Axios

Shots were fired into Vice President Harris' campaign office in Tempe, Arizona, on Monday, but no one was injured, her campaign confirmed to Axios.

Why it matters: Political threats have become an undertone of the presidential election cycle, with assassination attempts against former President Trump and violent rhetoric.

Two Senate Democrats waging competitive re-election campaigns in presidential battlegrounds will introduce a bill mirroring Vice President Harris' proposal to expand a tax break for creating a small business, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: Sens. Jacky Rosen (D-Nevada) and Tammy Baldwin's (D-Wisc.) embrace of Harris' economic policies as they fight their own campaign battles signals Democrats are confident they've landed on an economic message that can woo middle class voters.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) ignited outrage among Democrats on Tuesday by saying the House will follow standard procedure for certifying the 2024 presidential results if the election is "free, fair and safe."

Why it matters: Top House Democrats have been worried a Republican-controlled House may try to block a potential Kamala Harris election victory on Jan. 6, 2025.

Activist Malala Yousafzai highlighted the devastating impact of global conflicts on girls' education while appearing at an Axios House event Tuesday in New York City.

The big picture: From Afghanistan to Gaza, the Malala Fund co-founder called for more accountability to ensure that humanitarian law is followed and women and girls, in particular, receive equal educational opportunities.

House Foreign Affairs Committee Republicans voted to recommend Secretary of State Antony Blinken be held in contempt of Congress on Tuesday after he was a no-show to testify about the chaotic withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan.

Why it matters: The contempt resolution, which passed on a 26-25 party-line vote, marks the latest clash between Biden administration officials and House Republicans.

Half of registered voters plan to vote early in November's presidential election either by mail or in person, per a September NBC News poll.

Why it matters: With a large portion of votes set to be cast ahead of Election Day, time is running out for Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Trump to make their case to voters in a tight race that could take days to call.

Recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) may see a slight boost in their maximum benefit amounts beginning Oct. 1.

Why it matters: As high grocery prices continue to burden American consumers, those enrolled in SNAP could see their maximum allotments tick upward next week — but not by a lot.

Schools across the U.S. have been rocked by a spate of false threats of violence in recent weeks, forcing them to evacuate or temporarily close.

Why it matters: Threats of bombs, shooters and other dangers disrupt learning and stir community-wide anxiety about school safety. Responding to them can also be expensive and time-consuming for local governments and law enforcement.

A Haitian organization in Ohio filed criminal charges against former President Trump and running mate Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) on Tuesday, alleging the pair has caused harm by spreading baseless smears about Haitian immigrants.

The big picture: Trump and Vance have continuously amplified a false online conspiracy theory about Haitian immigrants eating pets in Springfield, Ohio, elevating an internet rumor to the national stage.

Vice President Harris told Wisconsin Public Radio that she supports eliminating the Senate filibuster to codify Roe v. Wade.

Why it matters: Harris' comments are the latest example of the Democratic presidential nominee trying to distinguish herself from former President Trump on the politically potent topic of abortion, viewed as a weak spot for Republicans.

Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen put the effort to reform the Cornhusker state's allocation of electoral votes to rest Tuesday, confirming he has no plans to call a special session before the November election.

Why it matters: The GOP-led effort to switch Nebraska's electoral vote system to winner-take-all, if successful, would likely have guaranteed former President Trump one more electoral vote in what is predicted to be a tight election.

The author of the popular children's book "Stella," which focuses on the adventures of a young child of color, has released a new addition.

Why it matters: Clothilde Ewing is publishing her third book, "Stella and Roger Can't Wait to Grow Up" (Simon & Schuster) on Tuesday, telling Axios she is fulfilling a promise to keep creating joyful stories where children of color can see themselves.

The chief executive of the company behind Ozempic and Wegovy blamed insurers and middlemen for the high costs of weight-loss drugs in the U.S. during a congressional testimony on Tuesday.

Why it matters: Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen, who leads drug manufacturer Novo Nordisk, passed along accountability for access to these medications while being questioned about his company's role in setting prices.

President Biden used his fourth and final speech to the UN General Assembly to reflect on his five decades in public life and advise his fellow leaders that "some things are more important than staying in power."

The big picture: Biden is preparing to leave the world stage with war grinding on in Ukraine, another expanding in the Middle East, and with the future of America's global role hingeing on November's election. While he acknowledged those challenges, Biden was reflective and stubbornly optimistic, reminding his audience that humanity had endured times that felt even more desperate.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is seeking to assure fellow Republicans that he won't bring a sweeping omnibus spending bill to the floor in December as Congress prepares to extend current funding levels ahead of its October recess.

Why it matters: Following through on that plan will be tough: Neither chamber has passed all of its individual spending bills, making another stopgap measure or a larger spending package the most likely outcome when the next funding deadline arrives in December.

Vice President Kamala Harris has more than doubled her lead over former President Trump with Asian American voters, compared to the advantage President Biden previously had, a new survey finds.

Why it matters: New data from the nonpartisan APIAVote and AAPIData show that Harris, who is Black and Asian American, is generating excitement about one of the nation's fast-growing voting constituencies.

The Justice Department is preparing a lawsuit against Visa accusing it of illegal monopolistic practices, according to multiple reports.

Why it matters: If the DOJ succeeds, it could reshape how fintechs interact with legacy payment companies.

As campaigns try to sway voters before the November election, they'll face few, if any, legal consequences for stretching the truth or telling outright lies, experts tell Axios.

Why it matters: Voters are about to get inundated with political TV ads, mailers and texts, many of them making dubious claims. But a long history of court rulings protects politicians' ability to lie in most cases.

There's another big divide emerging in this election. This time it's between voters and economists, finds new polling from the Wall Street Journal.

Why it matters: In their presidential campaigns, both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are proposing economic policies that are really popular with voters. Mainstream economists, meanwhile, find these ideas "appalling," the Journal notes.

Vice President Kamala Harris is launching a targeted effort to court Republican voters in rural Pennsylvania.

Why it matters: It's a sign that the Harris campaign is not only aiming to surge Democratic turnout in vote dense Philly and Pittsburgh but also trying hard to blunt former President Trump's margins in swing or red counties across the commonwealth.

Voters in six key swing states think former President Trump is more likely than Vice President Harris to end the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, respond effectively to a potential Chinese attack on Taiwan, and advance U.S. interests internationally, according to new polling from the Institute for Global Affairs.

Why it matters: President Biden will give a farewell address to the world Tuesday at the UN General Assembly. Voters will soon decide between relative continuity with Harris, or a 180-degree turn back to a predecessor Biden has portrayed as a danger to global security.

There are stark gaps between what Americans say they think and what they really think about hot-button political issues, a new study finds.

Why it matters: Politicians and institutions take cues and shape policies based on public opinion — but these stated opinions might not truly reflect what people want.

Vice President Harris' campaign is declining to say whether she still supports decriminalizing sex work — a position she took while running for president in 2019.

Why it matters: It's among several progressive stances Harris has either abandoned or gone silent on as she's moved toward the center in her abbreviated race for the White House.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) is suing the Biden administration for classifying the dunes sagebrush lizard in May as an endangered species.

The big picture: The sand-burrowing lizard is native to a portion of the oil-and gas-rich Permian Basin of West Texas and New Mexico and Paxton in a statement Monday called the designation an "unlawful misuse of environmental law" and a "backdoor attempt to undermine Texas's oil and gas industries."

A federal jury cleared all but one of six Trump supporters accused in a civil trial over the surrounding of a Biden-Harris campaign bus on a Texas highway days before the 2020 election.

Why it matters: The defendants were accused in the lawsuit of violations including of the Civil War-era 1871 Ku Klux Klan Act, which aims to provide protections against political threats or violence, over the "Trump Train" confrontation along I-35 between San Antonio and Austin.

Former Gov. Larry Hogan (R) now has serious super PAC money flooding his race to flip a Senate seat in the deep blue state of Maryland.

Why it matters: The super PAC Maryland's Future has been silent all year, but as of Monday, the group has booked $18.3 million worth of ads in the state to bolster Hogan.

Senate Republicans are privately telling their biggest donors the Montana Senate race is nearly in the bag and Ohio is heading their way, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: GOP leader Mitch McConnell has made knocking out Democrats in red states the calling card of his reign. Montana and Ohio are two of his last big goals.