Trump team weighs a CDC scrubbing to deflect mounting criticism  —  White House officials are putting a target on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, positioning the agency as a coronavirus scapegoat as cases surge in many states and the U.S. falls behind other nations that are taming the pandemic.

Sources: U-M to withdraw from hosting October presidential debate  —  The University of Michigan is withdrawing from hosting a presidential debate between Republican incumbent Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden, sources told the Detroit Free Press.  The official announcement is expected to come Tuesday.

“Brad Really S—t the Bed Saturday Night”: After Tulsa Catastrophe, Parscale—And Kushner—Is at the Top of Trump's Hit List  —  Trump is pondering putting Kushner antagonists atop the campaign—"We can't allow Jared's stupid disagreements to get in the way," he said—but the problem is likely at the top.

The Biden whisperer in the Senate  —  If Joe Biden wins in November, much of his agenda will hinge on a potentially surprising power-player: Chris Coons.  —  Facing a pandemic, struggling economy and perhaps myriad other crises, the gridlock that has long gripped the Senate …

Clash near White House prompts Secret Service to tell press to leave grounds in unusual move  —  Washington (CNN)A confrontation between protesters and police in the park across the street from the White House on Monday evening led the US Secret Service to take the unusual step of ordering members …

A Reckoning Over Objectivity, Led by Black Journalists  —  What's different, in this moment, is that the editors of our country's most esteemed outlets no longer hold a monopoly on publishing power.  —  It was a brief interaction, during the first weeks of my career.

NYT Is Threatening My Safety By Revealing My Real Name, So I Am Deleting The Blog  —  So, I kind of deleted the blog.  Sorry.  Here's my explanation.  —  Last week I talked to a New York Times technology reporter who was planning to write a story on Slate Star Codex.

As Trump ramps up his coronavirus denialism, GOP allies in hard-hit states are singing a very different tune  —  The United States is still struggling with the coronavirus in a way that the vast majority of other countries — particularly in Europe — simply are not.

Key Democratic primaries for House in N.Y. and Senate in Kentucky  —  New York's coronavirus-delayed primary is Tuesday — and it has the potential to throw a wrench into the power structure in the Democratic-controlled House — while in Kentucky there's a Democratic battle for the right …

EXCLUSIVE: Feds About To Bail On Supporting COVID Testing Sites In Texas And Other States  —  The Trump administration is ending funding and support for local COVID-19 testing sites around the country this month, as cases and hospitalizations are skyrocketing in many states.

My Family Saw a Police Car Hit a Kid on Halloween.  Then I Learned How NYPD Impunity Works.  —  ProPublica Deputy Managing Editor Eric Umansky's family saw an unmarked NYPD cruiser hit a Black teenager.  He tried to find out how it happened, and instead found all of the ways the NYPD is shielded from accountability.

Donald Trump's Presidency Is a Saturday Night Massacre That Never Ends  —  The Trump administration's assault on judges, watchdogs, and the ideal of impartial justice is ripped straight from the modern autocrat's playbook, experts say  —  Attorney General William Barr's ham-fisted firing …

L.A. Councilman Jose Huizar arrested in ‘pay-to-play’ corruption probe  —  Los Angeles City Councilman Jose Huizar, an ambitious player in city politics for nearly two decades, was arrested Tuesday, making him the most prominent figure to face charges in the federal investigation into corruption at City Hall …

Nasdaq hits record high as Apple rises, Dow jumps 100 points after overnight China trade deal scare  —  Stocks set for higher open as investors brush off China trade concerns  —  Stocks rose on Tuesday after White House trade advisor Peter Navarro clarified that the U.S.-China trade deal is not over.

Bars, Strip Clubs and Churches: U.S. Virus Outbreaks Enter Unwieldy Phase  —  For months, clusters often centered in nursing homes, prisons and food processing plants.  With Americans venturing into public more, new types of outbreaks are emerging.  —  PITTSBURGH — After months of lockdown …

How National Guard helicopters flew over D.C. protesters, a tactic used in war zones  —  Two military helicopters roared over demonstrators in the District, producing winds equivalent to a tropical storm.  A Washington Post analysis found how low they flew.

How Joe Biden Is Catching Up to the Trump Money ‘Juggernaut’  —  In May, Mr. Biden passed President Trump in fund-raising for the first time.  A surge in donations has helped cut into the president's financial advantage.  —  Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. will hold his first event …

AP-NORC poll: Nearly all in US back criminal justice reform  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans overwhelmingly want clear standards on when police officers may use force and consequences for officers who do so excessively, according to a new poll that finds nearly all Americans favor at least …

The Debate Over Biden's VP Pick Is Full Of Half-Truths And Misleading Arguments  —  People who want Sen. Kamala Harris or another Black woman to be former Vice President Joe Biden's running mate often claim that a Black woman will substantially boost enthusiasm among Black voters.

CNN Anchor Corners Trump Campaign Spox: Are Dead Americans ‘Funny to You?’  —  Murtaugh attempted to frame Trump's testing slowdown remarks as a joke, prompting CNN's Brianna Keilar to push back and ask why the deadly pandemic was funny.  —  CNN anchor Brianna Keilar took Trump campaign …

Arizona Mega-Church Set to Host Trump Rally Falsely Claims Its Air Filter Zaps COVID-19  —  Dream City Church's claim that it has technology to kill the coronavirus and protect rallygoers “is absurd,” says one epidemiologist.  —  An Arizona mega-church where President Donald Trump is set …

Political Donors Linked to China Won Access to Trump, GOP  —  Hundreds of thousands of dollars in political donations opened doors in Washington for Chinese nationals with high-level ties  —  Soon after Donald Trump took office, people with ties to the Chinese state poured hundreds of thousands …

The Second Defeat of Bernie Sanders  —  In a revolutionary summer, he may be losing the battle for the future of the left.  —  Three months ago, Bernie Sanders lost his chance at the Democratic nomination, after a brief moment in which his socialist revolution seemed poised to raze the bastions of neoliberal power.