Washington Postal Workers Defy USPS Orders And Reinstall Mail Sorting Machines  —  Postal workers in Washington State have reinstalled high-speed mail sorting machines—dismantled after controversial orders from the U.S. Postal Service— despite USPS orders not to put machines back in use.  —  KEY FACTS

In secretly recorded audio, President Trump's sister says he has ‘no principles’ and 'you can't trust him'  —  Maryanne Trump Barry was serving as a federal judge when she heard her brother, President Trump, suggest on Fox News, “maybe I'll have to put her at the border” amid a wave of refugees entering the United States.

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.

Trump set to block controversial Alaska gold mine  —  The Trump administration is planning to block the proposed Pebble Mine in Alaska early next week, six people familiar with the plans told POLITICO, marking a surprise reversal that could be the death knell for the massive copper and gold project.

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.

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 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.

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.

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 …

Switzerland may ban terrorist organization Hezbollah  —  A full ban of Hezbollah's activities Switzerland would mean that the Lebanese organization's symbols would be banned and its bank accounts and assets seized and frozen within Swiss territory.  —  The central European country Switzerland …

Judge orders Trump to pay legal fees to Stormy Daniels  —  A California court ordered President Trump to pay $44,100 to Stephanie Clifford, the adult-film actress known as Stormy Daniels, to cover her legal fees regarding her nondisclosure agreement.  —  The order from California Superior …

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.

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.

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.