A big Election Day, inflation denial, traveling for free: Catch up on the day’s stories

By Daniel Wine, CNN

👋 Welcome to 5 Things PM! Voters in several states are casting ballots in critical races in what’s shaping up as an early referendum on President Donald Trump’s second term. Track live results and join Charlamagne tha God and Ben Shapiro for an exclusive Election Day conversation at 8:30 p.m. ET.

Here’s what else you might have missed during your busy day.

5 things

1️⃣ Pocketbook pain

President Trump denies that Americans are struggling with grocery prices and inflation. It’s the same mistake that haunted his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, and contributed to the Democrats losing the White House.

2️⃣ Witness to war

Palestinian photojournalist Motaz Azaiza spent 107 days on the front lines documenting the heartbreak of the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Now he’s living in the US and looking for a way forward.

3️⃣ ‘A devastating loss’

NASA workers worry that the agency is quietly gutting the Goddard Space Flight Center’s main campus in Maryland. Buildings there are being emptied and padlocked during the government shutdown, sources said.

4️⃣ Gene therapies

People seeking to lose weight and manage blood sugar may one day receive an injection that transforms their own cells into miniature factories — producing the same protein found in medications like Ozempic and Wegovy.

5️⃣ Risky business?

Travel volunteering — exchanging skills for a place to stay and sometimes food or other benefits — is exploding in popularity among young people around the world. They’re risking everything to do it.

Watch this

🏃🏿‍♀️‍➡️ Race to the top: About 2,000 people ran up the ramps to the eighth floor of the iconic “Vortex” building in Switzerland. The circular structure houses students at the University of Lausanne.

Top headlines

• Outraged liberals warn Democratic leaders not to cave on shutdown
• White House says it will partially fund SNAP benefits after Trump threatens to withhold them
• 2 arrested in connection with explosion at Harvard Medical School, FBI says

Check this out

🕯️ ‘A magical moment’: On Día de los Muertos, some believe the door between the world of the living and the dead swings open. One small Mexican town is keeping those traditions alive.

Quiz time

🔥 Whom did People magazine just name the “Sexiest Man Alive?”
A. Chris Evans
B. Harry Styles
C. John Krasinski
D. Jonathan Bailey
⬇️ Scroll down for the answer.

Thanks for reading

✅ Most popular in yesterday’s newsletter: Dramatic moment of police rescuing infant trapped underneath car

🧠 Quiz answer: D. Bailey, who starred in “Wicked” and “Bridgerton,” called it “the honor of a lifetime.”

👋 We’ll see you tomorrow.

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Today’s edition of 5 Things PM was edited and produced by CNN’s Kimberly Richardson and Sarah Hutter.