Democrats to stage week of counterprogramming to Republican convention  —  (CNN)Democrats hope to convince voters around next week's Republican National Convention that the only thing President Donald Trump has accomplished is sowing chaos, using a series of ads, television appearances and briefings to counter-program the convention.

Former top Postal Service official testifies Mnuchin and White House were involved in slowing mail  —  The former Vice Chairman of the Postal Board of Governors testified Thursday that the Trump administration has been “politicizing” the Postal Service and using Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin …

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 …

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 …

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.

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 …

Ex-President George W. Bush backs Maine's Sen. Susan Collins  —  KENNEBUNKPORT, Maine (AP) — Former President George W. Bush on Friday backed Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine in his first public endorsement of the 2020 election cycle.  —  Bush has largely stayed out of the political fray since …

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 …

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.

Federal courthouses close in Portland amid threat  —  Multiple federal buildings in Portland, including a pair of courthouses, are closed Friday amid a threat.  —  Portland's federal bankruptcy court and Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse are both closed, along with a federal building near the Lloyd Center.

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.

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,” …

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 …

Stuttering Through It  —  You could hear the stutter in Brayden's lungs, all those heavy inhalations, his search for sounds that wouldn't come.  The 13-year-old stared into a stationary camera and told the world about his problem, the affliction he shares with 3 million Americans …

Trump says he ‘listens better to African Americans’ than Martin Luther King III  —  Exclusive: Recording obtained by The Independent reveals how Trump alienated civil rights leaders during ‘the most disastrous outreach meeting in the history of presidential transitions’

Lori Loughlin Sentenced to Two Months in College-Admissions Scandal  —  ‘I am truly, profoundly and deeply sorry’; TV star's husband also gets prison time  —  Television star Lori Loughlin and her husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, were sentenced to prison Friday for conspiring …

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.

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 …

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 …