The Guardian US writer Chris McGreal reports from his time in Saginaw, Michigan – the county that has backed the winning candidate in every US presidential election since 2008 – to find out which way America might vote on 5 November

Saginaw in Michigan is a bellwether county. It has backed the winning candidate in every US presidential election since 2008, voting for Barack Obama twice, for Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton and, by a sliver, for Joe Biden over Trump last time round.

It was once, like the rest of Michigan, safe Democrat territory – part of a “blue wall” stretching into neighbouring Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. But decades of industrial decline – car factories closing and job losses in their thousands – have worn away some of that support.

• West Indies 157-2 beat England 209 by eight wickets (DLS method)
• Evin Lewis steers run chase after Gudakesh Motie’s four-wicket haul

A new-look England have fallen to a crushing defeat in the first match of their Caribbean tour, as the West Indies secured an eight-wicket victory in Antigua.

A poor batting display proved fatal to England’s chances of starting their latest white-ball regeneration with a win, as the tourists lost their final six wickets for 44 runs to be bowled out for 209.

Nerves are particularly stretched in Maricopa county, which will likely decide which way the state swings in the polls

Pearl Hubbard picked up some yard signs for Kamala Harris at the vice-president’s speech in Phoenix, Arizona, on Thursday afternoon, but wasn’t yet sure whether she’d risk displaying them outside her home in a city that sits in some of the most hotly contested political territory in the country.

“I’m scared to put them up,” Hubbard said. “As I drive … I only saw one place that had a [Harris] sign. Just don’t see them. I think people are scared to put them up.”

Wild squirrel that was taken in by Mark Longo seven years ago was confiscated after conservation officials received reports of ‘potentially unsafe housing of wildlife’

A New York man who turned a rescued squirrel into a social media star called Peanut is pleading with state authorities to return his beloved pet after they seized it during a raid that also yielded a raccoon named Fred.

Multiple anonymous complaints about Peanut – also spelled P’Nut or PNUT – brought at least six officers from the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to Mark Longo’s home on Wednesday, Longo said.

Ukrainian president warns that if west fails to respond adequately more North Korean troops will be sent to its border. What we know on day 982

• See all our coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war

Brothers-in-law face off in a presidential battle over the economy, cost of living and relations with global powers

Flanked by a turquoise lagoon, a newly rebuilt US military runway slices through forest in southern Palau. Completed just months ago, the airfield is the latest example of a push by the United States to build its presence in the Pacific as concerns around China’s reach in the region grow.

The small Pacific country is one of 12 in the world that has diplomatic ties with Taiwan instead of China and will head to the polls on 5 November, the same day as the US.

Sydney’s jacaranda trees are in full bloom, blanketing the city in purple and attracting crowds of people trying to capture that perfect frame

• Australia’s best photos of the month – October 2024
• Five things to see at the 2025 Sydney festival

A chance for Manchester United’s players to impress, an audition for Iraola and a pivotal clash at Portman Road

Dilemmas, dilemmas. Eddie Howe has a few in advance of Arsenal’s visit to Tyneside on Saturday as Newcastle aim to correct a run of five league games without a win. Wednesday’s restorative Carabao Cup victory against Chelsea has surely created competition for places, particularly at right-back where Emil Krafth’s strong performance suggests he should arguably start in front of Tino Livramento. Significantly, with Bruno Guimarães benched for most of the evening, Sandro Tonali shone at the heart of midfield. Is now the moment to leave the Italy international in the centre and relocate Guimarães to Tonali’s right or even start the Brazil midfielder on the bench again? Similarly Joe Willock, once of Arsenal, impressed on the left of that department, pressing well and carrying the ball considerable distances. Can Newcastle’s manager afford to drop Willock? Then there’s Lloyd Kelly who did very well on a rare left-sided central defensive outing. Should Kelly get the nod ahead of Dan Burn? Dilemmas … Louise Taylor

Newcastle v Arsenal, Saturday 12.30pm

Bournemouth v Manchester City, 3pm Saturday

Liverpool v Brighton, Saturday 3pm

Ipswich v Leicester, Saturday 3pm

Southampton v Everton, Saturday 3pm

DoorDash and CVS also contributing funds to Raga group trying to re-elect Todd Rokita, who favors total abortion ban

Amazon, DoorDash and CVS Health are among major US companies publicly committed to supporting reproductive rights that have nonetheless contributed this year to a group supporting the re-election of Todd Rokita, the Republican attorney general of Indiana who supports a total abortion ban.

He was also reprimanded by his state supreme court for criticizing a doctor who provided an abortion for 10-year-old rape victim from Ohio.

Ronnie Lessa and Élcio de Queiroz sentenced to 78 and 59 years over 2018 murder of prominent Rio city councillor

Two former police officers who confessed to the murder of Rio city councillor Marielle Franco have been sentenced to decades in prison for their part in a crime that shook Brazil and cast a harsh spotlight on the links between politics and organised crime.

Ronnie Lessa admitted to firing 14 shots in the 2018 drive-by shooting that killed Franco and her driver Anderson Gomes, 39, and was sentenced to 78 years and nine months. Élcio de Queiroz, who confessed to driving the getaway car, was sentenced to 59 years and eight months.

• Dodgers beat Yankees in New York to clinch title
• Video shows clashes between police and crowds

Rowdy crowds took to the streets in Los Angeles after the Dodgers won the World Series, setting a bus on fire, breaking into stores and setting off firecrackers. A dozen arrests were reported by police early on Thursday, but officials emphasized that most fans had celebrated peacefully.

Video showed people throwing objects at police in downtown LA as sirens blared and officers told them to leave the area after the Dodgers defeated the Yankees in game five in New York. Other clips showed revelers standing atop a bus waving a Dodgers banner and people running from a boarded-up Nike store with armfuls of sneakers before throwing the merchandise into cars parked outside. No injuries were reported.

Company reports $94.9bn in revenue, slightly beating Wall Street projections in first look at demand for its new phone

Apple reported strong demand for the iPhone 16 in its quarterly earnings report on Thursday, though overall sales in China slightly decreased year-over-year. The company reported $94.9bn in revenue, up 6% year-over-year, and $1.64 in earnings per share (EPS). The company’s earnings slightly beat Wall Street projections of $94.4bn in sales and an EPS of $1.60.

The company saw $46.2bn in revenue from iPhone sales, up from $43.8bn year-over-year. Fourth-quarter revenue from its services division, which include subscriptions, increased from $22.31bn to $24.97bn year-over-year.

Grammy-winning Atlanta artist, 33, enters pleas without reaching deal with prosecutors in sprawling racketeering case

Rapper Young Thug pleaded guilty Thursday in Atlanta, Georgia, to gang, drug and gun charges.

The 33-year-old Grammy-winning artist, whose given name is Jeffery Williams, entered his pleas without reaching a deal with prosecutors after negotiations between the two sides broke down, lead prosecutor Adriane Love said. That leaves the sentence completely up to the judge.

Located in a former bank downtown, the facility has had 300 people apply for its remaining 17 rental beds

A company that rents “sleeping pods” in downtown San Francisco for $700 a month has had 300 people apply for its remaining 17 beds, the company’s CEO said.

Brownstone Shared Housing describes its mission as “providing low cost housing in the most expensive cities”. Its bunkbed-style “pods” measure approximately 3.5ft-by-4ft-by-6.5ft, large enough to fit a twin mattress. The pods come with privacy curtains, inside lighting and charging ports.

This article was amended on 31 October 2024 to clarify that the city rescinded its approval of Brownstone Shared Housing’s application and the facility is not yet permitted to house additional tenants.

Feed is rife with posts of individuals deemed suspicious and calls for doxxing with little evidence provided of fault

While Elon Musk faces his own election integrity questions offline, the X owner has deputized his followers to spot and report any “potential instances of voter fraud and irregularities”. The community he spawned is rife with unfounded claims passed off as evidence of voter fraud.

Musk opted not to show up to a required court appearance Thursday in Philadelphia to respond to a lawsuit challenging his political action committee’s daily $1m voter giveaway. Meanwhile, online, he has started a dedicated community space on X, formerly Twitter, where he’s asked users to share any issues they see while voting. Users posting on the self-contained feed, the “election integrity community”, quickly began pointing out what they deemed as evidence of fraud and election interference.

• Alex de Minaur wins 5-7, 6-2, 6-3 to make quarter-finals
• Carlos Alcaraz falls to shock defeat against Ugo Humbert

It was not until 10pm on Wednesday night that Jack Draper finally returned to the locker room after his tenacious victory over the world No 6 Taylor Fritz. Even then, there was no time to spare. He had just 19 hours to work through his daily treatment, recover, sleep and ensure that he was prepared for another meeting with one of the best players in the world.

That challenge proved a step too far in the end as Draper’s fatigue caught up with him against an indefatigable opponent and he was methodically ground down in the last 16 of the Paris Masters by a brilliant Alex de Minaur, the ninth seed. Although Draper fought hard until the end, the Australian finally won 5-7, 6-2, 6-3 on Thursday evening.

Shares rise as company reports quarterly revenue of $158.9bn – more than analysts had forecast

Amazon became the latest of the “magnificent seven” tech giants to report quarterly earnings on Thursday, with all eyes once again on cloud computing and any sign of a return on vast AI investments. Shares in the e-commerce giant rose in after-hours trading.

The company reported revenue of $158.9bn against analyst expectations of $157.2bn, and earnings per share of $1.43, compared to $1.16 expected by Bloomberg analysts.

In the town where at least 62 have died, survivors are left with their grief and anger at the lack of official warning of the devastation on its way

As public buildings across Spain lowered flags to half-mast to mark the first of three days of national mourning, Letícia Cardona Teruel set off with her husband and eight-year-old daughter – their rucksacks packed to the brim – to walk the seven kilometres to Valencia.

About 36 hours earlier on Tuesday, they had watched as rivers of mud-coloured water coursed through their small town of Paiporta, swamping the ground floor of buildings, sweeping away cars and submerging local plazas. On Thursday, as access roads remained mostly cut off, they were among a dozen or so residents who were walking to the regional capital in hopes of staying safe.

Poor performances by team, financial difficulties and uncertain future at Lord’s mean club face an existential threat

There have been worse seasons in the 160-year history of Middlesex but Martin Williamson, a member for almost 50 years, cannot recall any. “Speaking to other members the mood is one of apathy and resignation,” he says. “It’s just really sad.”

Richard Sykes, the Middlesex chairman, made little attempt to sugarcoat matters in a summary of their accounts at the end of last year, writing that “2023 has been one of the toughest years in the club’s history”.

In Sinaloa state, police have asked for security measure so revelers aren’t mistaken for criminals amid cartel violence

Authorities in the Mexican state of Sinaloa have ordered residents not to don masks or costumes for Halloween to avoid being confused with criminals amid a worsening cycle of cartel violence.

Home to the powerful Sinaloa cartel, the north-western state has been wracked by deadly infighting between factions of the group following the arrest of one of its leaders, drug trafficker Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, in the United States in late July.

Antony Blinken warns that Russia is preparing to deploy the troops into combat ‘in the coming days’

About 8,000 North Korean soldiers are stationed in Russia on the border with Ukraine, the US secretary of state has said, warning that Moscow is preparing to deploy those troops into combat “in the coming days”.

Antony Blinken said the US believed that North Korea had sent 10,000 troops to Russia in total, deploying them first to training bases in the far east before sending the vast majority to the Kursk region on the border with Ukraine.

Trump has vowed to stage the ‘largest deportation operation in American history’. ‘The totality of it is to make life so hard for immigrants that they are left with two options: stay and be subject to presidential demagoguery … or leave their lives here’

Every day, Nayeli arrives for work at a meat-processing plant in rural Tennessee – the same place where, on the morning of 5 April 2018, federal agents swept in, helicopters buzzing above, and took her and nearly 100 other workers into custody, as part of the Trump administration’s then escalating crackdown on illegal immigration.

They were rounded up and put on buses without the opportunity to explain who they were or how long they had worked there, she said. Many were sent to out-of-state detention centers. Nayeli was among those released that evening, allowed to return home to her son, who was nine at the time. All faced deportation.