Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump Urgently Get out the Vote, Cubs World Series Champs After 7 Games and 108 Years, and More

With just five days left before Election Day, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are making their final cases to voters as the race is somewhat tightening, according to national and battleground state polls in recent days. For Clinton, that means sending out key surrogates to targeted rallies. For Trump, who has no big name surrogates and who is his own best salesman, it means giving as many as five speeches at rallies in a day.

Clinton's message appears less confident than it once did, going negative against Trump rather than championing her plans. She has sought to capitalize on sexual accusations against the New York businessman and raised the issue of a nuclear war in recent days.

"Imagine him plunging us into a war because someone got under his very thin skin," Clinton said about Trump at a rally on Monday. "Now, I know there are some who would say that any discussion of this topic (nuclear weapons) could be fear-mongering, but I don't think so."

When asked on Wednesday about Clinton's grim rhetoric in the final days, Clinton campaign spokeswoman Jennifer Palmieri told reporters: "The fact is, the choice the Donald Trump represents is pretty dark. This is what the choice is. This is the last week America had to make their choice and she wants to make sure people understand what that choice is."

Top Stories

In a Tightened Race, Clinton and Trump Make Urgent Push to Get Out the Vote: "The presidential campaign broke into a final, urgent sprint Wednesday as Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton and their allies fanned across the country, warning supporters against complacency and pressing their case to the remaining pool of ambivalent voters. The tightness of the race — and the multiple states poised to have a pivotal effect on the outcome — was apparent in the vast distances covered by the candidates and their surrogates, as well as the tens of millions of dollars in advertising lined up to fill the airwaves in the last days." (The Washington Post)

Game 7 the Hard Way: Cubs Win World Series Title After Epic Comeback: "No more curses. No more jokes. No more reputation as lovable losers. But most important, no more misery for the fans of a storied baseball franchise who have suffered more than a century without a World Series title. After 108 years, the Chicago Cubs can finally call themselves champions after beating the Cleveland Indians, 8-7, in Game 7 of the 2016 World Series on Wednesday." (Patch)

President Obama Knocks FBI: 'We Don't Operate on Innuendo': "President Barack Obama called into question the decision by FBI Director James Comey to make a vague announcement last week that the agency is reviewing new evidence in its investigation into Hillary Clinton's email practices, warning the bureau that it should avoid operating on 'leaks' and 'innuendo.'" (Patch)

British Court Delivers Blow to E.U. Exit Plan, Insists Parliament Has a Say: "A senior British court on Thursday dealt a severe blow to Prime Minister Theresa May’s plans to begin the process of exiting the European Union early next year, ruling she must get Parliament’s approval before she acts." (The Washington Post)

From the Twitterverse

Forget those silly 2016 election polls. This is a prediction:

On the Radar

• Donald Trump has four rallies scheduled in three states: Florida, Pennsylvania and North Carolina.
• Hillary Clinton will be joined by Bernie Sanders for rallies in North Carolina.
• Tim Kaine will campaign in Arizona.

Today's Numbers

• 5 days until Election Day 2016.
• Facebook pulls in more than $7 billion in quarterly revenue.
• Donald Trump has slept in his own bed during the election season — all but 4 nights.
• A new CDC report finds just 8.9 percent of Americans don’t have health insurance coverage — the lowest percentage ever recorded.

Quote of the Day

Donald Trump, speaking to...himself:

“We’ve got to be nice and cool, nice and calm. All right, stay on point Donald, stay on point.”

Allen McDuffee is a politics and policy reporter, investigative journalist, blogger and podcast host. He has written for The Atlantic, Wired and The Washington Post. Follow him on Twitter: @AllenMcDuffee

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr Commons