Mnuchin Paved Way for Postal Service Shake-Up  —  At President Trump's behest, the Treasury Secretary sought out appointees who would restructure the United States Postal Service.  —  WASHINGTON — In early February, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin invited two Republican members …

William Barr told Murdoch to ‘muzzle’ Fox News Trump critic, new book says  —  The attorney general, William Barr, told Rupert Murdoch to “muzzle” Andrew Napolitano, a prominent Fox News personality who became a critic of Donald Trump, according to a new book about the rightwing TV network.

Biden Gets No Immediate Convention Bounce, but Still Leads Trump  —  Democratic nominee earns best favorability ratings yet in post-DNC poll  — In a post-convention poll, former Vice President Joe Biden leads President Donald Trump by 9 points among likely voters, compared with an 8-point margin earlier in the week.

The Real Reason Alyssa Milano Attracts Such Fierce Animosity From The Right  —  If you spend time reading or listening to conservative media outlets these days, you would think that the United States faces a far greater threat than Covid-19, global warming, racial injustice, or economic inequality.

Court orders Donald Trump to pay legal fees in Stormy Daniels suit  —  (CNN)A California Superior Court judge has ordered President Donald Trump to pay $44,100 to Stephanie Clifford, also known as Stormy Daniels, to reimburse her attorneys' fees in the legal battle surrounding her nondisclosure agreement.

More Than 550,000 Primary Absentee Ballots Rejected In 2020, Far Outpacing 2016  —  Audio will be available later today.  —  An extraordinarily high number of ballots — more than 550,000 — have been rejected in this year's presidential primaries, according to a new analysis by NPR.

Trump looks to Republican convention for campaign reboot  —  Republicans will open their national convention Monday with an urgent mission: To convince voters pessimistic about the state of a country battered by the novel coronavirus, economic recession and racial upheaval that President Trump deserves four more years at the helm.

Once in a lifetime: two hurricanes, same time, same place  —  As if the 2020 hurricane season needed another reason to be remembered, meteorologists are now predicting two hurricanes may hit near the same location at about the same time.  —  The phenomenon is one that has never been recorded before …

Tennessee governor signs bill increasing punishments for certain protests  —  Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) quietly signed a bill into law ramping up punishments for certain kinds of protests, including losing the right to vote.  —  The GOP-controlled state General Assembly passed the measure …

Trump is leading Republicans to an unwanted record in the popular vote  —  (CNN)American elections tend to swing on a pendulum.  No one party usually holds power for too long.  Since 1952, for example, only once has a party won the presidency three elections in a row.

I mailed my ballot in on time.  Florida tossed it.  2020 will be much worse.  —  Long before the pandemic and the pandemonium at the Postal Service, Florida had a ballot delivery crisis — one bad enough to raise suspicions about the integrity of a close election.

A Glimmer of Hope for Trump?  How Bush Mounted a Comeback in 1988  —  For Biden, a cautionary tale.  For Trump, a search for his own Willie Horton.  —  George H.W. Bush was in trouble.  It was July 1988 and Michael Dukakis, the Democratic candidate for president, was on a roll after his party's convention in New York.

How the NXIVM Sex Cult Defended Trump from Media Attacks  —  STRANGE BEDFELLOWS  —  Keith Raniere's women-branding sex cult had a media arm called The Knife, which published hundreds of articles and appeared on “Fox & Friends” defending Trump against “media bias.”

Lafayette police fire 11 rounds, kill Black man after tasing him in disturbance call  —  A Black Lafayette man, shot Friday night by police in a flurry of 11 gunshots while surrounded by a half dozen officers, died later in an incident some community leaders argue should not have ended in the fatal shooting.

Spruced-up White House Rose Garden set for first lady speech  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House Rose Garden has been spruced up in time for its moment in the campaign spotlight.  —  First lady Melania Trump will deliver her Republican National Convention speech Tuesday night from the garden …

McSally asks supporters to ‘fast a meal’ so they can donate to her campaign  —  In an audio clip, Sen. Martha McSally asked supporters to “fast a meal” so they can donate to her campaign but her people said it was just a joke.