Business partner of Falwells says affair with evangelical power couple spanned seven years  —  Giancarlo Granda says his sexual relationship with the Falwells began when he was 20.  He says he had sex with Becki Falwell while Jerry Falwell Jr, head of Liberty University and a staunch supporter of President Trump, looked on.

Former RNC chair Michael Steele joins anti-Trump group  —  (CNN)Former chairman of the Republican National Committee Michael Steele is joining the Lincoln Project, a group of Republicans working to prevent President Donald Trump's re-election.  —  “Today is the day where things should matter …

Pompeo shattering precedent, sparking fury with RNC speech  —  U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks during a joint statement to the press with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after their meeting, in Jerusalem, Monday, Aug. 24, 2020.  (Debbie Hill/Pool via AP)

Where do we stand now that the DNC is over and the RNC begins?:  ANALYSIS  —  ABC News Chief Political Analyst Matthew Dowd assesses what's been learned.  —  What have we learned and where do we stand today, after the Democratic National Convention, on the day the Republican National Convention begins?

New York attorney general files legal action against Trump Organization, revealing state investigation into the company's financial dealings  —  The New York attorney general is investigating President Trump's private business for allegedly misleading lenders by inflating the value of its assets …

Man who believed virus was hoax loses wife to Covid-19  —  A Florida taxi driver, who believed false claims that coronavirus was a hoax, has lost his wife to Covid-19.  —  Brian Lee Hitchens and his wife, Erin, had read claims online that the virus was fabricated, linked to 5G or similar to the flu.

Scoop: Melania Trump's Comments About Trump Family Were Taped  —  I hope you'll subscribe to my newsletter by clicking the button above or the button at the end of this post.  Please follow me on Twitter and Instagram  —  If you want to post this edition on social media, use the button above.

Jim Inhofe caught in decades-long corruption scandal to get government contracts to his close associates  —  Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK) turns 86 this year, and it's unclear if he's forgotten the promise he made to his voters to root out corruption in Washington.

New Details of China's Efforts to Remove Critic in U.S. Revealed in Hawaii Court  —  Case details work of GOP fundraiser Elliott Broidy, and the alleged fraud mastermind who paid him  —  A senior Chinese government official enlisted the help of a top fundraising official …

The Grand Old Meltdown  —  Earlier this month, while speaking via Zoom to a promising group of politically inclined high school students, I was met with an abrupt line of inquiry.  “I'm sorry, but I still don't understand,” said one young man, his pitch a blend of curiosity and exasperation.

Mike Pompeo's RNC speech will place him as the most partisan secretary of state in decades  —  Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks at a joint press conference with Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg at Belvedere Palace on August 14, 2020, in Vienna, Austria.  Thomas Kronsteiner/Getty Images

Former Trump DHS officials launch anti-Trump group  —  Miles Taylor, the former chief of staff at the Department of Homeland Security in the Trump administration who endorsed Joe Biden last week, has started a group of current and former administration officials and other Republican leaders …

Richard Spencer Backs Joe Biden, Says ‘MAGA/Alt-Right Moment is Over’  —  White nationalist Richard Spencer has said he will be backing Democratic candidate Joe Biden in November's election after previously distancing himself from Donald Trump.  —  Spencer, who was one of the key figureheads …

Scoop: UAE cancels Israel meeting after Netanyahu opposes F-35 arms deal  —  The United Arab Emirates canceled a planned trilateral meeting with the U.S. and Israel last Friday to send a message to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over his opposition to a pending arms deal between the U.S. and UAE …

So You Think New York Is ‘Dead’  —  Mr. Seinfeld is a comedian.  —  When I got my first apartment in Manhattan in the hot summer of 1976, there was no pooper-scooper law, and the streets were covered in dog crap.  —  I signed the rental agreement, walked outside, and my car had been towed.

The Shooting of Jacob Blake Is a Wake-Up Call  —  The national conversation may have moved on from police violence, but the shootings themselves continue.  —  Staff writer at The Atlantic  —  The shooting of Jacob Blake on Sunday in Kenosha, Wisconsin, is at once freshly horrifying and achingly familiar …

Exclusive: Fauci says rushing out a vaccine could jeopardize testing of others  —  CHICAGO/NEW YORK (Reuters) - The top U.S. infectious diseases expert is warning that distributing a COVID-19 vaccine under special emergency use guidelines before it has been proved safe and effective in large trials …

CNN Cuts Out of Trump RNC Speech — ‘A Lot of What You Just Heard From the President of the United States Is Wrong, Misleading and Outright Lies’  —  Monday, the GOP formally nominated President Donald Trump for reelection.  As Trump delivered remarks following his nomination, “CNN Newsroom” …

Insurer Drops Whistle-Blower Lawyer, Citing High-Profile Work  —  The decision shows some of the risks for government whistle-blowers and those who work to support them.  —  A lawyer for the government whistle-blower whose concerns about President Trump's dealings with Ukraine sparked impeachment proceedings …

Yes, Black NYU Students Demanded Segregated Housing.  No, the University Didn't Agree to It.  —  Two black students at New York University created a petition calling on the administration to designate racially-segregated housing for black and “black-identifying” students.

“Peaceful” Riots Continue  —  Portland burns, while the media and the Democrats fiddle.  —  Public safety  —  The Social Order  —  Three months in, violent demonstrations in Portland show no sign of ending.  Police have declared eight riots in the first half of August and a total …