s forces closed in on the north: stay with his family, or risk his life escaping.

The death toll from last week’s floods in Spain rose to 215, as the country predicted even more rain in the coastal provinces of Catalonia, Tarragona, and Castellón. Dozens of flights were canceled, and 18 flights were diverted from landing in Barcelona. Rain was also falling in Valencia, the region hit hardest by flash floods.

The disaster has sparked an angry debate in Spain over accountability, with some people accusing government officials of waiting too long to send warnings. On Sunday, protesters expressed their frustration towards King Felipe VI, Queen Letizia, and local leaders during a visit to the flood-ravaged town of Paiporta.

Indonesia is home to more than 700 native languages, many of which are at risk of disappearing due to lack of a written form. To preserve their ancestral speech, the Cia-Cia tribe’s children are learning the South Korean alphabet, which experts have found shares linguistic similarities with their language.

Quincy Jones, who died on Sunday night at 91, was one of the most powerful forces in American popular music for more than half a century. As a producer, he was responsible for Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” the best-selling album of all time, and influenced nearly every genre he touched from the 1950s onward.

For today, recommendations include a roast chicken and couscous recipe with halloumi, walnuts, and lemon; a watch of Steve McQueen’s World War II drama “Blitz”; fantasy books that transport readers to other worlds; and various games such as Spelling Bee and Wordle.

See you tomorrow for a special Election Day edition of the briefing.





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