TOP STORIES

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Monday, August 3

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WHITE HOUSE DIGS IN AGAINST $600 LIFELINE White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said he was not optimistic about an agreement on a deal for the next round of legislation to provide relief to Americans hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. Meadows spoke on CBS’ “Face the Nation” as staff members from both sides were trying to settle differences over the bill. Democrats were standing in the way of a separate agreement to extend some federal unemployment benefits in the short-term while negotiations continue on an overall relief package, he said. [Reuters]

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WATCHDOG CALLS FOR PROBE OF POSTAL SERVICE 'VOTER SUPPRESSION TACTICS' A watchdog organization is calling for an investigation and hearings amid concerns about mail-in ballot “voter suppression tactics” by the Trump administration through the United States Postal Service. “Recent actions” taken by Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, who was appointed by Donald Trump in May, “will delay prioritizing mail delivery,” which threatens voting by mail, warned a letter from Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington to Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), who chairs the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. [HuffPost]

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THOUSANDS EVACUATE AS FIRE SCORCHES CALIFORNIA

Thousands of people were under evacuation orders Sunday after a wildfire in mountains east of Los Angeles exploded in size as crews battled flames in triple-digit heat. The fire in Riverside County consumed more than 31 square miles of dry brush and timber. There was zero containment at midday. The cause was under investigation. [AP]

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CLOCK TICKING ON TRUMP COMEBACK It’s getting late early. Trump is privately reassuring Republicans anxious about his deficits to Democrat Joe Biden, noting there are three months until Election Day and reminding them of the late-breaking events that propelled his 2016 comeback. But four years later, the dynamics are very different. Aides are increasingly worried that the 2020 campaign may already be defined as a referendum on Trump’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and will feature a historic shift to remote and early vote options. [AP]

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SEALS INVESTIGATE VIDEO OF DOGS ATTACKING KAEPERNICK STAND-IN The U.S. Naval Special Warfare Command is investigating a video that surfaced Sunday, showing dogs attacking a person in a Colin Kaepernick jersey. The video’s caption suggests that the video was filmed during a demonstration at the Navy SEAL Museum in Fort Pierce, Florida. It was originally posted to Instagram in January 2019, but it went viral over the weekend after it was shared on Twitter. [HuffPost]

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ANOTHER MAJOR RETAILER FILES FOR BANKRUPTCY Lord & Taylor, billed as the country’s oldest department store, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Sunday, the latest major retailer to succumb to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and a shift in shopping habits as millions of Americans were urged to stay home. The chain and its owner, Le Tote Inc., filed for protection in bankruptcy court in Virginia, noting Lord & Taylor’s 38 stores had been closed since March due to ongoing concerns about the virus. [HuffPost]

WHAT'S BREWING

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TRUMP BROKEN PROMISES ON HEALTH CARE CALLED OUT A new attack ad highlights Trump’s repeated and long-running failure to deliver on his promises to shake up the nation’s health care system.“We’re signing a health care plan within two weeks, a full and complete health care plan,” Trump vowed in a July 19 interview on “Fox News Sunday.” The 60-second spot was released by progressive super PAC MeidasTouch on Sunday ― two weeks after that interview when no such plan had arrived. Trump spent much of Sunday at Trump National Golf Club in Virginia, where he was seen golfing for the second day in a row. [HuffPost]

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PELOSI REPORTEDLY CALLS BRIX 'THE WORST' House Speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Sunday said she does not have confidence in White House coronavirus task force member Dr. Deborah Birx, after reportedly bashing her during a closed-door meeting earlier this week. “I think [President Donald Trump] is spreading disinformation about the virus and she is his appointee,” Pelosi said. “So I don’t have confidence there, no.” Pelosi told Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows that Birx, the response coordinator on the White House coronavirus task force, was “the worst.” [HuffPost]

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ISAIAS TO BE 'HURRICANE STRENGTH' WHEN IT REACHES CAROLINAS Tropical Storm Isaias is expected to be near hurricane strength when it reaches the Carolinas, with some weakening forecast after it makes landfall, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. “Slow weakening is forecast after Isaias makes landfall in the Carolinas and moves across the U.S. mid-Atlantic region late Monday and Tuesday,” the Miami-based weather forecaster said. [Reuters]

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TOP DEM: TRUMP WILL INVOKE 'EMERGENCY ACTION' TO STAY IN OFFICE House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) on Sunday told CNN's "State of the Union" that should he lose the election in November, the president might invoke an “emergency” action to remain in office. “I believe very strongly that [Trump] never had any idea about being one to peacefully transfer power,” Clyburn said. “I don’t think he plans to leave the White House. He doesn’t plan to have fair and unfettered elections. I believe that he plans to install himself in some kind of emergency way to continue to hold onto office.” [HuffPost]

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SPACEX MAKES HISTORIC SPLASHDOWN Two NASA astronauts, Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken, returned to Earth on Sunday in a dramatic, retro-style splashdown, their capsule parachuting into the Gulf of Mexico to close out an unprecedented test flight by Elon Musk’s SpaceX company. It was the first splashdown by U.S. astronauts in 45 years, with the first commercially built and operated spacecraft to carry people to and from orbit. The return clears the way for another SpaceX crew launch as early as next month and possible tourist flights next year. [HuffPost]

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TRUMP WRITES A NEW CHAPTER IN THE HISTORY OF POLITICAL REPRESSION In his quest for reelection, Trump has gone hunting for demons. Federal law enforcement officers entered cities including Portland, Oregon; Chicago; Kansas City, Missouri; and Albuquerque at Trump’s direction, clearly meant to gin up clashes and disorder between federal officers and the groups disfavored by his core supporters in pursuit of “viral online content.” These conflicts are the reason Trump’s most fervent supporters elected him. These voters, most of them white, wanted him to erase the legacy of the first Black president and wage war against the unfavored groups haunting their minds. [HuffPost]

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HANNITY UNDER FIRE FOR HELPING TRUMP CAMPAIGN Sean Hannity, the Fox News star and White House sock puppet, is being assailed for crossing an ethical line after the Trump campaign offered autographed copies of his book to supporters who donate $75 for the president's reelection. Hannity in the past has appeared in a Trump campaign ad and at a Trump rally. [HuffPost]

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