The Washington Post
CORONAVIRUS

Coronavirus cases are surging in Midwest states

The increase is occurring in states with previously low infection rates. Experts also see worrying trends emerging in major Midwest and East Coast cities.
Getting a vaccine in record time is hard. Distributing it to tens of millions may be equally daunting.

White House considers unilateral moves amid stalemate with Congress

The voices of Americans searching for survival and reinvention amid an economic collapse.
  • By Rachel Siegel, Kanyakrit Vongkiatkajorn, Renae Merle, Julie Vitkovskaya and Jena McGregor

After months of favor, Birx raises Trump’s ire with grim coronavirus assessment

Top White House coronavirus coordinator Deborah Birx previously lost support within swaths of the scientific and medical community for seeming to minimize the virus and to enable the president’s overly rosy view of the pandemic.
RACE AND RECKONING

Chad Wolf emerges as Trump’s favorite DHS chief

Previously overshadowed at the Department of Homeland Security by more bombastic political appointees, Wolf has become a close Trump ally and the face of the president’s police crackdown on protesters.

Tulsa protesters use race massacre ‘tombstones’ to defend a Black Lives Matter mural

Tulsa officials had ordered the mural’s removal after receiving a request by a pro-police group seeking permission to paint a “Blue Lives Matter” mural on another city street.

After racist, sexist comment on Facebook, small-town Virginia mayor under siege

A Secret Service vehicle blocks India Johnson’s car after the officer drove his vehicle into it. (Yasmeen Winston)
A Secret Service vehicle blocks India Johnson’s car after the officer drove his vehicle into it. (Yasmeen Winston)

Two Black moms took their kids to play at the National Mall. Secret Service confronted them with guns, they said.

India Johnson and Yasmeen Winston are demanding the agency investigate the encounter at the World War II Memorial and publicly release details of the incident.
Video
(John Farrell/The Washington Post)
Thousands evacuated as Apple Fire spreads across California
Thousands evacuated as Apple Fire spreads across California
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Why is Trump trying to delay the election? | The 2020 Fix
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Tropical Storm Isaias expected to flood D.C. region with up to six inches of rain
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Coronavirus vaccines begin final phase of testing with 30,000-person trials
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Opinions
The financial relief plan shows the woeful state of unemployment insurance
Park Police at work: Shooting an unarmed man. Clubbing protesters. Resisting body cameras.
Stories You’ll Want to Hear

How the rest of the world responded to the coronavirus

How some countries got their response to the coronavirus right — and how some got it terribly wrong.
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A woman walks through floodwaters on Ocean Boulevard in Myrtle Beach, S.C., on Monday. (Getty Images)
A woman walks through floodwaters on Ocean Boulevard in Myrtle Beach, S.C., on Monday. (Getty Images)

Isaias charges into the Carolinas, poised to sweep up East Coast

The storm made landfall near Ocean Isle Beach, N.C., on Monday night. Observed wind gusts topped 90 mph in coastal North Carolina southeast of Wilmington.
States assess how to plan for storms in a pandemic

Prosecutor says Trump’s bid to shield tax returns is a delay campaign

The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said in a court filing Monday that the efforts could serve to provide him with the immunity from prosecution that the Supreme Court has rejected.

Trump says Treasury should collect ‘very substantial’ portion of TikTok sale to U.S. firm

It was unclear under what authority President Trump, who has said he wants TikTok to cease U.S. operations if it is not sold to a U.S.-based company, could demand such a payment.
Don’t Miss
From The Magazine

An Instagram account raises money for LGBTQ people in Appalachia. But where do the funds go?

  • By Emma Copley Eisenberg
  • 16 hours ago

5 simple, summery tacos to get dinner on the table quickly

The downward spiral of Ellen DeGeneres’s public persona: A complete guide

Trump’s attacks on mail voting prompt alarm over GOP turnout

State and local Republicans across the country fear they are falling dramatically behind in a practice that is expected to be key to voter turnout this year.

Political appointee at USAID is forced out over anti-gay tweets

Merritt Corrigan, the White House liaison since her appointment to the U.S. Agency for International Development in the spring, claimed she had been subjected to “rampant anti-Christian sentiment” at the agency.
A Miami-Dade County Elections Department employee sorts vote-by-mail ballots for the Aug. 18 primary election in Florida. (AP)
A Miami-Dade County Elections Department employee sorts vote-by-mail ballots for the Aug. 18 primary election in Florida. (AP)
Election 2020
Analysis

What we don’t know about what to expect on Election Day

We might not know for weeks which presidential candidate won certain states, making real-time coverage on election night particularly fraught.

It’s not just the U.S.: These governments see TikTok as a growing problem

India already banned the platform, and Australia’s government is conducting investigations into the app, according to media reports.
John Hume
1937–2020

Nobel laureate who championed peace in Northern Ireland dies at 83

Richard A. Rodriguez, 45, a retired master sergeant, was killed during a brawl at a sports bar in northern Iraq in the early hours of January 1. (Family photo)
Richard A. Rodriguez, 45, a retired master sergeant, was killed during a brawl at a sports bar in northern Iraq in the early hours of January 1. (Family photo)

A defense contractor died after a bar fight with Marines in Iraq. Some see an accident and overzealous prosecution.

It is one of several recent incidents that have raised concerns about the conduct of America’s elite combat forces, including an alleged sexual assault by a Navy SEAL in Iraq last summer, cocaine use and the strangulation of a Green Beret soldier in Mali in 2017.

Federal judge whose son was killed urges better protection of personal information

Judge Esther Salas says the “monster” who killed her son easily obtained her address and had a “dossier” on her family.

As Trump’s latest effort for new FBI headquarters falls flat, senator moves parts of the bureau to Alabama

Sen. Richard C. Shelby (R-Ala.) has steered the Redstone Arsenal complex in Huntsville through approvals and secured $1.1 billion in funding.
NASA astronauts Bob Behnken, left, and Doug Hurley inside the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule spacecraft that landed Sunday. Getty Images)
NASA astronauts Bob Behnken, left, and Doug Hurley inside the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule spacecraft that landed Sunday. Getty Images)

NASA is on an epic roll. But can it keep the momentum going?

It just launched a rover to Mars and returned astronauts from the space station. But Congress recently said no to its budget request.
A shopper wears a face mask while passing a Lord & Taylor store in Novi, Mich., in June. (Bloomberg News)
A shopper wears a face mask while passing a Lord & Taylor store in Novi, Mich., in June. (Bloomberg News)

Two more retailers file for bankruptcy: Lord & Taylor and Tailored Brands

Lord & Taylor, the nation’s oldest department store chain, filed for Chapter 11 protection Sunday and said it is searching for a buyer. Hours later, so did Tailored Brands, the parent company of Men’s Wearhouse and Jos. A. Bank.

FAA gives preliminary approval on design fixes for 737 Max

The announcement is the clearest sign yet that the jet could soon be cleared to resume flying.

Congressional leaders urge Trump administration to release funds to U.S. Internet freedom organization

The ranking House and Senate foreign affairs panel chiefs warned that a turf war is pushing anti-censorship programs to the “brink of collapse.”

Cardinals’ covid outbreak grows to 13 positives

Seven St. Louis players and six staff members have tested positive over the past week, prompting MLB to postpone four more games and extend the Cardinals’ shutdown until at least Friday.

Big 12 sets football schedule of nine conference games, one nonconference matchup

The conference is the last of the Power Five to announce its plans for an adjusted 2020 football season.
Tampa Bay‘s Andrei Vasilevskiy stops a shot from Washington‘s Evgeny Kuznetsov during the overtime shoot-out. (Andre Ringuette/Freestyle Photo/Getty Images)
Tampa Bay‘s Andrei Vasilevskiy stops a shot from Washington‘s Evgeny Kuznetsov during the overtime shoot-out. (Andre Ringuette/Freestyle Photo/Getty Images)

Capitals open round-robin play by salvaging a point in shootout loss to Lightning

The Capitals, playing without John Carlson, were plagued by familiar issues in a loss that could affect their playoff seeding.
CORONAVIRUS

Gov. Northam urged to ban evictions during pandemic

Virginia’s governor has asked courts to suspend evictions or delay scheduling them.

Arlington GOP leader doxes neighbors who complain about mask-less businesses

After a Facebook group kicks him out, the same information is posted on Reddit.
Known deaths and cases
Tropical storm warning zone.
Tropical storm warning zone.

Tropical storm warning for D.C. and Baltimore as Isaias to unleash very heavy rain, strong winds

As Isaias reaches the Carolinas on Monday night, tropical moisture will surge northward through the Washington region, setting the stage for a heavy rain event with areas of significant flooding through Tuesday night.
Perspective

Is it appropriation when a Black woman does an Irish dance?

No. And let this young Black dancer explain why.
Comedian Laurie Kilmartin's mask reads My mom died from COVID and all I get was this stupid mask.(Peter Bohler for the Post)
Comedian Laurie Kilmartin's mask reads "My mom died from COVID and all I get was this stupid mask."(Peter Bohler for the Post)

When her mom was dying of covid-19, ‘Conan’ writer Laurie Kilmartin turned tragedy into comedy. It’s what she does.

The comedian penned a book about her dad's death, and is performing standup about her mom's. She jokes so that others will take the coronavirus seriously.

Meet the newest ‘Real Housewives of Potomac’ cast member

Home & Garden

Do these garage doors need to be replaced — or just repainted?

(HBO)
(HBO)
Review

‘The Swamp’ looks at political reform through the eyes of an unlikely hero: Rep. Matt Gaetz

HBO’s new documentary follows three quasi-contrarian House Republicans who bring the idealism but not the change.
Leon Fleisher
1928-2020

Sublime pianist with one hand or two dies at 92

Perspective

Need to laugh out loud? These hilarious romance novels will do the trick.

  • By Mia Sosa
  • 18 hours ago
(Tom McCorkle for The Post; food styling by Lisa Cherkasky for The Post)
(Tom McCorkle for The Post; food styling by Lisa Cherkasky for The Post)

Eggplant can be a love-or-hate proposition. Here’s how to treat it right.

Vary both your cooking strategies and recipes — beyond the standard eggplant parmesan.

Here’s proof boxed wine can be downright delicious for the equivalent of $5 a bottle

Beat the heat with this quick-cooking skillet of garlicky beans, broccoli and pesto

(Washington Post illustration/iStock)
(Washington Post illustration/iStock)

Should asking a stranger to take your photo go the way of the daguerreotype?

The common practice among travelers can be a source of stress — and happiness.

How tourist attractions around the world have adapted to the pandemic

The Lily

Miss travel? Here are 7 literary journeys to take.

  • By Nneka McGuire
Visual Stories
(Yuvraj Khanna)In Sight
(Yuvraj Khanna)
This photographer is addressing the dilemma of how to represent protesters in an age of social media and facial recognition technology
(The Washington Post)Graphic
(The Washington Post)
Vote by mail: Which states allow absentee voting
(The Washington Post)Graphic
(The Washington Post)
Biden calls for 100 percent clean electricity by 2035. Here’s how far we have to go.
Visual Story
Surviving on, and maybe losing, a contested land
(Lauren Justice for The Post)Story
(Lauren Justice for The Post)
Pandemic kills off century-old paper plant, and a region reels
(Matt McClain/The Post)Photos
(Matt McClain/The Post)
Here are 12 of the week’s best photos
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