Axios

Democrats are pouring millions into a last-minute effort to neutralize their vulnerabilities on crime — an issue they admit has driven a flood of effective Republican attacks in key contests.

Why it matters: The dynamic comes after a summer in which GOP attacks on inflation lost some potency and Democrats harnessed a ripple of much-needed momentum from pro-abortion rights sentiment.

President Biden announced Thursday that the federal government will cover 100% of costs for the next month as Puerto Rico recovers from Hurricane Fiona.

Driving the news: The move, which will surge federal resources, comes a day after Biden approved a major disaster declaration for Puerto Rico and ordered federal aid to assist with recovery efforts.

An LGBTQ club at Yeshiva University has voluntarily agreed to a non-legally binding stay that would allow the Modern Orthodox Jewish college to appeal its case without recognizing and supporting the club as ordered by a court.

Why it matters: The agreement comes after Yeshiva suspended all student club activities in response to the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to deny its request to overturn the lower court ruling, which sided with the YU Pride Alliance.

A federal judge on Thursday sentenced Timothy Hale-Cusanelli, an avowed Nazi sympathizer and white supremacist who served in the U.S. Army reserves, to four years in prison for storming the Capitol during the Jan. 6 riot, according to the Department of Justice.

Why it matters: Hale-Cusanelli's case received attention from the military because of his reservist status at the time and his employment as a security contractor at Naval Weapons Station Earle in New Jersey, where he had a security clearance and access to a variety of munitions.

States cannot impose civil or criminal penalties on Department of Veterans Affairs doctors and nurses who provide abortion services that are allowed by federal law, a Department of Justice task force said in a new memo released Thursday.

Why it matters: The memo comes after the VA said earlier this month it plans to provide abortions to beneficiaries when pregnancy is the result of rape or incest and when birth may present a danger to a pregnant person's health.

The special master hired to sift through the documents seized from former President Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence has outlined his plan to review the materials.

Driving the news: Judge Raymond Dearie in a Thursday filing said Trump's lawyers have until the end of the month to "raise any factual dispute as to the completeness and accuracy of the Detailed Property Inventory" involving materials retrieved from the Florida property.

Only about 25% of Latinos say they feel fully included at their workplaces, according to a new report from Bain & Company, a management consulting firm.

Why it matters: Latinos accounted for around 80% of workforce growth from 2010 to 2017, the fastest growing demographic.

A federal judge on Thursday sentenced Stephen Ayres, who pleaded guilty in June to disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, to two years of probation, according to the Department of Justice.

Why it matters: Ayres' punishment spares him from serving a prison sentence, AP reports. During his sentencing hearing on Thursday, he again apologized for his actions throughout the riot.

The University of Cambridge said Thursday that it received "significant financial benefits" from the institution of slavery.

Why it matters: Cambridge's acknowledgment comes as a number of universities in the U.S. are examining their ties to slavery — and grappling with how best to address their pasts.

The total economic output of U.S. Latinos reached $2.8 trillion in 2020, surpassing the GDPs of the U.K. and India, according to a report released Thursday.

Why it matters: The report showed U.S. Latino buying power and economic output grew during the pandemic despite the disproportional impact it had on Latino communities, Russell writes.

Authorities in Venezuela arrested Leonard Francis, a former U.S. Navy contractor who organized one of the largest bribery scandals in military history, in Caracas this week at the request of the U.S. Marshals Service.

Why it matters: Francis, also known as "Fat Leonard," pleaded guilty in 2015 to offering bribes to Navy officials in the form of prostitution services, luxury hotels and meals to benefit his ship servicing company based in Singapore, AP reports.

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) — one of the most visible members of the Jan. 6 committee — will write an epilogue to the committee's future report, in an exclusive collaboration with The New Yorker and Celadon Books.

Why it matters: The book industry sees the report — not yet completed, with another hearing scheduled for Sept. 28 — as the hottest government document since "The Starr Report" in 1998.

The Cherokee Nation is launching a campaign to force Congress to seat a nonvoting U.S. House delegate, holding them accountable to a 19th-century treaty that has never been honored.

Driving the news: The 1835 Treaty of New Echota, which was signed by then-President Andrew Jackson and ratified by the Senate, promised a nonvoting House delegate to the nation.

Americans' Google searches and story interactions around crime and immigration are eclipsing abortion and the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago, according to the Axios midterms dashboard powered by Google Trends, as well as new data from NewsWhip.

Why it matters: With elections seven weeks away, some topics more likely to favor Democrats have been losing ground to those that may favor Republicans.

Five forthcoming state ballot initiatives on abortion rights could add fissures to the fractured post-Roe landscape and the evolving patchwork of reproductive health policies.

The big picture: The U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning the constitutional right to an abortion has hardened sentiments in red and blue states and put critical access questions in front of voters this fall.

President Biden approved a major disaster declaration for Puerto Rico and ordered federal aid to assist with recovery efforts in the areas affected by deadly Hurricane Fiona, the White House announced Wednesday evening.

Driving the news: Local officials told AP Wednesday they were having difficulty trying to reach stranded residents days after Fiona swept through, cutting off areas in "at least six municipalities" after triggering heavy rains, mudslides and flooding that destroyed bridges, roads and property.

A federal appeals court panel on Wednesday granted the Justice Department's request to resume reviewing classified documents seized from former President Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence for its ongoing criminal investigation.

The big picture: The ruling is a win for the Department of Justice after a federal judge temporarily blocked investigators from examining Trump's storage of the sensitive government records, which the DOJ argued would hinder its investigation.

Former President Trump insisted in a Fox News interview broadcast Wednesday night that he declassified government documents before taking them to his Mar-a-Lago residence.

Why it matters: The issue of classified documents is central to the Department of Justice's investigation into Trump and the former president's legal battle with the DOJ after the FBI last month seized a raft of government papers at his property in Palm Beach, Florida, some of which were labeled "top secret."

The House Freedom Caucus is so far refusing to back GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) for speaker should its party win back the majority — testing what commitments it can leverage in exchange for its members' support.

Why it matters: The ultra-conservative group, which has a history of dislodging Republican leaders whom members didn’t see as properly representing the conservative movement, is plotting a return to relevance after years of seeing its influence fade.

The president of the Inter-American Development Bank, Mauricio Claver-Carone, allegedly threatened to "burn" or "bring" the bank down over an investigation into a rumored affair he had with a female staffer, according to an outside report.

Why it matters: In response to the confidential report from the law firm Davis Polk, which was commissioned by the bank, there is growing momentum among the bank’s shareholders to oust Claver-Carone, according to a person familiar with the matter.