💌 Send me a handwritten postcard or letter with advice for the future generation about wtf has happened over the last four years and what needs to be done.

Not sure where to start? Consider the Trump administration’s impact on climate change, healthcare, immigration, education, civil rights, or whatever, like this goddamn pandemic, and how it’s changed you, your relationships, and your outlook for the future.

Matt at WTF Just Happened Today?

I don’t know who needs to hear this, but a postcard costs $0.35 and a First Class letter costs $0.55. Buy stamps online here.

🗳 How To Vote In The 2020 Election In Every State. Everything you need to know about mail-in and early in-person voting in every state in the age of COVID-19, including the first day you can cast your ballot in the 2020 election. (FiveThirtyEight / NBC News / Wall Street Journal)

Global: Total confirmed cases: ~24,285,000; deaths: ~829,000

U.S.: Total confirmed cases: ~5,857,000; deaths: ~181,000

Source: Johns Hopkins University

💻 COVID-19 Live Blogs: Washington Post / New York Times / CNN

1/ Another 1 million Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week, and an another 608,000 workers applied for aid through the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program. In total, 27 million workers are unemployed and more than 14.5 million are collecting benefits – up from 1.7 million a year ago. The report also marks the 22nd time in 23 weeks that new jobless claims have come in above 1 million. Before the coronavirus pandemic, initial claims had never topped 700,000 in a week. (CNN / CNBC / Associated Press / Politico / New York Times)

2/ The CDC attempted to clarify its recommendation that people with no symptoms “do not necessarily need a test� – even after exposure to the coronavirus. In a new statement, the CDC’s director, Dr. Robert Redfield, said that “testing may be considered for all close contacts of confirmed or probable COVID-19 patients.� He added: “Everyone who needs a COVID-19 test, can get a test. Everyone who wants a test does not necessarily need a test.� The CDC’s previous guidance recommended that people exposed to the coronavirus be tested because of the threat of asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic transmission. Despite Redfield’s statement, the CDC’s website had not been updated. (

Global: Total confirmed cases: ~22,790,000; deaths: ~796,000

U.S.: Total confirmed cases: ~5,608,000; deaths: ~175,000

Source: Johns Hopkins University

1/ Biden challenged Americans to overcome Trump’s “season of darkness,� saying “no rhetoric is needed. Just judge this president on the facts.� As he accepted the Democratic Party’s nomination for president, Biden urged Americans to embrace what he called “a path of hope and light� and reject Trump, who “has failed in his most basic duty to the nation: He’s failed to protect us. He has failed to protect America.� During his acceptance speech, Biden condemned Trump without ever mentioning him by name, calling “this a life-changing election� that “will determine what America’s going to look like for a long, long time.� (Washington Post / New York Times / Bloomberg / Politico / Axios / CNBC)

2/ Trump denounced Biden’s convention speech, saying “I’m the only thing standing between the American dream and total anarchy, madness and chaos.� At a gathering of the Council for National Policy in Arlington, Trump called the Democratic convention the “darkest and angriest and gloomiest� in the country’s history, saying “where Joe Biden sees American darkness, I see American greatness.� Trump claimed that voting by mail is “filthy,� a “disgrace,� and would lead to the “greatest catastrophe� ever while peddling fears about “violent mobs� overtaking U.S. cities. Trump also attacked Obama, saying “you can’t be a great president when much of what he’s done we’ve undone.� (New York Times / NBC News / Washington Post)

3/ More than 70 former national security officials called Trump “unfit to lead,� accusing him of undermining the rule of law, “spreading misinformation,� “undermining public health experts,� aligning himself with dictators and engaging “in corrupt behavior that renders him unfit to serve as president.� The officials, who served under Trump, George W. Bush, George H.W. Bush, ...

Global: Total confirmed cases: ~22,245,000; deaths: ~784,000

U.S.: Total confirmed cases: ~5,517,000; deaths: ~173,000

Source: Johns Hopkins University

Coronavirus Live Blogs: New York Times / Washington Post

🗳 How To Vote In The 2020 Election In Every State. Everything you need to know about mail-in and early in-person voting in every state in the age of COVID-19, including the first day you can cast your ballot in the 2020 election. (FiveThirtyEight / NBC News / Wall Street Journal)

1/ The Senate Intelligence Committee made criminal referrals of Trump Jr., Jared Kushner, Steven Bannon, and other Trump allies to federal prosecutors in 2019. The bipartisan referrals were meant to pass along their suspicions that the men may have misled the committee during their testimony. The committee also made criminal referrals of Blackwater founder Erik Prince and former Trump campaign co-chair Sam Clovis. A criminal referral to the Justice Department means Congress believes a matter warrants investigation for potential violation of the law. There has been no public indication of any investigation. Attorneys for Trump Jr., Kushner, Bannon, and Clovis previously denied that their clients misled the committee. (NBC News / Washington Post / Los Angeles Times)

Trump dismisses new report on 2016 election interference as his allies continue to pursue theories it debunks. “Trump has pushed the debunked theories that Ukraine, not Russia, interfered in the 2016 election and that it did so on behalf of his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton. The report found that Russian intelligence operations manufactured that theory, which Trump has never disavowed and which played a role in his impeachment when he pressed the issue in a 2019 phone call with Ukraine’s president.� (Washington Post)

[IDEAS] Russiagate Was Not a Hoax. The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence confirmed what the Mueller report could not. (The Atlantic)

2/ Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer accused the Trump administration of “concealing� its role in selecting Louis DeJoy as postmaster general. In mid-June, Schumer had asked the USPS Board of Governors for documents and information related to the execut...

Global: Total confirmed cases: ~21,975,000; deaths: ~777,000

U.S.: Total confirmed cases: ~5,470,000; deaths: ~172,000

Source: Johns Hopkins University

🗳 How To Vote In The 2020 Election. A state-by-state guide to everything you need to know about mail-in and early in-person voting in the age of COVID-19, including the first day you can cast your ballot in the 2020 election. (FiveThirtyEight / NBC News)

📺 Democratic Convention: Night One Moments That Mattered. “Democrats kicked off their virtual nominating convention Monday with a focused denunciation of President Trump, showcasing dozens of testimonials that culminated in lancing criticism from former first lady Michelle Obama, who cast Trump as incapable of meeting America’s needs and said Joe Biden would usher in racial justice and ease the coronavirus pandemic.� (New York Times / Washington Post / NBC News / Politico)

1/ Postmaster General Louis DeJoy announced that he is temporarily “suspending� some controversial cost-cutting initiatives until after the election “to avoid even the appearance of any impact on election mail.� In his statement, DeJoy said “mail processing equipment and blue collection boxes will remain where they are� and that “overtime has, and will continue to be, approved as needed.� DeJoy did not address whether changes that have already been made (e.g. removed equipment or changes in operational practices) would be rolled back. DeJoy and USPS board of governors Chairman Robert Duncan is scheduled to testify on Friday at a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing, and again at the the House Oversight and Reform Committee on Monday. (Politico / Wall Street Journal / Washington Post / New York Times / NBC News / USA Today / CNBC)

2/ At least 20 states plan to sue the U.S. Postal Service and Louis DeJoy, seeking to reverse operational changes made without first seeking approval from the Postal Regulat...

Global: Total confirmed cases: ~21,767,000; deaths: ~777,000

U.S.: Total confirmed cases: ~5,423,000; deaths: ~171,000

Source: Johns Hopkins University

🗳 How To Vote In The 2020 Election. A state-by-state guide to everything you need to know about mail-in and early in-person voting in the age of COVID-19, including the first day you can cast your ballot in the 2020 election. (FiveThirtyEight / NBC News)

📺 Democratic Convention. This year’s Democratic National Convention, which was originally set to take place in Milwaukee, will instead be held virtually because of the coronavirus pandemic. The convention kicks-off today and will run through Thursday. Tonight’s theme, “We the People,� starts at 9 p.m. Eastern and will feature Michelle Obama and Bernie Sanders, as well as other party leaders. Watch live on DemConvention.com, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Twitch, Amazon Prime Video, Microsoft Bing, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Roku TV – or via broadcast television. (Bloomberg / NBC News / CNN / Wall Street Journal)

1/ Nancy Pelosi recalled the House from summer recess to vote on legislation to block changes at the Postal Service that could disenfranchise voters who use mail-in ballots. The House was not scheduled to return until Sept. 14, but will vote Saturday on a $25 billion bill to fund the Postal Service and “prohibit the Postal Service from dialing back levels of service it had in place� on Jan. 1 until the pandemic ends. The Postal Service is expected to receive as many as 80 million mail-in ballots cast by Americans who are worried about voting in-person because of the coronavirus. Trump, meanwhile, attacked the Postal Service, declaring that the agency “has been failing for many decades� and asserting that Democrats “don’t have a clue.� (New York Times / Washington Post / Politico / Axios / CNBC / Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal)

[Analysis] Tracing Trump’s Postal Service obsession, from “loser� to “scam� to “rigged election.� (Washington Post)

[Context] Post...

Global: Total confirmed cases: ~21,026,000; deaths: ~762,000

U.S.: Total confirmed cases: ~5,293,000; deaths: ~169,000

Source: Johns Hopkins University

1/ Trump’s top two officials at the Department of Homeland Security are illegally serving in their positions, according to a Government Accountability Office report. The independent watchdog agency reported to Congress that Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf and his deputy Kenneth Cuccinelli are serving under an invalid order of succession under the Vacancies Reform Act. After the resignation of Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen in April 2019, Kevin McAleenan took over and altered the order of succession for other officials to succeed him after his departure. GAO has referred the matter to the inspector general of the Department of Homeland Security for further review and potential action. (Politico / Washington Post / New York Times / Axios)

2/ Trump perpetuated a racist and false conspiracy theory that Kamala Harris is not eligible to be vice president because her parents were immigrants. The claim is false. Harris was born in California and is eligible to serve. Trump, nevertheless, continued: “I heard it today that she doesn’t meet the requirements – I have no idea if that’s right.� Constitutional law experts say Harris’ parents are beside the point since the 14th Amendment grants citizenship to all people born in the U.S. And, Article II Section 1 of the Constitution says that to be eligible for the vice presidency and presidency, a candidate must be natural-born U.S. citizen, at least 35, and a resident of the United States for a minimum of 14 years. Trump appeared to be referring to a widely discredited op-ed that claims that the U.S. Constitution doesn’t grant birthright citizenship. Trump used a similar tactic to undermine the legitimacy of Barack Obama’s administration by claiming that Obama was born outside the United States. (New York Times / Associated Press)

3/ The U.S. Postal Service warned 46 states and D.C. that it cannot guarantee all ballots cast by mail for the November election will arrive in time to be counted because of lags in mail delivery. States — including the key battleground states of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Florida — were warned that their long-standing deadlines for requesting, returning and counting ballots were “incongruous� with mail service and that voters who send ballots in close to those deadlines may become disenfranchised. In Pennsylvania, USPS warned that some ballots might not be delivered on time because the state’s deadlines are too tight for its “delivery standards.� The ballot warnings were reportedly planned before the appointment of Louis DeJoy as postmaster general, but issued at the end of July. (Washington ...