From Malmö to Mumbai to Melbourne, news junkies will spend the next 24 hours scrutinizing voting patterns coming out of places like Youngstown, Ohio, and Pensacola, Florida. Those Swedes, Indians and Aussies in the know can identify such bellwether localities in battleground states that the pundits say will decide whether Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton will be the next president of the United States.

It has become something of a trite habit every four years to declare that the race for the White House is a global event — from the international interest generated by the spectacle of the never-ending campaigns to the obvious and less-obvious ramifications for the rest of the world of the policies bound to come out of Washington.

The 2016 campaign, however, has fused this truism with a brand new kind of urgency. For the first time in memory, there is the realistic chance that a candidate will be elected who has openly vowed to pull America back from its role as global superpower, to question generation-old military alliances, to stem free trade, to close borders.

Beyond the cheerleading bluster of his "Make America Great Again," Donald Trump has tapped into a sentiment among voters that the supposed greatness of yore has been lost not only amid Washington and Wall Street maneuverings, but in some distant and faceless swirl of globalization. Of course, such inward-looking, nationalistic messages had already been gaining traction — and winning at the polls — elsewhere in the world. A Trump victory would give it the kind of brand packaging and export power that, still, only America can provide.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR TODAY

  • First state polls close in U.S. election at 11 p.m. GMT.
  • Nine U.S. states vote on relaxing laws on use of medical or recreational marijuana.


SOUTH KOREAN PRESIDENT WILLING TO RELINQUISH SOME POWER
As part of an investigation into President Park Geun-hye's ties to Choi Soon-sil, who is accused of having meddled in government affairs, prosecutors raided the offices of Samsung Electronics today. According to Reuters, Park said she would be willing to withdraw her nominee for prime minister in favor of a candidate picked by parliament and would let the new premier control the cabinet.

BRITISH BANKER FOUND GUILTY IN GRISLY MURDERS
A Hong Kong jury convicted Rurik Jutting, a British investment banker, of double murder in the killing of two Indonesian women in late 2014. According to the South China Morning Post, Jutting argued that he suffered from "abnormality of mind induced by mental diseases." Jutting faces life in prison.

— ON THIS DAY
JFK, X-ray, Gordon Ramsay.
No, it's not a haiku — it's your 57-second shot of history.

ISRAELI JOURNALIST SLAMS NETANYAHU ON LIVE TV
One of Israel's top journalists, Ilana Dayan, read aloud Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bitter critique of her expose on him during her TV show on Monday night, Haaretz reports. Netanyahu apparently called Dayan, "one of the leaders of a concerted frenzy" against him, adding that she "has proven once again that she has not even a drop of professional integrity."

FORMER PHILIPPINES' DICTATOR MARCOS GIVEN HERO'S BURIAL
The supreme court in Philippines allowed the body of former president Ferdinand Marcos to be moved to Manila's Heroes' Cemetery. The decision follows months of protests as Marcos had enforced strict martial law under his rule from 1965 to 1986, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reports.

— WORLDCRUNCH-TO-GO
When a person falls in love, several types of hormones are released — as addictive as drugs — that can provoke a state of ecstasy, euphoria and hyperactivity. They've now been reproduced in the form of a nasal spray to stimulate milk production in mothers, prompting Camille Destraz of Swiss daily Le Temps to ask: "Can this spray, which is available over the counter, also then guarantee the attachment and loyalty of your partner? A little spurt on the pillow before going to bed? ‘In theory, yes,' says Vuilleumier. ‘Conversely, in case of a difficult breakup, we could prescribe chemicals that would block the pain inflicted by the separation. This is part of ongoing scientific research.'"
Read the full article, Can A Bottled Spray Ensure That Your Lover Stays Faithful?

TOBLERONE TRIANGLES TO HAVE LARGER GAPS
Mondelez International, the American company that produces Toblerone confectionery, announced a decision to change the design of chocolate bars in the UK. The decision angered consumers, BBC reports. In a statement on the company's Facebook page, Mondelez International said a change was necessary so that the chocolate was still affordable as the prices of ingredients have risen.

— MY GRAND-PERE'S WORLD
Chic Chalk — Paris, 1958

$73,800
Yesterday, the Chinese legislature adopted a law to punish companies that fabricate box office earnings. Film distributors and theaters will now be fined $73,800 or more for falsified ticket data, according to China Radio International. This is the first law of its kind.

MORE STORIES, BROUGHT TO YOU BY WORLDCRUNCH

BURNING CAMPAIGN TRAIL
Steve Bannon, the chief executive officer of Trump's campaign, found his pants on fire at a campaign stop in New Hampshire last month. While writing a teleprompter script, Bannon looked down to realize that a hot TV light had made his pants burn.

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