Axios

The Fairfax County School Board voted Thursday to rename Springfield's Robert E. Lee High School for the late civil rights titan Rep. John R. Lewis.

The big picture: The decision comes amid nationwide debates around renaming buildings and removing statues honoring Confederate figures. President Trump has been vocal against the name changes and toppling of monuments.

Cook Political Report on Thursday moved its outlook to a net gain of five to seven Senate seats for Democrats, and now says Democrats are slightly favored to win the Senate majority. 

Why it matters: Cook currently forecasts that President Trump's troubles could affect Republicans down the ballot, calling the incumbent president the "decided underdog against former Vice President Joe Biden."

President Trump says he's canceled the Republican National Convention in Jacksonville, Florida, citing health concerns over the coronavirus and a need to protect the public.

What he's saying: Trump made the announcement from the White House briefing room, saying he would still give a speech accepting the nomination "in a different form," and that delegates still would convene in Charlotte, N.C., earlier that week as planned for party business. Trump claims he told his team "the timing for this event is not right, it's just not right," adding, "I have to protect the American people."

It's been a record 472 days since a Senate-confirmed secretary sat atop the Department of Homeland Security, the agency founded after 9/11 to defend the U.S. against terrorism and other threats.

Why it matters: Critics say President Trump's refusal to put Cabinet secretaries through the Senate confirmation process has allowed him to bend agencies like DHS to his will, Zachary Basu and Stef Kight report.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) signed a police accountability bill into law on Thursday, banning chokeholds like what was used on George Floyd in Minneapolis this May.

Why it matters: The legislation, which passed after nearly two months of negotiations and nationwide protests, comes as cities, states and police departments across the U.S. have reformed law enforcement tactics and scaled back excessive use of force on civilians following Floyd's death.

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) earlier this week introduced legislation aimed at stemming the use of forced labor by American corporations — particularly those that operate much of their supply chain through China.

Axios Re:Cap talks with Hawley about the bill, U.S. prison labor, China's persecuted Uighurs and what he sees as Corporate America's hypocrisy. Plus, he shares his thoughts on the new federal stimulus negotiations.

Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz said Thursday his office will launch an investigation into federal agents' "use of force" in Portland and the clearing of peaceful protestors in Lafayette Square in Washington, D.C., including the use of chemical agents.

Why it matters: Demonstrations in Portland against police use of force have continued in the city for more than 50 days. President Trump has threatened to send federal law enforcement into other cities run by Democrats.

The Senate passed the National Defense Authorization Act on Thursday on an 86-14 vote.

Why it matters: An amendment to the act calls for 10 military bases honoring the Confederacy to be renamed, which President Trump greatly opposes, per the Wall Street Journal. Trump previously threatened to veto the measure if it passed with the provision.

Joe Biden is beating President Trump by 13 points in Florida — 51% to 38% — per a Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday.

Why it matters: With its 29 electoral votes, Florida is a key state for the president to hang onto in order to win re-election.

President Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the coronavirus pandemic and arms control on Thursday, the Kremlin announced and the White House later confirmed.

Why it matters: The phone call comes amid recent warnings that hackers associated with Russian intelligence services have tried to steal information from researchers working to develop a coronavirus vaccine. It also follows reports that the Kremlin paid Taliban-linked militants to kill U.S. troops in Afghanistan, which the White House has insisted is uncorroborated intelligence.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) said Thursday the U.S. needs a coordinated national response to better deal with the coronavirus pandemic.

The big picture: It’s difficult for any single state to contain the spread of the virus because of free movement between states, Polis said at an Axios virtual event.

A federal judge on Thursday ordered President Trump's former attorney Michael Cohen to be released from prison and into home confinement, ruling that the Justice Department retaliated against him over his planned tell-all book about the president.

Catch up quick: Cohen was released from federal prison in New York in May to serve his three-year sentence at home due to the coronavirus pandemic. But he was imprisoned again this month after officials said he refused the conditions of his home confinement, including by writing his book. The judge ruled that DOJ's actions curbed Cohen's First Amendment rights.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) responded to Rep. Ted Yoho's (R-Fla.) verbal abuse on Thursday, saying on the House floor: "I am here because I have to show my parents that I am their daughter — and that they did not raise me to accept abuse from men."

Background: Yoho (R-Fla.) apologized on the House floor Wednesday for "the abrupt manner of the conversation" with Ocasio-Cortez, but denied reports that he called her "disgusting" and a "f--king b-tch" during and after a conversation about the correlation between rising crime and current levels of unemployment.

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler (D) was tear gassed by federal agents outside the city's federal courthouse on Wednesday night during another night of mass protests, AP reports.

Why it matters: Wheeler denounced the actions of federal agents, whose presence he opposes, as an "egregious overreaction" and an ineffective strategy for de-escalating the more than 50 days of protests that have ensued since the death of George Floyd. But Wheeler was mocked by some protesters who were infuriated by the city police's own use of tear gas against the early demonstrations.

Senate Republicans' upcoming coronavirus relief proposal will not include a payroll tax cut, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told reporters Thursday.

Between the lines: Trump had recently said he wouldn't sign a new stimulus bill without a payroll tax cut — something many people expected he'd be forced to cave on, given its unpopularity among Senate Republicans.

Big Oil's aggregate lobbying dipped in the second quarter, newly available public filings show.

Why it matters: They provide a guide to specific bills and topics companies lobbied on, and an overall look at money spent.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, one of the Republican Party's top future presidential prospects, has a book out Tuesday, "Still Standing," that describes how seriously he considered challenging President Trump for re-election.

What he's saying: Hogan writes that he told them he had no interest in launching "a suicide mission" if he didn't think he had a prayer to win: "But a short, energetic campaign might be right up my alley. 'I’m pretty good at retail politics,' I said."

Doug Sosnik, who was the White House political director during President Clinton's successful re-election race, is out with one of his famous political decks, six weeks out from the start of early voting for president.

What he's saying: "Trump is starring in a rerun of his 2016 campaign in a different country than the one that elected him president. Trump changed our politics, but the coronavirus changed our country. Both of these accelerated a new era in American politics."

For years, there's been a popular notion — even among some Black people — that the wealth difference between white and Black Americans could be closed if Black folks collectively "got it together."

Reality check: The wealth gap — which could more accurately be described as a wealth chasm because of just how large it is —would not be closed by Black Americans doing any of the things that have been proposed, or all of them.

The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit Wednesday on behalf of volunteer medics alleging that local and federal law enforcement officials have been "targeting and attacking" them during protests in Portland, Oregon.

Details: The suit, filed against the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Marshals Service and City of Portland, argues that attacks on medics violates the First and Fourth Amendments. The ACLU is seeking a court order prohibiting law enforcement from taking such action.

An audit released Wednesday shows that 1 in 4 Department of Veterans Affairs employees say they've experienced unwanted sexual remarks or other forms of harassment, according to the Government Accountability Office.

Why it matters: The GAO audit says efforts to protect VA employees have been insufficient, and the agency has incomplete and outdated policies. Its leadership structure has also created conflicts of interest during reviews of harassment complaints.

Salt Lake City will host the 2020 vice president debate in October with a smaller live audience than originally planned because of the coronavirus pandemic, per the Salt Lake Tribune.

Why it matters: Less than three months before the debate, it's still not known who will join Vice President Mike Pence on stage.