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Above the Fold

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• According to Fox News:“ The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected a request to block a Florida law requiring those who have been convicted of felonies and served their sentences to pay outstanding fines and fees owed in connection with their cases before voting. The court’s order keeps the law in place heading into the state’s primary election for non-presidential races, which is scheduled for Aug. 18 with a registration deadline of July 20.” Democrats have increasingly and sinisterly courted felon voters because, commensurate with the way they treat black voters, felons represent a powerful voter bloc. Thankfully, the Supreme Court is permitting Florida to mitigate the Democrats’ scheme.

• “Democrats and Republicans need to resolve several disputes about what to include in a developing coronavirus relief bill as the pandemic wreaks havoc across the United States and financial lifelines are set to expire, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday,” CNBC reports. In the words of Pelosi: “First it was going to be no bill. And then it was going to be some little bill. Now it’s $1.3 [trillion]. That’s not enough.” The mind-blowing federal deficit suggests otherwise, but in any event, The Washington Post adds, “The White House is insisting that Congress include a payroll tax cut as part of the next coronavirus stimulus package.” That, our Mark Alexander has argued, is how to achieve real COVID relief.

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Government & Politics

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• Donald Trump’s list of 42 disastrous things Joe Biden would do as president (Breitbart)

• Republican National Committee restricts convention attendance over virus concerns (AP)

• Attorney General William Barr deservedly slams Hollywood and Big Tech for “kowtowing” to the Chinese Communist Party (The Federalist)

• The media are just plain lying about Kayleigh McEnany “science” quote (Washington Examiner)

• USA Today "corrects" (by which we mean absurdly renders “INCONCLUSIVE”) ridiculous “fact check” comparing Trump campaign shirt to Nazi iconography (Washington Examiner)

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Health

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• U.S. drug overdose deaths resurge to a record 72,000 in 2019 (The New York Times)

• Who’d a thunk it? Vaping rate among naturally rebellious youth increased with anti-vaping campaigns (Competitive Enterprise Institute)

• Florida and Texas both set coronavirus death records Thursday — but both are still far short of New York and New Jersey (Forbes)

• Even mild obesity linked to severe coronavirus infection and death (Newsweek)

• Radiation emerges as an intriguing — and divisive — treatment for COVID-19 (STAT)

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Business & Economy

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• U.S. workers filed 1.3 million jobless claims last week as pandemic intensifies (National Review)

• Fixed 30-year mortgage rates fall below 3% for the first time ever (UK Daily Mail)

• Retail sales pop 7.5% — more than expected in June (CNBC)

• Additional hospitals face bankruptcy due to moratorium on elective surgeries and ER volume drop (Washington Examiner)

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Culture & Heartland

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• “Does not have the legal authority”: Georgia Governor Brian Kemp sues Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms over defiant face-mask order (NPR)

• But by all means, let’s concentrate on a harmless nickname! More than a dozen women allege sexual harassment and verbal abuse by former Washington Redskins team employees (The Washington Post)

• Three churches sue Governor Newsom after California bans singing in places of worship (Fox News)

• What could possibly go wrong? Prison populations down 8% amid coronavirus outbreak (AP)

• ViacomCBS fires rapper Nick Cannon for “hateful speech” and spreading “anti-Semitic conspiracy theories” (CNS News)

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World

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• Doh! Iranian spies accidentally leaked videos of themselves hacking (Wired)

• United Kingdom ISIS bride can return to country to challenge citizenship annulment after leaving for Syria in 2015, court rules (American Military News)

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Other Notables

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• New York City eliminated its anti-crime unit. Violent crime has surged. (The Daily Signal)

• Lockdowns and protests causing big spike in child trafficking (The Federalist)

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Closing Arguments

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• Policy: The State Department’s human-rights report marks a turning point (National Review)

• Policy: It’s time to elevate America’s trade relationship with Mongolia (The Daily Signal)

• Humor: White House adds cry room for fussy reporters (The Babylon Bee)

For more of today’s editors’ choice headlines, visit In Our Sights.

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