| | | | | |  | | By Blake Hounshell | Presented by Facebook | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | AS SUMMER FADES, with Labor Day marking the traditional onset of the general election, back-to-school season and autumn, it's worth asking: Do any of the assumptions about how this is supposed to work still hold? MILLIONS OF AMERICANS are working from home, forced to juggle Zoom calls with the office while essentially homeschooling their children. And those are just the parents who have the luxury of working remotely: For vast swaths of the country, the economic crisis has meant a daily battle to feed their families and keep a roof over their heads. A PROTEST MOVEMENT that began over police brutality and systemic racism is struggling to gain traction on its core goals, with reform efforts stalling and frustration sometimes boiling over on the streets. Armed groups are provoking dangerous confrontations while frazzled and embattled police look on helplessly. Rioters and looters are taking advantage of the chaos. OUR VOTING SYSTEM has come under attack from a president who sows doubts about voting by mail and claims, without evidence, that his opponents are trying to steal the election. Democrats seem frozen: Do they reassure Americans that their votes will count, or sound the alarm over what they see as a fiasco in the making? There's a very real possibility that roughly half the country will reject the November results as illegitimate. THE TRUTH IS that few of us have any idea what the next few months will hold. Will the virus, which is still killing hundreds of Americans every day, come roaring back? Will the government identify a vaccine by Election Day, and would that change any votes? Can we even trust the polls when it's hard to say who a "likely voter" is during a pandemic? When will our lives go back to normal? BEYOND THE BELTWAY … LOUISVILLE COURIER-JOURNAL: "Protesters fill streets outside Kentucky Derby, calling for justice for Breonna Taylor": "After a worldwide pandemic delayed the Kentucky Derby by an unprecedented four months, Louisville protesters for racial justice made clear Saturday that COVID-19 would not be the only historic thing about the 146th Run for the Roses. "While horses were called to post inside Churchill Downs, hundreds of protesters gathered outside, their rallying cry of 'No justice, no peace!' refashioned to 'No justice, no Derby!'" -- AND/BUT: "Earlier Saturday, a group calling itself 'patriots,' many wearing tactical gear and waving American flags, began a march to the steps of Louisville Metro Hall, across the street from Jefferson Square Park — the epicenter of racial justice protests in the city. Nearly all of them were armed and openly displayed their weapons. … "Tensions flared over the next hour, as the two sides verbally collided. While some broke away to have smaller discussions, larger groups formed and, at times, pointed fingers at each other and exchanged heated words." -- MEANWHILE, IN PORTLAND: "Police threw fire grenades onto the street, letting out several loud bangs as the line of officers moved protesters down the street, back in the direction of the park. A protester threw a molotov cocktail in plain view. Police released tear gas on the crowd as protesters shouted 'walk, don't run.' "Minutes later, as police continued moving down the street, they announced through a loudspeaker that protesters launched 'multiple incendiaries, injuring at least one community member.' … [O]ne activist threw a molotov cocktail that hit another protester in the crowd, setting him on fire." WaPo THE BIDEN MESSAGE … Rep. VAL DEMINGS (D-Fla.) on ABC's "This Week" with Martha Raddatz: "As a 27-year law enforcement officer, the foundation of every great community really is the opportunity to live in a safe community. And so all persons, regardless of what part of the nation they're from, the color of their skin or their ethnic background, want to live in safe communities. "But we also need to understand what truly makes America the great, wonderful country that it is, and that's an individual's right to protest. "So, our job is to make sure that peaceful protesters are able to exercise their right guaranteed under the First Amendment. But we also have to make sure that those who break the law, those who exercise violence, regardless of what side of the political aisle that they're on, must be held accountable." Good Sunday morning. Blake Hounshell here, filling in for Jake and Anna. We'll be back to your regularly scheduled programming Tuesday. | | | | A message from Facebook: Facebook supports updated internet regulations
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Read our call for updated internet regulation | | | SCOOP FROM ACROSS THE POND -- "Leaked meeting notes show Boris Johnson said Trump was 'making America great again,'" by The Daily Telegraph's Ben Riley-Smith: "One of the most testing times in UK-US relations under Mr Trump came after Sergei Skripal, the former Russian spy who defected to Britain, and his daughter Yulia were poisoned with the nerve agent Novichok in Salisbury. "[British PM Theresa] May publicly accused the Russian government of being behind the attack and spent much of March 2018, the month of the attack, rallying Western allies to jointly expel Russian spies in retaliation. It was a major test for the new UK-US relationship. "Mrs May was seeking solidarity from the White House over a chemical attack on British soil. But leaked notes from one call between Mr Trump and Mrs May reveal how hard he pushed back. 'We really need your leadership on this,' Mrs May said, according to the notes. 'No, I would rather follow than lead,' Mr Trump is quoted responding." -- SCROLL DOWN for an account of Trump's defense of abortion rights. CORONAVIRUS RAGING … WSJ: "The U.S. reported nearly 44,500 new coronavirus cases, with Labor Day weekend's large gatherings spurring concern about potential new outbreaks. "Cases in the U.S. rose by 44,452 on Saturday, and the total death toll surpassed 188,000, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. The nation's total number of confirmed cases is more than 6.2 million. "Though the rate of new daily cases has trended downward since a mid-July peak above 77,000, the U.S. daily rate remains above where it was in parts of May and June, when it ranged in the low 20,000s." WSJ VACCINE POLITICS -- "Trump fixates on the promise of a vaccine — real or not — as key to reelection bid," by WaPo's Philip Rucker, Josh Dawsey and Yasmeen Abutaleb: "President Trump is so fixated on finding a vaccine for the novel coronavirus that in meetings about the U.S. pandemic response, little else captures his attention, according to administration officials. "Trump has pressed health officials to speed up the vaccine timeline and urged them to deliver one by the end of the year. He has peppered them with questions about the development status and mass-distribution plans. And, in recent days, he has told some advisers and aides that a vaccine may arrive by Nov. 1, which just happens to be two days before the presidential election." WaPo -- ICYMI: "Leader of U.S. vaccine push says he'll quit if politics trumps science," by Science Magazine's Jon Cohen -- NYT, A1: "Race for Coronavirus Vaccine Pits Spy Against Spy," by Julian Barnes and Michael Venutolo-Mantovani GABBY ORR: "Trump prepares a new fall offensive: Branding Kamala Harris": "The president and his allies are plotting ways to portray Harris as a serious threat to the working-class voters whom Biden hopes to flip this fall, four years after many across the Rust Belt ditched Democrats to support Trump. They're digging up her comments from Democratic primary debates, hoping they can use them to put her and Biden on defense. "And despite Harris' lukewarm relationship with some anti-establishment progressive groups, they are considering ways to cast her as a champion of the radical left by concentrating on positions she's taken that run afoul of Biden-style centrism, one of the former vice president's key appeals to swing voters." POLITICO -- ICYMI: "Harris says she wouldn't trust Trump on any vaccine released before election," by Evan Semones … More from Harris' CNN interview NEW TEXAS POLL … DALLAS MORNING NEWS: "Texas remains a toss-up in the presidential race. But Democrat Joe Biden's modest – and somewhat startling – lead over President Donald Trump has evaporated in the last two months. "From a 5-point edge in early July, Biden now lags Trump by 2 points among likely Texas voters in a poll released Sunday by The Dallas Morning News and University of Texas at Tyler. Trump's lead is 48-46. … "The poll, conducted Aug. 28 to Sept. 2, surveyed 1,176 registered voters. Of those, 901 said they are 'extremely likely' to vote in November. The margin of error is plus or minus 2.85 percentage points for the bigger group, and 3.22 points for the subset of likely voters." Dallas Morning News WHY THE RUSH? -- "Democrats Belatedly Launch Operation to Share Information on Voters," by NYT's Reid Epstein: "[W]ith less than two months remaining before the 2020 election, the party has started the Democratic Data Exchange, a legally independent entity that allows campaigns, state parties, super PACs and other independent groups that are forbidden to coordinate with each other to share information on individual voters. "Democratic officials involved in the new data program say the system will help them narrow what had been a yawning gap between their party and Republicans, who started a similar independent data operation ahead of the 2016 election. Campaigns and supportive independent groups will now have a full, and nearly real-time, view into which voters have been contacted by other Democratic organizations and how those voters feel about candidates." NYT WHAT A WORLD … CNN: "Anita Hill vows to vote for Joe Biden and work with him on gender issues" CENSUS LATEST -- "Census Work Has Been Winding Down, But A Judge Says It Needs To Press On For Now," by NPR's Hansi Lo Wang: "The Trump administration must, for now, stop winding down in-person counting efforts for the 2020 census, a federal judge in California ordered Saturday, while a legal fight over the shortened schedule for the national head count continues. "The temporary restraining order issued by U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh in the Northern District of California comes after challengers led by the National Urban League filed an emergency request as part of a federal lawsuit — both of which cite NPR's reporting. The order is expected to remain in effect until a court hearing is held on Sept. 17 for the plaintiffs' request for a court order that would require counting to continue through the end of October. "A coalition that includes civil rights groups and local governments, as well as the Navajo Nation and the Gila River Indian Community in Arizona, is trying to force the Census Bureau to abandon a last-minute schedule change that cuts counting a month short to end on Sept. 30, instead of Oct. 31, which was originally chosen by the bureau to make up for delays caused by the coronavirus pandemic." The order STIMULUS UPDATE … ON FOX NEWS SUNDAY: "Mnuchin urges more stimulus amid stalled talks" | | | |   | | | SNEAK PEEK … THE PRESIDENT'S WEEK AHEAD -- ON TUESDAY, TRUMP is due to travel to Jupiter, Fla., to give "remarks on environmental accomplishments for the people of Florida," then give a speech in Winston Salem, N.C. ON THURSDAY, TRUMP is heading to Freeland, Mich., for a speech ON FRIDAY, TRUMP is expected to commemorate the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks at the Flight 93 memorial in Shanksville, Pa. So, interestingly, is BIDEN. How is that gonna work? | | | | THE NEW NORM? Sales of medical self-exam kits and diagnostic software are surging among people opting to monitor their vital signs at home during the pandemic. How are medical professionals adjusting to the new norm? The health care system is rapidly changing during the pandemic, and emerging technologies will continue to drive change. Future Pulse spotlights the politics, policies, and technologies driving important change on voters' most personal issue: their health. SUBSCRIBE NOW. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | | 
PHOTO DU JOUR: Right-wing activists and protesters demanding justice for Breonna Taylor clash outside the Kentucky Derby in Louisville on Saturday. | Brandon Bell/Getty Images | HERE COMES THE COHEN BOOK -- "In new book, former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen describes alleged episodes of racism and says president likes how Putin runs Russia," by WaPo's Ashley Parker and Rosalind Helderman: "In the book, 'Disloyal: A Memoir,' which was obtained by The Washington Post ahead of its Tuesday publication date, Cohen lays out an alarming portrait of the constellation of characters orbiting around Trump, likening the arrangement to the mafia and calling himself 'one of Trump's bad guys.' He describes the president, meanwhile, as 'a cheat, a liar, a fraud, a bully, a racist, a predator, a con man.' "The memoir also describes episodes of Trump's alleged racism and his 'hatred and contempt' of his predecessor, Barack Obama, the nation's only African American president." -- AND/BUT … PROCEED WITH CAUTION, via CNN's Erica Orden: "Cohen provides detailed accounts of the negotiations that led to the payments to two women -- adult-film actress Stephanie Clifford, who goes by the name Stormy Daniels, and former Playboy model Karen McDougal. … In describing the investigation and prosecution, however, Cohen portrays himself as exceedingly cooperative, a notion prosecutors have refuted. With respect to tax evasion charges, he claims he provided his accountant with all of his records, an assertion federal prosecutors have said in court filings is false." CNN DEPT. OF NOT STICKING TO SPORTS … DEREK ROBERTSON: "Could LeBron James Defeat Donald Trump?" YOUR MOMENT OF ZEN -- "Trump Ended 2018 France Trip Having Art Loaded on Air Force One," by Bloomberg's Jennifer Jacobs, Nick Wadhams and Katya Kazakina: "After Donald Trump's planned trip to a French cemetery for fallen Marines was canceled in November 2018, the U.S. leader had some extra time on his hands in a mansion filled with artwork. The next day, he went art shopping -- or the presidential equivalent. "Trump fancied several of the pieces in the U.S. ambassador's historic residence in Paris, where he was staying, and on a whim had them removed and loaded onto Air Force One, according to people familiar with the matter. The works -- a portrait, a bust, and a set of silver figurines -- were brought back to the White House." Bloomberg | | | | A message from Facebook: It's time for updated regulations to prevent election interference
We support updated internet regulations to combat foreign election interference.
We've more than tripled our security and safety teams to 35,000 people, added 5-step political ad verification and expanded partnerships.
But there's more to do. Read our call for updated internet regulation | | | WHAT CARTER PAGE IS READING … NYT'S CHARLIE SAVAGE: "Court Approves Warrantless Surveillance Rules While Scolding F.B.I.": "The nation's surveillance court found that the F.B.I. had committed 'widespread violations' of rules intended to protect Americans' privacy when analysts search through a repository of emails gathered without a warrant, but it nevertheless signed off on another year of the program, according to a newly declassified ruling. "The heavily redacted, 83-page ruling about the warrantless surveillance program was issued in December and became public on Friday after it was declassified and posted on a government website." The ruling -- MORE: "Before the release of the newly declassified court opinion about the 702 program, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, John Ratcliffe, organized an embargoed press briefing with the office's chief privacy officer and officials from the F.B.I. and the N.S.A. For years, such briefings for regular surveillance legal policy beat reporters have been routine when the government is declassifying a technically and legally complex document about surveillance. "On Friday, however, the office excluded The New York Times. A person familiar with internal deliberations said that Mr. Ratcliffe had ordered his office's communications staff not to talk to The Times after a story in early August published in The New York Times Magazine about White House pressure to downplay intelligence about Russia's covert efforts to help President Trump win the 2020 election." | | | | BEIJING IS WATCHING, ARE YOU? China has long been a nation of involved and cynical election-watchers, at least when it comes to American presidential campaigns. As the United States races toward Election Day, how do Chinese citizens believe each candidate will affect relations between the two nations? Join the conversation and gain expert insight from informed and influential voices in government, business, law, and tech. China Watcher is as much of a platform as it is a newsletter. Subscribe today. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | Send tips to Eli Okun and Garrett Ross at politicoplaybook@politico.com. TRANSITION NEWS -- "Biden transition team shapes up with Obama-Biden alum hires," by Alex Thompson: "The new group provides the most insight so far into how a Biden administration would look — a mix of the left and the center with many veterans of the Obama administration, particularly those who served in the vice president's office. "On the advisory board, for example, the president of the liberal think-tank The Roosevelt Institute, Felicia Wong, is paired with the more moderate, technocratic Pete Buttigieg. A Republican is on the board with Bob McDonald, the secretary of Veterans Affairs during the Obama administration and the former CEO of Procter & Gamble. "Of the eight new full-time hires — the board and co-chairs aren't full-time positions — seven worked in the Obama administration." POLITICO FIRST IN PLAYBOOK -- Amelia Irvine is joining Bates White, an economic consulting firm. She previously was a research economist at the White House's Council of Economic Advisers. BIRTHWEEK (was Monday): Daniel Mitrovich BIRTHDAYS: Rep. Bill Keating (D-Mass.) is 68 … Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.) is 63 … Rep. Danny Davis (D-Ill.) is 79 … Rep. Sylvia Garcia (D-Texas) is 7-0 … former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is 58 … Carly Fiorina is 66 … CIA's Brittany Bramell … Matt Littman … Dan Ronayne, president of Asta Strategies … Ryan Mahoney … Lizzie Ulmer, DAGA comms director (h/t Brandon Richards) … Ari Schaffer … Peter Barnes … Elizabeth Vargas … Jason Schechter, chief comms officer for Bloomberg … Gabrielle Farrell is 3-0 … POLITICO's Paul Volpe, Krystal Campos and Jack Larsen … MSNBC's Kendis Gibson … Grace Kok … Meredith McPhillips … Liz Shrum … CNN's Tala Alrajjal … Jaime Leifer is 41 … Leslie Barkemeyer … Tim Ogborn … Joshua Baca, SVP for public affairs at the American Beverage Association … … Fox News' Gillian Turner (h/t Ben Chang) … Andrew Irving … Clyde Prestowitz, founder and president of the Economic Strategy Institute … Ben Hammer … former Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter is 64 … Kathy Grannis Allen … Madeleine Gilmer … Brian Abrams … Brianna Tucker is 26 … Alex Leo ... Daniel Flesch … Christa Davis … NPR's Claire Harbage … former Rep. Sander Levin (D-Mich.) is 89 … former Rep. John Kline (R-Minn.) is 73 … former Rep. Kendrick Meek (D-Fla.) is 54 … Cameron Hardesty ... Owen Kibenge … Tammas Wilner ... Kevin Rieg ... Jessica Goldstein ... Gina Martinez ... Bruce King ... Dan Drummond … Scott McCrary … Douglass Daniel … John Hagner … Marie Wilson … Ken Smukler … Robin Wright Parker … Howard Zucker … Bobby Bailey … Patrick Guarasci (h/ts Teresa Vilmain) … Zeke Emanuel | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
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