Axios

North Carolina's Board of Elections said Friday that it has appealed an order from the state's Court of Appeals to remove Robert F. Kennedy Jr. from 2024 general election ballots.

The big picture: The move comes hours after the North Carolina appeals court blocked the state from sending out absentee ballots while it considers a lawsuit from the former third-party presidential candidate, who is seeking to remove his name after dropping out of the race.

Former Republican Vice President Dick Cheney will vote for Vice President Harris in the 2024 election, his daughter former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) said Friday.

The big picture: Dick Cheney once supported former President Trump. But he's become a Trump critic in recent years, particularly after the Jan. 6 insurrection.

A group of 88 high-profile current and former business executives issued a joint letter endorsing Vice President Harris on Friday.

The big picture: The leaders throwing their support behind the Democratic nominee include executives across media, finance and technology, with the likes of billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban, former 21st Century Fox CEO James Murdoch, LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman and former basketball star Earvin "Magic" Johnson.

Trump campaign adviser Chris LaCivita told House Republican lawmakers and senior staff they're anticipating a "fine" performance from VP Harris during Tuesday's debate, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: Republicans are preparing for a much different dynamic than the first debate, when President Biden's disastrous performance eventually forced him to drop out of the race. Harris has been riding a wave of enthusiasm since stepping in as the nominee.

Former President Trump was delivered a win Friday when a judge granted his request to delay sentencing in his hush money case.

Why it matters: The GOP presidential nominee's sentencing date was moved from Sept. 18 to Nov. 26 — after the general election.

Days before his debate against Vice President Kamala Harris, former President Trump held a rambling news conference in which he recounted, denied and mocked various sexual harassment allegations against him.

The big picture: With less than two months until Election Day, some Republicans fear that Trump's public appearances are growing more erratic and less focused on prosecuting the policy case against Harris.

If Vice President Kamala Harris wins the presidential race, she's likely to put her own prosecutorial spin on the Biden administration's already tough cybersecurity policy agenda, experts say.

Why it matters: With two months until Election Day, cybersecurity experts are eagerly reading the tea leaves to determine how a Harris-Walz administration would approach cybersecurity issues like nation-state attacks and critical infrastructure protections.

Former President Trump appeared at a Manhattan federal appeals court Friday as he continues to fight the $5 million verdict against him for defaming writer E. Jean Carroll who accused him of sexual assault.

Why it matters: Trump's attendance is his latest attempt to get a new trial in the case but the court is not likely to issue a decision before the presidential election, CNN reported.

Vice President Kamala Harris has pitched policy positions on the economy, immigration and abortion in the weeks since she became the Democrats' presidential nominee, even as her flip-flops have attracted press coverage.

Why it matters: Harris has benefited from a surge of voter enthusiasm since she entered the race — and one of her greatest challenges in the final stretch of the campaign will be sustaining that momentum while giving voters a clear understanding of what she'd do as commander in chief.

The 14-year-old Apalachee High School shooting suspect and his father both appeared separately in court Friday for the first time.

The big picture: The father and son have both been charged in connection to the mass school shooting in Georgia that killed four people and injured nine others on Wednesday.

In a reversal, Hunter Biden pleaded guilty to all nine charges in his federal tax evasion case on Thursday as the trial was set to begin, according to the Department of Justice.

The big picture: The judge overseeing the case accepted Biden's altered plea, averting a potentially prolonged trial that was expected to delve into the president's son's business dealings and history of drug use as well as attract Republican attacks.

With 60 days left in the race, and at the very moment she's presenting a different ideology than four years ago, Vice President Kamala Harris isn't getting subjected to the media scrutiny typical for a presidential nominee.

Why it matters: Harris is copying President Biden's self-protection media strategy — duck tough interviews and limit improvisational moments. 

The role neighborhood schools once played as the center of community life is dwindling as public schools shutter across America.

Why it matters: School closures have well-documented impacts on academic outcomes, but more recent research shows they also can lower housing values, raise crime rates and diminish the social fabric of a neighborhood.

Vice President Harris' campaign announced Friday that it raised a staggering $361 million in August, solidifying her financial advantage over former President Trump.

Why it matters: It's nearly triple the $130 million that Trump's campaign said it raised in August, giving the VP an edge entering the final stretch of the 2024 campaign.

Conservative media is facing a rare moment of introspection, rocked by a series of scandals that have drawn new scrutiny to the right's favorite influencers.

Why it matters: The battle for MAGA's future is unfolding not just at the ballot box, but online — where traditionally pro-Trump forces are suddenly feuding over antisemitism, revisionist history and Russian disinformation.

This week's mass shooting at a Georgia high school brought the issue of gun violence back to the fore ahead of November's 2024 presidential election.

The big picture: Vice President Kamala Harris and Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) made clear in comments Thursday they have very different ideas in how to respond to gun violence in the wake of the Apalachee High School shooting that killed four people and injured nine others.

Telegram CEO Pavel Durov criticized French authorities on Thursday for pursuing criminal charges against him in connection with illicit activity on the encrypted messaging app.

The big picture: In his first public comments since he was arrested last month, the Russian-born tech entrepreneur wrote on Telegram that suggestions that the app he founded was "some sort of anarchic paradise are absolutely untrue."

The father of the 14-year-old Apalachee High School student arrested in connection with a massacre that killed four people and injured nine others has been arrested, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation announced Thursday.

The big picture: Colin Gray, 54, has been charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two of second-degree murder and eight counts of cruelty to children, per a GBI post to X.

A Massachusetts physician who admitted she punched a police officer during the Jan. 6 U.S. capitol riot was sentenced to nine months in prison Thursday, the Department of Justice announced.

The big picture: Jacquelyn Starer, 71, of Ashland, joined other rioters entering the Capitol building through the Rotunda doors some 15 minutes after they had been breached after attending the "Stop the Steal" rally that preceded the attack and moved to the front of a police line protecting then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office, per prosecutors.

LOS ANGELES – California gubernatorial candidate and former mayor of Los Angeles Antonio Villaraigosa said he understands President Biden's executive order to tighten asylum limits but argued that immigrants who are already here need a clear pathway to citizenship.

Why it matters: The Hispanic community is one of the fastest growing populations in America and immigration is a top issue in the presidential race.

• Villaraigosa, who announced his candidacy for the 2026 gubernatorial race, provided his views on immigration on September 5 at the annual Visionarios event, hosted by Axios and Noticias Telemundo.

With an average of 2,500 migrants crossing the border illegally each day, the White House executive order allows border officials to turn away migrants without allowing them to seek asylum.

What he's saying: "There's no question that some of them are political refugees, many of them are not. To have a process for them to come is absolutely reasonable in my mind…but you can't do that without also providing a pathway to citizenship," Villaraigosa said.

• "You look at our economy today, it's immigrants…they're providing the wealth of this country. Latinos and Latinas are starting more businesses per capita than any other group and many of them are immigrants."
• "I'm for immigrants, I'm for the American dream…I'm also for making sure that we're living in an environment where we can sell the notion of providing a pathway of citizenship for these people. You can't do that with all the noise you have right now."

In a separate interview, actress/producer Kate del Castillo said the shift in appreciation for Spanish-language programming within the film/TV industry has shown "a little change in the right direction" but more needs to be done.

• "I just think that Hispanics in the cinematic industry…we're still invisible. It's so, so depressing in that sense."
• "Yes, it has changed, but very slow…we need more, much more."

2024 Team USA Olympic boxer Jennifer 'La Traviesa' Lozano reminisced about the early days of her career, how her grandmother was a pivotal figure for her, and she addressed future plans of going pro.

• Lozano said going pro isn't in the cards just yet, but she's said it could happen "soon."
• "I'm gonna be making a lot of history once I do," said Lozano.

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In a View From the Top conversation, Bank of America's President of Business Banking Raul Anaya discussed a recently released, and first-ever, Latina GDP study. Its findings show that the Latina GDP is $1.3 trillion.

• "It's a powerful statement of what here in Los Angeles we know is important- the Latino segment, and specifically in the Latina community, in terms of their entrepreneurship, how they start businesses, how they spend."
• "Just like the Latino community that continues to grow at out-size levels compared to the non-Latino community...The facts show that the Latina GDP, the Latina community, if taken as a cohort, is growing 2.7 times faster than the non-Latino community."