Axios

The Biden administration's embrace of an "immediate ceasefire" in Gaza and threat of conditions for aid to Israel could shake up the foreign aid vote math on Capitol Hill.

Why it matters: House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is already trying to perform a tenuous balancing act to cobble together the votes for aid to Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan.

Three judges this week rejected attempts by former President Trump to toss out or further delay his criminal cases, delivering a blow to the GOP frontrunner barreling closer toward his first criminal trial.

Why it matters: Trump has had success in delaying his four criminal indictments, injecting uncertainty into his legal calendar, but the rulings this week allow his trial proceedings, at least for now, to continue.

Israel's killing of seven World Central Kitchen aid workers has the makings of a watershed moment in Washington, rapidly accelerating a months-long decline in U.S. support for the war in Gaza.

Why it matters: President Biden called for an "immediate ceasefire" Thursday and told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that future U.S. policy "will be determined by our assessment of Israel's immediate action" on addressing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and protecting aid workers.

New York Attorney General Letitia James requested Thursday that former President Trump's attorneys or the company issuing his $175 million bond "file a motion to justify the surety" within 10 days.

The big picture: The presumptive GOP presidential nominee posted the $175 million bond earlier this week after a New York appeals court reduced the amount needed to appeal his $454 million judgment.

The centrist political group No Labels is dropping plans to put forward a third-party ticket in November, Axios confirmed Thursday.

Why it matters: It's a huge shake-up to the 2024 presidential race — and one relief for Democrats who feared a "unity ticket" could siphon votes from President Biden's re-election bid.

The judge overseeing former President Trump's classified documents case on Thursday rejected Trump's bid to dismiss the case based on the Presidential Records Act (PRA).

Why it matters: This is the second time in a matter of weeks that Judge Aileen Cannon has denied one of Trump's motions to dismiss the case.

A Georgia judge on Thursday rejected former President Trump's attempt to get the state's election-racketeering case against him dismissed based on First Amendment claims.

Why it matters: It's a loss for the former president and the presumed Republican presidential nominee in arguably the most damaging of the four criminal cases against him. While no trial date has been set, it's still moving forward.

The Biden administration issued a new rule Thursday to protect federal workers from being fired at whim.

Why it matters: The new rule would make it harder for Former President Trump — or any other president — to reshape the federal workforce via mass firings, as the likely GOP presidential nominee has promised to do if he is elected to another term in the White House.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is facing new demands from Democrats to include humanitarian aid for a variety of global hot spots in a foreign aid package, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: It complicates the speaker's precarious path for passing aid to Israel and Ukraine as he tries to balance competing demands from all ends of the ideological spectrum.

Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) wants increased transparency around private equity investment in health care services companies, such as hospitals, dialysis centers, and physician groups.

Zoom in: He also is proposing new federal abilities to stop those deals from ever happening.

Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.), one of the top Democratic backers of Israel and close ally to President Biden, suggested Thursday that the U.S. should condition its aid to Israel as the war in Gaza drags on.

Why it matters: Unconditional Democratic support for Israel has started to wane as both the White House and top congressional leaders have soured on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's handling of the war.

A group that helps Jews negotiate compensation and restitution for victims and heirs of Nazi persecution is starting a "Survivor Speakers Bureau" to connect schools with the last generation of Holocaust survivors.

Why it matters: The number of Holocaust survivors globally has dwindled to less than a quarter of a million as antisemitism and Holocaust deniers plague social media, threatening how we remember the genocide of 6 million Jews.

Biden officials just unveiled organizations that will receive $20 billion designed to flow into tens of thousands of clean energy and pollution-cutting projects nationwide.

Why it matters: The "Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund" is the largest single non-tax investment in the 2022 climate law.

World Central Kitchen (WCK), a disaster relief nonprofit founded by the Michelin-starred chef José Andrés, has suspended its operations in Gaza after seven of its workers were killed by an Israeli Defense Force attack.

The big picture: The nonprofit has been one of the few aid organizations able to deliver food to Gaza, where the Israel-Hamas war has exacerbated an already dire humanitarian situation.

An NBC News story making the rounds this week made us wonder if a come-to-Jesus moment about Florida is in order — if Jesus is termites and swamp a**.

The big picture: Among Florida's massive influx of new residents were at least a few who gave up on their Sunshine State dreams, per the report, pointing to issues including hurricanes, polarizing politics and high insurance costs.

Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nevada) is making a record-breaking ad buy as she gears up for a closely-watched Nevada Senate race, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: The $14 million fall ad buy from Rosen comes after Cook Political Report moved the race, which could determine control of the chamber, to a toss-up on Wednesday.

Former President Clinton will be out Nov. 19 — two weeks after the election — with a new memoir, "Citizen," about his personal and political life after Jan. 20, 2001.

Why it matters: The book's launch comes right after a major test for the last two Democratic former presidents — whether or not they can help give Biden the second term they each won.

Former President Trump thinks, talks and acts like no other politician in our lifetime. There's a Rosetta stone that demystifies how his mind works, his closest friends tell us: his Mar-a-Lago Spotify playlist.

• At his oceanside retreat in Palm Beach, Trump controls the surround-sound stereo system on the breezy dining patio with his big iPad and its Spotify list. Regulars jokingly call it the "Deejay T" performance.

Former President Trump is on track to raise $43 million at a fundraiser in Palm Beach on Saturday, in what many billionaire Republican donors are considering the kickoff for the general election, sources tell Axios.

Why it matters: That haul would eclipse the $26 million raised by President Biden last week at his celebrity-studded Radio City Music Hall event, which was billed as the largest fundraiser in political history.

Family members of the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. will make a rare visit to Memphis — where the civil rights leader was assassinated — on Thursday to mark the 56th anniversary of his murder, the King family tells Axios.

Why it matters: King family members say they're going to Memphis to draw attention to what they see as a rising threat of political violence today.

President Biden's phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu planned for Thursday morning is expected to be tense as Biden is "outraged" about the killing of seven World Central Kitchen aid workers in an Israeli air strike in Gaza earlier this week, four U.S. officials said.

Why it matters: Chef José Andrés, who established the organization, is not only a highly respected Washington personality, but also a long-time Biden supporter who the president knows personally.

United Democracy Project, the super PAC of pro-Israel group AIPAC, is launching more than $500,000 in ads against former Rep. John Hostettler (R-Ind.) in his bid to return to Congress, a spokesperson confirmed to Axios.

Why it matters: It's a rare intervention in a GOP primary by the PAC, which tends to focus on opposing left-wing Israel critics or supporting moderate Israel supporters in Democratic primaries.

Republican Senate candidates have flocked to Mar-a-Lago in recent months to raise funds for their campaigns, and the results have been lucrative, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: The Trump campaign faces a fundraising deficit against President Biden, but his influence and estate have continued to be a cash cow for GOP candidates close to the former president.