Daily Briefing: There's election problems

With Election Day tomorrow, local officials are making every effort to combat issues when counting ballots. More Americans are permanently leaving their homes due to the risk of climate change-related disaster. The apples you eat may be more than a year old.

🙋🏼‍♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing author. R.I.P. Peanut the Squirrel.

2024 election problems include fake videos and damaged ballots

Disinformation campaigns, ballot processing issues and other problems face Americans voting with only one day left until Election Day.

But there's no need to stress: Election officials have been bracing for these problems for months and say they are confident in the safeguards in place for a safe and fair election.

• A Pennsylvania court ordered the Erie County Board of Elections to offer new absentee ballots to nearly 20,000 voters who didn’t receive them and stay open for longer office hours until Election Day.
• The mail is moving slowly. Election officials and lawmakers are worried that U.S. Postal Service delays could prevent thousands of ballots from being counted this year, in what could be an extremely close presidential contest.
• False claims have been tied to Russia. U.S. intelligence officials say multiple fake videos depicting voter fraud have been linked to a Russian disinformation campaign, as Russia works to help Donald Trump beat Vice President Kamala Harris in the election.

Don't be fooled on Election Day: Here are 6 false voting claims to look out for and sign up for Paste BN's Checking the Facts newsletter.

The number of climate refugees in the US is climbing

“Will Florida be completely unlivable/destroyed in the next few years?” one Reddit user wondered recently, following the devastation of Hurricanes Helene and Milton. As the threat has multiplied, new data suggests it's safe to assume that many parts of Florida have reached a “tipping point.” That’s the point at which moving a few blocks uphill isn’t enough, and so many residents are leaving the area permanently. Here's where Americans are fleeing their homes in droves because of climate change.

More news to know now

• NBC aired a message from Trump following Harris' "SNL" appearance to honor the FCC's equal time rule.
• He cast his ballot in Georgia with a low oxygen tank.
• Breonna Taylor's mother reacted to a guilty verdict.
• Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says Trump would seek to remove fluoride from water if elected.
• California crabbers have a whale of a problem.

What's the weather today? Check your local forecast here.

Got a full basket ready and waiting? You're not alone

Young adults are spending less on dining out, subscriptions and entertainment due to “economic uncertainty,” which is understood to be in relation to the election, according to a poll exclusive to Paste BN. Nearly a quarter of the millennials (age 28 to 44) and Gen Zers (18-27) surveyed also said they’re delaying major purchases like homes and cars until after the election. Much of the spending pullback is likely tied to fears that the presidential candidate they oppose could intensify inflation, experts say, and it's affecting how people spend – or don’t spend – their available cash. Read more

Your fresh apples could be a year old

The applies on your counter could have been picked in 2023. As a quintessentially American fruit captures our imagination this fall with apple-picking, apple cider doughnuts and apple pie, it also reveals major changes in the industry. Today, apples are picked, cleaned and then placed for long periods of time in controlled atmosphere nitrogen-filled storage rooms where oxygen levels are typically 1% to 3%. Those storage rooms typically hold 1,500 to 3,000 bins of apples, each of which stores almost 900 pounds of fruit that could be sold over a year later. Read more surprising facts about the apples you eat.

Today's talkers

• Are any NFL teams making a leap at trade deadline?
• Caitlin Clark has a new coach.
• We are all Adele fangirling over Meryl Streep.
• "Karma is the guy on the Chiefs"
• Are Georgia or Ohio State No. 2 in college football? 

Quincy Jones changed American music

Best known as the architect of Michael Jackson’s "Thriller" and the man who made stars collide for 1985’s "We Are the World," Quincy Jones had a long career as a composer and trumpeter who broke down racial boundaries in music and film. As an arranger and producer, his legacy intersected with those of Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington and Lesley Gore. Jones died on Sunday at 91. Read more about his life.

Photo of the day: Rushing the field

A euphoric crowd of Gamecocks fans celebrated the University of South Carolina's 44-20 upset win over Texas A&M on Saturday at Williams-Brice Stadium by rushing the field.

Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at Paste BN, sign up for the email here. Want to send Nicole a note? Shoot her an email at NFallert@usatoday.com.