Postal Service warns 46 states their voters could be disenfranchised by delayed mail-in ballots  —  Anticipating an avalanche of absentee ballots, the U.S. Postal Service recently sent detailed letters to 46 states and D.C. warning that it cannot guarantee all ballots cast by mail …

NYC police union endorses Trump, who claims Biden would ‘gut every single police department in America’  —  Trump used the endorsement speech to attack Biden, Harris, de Blasio and Warren  —  A New York City law enforcement union, the Police Benevolent Association (PBA) …

Ex-F.B.I. Lawyer Expected to Plead Guilty in Review of Russia Inquiry  —  Prosecutors did not reveal any evidence of the kind of broad anti-Trump conspiracy among law enforcement officials that the president has long alleged.  —  WASHINGTON — A former F.B.I. lawyer intends to plead guilty …

House GOP candidate known for QAnon support was ‘correspondent’ for conspiracy website  —  Before running for office, Republican congressional candidate Marjorie Taylor Greene wrote dozens of articles as a “correspondent” for a conspiracy news website, according to archived web pages uncovered by NBC News.

Dear White Vegans, Stop Appropriating Food  —  Veganism is going through its own racial reckoning that's a long time coming, considering white vegan influencers have appropriated traditional foods forever.  —  Anya Zoledziowski  —  When Afia Amoako became a vegan five years ago …

Top DHS officials Wolf and Cuccinelli are not legally eligible to serve in their current roles, congressional watchdog agency finds  —  The appointments of the top two officials at the Department of Homeland Security violated federal law, the Government Accountability Office said on Friday.

‘The President Was Not Encouraging’: What Obama Really Thought About Biden  —  Behind the friendship was a more complicated relationship, which now drives the former vice president to prove his partner wrong.  —  The way Joe Biden explained it on the campaign trail in Iowa …

Establishment of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force  —  On Aug. 4, 2020, Deputy Secretary of Defense David L. Norquist approved the establishment of an Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) Task Force (UAPTF).  The Department of the Navy, under the cognizance of the Office of the Under Secretary …

ICE Guards “Systematically” Sexually Assault Detainees in an El Paso Detention Center, Lawyers Say  —  ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power.  Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they're published.  —  This article is co-published with The Texas Tribune …

The Hill Publishes Campaign Ads Disguised as ‘Op-Eds’  —  The Hill is known for its high-metabolism national political coverage, wonky Washington D.C. reporting, but also for a sprawling opinion section that often serves as a landing pad for campaign staffers passing off what are effectively ads as op-eds.

I grew up with anti-Semitism in the UAE.  Peace with Israel is a dream come true.  —  Never in a million years did I believe there would be a deal in my lifetime where an Arab Gulf state would recognize the Jewish state.  Watching the news this week of Israel and the United Arab Emirates …

A Black Marxist Scholar Wanted to Talk About Race.  It Ignited a Fury.  —  The cancellation of a speech reflects an intense debate on the left: Is racism the primary problem in America today, or the outgrowth of a system that oppresses all poor people?  —  Adolph Reed is a son of the segregated South …

Mitt Romney slams politicians attacking mail-in voting  —  SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Sen. Mitt Romney said Friday that politicians attacking the vote by mail system are threatening global democracy but stopped short of criticizing President Donald Trump, who has been openly against an expected surge of mail-in ballots.

Trump brother hospitalized in New York: Sources  —  President expected to visit brother, Robert Trump, sources said.  —  Robert Trump, the younger brother of President Donald Trump, has been hospitalized in New York, sources told ABC News, a development confirmed by the White House.

No Bathroom Relief in Sight for Thousands Living on the Streets  —  Jared Mitchell waited several minutes in line to use a bathroom in Penn Station only to be told he was not allowed inside.  —  Amtrak workers close the bathrooms — a lifeline for people like 24-year-old Mitchell who live on the streets …

How QAnon rode the pandemic to new heights — and fueled the viral anti-mask phenomenon  —  In February, five months before she became known as “QAnon Karen,” there was no one more terrified of the coming pandemic than Melissa Rein Lively.  —  “I bought the N-95 masks.  I bought the hazmat suit,” she said.

HBO Max Adds “Proper Social Context” Intro to ‘Blazing Saddles’  —  The disclaimer is similar to the one the streamer added before ‘Gone With the Wind.’  —  Blazing Saddles is currently streaming on HBO Max, along with a new introduction that automatically plays before the Mel Brooks classic begins.

American Passports Are Useless Now  —  Becoming a United States citizen was meaningful to me for a great number of reasons.  German by birth, I had come to feel at home in America, and to love it.  For all the deep injustices that shape this country, I remained convinced that the United States …

How Jennifer O'Malley Dillon transformed Joe Biden's campaign  —  When Jennifer O'Malley Dillon was brought in to take over the Joe Biden campaign operation five months ago, she barely knew a soul there — and that included the candidate himself.  —  If that wasn't a big enough adjustment …

Coronavirus Live Updates: Firm Helping Run Federal Database Refuses Senators' Questions  —  People who recover from the virus have a three-month window of safety, C.D.C. guidance shows.  As tax revenues plummet, states face an estimated $555 billion budget gap over the next two years.

How To Vote In The 2020 Election  —  A state-by-state guide to voting in the age of COVID-19  —  How easy — or difficult — absentee voting is in each state  —  Everyone can vote absentee, and ballots are automatically mailed to voters Everyone can vote absentee, and absentee-ballot applications …

Note From Elie: The Lunacy of the McGahn Saga Says It All  —  A weekly Note from Elie is part of the CAFE Brief.  An audio recording of the note is part of the CAFE Insider membership.  Please enjoy Elie reading this week's note, “The Lunacy of the McGahn Saga Says It All” and read his note in your inbox every Friday.

Under Trump, SEC Enforcement Of Insider Trading Dropped To Lowest Point In Decades  —  The government agency responsible for policing Wall Street brought the fewest number of insider trading cases in decades, according to the most recent available data.  —  That decline came just before the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

Poll: Biden Expands Lead; A Third Of Country Says It Won't Get Vaccinated  —  Toggle more options  —  Democrat Joe Biden's lead has expanded to double-digits against President Trump in the presidential election, an NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll finds.  Biden now leads Trump 53% to 42%, up from an 8-point advantage at the end of June.