5 things to know for Oct. 31: Election countdown, World Series, Economy, North Korea, Extreme weather

Happy Halloween! An estimated 67% of Americans will give out candy today, according to the National Retail Federation. For those who plan to curl up and watch festive flicks, we’ve got you covered: These eerie-sistible movies will get you in the spooky spirit — and won’t give you nightmares.

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With five days until Election Day, former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris both have viable paths to the White House. Polls show the race is neck and neck — and could be decided by small numbers of voters in a single battleground state. The candidates are focusing on seven key states in their final campaign sprint: Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona, Nevada, North Carolina and Georgia. Trump was in Wisconsin on Wednesday, where he broke out the props and seized on a garbled remark by President Joe Biden that seemed to insult Trump voters as “garbage.” Biden has denied calling Trump supporters “garbage,” saying his comment on a call Tuesday had been misinterpreted.

The Los Angeles Dodgers won their eighth World Series title in franchise history and first since 2020 on Wednesday night. Los Angeles rallied back from an early hole to beat the New York Yankees 7-6 in Game 5 at Yankee Stadium. Dodgers’ first baseman Freddie Freeman was named the World Series MVP after stunning fans with a history-making performance in Game 1 and other standout plays. Superstar Shohei Ohtani, the man with the richest contract in baseball history, was not much of a factor in the series after suffering a shoulder injury in Game 2. Still, he sparked major excitement in Japan and emerged as a TV ratings phenomenon. More than a tenth of the country’s population tuned in to the World Series, giving the Fall Classic better TV ratings in Japan than in the United States.

Several economists and officials have told CNN the economy has finally pulled off a soft landing, in which inflation is tamed without a recession — an exceptionally rare achievement. Gross domestic product, which measures all the goods and services produced in the economy, expanded at an annualized rate of 2.8% in the third quarter, the Commerce Department said Wednesday. That’s a slightly weaker pace than the second quarter’s 3% rate and above the 2.6% rate economists projected in a FactSet poll. Wednesday’s report comes after earlier data showed the economy added a whopping 254,000 jobs in September, inflation is a whisper away from the Federal Reserve’s 2% target and consumer confidence jumped this month by the fastest clip since March of 2021 — all signs of a robust economy.

North Korea said it conducted an intercontinental ballistic missile test today, a launch believed to have achieved the longest flight time yet for a North Korean missile. Japanese authorities reported the missile flew for about 86 minutes and to a possible altitude of 4,350 miles before falling into the sea outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone, public broadcaster NHK said. The test comes just days ahead of the US presidential election and follows warnings from South Korea’s intelligence agency that Pyongyang was planning to launch an ICBM, testing its reentry technology around the time of the US election. The test also comes as North Korea appears to have intensified its nuclear production efforts and strengthened ties with Russia, deepening widespread concern in the West over the isolated nation’s direction.

At least 95 people have been killed by severe flash floods in Spain, according to authorities on Wednesday, as emergency responders scramble to find dozens of missing people. In the worst-affected region of Valencia, 92 people were killed and around 1,200 are thought to still be trapped, local officials said. Separately, Taiwan’s largest storm since 1996 made landfall today with heavy rains and damaging winds equivalent to a Category 3 Atlantic hurricane. The storm, known as Typhoon Kong-rey, has killed at least one person and injured dozens of others.

A refreshing change: Starbucks to make popular add-on free of chargeStarting next week, Starbucks customers will no longer pay more for adding soy, oat, almond or coconut milk to their orders. Read about the new pricing.

Fired Disney employee allegedly hacked into company system to alter food menusA fired Disney employee allegedly altered the company’s restaurant menus, changing prices and adding profane language, according to a federal criminal complaint. The suspect also altered allergen information, posing a fatal risk to people with peanut allergies, the complaint alleges.

Triplets are becoming less common in the USGiving birth to triplets, quadruplets or even more has become increasingly less common in the United States. Here’s why.

King Charles and Queen Camilla take private trip to IndiaBritain’s King Charles III and Queen Camilla made a surprise pitstop in India as they returned from their royal tour to Australia and Samoa.

Fifty years after ‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ is the classic slasher film dead, or just waiting in the shadows?This iconic horror movie ushered in a golden age of slasher films and is still celebrated today.

Think you’re killer smart? In the place of a news quiz this week, we dare you to test your holiday knowledge with CNN’s Halloween Quiz.

The 1984 hit movie “A Nightmare on Elm Street” introduced the world to which frightening character?A. Freddy KruegerB. Michael MyersC. Norman BatesD. Jason Voorhees

Take me to the quiz!

15That’s how many additional E. Coli cases have been reported in an outbreak linked to McDonald’s, bringing the total number of illnesses to 90 and hospitalizations to 27. The CDC on Wednesday said slivered onions served on McDonald’s Quarter Pounders were likely the source of the outbreak but clarified that “it is not necessary to avoid eating onions or other foods made with onions.”

“I will always be an American before I am a Republican.”

— Arnold Schwarzenegger, the former Republican governor of California, saying on Wednesday that he will be voting for Kamala Harris in a rare endorsement. The actor and longtime Republican criticized Donald Trump and said a second term for the former president would make people “angrier and angrier, more divided, and more hateful.”

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Meet the Top 5 CNN Heroes of 2024 These five inspiring people are changing lives and making the world a better place. You can vote now to help decide who will become CNN Hero of the Year and win $100,000! But first, take a moment to meet the honorees.