Axios

A half-dozen former senior Biden administration officials are joining forces with Democratic Party veterans to launch a new one-stop communications and strategy advisory firm.

Why it matters: Lafayette Advisors will aim to help Fortune 100 companies, as well as labor unions and progressive groups, navigate the country's changing tax and regulatory environment.

Vice President Kamala Harris' brother-in-law and former U.S. associate attorney general Tony West has become a powerful adviser in her new campaign, as Harris asserts control over an organization built to elect a different candidate.

Why it matters: With less than 100 days to go, Harris is delicately retooling the presidential campaign with people she trusts, Democrats familiar with the matter told Axios.

A U.S. appeals court temporarily blocked the Federal Communications Commission's reclassification of broadband on Thursday.

Why it matters: The landmark net neutrality rules would have treated internet companies like utilities, subjecting them to greater regulation.

President Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke by phone Thursday as the Biden administration seeks to prevent the series of Israeli assassinations in Beirut and Tehran from escalating into regional war.

Why it matters: The Biden administration is convinced Iran is going to attack Israel within days in retaliation for the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran earlier this week and is preparing to counter it, three U.S. officials told Axios.

A campaign to scuttle Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro as a Democratic vice presidential prospect, largely over his support for Israel, is facing pushback from Jewish members of Congress across the political spectrum.

Why it matters: The uniquely fierce opposition to Shapiro — who is Jewish and whose views on Israel are similar to other potential VP candidates — is an all-too-familiar dynamic for some Jewish lawmakers.

Before Evan Gershkovich was released from Russian prison Thursday, he asked the Russian government for one thing — the chance to interview the man behind his imprisonment, Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Why it matters: The audacious request came shortly after Gershkovich was sentenced to 16 years in prison. His release was part of one of the largest prisoner swaps between Moscow and the West since the Cold War.

Vice President Kamala Harris' TikTok account and her campaign's embrace of online meme culture have garnered much enthusiasm and attention from young voters since the launch of her presidential bid.

The big picture: While her campaign has embraced the platform, the U.S. government is pursuing a lawsuit alleging that TikTok's ties to China represent a national security threat.

1. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro yesterday filed a motion before the Supreme Court that asks it to investigate acts of "destabilization" against the electoral process.

• The move is likely an attempt to give a greater institutional strength to his claims of victory in Sunday's contested elections, observers say. The court is led by Maduro allies.
• Maduro said after filing the document, which has not been made public, that he did it to show he's a "man who follows the Constitution."

2. An emergency resolution by the Organization of American States asking for Venezuela to make public all voting tallies from Sunday did not get enough votes yesterday after Colombia and Brazil abstained.

The Biden administration wants to ban airlines from charging parents to sit with their kids on flights.

Why it matters: The move is part of the administration's broader effort to ban what it calls "junk fees" and could compromise a source of profits for airlines.

Central California Latinos whose families span multiple generations have a growing political influence and could help decide control of the U.S. House.

Through the lens: Axios Latino tried to capture images of people trying to make a difference in their community, along with areas of historical significance to U.S. Latinos.

A Latino Republican mayor in a majority Democratic Central California city has dramatically turned his community around by fighting corruption, focusing on public safety and revamping abandoned lots into gardens.

Why it matters: Saul Ayon, a retired sheriff's deputy, tells Axios that McFarland, California, is an example of how a community of farm workers and immigrants can come together despite political tensions.

A multifaith advocacy coalition is pulling together Central California Latinos to pressure politicians to shed partisan battles and tackle local issues.

Why it matters: PICO California's convening and training of Latino farm workers and laborers is quietly transforming towns and communities that are battling poverty.

A newly awakened and fiercely independent Latino political movement is taking shape in Central California.

Why it matters: The Central California Valley — where Cesar Chavez once launched the Delano Grape Strike and Boycott — has one of the highest proportions of Latinos.

Former President Trump's gag order in his New York criminal trial will remain in place after an appeals court rejected his bid to toss it now that he has been convicted.

Why it matters: The Thursday ruling means that Trump is still prohibited from commenting publicly about lawyers, court staff and any of their family members until his sentencing in September.

While many Hollywood heavy hitters had cooled towards the Biden campaign, Vice President Kamala Harris' presidential bid has roused a flood of celebrity support for the Democratic ticket.

Why it matters: The star-studded entourage for Harris is one element of her campaign's reinvigoration for Democrats — energy they must now sustain through Nov. 5.

Former CNN anchor Don Lemon sued Elon Musk and X Thursday, alleging the tech mogul refused to pay him after the contract for his show for the social media platform was canceled.

Why it matters: A tense interview between Musk and Lemon earlier this year preceded the show's cancellation, sparking further scrutiny of the billionaire's controversial leadership of the platform formerly known as Twitter.

House Education Committee Chair Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) warned Columbia University Thursday that it could face subpoenas if it fails to provide documents related to the committee's antisemitism investigation.

Why it matters: It's the latest in a push by Republicans to probe allegations of campus antisemitism — many connected to the pro-Palestinian protests that rocked campuses this spring — at colleges across the country, including Columbia, since the Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is trying to effectively reverse the controversial Supreme Court decision that handed presidents legal immunity.

Why it matters: Legislation that will be unveiled by Schumer on Thursday elevates the Democratic Party's argument that the fate of democracy is at stake in the November elections.

Americans have long used the Bible to justify their politics. That's in part why today, younger Christians are rethinking their relationship to their faith and the Bible's place in American political life. Kaitlyn Schiess says that's a good thing. She's the author of "The Ballot and the Bible: How Scripture Has Been Used and Abused in American Politics and Where We Go from Here." For the second installment in our series about faith in American today, Schiess makes the case for how Christianity can play a healthier role in framing our politics.

Revisit our first conversation in our series on faith in America, with Noah Feldman: What it means to be a Jew today.

Guest: Kaitlyn Schiess, author of "The Ballot and the Bible: How Scripture Has Been Used and Abused in American Politics and Where We Go from Here"; studies political theology at Duke Divinity School; and is co-host of the Holy Post podcast.

Credits: 1 big thing is produced by Niala Boodhoo, Alexandra Botti, and Jay Cowit. Music is composed by Alex Sugiura and Jay Cowit. You can reach us at [email protected]. You can send questions, comments and story ideas as a text or voice memo to Niala at 202-918-4893.

Donald Trump's audacious lie about Vice President Kamala Harris' race confirmed what many had long suspected: running against a Black woman could summon the former president's worst impulses.

Why it matters: Amid outrage from Democrats and discomfort from Republicans, Trump is doubling down on his incendiary claim that Harris recently "became a Black person" for political convenience.

Steve Ballmer, the billionaire former Microsoft CEO and L.A. Clippers owner, might be on your TV screen soon, talking about immigration, health or the federal budget.

Why it matters: "It's a really important thing for people to think independently," Ballmer tells Axios. "But some people are not getting enough information, and some people are getting overwhelmed."

The Democratic Party didn't just change their nominee, they have changed their message in the final hundred days before the election.

Why it matters: President Biden wanted to make his campaign about "democracy" and Jan. 6, but Vice President Kamala Harris wants it to be about "freedom" and the "future."

Three men accused of plotting the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks have "entered into pretrial agreements," the Pentagon announced Wednesday evening.

The big picture: Alleged 9/11 plot leader Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Walid bin Attash and Mustafa al-Hawsawi were initially charged and arraigned with two others in 2008 in connection with the attack and have been held at the U.S. military prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.

Vice President Kamala Harris responded to former President Trump's interview comments at Wednesday's NABJ convention during which he falsely accused her of misleading voters about her racial identity.

What she's saying: "Donald Trump spoke at the annual meeting of the National Association of Black Journalists. And it was the same old show," Harris said during an address to Sigma Gamma Rho, a historically Black sorority, in Houston, Texas.

Former President Trump used a very specific setting on Wednesday to unveil a false new attack against his 2024 presidential rival.

Why it matters: Trump, who spent years falsely accusing the first Black president of not being a real American, told a crowd today at the National Association of Black Journalists convention that he doubted the blackness of the first Black woman to serve as vice president.