WHAT'S BREWING
SALLY YATES: TRUMP WOULD RATHER 'FAWN OVER A DICTATOR' THAN DEFEND AMERICA Former acting Attorney General Sally Yates excoriated Trump for what she called a relentless attack on democracy in a blistering speech at the DNC, urging voters to unite behind Biden. “From the moment President Trump took office, he’s used his position to defend himself rather than our country,” Yates said. “Rather than standing up to Vladimir Putin, he fawns over a dictator who is still trying to interfere in our elections.” [HuffPost]
POSTMASTER GENERAL 'SUSPENDING' CHANGES BEFORE ELECTION The U.S. postmaster general said he is suspending operational changes, including removing mail processing equipment and collection boxes, until after the presidential election. Meanwhile, many election officials are looking to bypass the Postal Service with ballot drop boxes, and House Democrats are headed back to the Capitol later this week to vote on a bill protecting the USPS. But Democrats may not have many tools to stop Trump. [HuffPost]
FACT FROM FICTION: HOW TRUMP IS HOBBLING THE POSTAL SERVICE Trump admitted last week that he plans to block desperately needed funding for the U.S. Postal Service because it will make it more difficult for Americans to vote by mail in the Nov. 4 election. It was a brazen admission of voter suppression. For months, Trump has attacked the legitimacy of mail-in voting, inaccurately describing the process as highly vulnerable to fraud. In fact, voting fraud is extremely rare — both with in-person and mail-in voting. Yet, confusion and hysteria abound. [HuffPost]
DEMS DROP DEMAND TO END FOSSIL FUEL SUBSIDIES FROM PARTY PLATFORM The Democratic National Committee this week quietly dropped language calling for an end to fossil fuel subsidies and tax breaks from its party platform. On July 27, officials added an amendment to a ledger of party demands, stating: “Democrats support eliminating tax breaks and subsidies for fossil fuels, and will fight to defend and extend tax incentives for energy efficiency and clean energy.” Meanwhile, Rep. Richard Neal is raking in fossil fuel money ahead of his primary with Green New Dealer, including from the company behind a disastrous 2018 gas explosion. [HuffPost]
COPS WHO CHARGED CIVIL RIGHTS LEADERS TRY TO SIDELINE PROGRESSIVE PROSECUTOR The Portsmouth Police Department in Virginia this week put felony warrants out against Virginia Senate Pro Tempore Louise Lucas (D), a local school board member, leaders of the local NAACP and public defenders. The felony charges and warrants quickly drew scrutiny from Democrats and civil rights leaders in Virginia, who saw both as suspicious. Now, the department is trying to prevent a progressive prosecutor from handling the cases by claiming she is a potential eyewitness ― even though she says she wasn’t at the scene of the protests. [HuffPost]
MALI'S PRESIDENT RESIGNS AMID ARMED MUTINY Mali’s president announced his resignation late Tuesday, just hours after armed soldiers seized him from his home in a dramatic power grab following months of protests demanding his ouster. The news of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita’s departure was met with jubilation by anti-government demonstrators and alarm by former colonial ruler France, and other allies and foreign nations. The U.N. Security Council scheduled a closed meeting Wednesday afternoon to discuss the unfolding situation in Mali, where the U.N. has a 15,600-strong peacekeeping mission. [AP] | 
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