Axios

A comedian's bigoted joke at former President Trump's Madison Square Garden rally comparing Puerto Rico to "a floating island of garbage" risks alienating a significant voting bloc across crucial swing states in the election's closing days.

The big picture: Over 5 million people identifying as Puerto Rican live in the United States — including significant populations in highly contested Pennsylvania, Georgia and Wisconsin.

1.  About 61% of Uruguayans voted against lowering the retirement age Sunday in a referendum that polls had estimated would be neck-and-neck.

•  Also in the election, center-left presidential candidate Yamandú Orsi received the most votes, but at 44% will have to head to a runoff Nov. 24.  
• Orsi will face Álvaro Delgado, of the ruling center-right Partido Nacional. Delgado got 26.7% of the vote. 

2. Brazil's ruling Workers' Party barely eked out a victory in two of 15 second-round mayoral races on Sunday.

• The party had losses in several cities where President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won decisively two years ago.
• In São Paulo, incumbent Ricardo Nunes — a right-wing politician — won decisively over Lula's favored candidate.

Elements of a throne room recently discovered in Pañamarca, Peru. Source: via Telemundo

New discoveries in Peru point to a pre-Incan civilization that was probably ruled by women.

State of play: Most Mesoamerican civilizations had male rulers, even if they had important female deities.

• But a recent discovery of a throne room seemingly dedicated to a matriarch in Pañamarca, an archeological site in northwest Peru, indicates that was not the case for the Moche society that existed a millennia ago.

Wells Fargo fused cooking with financial literacy in classes held last week in New York City's historic East Harlem, also known as El Barrio.

Why it matters: The latest financial outreach comes as U.S. Latino buying power has grown to $3.6 trillion, but reports show many Latinos lack retirement accounts and other financial assets needed to build wealth.

The average value of houses owned by U.S. Latinos is the closest it has ever been to that of homes owned by white non-Hispanics, per a new report.

Why it matters: Homeownership is one of the biggest contributors to wealth-building for Latinos, yet homes owned by Latinos and other people of color have traditionally had lower values.

Six states and Washington, D.C., have referendums on Election Day to end closed primary systems, opening the door for independent voters to engage more in the political process.

Why it matters: Polls show Latino voters ages 18-29 lean left, but nearly one-third identify as independents. Closed primaries mean they can't vote until the general election.

Salt Typhoon, the recently uncovered Chinese hacking group, used its access in U.S. telecommunications networks to target former President Donald Trump, his running mate JD Vance and associates of Vice President Kamala Harris, according to recent reports.

The big picture: Beijing has become more brazen in its attacks on the U.S. government and the country's infrastructure.

Former President Trump said Tuesday that he didn't know the comedian who cracked several bigoted jokes at his Madison Square Garden rally over the weekend.

Why it matters: Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe's controversial remarks have drawn bipartisan backlash, and Trump frequently claims not to know people in his orbit when they become political liabilities.

In a world where crucial resources — workers, electricity, housing and more — are in short supply, the globe is expected to have an abundance of at least one commodity: oil.

Why it matters: This new reality might keep a lid on consumer energy prices even as geopolitical strife intensifies. It could also wreak havoc on the longstanding economics that underpin oil production.

Donald Trump's much-hyped rally in New York has become an own goal that's weighing on his campaign as it tries to sprint to next week's election.

Driving the news: Republicans on Monday tried to stop the fallout from the racist, sexist and vulgar rhetoric by several rally speakers, including a comedian who called Puerto Rico a "floating island of garbage."

Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) said Monday he doesn't believe Trump rally comedian Tony Hinchcliffe's racist joke about Puerto Rico will stop people voting for the Republican presidential ticket.

Why it matters: Hinchcliffe's likening of Puerto Rico to a "floating island of garbage" at former President Trump's N.Y. rally Sunday drew widespread criticism, including from Republican lawmakers, and the GOP presidential nominee's representatives said it "does not reflect" his views nor those of the campaign.

CIA Director Bill Burns discussed a new formulation for a Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal in a meeting on Sunday with Israeli and Qatari counterparts: a month-long pause in the fighting, with Hamas releasing around 8 hostages and Israel releasing dozens of Palestinian prisoners, according to three Israeli officials.

Why it matters: A partial deal could break a two-month deadlock in the ceasefire talks, jump-start negotiations for a more comprehensive agreement, improve humanitarian conditions in Gaza and free some of the hostages held in Gaza.