Axios

✂️ Dueling tax-cut promises by Kamala Harris and Donald Trump have made the 2024 campaign a season of giving, with each candidate trying to make Election Day feel like Christmas morning.

Why it matters: If you're an investor, a hospitality worker, a retiree, a parent with young children, or a corporation or small business, at least one presidential candidate has a little something — or a big something — for you.

• Neither campaign is paying much heed to how much all these proposals could cost, but both would add trillions of dollars to the national debt.
• Trump's plans would cost two to four times as much as Harris' over 10 years.

⚡️ The White House is plotting with Democratic leaders in Congress to try to force Republicans to accept a short-term spending bill that would fund the government through mid-December, Axios has learned.

The Biden administration's embrace of a three-month stopgap is an attempt to set the terms of the spending debate with House Republicans, who want a six-month bill.

• If Congress and the White House can't agree on a funding plan by the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30, the federal government will shut down in early October, weeks before Election Day.
• The December timeline Democrats want would require a lame duck session when lawmakers — and the next president — would know who was going to control what branches of government starting in January.

Eight weeks before the Nov. 5 election — and before the expected late rush of ad spending on the 2024 presidential race — total spending by the campaigns, PACs, issue-oriented groups and committees backing candidates is on pace to top that of the 2020 cycle.

We didn't need more proof of the high stakes surrounding Tuesday's debate between Harris and Trump, but this weekend provided it anyway.

• 🏀 Harris' convention bounce has eased and Trump — despite a series of erratic and incendiary remarks and posts on social media — is maintaining steady support.
• The two are in a dead heat, according to a New York Times/Siena poll out today that indicates many voters (28%) want to know more about Harris' policy positions.

📈 The poll also found that while Harris leads Trump among traditional Democratic blocs such as Black and Hispanic voters, she's short of hitting the numbers that Democrats traditionally need to win.

Dueling tax-cut promises by Kamala Harris and Donald Trump have made the 2024 campaign a season of giving, with each candidate trying to make Election Day feel like Christmas morning.

Why it matters: If you're an investor, a hospitality worker, a retiree, a parent with young children, or a corporation or small business, at least one presidential candidate has a little something — or a big something — for you.

The White House is plotting with Democratic leaders in Congress to try to force Republicans to accept a short-term spending bill that would fund the government through mid-December, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: The Biden administration's embrace of a three-month stopgap measure is an attempt to establish the terms of the spending debate with House Republicans, who are pushing for a six-month bill.

Former UN ambassador and GOP presidential hopeful Nikki Haley said she's "on standby" to campaign for former President Trump — who she once saw as "totally unhinged" but now is backing, despite opposing his "style," "approach" and "communications."

Meanwhile, former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) continues to flame the former president and will vote blue for the first time in her life.

Here's what you may have missed when newsmakers hit the airwaves this Sunday, September 8.

AUSTIN, Texas — House Foreign Affairs Chair Michael McCaul (R-Texas) alleged that the former acting ambassador to Afghanistan prioritized his own evacuation ahead of embassy staff.

Why it matters: McCaul's comments during an exclusive interview with Axios at the Texas Tribune Festival come just ahead of the Foreign Affairs panel's release of a report on the widely criticized August 2021 evacuation.

The White House is reassessing its strategy for a hostage-release and ceasefire in Gaza deal as President Biden's top aides deliberate whether there is a point in presenting a new proposal as Hamas and Israel both take tougher positions in negotiations, U.S. officials say.

Why it matters: Biden, who is personally engaged in drawing the U.S. strategy, wants to continue pushing for a deal, but his advisors think a new proposal would go nowhere right now.

Former UN ambassador and 2024 GOP presidential hopeful Nikki Haley said Sunday she is supporting former President Trump because of his policies — even though there are some she doesn't agree with.

Why it matters: Haley became increasingly critical of Trump while running her own presidential campaign, slamming him as "unhinged" and "toxic." While she still disagrees with his "style," Haley said she would vote for Trump in May and endorsed him during the Republican National Convention.

Former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) addressed voters who plan to write in a name other than former President Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris in November's election, urging them to "take the extra step" and vote for the Democratic nominee.

Why it matters: Cheney, who has been an outspoken critic of the former president, and her father, former Vice President Dick Cheney, endorsed Harris last week over the GOP ticket, citing the dangers they believe Trump poses to democracy.

Former President Trump proposed two of the largest-ever federal arrests of people living in America, including U.S. citizens, if he's re-elected.

Why it matters: Trump is saying, with specificity, how he would increase the use of federal power if he returns to the White House. No need to rely on what advisers and allies say — he says it himself.

Former President George W. Bush is not planning to endorse a candidate in the 2024 presidential race.

Why it matters: Bush's former vice president, Dick Cheney, said last week that he would cross party lines to back Vice President Kamala Harris over former President Trump, joining several Republicans who have rallied behind the Democratic ticket, despite policy differences.

Everywhere you look, signs are mounting of a tinderbox election that will test the outer bounds — and breaking points — of American democracy, honesty and civility.

Why it matters: A perfect storm has been brewing for years now — fueled by extreme polarization, election denial, political violence, historic prosecutions and rampant disinformation. Mayhem is bound to rain down in November.