Business partner of Falwells says affair with evangelical power couple spanned seven years  —  Giancarlo Granda says his sexual relationship with the Falwells began when he was 20.  He says he had sex with Becki Falwell while Jerry Falwell Jr, head of Liberty University and a staunch supporter of President Trump, looked on.

Jeff Flake joins over two-dozen former GOP members of Congress to launch ‘Republicans for Biden’  —  Announcement comes on the first day of the Republican National Convention  —  EXCLUSIVE: More than two-dozen former Republican members of Congress threw their support behind a “Republicans for Biden” …

Scoop: Melania Trump's Comments About Trump Family Were Taped  —  I hope you'll subscribe to my newsletter by clicking the button above or the button at the end of this post.  Please follow me on Twitter and Instagram  —  If you want to post this edition on social media, use the button above.

The Grand Old Meltdown  —  Earlier this month, while speaking via Zoom to a promising group of politically inclined high school students, I was met with an abrupt line of inquiry.  “I'm sorry, but I still don't understand,” said one young man, his pitch a blend of curiosity and exasperation.

So You Think New York Is ‘Dead’  —  Mr. Seinfeld is a comedian.  —  When I got my first apartment in Manhattan in the hot summer of 1976, there was no pooper-scooper law, and the streets were covered in dog crap.  —  I signed the rental agreement, walked outside, and my car had been towed.

New York attorney general files legal action against Trump Organization, revealing state investigation into the company's financial dealings  —  The New York attorney general is investigating President Trump's private business for allegedly misleading lenders by inflating the value of its assets …

Kellyanne Conway to leave the White House at the end of the month, citing the need to focus on her family  —  Kellyanne Conway, a senior adviser to President Trump and one of his longest-serving aides, is leaving the White House at the end of the month.  —  Conway, whose title is counselor …

For Conservatives to Have Any Hope, Trump Has to Lose  —  After what we have seen during the president's first term, any true conservative should be appalled by the prospect of a second.  —  “You're a traitor to the cause.”  —  In one form or another, that's the charge most often …

Kenosha police shoot man; video of incident appears to show officer firing several shots into his back at close range  —  Kenosha police shot a man Sunday evening, setting off unrest in the city after a video appeared to show the officer firing several shots at close range into the man's back.

Donald Trump Jr. Is Ready.  But for What, Exactly?  —  Of all the president's children, he has the strongest connection to the politics, voters and online disinformation ecosystem that put his father in the White House.  What will he do with it?  —  To hear more audio stories from publishers …

McCloskeys warn violence and riots will come ‘to a neighborhood near you’  —  ‘We have a God-given right to defend ourselves.’ McCloskey said.  —  Violence and riots won't be confined to America's cities, said Mark McCloskey alongside his wife, Patricia, on Monday opening up about their support …

The enduring mystery: What would Trump do in a second term?  —  As a reality TV star, Donald Trump seized the White House with an unusual slate of Republican pledges: take on China, tear up trade deals, restrict immigration.  But as president, Trump has faced warnings from a long line …

AP-NORC poll: Trump faces pessimism as GOP convention opens  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is promising to outline an optimistic vision for America at this week's Republican convention.  But he'll be speaking to a public deeply pessimistic about the direction of the country …

Scoop: UAE cancels Israel meeting after Netanyahu opposes F-35 arms deal  —  The United Arab Emirates canceled a planned trilateral meeting with the U.S. and Israel last Friday to send a message to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over his opposition to a pending arms deal between the U.S. and UAE …

New York University moves to implement racial segregation in student dorms  —  Since late June, the Office of Residential Life and Housing Services at New York University (NYU) has been working closely with a small, student-led task force to make racially segregated housing a reality in undergraduate student dorms.

Trump's Handpicked Postal Service Chair Has A Long History Of Voter Suppression  —  Robert Duncan chaired the RNC during the party's unprecedented escalation of voter disenfranchisement efforts in swing states.  —  President Donald Trump's selection for a key Postal Service position …

China's Economy Is Bouncing Back—And Gaining Ground on the U.S.  —  Success in containing Covid-19 is bringing life back to normal and helping close the economic gap with a rival  —  BEIJING—As the rest of the world struggles to contain the coronavirus, China's recovery is gaining momentum …

Max Weinberg: From Bruce Springsteen's drummer to a seat on a Florida zoning board  —  Weinberg was appointed to the Delray Beach Planning and Zoning Board.  —  “I have been self-employed as a musician since 2010.  Still actively performing from time to time.  Desire to serve the community.”

The GOP's Absurdist Convention  —  This weekend was the calm between the quasi-virtual conventions, but we start the week with wildfires, audiotapes, bickering over the Rose Garden, a fight over the Postal Service and a politicized FDA, and more than 177,000 coronavirus deaths.

The Supporters Buoying Trump's Spirits: Boat Owners  —  Parades of seagoing Trump fans have been touted by the president and his campaign in the absence of his signature campaign rallies  —  Trish Willis hasn't returned to her nursing job in Atlanta since the outbreak of Covid-19, and still won't get on an airplane.

New Thinking on Covid Lockdowns: Overly Blunt and Costly  —  Blanket business shutdowns—which the U.S. never tried before this pandemic—led to a deep recession.  Economists and health experts say there may be a better way.  —  TEXT  —  RESPONSES  —  In response to the novel …

Scott Peterson Death Sentence Overturned By State Supreme Court; New Penalty Phase Trial Ordered  —  SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF/AP) — More than 15 years after the Christmas Eve murder of pregnant Modesto schoolteacher Laci Peterson grabbed national headlines, the California Supreme Court tossed …

Pride, prejudice and a problem that struck at Corbyn's core … Questionable rhetoric and overt hatred towards Jews had always found a happy home on the outermost edges of the organised left, where anti-imperialism often meets conspiracy.  Under Jeremy Corbyn's leadership …

Prominent Russian opposition activist Navalny was poisoned, German doctors say  —  BERLIN — Alexei Navalny, the prominent Russian opposition figure and Kremlin critic, was poisoned, Berlin's Charité Hospital said in a statement Monday, citing clinical results confirmed by independent laboratories.