Axios

House Democrats are turning President Trump's controversial Madison Square Garden rally and House Speaker Mike Johnson's (R-La.) comments about the Affordable Care Act into their de facto closing message.

Why it matters: The 2024 election is heading for a photo finish, and Democrats believe their foes just gave them a critical leg up.

House Republicans are digging in on President Biden's alleged characterization of Trump supporters as "garbage" by launching an investigation into the White House's handling of his comments.

Why it matters: The House Oversight Committee's probe is the latest in a flurry of House Republican investigations aimed at putting Democrats on defense in the last stages of the 2024 election.

Negotiations for a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah have made significant progress in the last 24 hours but the Biden administration hasn't reached a final agreement with either Israel or Lebanon, two U.S. officials with direct knowledge of the issue said.

Why it matters: A ceasefire deal would stop more than a year of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah and significantly de-escalate the regional war in the Middle East for the first time since the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel.

Former President Trump struck a defensive tone at a North Carolina rally Wednesday, pushing back on Democrats' attacks on him and his supporters.

Why it matters: In the final days of the 2024 presidential campaign, Trump is responding to Vice President Harris' efforts to paint the Republican presidential nominee as a danger to democracy and a fascist.

Some Republicans bashing President Biden for allegedly calling the MAGA base "garbage" have waved away the crude remarks leveled at Democrats during former President Trump's Madison Square Garden rally.

The big picture: Trump has made insults and threats against opponents a central part of his campaign rhetoric since he launched his original presidential bid in 2015, but some Republicans have downplayed the very comments that sparked Biden's condemnation.

Latin music superstar Nicky Jam rescinded his endorsement of former President Trump on Wednesday following a comedian's joke about Puerto Rico during a campaign rally.

Why it matters: Jam, who has nearly 44 million followers on Instagram, drew criticism when he endorsed Trump at a rally in Las Vegas last month.

Schools are treading carefully this year with mock elections — a time-honored tradition in civics education.

The big picture: Schools have become ground zero for several polarized political fights, prompting educators to rethink the ways they introduce students to the concept of voting.

Democrats are chafing at President Biden's seeming inability to keep his foot out of his mouth after Republicans accused him of calling supporters of former President Trump "garbage."

Why it matters: The White House has vigorously disputed that interpretation of the quote — saying it leaves out crucial context — but to many Democrats, the real headache is the inarticulacy that led to the dispute.

Early voting kicked off in several states last month as an unprecedented election season hurdles toward Election Day.

Why it matters: In all but one state, Americans must be registered to vote in order to cast their ballot in the 2024 election — and in many states, the deadline to register is just weeks away.

When Kamala Harris began rolling out her economic agenda as a presidential candidate, she began with food prices. A literal kitchen-table issue.

The big picture: She likely assumed that her case would be bolstered — in terms of both substance and attention — by the FTC's efforts to block Kroger from buying rival supermarket operator Albertsons, but a court ruling is taking much longer than expected.

Vice President Harris' and her campaign are seizing on a Trump rally speaker's racist jokes about Puerto Rico this weekend to woo Latino voters in the election's home stretch.

Why it matters: Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe's racist jokes have infuriated Puerto Ricans and Latinos across the country, who make up sizable voting blocs in several key swing states with only days left in the campaign.

The Supreme Court is allowing Virginia to continue its automatic purging of voters while state officials appeal a lower court's decision temporarily blocking the program.

Why it matters: Multiple outlets have reported that Virginia's program has removed U.S. citizens, and thus, eligible voters, from the state's rolls — and Election Day is in less than a week.

A new mixed-reality project uses the voice and images of a Holocaust survivor to take viewers into the "Night of Broken Glass", the Kristallnacht, and the terror of deportations to concentration camps.

The big picture: "Inside Kristallnacht" released Wednesday is the latest high-tech initiative aimed at educating a new generation about the Holocaust, following others that have used virtual reality, artificial intelligence and holograms.

The U.S. economy expanded at an 2.8% annual rate in the July-through-September quarter, the Commerce Department said on Wednesday.

Why it matters: One of the final snapshots before Election Day shows America is on solid footing, with no recession in sight.

Jonathan Lemire — host of "Way Too Early," at 5am ET on MSNBC — will be promoted in January to co-host of the "Morning Joe" 9am hour, the show's marquee hour for the West Coast, an NBC News source tells Axios.

• A new 5am host will be named later. Lemire is the rare cable news anchor who signed a new deal without a pay cut.

Lawmakers in both parties are bracing themselves for a tumultuous period after the Nov. 5 election, with many openly expressing fears of political violence.

Why it matters: Democrats, in particular, see it as virtually inevitable that Trump will challenge the election results if he loses, raising the specter of nationwide civil unrest or even a repeat of the Jan. 6 attack.

Kamala Harris and Donald Trump have cast next week's election as one of the most crucial in U.S. history — but their campaign schedules have been historically light, reminiscent of the COVID campaign of 2020.

Why it matters: In September and October, Harris, 60, has visited — or plans to visit — fewer cities than the 78-year-old Trump and nearly every other Democratic and Republican presidential candidate in the previous four elections.

Half of Gen Z voters — and 1 in 4 U.S. voters overall — have lied to people close to them about who they're voting for, according to the latest Axios Vibes survey by The Harris Poll.

Why it matters: Voters 18-27 who came of age during the hyper-polarized Trump era appear to be among the most sensitive to perceived pressure and judgment from friends or loved ones.

The Washington Post has seen at least 250,000 readers cancel their subscriptions after owner Jeff Bezos ended a decades-long tradition of endorsing presidential candidates, the newspaper reported late Tuesday.

Why it matters: That figure represents 10% of 2.5 million subscribers the paper had before Bezos announced the decision after the WaPo editorial board had drafted an endorsement of Vice President Harris, per the report.

Canada's deputy foreign minister alleged Tuesday that Indian Home Affairs Minister Amit Shah, a close ally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, had driven plots targeting Sikh separatists on Canadian soil.

The big picture: The two countries have been embroiled in an escalating diplomatic standoff since Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last year accused "agents of the Indian" government of being involved in the killing of a prominent Sikh community leader in Canada.

Two senior advisers to President Biden will arrive in Israel on Thursday to try to close a deal that would end the war in Lebanon and allow displaced civilians from both sides of the border to return to their homes, three sources with direct knowledge of the trip told Axios.

Why it matters: If Biden's senior advisers Amos Hochstein and Brett McGurk strike a diplomatic deal between Israel and Hezbollah during their visit, it would significantly de-escalate the regional war in the Middle East for the first time since the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel.

President Biden handed ammo to gleeful Republicans Tuesday night when he seemed to refer to former President Trump's supporters as "garbage."

Why it matters: Operatives in both parties instantly viewed the remark as a flashback to Hillary Clinton's 2016 blunder when she referred to Trump supporters as a "basket of deplorables" — which fired up outraged Republicans.

Vice President Harris made her final pitch before tens of thousands of people on the National Mall Tuesday, as she warned a second Trump administration would bring "chaos and division" and said it's time to "turn the page."

Why it matters: Exactly one week until Election Day, Harris — with the White House lit up behind her — invoked a message of unity, reaching across the aisle to appeal to the coveted undecided voters who will likely decide the razor-thin contest.

Former Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley on Tuesday warned the Trump campaign against critizing Latinos or being "overly masculine."

The big picture: Haley said on Fox News that Trump rally Tony Hinchcliffe's likening of Puerto Rico to "a floating island of garbage" was "harmful" to the campaign.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) recently promised Jewish leaders that he would try later this year to pass a bill aimed at curbing antisemitism on college campuses, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: The bill would be Congress' most forceful response to the pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses across the country this spring, which sometimes led to the harassment of Jewish students.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and his data gurus are cautiously optimistic that they're banking more early votes than the Democrats this cycle.

Why it matters: Former President Trump has had a change of heart on early voting, and his supporters appear to be following his lead.