With 35M Votes Already Cast, Some Good Signs for Clinton

With only a handful of days left until Election Day, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump stepped up their efforts Thursday and made appeals to two very different groups of voters in the same swing state. The New York Times reports that Clinton, who is trying to boost minority turnout, painted Trump as a threat to black America in a North Carolina appearance, telling the crowd that her rival "thinks the lives of black people are all crime and poverty and despair." Trump, meanwhile, tried to energize his base at two events in the state, including an evening appearance in Johnston County. The News & Observer notes that he stuck to the script in a speech that focused heavily on the military. In other election coverage:

• Politico reports that surrogates for both candidates have been spreading out across America, including three of Trump's children. Clinton's high-profile surrogates include President Obama, who linked Trump to the KKK during a Thursday appearance in Jacksonville, Fla.
• CNN looks at why North Carolina and its 15 electoral votes could be the key to winning the election.

• The race is tighter than it was a week ago, but with around a quarter of all ballots cast (at least 35.1 million so far), Clinton still appears to have the edge, according to the AP. In Florida, where more than half of all ballots have been cast and the number cast by Democrats is roughly equivalent to those of Republicans, black turnout is down but Latino turnout is up. The latter trend is expected to give Clinton a boost in states such as Nevada. In North Carolina, Democrats have the edge in ballots submitted, 43% to 32%.
• The Washington Post reports that while the big increase in Latino turnout is helping Clinton, increased turnout in some areas is helping Trump, including Ohio counties that voted for Mitt Romney in 2012.
• The Hill reports that Tim Kaine delivered a speech in Phoenix this week that the Clinton campaign says was the first of its kind: a presidential campaign speech delivered entirely in Spanish.
• The Wall Street Journal reports that both campaigns are making "Hail Mary passes" in their final days, seeking surprise wins in territory that has long favored the rival party. Clinton was in Arizona Wednesday night, while Trump's week has included stops in Colorado, Wisconsin, Michigan, and New Mexico.
• According to the latest Reuters poll, Trump's support grew in 24 states over the last week and shrank in 11. Clinton saw her numbers rise in 13 states and fall in 22, leaving Michigan, Florida, and North Carolina too close to call.
• The Los Angeles Times says it has ended its relationship with a freelance reporter who tweeted that he wanted to see Trump's life end.
• The New York Times takes an intriguing look at a Brooklyn cemetery that's home to no fewer than nine failed presidential candidates. They include DeWitt Clinton, who would have become the first President Clinton if he had won in 1812.

(More Election 2016 stories.)