Hello. Several people are confirmed dead after Hurricane Milton lashed the US state of Florida. As recovery efforts swing into action, we hear a first-hand account of what it was like to sit things out. Meanwhile, the White House campaign rolls on - and you can watch a special BBC debate from Pennsylvania. Anthony Zurcher explains why the state is so crucial. Plus scroll down for striking photos from the 1950s, and the bottom of the sea.

QUESTIONS ANSWERED

Why Pennsylvania is the biggest prize

The two campaigns have spent a combined $188m (£144m) on advertisements in Pennsylvania. Credit: EPA

As the most populous US swing state, analysts believe the road to the White House runs through Pennsylvania. So the BBC's flagship political debate programme, Question Time, is hosting a US presidential election special from the state to give voters a chance to grill politicians and commentators.

Why Pennsylvania?

Pennsylvania can be seen as a microcosm of the US - demographically, economically and politically. A former manufacturing state that has been transitioning to newer industries and businesses, it has a large energy sector because of its abundant oil shale deposits. Agriculture is still its second-largest industry. The majority of the population is white but some areas are now majority-Latino. The state's black population, at 12%, is just under the US total of 13%.

Why does it matter so much?

According to calculations by elections analyst Nate Silver, the candidate who wins Pennsylvania has more than a 90% of winning the White House. With its 19 electoral votes, Pennsylvania - the fifth most populous US state - is the lynchpin of the swing-state electoral firewalls for both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.

And where are the votes coming from?

The state's two large urban areas, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, heavily favour the Democrats. Between the two are vast stretches of rural territory where Republicans dominate. And the suburbs that once were reliably conservative are now tilting to the left. Somehow, all these political cross-currents and shifting dynamics have kept Pennsylvania at a near dead-even balance when it comes to presidential elections.

• Swing states: Pennsylvania is one of seven states that analysts believe will decide the election. Here's what's at stake in each.

• 'Non-stop ads': Both the Harris and Trump campaigns are spending more in Pennsylvania than anywhere else. Natalie Sherman asked voters and analysts if it would make a difference. And here's what the polls tell us.

• Watch live: The Question Time special is being streamed on the BBC website from 16:00 EST - that's right about the time I hit "send" on this email. Follow it here.

THE BIG PICTURE

Revealing the secrets of Shackleton's ship

It's thought the boot belonged to Shackleton’s second-in-command. Credit: Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust/National Geographic

A single boot lying on the deck of the Endurance - more than a century after it sank - is among the striking images revealing explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton's ship as never before. It's one of 25,000 that make up a 3D scan of the vessel, which sank in the Weddell Sea during an Antarctic expedition in 1915. The images have been released as part of a new documentary, Endurance.

And finally... in the 1950s

Amateur photographer Ray Stokes took his Voigtlander camera with him when he travelled by motorbike around the UK and Europe. After his death aged 88, in 2012, his son Simon rescued more than 2,000 slides. But it was only last weekend he posted one - of seagulls at Aberdeen harbour, in Scotland - on social media. And the reaction catapulted the collection into the spotlight. From shots of women ploughing with cattle in Germany, in 1957, to (my favourite) a sleek bus negotiating a bend in the Scottish hills - they are hugely evocative. See which you like best.