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Georgia's primary election yesterday was a call to immediate action on strengthening our electoral processes and infrastructure. Reported voting machine failure, as well as significant reductions in polling locations, untrained staff, and necessary pandemic precautions, meant voters often waited in line for hours to cast their ballots. Atlanta, home to the largest black communities in Georgia, was particularly hard hit, with 16,000 voters from five precincts forced to vote at one polling place. The situation was so chaotic that it prompted accusations of voter suppression, and the Georgia Secretary of State announced an investigation before the election was even over, calling it “unacceptable.” This is a preview of what could happen nationwide in November. I encourage every voter to call their governor and other senior state authorities and urge action now to ensure free, fair, and secure elections. —Evan McMullin
Top Ten

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1. House holds first hearing on Floyd killing ([link removed]-)

Philonise Floyd, the brother of George Floyd, who was killed by Minneapolis police two weeks ago, testified emotionally before the House Judiciary Committee today, just a day after burying his brother. The panel is examining police brutality and how Congress can help prevent it; for Philonese Floyd, it's about "Justice for George." George Floyd was arrested on May 25 after a convenience store worker alleged that he used a counterfeit bill to buy cigarettes. "He didn't deserve to die over twenty dollars," Philonese Floyd testified. "I am asking you, is that what a black man is worth?" —The Hill ([link removed]-)
* — No help from the DOJ? Since President Trump took office, the Justice Department has sharply curbed its use of investigations and consent decrees to hold police accountable, and Trump has said he doesn't see such oversight as a high priority. "The role of the federal government is primarily oversight," says Nelson Linder, the longtime head of the Austin NAACP. "[But] under Donald Trump, I don't bother to call the federal government anymore because they don't seem to be interested." —The Boston Globe ([link removed])
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* — Senate Republicans to roll out plan. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has asked the chamber's lone black Republican, Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, to put together a legislative package addressing police reforms. Scott said Republicans, while not fans of the Democratic legislation, are considering a proposal to increase de-escalation training, which would lessen the potential for chokeholds and other dangerous forms of police restraints. —NPR ([link removed])
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* — A sickening display in New Jersey. On the day of Floyd's burial, several men in Franklinville taunted protesters by mockingly re-enacting his murder. The men, backdropped by a Trump flag, shouted "All Lives Matter" at the demonstrators while repeatedly blaming Floyd's demise on his not "complying" with police. —Newsweek ([link removed])
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* — Hate and resistance in Connecticut. In Newtown, stickers associated with the white nationalist group Patriot Front were removed from Sandy Hook light posts and reported to police before a racial justice demonstration on Sunday. Patriot Front, a relatively new Texas-based group, is classified by two national watchdog organizations as a white supremacist hate group. —New Haven Register ([link removed])

More: Cooper-Jones: How was my son Ahmaud Arbery's murder not a hate crime? (The New York Times) ([link removed])

2. Louis: The other racism crisis ([link removed])

"It's a mistake to imagine that the virus will selectively spare white and wealthy Americans. We are all but one encounter away from the army of cooks, waitstaff, transit workers, drivers, airport baggage handlers, haircutters, delivery men and women, and assembly line workers who are currently bearing the brunt of infection, sickness, and death. [But] the urge to move on to the next big thing should not blind us to the ongoing health crisis in urban and rural communities of color from coast to coast. We will not truly defeat the disease until and unless we develop a plan to make these vulnerable communities safer and more resilient." — ([link removed]) CNN ([link removed])

Ed. Note: Errol Louis is the host of "Inside City Hall," a nightly political show on NY1, a New York all-news channel.

3. Sharp rise in COVID-19 hospitalizations ([link removed])

More than a dozen states and Puerto Rico are recording their highest averages of new cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began, with hospitalizations in at least nine states on the rise since Memorial Day. In Texas, North and South Carolina, California, Oregon, Arkansas, Mississippi, Utah, and Arizona, an increasing number of patients are under supervised care because of coronavirus infections, and data suggest the spikes are not due solely to an increase in testing. As of Tuesday night, at least 110,000 people in the U.S. have died from COVID-19, and nearly 2 million cases have been reported. Be careful out there. —The Washington Post ([link removed])
* — "My worst nightmare." Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease specialist, warns that the deadly outbreak is far from over. The infection won't "burn itself out with mere public health measures," he said. "We're going to need a vaccine for the entire world, billions and billions of doses." —Bloomberg ([link removed])
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* — So where's the White House? It's been more than a month since the White House halted its daily coronavirus task force briefings, and health officials like Fauci have largely disappeared from national television. But some insiders suggest that the task force's lower profile has been helpful to the response, by saving prep time and avoiding the spread of sometimes dangerous COVID-19 misinformation by the president. —Politico ([link removed])
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* — Twitter takes action against conspiracy theorists. Conspiracy theories claiming a connection between 5G technology and the coronavirus have been around since the pandemic's earliest days, even leading to a series of arson attacks on 5G towers. To help combat the spread of unsubstantiated theories on its platform, Twitter has begun applying a label to some tweets about COVID-19 and 5G, encouraging users to "get the facts" about the virus. —TechCrunch ([link removed])

More: Burundi president dies of illness suspected to be coronavirus (The Guardian) ([link removed])

4. Georgia opens investigation of primary chaos Everything that could go wrong at Georgia's polling places yesterday did go wrong. Voters experienced long lines, broken voting machines, and polling places that were late opening. Georgia's Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger will open an investigation into what went wrong with the state's new $104 million voting machines. ([link removed])
* — Georgia's new voting machines reintroduced paper ballots to the state, using computers with touch screens and printers. Raffensperger's office said that one key issue was poll workers' inserting voter access cards upside down. ([link removed])
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* — Many experienced poll workers quit due to coronavirus fears, giving their replacements little time to learn how to operate the voting machines. Coronavirus fears led officials to expand absentee voting but limit the number of physical polling locations, creating even longer lines. ([link removed])
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— "It has been most disturbing to hear about voters who have given up, voters who were not able to withstand the long wait times, voters who had one shot this morning. Those are people who may be flatly disenfranchised," said Kristen Clarke, executive director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. —Axios ([link removed])

5. Wirth, Hart, McCleary & Medish: A 2020 election SOS ([link removed])

"Trump might be worried about going down in 2020. But we must not allow him to take our democracy down with him. There are a set of solutions that Congress and state officials should be setting into motion now to safeguard elections in November if Trump uses the chaos of our current political moment to his advantage. Trump has several levers to pull if he were determined to upend the election. And given his record of dismissing the restraints built into our system—recently firing five inspectors general in the span of six weeks, for instance—voters should be concerned that Trump will take advantage of these options. And activists, governors, and lawmakers should understand what they are, so they can prevent the subversion and protect U.S. values." — ([link removed]) Politico ([link removed])

Ed. Note: Timothy Wirth and Gary Hart are former U.S. senators from Colorado. Joel McCleary and Mark Medish are former senior White House officials in the Carter and Clinton administrations, respectively.

More: Americans may not know who won the presidency or Senate on election night (NBC News) ([link removed])
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6. China's efforts to pursue dominance stymied China has used legislative and military moves, propaganda, and technology to increase its global influence, but it is meeting with some resistance of late. After Beijing's aggressive actions toward Hong Kong, concerns have grown about the fate of Taiwan, where Chinese nationalist hard-liners envision a militaristic invasion. Yet popular opinion in China doesn't favor war at a time of pandemic and economic uncertainty. —Los Angeles Times ([link removed])
* — China's media war with India. China and India's latest border dispute appears mostly for show. Though there's been some troop maneuvers on the ground in the highly militarized region, this distinctly 21st-century conflict has mostly played out through propaganda, strategic leaks, and aggressive posturing in the media in both countries...at least for now. —CNN ([link removed])
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* — Back in the U.S., harried aerospace, technology, auto manufacturing, and other industries are busily working to comply with an Aug. 13 deadline after which all gear from Chinese tech firm Huawei is banned. The defense law could affect virtually all companies that count the federal government as a customer. —Bloomberg ([link removed])
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* — Why Huawei? Simple. It poses a serious cybersecurity threat. A new report released by the Senate's Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations yesterday reveals that multiple Chinese telecom firms, which have operated in the U.S. with "little-to-no oversight" from government agencies for the past 20 years, were permitted near-total penetration of American communications networks and have collected data on millions of Americans, including military members and those in sensitive government posts. —The Washington Free Beacon ([link removed])

More: Russia will open nuclear disarmament talks with US but warns against including China in New Start negotiations (The Guardian) ([link removed])

7. McKew: Beware disinfo in high-stress moments ([link removed])

"[B]e constantly vigilant not just about the veracity of the information before you, but the purpose of it. Why is it in front of you, why now, and what does it aim to achieve? I remain convinced that this is the single most important question when we are evaluating pieces of information... And I think in these times of heightened anxiety and uncertainties and questions, we need to understand that a lot of inflammatory information is being put in front of us to elevate that sense of panic. Does the information ask us to do something, and does it make sense? When this relates to current events, it's important to be well-informed and have a broad base of knowledge about what is actually happening." —Stand Up Republic ([link removed])

More: Behind China's Twitter campaign, a murky supporting chorus (The New York Times) ([link removed])

8. Tensions spike between North and South Korea North Korea has vowed to cut off contact with South Korea, and to consider the country an "enemy," after North Korean defectors used drones to drop leaflets over the North. The move to cut off contact comes only a month after soldiers from both sides traded gunfire at the border. ([link removed])
* — "We will never barter the dignity of our supreme leadership for anything, but defend it at the cost of our lives," said KCNA, North Korea's state media service, in response to the leaflets. "We have come to a conclusion that there is no need to sit face to face with the South Korean authorities, and there is no issue to discuss with them, as they have only aroused our disillusion." —NPR ([link removed])
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* — Seoul's Unification Ministry grew frustrated with the leaflets, claiming that they "created tensions between the South and North and brought danger to the lives and safety of (South Korean) residents in border areas." ([link removed])
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* — South Korea announced that it would press charges against those involved with dropping the leaflets. There is currently no South Korean law that prevents activists from sending leaflets into North Korea, but the South is now exploring new laws to prevent such action in the future. —The Hill ([link removed])

9. Jason, Nagl & Yingling: Rename Army bases now ([link removed])

"The U.S. Army recently signaled a willingness to have a 'conversation' on its century-old practice of honoring Confederate generals. No such conversation is necessary. Below is a draft memo, prepared for the signature of Army Sec. Ryan McCarthy, to end this unambiguous practice of institutional racism. It is entirely within his power to correct this injustice; he needs no Congressional authorization or permission from the president to do so. Your move, Mr. Secretary." —Defense One ([link removed])

Ed. Note: Retired Army Col. Mike Jason commanded troops in the Balkans, Iraq, and Afghanistan, and is a defense consultant in Virginia. Retired Army Officer John Nagl, a veteran of both Iraq wars, is head of school at The Haverford School. Retired Army Lt. Col. Paul Yingling served three tours in Iraq, another in Bosnia, and a fifth in Operation Desert Storm.

More: Demonstrations prompt national security community push for diversity (Foreign Policy) ([link removed])

10. An American Story: Pandemic unleashes creativity Most students and parents across the country were likely facing the last 10 weeks of school at home with some trepidation. Would anything educational be accomplished? To make the most of the time, Los Alamos Public Schools in New Mexico came up with an innovative idea, and with the assistance of Los Alamos Public Schools Foundation, developed a competition to keep the students engaged, encourage them to be creative, and allow them to spend time doing what they love to do. ([link removed])
* — LAPS Foundation launched the Superintendent's Project Challenge and waited to see if the concept would take off. Students entered the competition by submitting projects online. The types of projects were unlimited, and they were encouraged to be as creative as possible and have fun. ([link removed])
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* — It was a big hit. Each of the four rounds of the contest had 50 or more entries for a final total of 225. Videos, chalk art, musical performances, poetry, art, feats of engineering, essays, cooking lessons, a sibling reenactment of "Star Wars," sewing COVID-19 masks, creating and destroying a coronavirus pinata, and a variety of other imaginative projects resulted. ([link removed])
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* — Ranging from kindergarten to graduating seniors, the students communicated messages of thriving in adversity, problem-solving, laughter, connection, and hope. "We are looking for a way out of a dark tunnel by ourselves instead of realizing that other people are our flashlights. Especially during a time like this, we should respect others and help them by being their light," said eighth-grader Hana. Great job by all! —Los Alamos Daily Post ([link removed])

Ed. Note: We are spotlighting ways that Americans are helping each other through the coronavirus crisis and recent unrest. Would you like to suggest an "American Story" from your local news? If so, please forward a link to the story to [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) . Thank you!
What's Your Take?

In Georgia, where the officials closed 5% of the polling stations, reflecting what happened to Stacey Abrams, lots of people could not vote. Remember that our fearless leader hates mail-in ballots. Why are we not surprised?
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Regarding absentee voting for those who live abroad, U.S. expats cannot easily vote by absentee, as many of these countries are blocking mail overseas. A lot depends on the state the expat calls home, but in many instances those ballots must be returned only by mail. Hence, the only option is to mail the ballots to the U.S. Embassy in the country and have those ballots stamped and sent by diplomatic post. —Joel M., New Mexico

Please be careful about how you use the word "Evangelical." By definition, all Christians are evangelical because Jesus told us to go into all the world to spread the good news. I am a Christian, therefore I am "evangelical." Trump is not my savior, Jesus is. I have not voted, nor will I ever vote, for Trump. —Robert F., Wisconsin

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