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On the roster: Teacher union threatens ‘safety strikes’ - Back to the beginning: Trump to accept nod in N.C. - First debate to Cleveland after Notre Dame nixes - Perdue under fire for ad deemed anti-Semitic - Behold the Pon Deere

TEACHER UNION THREATENS ‘SAFETY STRIKES’
Politico: “The American Federation of Teachers called Tuesday for ‘safety strikes’ as ‘a last resort’ if negotiations over reopening schools don't meet demands for keeping educators healthy and safe amid the coronavirus pandemic. Union President Randi Weingarten delivered that battle cry during an address to union members, as Congress begins negotiations over a fresh tranche of federal aid expected to provide at least $70 billion to boost K-12 education. ‘Let’s be clear: Just as we have done with our health care workers, we will fight on all fronts for the safety of students and their educators,’ Weingarten said on Tuesday. ‘But if the authorities don’t protect the safety and health of those we represent and those we serve, as our executive council voted last week, nothing is off the table — not advocacy or protests, negotiations, grievances or lawsuits, or, if necessary and authorized by a local union, as a last resort, safety strikes.’”

Gallup finds fewer Americans identifying as conservatives - Forbes: “A new Gallup poll shows a significant drop in Americans identifying as conservative and a rise in those identifying as liberal since February, as President Trump and Republicans in Congress have struggled in the polls amid the coronavirus pandemic. The poll of 3,079 U.S. adults found that the number of Americans who identify as conservative dropped from 40% in February to just 34% in July. During the same period, the number who identify as moderate rose from 34% to 36%–overtaking conservative identification–while the number who identify as liberal rose from 22% to 26%.”

Dem delegates face quarantines, tight restrictions - AP: “Everyone attending the Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee next month will have to wear a face mask, consent to daily testing for COVID-19, fill out questionnaires and maintain a physical distance from others. Organizers of the convention released details of the coronavirus safety plan Monday, three weeks before the Aug. 17 start of the four-day event. The convention has been scaled down from original plans and now will be mostly online with only a few hundred people gathered at the Wisconsin Center in downtown Milwaukee. Attendees will have to self-isolated for a minimum of 72 hours before departing for Milwaukee or when first entering the convention’s main venue if they’re already in the city. Once at the convention, attendees must fill out a daily questionnaire indicating that they are not experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 and have not had contact with anyone who is infected.”

Susan Rice struggles to overcome veepstakes skeptics - NYT: “Ms. [Susan] Rice, 55, is now among a handful of women under consideration to become Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s running mate. It is the latest stage in a path to power that has seen Ms. Rice chosen to be a Rhodes scholar at 21, an assistant secretary of state at 32 and ambassador to the United Nations little more than a decade later. … Ms. Rice’s electoral inexperience is not the only possible mark against her in the vice-presidential process: In an election dominated by a public-health disaster and economic recession, it is unclear how much a candidate best known for her foreign policy credentials would improve Mr. Biden’s chances. And there are people close to Mr. Biden who fear that choosing her would force the campaign to spend precious days relitigating her role in responding to the 2012 terrorist attack on the American mission in Benghazi, Libya, that left four Americans dead and prompted months of Republican-led congressional hearings.”

Biden bans staff stock trades without approval - Bloomberg: “The Biden campaign is forbidding staff from trading individual stocks without approval from the campaign’s general counsel, according to an email sent by the Democratic nominee’s top lawyer to staff on Monday afternoon. Joe Biden’s general counsel, Dana Remus, wrote in an email to staff obtained by Bloomberg News that the campaign is updating its employee handbook to ‘ensure that staff do not even inadvertently trade on nonpublic information.’ The rule says staff cannot trade stocks ‘without advance written approval of the General Counsel,’ and it will remain in effect until Dec. 14, 2020, the date the Electoral College votes.”

BACK TO THE BEGINNING: TRUMP TO ACCEPT NOD IN N.C.
Politico: “Donald Trump on Monday said he would accept the Republican nomination for president in North Carolina, marking a return to a state he spurned in June over its restriction of large gatherings due to the coronavirus. The announcement is the latest development in Trump’s Republican National Convention walk-back and comes days after the president canceled his plans to host the convention's keynote events in Jacksonville, Fla. ‘I'll be in North Carolina, and that's a very big deal because we have a lot of the delegates there and that'll be a nomination process,’ Trump told WRAL, a Raleigh, N.C. television station. ‘And that's essentially where the nomination, where it's formalized. And I'm really honored to do it in North Carolina.’ Trump told WRAL he would announce the exact location of his acceptance speech in the coming week.”

Watchdog group says Parscale hid $170 million in payments - AP: “President Donald Trump’s reelection effort allegedly hid nearly $170 million in spending from mandatory public disclosure by routing payments through companies tied to his former campaign manager, a government oversight group said Tuesday. The use of firms linked to former campaign manager Brad Parscale masked the ultimate recipients of the money, which the nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center described as a ‘laundering’ effort that violates election law, according to a complaint the group filed with the Federal Elections Commission. Trump communications director Tim Murtaugh disputed the allegations and said the ‘campaign complies with all campaign finance laws and FEC regulations.’ Most of the payments by Trump’s campaign committees were made to American Made Media Consultants, which has received at least $177 million since 2018, according to FEC records. … The campaign said that American Made Media Consultants was formed to purchase advertising directly — and save money by not relying on middlemen.”

Trump spends 92 percent on defense - Bloomberg: “President Donald Trump is spending nearly all of his advertising money to keep states he won in 2016, playing a game of defense in areas a Republican incumbent should be able to count on. More than 92% of his state-based spending in the month of July is in states he won in 2016, according to a Bloomberg analysis of television advertising data compiled by Advertising Analytics. Joe Biden, leading in all national polls, is spending in seven key states that Trump won in 2016, too, banking on at least some of them swinging Democratic with widespread voter dissatisfaction over Trump’s handling of the coronavirus and the accompanying economic crash. … The spending data paints a very different picture than Trump himself, who boasts that he’s in strong shape for re-election and that a string of recent polls showing Biden leading comfortably are wrong. For an incumbent president to be defending so many once-friendly states is a sign of trouble.”

Alberta: Can White working-class voters rescue Trump? - Politico: “If he is losing badly among the two fastest-growing blocs of voters—minorities and college-educated whites –is there any hope for the president to win a second term? Yes, there is. And his reason for hope comes from a familiar place: the white working class. … There exists an assumption that because Trump cleaned up with noncollege-educated white voters in 2016 – winning them by a margin of 39 points…  – the president has maxed out his support among this much-mythologized group. But this is an assumption, not a fact. For one thing, there is evidence to suggest that while Trump won a bigger share of working-class whites than his predecessors, turnout among this group was higher in prior elections. Moreover, it’s not clear that Democrats have bottomed out with this group; the same polarization that continues to depress Trump’s upper-class white support could propel his working-class white support even higher.”

THE RULEBOOK: HEARTSTRINGS
“The government of the Union, like that of each State, must be able to address itself immediately to the hopes and fears of individuals; and to attract to its support those passions which have the strongest influence upon the human heart.” – Alexander Hamilton, Federalist No. 16

TIME OUT: PROMISSORY NOTE
History: “Following its ratification by the necessary three-quarters of U.S. states, the 14th Amendment, granting citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the United States — including formerly enslaved people — is officially adopted into the U.S. Constitution [on this day in 1868]. Secretary of State William Seward issues a proclamation certifying the amendment. Two years after the Civil War, the Reconstruction Acts of 1867 divided the South into five military districts, where new state governments, based on universal manhood suffrage, were to be established. Thus began the period known as Radical Reconstruction, which saw the 14th Amendment, which had been passed by Congress in 1866, ratified in July 1868. The amendment resolved pre-Civil War questions of African American citizenship by stating that ‘all persons born or naturalized in the United States…are citizens of the United States and of the state in which they reside.’ The amendment then reaffirmed the privileges and rights of all citizens, and granted all these citizens the ‘equal protection of the laws.’”

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SCOREBOARD
NATIONAL HEAD-TO-HEAD AVERAGE
Trump: 40.6 percent
Biden: 51.8 percent
Size of lead: Biden by 11.2 points
Change from one week ago: Biden ↓ 0.4 points, Trump no change in points
[Average includes: Fox News: Trump 41% - Biden 49%; ABC/WaPo: Trump 44% - Biden 54; Quinnipiac University: Trump 37% - Biden 52%; NBC News/WSJ: Trump 40% - Biden 51%; Monmouth University: Trump 41% - Biden 53%.]

BATTLEGROUND POWER RANKINGS
(270 electoral votes needed to win)
Toss-up: (109 electoral votes): Wisconsin (10), Ohio (18), Florida (29), Arizona (11), Pennsylvania (20), North Carolina (15), Iowa (6)
Lean R/Likely R: (180 electoral votes)
Lean D/Likely D: (249 electoral votes)

TRUMP JOB PERFORMANCE
Average approval: 40.8 percent
Average disapproval: 56.4 percent
Net Score: -15.6 points
Change from one week ago: ↑ 0.2 points
[Average includes: Fox News: 45% approve - 54% disapprove; ABC News/WaPo: 40% approve - 58% disapprove; Quinnipiac University: 36% approve - 60% disapprove; NBC News/WSJ: 42% approve - 56% disapprove; Monmouth University: 41% approve - 54% disapprove.]

GOT A WILD PITCH? READY TO THROW A FASTBALL?
We’ve brought “From the Bleachers” to video on demand thanks to Fox Nation. Each Wednesday and Friday, Producer Brianna McClelland will put Politics Editor Chris Stirewalt to the test with your questions on everything about politics, government and American history – plus whatever else is on your mind. Sign up for the Fox Nation streaming service here and send your best questions to HALFTIMEREPORT@FOXNEWS.COM.

FIRST DEBATE TO CLEVELAND AFTER NOTRE DAME NIXES
Cleveland Plain Dealer: “The first 2020 presidential debate will take place in Cleveland, hosted by Case Western Reserve University and the Cleveland Clinic. The partnership stepped in after the University of Notre Dame withdrew from hosting the Sept. 29 debate because of ‘the complexities COVID-19 created for its fall semester,’ according to a press release. … Whether or not there might be an audience for the debate ‘will depend on the status of the pandemic as the event moves closer.’ The 477,000-square-foot pavilion is a collaborative learning space for students from CWRU’s nursing, dental and medical schools. The joint project between the university and the Cleveland Clinic opened in the summer of 2019. The Cleveland Clinic has served as the health security adviser for the Commission on Presidential Debates on all of the fall’s debates.”

PERDUE UNDER FIRE FOR AD DEEMED ANTI-SEMITIC
Fox News: “The campaign of Republican Georgia Sen. David Perdue removed a digital ad attacking Democratic opponent Jon Ossoff amid allegations of anti-Semitism after a report said it included an image that had been altered to make Ossoff’s nose bigger. Ossoff, who is Jewish, claimed that the ad, which showed him and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., with the message, ‘Democrats are trying to buy Georgia!’ played on anti-Jewish stereotypes. Schumer is also Jewish. ‘Sitting U.S. Senator David Perdue's digital attack ad distorted my face to enlarge and extend my nose,’ Ossoff said in a statement. ‘I'm Jewish. This is the oldest, most obvious, least original anti-Semitic trope in history. Senator, literally no one believes your excuses. You can start with an unqualified apology to Georgia’s Jewish community.’”

Markey gets the Globe - The Hill: “The Boston Globe endorsed Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) in his primary battle against Rep. Joe Kennedy (D-Mass.), calling him a ‘progressive champion with a solid track record.’ The paper’s editorial board’s endorsement that came late on Monday pointed to Markey’s calls for environmental advocacy stemming back to the 1980s and painted him as one of the original champions of the environment. ‘Decades before CNN hosted its first town hall for presidential candidates devoted to climate change, and decades before Greta Thunberg, the Swedish teenage activist, was named Time magazine’s 'Person of the Year,' Markey worked to make the air we breathe cleaner and to stave off the catastrophic heat waves, droughts, and rising seas poised to displace millions of people around the world,’ the board wrote.”

MCCONNELL THROWS LIFELINE TO INCUMBENTS
National Journal: “Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell isn’t typically one to jettison half his conference. But with an election on the line, coronavirus aid is the exception. McConnell and senior senators on Monday unveiled their proposal for the next COVID-19 relief package, calling for liability protections and hundreds of billions of dollars in funding for health care providers, economic aid, and schools. In doing so, the Republican leader is prioritizing vulnerable incumbents up for reelection this year over the budget hawks who won’t face voters for another cycle or two. ‘Inaction is a nonstarter,’ said Scott Jennings, a former McConnell adviser. … More than a half-dozen Republican senators on the ballot this year are clamoring for action, including McConnell. On the Senate floor Monday, he proposed the collective package as a starting point for negotiations with Democrats. ‘The American people need more help,’ McConnell said. … Republicans’ introduction of legislation kicks off negotiations with Democrats, who have been eager to start with talks since the House passed a much larger relief package more than two months ago.”

Mnuchin, Meadows looking for a little love from Pelosi, Schumer - WaPo: “A fraught showdown over the next coronavirus relief bill got underway Monday as Senate Republicans unveiled a $1 trillion package and congressional Democratic leaders met with top White House officials. All parties faced a tight deadline for a breakthrough as expanded jobless aid benefits are set to expire later this week. The prospects for a bipartisan deal remained far from certain as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) met late Monday with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows to begin formal negotiations. The White House officials described the talks as productive and said they would resume on Tuesday, but Democrats left the nearly two hour meeting describing the initial GOP offer as inadequate.”

ADMINISTRATION SEEKS NEW INTERNET CONTROLS
Politico: “The Commerce Department petitioned the Federal Communications Commission on Monday to narrow the liability protections of online companies, as President Donald Trump directed in May in what he pitched as a crackdown on anti-conservative bias. Monday's petition includes a request that the FCC impose a regulatory requirement on social media companies, even though the agency doesn't regulate them. The FCC is an independent agency outside Trump's direct control, although he has nominated its five members. What the administration says: ‘It has long been the policy of the United States to foster a robust marketplace of ideas on the Internet and the free flow of information around the world,’ said Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in a statement. ‘President Trump is committed to protecting the rights of all Americans to express their views and not face unjustified restrictions or selective censorship from a handful of powerful companies.’”

Twitter swats Trumps again over corona claims - Politico: “Dr. Anthony Fauci on Tuesday dismissed dubious medical advice President Donald Trump shared on Twitter the previous evening, vowing to continue in his role as the country’s top infectious disease expert despite a new salvo of attacks from the White House. In an interview Tuesday morning on ABC’s ‘Good Morning America,’ Fauci promoted best practices for combating the coronavirus and repeatedly contradicted the president, who tweeted more than a dozen times Monday night in defense of hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for Covid-19. One of the messages Trump retweeted featured a video of a woman who claimed to be a Houston physician, surrounded by others in white lab coats outside what appeared to be the U.S. Supreme Court, advocating on behalf of the antimalarial medication and discouraging the use of face masks. That post has since been flagged by Twitter and removed from the president’s feed. Twitter also restricted Donald Trump Jr.’s account Tuesday after he shared a version of the same video.”

PLAY-BY-PLAY
Mayors want Congress to block Trump riot squads from cities - AP

AUDIBLE: NOT TRENDING
“No.” – Attorney General William Barr’s response when Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., asked him if he reads the president’s tweets during the House Judiciary committee oversight hearing Tuesday.

FROM THE BLEACHERS
“Your column has now become the tabloid of election coverage. Not a strange rumor nor ‘confirmed’ story escapes your purview. I now read it occasionally for its comic value as it is of zero value as a source of anything newsworthy.” – Ronald S. Lawrence, St. Cloud, Fla.

[Ed. note: Wouldn’t an actual old-fashioned tabloid political note be kind of a hoot -- I’m talking Weekly World News or the old-school National Enquirer. “ELVIS LEADS MICHIGAN REGISTRATION DRIVE FOR BIDEN” or “BAT BOY TO SEEK SENATE SEAT.” We may just have to do an edition like that for fun. As for your experience as a reader, I’m sorry for your troubles. Given your acid tone about the coverage, I assume you’re a Republican, or at least a Trump supporter. And there is no doubt that this has been a miserable year so far for the GOP and the president. A combination of rotten luck and serious mistakes have put the president behind the 8 ball in his re-election hopes. I don’t blame you for being sour, especially given the enthusiasm for Trump’s miseries that many in the political press regularly show. But as I often do, I would discourage readers from retreating into safe spaces or blocking their ears to what’s going on. Not only would you miss out on getting to see a comeback if one really does come to pass, but if one doesn’t, your misery would only be multiplied by ignoring reality. It’s no fun to follow a game when your team is losing, but that’s what the real fans do. In any case, I hope you find some use for our work beyond a sneering laugh -- but however you manage, we wish you well as find your way through this election year.]

Share your color commentary: Email us at HALFTIMEREPORT@FOXNEWS.COM and please make sure to include your name and hometown.

BEHOLD THE PON DEERE
Lincoln [Neb.] Journal Star: “The boat was a second-hand Beachcomber, 24 feet of pontoon and deck, stripped bare to become a floating dock. The riding mower was a tired John Deere with an even more exhausted engine. The two weren’t meant to marry, until the day they did. [Beatrice, Neb. native Ben Fitzwater] and his wife, Anna, had always liked to camp and canoe. …‘I decided I’m only going to use things I have at the house,’ he said. ... Like the Beachcomber, obviously, and then the not-so-obvious: the John Deere; and an old Heileman beer keg (and future gas tank); and a water pump and nozzle rescued from an old Hickman Volunteer Fire pumper. … He rigged the boat’s steering system, connecting a Yamaha 40-horse outboard to the tractor’s steering wheel. He mounted the throttle, added a stereo and turned the pump and nozzle into a water cannon, capable of shooting a 70-foot stream.”

AND NOW, A WORD FROM CHARLES…
“There is a black-and-white photograph of us, two boys alone. He’s maybe 11, I’m 7. … Marcel’s left arm is draped around my neck with that effortless natural ease — and touch of protectiveness — that only older brothers know.” – Charles Krauthammer (1950-2018) writing in the Washington Post on Jan. 27, 2006.

Chris Stirewalt is the politics editor for Fox News. Brianna McClelland contributed to this report. Want FOX News Halftime Report in your inbox every day? Sign up here.