Kamala Harris and Donald Trump deliver significantly different closing arguments. High birth costs leave insured middle-class families with crippling debt. And an ancient Mayan city is discovered beneath the jungle.

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Harris promises to “look for common ground” in closing arguments as Trump resorts to attacks

A week before Election Day, Vice President Kamala Harris delivered her closing arguments in a speech at The Ellipse, the same venue where former President Donald Trump spoke on January 6, 2021. The focus of her speech was Trump's authoritarian rhetoric. She characterized her Republican rival as “unstable, obsessed with revenge, consumed by resentment and seeking uncontrolled power.” Unlike Trump, Harris promised to “look for common ground” and “always put country over party.”

However, Harris' message was one of unity in the shadow of President Joe Bidenwho appeared to criticize either Trump supporters or comedian Tony Hinchcliffe over racist jokes made during Trump's New York rally last weekend. “The only trash I see floating out there is his supporters,” Biden said during a video call on outreach to Latino voters. The White House quickly went into damage control mode, claiming Biden was referring to the “hateful rhetoric” expressed at Trump's rally.

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Harris' speech also included an economic pitch in which she promised to ban food price gouging, cap the cost of insulin and prescription drugs and help first-time home buyers with down payments.

Read the full story More information about Harris' speech.

While Harris tried to paint a picture of a better economic future under her leadership, Trump focused much of his closing argument on illegal immigration. He has said he wants to abolish sanctuary cities, close the southern border and carry out mass deportations if he wins.

But Trump is threatening to drown out his own closing argument by resorting to attacks on his rivals and off-topic remarks. In recent weeks, he has insulted Harris' intellect, threatened to jail political opponents and compared himself to the inventor of the paper clip. More recently, Trump has done this worked to suppress the anger about Hinchcliffe's jokes. At a rally yesterday in Allentown, Pennsylvania, a majority Latino city, Trump called to the podium the Republican shadow senator from Puerto Rico, who announced: “The people of Puerto Rico trust you.”

Read more about Trump's closing arguments.

More election coverage:

• ➡️ As we wait for Election Day, NBC News chief correspondent Chuck Todd would like to share his thoughts. Specifically: “I want to basically turn everything I think on its head” about how the campaign might end and what awaits on election night. Read the full analysis.
• ➡️ When will NBC News' Decision Desk find out who won the presidential race? If it's a close race, Don't expect a quick solution.
• ➡️ Trump's team is considering asking local law enforcement for help with mass deportations threaten to withhold federal grants to those who refuse to participate, sources said.
• ➡️ Nikki Haley criticized Trump worldwide for the language used in recent ads and at his New York rally: “This bromance and masculinity stuff” will “make women uncomfortable.”
• ➡️ House Speaker Mike Johnson said there would be “massive” changes to healthcare if Trump wins the election.
• ➡️ The Supreme Court declined a long-term offer by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to remove his name from the ballot in Wisconsin and Michigan.
• ➡️ Three-term MP Colin Allred is seeking to unseat Senator Ted Cruz in Texas. Allred, a civil rights attorney and former NFL player, leans toward bipartisanship while promoting progressive policies.

They belong to the middle class and are insured. The birth of a child still left them with crippling debt.

Healthcare costs for Jessica Hurley's pregnancy, delivery of her twins, and the twins' NICU stays totaled nearly $38,000. Although the Hurleys' bills were eventually processed and they were granted financial assistance, they were still responsible for nearly $11,500. Hurley said she dreads going to the doctor to take care of her own health needs and those of her sons for fear of “what bills I might get.”

Becky Munge almost died while giving birth to her daughter in 2021. The Munges ended up paying $8,000 for a complicated delivery and a stay in the NICU after insurance covered about $1 million in medical costs. You still owe $4,000 for treatment of a bone infection. By prioritizing their medical expenses over other costs, the Munges racked up about $55,000 in credit card debt and depleted their retirement accounts.

The Hurleys and the Munges belong to a vulnerable category of middle-class families: They earn too much for Medicaid but cannot afford or access insurance that adequately covers costly births. In recent years, major healthcare reforms have left this group behind.

Several families who spoke to NBC News about the medical debt they faced after giving birth said the expenses have strained their marriages and made it difficult for them to afford clothes and toys for their children. And they all found it almost impossible to be sure what they owed and why.

Read the full story here.

How North Korea could benefit from fighting Russia's war

The Pentagon confirmed this week that around 10,000 North Korean troops have been deployed to Russia and are expected to join the Kremlin's war against Ukraine “in the next few weeks.” It is a turning point that complicates an international web of interests and, some observers say, risks escalating the conflict by linking rising tensions in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region.

It is clear how Russia is benefiting from the influx of troops after Ukraine seized part of Russian territory in the Kursk region in August. But what does North Korea get out of it? Analysts point out a few things.

Since North Korea has not been at war in years, deploying its military to the battlefield would give troops and generals a chance to learn modern warfare. In fact, a deeper partnership between Russia and North Korea is a likely boon for Kim Jong Un's nuclear ambitions.

read all about it

• The New York Yankees avoided a win in the World Series yesterday. won 11:4 against the Los Angeles Dodgers. One of the game's strangest moments: as a Yankees fan tried to rip up a foul ball from the glove of Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts.
• At least 51 people were killed after heavy rains Flash flood in southern and eastern Spain, local authorities said.
• Teri Garr, the Oscar-nominated actress known for her roles in “Young Frankenstein” and “Tootsie,” died at the age of 79.
• David DePape, the man who broke into Representative Nancy Pelosi's California home and attacked her husband with a hammer, was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
• Grave cleaning videos have long inspired fascination, but one creator's approach to the practice is big causes outrage.
• “Danger!” Host Ken Jennings exclaimed a “problematic answer.” during Monday's episode and apologized to a contestant.

Personnel selection: A huge ancient city is found by chance

Imagine looking at a map and realizing that you have an entire ancient city in front of you that could have housed up to 50,000 people at its peak. This happened to a graduate student. candidate at Tulane University in New Orleans who “stumbled upon” a massive ancient Mayan city in Mexico while searching drone data. His find led to researchers discovering 6,674 structures that had been hidden in the jungle for a long time. The results are surprising in themselves, but also make me wonder: What other relics are out there that we don't yet know about? — Elizabeth RobinsonNewsletter editor

NBC Select: Online shopping, simplified

If you love fall leaves but don't like the mess they leave on your patio and lawn, maybe it's time for a leaf blower. Here are seven tips recommended by experts. And if you're looking to shop from small businesses this holiday season, check this out Gift ideas from these brands.

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