1. 'This sacred duty is my number one priority'

So said Postmaster General Louis DeJoy today, during a hearing on Capitol Hill, regarding his commitment to ensuring the delivery of ballots for the November election. Let's hope so. Some of his other testimony to the House Oversight Committee might give one pause. Though he had previously agreed to halt all planned changes at the U.S. Postal Service until after the election, he revealed in a contentious back-and-forth with Rep. Stephen Lynch that he will not replace sorting machines that have already been removed from use. —CNN

• — It was Mnuchin all along. Who helped put DeJoy in place to begin with? On April 12, Trump issued an executive order putting Treasury Sec. Steve Mnuchin in charge of a postal reform task force. President Trump has long taken issue with the USPS, and Mnuchin was tasked with enforcing the president's postal agenda—one that has now collided with the pandemic and the approaching election. —The New York Times
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• — The House takes a stand. In a rare Saturday session, the House passed legislation to infuse $25 billion into the USPS. The bill effectively reverses the cost-cutting measures introduced by DeJoy that he said were necessary to help shore up the agency's finances. Many feared the operational changes would hobble mail service ahead of the November election. —NPR
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• — More disinfo from the Prez. It wouldn't be a Sunday without it, right? Twitter flagged another tweet by Trump for making misleading claims on voting and election integrity. During a morning tweetstorm sparked by a Fox News segment, Trump baselessly insisted that ballot drop boxes are a "voter security disaster" and a "big fraud," adding that it makes "it possible for a person to vote multiple times" and that they aren't "COVID-sanitized." —The Daily Beast

2. Rubin: Give us some truth

"No administration is 100% candid or factual, but the acceptance of lying as a matter of course, the encouragement to say easily disprovable things, must end. We deserve a president and administration that at least tries to stick to the truth." —The Washington Post

MORE: Trump falsely says DNC removed 'under God' from Pledge of Allegiance in appeal to Evangelical Christians —Newsweek

3. Eric could be in hot water

New York Attorney General Letitia James is conducting a broad inquiry into the Trump Organization's financial dealings that includes an investigation into whether President Trump and his son Eric illegally inflated the value of a 230-acre family retreat in Westchester. James is asking for a court to compel Eric Trump to be deposed as part of the investigation.

• — Papers filed in Manhattan Supreme Court today reveal the probe centers on allegations Trump committed fraud by attempting to minimize real estate taxes.
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• — The Trump Organization received a $21.1 million tax deduction on the property with a 50,000-square-foot mansion in 2015. Eric Trump is president of the corporate entity that owns the property and was "intimately involved" in efforts to develop the site.
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• — In a press release, James said of the Trump Organization, "They have stalled, withheld documents, and instructed witnesses, including Eric Trump, to refuse to answer questions under oath. ... These questions will be answered and the truth will be uncovered, because no one is above the law." —New York Daily News

4. Warner has a warning about Russia

You've likely heard it before—Russia is interfering in our election this year just as it did in 2016. But you might not know how. Sen. Mark Warner thinks you should, which is why he is asking U.S. intelligence officials to release more details. "I think it's incumbent upon the intelligence community to lay out more of the facts of what we know about that disinformation campaign," he said yesterday. "My fear is that there may be Americans that are unwittingly promoting that Russian disinformation campaign, and I think they need to be briefed so they don't become, frankly...agents, in effect, of this disinformation campaign." —Newsweek

• — Warner saved the probe. The Senate Intelligence Committee's report on Russian interference, the last volume of which was released last week, almost didn't happen at all. In January 2017, Committee Chair Richard Burr said the panel would not look into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia because "that's not our role." Ranking member Warner rallied the panel's Democrats to force Burr's hand, and the investigation ended up going even deeper than Special Counsel Robert Mueller's. —CNN
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• — Sketchy partners. The Senate report paints a damning portrait of the people Trump chose as his business partners for potential projects in Russia. Including individuals involved in human trafficking, money laundering, and the mafia, the group comprises an extraordinary list of associates for any international businessman, let alone a sitting President of the United States. —Forbes
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• — Navalny remains in coma. Tests conducted on Russian dissident Alexei Navalny at the German hospital to which he was transported from Siberia confirm that he was poisoned. Though he is still comatose, doctors said this morning that he is being treated with an antidote and is not in immediate danger. Good news. —Associated Press

5. Smolens: 'Collusion' distracts from wrongdoing

"The facts of the Russian interference can be examined, as they have here, without the ubiquitous term 'collusion.' That word is often used in a legal context, but collusion itself is not a crime. In a broader sense, it has become a semantical and political threshold of whether what happened is acceptable or not. It shouldn't be." —The San Diego Union-Tribune

MORE: How a Ukrainian oligarch's companies got paycheck protection program loans —Project on Government Oversight

6. 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...

• — Conways out. Citing a need to focus on their children, senior White House adviser Kellyanne Conway announced yesterday that she is leaving her position in the administration. Her husband, George, a fierce critic of President Trump, is also stepping away from the Lincoln Project, an anti-Trump conservative group. —USA Today
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• — "All he wants to do is appeal to his base." Trump's older sister, former federal judge Maryanne Trump Barry, doesn't think too much of her brother's performance as president. In a conversation secretly recorded by her niece, Mary L. Trump, she said of his immigration policies, "He has no principles. None. None. And his base, I mean, my God, if you were a religious person, you want to help people. Not do this." She also bemoaned "the change of stories. The lack of preparation. The lying." —The Washington Post
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• — Wildfires burn 1 million acres. And counting. There’s no end in sight as more than 13,000 firefighters struggle to contain deadly wildfires in California. According to Cal Fire spokesman Steve Kaufmann, approximately 12,000 lightning strikes started 585 fires in the state over the past week. —CNN
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• — Double threat. With two storms gaining strength in the Gulf of Mexico, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has declared a state of disaster for 23 counties and requested assistance from the federal government. Hurricane Marco is expected to make landfall in Louisiana today before moving into East Texas. Tropical Storm Laura is expected to advance into the central Gulf Coast late tomorrow. —The Texas Tribune
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• — Don't forget Iowa. Iowans still struggling to recover from a devastating derecho on Aug. 10 are criticizing state and local officials, who residents say were too slow to request aid, including applying for a federal disaster declaration. Gov. Kim Reynolds submitted a request for federal assistance nearly a week after the storm, citing nearly $4 billion in damages. —The Wall Street Journal

7. Wehner: Hope for conservatives?

"The detoxification of the Republican Party and the conservative cause therefore begins with the de-Trumpification of the Republican Party and the conservative cause. It is in the best interest of the country and conservatism to rid itself of the Trump presidency. Only then can the healing and rebuilding begin." —The New York Times

Ed. Note: Peter Wehner is a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center and a visiting professor at Duke University.

MORE: Douthat: Win or lose, Trump will hold power over the GOP —The New York Times

8. Another police shooting and more protests

Police officers deployed tear gas in Kenosha, Wisc., early this morning in an effort to disperse hundreds of protesters after a video posted on social media showed officers shooting a Black man seven times as he leaned into a vehicle. Gov. Tony Evers released a statement last night condemning the shooting of Jacob Blake, who remains in serious condition. Protesters could be heard chanting, "No justice, no peace," while others appeared to throw objects at officers and damage police vehicles. —The Wall Street Journal

• — Violence returns to Portland. On Saturday afternoon, a large crowd of far-right activists, including the Proud Boys and militia members, descended on Portland, Ore., staging a "Back the Blue" rally. Hundreds of Antifa and Black Lives Matter protesters gathered in opposition. Both crowds sported shields and helmets, and fought with guns, bats, rods, rocks, bottles, fireworks, and pepper spray for about two hours before police restored order. Ugh. —The Washington Post
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• — Others are organizing too. Despite being denounced by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy on Friday, QAnon followers co-opted the century-old charity "Save the Children" to organize rallies across the country this weekend. Their goal is to save children from what they believe is a Satan-worshipping cabal of pedophiles, aided by a "deep state" of federal bureaucrats, Democrats, and celebrities. Hoo boy. —Forbes

9. Pratte: The GOP left me

"In 2008, when I voted in my first presidential election, it was for Sen. John McCain and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. If you had told me that eight years later I would leave the Republican Party and that 12 years later I would be voting for Biden and Harris, I would have thought you were crazy. But in every life, there comes a time for important decisions and principled stands. Disowning the GOP and being one of the first to condemn Trump and his rhetoric is one of the proudest moments of my life." —USA Today

Ed. Note: Ashley Pratte is a communications strategist and a board member of Republican Women for Progress. Previously she was director of media relations and a consultant for Better for America.

MORE: Jeff Flake, dozens of former GOP congressmen joining 'Republicans for Biden' —The Hill

10. An American Story: Real-life Noah's Ark

From chickens to donkeys to rabbits, cats, dogs, and even llamas, organizations and individuals are offering free shelter to animals displaced by fires raging in the Bay Area.

• — Cow Palace Arena and Event Center in Daly City, Calif., is housing animals, and shelters and humane societies are also temporarily housing pets, as are private individuals.
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• — So far, 50 goats, at least one donkey, one horse, and a number of llamas displaced by the CZU Lightning Complex are staying at the Cow Palace as of Saturday morning, said Buffy Martin Tarbox of the Peninsula Humane Society.
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• — "The Cow Palace is set up perfectly to handle this disaster," said San Mateo County Supervisor David Canepa. "It's like Noah's Ark for these lost animals who will one day hopefully be reunited with their owners." —NBC (via Karunavirus)

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