A senior Department of Homeland Security official whose office compiled “intelligence reports” about journalists and protesters in Portland has been removed from his job, the Washington Post reports.
Trump Searches In Vain for Campaign Crowds
CNN: “In an attempt to boost his mood, Trump’s advisers scrambled to assemble a scaled-down political event on a baking Florida tarmac on Friday, where Trump addressed a mostly mask-less crowd standing inches from one another. Other events in the state that Trump had scheduled for Saturday were canceled as a storm approached.”
“The event illustrated what White House officials describe as an ad-hoc effort to schedule appearances for Trump that allow him to bask in at least some adulation as his campaign rallies remain on hold and after an in-person convention acceptance speech was scuttled.”
“White House officials are still weighing their options for how Trump will formally accept the nomination, including assessing sites around the country where he might deliver a prime-time address. Yet the task has proven difficult as Trump insists upon something dramatic while aides work to temper some of his expectations about the scale of the potential venues.”
Pelosi Upbraids Counterintel Chief
“Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other top House Democrats admonished the country’s top counterintelligence official during a closed-door election security briefing Friday, accusing him of keeping Americans in the dark about the details of Russia’s continued interference in the 2020 campaign,” Politico reports.
“Pelosi hinted at the conflict upon emerging from the briefing Friday morning, saying she thought the administration was ‘withholding’ evidence of foreign election meddling. Multiple sources who attended the briefing told Politico that both Pelosi and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) chastised William Evanina, the director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, for issuing a statement last week warning the public of election interference by China, Russia, and Iran. Democrats have described the statement as so vague as to be ‘almost meaningless.’”
Impotus Americanus
A new Lincoln Project ad: “Impotus Americanus is one of the heaviest leaders in the animal kingdom, and is famously known to be an orange, ruddy color not found in nature.”
VP Candidate Heaped Praise on Scientology
Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA), a leading contender to be Joe Biden’s running mate, heaped praise on the Church of Scientology at a 2010 ribbon-cutting ceremony for a Los Angeles facility, the Daily Caller reports.
Biden Pick Not Expected Next Week
Joe Biden is unlikely to announce his chosen vice presidential running mate next week, CBS News reports.
Virus Death Toll Projected to Top 180K by August 22
The CDC is forecasting that the total American death toll from COVID-19 could hit 182,000 by the fourth week of August, Yahoo News reports.
“The new projection, which has not yet been publicly released, contradicts the more optimistic portrait that President Trump and others in his administration have painted about the pandemic.”
Biden Prepares for Final Veep Interviews
“Joe Biden has entered the final stage of his deliberations about choosing a running mate as he prepares to talk one-on-one with the finalists next week, while Democratic leaders lobby him furiously to elevate their allies and sink their enemies,” the New York Times reports.
“Two candidates who received scant attention early in the process are now among the leading contenders: Rep. Karen Bass of California and Susan Rice, the former national security adviser… Ms. Bass in particular has moved rapidly toward the top of Mr. Biden’s list amid an intensive lobbying drive by her fellow House Democrats, and has impressed the former vice-president’s search committee.”
Ethics Probe Expanded Into Georgia Lawmaker
“Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-GA) may have used thousands in campaign funds for personal expenses on gas fill-ups for him and his family, greens fees at country clubs, luxurious trips and school tuition,” Roll Call reports.
“Further, the Georgia Democrat also may have spent more than $16,000 in taxpayer money for joint Christmas parties — featuring a saxophonist and DJ equipment — with his congressional staff and his wife’s employees.”
Ivanka and Jared Earned $36 Million In Outside Income
“Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner earned at least $36.2 million as they served in the White House last year, reporting a boost in income from some companies they own that hold residential and commercial properties,” the New York Times reports.
“President Trump’s daughter and her husband, who serve as top advisers to him, reported a minimum combined income that was at least $7 million higher than in 2018, when they reported making at least $29 million.”
Harris Allies Granted Call with Biden Team
“Allies of Kamala Harris sought and received a meeting with Joe Biden’s campaign staff this week after a leader of his vice presidential vetting team was quoted doubting whether she’d be a loyal No. 2,” Politico reports.
“Prominent supporters of the California senator asked for the virtual sit-down on the heels of a Politico report Monday that Harris is not a lock for VP. It quoted former Sen. Chris Dodd, one of four members of the vetting unit, remarking to a prominent Democratic donor that Harris had ‘no remorse’ for attacking Biden during a debate last year.”
U.S. Envoy Told Brazil It Could Help Re-elect Trump
Members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee said Friday they were “extremely alarmed” by assertions that the American ambassador in Brazil had signaled to Brazilian officials they could help get President Trump re-elected by changing their trade policies, the New York Times reports.
James Murdoch Quits News Corporation Board
Axios: “James Murdoch filed a letter of resignation from the board of News Corp., on Friday in light of disagreements over editorial content published by the company-owned news outlets, including the Wall Street Journal and New York Post.”
McConnell Tells Vulnerable to Distance from Trump
“Sen. Mitch McConnell is allowing Republican Senate candidates to do whatever it takes to salvage their campaigns ahead of what Republicans increasingly fear could be a devastating election for their party,” CNN reports.
“In recent weeks, the Senate majority leader has become so concerned over Republicans losing control of the Senate that he has signaled to vulnerable GOP senators in tough races that they could distance themselves from the President if they feel it is necessary.”
Huge caveat: “While this may give some senators the flexibility to draw a distinction between themselves and the President, it also forces them to walk a tightrope. Trump remains enormously popular with the Republican base, and any attempts to undercut him risks alienating those voters.”
30 Million Unemployed Will Now Lose Enhanced Benefits
“Nearly 30 million workers are set to lose $600 in enhanced weekly unemployment benefits that have kept much of the economy afloat these past four months during the coronavirus pandemic, as top lawmakers in Congress and the White House remain at an impasse over how and whether to extend the benefits,” the Washington Post reports.
Commissioner Warns Baseball Could Be Shut Down
“Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred told MLB Players Association executive director Tony Clark on Friday that if the sport doesn’t do a better job of managing the coronavirus, it could shut down for the season,” ESPN reports.
We Still Don’t Know Why Trump Takes Russia’s Side
Jonathan Chait: “It was widely assumed that Robert Mueller’s investigation would uncover what, if anything, lay at the bottom of the bizarre and sometimes creepy level of deference Donald Trump extends to Russia. Mueller found some clues, the largest of which was a campaign negotiation to give Trump rights to a Moscow building project that stood to hand him hundreds of millions of dollars in profit at zero risk, and the secrecy of which gave Russia blackmail leverage over Trump.”
“But Mueller never uncovered the full extent of Trump’s financial ties to Moscow. ‘Neither Mueller nor the Southern District prosecutors sought out Trump’s financial records or obtained his tax returns,’ Jeffrey Toobin reports. The mystery of Trump’s solicitousness to Putin remains unresolved. And he continues to give reasons for suspicion.”
Intelligence Officials Contradict Trump on Mail Voting
“U.S. intelligence officials discounted the possibility of foreign countries mass producing fake ballots to interfere in the November elections, contradicting President Donald Trump’s continued insistence that mail-in voting poses a significant threat to election security,” CNN reports.
“The briefing highlighted the regular clash of views on election security between Trump and the administration’s top officials charged with keeping the November vote secure, both in public and in classified briefings.”
