National

President Trump told reporters Saturday his presidential campaign will "not be pursuing" a baseless claim that Sen. Kamala Harris, Joe Biden's running mate, may be ineligible to serve as vice president because both her parents were not naturalized citizens at her birth.

Why it matters: Harris was born in Oakland, California. She is an American citizen and is eligible for the office. Critics, including some Republicans, denounced an op-ed published by Newsweek this week as a new attempt at "birtherism" — the conspiracy theory that President Obama was not actually born in the U.S. — targeting the first woman of color on a presidential ticket.

“It’s not something that we will be pursuing” Trump said of Harris’ eligibility to serve as VP.

But, but, but: When pressed on Saturday, the president refused to say affirmatively that Harris is in fact eligible.

Driving the news: Newsweek on Friday apologized for article, saying it "was never intended to spark or to take part in the racist lie of Birtherism, the conspiracy theory aimed at delegitimizing Barack Obama, but we should have recognized the potential, even probability, that that could happen."

What he's saying: "I have nothing to do with that," Trump said of the op-ed. "I read something about it, and I will say he's a brilliant lawyer," referring to the author of the editorial. "...so, I know nothing about it, but it's not something that bothers me."

"It's not something we will be pursuing. Let me put it differently, to me, it doesn't bother me at all. I don't know about it. I read one quick article. The lawyer happens to be a brilliant lawyer."

"If she's got a problem, you'd have thought that she would have been vetted by Sleepy  Joe," Trump added.

Trump says he won't pursue Kamala Harris birth smear

Harris is an American citizen and was born in Oakland, California.

Trump speaking on Aug. 15. Photo: Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images

Politics

2020 presidential election

2020 election

Joe Biden

President Biden has made the COVID-19 crisis and a post-Trump return to national unity and traditional democratic ideals his top priorities. From vaccinations to stimulus to schools, Biden is seeking bipartisan compromise while showing a willingness to use executive authority and bare Democratic majorities in the U.S. House and Senate to implement his policies. Republican leaders are navigating deep party divisions over if and how to move beyond former President Trump.

Politics & Policy

President Trump continued his ongoing attacks on mail-in voting during a press conference Saturday, claiming without strong evidence that voting by mail will make the U.S. a “laughingstock."

What he's saying: When asked if Postmaster General Louis DeJoy's has Trump's backing, the president responded: "Yeah, he wants to make the post office great again."

"Universal mail-in voting is going to be catastrophic. It's going to make the U.S. a laughingstock all over the world," Trump said.

He noted that,"Absentee voting is great," just days after Palm Beach County election officials sent his and First Lady Melania Trump's mail-in ballots for Florida’s Aug. 18 primary election.

"...but now they want to send in millions and millions of ballots and you see what's happened. They're being lost, they're being discarded ... it's going to be a catastrophe."

"There’s no way they’re going to get it accurately," Trump said of universal mail-in voting.

"The problem with the mail-in voting, number one, you're never going to know when the election's over."

Trump also predicted it could take “months” or “years” to  know the results of the November elections.

Context: DeJoy has implemented a number of changes to the Postal Service, shaking up its leadership and eliminating overtime and certain delivery policies.

Congressional Democrats and some state and local officials have criticized DeJoy's changes, saying they fear cost-cutting measures and modifications could delay election mail, which could disenfranchise voters and delay election results.

Congress is seeking $25 billion in aid for USPS ahead of an anticipated spike in mail-in voting this November due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Trump has repeatedly vowed to block funding to help the agency as it prepares to processes mail-in ballots unless Democrats agree to some Republican compromises in the coronavirus stimulus bill.

DeJoy, who took over USPS in June, is a Trump donor and defender.

Trump says postmaster general wants to make USPS "great again”

"Universal mail-in voting is going to be catastrophic," Trump said Saturday.

United States Postal Service (USPS)

Donald Trump

President Trump told reporters at a Saturday press conference that Clemson star quarterback Trevor Lawrence called him about the upcoming college football season.

What they're saying: “...I want college football to come back. These are strong, healthy, incredible people. These are people that want to play football very badly," Trump said Saturday evening. "A great, great talented quarterback Trevor Lawrence called me two days ago; I spoke to him a couple times." 

"He said, 'Sir, I want to just tell you we want it back, we want to play.' He's an incredible quarterback from an incredible school, Clemson. And he's going to have a very good future in the NFL."

"He made the statement that he feels he's safer on the field than he is outside of the field."

A Clemson football spokesman told Axios that according to Lawrence, the White House reached out and provided him a number to call.

Driving the news: Lawrence is among several high-profile players who voiced their desire to play the fall season, Axios' Kendall Baker writes.

"Football is a safe haven for so many people," Lawrence tweeted last Sunday. "We are more likely to get the virus in everyday life than playing football."

Following Lawrence's tweets, a dozen players from all five major NCAA conferences released a joint statement, expressing their desire to play the 2020 season, while laying out their plans to form a players' association in the future.

The big picture: The Big Ten and Pac-12 announced this week they've voted to postpone their 2020 fall sports seasons, including football, due to risks posed by the coronavirus pandemic, hoping instead to play next spring.

Trump has repeatedly pushed for college football to return this fall.

The president's effort to resume football is "elevating the emotionally charged cultural debate as part of his push to reopen the country amid the coronavirus pandemic," the Washington Post writes.

Trump says he talked to Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence about fall play

Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence on June 13.

Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence on June 13. Photo: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

Sports

College football

NCAA

Coronavirus

Shifts in technology and media are changing the way we play, watch and understand sports. Business models are adapting and social change is forcing those in charge of teams and leagues to reconsider decades-old practices.

The U.S. faces a range of health care flashpoints — unaffordable drugs, opioids, vaping — as we debate whether to adopt universal care. For now, the Affordable Care Act is the law of the land, but Republicans want to issue it a final death blow.

Health

Science

Axios Science

Perhaps the most jarring reality of the COVID-19 pandemic for families has been the sudden and dramatic disruption to all levels of education, which is expected to have deep social and economic repercussions for years — if not decades — to come. 

Why it matters: As millions of students are about to start the school year virtually, at least in part, experts fear students may fall off an educational cliff — missing key academic milestones, falling behind grade level and in some cases dropping out of the educational system altogether. 

They're also missing out on crucial social development that only comes from interactions with peers. 

The economic impact could be staggering: McKinsey estimates the average K-12 student in the U.S. could lose $61,000 to $82,000 in lifetime earnings — or the equivalent of a year of full-time work, as a result of learning losses related to COVID-19.

Losses are expected to be even greater for Black, Hispanic and low-income students, widening the existing achievement gaps by 15%-20%, per McKinsey.

All in all, this translates to an estimated loss of $110 billion in annual earnings across current K-12 students.

The World Bank estimates that close to 7 million students worldwide could drop out of school due to the income shock of the pandemic alone. Globally, a school shutdown of five months could cause learning losses amounting to $10 trillion.

What's happening: As many schools transition to online learning this fall, some students will be able to log on consistently and attend classes with help from family and hired caregivers, in the biggest test of remote learning yet. 

Yes, but: Other students will have limited access to computers, internet and adult help to support their learning, likely exacerbating the stark divide in this pandemic's disproportionate effects.

A clear trend emerged from decades of studies on summer slide: students from lower-income families are more likely to fall behind than students who live in higher-income homes, RAND’s Jennifer McCombs told Harvard EdCast in March.

The spring school closures gave a window into potential losses. A June NWEA study of "COVID slide" suggested students would return to school this fall with about 70% of the learning gains in reading compared to a typical school year. 

In math, students were likely to return with less than 50% of the previous school year's learning gains, and in some grades nearly a whole year behind what would be expected under normal circumstances.

Gauging where students are academically when they resume classes will be a challenge. Educators are more focused on tending to safety, food security and other pandemic-related trauma students are facing. 

"People aren't rushing to get a kid in front of a test, and I think that's probably a healthy thing," said Beth Tarasawa, executive vice president of research at NWEA, a nonprofit that creates academic assessments for students pre-K-12. Eventually, though, those data points will be needed to plan interventions and support.

Despite the difficulties, experts agree that lowering academic standards is not the answer. 

"What we can't get comfortable with is that kids aren't going to learn if they are at home. The reality is kids are at home and kids must learn. What do we need to put in place to make sure that is happening for every child?" says Susan Schaeffler, CEO of KIPP DC, which operates 18 public charter schools in Washington, D.C.

What's next: Some learning loss can be addressed with basic, tried-and-true strategies, said Robin Lake, director of the Center on Reinventing Public Education at the University of Washington Bothell. 

One-on-one tutoring and small-group lessons can help, even though they are more tricky in a virtual setting and require resources.

"What we know from research is that it matters how quickly educators address learning losses because they cascade and students disengage when they don't think they can do the work in front of them," Lake said.

She added: "We have to limit the learning loss curve as quickly as possible because, otherwise, educators will be overwhelmed both by the enormity of the need plus all the other stuff they're dealing with, like health and public safety and budget crunches."

Parents — juggling work and caring for families while making sure their children are set up to learn — already feel the pressure.

"Now we have this continual conversation about how this is going to devastate our children," particularly children of color, said Keri Rodrigues, co-founder and president of the National Parents Union. 

"That puts everyone in the mindset that our children are broken. It is our job as the adult to push on and persevere to figure this out for them."

The bottom line: Keeping kids on track will require much more communication and teamwork between parents and educators. 

One positive "is that [the pandemic] has forced parents and schools to lean on each other in a way that I hope continues when we are back face-to-face," says Schaeffler. 

Go deeper...  Podcast: Cap podcast on the loss of learning 

The COVID-19 learning cliff

Experts fear students may fall off an educational cliff.

Illustration of lightbulb with a grid background and circles

Education

Deep Dive - Education

Health Care

Axios AM

Freelance writer Mark Delaney tells me he took this photo Aug. 8 of a postal worker in Portland, Ore., removing mailboxes. Via Twitter

In 24 hours, signs of a pre-election postal slowdown have moved from the shadows to the spotlight, with evidence emerging all over the country that this isn't a just a potential threat, but is happening before our eyes.

Why it matters: If you're the Trump administration, and you're in charge of the federal government, remember that a Pew poll published in April found the Postal Service was viewed favorably by 91% of Americans.

Between the lines: There's pretty high brand equity for the organization that got soldiers' letters back from the front lines, delivered care packages to your summer camp, and shoved your college acceptance through the front door.

What's happening: Louis DeJoy, a top Trump donor, was sworn in as postmaster general in June. Since then:

Social media exploded with reports from Oregon, Montana, Manhattan and Pennsylvania that the Postal Service was unbolting and hauling away mailboxes. "Some of the boxes scheduled to be removed from downtown Billings are nearly overflowing daily,” Julie Quilliam, president of the Montana Letter Carriers Association, wrote on Facebook, per AP. 

The Postal Service backed off Friday, telling NBC News: "We are not going to be removing any boxes ... After the election, we’re going to take a look at operations."

The WashPost scooped that the Postal Service sent letters July 29 to 46 states and D.C. "warning that it cannot guarantee all ballots cast by mail for the November election will arrive in time to be counted." The Post said that could mean that even if people "follow all of their state’s election rules, the pace of Postal Service delivery may disqualify their votes."

And high-speed sorting machines are being yanked from processing plants.

Of note: Joe Biden is seizing on the postal fiasco, saying on Friday at a virtual fundraiser, per a pool report:

"I was joking earlier with a couple on the call. I wonder if you're outside trying to hold down your mailboxes. They’re going around literally with tractor trailers picking up mailboxes. You oughta go online and check out what they're doing in Oregon. I mean, it's bizarre!"

Postal slowdown threatens election breakdown

This isn't a just a potential threat — it is happening before our eyes.

The Postal Service has urged state election officials to pay first class for mail ballots, which Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer says could nearly triple the cost.

Why it matters: Senate Democrats claim that "it has been the practice of USPS to treat all election mail as First Class mail regardless of the paid class of service."

USPS public relations manager Dave Partenheimer told me by email: "For years, the Postal Service has emphasized to the election community that delivery times are based on the class of service paid for by the mailer."

Partenheimer's statement says the lower rate "will result in slower delivery times and will increase the risk that voters will not receive their ballots in time to return them by mail."

Go deeper: Read a letter from Senate Democrats to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy

USPS pushes election officials to pay more for mail ballots

Chuck Schumer says paying first class for mail ballots could nearly triple the cost.

Protesters gather in Kalorama Park in D.C. today before demonstrating outside the condo of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy.

Protesters gather in Kalorama Park in D.C. today before demonstrating outside the condo of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy. Photo: Cheriss May/Reuters

When Democrats next week formally nominate the daughter of an Indian immigrant to be vice president, it'll be perhaps the biggest leap yet in the Indian American community's rapid ascent into a powerful political force.

Why it matters: Indian Americans are one of the fastest-growing, wealthiest and most educated demographic groups in the U.S. Politicians work harder every year to woo them. And in Kamala Harris, they'll be represented in a major-party presidential campaign for the first time.

By the numbers: There are more than 4 million Indian Americans, and the population is growing quickly.

In the battleground states of Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, Georgia and Texas, the number of eligible Asian American and Pacific Islander voters grew more than 117% between 2000 and 2018, to nearly 1.7 million.

Indian Americans represent the largest share of Asian Americans in each of those states.

Indian Americans are wealthier than Americans in general, according to Census Bureau data compiled by AAPI Data. Their median annual household income was about $139,000 in 2018, more than double the nationwide median.

About half the 1.8 million U.S. foreign work visas issued between 2001 and 2015 went to Indians.

Both political parties have begun to take notice of this large and potentially powerful constituency.

99 Asian American candidates are running for national office this year, nearly double the 48 who ran in 2018, according to research by the nonprofit Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies.

President Trump has courted the community's vote. He launched a five-figure advertising campaign targeting Indian voters to coincide with his February rally, in India, to spotlight his relationship with the country's Hindu nationalist prime minister, Narendra Modi.

Trump has found some support in the community "because of his economic agenda — especially the 2017 tax cuts — and his policies to crack down on illegal immigration," Politico's Anita Kumar wrote.

Former Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal in 2016 was the first Indian American to run for president, and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley has also been touted as a possible presidential contender in 2024.

Yes, but: For now, Democrats still hold the edge. And Harris may help them solidify it.

Hillary Clinton won the Indian American vote by about 70 points in 2016, according to an exit poll by the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund. 

What they're saying: ”Trump got a lot of younger Asian Americans out to vote in 2018 — most of them for the Democratic Party rather than the Republican Party — and you’re probably going to see similar dynamics this year," said Karthick Ramakrishnan, the founder of AAPI Data and a political science professor at the University of California, Riverside.

"The Harris nomination will likely add some boost to those dynamics.”

Kamala Harris and the political rise of America's Indian community

Indian Americans have become an increasingly powerful share of the electorate.

Vice presidential hopeful Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Kamala Harris

Future

Axios Future

Cardiologists are increasingly concerned that coronavirus infections could cause heart complications that lead to sudden cardiac death in athletes.

Why it matters: Even if just a tiny percentage of COVID-19 cases lead to major cardiac conditions, the sheer scope of the pandemic raises the risk for those who regularly conduct the toughest physical activity — including amateurs who might be less aware of the danger.

Driving the news: Both the Big 10 and Pac-12 conferences announced this week that they wouldn't play college football in the fall because of health concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to ESPN, a major factor driving those decisions has been fear that COVID-19 could lead to a rise in myocarditis among athletes.

Myocarditis is an inflammation of the heart caused by viral infections that can lead to rapid or abnormal heart rhythms and even sudden cardiac death.

Myocarditis causes about 75 deaths per year in young athletes between the ages of 13 and 25, often without any warning. The 27-year-0lld Boston Celtics star Reggie Lewis collapsed at a practice and soon died from myocarditis in 1993.

While research is still in its infancy, a July study of 100 adult patients in Germany had recovered from COVID-19 found that 60% had findings of ongoing myocardial inflammation. 

Worryingly, patients with mild COVID-19 symptoms developed myocarditis as frequently as those who were hospitalized, raising the possibility that those who may not even know they have COVID-19 could be at risk.

That's important because athletes with myocarditis must cease intense physical activity for weeks or even months until the conditions clears up. Otherwise, says Emory University sports cardiologist Jonathan Kim, they put themselves in danger of "cardiac arrest and a catastrophic outcome."

By the numbers: NCAA chief medical officer Brian Hainline said in a press call Thursday that at least a dozen college athletes so far had been found to have myocarditis after testing positive for COVID-19. 

College athletes and to a greater extent professional ones have the benefit of more frequent COVID-19 tests and oversight from doctors who know to look out for signs of myocarditis.

But amateur athletes may be largely on their own, even though they too would be at risk from myocarditis and sudden death should they continue to engage in vigorous exercise after a COVID-19 infection.

"For your high-end marathoners and triathletes, [myocarditis] is a reasonable consideration," says Kim. "It's something to discuss with your doctor or consult with a sports cardiologist before you get back to training."

Yes, but: Those of us who exercise to stay healthy but have no intention of entering the Ironman Triathlon likely don't have much to worry about.

The bottom line: The more we learn about COVID-19, the more varied the threat it poses becomes. But little seems scarier then the possibility of sudden cardiac death in the fittest among us.

The cardiac threat coronavirus poses to athletes

Doctors are seeing cases of myocarditis in athletes infected with COVID-19, raising worries about sports

Illustration of a Coronavirus cell in the shape of a heart symbol.

President Trump cast an outdated vision of "the 'suburban housewife'" as he swiped this week at Joe Biden's newly minted running mate Kamala Harris — building on his months-long play to drive a wedge through battleground-state suburbs by reframing white voters' expectations.

The big picture: As he struggles to find an attack that will stick against the Biden campaign, Trump for a while now has been stoking fears of lawless cities and an end to what he's called the “Suburban Lifestyle Dream.” It’s a playbook from the ‘70s and ‘80s — but the suburbs have changed a lot since then.

What they're saying: “I think what he’s trying to do is conjure up in people’s minds their idea of what suburbia was, which was white middle class, the woman stayed at home, they lived in a single-family home, two dogs and a car,” says demographer William Frey, a senior fellow with the Brookings Institution’s Metropolitan Policy Program.

“Suburbs are now a microcosm of America, in terms of rich and poor, Black and white and Hispanic,” Frey says. Today, if you tell someone you live in the suburbs, “You’re not really telling them anything.”

Driving the news: After George Floyd's killing prompted national, multiracial street demonstrations over systemic racism and police brutality, Trump's ads and public statements have highlighted images of violence in Portland and other cities.

“They want to indoctrinate our children, defund our police, abolish the suburbs, incite riots and leave every city at the mercy of the radical left,” Trump said last month.

“People fight all of their lives to get into the suburbs and have a beautiful home," he said. "There will be no more low-income housing forced into the suburbs … It’s been going on for years, I've seen conflict for years. It’s been hell for suburbia.”

Fast forward to this week. The day after Biden announced his running mate as Harris, Trump tweeted that “the ‘suburban housewife’ will be voting for me” because “they want safety & are thrilled that I ended the long running program where low income housing would invade their neighborhood.”

Harris, 55, does not fit the stereotype of Trump's suburban housewife. She's Black and Asian American, the daughter of immigrants from Jamaica and India. She's also a U.S. senator from California and a former prosecutor and state attorney general. 

Between the lines: There’s a racial undertone here.

The suburbs were two-thirds white as of the 2010 Census, down from 81% the decade before, and since then the suburbs have continued to diversify.

By 2010, Frey said, the 100 largest metropolitan areas in the U.S. counted more Black residents in the suburbs than the cities. For Latinos, that shift happened even earlier.

Suburban diversification took place along with population growth. By the end of 2016, the Pew Research Center says, about 175 million Americans lived in suburbs and small metro areas — more than the 98 million in urban cores and 46 million in rural counties.

“He’s not talking to people in their twenties,” Frey says of Trump. “Close to half the people in their twenties are racial minorities themselves.

"He’s talking to people in their 50s, 60s and 70s, maybe non-college white women. And he may be talking to the men, too. Everything’s changing around them and ‘Trump’s going to save them from this.’ He tries to conjure up this past that people sort of embrace.”

Reality check: Although the suburban population still outnumbers urban and rural America combined, cities — not suburbs — are in some places taking back the mantle of opportunity.

"Compared with 2000, suburban populations are now less engaged in the labor market, experiencing declining household incomes and seeing housing stock value that has not kept pace with that of the central cities," a recent Pew report says.

What’s next: Watch for Trump to test different messages aimed at dividing suburban voters by race, ethnicity and gender — targeting Democrats in general and Biden and Harris specifically.

In addition to the "suburban housewife" tweet, Trump welcomed Harris to the arena with gender- and race-baiting, repeatedly calling her "nasty" and "angry" and mispronouncing her name. 

If the dynamic continues, it may put Harris in a human-shield position, absorbing stereotyped insults from Trump and giving Biden the opportunity to defend her and contrast himself with Trump in the process. “We need to have her back,” Biden said in his first joint appearance with his running mate. “All of us are going to stand up for her.” 

President Trump's suburbs

His messaging is a throwback and an appeal to older white voters.

Photo illustration of a 1950's housewife serving a MAGA hat on a plate.

Photo illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call.

Media Trends

Axios Media Trends

Pro Rata

Axios Pro Rata

President Trump added more pressure Friday night on China-based TikTok parent ByteDance to exit the U.S., ordering it to divest all assets related to the U.S. operation of TikTok within 90 days.

Between the lines: The order means ByteDance must be wholly disentangled from TikTok in the U.S. by November. Trump had previously ordered TikTok banned if ByteDance hadn't struck a deal within 45 days. The new order likely means ByteDance has just another 45 days after that to fully close the deal, one White House source told Axios.

Details: Under the order, ByteDance has to divest Musical.ly, the U.S.-based karaoke app it bought and merged with existing assets in 2018 to create TikTok in its present form, as well as all assets that support the U.S. operation of TikTok.

The company also must also destroy any copies of data it collected via TikTok.

The order follows a unanimous recommendation from the Treasury Department-led Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement.

CFIUS had been reviewing the Musical.ly deal for possible national security concerns.

Context: Microsoft has been in talks as a potential buyer in a TikTok sale. The latest order is unlikely to affect those negotiations beyond putting all parties in an additional time crunch.

What they're saying: "There is credible evidence that leads me to believe that ByteDance ... might take action that threatens to impair the national security of the United States," Trump wrote in Friday's order.

China hawks maintain that Beijing could force ByteDance to hand over Americans' data collected through TikTok, though there's no evidence it has done so to date.

TikTok maintains that it does not store any U.S. user data in China.

Be smart: Unwinding the Musical.ly deal was widely expected to be the process for effectively forcing ByteDance out of the U.S. should the CFIUS make that recommendation, until Trump inserted himself more directly into the process.

Sources have told Axios that CFIUS has grown less willing to enact measures to greenlight Chinese investment with conditions to mitigate risks and that a divestiture order was likely.

The big picture: TikTok, which has been working on boosting its D.C. presence since last year, has been appealing to Congress to explain how its business in the U.S. works and has said it is exploring legal options to fight Trump's ban threat.

Trump tightens screws on ByteDance to sell Tiktok

He's giving the Chinese tech firm 90 days to fully disentangle itself from the U.S. operations of TikTok.

Illustration of someone cutting a tag off of TikTok

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