Tipsheet: Democrats optimistic about chances of winning Senate

View in your browser     Democrats optimistic about chances of winning Senate By Jordain Carney   Democratic senators are feeling increasingly optimistic about their chances of winning back the Senate majority in November. Republicans, with a 53-47 seat edge, have spent most of the cycle viewed as the front-runners for holding onto their majority, even though they were defending 23 seats to Democrats’ 12. Read the full story here     Where things stand in 13 battleground states By Jonathan Easley   The polls in battleground states are getting worse for President Trump. Read the full story here     Trump touts ratings for rally, Fox News town hall: 'These are the real polls' By Marty Johnson   President Trump on Saturday morning touted the television ratings from his campaign rally in Tulsa, Okla., last weekend and his town hall with Fox News's Sean Hannity this week. Read the full story here     White House denies it was briefed about Afghan militant bounties By J. Edward Moreno   White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany denied a Friday report from the New York Times that President Trump and Vice President Pence were briefed on American intelligence findings that Russian military operatives offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants to kill coalition forces in Afghanistan, including US troops, amid peace talks. Read the full story here       White House goes through dizzying change in staff By Morgan Chalfant   President Trump has replaced his chief of staff, press secretary, legislative affairs director and domestic policy adviser and retooled his communications shop in a span of about three months and will soon bid goodbye to two top economic advisers. Read the full story here     US hits 2.5M coronavirus cases as states tally record one-day highs By J. Edward Moreno   The U.S. reached over 2.5 million confirmed coronavirus cases on Saturday as several states experience record-breaking spikes of infections amid efforts to reopen the economy. Read the full story here     Florida sets another one-day record with 9,585 new coronavirus cases By Marty Johnson   For the third time in four days, Florida broke its record for new cases of COVID-19 in a day, with the Florida Department of Health reporting nearly 10,000 new cases on Saturday. Read the full story here     Trump renews vow on preexisting conditions after urging court to overturn ObamaCare By Tal Axelrod   President Trump on Saturday reiterated a vow to protect those with preexisting conditions after his administration asked the Supreme Court this week to strike down ObamaCare, Republicans' latest move to dismantle the health care law. Read the full story here     GOP seizes on 'defund the police' to galvanize base By Julia Manchester and Juliegrace Brufke   Republicans are seizing on calls to "defund the police" in down-ballot races across the country, taking their cues from President Trump’s criticism of the movement. Read the full story here     Mississippi state House votes to move forward with flag-changing legislation By Tal Axelrod   The Mississippi state House advanced legislation to change the Magnolia State’s flag, the last in the country to still include the stars and bars of the Confederacy. Read the full story here     Jonathan Turley: Think twice about why the media attacks William Barr By Jonathan Turley   OPINION | Two years ago, I criticized President Trump for his endless attacks on then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Now, Attorney General William Barr is being similarly attacked by Trump critics, and some media coverage shows the same kind of blind rage without reason. Read the full story here     How America's authorities lost their lockdowns By J.T. Young   OPINION | Coronavirus lockdowns are definitively ending; the question is why they failed. There is no single answer, but rather several, ranging from arbitrary to authoritarian. Looking back, the lockdowns were predestined to fail; looking forward, the authorities — government and expert — who backed them, all but ensured they will not return to the same degree. Read the full story here     The Washington Post: With Trump leading the way, record surge in new infections exposes failures in US response By Toluse Olorunnipa, Josh Dawsey and Yasmeen Abutaleb   As case numbers rise, a virus that has killed at least 123,000 Americans has revealed a crisis in governance extending from the Oval Office to state capitals to local city councils. Read the full story here     The New York Times: After asking Americans to sacrifice in shutdown, leaders failed to control virus By Sabrina Tavernise, Frances Robles and Louis Keene   As COVID-19 cases surge, it is clear many governors underestimated the coronavirus and rushed to reopen before their states were ready. Read the full story here     Reuters: Virus surges in US South, West; Pence cancels campaign events By Gary McWilliams and James Oliphant   Five states hit record daily highs for coronavirus cases on Saturday, and Vice President Mike Pence canceled planned campaign events in hard-hit areas as the virus surged in the U.S. South and West, halting economic reopening plans. Read the full story here     CNN: After weeks of protests, meaningful police reform appears unlikely By Josh Campbell   The dramatic images rocked the nation -- hundreds of thousands of people from all races taking to the streets across the United States, demanding an end to excessive police force against people of color. Read the full story here     The Associated Press: Biden slams Trump over reported bounties placed on US troops By Lynn Berry   Joe Biden attacked President Donald Trump on Saturday over a report that he said, if true, contains a “truly shocking revelation” about the commander in chief and his failure to protect U.S. troops in Afghanistan and stand up to Russia. Read the full story here         Did a friend forward you this email? 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