1. Can he really do that?

After suggesting delaying the November election last week, President Trump yesterday claimed to have the authority to issue an executive order addressing the expected influx of mail-in voting due to the coronavirus pandemic. Though the Constitution expressly gives states the right to run elections, he said, "I have the right to do it. We haven't got there yet, but we'll see what happens." Trump didn't elaborate on what such executive action would entail, but given his ongoing campaign against vote-by-mail, we can take a pretty good guess. —Politico

• — Okay in Florida, but not in Nevada? Trump tweeted today in support of Florida's "safe and secure" vote-by-mail system (coincidentally the state in which he votes by absentee ballot), but he has a real problem with Nevada's plan. When the Nevada legislature approved a bill on Sunday that would automatically send mail-in ballots to all voters in the state, Trump deemed it "an illegal late-night coup" that would make it "impossible for Republicans to win the state." He also threatened legal action. —Forbes
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• — Don't worry, we got this. The U.S. Postal Service definitively said yesterday that it has the capacity to handle the added volume of mail-in ballots in November's general election after Trump has questioned—and even tried to harm—its ability to do so. "The Postal Service has ample capacity to adjust our nationwide processing and delivery network to meet projected Election and Political Mail volume, including any additional volume that may result as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic," the agency said in a statement. —CNN
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• — Feds are eyeing another threat. Federal authorities say one of the gravest threats to the November election is a well-timed ransomware attack from foreign governments or criminals. Ransomware attacks targeting state and local governments have been on the rise. The fear is that such attacks could affect voting systems directly or indirectly, by infecting broader government networks that include electoral databases. —Star Tribune

2. Conway: There's fraud alright, just not in vote-by-mail

"Voting by mail has a long, venerable tradition in this country, most notably the election of 1864, when 150,000 Union soldiers sent in ballots that helped ensure President Abraham Lincoln's re-election, the preservation of the union, and the abolition of slavery. Mailed votes leave a paper trail that renders them less, not more, susceptible to fraud. The fraud is Trump's: He's lying so he can buy more time—or so he can delegitimize the vote and blame someone other than himself for his defeat." —The Washington Post

Ed Note: George Conway is a lawyer and the co-founder of Checks & Balances, a network of lawyers advocating for the rule of law.

3. Aid is still at a standstill

If you caught yesterday's White House coronavirus press briefing, you may have been bewildered. President Trump opined about a number of different topics with, at best, tangential relation to the pandemic, including Hurricane Isaias, TikTok, mail-in voting, and a new healthcare plan he intends to roll out. If you did tune in, however, you also may have heard that Trump is weighing executive action to break the impasse over another emergency relief package, intended to counter the coronavirus' impact on Americans and the economy. —USA Today

• — Talks continue. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Sec. Steven Mnuchin are continuing to negotiate the bill today, to close the wide gap that still remains between Republicans and Democrats. Glimmers of optimism that their talks had made some progress have been tempered by a lack of resolution on critical issues, including an extension of the supplemental unemployment insurance that has expired. —Bloomberg
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• — Beware vaccine nationalism. As Russia announces a vaccination plan to begin as early as October, public health experts are warning about the potential dangers of "vaccine nationalism," or the competition among countries to be the first to develop and deploy a vaccine. They caution that it could result in the pandemic lasting longer, by preventing the most efficient allocation of shots. —Bloomberg
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• — Schools should reopen...but cautiously. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said yesterday that the default position of schools and college campuses should be to reopen, but officials must proceed with strict protocols that prioritize the safety of students and staff. —CNN

4. McKew: Be part of the solution

"What also stands out is the need for each of us to critically evaluate sources, and to understand what the overall objectives of the outlets or organizations promoting certain narratives may be. If U.S. intelligence identifies outlets that are part of malign influence campaigns, look at where they sit in the broader information landscape, what and who they promote." —Stand Up Republic

Ed. Note: Molly McKew served as an adviser to then-president of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili from 2009 to 2013. She is an expert in information warfare specializing in U.S.-Russia relations.

MORE: What makes one person more likely than another to believe #fakenews and conspiracy theories? —MarketWatch

5. A piece of the action for the Treasury

President Trump said yesterday that he will approve a purchase by Microsoft Corp. of the controversial Chinese video-sharing app TikTok. He just has one condition: only if the government receives "a lot of money" in exchange—an unprecedented assertion of presidential power in an administration that has been filled with them.

• — Microsoft hopes to acquire TikTok's business in the U.S. and three other countries. Trump says he informed the company that "a very substantial portion of that price is going to have to come into the Treasury of the United States because we’re making it possible for this deal to happen."
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• — While the U.S. for decades has analyzed foreign investments in the U.S. to see whether they could create national-security problems, decisions are usually left to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S., not the president.
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• — "It is completely unorthodox for a president to propose that the U.S. take a cut of a business deal, especially a deal that he has orchestrated. The idea also is probably illegal and unethical," said Carl Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond. —The Wall Street Journal

6. A world of protest

The U.S. is far from the only country experiencing widespread protests right now. In Russia, thousands of people took to the streets in the far eastern city of Khabarovsk yesterday for the 24th consecutive day of anti-Kremlin demonstrations. Sparked by the arrest of a local politician, Sergei Furgal, protests were interspersed with chants of "Russia without Putin," "We are power here," and "Give us Furgal back" at a similar march on Saturday that drew 10,000 people. Demonstrations are common in Moscow and St. Petersburg, but they are rare in more remote areas, making the sustained protests noteworthy. —CBS News

• — Germany. German leaders are divided over whether to restrict the rights of demonstrators after 20,000 people failed to abide by hygiene and distancing rules during protests against the government's coronavirus restrictions in Berlin on Saturday. —The Guardian
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• — Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has railed against a wave of protests in his nation in recent weeks. Demonstrators are calling for the long-serving leader to resign, panning his handling of the coronavirus crisis, and saying he should not remain in office while on trial for corruption charges. —Al Jazeera

MORE: Netanyahu says media inciting hate and violence against him —Politico

7. Boot: No respect for the military

"Anthony J. Tata's elevation, Eric Greitens's reinstatement, and Alexander Vindman's forced retirement are all disgraceful developments that sully the honor of the military and violate the spirit, if not the letter, of the law. If Defense Sec. Mark Esper had a shred of self-respect, he would resign in protest, because it is obvious that the commander in chief he serves has no respect for the armed forces." —The Washington Post

Ed. Note: Max Boot is the Jeane J. Kirkpatrick senior fellow for national security studies at the Council on Foreign Relations.

8. Biz balks at new immigration fees

The Trump Administration is increasing fees on asylum-seekers, new citizens, and international students who need work authorization—and businesses aren't thrilled. The new fee schedule from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is the latest action to restrict immigration, but it also makes life more difficult for companies seeking skilled workers.

• — "The significant fee increases on employment-based immigrant and non-immigrant petitions are nothing more than new taxes on businesses that must be paid to meet their company's workforce needs," explains Jon Baselice, executive director for immigration policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

• — At the House Judiciary's Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship oversight hearing last week, Chair Zoe Lofgren pulled no punches. She directly accused the administration of causing USCIS’s financial problems in the first place through its immigration policy choices.
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• — "Under the Trump Administration, USCIS has issued a flurry of policies that make its case adjudications more complicated, which reduces the agency's efficiency and requires more staff to complete fewer cases," testified Doug Rand, founder of Boundless Immigration. “There are dozens if not hundreds of such policies." —Forbes

9. Lovell: Violence isn't the answer

"As a Black man and a public servant, I have a unique perspective. I agree with a local pastor, E.D. Mondainé, who stated these 'spectacles' are drowning out the voices that need to be heard to make positive change. This violence is doing nothing to further the Black Lives Matter movement. ... I have confidence in our community and the people who have dedicated their lives to building relationships with police. They have stood up and said no more violence. I stand with them with a servant’s heart, committed to being leaders in police reform." —The New York Times

Ed. Note: Chuck Lovell is the chief of the Police Bureau in Portland, Ore.

10. An American Story: Teens helping teens

Five rising seniors at Loara High School in Anaheim, Calif., created the podcast "Teenager Therapy" to help their peers cope as the pandemic has upended school, summer plans, and their daily life. The show features five teens having candid conversations about mental health, school and family, friendships and sexuality, and more.

• — "There are episodes where we offer genuine advice, there are episodes where we simply talk about our experiences, and there are episodes where we just talk about anything in order to keep our audience company," said Gael Aitor, who got the idea for the podcast in 2018.
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• — Aitor, and his friends, Mark Hugo, Thomas Pham, Kayla Suarez, and Isaac Hurtado, record once a week. The group is active on social media, where they receive hundreds of messages from teens across the country seeking to talk.
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• — "People often start their message with, 'I don't know who to tell but you guys.' Every time I see those messages it helps me remember how much this podcast actually means to people," said Aitor. "We want our listeners to feel like they are part of our friend group." —The New York Times

The views expressed in "What's Your Take?" are submitted by readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff or the Stand Up Republic Foundation.