Axios

Joe Biden announced plans on Thursday to start traveling to swing states, promising not to violate "state rules about how many people can in fact assemble."

Why it matters: Biden's announcement comes after Axios first reported that the campaign was considering how to travel in a way that honored local regulations while reaching voters in important states.

Wisconsin prosecutors have charged 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse on six counts — including first degree reckless homicide and first degree intentional homicide — related to the shooting deaths of two people and wounding of one during protests in Kenosha on Tuesday.

Why it matters: Rittenhouse could face a mandatory life sentence if convicted on first-degree intentional homicide, according to AP.

In his 2016 acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention, President Trump promised to "restore law and order to our country" and said that a government that fails to "defend the lives of its own citizens" is a government "unworthy to lead."

Why it matters: Trump is likely to repeat many of the same themes in Thursday night's acceptance speech, which comes amid the backdrop of nationwide unrest and violent protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin, over the police shooting of Jacob Blake.

The Trump administration plans to purchase 150 million rapid coronavirus tests from Abbott Laboratories, the White House announced Thursday.

Why it matters: Abbott said Wednesday it plans to make 50 million of the $5 coronavirus tests by the start of October. COVID-19 testing, which is essential to tracking the spread of the virus, declined across the U.S. this month.

Joe Biden issued a statement Thursday rebuking Vice President Mike Pence for claiming in his RNC speech that "you won’t be safe in Joe Biden’s America," referencing Black Lives Matter protests and unrest in Kenosha, Wisconsin, over the police shooting of Jacob Blake.

The big picture: Trump and Pence are running on a "law and order" message amid nationwide unrest, and Republicans have relentlessly attacked Biden for what they claim has been a failure to denounce violent protests. Biden said unequivocally in his Thursday statement: "There is no place for violence, looting or burning. None. Zero."

On Night 4 of the Republican National Convention, President Trump will deliver a wildly different speech than the one Joe Biden gave last week.

What to watch: Trump will offer a blistering rebuke of Biden’s record and his decades as "a failed" elected official in a closing address that will declare November as a battle between “us vs. them,” campaign officials tell Axios.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said after a 25-minute phone call with White House chief of staff Mark Meadows on Thursday that the two sides remain at a "tragic impasse" over a coronavirus relief package.

The state of play: Democrats are willing to agree to a $2.2 trillion stimulus deal — $1.2 trillion less than the HEROES Act that the House passed in May, Pelosi said. She called on the Trump administration to meet them in the middle, and she said talks would not resume unless they do so.

Sports arenas in cities like Atlanta, Charlotte and Detroit will be converted into polling places this November to reduce wait times while enabling social distancing. It's an effort being led by More Than A Vote, a nonpartisan voting rights group formed by NBA and WNBA players like LeBron James, in the wake of George Floyd's murder.

Axios Re:Cap digs in with Renee Montgomery, a point guard for the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream and co-founder of More Than A Vote. We discuss the election, last night's player strike, and why she opted out of this season to focus on social justice issues.

President Trump said during a press conference on Thursday that the NBA has "become more like a political organization," after teams boycotted their respective games to protest the police shooting of Jacob Blake.

The big picture: The president praised Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers for accepting help from the National Guard this week after the shooting sparked demonstrations and unrest in Kenosha. Trump refused to say whether he saw the video of the police officers shooting Blake seven times at close range in his back.

Sen. Kamala Harris excoriated President Trump in a speech pre-butting the final night of the GOP convention, accusing him and his Republican allies of ignoring "the reality" of an America facing crises of racial injustice, public health and economic despair.

Why it matters: Harris said throughout her presidential run — and again during her Democratic National Convention speech — that her goal is to "prosecute" the case against the Trump presidency. She made that case on Thursday by relentlessly attacking Trump and the Republicans for spending little time during their convention on the coronavirus pandemic.

Joe Biden told MSNBC on Thursday that President Trump is "rooting for more violence, not less" in cities facing unrest due to protests against police brutality.

The backdrop: The Democratic nominee's comments came after four consecutive nights of turmoil in Kenosha, Wisconsin, following the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old Black man who was left paralyzed.

NBA players will resume the playoffs, perhaps as soon as Friday, after boycotting Wednesday night's games in a stand for racial justice spurred by the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, ESPN reports.

Why it matters: The Milwaukee Bucks' historic decision to sit out their game set off a chain of events across professional sports, with games postponed across the WNBA, MLB and MLS.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) on Thursday ordered all bars, nightclubs and breweries to close in six counties across the state after a spike in positive coronavirus cases, specifically among young adults, the Des Moines Register reports.

The state of play: The order will remain in effect until at least Sept. 5, and counties containing major universities were specifically targeted. Restaurants in the affected counties will also be ordered to stop serving alcohol after 10 p.m.

Congress is more worried about Big Tech now than it was a year ago, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) told Axios on Thursday during a virtual event.

What he's saying: "Their power is only getting larger, and in the world of COVID, it's getting larger because they have more influence. But I don't think they're forthcoming on a lot, I have real concerns on what Google has been doing."

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday she doesn't believe there should be any debates between President Trump and Joe Biden because she believes Trump "will probably act in a way that is beneath the dignity of the presidency."

Why it matters: Her statement isn't likely to make the Biden campaign happy, as the Trump campaign has attempted to paint Biden as senile and hoping to avoid a direct confrontation. Biden, however, has repeatedly said that he "can hardly wait" to debate the president.

The era of tackling one crisis — or even two — at a time is over.

Why it matters: The new normal is a series of crises hitting simultaneously, and localities are bearing the brunt.

RNC week: Axios co-founder Mike Allen hosted a conversation on the future of broadband access, featuring House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, FIL founder Frank Luntz and Microsoft President Brad Smith.

Frank Luntz discussed the need for investment in accessible broadband as a key part of upskilling and job training, especially during the economically turbulent pandemic.

• On the necessity of broadband access: "This is not a political issue. This is not a partisan issue. Elected officials on the federal and state and local level have a responsibility to provide these programs so that people are able to make a difference in their lives."

Brad Smith highlighted how rural areas are severely impacted by lack of broadband access and the need to close this divide.

• "Broadband is the electricity of our age. If you want to use a telehealth service. you need broadband. If you want to take a community college course online, you need broadband...But in so many of our rural communities in the United States today, that is missing."

Unpacking the relationship between Silicon Valley and DC, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy discussed worries in Congress about Big Tech and the outsize impact that large tech companies have on the flow of information.

• "Their power is only getting larger, and in the world of COVID, it's getting larger because they have more influence. But I don't think they're forthcoming on a lot, I have real concerns on what Google has been doing."

Thank you Microsoft for sponsoring this event.

Marc Short, the chief of staff to Vice President Pence, told CNN on Thursday that he believes the NBA boycott is "absurd and silly," adding "if they want to protest, I don't think we care."

The backdrop: The NBA postponed its scheduled playoff games on Wednesday after players, led by the Milwaukee Bucks, refused to take the floor to protest the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin. That incident has again sparked protests nationwide for racial justice.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) told Snapchat's "Good Luck America" that “QAnon is bats--t crazy," adding that he believes the conspiracy theory is "very much a threat."

The big picture: QAnon has grown increasingly popular in mainstream Republican politics, with multiple supporters winning congressional primaries — most notably Marjorie Taylor Greene, who is likely to enter the House after winning the GOP nomination in a deep-red Georgia district.

Jared Kushner told CNBC on Thursday that NBA players are "very fortunate that they have the financial position where they're able to take a night off from work without having to have the consequences."

The backdrop: The league postponed its slate of playoff games after players refused to take the floor in protest of the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin. That incident has again sparked protests nationwide for racial justice.

Former Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez and former Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman, who both served in the George W. Bush administration, endorsed Joe Biden on Thursday.

Why it matters: They join the more than 225 Bush administration officials who have endorsed the Democratic nominee as part of the organization 43 Alumni for Joe Biden. Other big names include Bush's director of national intelligence John Negroponte and EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman.

Go deeper: The top Republicans who aren't voting for Trump in 2020

House Oversight Chair Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) on Thursday released a memo arguing that House Democrats' subpoena for President Trump's financial records already meets the requirements set out by the Supreme Court for Congress to obtain those documents.

The backdrop: The Supreme Court kicked House Democrats' subpoena back to a lower court last month, ruling that neither side had put forward a compelling analysis of how to balance congressional subpoenas with the separation of powers.

The most historic day in sports activism history began in an empty gym.

What happened: The Milwaukee Bucks chose not to take the floor for Game 5 against the Magic, which led to all three NBA games being postponed — and most of the sports world following suit.

President Trump and Joe Biden are waging 2020 like it’s 1968, but they come at it with radically different views about this country's evolution over the past half century.

Driving the news: Jacob Blake's shooting in Kenosha, Wisconsin, has become the latest flashpoint on race, policing and violence. A string of incidents have spurred street demonstrations from DC to Portland and framed an election-year debate about racial justice versus law and order.

Vice President Mike Pence on Wednesday accepted his re-nomination at the Republican National Convention, where he briefly mentioned the protests that have erupted in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd and the shooting of Jacob Blake: "Let me be clear: the violence must stop — whether in Minneapolis, Portland, or Kenosha."

Why it matters: President Trump and Pence are running on a "law and order" message that speakers have relentlessly underscored on each day of the RNC, warning of an America overrun by left-wing "mobs" under a Biden administration. Pence did not address the incidents of police brutality that have set off many of the protests, and rejected the idea of systemic racism in law enforcement.

Former President Obama hailed the Milwaukee Bucks Wednesday for "standing up for what they believe in" and boycotting their NBA playoff game over the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Why it matters: Obama's statement came as games were postponed in the NBA, WNBA, MLB and MLS as other teams followed the Bucks' lead and protested the shooting of Blake, 29, who has been left paralyzed from the waist down.

Go deeper: Milwaukee Bucks issue statement on Jacob Blake boycott

Former acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell praised President Trump in his Republican National Convention speech for being a Washington "outsider" and scoffed at the "DC crowd" for thinking that being called a "nationalist" is an insult.

The big picture: Grenell drew criticism from Democrats during his short stint as America's top intelligence official for his lack of experience and his alleged efforts to undermine the Russia investigation by selectively declassifying documents. He attacked the "Russia collusion" narrative in his RNC speech as "bogus," saying that the alleged abuses he saw "made me sick to my stomach."

Addressing the Republican National Convention on Wednesday night, GOP candidate Madison Cawthorn detailed his personal journey of recovering from a car accident that left him in a wheelchair at age 20 and going on to run for Congress at age 25.

Why it matters: Cawthorn, a motivational speaker who defeated the Trump-endorsed candidate in the June primary for North Carolina's 11th congressional district, is likely to become the youngest Republican ever elected to Congress in November. He will fill the seat once held by White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.

White House counselor Kellyanne Conway said President Trump has "elevated women to senior positions in business and in government" during her speech at the Republican National Convention Wednesday night.

Why it matters: Polls suggest Trump is losing support among white women who backed him in the 2016 election, according to the Washington Post. Conway, who has been one of Trump's most loyal supporters since his 2016 campaign, announced recently that she will depart the White House at the end of this month to spend more time with her family.

Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) drew on his experience as a Navy SEAL in a Republican National Convention speech centered on American "heroes." Notably, he did not mention Trump once during the address.

Why it matters: Crenshaw, a rising GOP star and one of the youngest Republicans in the House at 36, may be trying to walk an impossible tightrope — speaking at Trump’s convention but refusing to utter his name. The omission suggests the Texas congressman, who faces a tough re-election race against Democrat Sima Ladjevardian, is worried about being tied too closely to his president, Axios' Jonathan Swan notes.

The Department of Justice announced Wednesday that federal prosecutors and the FBI have opened a civil rights investigation into the shooting of Jacob Blake by a Kenosha police officer.

The big picture: Blake was left paralyzed from the waist down following the Aug. 23 shooting. The incident triggered a wave of protests in Kenosha, in the latest demonstration against police brutality and racism.

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany shared at the Republican National Convention Wednesday night that she had a preventative mastectomy in 2018, and received support from President Trump even though she did personally not know him at the time.

Why it matters: McEnany said that through her experience, she knows that Trump supports health care coverage for Americans with pre-existing conditions, an issue the president has recently emphasized as important to the GOP. Her comments did not address the fact that Trump administration is currently arguing before the Supreme Court that the Affordable Care Act — which protects pre-existing conditions — should be struck down.

Retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, who currently serves as Vice President Pence's national security adviser, testified to President Trump's "America First" foreign policy accomplishments at the Republican National Convention Wednesday night.

The big picture: Speaking from his own experiences as a veteran, Kellogg noted that Trump's military strategy has led to achievements like the destruction of the ISIS caliphate and killing of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani. But "make no mistake, President Trump is no hawk," Kellogg added. "He wisely wields the sword when required, but believes in seeking peace instead of perpetual conflict."

The Wisconsin Department of Justice released its initial account describing the events before and after officers shot Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old Black man, last Sunday evening,

The state of play: The department says officers were sent to a residence after a woman claimed her boyfriend was on the property and was not supposed to be. Officers allegedly tried to arrest Blake, initially using a taser they say did not work.