Axios

Los Angeles County's top prosecutor recommended Thursday the resentencing of Lyle and Erik Menendez, the brothers who were convicted of killing their parents in 1989.

Why it matters: The move could free the brothers, whose case has gained new attention in recent weeks, from their life sentences. The final decision rests with a judge.

As they brace for former President Trump to challenge the election if he loses, some Democrats are looking to recent changes to the Electoral College certification process as a key safeguard against serious efforts to overturn the results.

Why it matters: Trump's framing of Congress as a key venue for overturning the election in 2021 helped lead to the deadly attack on Jan. 6 — and lawmakers want to avoid a repeat of that violence.

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody (R) sued the Department of Justice on Wednesday for suspending Florida's investigation into the second assassination attempt against former President Trump.

Why it matters: State investigators want access to witnesses and evidence to potentially leverage additional charges against the alleged gunman, Ryan Wesley Routh.

Former President Trump indicated he'd consider pardoning Hunter Biden if he's reelected during an interview that aired Thursday with conservative radio show host Hugh Hewitt.

The big picture: Trump has long dished out attacks against the legal issues facing President Biden's son, who was convicted in June in a federal gun trial and who pleaded guilty last month in a federal tax evasion case

Former President Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are headed to Texas Friday, less than two weeks before Election Day.

Why it matters: Their visits are notable in a state that has been far less competitive than others. Candidates usually spend their final days on the campaign trail in swing states, where the Electoral College will be won and lost.

Vice President Kamala Harris' supporters are far more optimistic that the Nov. 5 election will be administered smoothly and accurately than former President Trump's, a survey released on Thursday has found.

Why it matters: Trump and his allies have relentlessly questioned the integrity of the upcoming vote — after falsely claiming the 2020 election was stolen — and the Pew Research Center survey indicates their message is getting through.

An Afro-Mexican woman who has fought discrimination against Black people in Mexico for three decades is among those honored this week by the U.S. State Department.

The big picture: Tanya Duarte, founder of the Afrodescendencia México project, was a recipient of the second annual U.S. secretary of state's Award for Global Anti-Racism Champions.

A majority of Americans anticipate that there will be violence in the aftermath of the November election, according to a new Scripps News/Ipsos poll out Thursday.

Why it matters: The findings reflect the country's growing fears of political violence, fueled in part by a boom in misinformation and increased political polarization across the country.

Voters in Uruguay, one of the most politically stable countries in Latin America, go to the polls Sunday to decide on a new president and on a major pension reform — with all 129 congressional seats also up for grabs.

State of play: The presidential race, with 11 candidates, is likely to go to a runoff. 

More than 80 Nobel Prize winners from a variety of scientific fields endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president, lauding her commitment to technology and research.

Why it matters: Scientific advancements and climate change responses would be undermined by former President Trump, the scientists warned during the final days of the razor-thin campaign.

It was "widespread knowledge" within the WWE that a ringside announcer was sexually exploiting underage "Ring Boys," a new lawsuit alleges, accusing Vince McMahon and the WWE of failing to stop the abuse.

The big picture: The pro wrestling mogul and the WWE have for years faced accusations of maintaining and facilitating a "rampant culture of sexual abuse" at the company — one that attorneys allege involved the exploitation of boys as young as 12.

Beyoncé will join Vice President Kamala Harris on the campaign trail in Houston on Friday, multiple outlets reported.

Why it matters: Harris has enjoyed a flood of celebrity endorsements since replacing President Biden at the top of the Democratic presidential ticket, but the superstar is a blockbuster get with only days until voting concludes.

Former President Trump on Wednesday night blasted his former White House chief of staff John Kelly as a "lowlife" and "total degenerate" after Kelly gave a series of critical interviews about his former boss.

Why it matters: Trump's Truth Social posts mark his first public remarks about Kelly since his ex-chief-of-staff divulged the GOP presidential nominee's alleged praise for Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.

CIA director Bill Burns is expected to travel to Doha this weekend for talks with his Qatari, Egyptian and Israeli counterparts about a hostage-release and ceasefire in Gaza deal, two sources with knowledge of the issue said.

Why it matters: It will be the first meeting between Israel and the deal's mediators after more than two months of deadlock in the negotiations and no significant talks between the parties.

Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign has touted its bipartisan coalition — one that ranges from progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders to former Vice President Dick Cheney.

Why it matters: A growing cadre of former GOP officials and ex-Trumpworld staffers have ditched partisan differences and publicly endorsed the Democratic nominee in an effort to prevent a second Trump presidency.

Russia helped propagate disinformation about Hurricanes Helene and Milton in order to deepen political divisions in the U.S. and undermine America's support for Ukraine, according to a new analysis.

Why it matters: The findings underscore Russia's ability to manipulate political discourse in the U.S. The study noted that Kremlin-backed actors appear to be stepping up their efforts in the final stretch of the U.S. presidential race.

The fiscal chaos that hawks warn will eventually play out in America is already underway in France.

Why it matters: The revolt over fiscal deficits has come for France. A financial market freakout is pushing the government to take steps to rein in spending, a task complicated by political factions that campaigned on expensive promises.

It's likely the election winner won't be known the night of Nov. 5. It may not even be clear the morning after. Or the day after.

• But that doesn't mean the eventual results were rigged, manipulated or wrong.

Why it matters: Sluggish vote counts could fuel distrust in the election, spark protests and paralyze governance.

For the third straight election, tens of millions of Americans will vote for a candidate who boasts an encyclopedia of scandals — personal, political and criminal — unprecedented in any corner of public life.

Why it matters: Donald Trump has defied political gravity. He has survived the unsurvivable, normalized the abnormal and bulldozed through every red line drawn by his predecessors. And yet he just might win — again.

Former President Trump and his team spend a lot of time blasting Vice President Harris at rallies, on social media and on TV. But lately they've had a new target: Ian Sams, Harris' unassuming spokesperson.

Driving the news: Sams has appeared on Fox News several times in the past two weeks to throw darts at Trump, prompting the ex-president and his staff to fire off dozens of social media posts blasting Sams — and essentially accusing the conservative network of betrayal.

The 2024 World Series will bring back a historic rivalry between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees that hasn't been seen in the Fall Classic since 1981.

The big picture: The two most storied franchises in Major League Baseball have met 11 times in the World Series (Yankees have won 8, Dodgers 3), battling amid a looming World War II, immigration transformations, racial desegregation and urban unrest.

The Los Angeles Times' editorials editor resigned Wednesday after the newspaper's plans to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential election were blocked by billionaire owner Patrick Soon-Shiong, the Columbia Journalism Review first reported.

The big picture: "Of course it matters that the largest newspaper in the state ... declined to endorse in a race this important," wrote Mariel Garza in her resignation letter, published by the CJR, which noted Trump's campaign called the LA Times' decision the "latest blow" for Harris.

Boeing workers will remain on strike after 64% of union members voted against ratifying a new contract, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) announced Wednesday night.

Why it matters: The strike that involves thousands of striking machinists has lasted for six weeks and crippled Boeing's production in a year when the aerospace giant was grappling with a battered reputation stemming from quality and safety issues.

Pennsylvania voters whose mail-in ballots have been rejected for certain procedural errors can cast provisional votes, the battleground state's highest court ruled Wednesday evening.

Why it matters: The Pennsylvania Supreme Court's decision may affect thousands of mail-in votes that could be rejected in a state where the presidential election margins may be even closer than in 2020.

Vice President Kamala Harris opened up about her faith during the CNN town hall on Wednesday night, telling Anderson Cooper that she prays "every day, sometimes twice a day."

Why it matters: Religion has been largely absent from the 2024 campaign, with neither Harris nor former President Trump making their faith a central part of their campaigns.

Vice President Kamala Harris said she believes former President Trump is a fascist when asked by CNN's Anderson Cooper during a Wednesday night town hall in front of undecided voters in battleground Pennsylvania.

Why it matters: Harris' closing argument in the 2024 race is that her Republican presidential rival is a fundamental threat to the nation.

Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) and former Democratic presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard have been hitting the trail for former President Trump to win over Native American voters in battleground states.

Why it matters: With expected razor-thin margins, significant Native American populations in states like Nevada and North Carolina could decide control of the White House and the Senate.

A super PAC linked to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R- Ky.) is hitting the Blue Wall with $42 million in new ad spending through Election Day, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: Senate Republicans appear to be abandoning Arizona and Nevada in favor of toss-ups in Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Ohio.

Rudy Giuliani, ex-lawyer to former President Trump, was ordered by a federal judge Tuesday to hand over personal property, including a Manhattan penthouse, to two Georgia election workers he defamed.

The latest: Giuliani's spokesperson told Axios Wednesday that personal gifts, including from Giuliani's childhood hero Joe DiMaggio and from the first soldiers who entered Afghanistan following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks are being taken from him, as is his only vehicle.