Postal Service backlog sparks worries that ballot delivery could be delayed in November  —  The U.S. Postal Service is experiencing days-long backlogs of mail across the country after a top Trump donor running the agency put in place new procedures described as cost-cutting efforts …

Joe Biden narrows down his VP list, with Karen Bass emerging as one of several key contenders  —  Bass on VP talk: ‘willing to serve’ however I can  —  (CNN)Joe Biden heads into the weekend weighing the biggest decision of his presidential campaign so far, and people close to the process tell CNN …

Tucker Carlson Calls Barack Obama a ‘Greasy Politician’ Who ‘Desecrated’ John Lewis' Funeral  —  ‘CAN YOU IMAGINE?’  —  After Barack Obama eulogized the late Georgia Congressman John Lewis, Fox News host Tucker Carlson said the former president was “greasy” for “desecrating a funeral with campaign slogans.”

How Jared Kushner's Secret Testing Plan “Went Poof Into Thin Air”  —  This spring, a team working under the president's son-in-law produced a plan for an aggressive, coordinated national COVID-19 response that could have brought the pandemic under control.  So why did the White House spike it in favor of a shambolic 50-state response?

Republicans and White House at Odds Over Kansas Senate Race  —  Some in the G.O.P. want President Trump to endorse the opponent of Kris Kobach, who they worry could cost them a traditionally safe Senate seat.  So far, the White House has declined to do so.  —  WASHINGTON — As the Kansas …

Trump Is the Election Crisis He Is Warning About  —  When a sitting President threatens to delay a sacrosanct American ritual, you'd better listen.  —  On Thursday morning, minutes after the worst U.S. economic data in seventy years were released and barely two hours before an American hero …

DHS compiled ‘intelligence reports’ on journalists who published leaked documents  —  The Department of Homeland Security has compiled “intelligence reports” about the work of American journalists covering protests in Portland, Ore., in what current and former officials called an alarming use …

Trump in trouble as nearly two-thirds of Americans disapprove of his handling of COVID-19, protests, Russia: POLL  —  Trump is underwater on his handling of the coronavirus, protests and Russia.  —  Nearly two-thirds of Americans disapprove of President Donald Trump's handling …

Acting ICE chief announces retirement following clashes with Trump officials  —  The acting chief of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Matthew Albence, is leaving the government.  —  A career law enforcement officer who filled a number of positions within the Department of Homeland Security agency …

The Pandemic Is Damaging the GOP Brand Everywhere  —  Although hardly any of the governors grappling with the fiercest coronavirus outbreaks are on the ballot this fall, voters' verdicts about their performance loom heavily over another electoral battle with enormous implications for the balance …

House committee subpoenas Pompeo for records on Biden investigations  —  Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y., the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, on Friday subpoenaed Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for records related to the State Department's involvement in attempts …

Trump ordered federal forces to quell Portland protests.  But the chaos ended as soon as they left.  —  PORTLAND, Ore. — After President Trump ordered federal law enforcement officers into Portland, Ore., earlier this month, the protests largely ended the same way for days: with tear gas, rubber bullets and arrests.

EXCLUSIVE: Fearing Trump interference, FBI agents hid copies of Russia investigation docs  —  (CNN)Adapted from “TRUE CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS: The Investigation of Donald Trump,” by Jeffrey Toobin.  Copyright © 2020.  Available from Doubleday.  —  In the hours after President Donald …

Census Door Knocking Cut A Month Short Amid Pressure To Finish Count  —  The Census Bureau is cutting short critical door-knocking efforts for the 2020 census amid growing concerns among Democrats in Congress that the White House is pressuring the bureau to wrap up counting soon for political gain, NPR has learned.

Burn the Republican Party Down?  —  It would damage the country, and those who say yes bear some blame for the president's rise.  —  Where did Donald Trump come from?  Where is the GOP going?  Should the whole thing be burned down?  A lot had to go wrong before we got a President Trump.

John Cleese Sounds Off on ‘Complete Asshole’ Trump and His ‘Very Stupid’ Voters  —  “There is no hope for us that we could ever live in an intelligent, kind, well-run society,” the comedy legend says in this preview from “The Last Laugh podcast.”  —  When John Cleese tells people …

NBC Insiders Say Entertainment Boss Fostered Toxic Culture, Under Investigation  —  Current and former employees allege that NBC Entertainment chairman Paul Telegdy engaged in racist, sexist and homophobic behavior: “It was par for the course.”  —  On June 4, former America's Got Talent …

Twenty Things You Probably Didn't Know about Susan Rice  —  Being soft on African dictators, pondering the electoral implications of calling genocide genocide, and giving Richard Holbrooke the finger  —  ne: In April 1994, Susan Rice was a rising star on the U.S. National Security Council who worked under Richard Clarke.

Trump's Racism Won't Win the Suburbs.  But It May Diversify Them.  —  The United States is full of lily-white, deep-blue suburbs with lawn signs that shout Black Lives Matter — and zoning laws that whisper, But preserving “neighborhood character” matters more.

Obama's Filibuster Swipe  —  He frames it as racist.  That will end debate among Democrats.  —  By The Editorial Board  —  Anticipating a November romp, prominent Democrats have been dropping hints that they'd scrap the filibuster for legislation if they win the Senate.