WeekDay AM: 10 Things you need to know this morning
America votes, Jenrick joins Badenoch, and the tuition fee cap rises

 
today's us election story

Betting odds tighten as US goes to polls

What happened
Betting markets narrowed their odds significantly, shaving Donald Trump's lead over Kamala Harris just hours before Americans prepare to cast their vote in the 2024 US presidential election.

Who said what
Trump and his allies had "touted the betting market forecasts as more accurate than traditional polling" in recent weeks, said The Guardian, particularly because most of the top platforms put him way ahead of Harris.

But Trump's chances have dipped, according to many betting market forecasts as election day arrives. Polymarket put them at 58% yesterday, down from 67% last week; Kalshi set them at 53%, falling from 65%.

What next?
Some of the final traditional polls have shown a slight boost for Harris, though most suggest the election remains "agonisingly close", said The New York Times.

In the last poll published by the US National Public Radio and Public Broadcasting Service (NPR/PBS), Harris stretched her lead nationally, putting her on 51% to Trump's 47%, a 1% increase. Real Clear Politics, which had Trump leading last week, is now back to a tie, while the Silver Bulletin, run by polling guru Nate Silver, gives Trump a 50.4% chance of winning, and Harris a 49.2% chance.

About 75 million people, almost half of the likely electorate, have already voted early. The rest will start voting today when the first polling stations open at 6am on the US east coast (11am GMT).

 
 
today's politics story

Jenrick accepts role in Badenoch's top team

What happened
Robert Jenrick, Kemi Badenoch's unsuccessful rival for the leadership of the Conservative Party, has accepted the role of shadow justice secretary in a new Tory frontbench team that has been billed as "demonstrating Kemi's desire to unite the party".

Who said what
There were questions about whether Jenrick had "initially sought another post" in a "sign of potential tensions" between the pair, said The Guardian, and it "remains unclear" whether Jenrick's move to what could be seen as a "mid-range shadow cabinet job" was his first choice.

What next?
Badenoch is expected to name Dame Priti Patel as her shadow foreign secretary and Mel Stride as her shadow chancellor.

If her new shadow cabinet appointments work out, Badenoch will have the "best chance of beating the average tenure of her eight predecessors since John Major: three and a half years", said William Atkinson in The Telegraph. But if they don't, there is "every chance that she doesn't reach the next election".

 
 
Today's education story

Education secretary raises tuition fee cap

What happened
English universities will be able to raise tuition fees in line with inflation next year for the first time in eight years. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson announced that fees would increase from £9,250 to £9,535, but means-tested maintenance loans will also rise to help cover the living costs of the poorest students, from £10,277 to £10,544.

Who said what
The increase was "not an easy decision", said Phillipson, but "it is no use keeping tuition fees for future students if the universities are not there for them to attend".

Martin Lewis pointed out that higher fees wouldn't necessarily lead to higher yearly repayments, which depend on earnings. "Increasing tuition fees will only see those who clear the loan in full over the 40yrs pay more," the money-saving expert wrote on X, adding that the cost of the increase will "generally be born by the more affluent".

What next?
A report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies estimated that should fees increase with inflation, they would reach about £10,500 a year by the end of this parliament.

 
 

It's not all bad

Just as a well-designed artificial coral reef can help promote marine ecosystems, solar farms can help boost terrestrial biodiversity, a study claims. A new planning guide, Better Biodiversity on Solar Farms, argues that solar farms in Australia can enhance local biodiversity if they are designed with eco-friendly practices. Researchers suggest strategies such as growing native vegetation under solar panels, creating habitat structures and using tracking systems to support plant growth. These practices, they argue, can reduce environmental costs and improve efficiency while supporting conservation alongside renewable energy production.

 
 
under the radar

Two ancient cities have been discovered on the Silk Road

Scientists have gained new insight into the Silk Road through the discovery of two abandoned cities. Located in south-eastern Uzbekistan, the cities were likely large urban centres that now point to much more established societies than were thought to have existed. The findings of the research, published in the journal Nature, raise new questions about the urban development of Asia across the Silk Road and how the route might have driven innovation.

The cities, Tashbulak and Tugunbulak, "feature multiple permanent structures and sophisticated urban designs, seemingly crafted to make the most of the mountainous terrain", said National Geographic. The developments were found using drone-borne light detection and ranging equipment (lidar), which "creates topographical images by measuring how long it takes a laser beam to travel between the camera and a surface", said The New York Times, and is capable of finding structures hidden under vegetation.

The Silk Road was a network of ancient trade routes between Europe and Asia that "facilitated the exchange of goods and ideas between people from China to Venice between the second century BC and the 15th century AD", said The NY Times. Several cities emerged along the route, but "once trade between East and West moved on to boats, many of these cities declined and some were forgotten", said IFL Science.

The latest discoveries suggest historians "may have underestimated the significance of these cities to the surrounding areas".

 
 
on this day

5 November 2013

India's space agency launched the Mars Orbiter Mission, becoming the fourth agency in the world to achieve orbit of another planet after the US, the Soviet Union and Europe. India recently announced several ambitious space projects, including an orbiter mission to Venus, and revealed the shortlist of astronauts for its first ever crewed flight.

 
 
Today's newspapers

The US election dominates most front pages today, with The Independent saying margins in key swing states are "too tight to predict". The world "holds its breath", says the i newspaper. Nigel Farage has told Donald Trump not to "fight the poll results" if he loses, says The Telegraph. Meanwhile, Metro leads on Keir Starmer's "180 degree uni U-turn" as The Guardian mourns the loss of "masterful musician" Quincy Jones.

See the newspaper front pages

 
 
tall tale

Chair necessities

For just $20 a day, Miami residents can rent a Brazilian butt lift (BBL) chair that purportedly helps relieve pressure on surgically enhanced buttocks by allowing users to sit comfortably after undergoing the procedure. Miami is "well known" for the prevalence of the dangerous plastic surgery procedure, said Vice News, hence "countless BBL chair" listings online. The catch? The BBL chair is "basically just a lawn chair with a hole cut out of it".

 
 

Morning Report was written and edited by Arion McNicoll, Harriet Marsden and Chas Newkey-Burden, with illustrations by Julia Wytrazek.

Image credits, from top: Scott Olson / Getty Images and Bill Pugliano / Getty Images; Dan Kitwood / Getty Images; Rasid Necati Aslim / Anadolu / Getty Images.