The Austin Statesman reports: Austin police have arrested a man who a North Austin grocery store says broke all of the business’ windows after an employee asked him to wear a mask. Police on Thursday told the American-Statesman that they had arrested 31-year-old Wayne Ayres in connection to the vandalism at Fresh Plus Grocer in Hyde Park. The store manager …

Deadline Hollywood reports: The Simpsons got out a response to a Trump adviser’s swipe at Kamala Harris, Joe Biden’s new running mate. Jenna Ellis, senior legal adviser to the Trump campaign, tweeted on Wednesday, “Kamala sounds like Marge Simpson.” Harris had been making her first appearance with Biden since he selected her as running mate. In the new post by …

The Washington Post reports: Former vice president Joe Biden’s presidential campaign announced Friday it would host virtual “watch parties” for the Democratic National Convention next week. Party conventions are typically raucous affairs, carefully planned and choreographed to energize voters and to kick off the final sprint toward Election Day. But the coronavirus pandemic has made it difficult for groups to …

“They need to start breaking the bond that we have with each other. And they can do that by making us wear a mask. By telling us to stay at least six feet away from another human being. Because we don’t want to get too close, because they could be bad for us. “See, this is all about de-socialization. Love …

“Joe Biden and Kamala Harris would bury the economy under an avalanche of red tape: more regulation and more bureaucracy. “In fact, the California senator that he named as his running mate this week said during her short campaign for president that Americans needed to be, and I quote, ‘educated about the effect of our eating habits on our environment’. …

CBS News reports: Former President Barack Obama, in an interview released Friday, slammed President Donald Trump for trying to “actively kneecap the Postal Service” to affect mail-in voting in the 2020 election and urged lawmakers and citizens to take actions to “protect the integrity” of the election. “What we’ve never seen before is a president say, ‘I’m going to try …

NBC News reports: The gloves are off — and the masks are on. A day after Joe Biden called for a national mask mandate as part of his coronavirus plan, the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate released a campaign ad calling out the Trump administration for its pandemic response. “We’re seeing it again: the virus spreading out of control. The president …

From the editorial board of the National Review: Party leaders can’t stop Greene from being elected in a district that routinely backs Republicans over Democrats by a 3-1 margin, but congressional Republicans would be wise to follow the lead of Illinois Republican Adam Kinzinger in repudiating Greene. House Republicans should go further and deny Greene committee assignments when she arrives …

The Hill reports: Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) broke with President Trump on Friday by saying there is no debate over whether Sen. Kamala Harris is a U.S. citizen, remarks that came after the president encouraged a conspiracy theory that the California Democrat may not be eligible to serve as vice president because her parents are immigrants. In a pair of …

ABC News reports: President Donald Trump’s brother was admitted to the hospital in New York City, ABC News learned Friday. Robert Trump, the president’s youngest brother, was described as “very ill,” according to sources. The details of his condition are unknown. Trump is expected to visit his brother, ABC News has learned. He’s already scheduled to visit his nearby country …

The Bangor Daily News reports: Sen. Susan Collins said Thursday that efforts by the U.S. Postal Service to cut costs could backfire amid reported mail delays in Maine and across the country and reiterated support to increase funding to the embattled agency. The Maine senator, who is facing the most competitive re-election campaign of her career this year and has …

The Independent reports: Lawyers for Kanye West have argued that signatures from Mickey Mouse and Bernie Sanders must be proven to be fake or else should be accepted on the nomination papers to qualify the rapper for the presidential ballot in Wisconsin. Following attempts to block West from running for president in November, lawyer Michael Curran submitted a 23-page response …

Just in from the Government Accountability Office: The Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998 (Vacancies Reform Act) provides for temporarily filling vacant executive agency positions that require presidential appointment with Senate confirmation. 5 U.S.C. § 3345. GAO’s role under the Vacancies Reform Act is to collect information agencies are required to report to GAO, and GAO uses this information to …

The Guardian reports: The Trump administration has accelerated its purge of the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), in what critics warn is a further step towards turning Voice of America and other public broadcasters into propaganda outlets. Seven senior officials had their security clearances withdrawn this week, making it impossible for them to continue in their roles. They included …

Politico reports: Sen. Ron Johnson this week said his probe of Obama-era intelligence agencies would help President Donald Trump win reelection, igniting fury from Democrats who say it was an explicit admission he’s using his committee to damage Joe Biden’s candidacy for president. “The more that we expose of the corruption of the transition process between Obama and Trump, the …

The Washington Post reports: The RNC and Trump campaign advisers are now mapping out their post-election strategy, including how to challenge mail ballots without postmarks, as they anticipate weeks-long legal fights in an array of states, according to people familiar with the plans, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe internal discussions. The campaign plans to have lawyers …

The New York Post reports: President Trump said during an exclusive Oval Office interview on Thursday that his campaign is “putting New York in play” against Democrat Joe Biden in the 2020 election. Trump told The Post that he believes a spike in violent crime and high taxes can help him win his home state in an upset against Biden …

Mediaite reports: Nearly six in 10 Black voters reported that they are “more likely” to vote for presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden after he chose Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) as his running mate earlier this week. A new Morning Consult poll found that 43 percent of Black voters said they were “much more likely” to vote for Biden in the …

The Associated Press reports: Dodger Stadium will serve as a vote center for the presidential election in November, making the Dodgers the first Major League Baseball team to make their venue available for voting. Any registered voter in Los Angeles County can visit the stadium over a five-day period. Parking will be free. Further details will be announced later. The …

The Wall Street Journal reports: Attorney General William Barr said Thursday he could reveal before the November election at least some findings of a federal prosecutor’s examination of the Russia investigation’s origins, as President Trump expressed frustration with the probe’s pace. The prosecutor, John Durham, “is moving along purposefully, and we certainly are aware of the calendar,” Mr. Barr said …