The Sleight-of-Hand Convention  —  Joe Biden delivered the best speech in a half-century political career on Thursday night.  It was interesting to contrast his delivery with Kamala Harris's 24 hours earlier.  Both the presidential and vice-presidential nominee spoke to an empty hall.

GOP leader: ‘There is no place for QAnon in the Republican Party’  —  House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has denounced the QAnon conspiracy theory, becoming the highest-ranking congressional Republican to publicly condemn the theory.  —  McCarthy said during an interview …

Mnuchin's role in postmaster's appointment becomes target  —  WASHINGTON — In the weeks before Republican donor Louis DeJoy was installed as postmaster general, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin held a series of one-on-one meetings with members of the Postal Service Board of Governors …

Judge denies Trump's bid for a stay of subpoena in Manhattan DA's tax records case  — A federal judge on Friday denied President's Donald Trump's bid to temporarily block a ruling allowing a subpoena for his tax returns and other financial records.  — The ruling came a day after the …

Trump's reelection effort has officially spent more than $1 billion, a record sum at this point in the campaign  —  President Trump's campaign, the Republican Party and two affiliated committees, have spent more than $1 billion since 2017, a record-breaking sum spent toward a reelection effort …

San Antonio postal union leader describes mass delays, says Postal Service hid backlogged mail from congressman  —  The union leader said tens of thousands of pieces of mail were carted away ahead of U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro's visit.  The office's delays have been exacerbated by employees missing because of COVID-19 concerns.

Biden speaks from a place Trump doesn't know — the heart  —  President Trump has tried every dirty trick in the book — and a few new ones — to cast doubts about the workings of Joe Biden's brain.  But Trump has been focusing on entirely the wrong organ.  Biden's appeal is from the heart.

Kanye West fails to make Ohio ballot  —  COLUMBUS - Kanye West will not appear on the ballot as an independent candidate for president due to mismatched paperwork, Ohio's top elections officials said Friday.  —  The Ohio secretary of state's office determined the signature and information …

Facebook Braces Itself for Trump to Cast Doubt on Election Results  —  The world's biggest social network is working out what steps to take should President Trump use its platform to dispute the vote.  —  SAN FRANCISCO — Facebook spent years preparing to ward off any tampering on its site ahead of November's presidential election.

The permanent outsider  —  President Trump has no idea how to run for reelection as an incumbent  —  At a White House signing ceremony this month, President Trump lamented the “deep-swamp things happening” in the nation's “deep state.”  Speaking to workers at a Whirlpool plant in Ohio a few days later …

Trump pledges to send ‘sheriffs’ and ‘law enforcement’ to polling places on Election Day, but it's not clear he can  —  Trump slams mail-in voting while signing his mail-in ballot  —  (CNN)President Donald Trump on Thursday said he would send law enforcement officials to polling locations …

Robert Trump funeral to be held at White House Friday  —  Trump shares emotional post after his brother's death  —  (CNN)A funeral service for President Donald Trump's brother, Robert Trump, will be held Friday afternoon at the White House, a White House official told CNN.

The End of Steve Bannon—And Maybe Trump, Too  —  Steve Bannon's arrest on charges that he defrauded donors to a right-wing immigration group for $1 million marks the end of a political era—the era when a Trumpian admixture of economic populism and nativist immigration policy looked as if it could …

Inside the Completely Nutso Universe of QAnon  —  An explainer for the conspiracy theory that's taking over the GOP.  —  The deranged QAnon conspiracy theory movement came close to a presidential endorsement this week when Donald Trump praised the group as “people that love our country,” …

Biden is already forming a government.  Here's what his Cabinet could look like.  —  Sherrod Brown, the progressive senator from Ohio, says he's talking with the Biden campaign about “where he needs to look and who he needs to look at” as he begins to form a potential administration.

AP Exclusive: Barr ‘vehemently opposed’ to pardoning Snowden  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General William Barr said he would be “vehemently opposed” to any attempt to pardon former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, after the president suggested he might consider it.

‘Are you really going to impeach me?’:  How the Ukraine bombshell unfolded over 48 hours and laid bare Trump's fixation with Biden  —  This article is adapted from “Trump on Trial” by Kevin Sullivan and Mary Jordan, which will be published Aug. 25 by Scribner.