The Hill Articles: September 16, 2020

Barr criticizes DOJ in speech declaring all agency power ‘is invested in the attorney general’ First death reported from Hurricane Sally in Alabama Barr asked prosecutors to explore charging Seattle mayor over protest zone: report Military leaders asked about using heat ray on protesters outside White House: report Oregon GOP to be allowed in voter guide, judge says Head of Missile Defense Agency sexually harassed staffers for 7 years, Pentagon watchdog finds Powell warns failure to reach COVID-19 deal could ‘scar and damage’ economy Virginia Democrat blasts Trump’s ‘appalling’ remark about COVID-19 deaths in ‘blue states’ The Memo: Warning signs flash for Trump on debates Judge rejects challenge to Vermont mail-in voting plan Ohio bars local, state officials from closing churches, changing election dates Judge rebukes federal prosecutors in Iran sanctions case Senate Republicans signal openness to working with Biden Lawmakers call for expanded AI role in education, business to remain competitive CDC director seeks to clarify mask comments after Trump rebuke Trump campaign seeks to stop NJ early vote count pending lawsuit National postal mail handlers union endorses Biden Work Redefined Hillicon Valley: DOJ indicts Chinese, Malaysian hackers accused of targeting over 100 organizations | GOP senators raise concerns over Oracle-TikTok deal | QAnon awareness jumps in new poll Overnight Defense: House to vote on military justice bill spurred by Vanessa Guillén death | Biden courts veterans after Trump’s military controversies Overnight Health Care: Trump HHS official to take ‘leave of absence’ amid uproar | Federal officials unveil plan to provide free coronavirus vaccine | CDC director says masks more guaranteed to work than a vaccine Intelligence chief says Congress will get some in-person election security briefings Trump confirms another White House staffer tested positive for COVID-19 Rep. Cedric Richmond set to join House Ways and Means Committee What Facebook’s planned change to its terms of service means for the Section 230 debate Trump says mail ballots greater election threat than foreign interference Canada says former ambassador to US violated conflict-of-interest law WHO says average age of those infected with the coronavirus is falling Awareness of QAnon jumps in new poll Trump disputes CDC director on vaccine timing, says ‘he made a mistake’ Interior Department watchdog ‘highly successful’ at hacking agency’s networks Postal service changes delayed 7 percent of nation’s first-class mail: Democratic report Donald Trump sacrifices his own base to secure his hold on power Judge rules against Ohio limiting ballot drop boxes to one per county Overnight Energy: Smoke from wildfires has reached Europe | EPA postpones environmental justice training | UN report: Countries have failed to meet a single target to protect wildlife in last decade Democrats scramble on COVID-19 relief amid division, Trump surprise Smoke from Western wildfires has reached Europe New Jersey governor: YouTube stars should be ‘taken to task’ over house party The Hill’s Campaign Report: Biden asks if public can trust vaccine from Trump ahead of Election Day | Oklahoma health officials raised red flags before Trump rally On The Money: Trump undercuts GOP, calls for bigger COVID-19 relief package | Communities of color hit hardest financially by COVID-19 | Businesses, states pass on Trump payroll tax deferral House panel advances bill to ban Postal Service leaders from holding political positions Trump health officials grilled over reports of politics in COVID-19 response Health officials urge people stay indoors, suspect rare mosquito-borne virus in Michigan Abraham Accords: New hope for peace in Middle East Minnesota man facing terrorism charges Loeffler calls for hearing in wake of Netflix’s ‘Cuties’ Historic Jesus statue decapitated in Texas cathedral vandalism Biden says to trust scientists on COVID-19 vaccine, not Trump Poll: 59 percent of voters likely to take coronavirus vaccine if available in 2020 Shakespeare Theatre Company goes virtual for ‘Will on the Hill…or Won’t They?’ EPA postpones environmental justice training after White House memo Watch live: Trump holds press conference Governors, mayors should take responsibility for the pain inflicted on businesses by lockdowns Colorado meatpacking union protests ‘ineffectual’ federal fine amid coronavirus Justice Department indicts two Iranians accused of stealing sensitive data in multiple countries Senators offer disaster tax relief bill US general reassures German town of commitment to prevent COVID-19 spread after outbreak What America’s Thinking: September 16, 2020 House passes bill to allow private lawsuits against public schools for discriminatory practices Michigan court upholds mass mailing of absentee ballot applications CDC director: Masks are better defense against COVID-19 than vaccine Biden’s ‘build back better’ could build a better US foreign policy ‘Maskless flash mob’ marches through Target shouting ‘take off that mask’ Trump spikes political football with return of Big Ten season Twitter suspends account of Chinese virologist who claimed coronavirus was made in a lab Watch Live: Biden speaks on developing, ‘equitably distributing’ coronavirus vaccine Twitter removes Kanye West tweet suggesting followers harass journalist Maryland Episcopal Church pledges $1 million toward reparations fund Hurricane Sally slams into Alabama and Florida, rescues are underway New ad disclaimers silence activists Quincy Institute leader: Middle East peace agreement ‘an arms deal’ Some North Carolina voters receive two absentee ballots Jim Carrey to play Biden on ‘Saturday Night Live’ 44 percent of high earners have considered leaving New York City: poll Airman killed in accident at Kuwait base GOP senator blocks Schumer resolution aimed at Biden probe as tensions run high Vandalism, looting following Floyd death sparks at least $1B in damages nationwide: report Trump administration to appeal ruling against excluding undocumented citizens from census D-Day for Trump: September 29 Live Nation to use concert venues as polling places McConnell holds 12-point lead over Democratic challenger McGrath: poll Low-income college enrollment takes hit during pandemic Rep. Robin Kelly enters race for Democratic caucus vice chair Ohio man goes viral for inventing social-distanced trick-or-treating method for pandemic House passes legislation to boost election security research American Airlines, unions call for six-month extension of government aid Media’s anti-Trump coronavirus spin has real consequences Ballot measures across US aim to overhaul voting practices Gideon leads Collins by 12 points in Maine Senate race: poll Quinnipiac poll shows Graham, Harrison tied in South Carolina Senate race Barr told federal prosecutors to aggressively charge protesters with crimes: report Russia: US trying to foment revolution in Belarus Communities of color hit hardest financially by COVID-19: study Watch Live: Senate Subcommittee on wildfires and forest management Trump campaign ramps up attacks over Biden’s China trade record Poll: Trump ‘law and order’ message falls flat in suburbs Billionaire Sheldon Adelson planning to spend $20-50 million supporting Trump: report Sheriff challenges LeBron James to offer reward in police shooting: ‘Care about law enforcement’ The ‘free market’ manifesto that broke America and led to Trumpism House to vote on ‘I Am Vanessa Guillén’ bill McEnany tells CNN reporter to come work at the White House for details on health care plan Progressive Caucus co-chair: Whistleblower complaint raises questions about ‘entire detention system’ Ben Shapiro’s Daily Wire leaving California: ‘Terrible governance has consequences’ Pelosi, Schumer ‘encouraged’ by Trump call for bigger coronavirus relief package New Melania Trump statue replaces one that burned to the ground in Slovenia Latinos for Trump release ‘Despacito’ video, highlight inappropriate touching allegations against Biden OECD scales back projections of global economic contraction Vox’s Matthew Yglesias says U.S. needs to grow population to maintain spot on ‘global stage’ Fed keeps interest rates near zero amid signs of slowing recovery Jewish Americans feel less secure amidst the era of President Trump Coalition of mayors announce guaranteed income pilot programs around the country House Republicans investigating California secretary of state’s contract with Biden-linked firm How do you know if you have COVID-19 and not the flu? Minneapolis city councilors: Residents are feeling ‘terrorized,’ say police ‘nowhere to be seen’ Poll: Support for Black Lives Matter drops 12 points since June Suburban moms are going to decide the 2020 election Trump HHS official to take ‘leave of absence’ amid uproar Justice Department indicts Chinese, Malaysian hackers for targeting over 100 companies How the US is doing more with less in Iraq Obama says making a voting plan is part of ‘how to quarantine successfully’ Why the director of the CDC thinks our lives won’t get back to normal for nearly another year Michael Cohen: Trump taxes would reveal ‘wealth is not as significant’ as he says ‘Shocking’ new survey finds 20 percent of young New Yorkers think Jews caused the Holocaust, and other disturbing beliefs DCCC dropping $9 million on voter education program Rochester officials tried to withhold details about Daniel Prude’s death: documents The Hill’s 12:30 Report – Presented by Facebook – Big 10 votes to resume football season Lifetime announces its first LGBTQ Christmas movie GAO report finds brokers offered false info on coverage for pre-existing conditions Watch Live: White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany holds a press briefing CDC director says masks more guaranteed to work than a vaccine Supreme Court justices to hear arguments by phone to start new term  American Express is committing $10 million to help Black business owners recover from the pandemic Who’s right on climate change: Trump or Newsom? Tenants in Kushner building file lawsuit alleging dangerous living conditions Dershowitz suing CNN for $300 million in defamation suit Higher than average numbers have died of dementia since start of pandemic Trump undercuts GOP, calls for bigger COVID-19 relief package Texas doctor apologizes for tweet falsely accusing protesters of attacking daughter Chris Rock says Eddie Murphy once pitched him a heist movie featuring Trump as the villain The polls, the Electoral College and Democratic hand-wringing Survey shows US adults under 40 have ‘worrying’ lack of knowledge about Holocaust Trump chides Cramer for apologizing after calling Pelosi ‘crazy Nancy’ CDC director pushes back on Caputo claim of ‘resistance unit’ at agency Republican Senators raise concerns over Oracle-TikTok deal Fox News Media to reduce staff in restructuring Green groups sue EPA over methane rollbacks Woman says she’s voting for Biden because Trump dodged her question in town hall There’s an easier way to get another round of PPP accomplished Schumer, Sanders call for Senate panel to address election security Mellman: The likely voter sham Hurricane Sally hits US with potential for ‘catastrophic, life-threatening’ flooding Retail sales rose 0.6 percent in August as pace of recovery slows Trump job approval locked at 42 percent: Gallup Pregnant Black, Pacific Islander women in San Francisco to receive $1,000 monthly supplement GOP votes to authorize subpoenas, depositions in Obama-era probe Kanye West reportedly asked campaign staff to avoid ‘fornicating’ With messaging on racism, sports joins the polarization of our lives Rising: September 16, 2020 De Blasio to furlough himself, 494 other staff members amid financial crunch: report Amazon planning small delivery hubs in suburbs Yelp: 60 percent of US businesses closures since March are permanent Barbados plans to remove Queen Elizabeth as head of state and become sovereign EU Commission president urges united coronavirus response The politics of peace Pelosi: We need to put COVID-19 deal on the floor ‘that will become law’ Big Ten football to return in October Miami Herald apologizes for anti-Semitic insert that compared Black Lives Matter to Nazis FTC eyes antitrust suit against Facebook: report Biden holds 6-point lead over Trump in Wisconsin: poll Trump hails announced return of Big Ten football Wildfire smoke from Western US reaches Europe Biden up by 16 points in Minnesota: poll Back-up Uber driver charged in fatal crash of autonomous car South Korea warns of underwater missile test launch by North Korea Congress: Eliminate disparities in health care White Nebraska bar owner indicted for fatal shooting of Black man during protest Federal officials unveil plan to provide free coronavirus vaccine Trump shares fake video of Biden playing ‘F— tha Police’ Watch live: CDC director Robert Redfield testifies on coronavirus response Boeing, Google, IBM among companies to lead federal quantum development initiative If Trump doesn’t know why he should be president again, how can voters? Top GOP senator calls for Biden to release list of possible Supreme Court picks Watch live: House panel holds hearing on firing of State Department watchdog Woodward: Trump’s downplaying of virus a ‘monumental, catastrophic leadership failure’ Japan’s governing party picks Yoshihide Suga as next prime minister Witness in sexual assault, harassment investigation at detention center deported: report Kelly’s lead widens to 10 points in Arizona Senate race: poll In defense of Trump’s efforts to quell pandemic panic House report rips Boeing, FAA over mistakes before 737 Max crashes Former Obama photographer Pete Souza moves to the other side of the lens Gov. Abbott sends Texas tubers up the river without a paddle Officials warn of ‘catastrophic’ flooding as Hurricane Sally makes landfall in Alabama Pavlich: Biden is still out of touch on gun control Budowsky: Trump’s seven deadly sins could doom GOP The Hill’s Morning Report – Sponsored by The Air Line Pilots Association – Pence lauds Harris as ‘experienced debater’; Trump, Biden diverge over debate prep Pence says he ‘wouldn’t hesitate’ to get COVID-19 vaccine Trump HHS official faces firestorm after attacks on scientists Pence: Trump sees Florida, Minnesota, Arizona as keys to 270 Exclusive: Internal documents show officials waved red flags before Trump’s Tulsa rally Senate leaders quash talk of rank-and-file COVID-19 deal Businesses, states pass on Trump payroll tax deferral Trump, GOP home in on economy in final stretch Lobbying world