Axios

An Afghan man has been charged with conspiring to conduct an Election Day terrorist attack in the U.S. on behalf of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), according to a criminal complaint unsealed on Tuesday.

The big picture: Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi was arrested on Oct. 7 after buying two AK-47 assault rifles and other weaponry from an FBI agent in the Western District of Oklahoma and told investigators that he planned to "target large gatherings of people" and expected to die along with his juvenile brother-in-law, prosecutors allege.

Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant postponed his visit to Washington, DC after it was vetoed at the last minute by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli officials said.

Why it matters: Gallant's trip, which was planned for Wednesday, was supposed to focus on coordination with the U.S. around Israel's possible retaliatory attack against Iran.

Vice President Kamala Harris says former President Trump has the "desire to be a dictator" Tuesday in response to journalist Bob Woodward's book detailing the former president's reported communications with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Why it matters: Harris said during her radio interview with Howard Stern the GOP nominee was easily manipulated "by flattery and with favor" by people like Putin.

The homicide rates of several U.S. communities on the border with Mexico remained well below the national average in 2023, according to an Axios analysis of the latest FBI crime data.

Why it matters: Former President Trump and many Republicans have repeatedly claimed that U.S. border communities have turned into chaotic, lawless areas with high crime because of a rise in migrants seeking asylum — but Axios found that the data doesn't match those claims.

Former President Trump has stayed in touch with Russian President Vladimir Putin since leaving the White House, according to journalist Bob Woodward's forthcoming book "War."

Why it matters: The book sheds new light on the personal relationship between Trump and Putin, the leader of a U.S. adversary, less than a month before the presidential election.

Fox News Media will launch a daily Spanish-language news show called "Fox Noticias" that will air on Fox Corp.'s Spanish-language sports cable network Fox Deportes, executives told Axios. Ahead of the debut next week, Fox News will also unveil a Spanish-language version of its website.

Why it matters: 50% of the increase in new eligible voters over the past four years has been Hispanic, representing one of the fastest-growing voting blocks in the country, per Pew. But traditional television and newspaper outlets catering to that group have experienced declines.

Bob Woodward — in his forthcoming book "War," out Oct. 15 — reveals in-the-room details of a one-on-one lunch in which Secretary of State Tony Blinken and President Biden, his longtime friend and boss, discussed the president's post-debate political peril, Axios has learned.

• Woodward reports that during the July 4 lunch at the White House, Blinken posed a series of questions about the pros and cons of Biden continuing his re-election race.

The Biden administration has in recent weeks grown increasingly distrustful of what the Israeli government says about its military and diplomatic plans in the multi-front war it is fighting, four U.S. officials told Axios.

Why it matters: The worsening trust crisis is magnified by Israel's planned retaliation against Iran for its massive missile attack, which requires coordination with the U.S. in case Iran responds.

Former President Trump said Monday that Gaza could be "one of the best places in the world," but Palestinians "never took advantage" of its Mediterranean coastal location.

The big picture: The former real estate developer made the comments in a radio interview in which he claimed he's "been there" despite public records showing he's never visited Gaza, and his campaign told the New York Times "Gaza is in Israel. President Trump has been to Israel."

It's been one year since the attacks in which Hamas and allied militant groups killed around 1,200 people and kidnapped 251, sparking an Israeli offensive in Gaza that has killed over 41,000 Palestinians.

• The photos below span the aftermath of the Oct. 7 attacks, a brutal year of war in Gaza, and the more recent expansion to Lebanon as Israel conducts an invasion and airstrikes targeting Hezbollah.

A Russian court on Monday sentenced 72-year-old American citizen Stephen James Hubbard to roughly seven years in prison for allegedly serving as a mercenary in Ukraine.

The big picture: Hubbard is the first American that a Russian court has convicted of fighting as a mercenary in Ukraine since the start of the war.

At least 114 journalists and 14 media workers have been killed since the Israel-Hamas war began last October, marking one of the deadliest conflicts for journalists in the past three decades, per the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

Why it matters: The harsh conditions in Gaza raise the risk for journalists trying to cover the war, and also make it difficult for CPJ and other watchdog groups to fully account for all the journalists impacted.

The Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks unleashed a year of unthinkable violence in Israel, Gaza and across the Middle East.

• The arrival of a full-blown regional war now threatens the lives of millions more people.

The big picture: One year after the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, the bloodshed continues with no end in sight. Israel could soon be fighting the longest war in its 76-year history.

Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel sparked immediate fears of regional war. A year later, those fears are close to fruition.

The big picture: Israel is fighting on two fronts, against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, while engaging in an escalating tit-for-tat with Iran, a key patron of both militant groups.

Vice President Kamala Harris during her "60 Minutes" interview was pressed on the United States' relationship with Israel, according to an excerpt that CBS News released on Sunday.

Why it matters: The interview airs on Monday, which marks one year since Hamas' Oct. 7 attacks on Israel — and Harris provided a carefully worded response to CBS' Bill Whitaker on the question of whether the U.S. has "a real close ally" in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.