Mnuchin Paved Way for Postal Service Shake-Up  —  At President Trump's behest, the Treasury Secretary sought out appointees who would restructure the United States Postal Service.  —  WASHINGTON — In early February, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin invited two Republican members …

William Barr told Murdoch to ‘muzzle’ Fox News Trump critic, new book says  —  The attorney general, William Barr, told Rupert Murdoch to “muzzle” Andrew Napolitano, a prominent Fox News personality who became a critic of Donald Trump, according to a new book about the rightwing TV network.

Biden Gets No Immediate Convention Bounce, but Still Leads Trump  —  Democratic nominee earns best favorability ratings yet in post-DNC poll  — In a post-convention poll, former Vice President Joe Biden leads President Donald Trump by 9 points among likely voters, compared with an 8-point margin earlier in the week.

The Real Reason Alyssa Milano Attracts Such Fierce Animosity From The Right  —  If you spend time reading or listening to conservative media outlets these days, you would think that the United States faces a far greater threat than Covid-19, global warming, racial injustice, or economic inequality.

More Than 550,000 Primary Absentee Ballots Rejected In 2020, Far Outpacing 2016  —  Audio will be available later today.  —  An extraordinarily high number of ballots — more than 550,000 — have been rejected in this year's presidential primaries, according to a new analysis by NPR.

Court orders Donald Trump to pay legal fees in Stormy Daniels suit  —  (CNN)A California Superior Court judge has ordered President Donald Trump to pay $44,100 to Stephanie Clifford, also known as Stormy Daniels, to reimburse her attorneys' fees in the legal battle surrounding her nondisclosure agreement.

Trump looks to Republican convention for campaign reboot  —  Republicans will open their national convention Monday with an urgent mission: To convince voters pessimistic about the state of a country battered by the novel coronavirus, economic recession and racial upheaval that President Trump deserves four more years at the helm.

Once in a lifetime: two hurricanes, same time, same place  —  As if the 2020 hurricane season needed another reason to be remembered, meteorologists are now predicting two hurricanes may hit near the same location at about the same time.  —  The phenomenon is one that has never been recorded before …

I mailed my ballot in on time.  Florida tossed it.  2020 will be much worse.  —  Long before the pandemic and the pandemonium at the Postal Service, Florida had a ballot delivery crisis — one bad enough to raise suspicions about the integrity of a close election.

Trump is leading Republicans to an unwanted record in the popular vote  —  (CNN)American elections tend to swing on a pendulum.  No one party usually holds power for too long.  Since 1952, for example, only once has a party won the presidency three elections in a row.

A Glimmer of Hope for Trump?  How Bush Mounted a Comeback in 1988  —  For Biden, a cautionary tale.  For Trump, a search for his own Willie Horton.  —  George H.W. Bush was in trouble.  It was July 1988 and Michael Dukakis, the Democratic candidate for president, was on a roll after his party's convention in New York.

Tennessee governor signs bill increasing punishments for certain protests  —  Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) quietly signed a bill into law ramping up punishments for certain kinds of protests, including losing the right to vote.  —  The GOP-controlled state General Assembly passed the measure …

How the NXIVM Sex Cult Defended Trump from Media Attacks  —  STRANGE BEDFELLOWS  —  Keith Raniere's women-branding sex cult had a media arm called The Knife, which published hundreds of articles and appeared on “Fox & Friends” defending Trump against “media bias.”

Lafayette police fire 11 rounds, kill Black man after tasing him in disturbance call  —  A Black Lafayette man, shot Friday night by police in a flurry of 11 gunshots while surrounded by a half dozen officers, died later in an incident some community leaders argue should not have ended in the fatal shooting.

Spruced-up White House Rose Garden set for first lady speech  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House Rose Garden has been spruced up in time for its moment in the campaign spotlight.  —  First lady Melania Trump will deliver her Republican National Convention speech Tuesday night from the garden …

President Trump's attempt to bypass Congress on stimulus is offering only limited economic relief  —  Just two weeks after President Trump approved executive actions aimed at bypassing stalled stimulus negotiations with Congress, only one state has said it is paying new jobless benefits …

McSally asks supporters to ‘fast a meal’ so they can donate to her campaign  —  In an audio clip, Sen. Martha McSally asked supporters to “fast a meal” so they can donate to her campaign but her people said it was just a joke.