“I didn’t want to leave BP, because I love the company. Because I love the company, I must leave BP.” Soon-to-be former BP CEO Tony Hayward. [WSJ]
THE FEED
Hundreds of Puerto Ricans who showed up to vote despite the pandemic were turned away because there were no ballots available
Puerto Rico on Sunday was forced to partially suspend voting for primaries marred by a lack of ballots as officials called on the president of the U.S. territory’s elections commission to resign.
The primaries for voting centers that had not received ballots by early afternoon are expected to be rescheduled, while voting would continue elsewhere, the commission said.
“I have never seen on American soil something like what just has been done here in Puerto Rico. It’s an embarrassment to our government and our people,” said Pedro Pierluisi, who is running against Gov. Wanda Vázquez, to become the nominee for the pro-statehood New Progressive Party.
… The president of her party, Thomas Rivera Schatz, along with the president of the main opposition Popular Democratic Party, held a joint press conference and said they agreed the remaining primaries should be held on Aug. 16, a move that Vázquez said she supported. The two parties are both holding their primary elections with the winning nominees among six gubernatorial candidates in November’s general election.
This study is sure to come up frequently in the debate over reopening schools
As schools face the daunting challenge of reopening while the coronavirus continues to spread, at least 97,000 children around the United States tested positive in the last two weeks of July, according to a new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association. It says that at least 338,000 children had tested positive through July 30, meaning more than a quarter tested positive in just those two weeks.
… States in the South and West accounted for more than seven out of 10 infections in the new report, which relied on data from 49 states along with Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and Guam. The count could be higher because the report did not include complete data from Texas and parts of New York State outside of New York City.
Missouri, Oklahoma, Alaska, Nevada, Idaho and Montana were among the states with the highest percentage increase of child infections during that period, according to the report.
the national interest
The Senate Is America’s Most Structurally Racist Institution
politics
What We Know About Trump’s New ‘Executive Orders’
coronavirus
U.S. Surpasses 5 Million COVID-19 Cases
united states postal service
Could USPS Leadership Overhaul Be Part of Trump’s Push to Impair Mail-in Voting?
Pillow man-approved botanical toxins will save us
Trump has solicited advice on the virus from a medley of voices, with anyone gaining access to him able to bend his ear about possible treatments. The chorus includes Fox News commentator Laura Ingraham, who has paid regular visits to the Oval Office to discuss hydroxychloroquine, the anti-malarial drug that Trump promoted as a cure for the coronavirus despite scientific studies showing that the drug if used as a treatment could have deadly side effects.
The president recently hosted Andrew Whitney, a biopharmaceuticals executive on the board of a company called Phoenix, who met in the Oval Office with Trump. Whitney, who has a limited health background, pitched Trump on a botanical extract called oleandrin as a treatment for the coronavirus, according to two senior administration officials with knowledge of the discussion.
One official said Mike Lindell, a Trump booster and the chief executive of MyPillow — who stars as pitchman for his product in advertising on some of the Fox News shows Trump watches — helped arrange the meeting. Since then, Whitney has personally made overtures to senior leaders at the Food and Drug Administration, including its commissioner, Stephen Hahn, in an effort to get the agency to approve oleandrin as a treatment for the coronavirus.
covid-19
The Good (But Not Great) News About T-Cells and Herd Immunity
delusions of grandeur
Yes, Trump Actually Did Want to Be Added to Mount Rushmore
“Either Tim Kaine and I had a very vivid shared hallucination four years ago or Maureen had too much pot brownie before writing her column again,” Hillary Clinton tweeted in response.
Correction: An earlier version of this column incorrectly said it had been 36 years since a man and a woman ran together on a Democratic Party ticket. It has been that long since a man chose a woman to run as his vice president. We’ve deleted a tweet that repeated the error.
—@nytopinion
bill de blasio
Bill de Blasio Is Using New York’s Murder Rate to Demagogue
the national interest
U.S. Intelligence Says Republicans Are Working With Russia to Reelect Trump
vision 2020
How the Final Stretch of Biden’s VP Search Is Playing Out
Undone by a zipper
The head of the conservative evangelical Liberty University has been forced to take an “indefinite leave of absence” after he shared a photo of himself with his pants unzipped to reveal his underwear.
Jerry Falwell Jr, a prominent backer of Donald Trump and one of America’s most powerful evangelical leaders, was accused of hypocrisy after posting the photo to Instagram this week. …
The move represents an extraordinary downfall for Falwell, who has served as the president of the ultra-conservative university since 2007. Liberty University was founded by Falwell’s father, and the younger Falwell became head after his death.
An in-person meeting
Breaking: Gov. Gretchen Whitmer traveled to Delaware last weekend to meet with Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee’s first known in-person session with a potential running mate as he nears decision. She visited Biden Sunday, 2 high-ranking Mich. Ds tell @AP
—@davideggert00
2020 elections
Georgia NAACP Head Asks Matt Lieberman to Drop Senate Bid
covid-19
Cuomo Says New York Schools Can Reopen, But Hurdles Remain
vision 2020
Democrats Struggle to Accommodate Stars at Shrunken Convention
vision 2020
What the Hell Is Kanye West’s Campaign About?
the national circus
Frank Rich: Trump’s Frantic Summer — Salesmanship or Mania?
coronavirus
As Schools Open, Coronavirus Outbreaks Follow
American conflict with China escalates
The U.S. is placing sanctions on 11 Chinese officials and their allies in Hong Kong, including Chief Executive Carrie Lam, over their role in curtailing political freedoms in the former U.K. colony, the Treasury Department said Friday.
“The United States stands with the people of Hong Kong and we will use our tools and authorities to target those undermining their autonomy,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement.
intelligencer chats
The Economy Is Slightly Less Bad Than a Few Weeks Ago
coronavirus stimulus
Stimulus Talks Have Become a Huge Mess
Uh huh
Amid concerns that election mail could be delayed for political purposes, the Postmaster General tells the board of governors this morning that he will not slow down election mail or any other mail. He also said he will not act “based on any partisanship.” via @jessicadean
—@abbydphillip
A better than expected jobs report
BREAKING: The US added 1.8 million jobs in July and the unemployment rate fell slightly to 10.2%
The jobs recovery continues – but it’s slowing down and 16.3 million are still unemployed.
May: +2.5 million jobs
June: +4.8 million
July: +1.8 million
—@byHeatherLong
The jobs recovery continues – but it’s slowing down and 16.3 million are still unemployed.
May: +2.5 million jobs
June: +4.8 million
July: +1.8 million
just asking questions
A Historian of Economic Crisis on the World After COVID-19
cityscape
COVID-19 Studies Are Proving That Density Is Not the Enemy
coronavirus
After Initial Positive Test, Ohio Gov. DeWine Says He Does Not Have COVID-19
elliott abrams
Official Convicted in Iran-Contra Affair Is Appointed Trump’s Envoy to Iran
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