Remarks made at Trump rally backfires. And, Yankees aim for World Series comeback

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Today’s top stories

Former President Donald Trump made a final appeal to the nation in front of a full crowd at Madison Square Garden last night after more than four hours of guest speaker appearances. The first guest, comedian and podcaster Tony Hinchcliffe joked that Puerto Rico is a “floating island of garbage.” One speaker seemed to imply that Vice President Harris is a prostitute.

• 🎧 NPR’s Danielle Kurtzleben tells Up First there is a stark contrast between Harris’ and Trump’s current message. Harris is highlighting women who have lost their lives or had their lives threatened by the overturning of Roe v. Wade. On the other hand, one of Trump’s openers made a joke about Taylor Swift being killed by her boyfriend. This isn’t a winning message for women voters — a demographic Trump is behind in the polls for, Kurtzleben says. As the end of his campaign nears, he is still rolling out new proposals including a tax credit for people caring for family members.
• ➡️ Harris promoted a new pledge to boost Puerto Rico’s economy yesterday, contrasting the messages made at Trump’s rally. Megastar Bad Bunny highlighted the pledge to his 45 million Instagram followers.

Today, high-ranking South Korean officials are expected to present NATO allies with evidence about North Korean soldiers showing up in Russia to fight in Ukraine. This comes after U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed he believes at least 3,000 North Korean soldiers are in Russia, calling it a very serious escalation. Today’s briefing aims to get all 32 NATO allies on the same page.

• 🎧 One of South Korea’s concerns is North Korean troops getting battlefield experience, something they haven’t had since 1953, NPR’s Teri Schultz says. Nobody knows what else Russia and North Korea could be exchanging, such as ballistic missiles. NATO can issue a statement about how this cooperation is unacceptable but it doesn’t have the authority to tell North Korea and Russia what to do. South Korean intelligence will also brief European Union officials and the country has the ability to impose sanctions.

The 2024 World Series is coming to the East Coast. After the Los Angeles Dodgers won the first two games, the  New York Yankees will now host games three and four and, if necessary, game five. The Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani hurt himself in game two trying to steal second base, but the team’s manager Dave Roberts told reporters yesterday that Ohtani has gotten back his normal range of motion and is expected to play.

• 🎧 “Historically teams that win the first two games, not a surprise, go on to win the series more often than not — 80% of the time,” NPR freelance reporter Steve Futterman says. But teams have come back from 0-2 deficits many times. In fact, the last two times these two teams faced off in the World Series in 1981 and 1978 that’s exactly what happened.

Deep dive

Braddock, Pa., on Oct. 16, 2024.

Nate Smallwood for NPR

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Nate Smallwood for NPR

Pennsylvania is one of the largest election battleground prizes for a presidential candidate. The state’s 19 electoral votes will likely decide the road to victory. With just days until the election, Harris and Trump have been barnstorming the state to rally support. To see how their messages are resonating with residents, Morning Edition hosts Michel Martin and Steve Inskeep each led teams across the state to speak to voters in Pittsburgh, Gettysburg, Allentown, Philadelphia and more. The Pennsylvanians they spoke to reflect a divided electorate: Some are inspired by Harris’ vision while others believe in Trump’s economic policies. And, there were some who weren’t sure about their candidate. Here’s what they told us.

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series for more powerful tools and strategies to help reduce anxiety and improve feelings of well-being.

Internal Family Systems, or “parts work,” has surged in popularity. It’s the idea that we all have multiple parts, like sub-personalities. According to Richard Schwartz’s book No Bad Parts, getting to know our multiple parts better and treating them with compassion may help better manage our lives and stress. Various studies have shown IFS can benefit people with specific problems, including symptoms of PTSD and stress; the pain, discomfort and depression from living with rheumatoid arthritis; and depression. Here’s how it works:

• 🧠 Start by listening to your parts. Tune in to one sensation or image and ask it what it wants you to know.
• 🧠 Try starting a dialogue with your parts: What do you want me to know? What do you want to show me?
• 🧠 IFS teaches that we all have exile parts, which hold onto hurtful memories. These exiles can stay locked deep within, but reliving those experiences can help with unburdening.
• 🧠 If you engage in negative self-talk, use the U-Turn technique: Take a moment to notice what’s happening inside and look inward.

See the complete list of how the IFS process works.

3 things to know before you go

In this photo illustration, a McDonald’s Quarter Pounder hamburger meal is seen at a McDonald’s on Oct. 23 in the Flatbush neighborhood in the Brooklyn borough of New York City.

Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

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Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

1. McDonald’s will resume selling the Quarter Pounder this week after 75 people became sick due to E. coli found in an onion supply.
2. Over 15 columnists at The Washington Post called the paper’s decision not to endorse a presidential candidate a “terrible mistake” in an opinion piece on the paper’s website.
3. Timothée Chalamet surprised his fans at a look-alike competition for the actor in NYC’s Washington Square Park yesterday. (via Gothamist)

This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.