Axios

Former President Trump filed a lawsuit against CBS News Thursday, alleging the network engaged in election interference by doctoring a "60 Minutes" interview with Vice President Harris, per a court filing.

Driving the news: Trump is seeking $10 billion in damages for CBS's alleged "partisan and unlawful acts of election and voter interference," which the lawsuit claims were intended to confuse the public and "attempt to tip the scales" toward Democrats in the 2024 presidential election.

From the silver screen to the wrestling ring, a number of celebrities have endorsed candidates ahead of November's election.

Why it matters: The fodder of fame can motivate fans — such as when singer Taylor Swift's 2023 call to action prompted record-breaking traffic to Vote.org — and shine star power on a campaign.

Former President Trump stopped for a rally in the nation's most Hispanic state on Thursday, drawing a diverse crowd of enthusiastic Latino and Native American supporters.

Why it matters: The Trump campaign has been besieged in the last days of the 2024 election after his New York rally Sunday featured speakers spewing racist and sexist remarks echoing Nazi language, and the Albuquerque, N.M., visit gave the campaign a chance for a visual reset.

A new internal memo by Tony Fabrizio, chief pollster for all three of Donald Trump's presidential campaigns, tells the former president he's in a radically better position than he was right before the 2020 election.

Why it matters: The memo reflects the exuberance that Trump staffers and allies exude in interviews and behind-the-scenes conversations. The optimistic framing could make it even more difficult for Trump followers to accept a loss as legitimate.

Israeli intelligence suggests Iran is preparing to attack Israel from Iraqi territory in the coming days, possibly before the U.S. presidential election, two Israeli sources tell Axios.

Why it matters: Israel and Iran have been engaged in an escalating tit-for-tat for weeks. Carrying the attack out through pro-Iranian militias in Iraq and not directly from Iranian territory could be an attempt by Iran to avoid another Israeli attack against strategic targets in Iran.

Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold discovered leaked passwords for Colorado's voting system five days before it became public and didn't change the codes until the controversy exploded into view.

Why it matters: The lack of transparency is intensifying scrutiny of the state's voting system — including from former President Trump's campaign — and amplifying the blowback against the state's top election official at a crucial moment.

Former President Trump vowed to "protect" women "whether the women like it or not" at a Wisconsin rally Wednesday, drawing sharp blowback for a campaign that's already floundering with women voters.

Why it matters: Though his comments came in the context of discussing crime from undocumented migrants, Trump's words evoked his history of bragging about sexually assaulting women and his role in overturning Roe v. Wade, which turned many women away from the Republican Party.

Democrats have roughly doubled their national ad spending advantage against Republicans over the last month or so, per analytics platform AdImpact.

Why it matters: Only a short window remains to sway voters before Election Day — though tens of millions of Americans have already cast their ballot.

In half of the U.S., voters can register to vote on the same day they cast their ballot.

Why it matters: Undecided or late-deciding voters make up a small fraction of the electorate in the matchup between former President Trump and Vice President Harris but could be consequential in determining November's outcome.

Former Trump attorney Kenneth Chesebro had his law license suspended in New York Thursday over his role in the alleged effort to overturn Georgia's 2020 election results.

Why it matters: Chesebro pleaded guilty to one felony count of conspiracy to commit filing false documents last year. He is among several ex-Trump lawyers who have been disciplined after working for the former president.

A Pennsylvania lawsuit over Elon Musk's daily $1 million giveaways was put on hold Thursday pending a federal judge's decision on whether or not to take up the case.

Why it matters: Musk — one of former President Trump's biggest backers — has already shrugged off a warning from the Justice Department about the legally dubious stunt.

Latinos are in an uphill battle to keep seven of their congressional seats in Tuesday's election, but their number may rise via a crop of new candidates.

Why it matters: Latinos make up nearly 20% of the U.S. population but only 2% of all elected officials in the country, which limits their political power.

Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), who has been leading Republican efforts to win a majority in the Senate, has been privately telling colleagues that he supports Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) for GOP leader, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: Daines' good relationship with former President Trump and this cycle's GOP candidates gives important weight to his endorsement.

Israel's ultranationalist finance minister will sign on Thursday an extension authorizing financial correspondence between banks in Israel and the occupied West Bank for one more month only, the minister's spokesperson said.

Why it matters: The U.S. and other Western countries are worried Israel will cut Palestinian banks off from the Israeli financial system and cause an economic collapse in the West Bank that would destabilize the region even further.

CEOs have been keeping their heads down as Election Day nears, but quarterly earnings often require them to come up for air and address investors and the media.

Why it matters: During this quarter's earnings calls and the press interviews that follow, executives could be forced to discuss the election, its outcome and any uncertainty surrounding it.

U.S. political candidates can appeal to prospective voters until polls close, but that wasn't the case in most recent elections worldwide.

Why it matters: Swaying voters in the election's final homestretch could be crucial in the razor-thin race between former President Trump and Vice President Harris.

AI-generated images of fake Americans sharing political endorsements have received more than 2 million likes, comments and shares on Facebook in the last four months, according to a new report released today.

Why it matters: Less than a week from the U.S. presidential election, AI-generated fake images, videos and audio are flooding the internet — and threat actors have been actively using these tools to spread election disinformation and propaganda.

Officials in Washington and Oregon are investigating fires set Monday in two ballot drop boxes that destroyed hundreds of ballots in the final days of the 2024 election.

Why it matters: Washington and Oregon, where the drop boxes were set ablaze, both hold vote-by-mail elections. In addition to arson, this method of voting has faced legal and political challenges, with litigation across the country and a growing web of election-related conspiracy theories.

Vice President Harris' campaign showed off a new ad on the outside of the Sphere in Las Vegas this week ahead of her visit to the state on Halloween.

Why it matters: It's the first political campaign to use the 580,000 square feet of LED display space and is another example of this election cycle's more creative media tactics.

The nonprofit investigative news outlet ProPublica has unearthed multiple cases of pregnant women who died after they couldn't access timely medical care in states with strict abortion bans.

• All of them were preventable, medical experts told the news outlet. Two of them died during miscarriages.

Richard Stengel — a former top editor of TIME, and collaborator on Nelson Mandela's memoir, "Long Walk to Freedom" — is helping launch a new school of leadership dedicated to the South African freedom fighter.

• The project is a joint effort with the UN, the Mandela Foundation in Johannesburg and the City College of New York.

The Nelson Mandela Center for Social Change at CCNY, located in Manhattan, is "designed to create a new generation of leaders who, like Mandela, can solve problems and rifts that seem intractable," Stengel says.

Billionaire DNA is coursing through the U.S. election system like never before, smashing campaign finance records and ushering in a new age of influence.

Why it matters: In an election that both sides see as existential, the moral guardrails for political spending are vanishing. Today's billionaires are shredding populist taboos, driving news cycles and increasingly shaping the terms of American democracy.

Housing policy is center stage in many of the country's mayoral elections this year.

Why it matters: The national home affordability crisis is so severe that municipal candidates have put it at the core of their campaigns.

AI, like everything else in the U.S. on the threshold of a historic election, faces a fork in the road Tuesday.

Why it matters: A victory by Vice President Harris is likely to mean new life for the Biden administration's careful approach to AI regulation, which she has overseen. Meanwhile, former President Trump hasn't said much about AI — but if he wins next week, Elon Musk does, too.

ALBUQUERQUE — Former President Trump heads to Albuquerque on Thursday to court Latino voters, push his plans to stop illegal immigration — and once again pitch his ideas with a state he's unlikely to win as the backdrop.

Why it matters: Trump's Halloween visit to the nation's most Hispanic state — where violence marked two of his rallies in previous campaigns — reflects his push to capitalize on Republicans' slight gains recently among Latinos, especially men.

The battle lines for the Senate GOP leader race are finally in sharp focus: The dark horse is sitting it out, a far-right MAGA activist is swarming in and a deadline's been set.

Why it matters: Sen. John Thune, currently the GOP No. 2, has long been considered a front-runner to replace Mitch McConnell. But several GOP sources have noted serious momentum behind Sen. John Cornyn's bid in recent weeks.