Former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, a Republican, said in a USA Today op-ed published Thursday that he will vote for Joe Biden because "President Trump lacks a moral compass" and "ignores the truth."
What he's saying: Snyder called Trump a "bully" for verbally abusing those who oppose or disagree with him. He added the president has "demonstrated that he does not fully appreciate public policy matters, including public health, the economy and foreign relations, nor does he seem to want to learn."
The Department of Homeland Security's intelligence branch warned law enforcement Thursday that it believes Russian-controlled social media trolls and state media are likely to continue trying to sow distrust in U.S. election results and mail-in ballots, ABC News first reported.
Why it matters: Americans are expected to vote by mail in record numbers in November's election due to the coronavirus pandemic, which means it may be days or weeks after election day before it's clear who won the presidency and down-ballot races.
Seven police officers involved in the suffocation death of Daniel Prude, a Black man, in Rochester, New York, have been suspended, the city's mayor announced on Thursday.
What she's saying: “Mr. Daniel Prude was failed by the police department, our mental health care system, our society and he was failed by me,” Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren said during a press conference.
Former First Lady Michelle Obama will appear with Ann Romney for an hour-long ABC special titled “VOMO: Vote Or Miss Out,” scheduled to air Sept. 14 to encourage Americans to vote in November's elections, according to the Salt Lake Tribune.
Why it matters: The duo's husbands, Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) and former President Barack Obama, ran against each other in the 2012 election.
Joe Biden spoke with Jacob Blake by phone on Thursday for 15 minutes during a private meeting with Blake's family in Wisconsin.
Driving the news: This was Biden's third time out on the campaign trail this week — the former VP has largely stuck to virtual events until now. He spent most of his time in Wisconsin listening to residents about their concerns and hopes for the way forward as the community reels from Blake's shooting.
America is unlikely to know its presidential winner on election night due to the expected surge in mail-in votes. A nightmare scenario is that one candidate will appear to have won based on initial tallies, but the leader flips as more mail-in votes are counted — thus causing some Americans to doubt the legitimacy of the final result.
Axios Re:Cap digs in with New Mexico Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver, a Democrat and current president of the National Association of Secretaries of State. She talks plans, concerns and why states won't keep quiet until all of their votes are counted.
North Carolina's election board on Thursday was compelled to remind residents that voting twice is a felony, after President Trump suggested that voters should vote once by mail and again in person on Election Day.
What they're saying: "Attempting to vote twice in an election or soliciting someone to do so also is a violation of North Carolina law," Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the North Carolina State Board of Elections, said in a statement.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) lambasted Senate Republicans' stripped-down coronavirus relief package as "emaciated," accusing his colleagues in a Thursday letter of only trying to "give the appearance of action."
Why it matters: Talks broke down between Democrats and the White House before Congress left for August recess last month, but Schumer's comments indicate a deal may be hard to come by even when the Senate returns next week.
Facebook said Thursday that it will no longer accept new political ads for the week leading up to Election Day. It will also label posts from candidates who claim victory prematurely and will direct users to the official results.
Why it matters: It's the most aggressive effort Facebook has made to date to curb manipulation in the days leading up to the U.S. election.
Big Tech is holding dry runs to game out Election Day chaos scenarios, key participants tell Axios.
Axios has learned that Facebook, Google, Twitter and Reddit are holding regular meetings with one another, with federal law enforcement — and with intelligence agencies — to discuss potential threats to election integrity.
OSHKOSH, Wis. — Some voters in Wisconsin say they feel Joe Biden cares less about them and their concerns than about the people protesting systemic racism.
Why it matters: As Trump leans into a law-and-order message to try to align Biden with street violence — and wrongly claims Biden is for defunding police — some Democrats worry a fear campaign could work with some battleground state swing voters.
President Trump issued a memorandum on Wednesday titled "Reviewing Funding to State and Local Government Recipients That Are Permitting Anarchy, Violence, and Destruction in American Cities."
Why it matters: The review threatens to withdraw federal funding for any "anarchist jurisdiction" it finds "disempowers or defunds police departments." The memo specifically mentions the Democratic-controlled cities of Portland, Seattle, New York, and Washington, D.C.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) pushed back against President Trump late Wednesday after he singled out New York in a memo threatening to cut funding to "anarchist jurisdictions."
What he's saying: "It's cheap, it's political, it's gratuitous, and it's illegal," Cuomo told reporters, per multiplereports. He added Trump is now "persona non grata" in New York City. "Forget bodyguards, he better have an army if he thinks he’s gonna walk down the street in New York. New Yorkers don’t want to have anything to do with him," Cuomo said of his fellow Queens native. "The best thing he did for New York City was leave."
The Trump administration did not immediately return Axios' request for comment.
Dozens of demonstrators in Rochester, New York, protested into the night Wednesday over an incident that saw police put a hood over the head of a Black man who died seven days later, per the New York Times.
Details: New York Attorney General Letitia James announced Wednesday her office was investigating the March 30 deathof Daniel Prude. His brother said Wednesday he called police to say he was having a mental health issue. The family has called for the officers involved to be fired.
President Trump announced Wednesday night he plans to nominate as secretary-general of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development Chris Liddell, assistant to the president and deputy chief of staff for policy coordination at the White House.
What they're saying: The White House said in an emailed statement that the New Zealand-born Liddell "will draw upon decades of executive-level experience in the public and private sector to lead the OECD as it navigates post-COVID challenges."
The federal budget deficit will reach $3.3 trillion in the fiscal year ending this month — more than triple the 2019 shortfall, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projected on Wednesday.
Why it matters: That would be 16% of GDP, the largest amount since the end of World War II in 1945. The national debt is projected to exceed 100% of GDP in 2021 and rise to 107% in 2023 — "the highest in the nation's history," the CBO notes.
Attorney General Bill Barr denied Wednesday that there are "two justice systems" for Black and white people in the U.S., claiming in a wide-ranging interview on CNN that the idea that there is an "epidemic" of police shooting unarmed Black men is "simply a false narrative."
The big picture: Barr acknowledged that there is a "widespread phenomenon" of Black men being treated with "extra suspicion" and "maybe not being given the benefit of the doubt" by police officers, but he denied that this is the product of "systemic racism." A number of other Trump Cabinet officials and the president himself have denied that there is systemic racism in policing.
President Trump suggested during a visit to North Carolina that people should vote once by mail and again in person during the election.
What he's saying: "Let them send it in and let them go vote, and if their system's as good as they say it is, then obviously they won’t be able to vote," he said. "If it isn't tabulated, they'll be able to vote. And that’s what they should do."
The House Oversight Committee subpoenaed Postmaster General Louis DeJoy on Wednesday for records related to recent operational changes at the U.S. Postal Service and information about mail delivery delays, AP reports.
Why it matters: Democratic lawmakers have sounded the alarm in recent weeks over cost-cutting measures and modifications to mail-processing practices that they fear could delay election mail, disenfranchise voters and delay election results.
The Trump campaign and Republican National Committee sued the state of Montana on Wednesday in an attempt to limit mail-in voting in the state, just 61 days before the election.
Why it matters: The suit, which alleges that Gov. Steve Bullock's recent mail-in voting expansion would weaken the state's election system, isn't the first GOP effort to curb mail-in ballots. President Trump baselessly criticizes voting by mail, saying it's prone to widespread fraud.
