| | | | | |  | | By Jake Sherman and Anna Palmer | Presented by |  | | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | GOOD SATURDAY MORNING. The election is 80 DAYS away, and the United States Postal Service has told states that mail-in ballots might not make it in time to be counted. TO REVIEW, in case your beach house doesn't have consistent cell service or something, or if you're one of the lucky few who can unplug: AP: "Post Office warns states across U.S. about mail voting": "The U.S. Postal Service is warning states coast to coast that it cannot guarantee all ballots cast by mail for the November election will arrive in time to be counted, even if mailed by state deadlines, raising the possibility that millions of voters could be disenfranchised. Voters and lawmakers in several states are also complaining that some curbside mail collection boxes are being removed." FROM EAST TO WEST AND NORTH TO SOUTH, this story is dominating local news in a way we've not seen any story dominate in some time. HERE IS WHAT PEOPLE ARE READING ACROSS THE COUNTRY on the front page of local newspapers: Arizona Republic, bottom of the front page: "Postal Service warns 46 states about ballot delays" … Sacramento Bee: "Newsom says USPS changes 'sabotage' mail-in vote" … San Diego Union-Tribune: "POSTAL SERVICE WARNS STATES IT MAY NOT MEET MAIL-IN BALLOT DEADLINES" … Connecticut Post: "USPS to CT: Mail-in ballots not assured by Nov. 3 election" … Hartford Courant: "USPS: Ballot delivery could be late" … … Miami Herald: "USPS warns Florida some of its mail ballots could be rejected" … Tampa Bay Times: "Mail-in votes are threatened" … Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "Mail delays may void absentee ballots"… Wichita Eagle: "USPS removes mail machines in Mo., Kansas" … Baltimore Sun: "Answers sought in delays of US mail" … Boston Globe: "Postal service warns about vote" … Kansas City Star: "Mail machines in Kansas, Missouri removed by USPS" … Star-Ledger (N.J.): "Postal service warns of possible ballot delay" … … Charlotte Observer: "NC voters urged to request, mail absentee ballots earlier" … The Oregonian: "Leaders blast postal changes" … Dallas Morning News: "Are mail ballots at risk?" … Houston Chronicle: "States warned mail-in ballot delays likely" … Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: "USPS warns ballot delivery at risk" MANY PEOPLE ARE SAYING there's really nothing Congress can do to help solve the mess that's become the U.S. Postal Service. But that's a cop-out. There is lots Congress can do -- if it returns from its monthlong vacation. 1) IMMEDIATE: It can hold hearings, and shine a light on the situation. This has turned into a big national story, so any hearing -- if managed properly and held at a normal time -- would get massive attention. 2) UNLIKELY, BUT WORTH EXPLORING: The House Democratic leadership and the Senate Republican leadership can negotiate and pass a bill with USPS funding and stipulations on how the Post Office conducts its business. Sure, President DONALD TRUMP can veto it -- but this is how governing works. You pass laws, and try to see if you can sway the other party. Maybe TRUMP is unswayable. Maybe the two sides can't agree -- we've seen that recently. (House Dems have passed a bill with money for the post office already.) 3) THE BIG DATE TO WATCH: Sept. 30. Congress has a must-pass bill to keep the government open, and that could, theoretically, include language and funding for the USPS. Covid relief and USPS are live options here for this bill. ONE THING TO KEEP IN MIND: THE WHITE HOUSE has an expert in the USPS: chief of staff MARK MEADOWS. MEADOWS was on the House Oversight Committee in Congress and was very involved in USPS issues. HOUSE MAJORITY WHIP JIM CLYBURN (D-S.C.), to GRETA VAN SUSTEREN on "FULL COURT PRESS": "I don't know why postal boxes are being picked up in Portland, Ore. Everybody is sending me texts and sending me pictures. And we're going to have to investigate what is happening to the post office system. And we got to get it done, you're right, before the November 2020 election." -- THE POLITICS, from WAPO'S RACHAEL BADE, ERICA WERNER and SEUNG MIN KIM: "Trump's assault on the U.S. Postal Service gives Democrats a new campaign message" -- WSJ ED BOARD SAYS NOTHING TO SEE HERE: "The Post Office's Problem Isn't Trump: Democrats cry sabotage. But mail volume is way down, and the USPS is losing billions of dollars." | | A message from Nokia: At Nokia, openness is part of our organizational DNA. As a U.S. leader in O-RAN R&D, Nokia is at the forefront of Open RAN telecommunication research and uniquely positioned to push the possibilities of America's future. Learn more. | | | THE HEADLINES MEADOWS WAS HOPING FOR … Arizona Republic: "Arizona jobless to receive more aid: Trump order provides an additional $300 per week" … Denver Post: "Colorado applies for U.S. subsidy: Jobless to get $300 a week; process could take weeks" TRUMP'S FRONTS: NYT, with this headline: "'Nobody buys it': Palestinians See Israel-U.A.E. Deal as Betrayal" … WAPO, with the headline: "USPS says delays could mar election" … WSJ … N.Y. DAILY NEWS, with a photo of TRUMP getting off Marine One in NYC and this headline: "Prez rushes to visit 'very ill' brother in city" DAN DIAMOND: "CDC's chief of staff, deputy chief of staff jointly depart": "A pair of senior Trump appointees departed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Friday, a change at an agency that's been heavily scrutinized for its response to the coronavirus. "Kyle McGowan, the CDC's chief of staff, and Amanda Campbell, the deputy chief of staff, both announced their departures in emails to colleagues on Friday morning. In an interview, McGowan said that the pair were starting a new consulting venture and that he wasn't aware of other pending departures from CDC. 'We picked this day on the calendar and left to start our own business,' McGowan said. 'No one has asked us to leave. No one has forced us to leave.'" INTERESTING DETAIL … WAPO'S STEVE HENDRIX in Jerusalem: "Inside the secret-not-secret courtship between Israel and the United Arab Emirates": "During the administration of President George W. Bush, Israeli officials visiting Washington would hold secret hotel room meetings with the UAE's influential ambassador to the United States, Yousef al-Otaiba, according to Dan Shapiro, who would later become a U.S. ambassador to Israel. Shapiro served on President Barack Obama's National Security Council and said the White House at that time was kept informed of the meetings." LAT: "Senate committee sought investigation of Bannon, raised concerns about Trump family testimony," by Del Quentin Wilbur, Chris Megerian, Sarah Wire and Jen Haberkorn: "The Senate Intelligence Committee has sent a bipartisan letter to the Justice Department asking federal prosecutors to investigate Stephen K. Bannon, a former Trump confidante, for potentially lying to lawmakers during its investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. "The letter, a copy of which was reviewed by The Times, was signed by the panel's then-chairman, Republican Sen. Richard M. Burr, and its ranking Democrat, Sen. Mark Warner. "It also raised concerns about testimony provided by family members and confidants of President Trump that appeared to contradict information provided by a former deputy campaign chairman to Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller III. Those it identified as providing such conflicting testimony were the president's son Donald Trump Jr., his son-in-law Jared Kushner, former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and former White House Communications Director Hope Hicks. … It is not clear what action the Justice Department has taken on the referral. Kerri Kupec, a Justice Department spokeswoman, declined to comment." NYT: "U.N. Security Council Rejects U.S. Proposal to Extend Arms Embargo on Iran," by Michael Schwirtz: "The United States suffered an embarrassing diplomatic defeat on Friday when the United Nations Security Council rejected a proposal to indefinitely extend an arms embargo on Iran, with even America's strongest allies refusing to buckle under pressure from the Trump administration to take a harder line. "The defeat underscored America's deepening global isolation on the issue of Iran. But for the Trump administration, the vote could open a separate path to try to inflict maximum damage on Iran ahead of November's U.S. presidential election. JOHN BRESNAHAN and MARIANNE LEVINE: "Trailing McConnell, Amy McGrath shakes up her campaign": "Amy McGrath, the Democrat challenging Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in Kentucky, is replacing her campaign manager with a little more than 80 days before Election Day. "In a statement, McGrath's campaign announced that Dan Kanninen will take over for Mark Nickolas as campaign manager. Kanninen, who recently joined the campaign, served as states director on former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's presidential campaign. "Kanninen ran the North Carolina operation for Hillary Clinton's campaign in 2016, and also oversaw some state operations during former President Barack Obama's White House runs in 2008 and 2012, according to his bio. Kanninen is currently CEO of his own consulting firm." | | | |   | | | MARC CAPUTO in Lauderhill, Fla.: "Harris 'electrifies' West Indian voters — and gives Biden a new edge in Florida": "Almost as soon as Kamala Harris became the first woman of Jamaican-Indian descent to be nominated for vice president, a mock White House menu of oxtail and jerk chicken cropped up on a West Indian diaspora Facebook group called Soca de Vote. "Calls from Caribbean radio show hosts flooded the Biden campaign from South Florida. And a jolt of excitement shot through the crowd of early vote poll workers at the [Lauderhill] Mall, in the midst of Broward County's growing Jamaican community. "'There was just this sense of energy,' state Rep. Anika Omphroy, a daughter of two Jamaican immigrants, said in describing the moment the announcement was received. 'It was all Black women out there working under the tents,' she said. 'It was 98 degrees in August in South Florida, so it was too hot to cheer. But you could feel it, this sense.' "That feeling stretches beyond the Jamaican-American community and the more traditional African American community, shared by those in South Florida with roots in Haiti, the Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago or Guyana. They comprise a growing and varied Black West Indian diaspora community, a little-discussed but increasingly influential slice of the electorate of the nation's biggest swing state. "While exact numbers are hard to come by, census estimates and political studies peg the diverse Black community —--nicknamed the Caribbean Massive by some -- at more than 2.5 million, including hundreds of thousands of Florida voters. That's crucial in a battleground state where elections are often decided by less than a percentage point." ELIZABETH RALPH in POLITICO MAGAZINE: "Finally, a Female VP Isn't Being Set Up to Fail" | | | | HAPPENING TUESDAY 1:30 p.m. EDT – A SPECIAL CONVENTION PLAYBOOK INTERVIEW WITH SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI SPONSORED BY AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS: A global pandemic. An economic crisis. Stalled negotiations on the latest Covid relief package. And a historic election amidst it all. Join POLITICO Playbook Co-authors Anna Palmer and Jake Sherman as the 2020 Democratic National Convention kicks off for a virtual interview with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to get a behind-the-scenes look at what is happening on and off the stage. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | | 
PHOTO DU JOUR: Several police officers arrest a protester in Portland, Ore., on Friday as protests continue in the city, with the police newly blocking off several streets. | Nathan Howard/Getty Images | CLICKER -- "The nation's cartoonists on the week in politics," edited by Matt Wuerker -- 14 funnies GREAT WEEKEND READS , curated by Margy Slattery and the staff of POLITICO Magazine: -- "How China Controlled the Coronavirus," by Peter Hessler in The New Yorker: "Teaching and learning in Sichuan during the pandemic." New Yorker -- "What a Korean Teenage Fashion Trend Reveals About the Culture of Mask-Wearing," by Catherine Kim in POLITICO Magazine: "If you want to understand why America is faring so badly in the fight against Covid, it helps to understand deeper public attitudes toward health—and how they're different around the world." POLITICO -- "The Trump Pandemic," by Slate's William Saletan: "The coronavirus debacle isn't, as Trump protests, an 'artificial problem' that spoiled his presidency. It's the fulfillment of everything he is." Slate -- "The Good Son," by The Atlantic's Franklin Foer: "Polished, soft-spoken, and a self-styled moderate, Jared Kushner has become his father-in-law's most dangerous enabler." Atlantic | | | |   | | | -- "Baghdad's Record Heat Offers Glimpse of World's Climate Change Future," by WaPo's Louisa Loveluck and Chris Mooney: "Door handles blistering to the touch. Leaves yellowed and brittle. And a yawning divide between AC haves and have-nots." WaPo -- "Eyes in the Sky," by Monica Jha in Rest of World: "Indian authorities had to manage 250 million festivalgoers. So they built a high-tech surveillance ministate." Rest of World -- "The Scramble to Pluck 24 Billion Cherries in Eight Weeks," by Brooke Jarvis in the NYT Magazine: "Every single one needs to be picked by hand — even in a pandemic. Seasonal workers say they may be essential, but they feel disposable." NYT Magazine -- "Flimsy Plastic Knives, a Single Microwave, and Empty Popcorn Bags," by Tana Ganeva in The Counter: "How 50 inmates inside a Michigan prison prepared a feast to celebrate the life of George Floyd." The Counter MEDIAWATCH -- Jim Papa is launching a new podcast, "Staffer," on Sept. 1. He'll interview various former Capitol Hill staffers about their careers. Details | | | | INTRODUCING POLITICO MINUTES: An unprecedented campaign season demands unconventional media coverage. Launching at the conventions, POLITICO Minutes, is a brand new, interactive content experience that gives you the top five things you need to know in an easy-to-digest, swipeable format delivered straight to your inbox. Get a breakdown of what we've learned so far, why it matters, and the key things to watch going forward as we approach a historic election. Stay informed and sign up for POLITICO Minutes today. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | Send tips to Eli Okun and Garrett Ross at politicoplaybook@politico.com. ENGAGED -- Carter Coudriet, a paralegal in DOJ's antitrust division, proposed to Caroline Simon, a reporter for CQ/Roll Call, in Essex, Conn., on Friday. They were classmates at the University of Pennsylvania and met at the student newspaper, The Daily Pennsylvanian. Pic BIRTHDAYS: Justice Stephen Breyer is 82 ... Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) is 82 … Rep. Elaine Luria (D-Va.) is 45 … Devin O'Malley, press secretary for VP Mike Pence, is 33 … Allen Weisselberg, CFO of the Trump Organization, is 73 … Vernon Jordan is 85 ... Melinda Gates is 56 … Hannah Salem, managing partner at Salem Strategies and a Trump White House alum, is 36 (h/t brother Jamie Hennigan) ... Karen Finney (h/t Tim Burger) … Linda Ellerbee is 76 ... Dave Price ... McClatchy's Kevin Hall is 58 … Patrice Woods Wildgoose ... Oklahoma Lt. Gov. Matt Pinnell is 41 … Peggy Binzel … Diane Feldman (h/ts Jon Haber) … Tom Murphy (h/ts Teresa Vilmain) … Susanne Salkind … Jack O'Meara … Jarrett Lewis, partner at Public Opinion Strategies and former Clemson soccer goalie (h/t Jim Hobart) ... Jon Black … NBC's Leigh Ann Caldwell ... Patrick Gleason, VP of state affairs at Americans for Tax Reform ... Kathryn Potter … Jesse McKinley, NYT Albany bureau chief, is 5-0 … … Rich Hudock, senior director of comms at NBC News, is 31 (h/t Alexandra Roberts) … Mary Elizabeth Taylor … Dara Cohen, COS for Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) … Anup Rao … Derek Kan, deputy director at OMB … Annie Minkler … Rachel Haot … Elise Labott (h/ts Ben Chang) … Maggie Mulvaney … Billy Pitts ... Sarah Bell … Edelman Intelligence's Stephanie Lesser ... Eric Tanenblatt, global chair of public policy and regulation at Dentons … Conrad Allen … Bart Reising ... Ben Weinberg ... Brett Doyle, EPA associate administrator (h/t wife Emma) … ABC's Mariam Khan ... Tom Best ... former Rep. Robert Pittenger (R-N.C.) is 72 … former Rep. Judy Biggert (R-Ill.) is 83 ... Larry Cohen ... Meg Joseph ... Christopher Loring ... Maral Karaccusian ... Sam Davidson … Zahava Urecki … Todd Bernstein ... KJ Fallon ... Will Dizard ... Alison Rose Levy ... Desiree Wineland … Miranda Barrett is 41 … Alaska state Rep. Grier Hopkins … Britain's Princess Anne is 7-0 THE SHOWS (Full Sunday show listings here): | FOX | "Fox News Sunday": New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy … Steve Cortes. Panel: Jason Riley, Kristen Soltis Anderson and Mo Elleithee. Historic DNC convention highlights. | CBS | "Face the Nation": Jared Kushner … Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves … Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot … Dmitri Alperovitch … Scott Gottlieb. | Sinclair | "America this Week with Eric Bolling": President Donald Trump … Michael Solan … Jose Aristimuño … Hogan Gidley … Madeleine Westerhout. | ABC | "This Week": Jason Miller. Panel: Chris Christie, Rahm Emanuel, Sara Fagen and Yvette Simpson. | NBC | "Meet the Press": National security adviser Robert O'Brien … Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). Panel: Charles Benson, Kasie Hunt, Jeh Johnson and Carol Lee. | CNN | "State of the Union": White House chief of staff Mark Meadows … Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) … Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.). | Gray TV | "Full Court Press": House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) … Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas). | | | | A message from Nokia: Open RAN may be the key to the development of innovative, cost-effective 5G. That's why Nokia is committed to the success of 5G in the U.S. through secure, open interfaces. As the first major vendor to join the O-RAN Alliance, we're helping create open networks and secure connections to keep our country competitive and accelerate the future of connectivity in America. Learn more. | | | | | | | 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 | | | | |
