USA

CHICAGO (AP) — Bantering during the final night of the Democratic National Convention, actor Julia Louis-Dreyfus and former presidential candidate Andrew Yang repeatedly got the name of “our current vice president” wrong. Was it “Mika Pints?” or “Paints?” Or maybe “Ponce,” Yang suggested.

“Oh, some kind of weird foreign name?” Louis-Dreyfus asked.

“Yeah, not very American sounding,” Yang replied.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The early months of Joe Biden’s third White House bid were marked with uneven debate performances and winding town halls in Iowa and New Hampshire. That contrast to the loquacious, eloquent young senator who first sought the presidency 33 years ago, struck even some friendly Democrats and fed the Republican narrative that the 77-year-old was no longer fit to lead.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House is convening for a rare Saturday session to address mail delivery disruptions, poised to pass legislation that would reverse recent changes in U.S. Postal Service operations and send $25 billion in emergency funds to shore up the agency ahead of the November election.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the Postal Service will be “election central” as she recalled lawmakers to Washington in a highly unusual election year as millions of Americans are expected to opt for mail-in ballots to avoid polling places during the coronavirus pandemic.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General William Barr said he would be “vehemently opposed” to any attempt to pardon former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, after the president suggested he might consider it.

The attorney general’s comments in an interview with The Associated Press come days after President Donald Trump said he would “look at” whether to pardon Snowden, who was charged under the Espionage Act in 2013 with disclosing details of highly classified government surveillance programs.

ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — President Donald Trump sought to cast a more positive light on his presidency Friday after four days of bashing at the Democratic National Convention, saying that where Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden sees “American darkness,” he sees “American greatness.”

NEW YORK (AP) — A federal appeals court said Friday it wouldn’t step in right away to delay New York prosecutors’ effort to get President Donald Trump’s tax records, potentially leaving the Supreme Court as his most promising option to block prosecutors’ subpoena.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied Trump’s request to immediately put Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr.’s subpoena on hold while Trump appeals to try to get it invalidated.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Lightning-sparked wildfires in Northern California exploded in size Friday to become some of the largest in state history, forcing thousands to flee and destroying hundreds of homes and other structures as reinforcements began arriving to help weary firefighters.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Just before receiving multiple consecutive life sentences, Joseph James DeAngelo, the former California police officer who lived a double life as the murderous sociopath dubbed the Golden State Killer, broke his silence to tell a hushed courtroom filled with victims and their family members that he was “truly sorry” for the crimes.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Postmaster Louis DeJoy on Friday told lawmakers that the Postal Service has not changed the way it handles election mail as he sought to assure the public that ballots would be handled “securely and on time” in the November presidential election.

But in his first appearance before Congress, DeJoy said he was considering “dramatic changes” to shore up Postal Service finances after the Nov. 3 election. DeJoy suspended existing cost-cutting measures on Tuesday after they led to widespread service delays.

(Reuters) - Facebook Inc is looking at post-election scenarios that include attempts by U.S. President Donald Trump or his campaign to use the platform to delegitimize the results, the New York Times reported on Friday, citing people with knowledge of the company’s plans.

Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg and some company executives are discussing a "kill switch" to shut off political advertising after the election is over to curb misinformation, the report added. (nyti.ms/3aLpH1e)