What A Day

Joe Biden is no longer traveling to Milwaukee for the DNC, and neither are other primetime speakers like President Barack Obama. A sized-down RNC will be held in Charlotte, with Trump planning to deliver his speech from The White House. Six of the seven largest school districts in the country will begin the school year entirely online, with New York City as the only holdout. One Yale student is suing his school for charging full tuition for an online education he considers inferior. And in headlines: today is the 75th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima, more updates on the disaster in Beirut, and Facebook blows minds by inventing TikTok.Plus, Crooked's own Jon Lovett fills in for Akilah.

The Minneapolis City Council voted to disband the Minneapolis Police Department over a month ago, but achieving that goal requires getting a ballot initiative in front of residents. We discuss that effort and more with Oluchi Omeoga, a co-creator of Black Visions Collective.And in headlines: a deadly explosion in Beirut, the census is ending early, and a whole lot of new Miami Marlins.Black Visions Collective: blackvisionsmn.orgReclaim The Block: reclaimtheblock.org

The school year is officially beginning in some states and there have already been disruptions due to students and staff testing positive for Covid-19. A huge number of students will learn remotely for now, with only 6 of the nation’s 25 largest school districts saying they will do in-person teaching.Arizona, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, and Washington all have primaries today. We highlight some noteworthy races and ballot initiatives to watch out for. And in headlines: several parts of the world face extreme weather, thousands of Germans protest Covid-19 restrictions, and some thought-provoking updates from the first cruises to set sail since the pandemic began.

Disruptions and delays to the postal service have prompted concern since so many people are planning to vote by mail this year. We break down what’s behind the delay, and how to ensure your vote is counted. Congress still can’t agree on how to structure unemployment benefits in the next relief bill. Midwestern states like Missouri, Illinois, and Wisconsin are emerging as coronavirus hotspots. And in headlines: NASA astronauts safely return to Earth aboard SpaceX’s shuttle, three hackers charged in July Twitter breach, and over 750 criminal cases are under review after LAPD officers are charged with falsifying documents.

The Biden campaign says they will announce his VP pick any day now. According to reports, over a dozen women are being vetted — some more seriously than others. We talk to Crooked Media’s Alyssa Mastromonaco, who helped President Obama select Joe Biden, about what goes into the process in the final days and the importance of this decision. To hear more from Alyssa, check out That’s The Ticket, her Pod Save America bonus series with Dan Pfeiffer on the VP selection process, as well as her weekly pod with Erin Ryan, Hysteria: Crooked.com/Hysteria

Rent is due next week, but we still don’t have a new relief bill to extend federal unemployment assistance and eviction protections. Negotiations have stalled, with Senate Republicans, the White House, and Democrats far apart in negotiations. Federal agents will withdraw from Portland after a deal was reached between Oregon’s governor and the Department of Homeland Security. When this will happen is unclear, but it’s clear that state troopers will replace them. And in headlines: retail workers are left to enforce mask rules, Snapchat’s terrible diversity numbers, and Madonna’s bad IG post.

The CEO’s of Facebook, Amazon, Apple, and Alphabet will testify before Congress today in hearings that will examine whether their companies hurt consumers and stifle competition.The Trump administration isn't getting rid of DACA (yet) but it is trying to restrict it. And the country’s second largest teachers union says they’ll support their members if they want to strike rather than go back to schools that are unsafe. And in headlines: China suspends their extradition treaty with three countries, Trump’s supporters don’t want to vote by mail and that could be bad if he wants their votes, and a man in Florida goes on PPP spending spree.

Pharmaceutical company Moderna entered phase three trials of its Covid-19 vaccine, and plans to test the efficacy of their drug on 30,000 healthy participants. The director of the NIH said they plan to reach out to communities that have been hardest hit by the virus to form that sample group. Major League Baseball has already announced that it’s postponing two games after players and coaches tested positive for Covid-19. Vietnam moved to evacuate 80,000 tourists from one city after a man there tested positive for the virus. And in headlines: Kyrie Irving commits to cover salaries of WNBA athletes, Chainsmokers wreak havoc in the Hamptons, and Melania Trump’s goth rose garden.

Florida has now passed New York in total known coronavirus cases, making it the second worst-hit state behind California which is nearly twice its size. In Europe, the UK is imposing a two week quarantine on anyone who’s been in Spain after an uptick in virus spread there. Republicans are set to propose their bill for the next round of coronavirus relief today. As federal unemployment benefits expire, we examine how we got to $600 per week in federal aid, and why Republicans want to reduce that going forward.And in headlines: the 30th anniversary of the ADA, a reduced-capacity Hajj, and more info on a government UFO program.

The federal eviction moratorium from the CARES Act expires today, leaving up to 12 million people vulnerable to eviction if they can’t pay rent. Trump cancelled the Jacksonville portion of the RNC, after he moved the event there from North Carolina. The Justice Department’s Inspector General and the Department of Homeland Security will investigate federal law enforcement actions in Portland. This comes days after Portland’s mayor was tear gassed by federal agents along with protestors in the city. And in headlines: Trump repeals and replaces the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule, Michael Cohen will be released from prison again, and virtual Matrix baseball fans.