Axios PM
Good afternoon: Today's PM — edited by Justin Green — is 452 words, a 2 minute read.
1 big thing: Trump's trifecta
For the 3rd time in 4 years, President Trump has asked another country to interfere in U.S. elections.
- July 2016: Said Russia should "find" and release Hillary Clinton's emails.
- July 2019: Told Ukraine to investigate the Biden family.
- Today: Told China it should investigate the Biden family.
Why it matters: It's not normal for presidents to solicit foreign interference in our elections. It's also against the law, as Federal Elections Commission chair Ellen Weintraub tweeted today.
Between the lines: Trump and Rudy Giuliani have been promoting allegations that Hunter Biden made "millions" in China by leveraging his father's name, reports Axios' Zachary Basu.
- In December 2013, Hunter Biden and one of his daughters accompanied Joe Biden to China on a diplomatic trip. During the trip, Hunter helped organize a handshake between his father and business partner Jonathan Li, who was the CEO of a Chinese investment firm.
- 12 days later, Hunter Biden joined the board of a private-equity fund created by Li and another of Biden's business partners called BHR.
- A lawyer for Biden told the Washington Post: "To date, Mr. Biden has not received any return or compensation on account of this investment or his position on the board of directors."
The bottom line: Trump is already facing an impeachment inquiry for the Ukraine call. Now he's saying it out loud with China — effectively challenging Congress.
Fact check: What Joe and Hunter Biden actually did in Ukraine
Bonus: Pic du jour

Former Special Envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker arrives on Capitol Hill before a closed-door deposition led by the House Intelligence Committee.
- One leak from the deposition: "In newly disclosed text messages shared with Congress, the top U.S. diplomat to Ukraine writes to a group of other American diplomats that 'I think it's crazy to withhold security assistance for help with a political campaign.'" (ABC News)
2. What you missed
- MGM Resorts International has agreed to pay between $735 million and $800 million to the families of the 58 victims who died and hundreds more who were injured when a gunman targeted a concert in Las Vegas in 2017. Go deeper.
- Tesla delivered a record 97,000 vehicles last quarter but nonetheless fell short of some analysts' expectations for the July–September stretch. Go deeper.
- Three members of the "Five Eyes" intelligence alliance want Facebook to halt implementation of end-to-end encryption tech into its services. Go deeper.
- Bernie Sanders will participate in the next Democratic primary debate on Oct. 15. Go deeper.
- Electric scooter rental company Bird raised $275 million in Series D funding at what Axios hears was a $2.5 billion pre-money valuation.
3. 1 fun thing
Sesame Workshop is developing a talk show called “The Not Too Late Show with Elmo,” the AP reports.
- Production starts next month, but no airtime has been announced.
- This is part of a deal with HBO Max that includes 5 new seasons of “Sesame Street” that begin next year.
- The episodes will air first on the pay cable service and then be made available for free through PBS.