Axios

Diwali will become a public school holiday in New York City starting next year, Mayor Eric Adams (D) announced Thursday.

Why it matters: Diwali, a celebration of light over darkness that starts on Oct. 24 this year, is one of the most sacred holidays observed by Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists. Some 200,000 New Yorkers celebrate Diwali each year, per state Assemblymember Jenifer Rajkumar (D), who introduced a bill to recognize the holiday.

Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett on Thursday turned down a conservative Wisconsin tax group's request to block President Biden's student loan forgiveness plan.

Why it matters: This is the first time a challenge to Biden's plan has reached the high court.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said Thursday that it has opened an investigation into whether Mississippi state agencies discriminated against the majority-Black population in Jackson in their funding of water infrastructure and treatment programs.

Why it matters: The NAACP filed a discrimination complaint last month on behalf of Jackson residents, including NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson, alleging that the state's "decades-long pattern and practice of discriminating against the City of Jackson" threatened their health, safety and livelihoods during the most recent water crisis.

The Department of Defense will give travel funds and support for troops and their dependents who are seeking an abortion but live in states that have banned the medical procedure, according to a new order from Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Thursday.

Why it matters: Austin said the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in June has had "readiness, recruiting, and retention implications" for the armed forces.

Democrats are publicly and privately growing more concerned about their soft support from Black and Latino men, fearing that any marginal move by voters of color toward the GOP — or low turnout — will be decisive in the midterms.

Why it matters: With Republican candidates banking on big margins among white voters, Democrats need to run up the score with Black and Latino voters to win tight Senate and governor's races in Georgia, Nevada, Arizona and Pennsylvania.

Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) during an Axios event on Thursday said that the pandemic underscored "how dependent we were on China for basic things like masks and gowns [and] how much of our medicine is being made there."

What she's saying: Dingell, who is on the House Energy and Commerce committee, cautioned that dependence on China is "not only an economic security issue, it's a national security issue."

A significant portion of U.S. Latinos say neither the Democratic Party nor the Republican Party represent or care about them, according to the latest Axios-Ipsos Latino Poll in partnership with Noticias Telemundo.

The big picture: About a quarter of Latinos surveyed say neither Democrats nor Republicans are swaying them, creating uncertainty in close races where Latinos could be critical just weeks before the 2022 midterms.

A federal judge implied Wednesday former President Trump signed legal documents alleging instances of fraud during the 2020 election that he knew were false.

Why it matters: U.S. District Court Judge David Carter, in an 18-page opinion, said these knowingly false allegations were used in at least one lawsuit filed by Trump and his attorneys in a Georgia state court.

With the federal student loan forgiveness program officially accepting applications, scams targeting those seeking debt relief are on the rise, according to a string of government warnings.

Why it matters: More than 40 million Americans can benefit from the debt relief that cancels up to $20,000 in student debt for Pell Grant recipients and up to $10,000 for individual borrowers who make under $125,000 per year.

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin spent Wednesday sharing a stage with Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake.

Why it matters: Lake is a 2020 election denier who refuses to say if she will accept the results in her own race if she loses.

President Biden would support a federal fund for people who need to take time off work and pay for childcare to obtain an abortion, he said in an interview forum with NowThis that will air Sunday on social media.

Why it matters: It's one of his strongest public comments in favor of federal support for those seeking abortion since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June.

Andrew D. Martin of Washington University in St. Louis and Kevin Quinn of the University of Michigan have estimated "Martin-Quinn scores" for the ideology of Supreme Court justice back to 1937.

Why it matters: After overturning Roe in June, the court is poised to continue pushing American law to the right this term on issues of race, voting and the environment.

Just weeks before the midterms, nearly one in four Latinos still didn't know how they'd vote, according to the latest Axios-Ipsos Latino Poll in partnership with Noticias Telemundo.

Why it matters: The findings underscore Latinos' collective hold on the American swing vote — and Democrats' relatively modest advantage is an ominous sign for those who fear a further erosion of their party's support among this large, diverse ethnic group.

A Pennsylvania man was indicted Wednesday for allegedly threatening to kill President Biden, House Jan. 6 select committee Chair Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) and a U.S. District Court judge, the Department of Justice announced.

Driving the news: Prosecutors accuse Robert Maverick Vargo of sending a letter "alluding to 'Anthrax,' and containing what appeared to be a white powder" to Thompson's office last week — days before the panel held their closing hearing on the U.S. Capitol riot and voted to subpoena former President Trump.

Hal Harrell officially retired as superintendent of the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District during a school board meeting on Wednesday night.

Why it matters: Harrell said less than two weeks ago he was retiring but would stay in his post "throughout the year" until a new superintendent was named. However, his retirement was accepted at the meeting. The terms were not publicly disclosed.

Former Vice President Mike Pence hinted at a 2024 presidential run on Wednesday night after declining to say whether he'd vote for former President Trump.

Driving the news: A student asked Pence after he delivered a speech at a Georgetown University event hosted by the conservative Young America’s Foundation whether he'd vote for Trump in 2024 if he's the Republican nominee.

Los Angeles Councilmember Kevin de León will not resign despite the fallout of leaked audio in which he and two other councilmembers made racist remarks, he told Univision in an interview broadcast Wednesday night.

The big picture: De León and councilmember Gil Cedillo have resisted calls to step down from President Biden and others for participating in a discussion with anti-Black and anti-Indigenous comments, particularly after former council president Nury Martinez resigned last week.

Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) a foreign policy hawk who is one of his party's staunchest supporters of Ukraine, is also the member of Congress who has discussed the war by far the most.

Why it matters: Kinzinger represents a wing of the GOP increasingly at odds with MAGA-aligned Republicans who want to cut off military aid to Ukraine if they win control of the House.

A former UCLA student was sentenced to 3.5 years in prison on Wednesday over his involvement in the U.S. Capitol riot.

The big picture: Christian Secor, a self-described fascist who was still enrolled at the college at the time, was among a group of rioters forcing their way through a doorway into the Capitol that was blocked by police officers, according to the Department of Justice.