With Days to Go, Trump Courts Apolitical Young Men

Also, the U.S. fears Ukraine has entered a grim phase. Here’s the latest at the end of Friday.

Donald Trump and Kamala Harris headed into the final weekend of what appears to be an extremely tight race by holding events across the Midwestern battleground states. They also waged national media campaigns to try to win over small but crucial groups of voters who have yet to make up their minds.

The Trump campaign has been particularly focused on appealing to young men, especially those without college degrees. There are millions of them, and they are less likely than other groups to vote or participate in politics at all.

Trump’s team believes he will secure a large portion of the votes of young men who do turn out. The former president has sought out podcasts and influencers popular with Gen Z, and the strategy appears to be paying off: My colleagues interviewed dozens of young men and heard that many have been swayed by Trump’s bravado and disdain for cultural norms, if not by policy.

“Some of these young men say they are traditionally moderate or even liberal,” our politics reporter Kellen Browning said. “But they say that they feel increasingly fed up with the Democratic Party, and that they don’t really align with its values anymore.”

Harris maintains a lead among young voters overall, and even with young men in some surveys. Her campaign has also made some efforts to reach young men, including by sending Tim Walz, the vice-presidential nominee, to football games. But some said the outreach by the Harris team felt inauthentic.

In other politics news:

• U.S. spy agencies warned that Russia was behind two recent videos designed to undermine confidence in the election.
• The White House altered the official transcript of President Biden’s remarks this week about the Trump campaign and “garbage.”
• The fight for the House is on a knife’s edge. A race in Alabama might prove consequential.
• Hate speech has spiked as the election has neared.
• Our chief political analyst explains how polls have better accuracy, but there are no guarantees.

The U.S. fears Ukraine has entered a grim phase

After nearly three years of fighting, the war in Ukraine is no longer at a stalemate, according to U.S. military and intelligence officials. Ukraine is losing territory in the east, and its forces inside Russia have been partly pushed back. As a result, some U.S. officials have become pessimistic about Ukraine’s ability to stop Russian advances.

Ukraine’s main disadvantage, which had long been its weapons supplies, now appears to be its troops. The Pentagon assesses that Ukraine has enough soldiers to fight for six to 12 more months. After that, it will face a steep shortage.

Job growth stalled last month

American employers added only 12,000 jobs in October, the Labor Department reported today. October was battered by a major strike and two hurricanes, making it unclear whether the slowdown was a temporary blip or a sign of a more significant slowdown. The unemployment rate remained at 4.1 percent.

Donald Trump seized on the weak result and claimed that the report was a reflection of “how badly Kamala Harris broke our economy.” The White House argued that it was an anomaly.

The death toll from floods in Spain rose to 205

There’s no available food, running water or electricity in the Spanish town of Paiporta, which was devastated by flash floods this week. Nearly everyone’s car there is overturned or destroyed, and rescuers are still pulling bodies from mud-filled homes.

The flooding has killed at least 205 people, mostly in the region of Valencia, making it the deadliest natural disaster in Spain’s recent history. Here are photos of the aftermath.

More top news

• Middle East: Israeli airstrikes hit the southern outskirts of Beirut as diplomatic efforts showed no sign of progress.
• New York City: Mayor Eric Adams is scheduled to stand trial on corruption charges on April 21, a federal judge said.
• Health care: A new study found that the deaths of one in four children after emergency room visits were preventable.
• Africa: A Times visual investigation documented a major defeat for the Wagner mercenary group in Mali this summer.
• Housing: The Justice Department is suing a white appraiser and the nation’s largest lender for slashing the value of a Black woman’s duplex.
• California: Riverside County reported its highest detainee death count in decades, including multiple suicides.
• Travel: A New Zealand airport put a time limit on goodbye hugs outside the departure terminal.

TIME TO UNWIND

What if A.I. is actually good for Hollywood?

Three decades after starring together in “Forrest Gump,” Tom Hanks and Robin Wright reunited onscreen in “Here.” The film, which arrived in theaters today, follows a couple from age 18 into their 80s. It also showcases the remarkable capabilities of artificial intelligence, morphing the faces of Hanks and Wright as their characters age.

For now, much of Hollywood is weary of A.I., particularly its potential to replace human jobs. But the writer Devin Gordon suggests that the technology might benefit the industry more than we realize.

For more: Our critic reviewed “Here,” and we talked to Hanks and Wright about what it was like to take on such an unusual project.

To achieve big goals, think small

The New York City Marathon is on Sunday, when thousands of runners will set out to conquer 26.2 miles on foot. For many, it’s as much of a mental challenge as a physical one.

My colleague Talya Minsberg, who is running the race for her 10th time, found that real-life lessons can be learned during a marathon. She noticed that focusing on incremental steps — like simply making it to mile 10, then focusing on mile 13 — can make broader goals much easier to achieve.

Get ready: Here’s our guide to this weekend’s race.

Dinner table topics

• Tiny and brightly lit: This 300-foot, Dutch-style cabin stretches out to 500 and lets in the sun.
• Fame beyond the kitchen: Kwame Onwuachi is a whole new kind of celebrity chef.
• Queen of Christmas: Halloween is over and the holiday season is here. At least that’s what Mariah Carey says.
• Taken away: P’Nut, a pet squirrel and internet star, was seized by government officials.

WHAT TO DO THIS WEEKEND

Cook: This creamy tortellini soup comes together in about 30 minutes.

Watch: Check out “Crumb” and two other great documentaries you can stream now.

Read: Our favorite books this week are filled with death, monsters, dictators and societal collapse.

Cheer: Here’s each N.F.L. team’s chances of making it to the playoffs.

Grow: A Wirecutter writer wants to tell you about her worm farm.

Prevent: Want to get better at golf? Loosen up your spine.

Compete: Take this week’s news quiz.

Play: Here are today’s Spelling Bee, Wordle and Mini Crossword. Find all of our games here.

ONE LAST THING

A picture worth a thousand snails

To tell the story of a woman who hoards to shield herself from grief in his stop-motion film, “Memoir of a Snail,” Adam Elliot used more than 5,000 snail-related items. Every member of the production helped hand craft each snail — using nothing but paper, clay, wire and paint. It took an entire day to set up the scene above.

The film, which is now in theaters, is dedicated to Elliot’s mother, whom he referred to as a “mild hoarder.” But after the painstaking process was complete, he said: “There were days I’d wished I’d written a film about a minimalist!”

Have a meticulous weekend.

Thanks for reading. I’ll be back on Monday. — Matthew

David Poller was our photo editor today.

We welcome your feedback. Write to us at evening@nytimes.com.