TOP STORIES

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Wednesday, Aug. 26

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EXCUSE ME, YOUR CORRUPTION IS SHOWING The second night of the Republican National Convention featured several reminders of the Trump administration's corruption, from the involvement of the Trump Organization to using federal resources as political props. Get caught up on Tuesday's events with these takeaways. [HuffPost]

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WHITE HOUSE STAFFERS MAY BE VIOLATING LAW Employees who helped stage video productions or speeches at the White House may be in violation of the Hatch Act, a federal law prohibiting political activity on government property. “This administration has been committing ethics violations right and left,” said Walter Shaub, a senior adviser to an ethics watchdog group. [HuffPost]

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PARDON POWER AS POLITICAL PROP President Donald Trump pardoned a formerly incarcerated man as a political stunt during the second night of the RNC. The story of the man's life since his bank robbery conviction indeed is inspirational. But Trump is no advocate for criminal justice reform. [HuffPost]

• Working from home due to COVID-19 could lead to an increase in tax bills. 
• 32 tweets that sum up being single in the middle of a pandemic.
• University of Alabama sees at least 531 new coronavirus cases since opening last week.
• Usain Bolt tests positive for coronavirus after celebrating birthday with big mask-free bash.
• I had COVID-19 but tested negative five times.
• Doctor slams RNC coronavirus video as "propaganda."
• Justin Bieber responsibly wore a mask to meet his newborn niece.

Get the latest coronavirus updates on our dedicated page

2 DEAD IN WISCONSIN PROTEST SHOOTING Three people were shot, two fatally, during the third night of unrest in Kenosha, Wisconsin, after the police shooting of Jacob Blake. Police said they suspected a group of armed men who appeared to be guarding a gas station. The attorney for Blake, a Black man shot by police in Wisconsin, said his client is paralyzed and it would "take a miracle" for him to walk again. The shooting of Blake in the back has ignited new protests over racial justice. [AP]

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LAURA SWIRLS TOWARD GULF COAST Laura has strengthened into a Category 2 hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico and is rapidly intensifying as it barrels toward the coasts of Louisiana and Texas. [Reuters]

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STATES SUE OVER POST OFFICE The states of New York, Hawaii and New Jersey filed a lawsuit against Trump, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy and the U.S. Postal Service over changes at the agency ahead of the election. “The United States Postal Service has been thrown into chaos,” reads the lawsuit. [HuffPost]

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WEATHER AIDS CALIFORNIA FIRE FIGHT Good weather is helping firefighters make progress in containing the staggering wildfires in California, but rising temperatures later in the week may complicate things. [HuffPost]

WHAT'S BREWING

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FLOTUS: 'CHERISH ONE ANOTHER' In her convention speech, first lady Melania Trump urged civility and lauded her husband, one of the world's highest-profile bullies. [HuffPost]

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SPEAKER SPREADS ABORTION FALSEHOODS Anti-abortion activist Abby Johnson used her speaking slot at the RNC to stigmatize abortion and smear her former employer, Planned Parenthood. Before and after her speech, she voiced support for "head-of-household voting," in which only husbands cast votes. [HuffPost]

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BLACK LIVES MATTER PROTESTER SHOT A protester marching with a group of fellow activists through rural Pennsylvania was allegedly shot by a white man on Monday night. The protesters are marching from Milwaukee to Washington, D.C. [HuffPost]

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REVENGE PORN CANDIDATE U-TURNS ON QUITTING Aaron Coleman, a 19-year-old Democratic candidate for the Kansas House of Representatives, is now saying he plans to stay in the race, after vowing to withdraw. He has admitted to sending revenge porn in middle school and faces multiple harassment accusations. [HuffPost]

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REPUBLICANS RESURRECT RED MENACE The GOP is going hard on the message that Democrats are for socialism — it's not the first time in American history they've relied on this tactic. Read this piece to get educated on the history of this maneuver. [HuffPost]

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A DIZZYING SPIN Trump has been terrible for Native American people and tribes for years, but you wouldn't know that based on the spin at Tuesday night's RNC. Navajo Nation Vice President Myron Lizer praised the president, but the numbers don't add up. [HuffPost]

• The abolition movement: maybe it's time to try something new in American policing.
• As the political crisis in Belarus deepens, America is conspicuously absent.
• Megan Thee Stallion discourse shows there's a long way to go in tackling misogynoir.
• A most excellent reunion between Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter.
• How decades of racist housing policy left neighborhoods sweltering.
• Track America's economic recovery with graphics.
• The tyranny of chairs: A better seat is possible.

BEFORE YOU GO