1. Corrupt business, corrupt White House

The tax case against President Trump in New York is bigger than a hush-money investigation. Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr., told a judge today that he is demanding eight years of Trump's personal and corporate tax returns due to reports of "extensive and protracted criminal conduct at the Trump Organization." Attorneys for Vance said Trump’s arguments that the subpoena is too broad stems from "the false premise" that the probe is limited to payments made to women to keep them quiet about alleged affairs with the president. Instead, they say, they are focusing on "possible criminal activity" at the Trump Organization "dating back over a decade." —Associated Press

• — So much for draining the swamp. Financial disclosures obtained by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington show that White House adviser and presidential son-in-law Jared Kushner raked in as much as $3 million in 2019 from projects benefiting from Trump Administration initiatives. Kushner's wife, First Daughter Ivanka Trump, publicly pushed for a real estate tax break in 2017 that helped net the couple a windfall in revenues last year from a Jersey Shore luxury development. Must be nice. —The Daily Beast
   
• — Wait, there's more. Deutsche Bank has launched an internal investigation into Rosemary Vrablic, the longtime personal banker for Kushner and the president. Vrablic and two colleagues bought an apartment from Bergel 715 Associates—a company from whom the Kushners reported $1 million to $5 million in income. Banks usually prohibit employees from conducting personal business with clients out of conflict-of-interest concerns. —The Hill.

2. Mudde: The Portland miscalculation

"In a society as deeply militarized and patriarchal as America, vets and mothers are powerful symbols of the existing order. Seeing them protest against the government, and particularly a dubious and unnecessarily violent paramilitary unit, is a publicity problem for the Trump Administration. These are the salt of the earth of the Republican electorate, who will not automatically assume these groups are in the wrong. Moreover, many Republicans will have much less tolerance for disproportionate repression to white moms and vets than they sadly have towards African Americans and white left-wing youths." —The Guardian

Ed. Note: Cas Mudde is the Stanley Wade Shelton UGAF professor in the school of public and international affairs at the University of Georgia.

MORE: With no federal agents on streets, Portland protests turn largely peaceful —The Wall Street Journal

3. The Birx strategy fails

Dr. Deborah Birx, coordinator of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, learned a painful lesson this weekend that so many experts who have tried to play Donald Trump's game have learned. It all started yesterday when Birx said the U.S. is in a "new phase" of the pandemic, urging people to follow public health guidance as cases continue to climb across the U.S. "What we're seeing today is different from March and April," Birx said. "It is extraordinarily widespread—it's into the rural as [much as the] urban areas." —NPR

• — That's not exactly news. The numbers for weeks have shown this to be the case. But these were more dramatic words from the usually docile Birx, who has proven to be so loyal to Trump that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi accused her of spreading disinformation about the virus. "I don't have confidence in her, no," Pelosi said yesterday. —Forbes
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• — Birx defends herself. After expressing respect for Pelosi, she said, "I have never been called pollyannish, or non-scientific, or non-data-driven. And I will stake my 40-year career on those fundamental principles of utilizing data to really implement better programs to save more lives." —CNN
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• — Thanks for nothing. So what did Birx get in return for her unswerving loyalty to Trump? Not much. Instead of defending his pandemic coordinator (or even staying out of the fray), Trump tweeted this morning, "In order to counter Nancy, Deborah took the bait & hit us. Pathetic!" The White House Communications Office was more magnanimous, but Birx nevertheless finds herself in the same situation as many before her. At least she's in good company. —Politico

4. Kempe: Keep your eyes on Putin

"What's difficult to predict is whether an August surprise—or one at any time ahead of U.S. elections in November—would grow more from Russia's strength, its weakness, or more likely some combination of the two. It has been times like these in the past when matters had seemed sour for Moscow that [Russian President Vladimir] Putin has turned to adventures abroad to solidify his domestic control." —CNBC

Ed. Note: Frederick Kempe is an author and the president and CEO of the Atlantic Council.

MORE: Nunes declines to answer if he received information from Ukraine lawmaker meant to damage Biden —The Hill

5. ICYMI: Quick takes from the weekend

If you were too busy with summer activities this weekend to check on the news, good for you. Here's a roundup of stories you may have missed...

• — No press allowed? The vote to renominate President Trump will be conducted in private later this month, without members of the press present, according to a spokesperson for the Republican National Convention. However, a second RNC official contradicted that assessment yesterday, emphasizing that no final decisions have been made. —USA Today
   
• — Another Pelosi fake. Facebook's fact-checkers have labeled as "partly false" a video that it says was manipulated to make it appear as if House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was drunk or drugged. A similar video went viral in May 2019. —CNN
   
• — Twitter hackers caught. A Florida teen was identified as the mastermind of a scheme that commandeered the Twitter accounts of prominent politicians, celebrities, and tech moguls in July, scamming people out of more than $100,000 in Bitcoin. Two men were also charged in the case. —Associated Press
   
• — Reopening an ugly chapter. A federal appeals court has overturned the death sentence of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who was convicted five years ago of collaborating with his brother to plant two bombs at the Boston Marathon in 2013. A new trial has been ordered to determine whether he should be put to death. —The Boston Globe
   
• — Back to Earth. Two NASA astronauts returned to Earth yesterday in the first splashdown by U.S. astronauts in 45 years. Their capsule parachuted into the Gulf of Mexico to close out a test flight by Elon Musk’s SpaceX company. —Associated Press

6. Trouble...made in China

Over the weekend came word that President Trump is planning to ban TikTok, a Chinese-owned short-form video app that has been under a cloud of bipartisan scrutiny over data security fears. Trump was initially opposed to the idea of an American company purchasing TikTok, but now he is reportedly allowing Microsoft to pursue an acquisition on the condition that a deal be reached within 45 days. Stay tuned. —The Hill

• — Ready to be outraged? Millions of dollars of U.S. taxpayer money have flowed to China from the Paycheck Protection Program, which was created by Congress in March to be a lifeline for small businesses during the pandemic crisis. Because the legislation allowed subsidiaries of foreign firms to receive loans, a substantial chunk of the money went to America's biggest economic rival. —The New York Times
   
• — Don't plant those seeds. Since late July, people across the U.S., Canada, the UK, and other countries have reported receiving packets of seeds they did not order from China. While the U.S. Department of Agriculture has identified 14 different known species from seed samples, including hibiscus, mint, and sage, the agency is warning Americans not to plant the seeds. —Business Insider
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• — Arrests ordered in Hong Kong. Samuel Chu, an American citizen living in the U.S., is among six pro-democracy activists whom Hong Kong police have ordered arrested on suspicion of violating the national security law recently imposed by China. "It's such an outlandish claim that they somehow have jurisdiction over an American citizen lobbying the American government," said Chu, who runs the Hong Kong Democracy Council, a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group. —Al Jazeera

MORE: Is democracy dead in Hong Kong? —Al Jazeera

7. NYT Ed Board: Democracy on the line

"Despite all the obstacles in this unprecedented moment, Americans will vote this year, possibly in record numbers. It's not a matter of whether tens of millions of them will do so by mail, but whether they will have their voices heard, and whether we can all be patient enough to get through what may well be the most extraordinary election in our lifetime." —The New York Times

8. Staffing changes at DHS and DOD

Who's out? A top official at the Department of Homeland Security, amid reporting that he compiled "intelligence reports" about journalists and protesters in Portland, Ore. Acting Homeland Security Sec. Chad Wolf decided to remove Brian Murphy, the acting undersecretary for intelligence and analysis, and reassign him elsewhere in the department. —CBS News

• — Who's in? President Trump has installed a nominee for a top Pentagon job in a senior Department of Defense post on a temporary basis after lawmakers abruptly canceled his confirmation hearing amid lingering questions about his fitness for the role.

• — Retired Army Brig. Gen. Anthony Tata withdrew from consideration to be undersecretary of defense for policy, a position that requires Senate confirmation. His nomination was controversial because of previous Islamophobic comments he made.
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• — Instead, he has been designated as the official "performing the duties of" the deputy undersecretary of defense policy. The position Tata will assume is one that James Anderson was confirmed for in June; Anderson has also been serving as acting undersecretary of defense policy and will remain in that post. —Politico

9. Vindman: Doing right still matters

"When I was asked why I had the confidence to tell my father not to worry about my testimony, my response was, 'Congressman, because this is America. This is the country I have served and defended, that all my brothers have served, and here, right matters.' To this day, despite everything that has happened, I continue to believe in the American Dream. I believe that in America, right matters. I want to help ensure that right matters for all Americans." —The Washington Post

Ed. Note: Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman (Ret.) served on the National Security Council as the director for Eastern European, Caucasus, and Russian affairs, and as the Russia political-military affairs officer for the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

10. An American Story: Town Fridge

Over the past month, a group calling itself "Town Fridge" has set up four refrigerators in publicly accessible spaces around Oakland, Calif. Anyone can open up the fridge anytime and pull out free food and drinks, from eggs to water bottles to fresh produce.

• — The project, fueled by volunteers and donations, has one simple goal: try and provide sustenance for anyone who needs it. The group plans to set up five more fridges around town soon.
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• — Currently, Town Fridge has around 100 volunteers. The collective is constantly talking with residents, restaurants, and business owners to try and pinpoint possible locations for future fridges.
   
• — The Town Fridge organizers asked to remain anonymous, saying they don't want to draw attention to themselves as individuals, and that they want readers to focus instead on how Oaklanders can help each other get access to basic needs. "This isn't our job. We are not getting paid to do this. We are just concerned citizens wanting to help," organizers said. —The Oaklandside

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