Republicans on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee voted on Wednesday to greenlight subpoenas and depositions as part of an investigation into the FBI’s Russia probe and the Obama administration. 

The 8-6 vote along party lines authorizes Sen. Ron JohnsonRonald (Ron) Harold JohnsonRomney undecided on authorizing subpoenas for GOP Obama-era probes The Hill’s Morning Report – Sponsored by The Air Line Pilots Association – Trump, Biden couldn’t be more different on climate change GOP chairman to release interim report on Biden probe ‘in about a week’ MORE (R-Wis.), the chairman of the committee, to issue a combination of subpoenas and set up closed-door depositions with approximately 40 individuals. 

The vote comes less than two months before the November elections, injecting fresh acrimony into the Wednesday committee meeting where Johnson accused Democrats of a “coordinated smear” against his probes. Sen. Gary PetersGary Charles PetersGOP sees pressure on Pelosi as key to pandemic relief deal Congress needs to finalize space weather bill as solar storms pose heightened threat Senate panel to vote next week on authorizing subpoenas for Biden, Obama-era probes MORE (Mich.), the top Democrat on the panel, accused Republicans of a “partisan fishing expedition.” 

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“I’m disappointed that our committee is once again meeting to discuss the authorization of subpoenas instead … of the serious challenges facing Americans,” Peters said. “Your own public comments … state that your desire to reinvestigate these matters demonstrates the alarming partisan nature of this investigation, which is designed to influence the presidential election.” 

The vote gives Johnson the power to set up depositions with dozens of officials he previously got authorization to subpoena in June.

Peters’s efforts to delay the vote was defeated along party lines.

Those subpoenas ran into a snag in August, when Peters accused Johnson of violating the committee’s rules by trying to set up the interviews without support from Peters or a majority of the committee to formally issue the deposition notice.  

Johnson blasted Peters on Wednesday, accusing him of forcing the vote to authorize the depositions “based on an absurd interpretation of committee rules.” 

“Our investigation is focused on covering and revealing the truth, but Democrats seem intent at every turn to frustrate and interfere with our oversight efforts,” Johnson said.

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Wednesday’s vote also authorizes subpoenas of seven new individuals, including former Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabeAndrew George McCabeRomney undecided on authorizing subpoenas for GOP Obama-era probes This week: House returns for pre-election sprint Senate panel to vote next week on authorizing subpoenas for Biden, Obama-era probes MORE and Justice Department official Bruce Ohr.

The vote is the latest sign that Johnson is preparing to ramp up his probe into the Obama administration, including the FBI’s investigation into Russia’s 2016 election meddling, even as he is expected to release an interim report on his Biden probe as soon as next week.

Johnson is running two investigations with Sen. Chuck GrassleyCharles (Chuck) Ernest GrassleyTrump walks back aluminum tariffs on Canada Trump order on drug prices faces long road to finish line GOP chairman to release interim report on Biden probe ‘in about a week’ MORE (R-Iowa), the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. 

One broadly touches on the FBI’s investigation of Russia’s 2016 election interference, the transition between the Obama and Trump administrations and leaks from the early days of the Trump White House.

The second unrelated investigation deals with the State Department under former President Obama, Ukraine policy and the Bidens.

The committee had been expected to vote to give Johnson authorization to subpoena Bridget Brink, the U.S. ambassador to Slovakia, for questions related to Burisma Holdings, a Ukrainian gas company where Biden’s son Hunter Biden previously served on the board, and “actual or apparent conflicts of interest with U.S.-Ukraine policy.”

But Johnson pulled that vote, telling reporters that Brink had agreed to testify voluntarily.

It was unclear going into Wednesday’s vote if Johnson would be able to get support to issue the new subpoenas and set up the dozens of depositions.

Sen. Mitt RomneyWillard (Mitt) Mitt RomneyOvernight Defense: Trump hosts Israel, UAE, Bahrain for historic signing l Air Force reveals it secretly built and flew new fighter jet l Coronavirus creates delay in Pentagon research for alternative to ‘forever chemicals’ GOP short of votes on Trump’s controversial Fed pick Romney undecided on authorizing subpoenas for GOP Obama-era probes MORE (R-Utah) was undecided and voiced concerns on Wednesday about Johnson’s inquiries. The investigation involving the Bidens, he said, had the “earmarks of a political exercise.”

“I’m fearful that comments made in the media recently have only confirmed that perspective. … It’s not the legitimate role of government, or for Congress, or for taxpayer expense to be used in an effort to damage political opponents and therefore I am pleased that our votes today do not include additional authorizations relating to the, I’ll call it, Biden-Burisma investigation,” Romney said.

Johnson has repeatedly argued that his investigation involving Burisma Holdings and Hunter Biden is not aimed at undermining Democratic presidential nominee Joe BidenJoe BidenCoons beats back progressive Senate primary challenger in Delaware Biden courts veterans amid fallout from Trump military controversies Biden campaign manager touts ‘multiple pathways’ to victory MORE.

But he’s increasingly discussed the forthcoming interim report on his investigation in terms of the damage it could do to Biden’s political future. Romney on Wednesday did not directly mention Johnson but appeared to be referring to his recent remarks.

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“Stay tuned. In about a week we’re going to learn a whole lot more of Vice President Biden’s fitness for office,” Johnson told GOP activists in Wisconsin on Monday.

Johnson then told WCLO on Tuesday that “what our investigations are uncovering, I think, will reveal this is not somebody we should be electing president of the United States.”

The remarks sparked immediate backlash from the Biden campaign, who called it the latest sign from Johnson that the reason for his investigation isn’t congressional oversight but to go after Trump’s political enemies.

“Senator Johnson couldn’t have brought about a more decisive collapse of his own credibility or his Kremlin-infected smear campaign if he had deliberately planned it. Johnson has spent months diverting his committee away from any legitimate oversight of the failed pandemic response … [and] abusing taxpayer dollars to underwrite a foreign attack on our very sovereignty — an attack predicated on a conclusively refuted, hardcore rightwing conspiracy theory that depends on Sen. Johnson himself being corrupt,” said Andrew Bates, a spokesman for Biden’s campaign.

Romney, on Wednesday, said that he supported the deposition notices and new subpoenas as part of the separate FBI probe, because Johnson had already gotten the authority in June to subpoena most of the 40 individuals.

“I think it’s also important that because this has such obvious political implications that the committee investigation focus on the specific wrongdoing alleged by the inspector general’s report,” Romney said.

“I will continue that support as long as it doesn’t fall into the realm of rank political undertaking,” Romney added. “I do believe it’s very important that the committees of Congress, and ours in particular, fall into an increasing pattern that we’re seeing which is using taxpayer dollars and the power of Congress to do political work. That’s the role of campaigns.”

Updated at 11:44 a.m.

Human rights attorney Amal Clooney on Friday stepped down from her position as the United Kingdom’s special envoy on press freedom, saying in her resignation letter that she is “dismayed” over the government’s effort to breach international law. 

Clooney, in her letter sent to U.K. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, said that she found it “lamentable” that Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced a plan to override Britain’s international treaty obligations in the Withdrawal Agreement between the European Union and U.K., popularly known as “Brexit.” 

“I have been dismayed to learn that the government intends to pass legislation — the Internal Market Bill — which would, by the government’s own admission, ‘break international law’ if enacted,” she said.

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“Although the government has suggested that the violation of international law would be ‘specific and limited’, it is lamentable for the UK to be speaking of its intention to violate an international treaty signed by the Prime Minister less than a year ago,” she added.

Clooney, who is married to actor George Clooney, said she still firmly believes in “the importance of the media freedom campaign that the UK and Canada are leading,” but explained that “it has now become untenable for me, as Special Envoy, to urge other states to respect and enforce international obligations while the UK declares that it does not intend to do so itself.” 

Her resignation comes after Richard Keen, the British government’s law officer for Scotland, left his position Wednesday, saying he found it “increasingly difficult to reconcile” his obligations as a lawyer with provisions in the Internal Market Bill, according to BBC News. 

Last week, the government’s most senior lawyer, Jonathan Jones, stepped down as ministers prepared the bill for publication.

BBC News reported Friday that the EU has called on the British government to remove sections of the legislation that would give the UK the power to override agreements on the movement of goods between Northern Ireland and Britain, as well as subsidies for companies in Northern Ireland.

A federal judge blasted attorneys for the Trump administration on Monday after they failed to produce documents she had ordered concerning the U.S. Census Bureau’s plans to cut short its data collection.

The Associated Press reported that U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh chastised attorneys over the selection of documents so far provided to the court, most of which she said were already publicly available.

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Government attorneys reportedly told the judge that they were “not in a position to make that kind of statement” when asked further by Koh whether documents would be ready before the end of planned Census operations later this month.

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The same judge previously ordered the Census Bureau to temporarily halt plans to wind down counting operations. On Monday, Koh reportedly questioned whether Census officials were making plans to ensure that Americans living in zones under evacuation orders due to the California wildfires would be accurately counted.

“Are you saying, ‘We are cutting our losses and we don’t care?’” Koh said Monday, according to the AP. “What is the Census Bureau planning to do?”

A separate court also ruled last week that the Trump administration could not refuse to count undocumented citizens as part of the Census, a move that likely would have negatively impacted congressional representation in districts were many undocumented citizens live.

“The President is not free to substitute his own view of what is most ‘consonant with the principles of representative democracy’ for the view that Congress already chose,” wrote a three-judge panel in its unanimous decision.

Democratic officials including New York’s attorney general, Letitia James (D), have opposed the Trump administrations changes to the Census over allegations that the president was seeking to target communities seen as Democratic strongholds.

“President TrumpDonald John TrumpDemocrats, advocates seethe over Florida voting rights ruling Russian jets identified in Trump campaign ad calling for support for the troops Democratic Senate candidate ‘hesitant’ to get COVID-19 vaccine if approved this year MORE’s repeated attempts to hinder, impair, and prejudice an accurate census and the subsequent apportionment have failed once again,” James told The Hill on Thursday.

“The courts have ruled in our favor on every census matter in the last two years and continually rejected President Trump’s unlawful efforts to manipulate the census for political purposes,” she added.

A federal court on Wednesday refused to block Vermont’s plans to mail all active voters a ballot for the November election.

U.S. District Judge Geoffrey Crawford rejected a motion for a preliminary injunction blocking the plan, giving the five Vermont citizens challenging the voting system 30 days to file a notice of appeal, according to The Associated Press.

“A vote cast by fraud or mailed in by the wrong person has a mathematical impact on the final tally and thus on the proportional effect of every vote, but no single voter is specifically disadvantaged,” Crawford wrote, according to VTDigger.

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“We remain on the right course of action: planning for the worst by sending a ballot to all voters, so that no voter needs to choose between protecting their health and exercising their Constitutional right to vote,” Secretary of State Jim Condos (D) said in a statement.

Plaintiffs included state Rep. Brian Smith (R), former state Rep. Robert Frenier (R) and Tracey Martel, the clerk for the town of Victory. They argued that ballots could be cast improperly, “diluting” the votes of other Vermonters.

“Of all people likely to be confused about how to vote, these five plaintiffs must be the last on the list,” Crawford wrote.

Ballots are scheduled to go out beginning Sept. 21. Condos said this week that all voters should have received theirs by Oct. 1.

“We’re focused on harm to the individual,” said David Warrington, the plaintiffs’ lawyers. “That is a harm that is concrete. That is addressable by courts.”

Philip Back, who represented Condos’s office in the lawsuit, said the plan would not deprive anyone of their right to vote.

“Having two ballots isn’t a problem,” he said, according to the AP. “It’s the voting twice that’s a problem, and we have systems in place to prevent that.”

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Outgoing U.S. Ambassador to China Terry Branstad slammed Beijing over its response to the coronavirus in an interview with CNN.

Branstad echoed criticisms made by President TrumpDonald John TrumpHR McMaster says president’s policy to withdraw troops from Afghanistan is ‘unwise’ Cast of ‘Parks and Rec’ reunite for virtual town hall to address Wisconsin voters Biden says Trump should step down over coronavirus response MORE and Secretary of State Mike PompeoMichael (Mike) Richard PompeoHillicon Valley: FBI chief says Russia is trying to interfere in election to undermine Biden | Treasury Dept. sanctions Iranian government-backed hackers Treasury Dept. sanctions Iranian government-backed hackers The Hill’s Morning Report – Sponsored by The Air Line Pilots Association – Pence lauds Harris as ‘experienced debater’; Trump, Biden diverge over debate prep MORE, who are calling for accountability from Beijing for what they consider downplaying the virus early on. 

He said that “what could have been contained in Wuhan ended up becoming a worldwide pandemic.”

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“[The] Chinese system was such that they covered it up and even penalized the doctors who pointed it out at the beginning,” Branstad said.

“It’s really, I think, the communist system of China and their unwillingness to admit wrongdoing. That caused this whole thing to happen. And that’s the tragedy of it,” he added.

Branstad, a former Iowa governor who has served as ambassador to China since 2017, announced this week that he will be returning from the country in October. 

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His departure comes amid rising tension between Beijing and Washington over the coronavirus pandemic and other issues, including trade and the Chinese-owned app TikTok.

Iran reported more than 3,000 new coronavirus cases on Friday, making it the highest daily increase recorded in the country since June. 

The Iranian health department also reported 144 new deaths, bringing the country’s total COVID-19 death toll 23,952, according to the Islamic Republic News Agency. 

Reuters reported Friday that Iranian Deputy Health Minister Iraj Harirchi warned on state television that the country should be placed on the highest level of alert. 

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“The color classification doesn’t make sense anymore. We no longer have orange and yellow. The entire country is red,” Harirchi said. “If the current course continues, the death toll will reach 45,000.”

Iran, which now has a total of more than 400,000 reported COVID-19 cases, was one of the first countries to be hit hard by the pandemic. 

Some analysts believe the Iranian government has not recorded the full number of cases in its official count, with The Associated Press reporting in April that researchers in the Iranian Parliament suggested the death count was likely double what health officials were reporting at the time. 

Last month, an investigation by a BBC Persian service claimed that the number of coronavirus deaths in Iran was nearly triple what the government was reporting. 

According to the BBC, the official numbers still make Iran the worst-hit country in the Middle East.

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Welcome to Hillicon Valley, The Hill’s newsletter detailing all you need to know about the tech and cyber news from Capitol Hill to Silicon Valley. If you don’t already, be sure to sign up for our newsletter with this LINK.

Welcome! Follow our cyber reporter, Maggie Miller (@magmill95), and tech reporter, Chris Mills Rodrigo (@chrisismills), for more coverage.

ORACLE SEALS THE DEAL: Oracle on Monday confirmed a deal with TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to become a “trusted technology provider.”

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The proposed arrangement was submitted to the Treasury Department over the weekend.

Oracle’s confirmation of the previously reported deal comes just ahead of the deadline for divestiture set by the Trump administration in an executive order.

Treasury Secretary Steven MnuchinSteven Terner MnuchinHillicon Valley: Oracle confirms deal with TikTok to be ‘trusted technology provider’ | QAnon spreads across globe, shadowing COVID-19 | VA hit by data breach impacting 46,000 veterans On The Money: Battle over timing complicates Democratic shutdown strategy | Biden’s plans would increase revenue by T, spending by T, analysis says | Mnuchin: Now is not the time to worry about deficits Pelosi defends not speaking to Trump for almost a year MORE told CNBC Monday morning that the government plans to review the deal this week.

“I will just say from our standpoint, we’ll need to make sure that the code is, one, secure, Americans’ data is secure, that the phones are secure and we’ll be looking to have discussions with Oracle over the next few days with our technical teams,” he said.

A spokesperson for TikTok confirmed that the proposal was submitted, which “we believe would resolve the Administration’s security concerns.”

“This proposal would enable us to continue supporting our community of 100 million people in the US who love TikTok for connection and entertainment, as well as the hundreds of thousands of small business owners and creators who rely upon TikTok to grow their livelihoods and build meaningful careers,” the spokesperson told The Hill.

Details about what Oracle’s role as a “trusted technology provider” would mean in practice have not yet been shared.

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Read more here.

HAWLEY HAS CONCERNS ON TIKTOK PROPOSAL: Sen. Josh HawleyJoshua (Josh) David HawleyHillicon Valley: Oracle confirms deal with TikTok to be ‘trusted technology provider’ | QAnon spreads across globe, shadowing COVID-19 | VA hit by data breach impacting 46,000 veterans Hawley calls on CFIUS to reject Oracle-TikTok deal Health care in the crosshairs with new Trump Supreme Court list MORE (R-Mo.) urged the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) on Monday to reject a proposal in which Oracle would become TikTok’s partner.

The two companies over the weekend submitted a deal with ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, where Oracle would be the short-form video app’s “trusted technology provider” to the Treasury Department.

CFIUS, an interagency body that deals with national security concerns stemming from transactions involving overseas companies, will now have to review the deal before approving it.

The deal with the wildly popular social media app was forced by two executive orders blocking American companies from dealing with ByteDance and pressing for the divestiture of TikTok’s U.S. operations.

The justification for President TrumpDonald John TrumpDemocrats, advocates seethe over Florida voting rights ruling Russian jets identified in Trump campaign ad calling for support for the troops Democratic Senate candidate ‘hesitant’ to get COVID-19 vaccine if approved this year MORE‘s executive orders was the nebulous national security threat posed by TikTok’s parent company being based in China.

Hawley raised concerns in Monday’s letter that the proposed partnership — details of which have not been made available — would not address the threat of the Chinese government accessing user data or pushing messaging on TikTok.

“China’s repressive intelligence laws, which allow the seizure of data from Chinese companies like ByteDance if the Chinese Communist Party comes knocking, still remain in force,” the Missouri lawmaker wrote. “And that is why any corporate shell game that leaves TikTok in the hands of ByteDance will simply perpetuate the original problem, leaving U.S. national interests and everyday users at serious risk.”

Hawley argued that the phrasing of the agreement suggests that ByteDance has “no intention whatsoever of relinquishing ultimate control of TikTok.”

Read more here.

CONSPIRACY THEORIES ON THE RISE: The QAnon movement is spreading around the world, turning an outlandish conspiracy theory revolving around President Trump into one of the nation’s most dangerous exports.

Flags and banners brandishing one of the conspiracy’s mottos — “WWG1WGA,” an acronym for “where we go one, we go all” — dotted the crowd at a rally against lockdowns in Germany last month.

And when Trump visited Japan in 2019, he was greeted by cardboard cutouts of the letter Q.

These aren’t just isolated instances either. Researchers have found large QAnon communities in more than 70 countries. 

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The original conspiracy theory was tightly focused on an alleged cabal of “deep state” figures and Hollywood elites running child trafficking rings that Trump was working with the military to expose. But it has since evolved into a meta-conspiracy theory that pushes its anti-institution and anti-Semitic strains more explicitly.

Experts who spoke with The Hill about the theory’s spread said it has become worse because of the coronavirus, which itself is the subject of many conspiracy theories. This helped create a perfect storm fostering distrust in established government and public health institutions.

“Pandemics fuel a lot of questions and make people very skeptical, especially in cases when what we would consider to be credible and trustworthy institutions all of a sudden themselves don’t seem to have the right answers or are not aligned on how to manage the situation,” Anna-Sophie Harling, head of media evaluation startup NewsGuard’s Europe team, said in an interview.

“Conspiracies are rooted in the idea that we’re all being lied to by some greater authority or voice and QAnon perfectly ties into that.”

The hyper-viral short documentary “Out of the Shadows” fueled baseless theories linking the coronavirus’s origins to Bill Gates, 5G towers and the World Health Organization, Alex Newhouse, digital research lead at the Center on Terrorism, Extremism, and Counterterrorism at the Middlebury Institute, told The Hill.

And as institutional distrust grew, QAnon, which pushed a lot of the disinformation in the first place, was able to grab a foothold.

Read more here.

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VA HIT BY DATA BREACH: The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced Monday that the personal information of around 46,000 veterans was accessed in a recent data breach.

The news came after the agency’s Financial Services Center discovered that an unauthorized user had accessed an application used to help veterans pay for medical care and diverted funds meant for community health providers.

The individuals behind the breach used social engineering tactics to access accounts, according to the VA, along with exploiting authentication protocols. The VA noted that access to the breached system has been disabled until the agency’s Office of Information Technology is able to conduct a review.

The agency has begun sending letters to veterans impacted by the breach as well as next-of-kin notifications for those who are no longer alive and is offering free credit monitoring to those whose Social Security numbers were compromised. 

The VA did not provide details on who was behind the hack or how many Social Security numbers were potentially compromised. 

Read more here.

HOUSE APPROVES SECURITY LEGISLATION: The House on Monday passed legislation to improve the security of federal internet-connected devices, with the bill garnering bipartisan support. 

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The Internet of Things (IoT) Cybersecurity Improvement Act, passed unanimously by the House, would require all internet-connected devices purchased by the federal government — including computers, mobile devices, and other products with the ability to connect to the internet — to comply with minimum security recommendations issued by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. 

The legislation would also require private sector groups providing devices to the federal government to notify agencies if the internet-connected device has a vulnerability that could leave the government open to attacks. 

The bill is sponsored in the House by Reps. Robin KellyRobin Lynne KellyHillicon Valley: Oracle confirms deal with TikTok to be ‘trusted technology provider’ | QAnon spreads across globe, shadowing COVID-19 | VA hit by data breach impacting 46,000 veterans House approves bill to secure internet-connected federal devices against cyber threats Races heat up for House leadership posts MORE (D-Ill.), Will HurdWilliam Ballard HurdHillicon Valley: Oracle confirms deal with TikTok to be ‘trusted technology provider’ | QAnon spreads across globe, shadowing COVID-19 | VA hit by data breach impacting 46,000 veterans House approves bill to secure internet-connected federal devices against cyber threats House Democrats’ campaign arm reserves .6M in ads in competitive districts MORE (R-Texas), and over two dozen other bipartisan sponsors.

The bill was approved by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee last year. Committee Chairwoman Carolyn MaloneyCarolyn Bosher MaloneyHillicon Valley: Oracle confirms deal with TikTok to be ‘trusted technology provider’ | QAnon spreads across globe, shadowing COVID-19 | VA hit by data breach impacting 46,000 veterans House approves bill to secure internet-connected federal devices against cyber threats The Hill’s Morning Report – Sponsored by The Air Line Pilots Association – Trump, Biden renew push for Latino support MORE (D-N.Y.) said on the House floor Monday that the bill would help address the “silent war” that the U.S. government faces from hackers on a daily basis. 

“Currently there are no national standards to ensure the security of these connected devices,” Maloney said. “Protecting our nation from cyber threats is an ongoing, interactive process that requires established, baseline standards and constant vigilance.”

Read more here.

EMPLOYER OF THE YEAR: Amazon said Monday that it will hire another 100,000 workers, its fourth such run of hiring this year.

The positions will include part-time and full-time positions in both the U.S. and Canada, according to Reuters. The retail giant is opening 100 new warehouse and operations locations in September, and several of the newly-created positions will reportedly be at the new locations.

The company has thrived during the coronavirus pandemic as consumers increasingly rely on home delivery. Amazon saw its revenue shoot up by 40 percent in the last quarter and it recorded high profits. 

“We will continue to deploy technology where appropriate, starting from a safety perspective [and] where we can improve our overall operation,” Alicia Boler Davis, Amazon’s vice president of global customer fulfillment, told Reuters.

Boler Davis declined to say whether automation will mean fewer workers per warehouse are needed.

“We don’t look at it as an ‘either/or,’” she told Reuters.

The announcement comes the same month that the company announced 33,000 job openings, primarily in its corporate and technology divisions. Earlier in the spring, Amazon also announced a total of 175,000 new operations positions.

Read more here.

LEFT THE BUILDING: President Trump for a second day in row aimed criticism at Matt DrudgeMatthew (Matt) Nathan DrudgeHillicon Valley: Oracle confirms deal with TikTok to be ‘trusted technology provider’ | QAnon spreads across globe, shadowing COVID-19 | VA hit by data breach impacting 46,000 veterans Trump tweets his people have all left Drudge Trump: Drudge no longer ‘hot’ MORE and The Drudge Report on Monday, claiming all of his supporters had abandoned the pioneering conservative news aggregator.

“Our people have all left Drudge. He is a confused MESS, has no clue what happened,” Trump tweeted Monday. “Down 51%. @DRUDGE  They like REVOLVER and others!”

It was unclear what the 51 percent figure referenced, but on Sunday Trump tweeted a blog post claiming traffic to The Drudge Report had declined 40 percent.

While Drudge was a major figure in the development of the online conservative media ecosystem, Trump and his allies have been increasingly critical of him.

Read more here.

Lighter click: Who told you you’re allowed to rain on my parade 

An op-ed to chew on: Congress needs to prioritize government digital service delivery

NOTABLE LINKS FROM AROUND THE WEB:

‘It’s out of control’: How QAnon undermines legitimate anti-trafficking efforts (HuffPost / Jesselyn Cook)

‘This is f—ing crazy’: Florida Latinos swamped by wild conspiracy theories (Politico / Sabrina Rodriguez and Marc Caputo)

Facebook is turning a blind eye to global political manipulation, according to this explosive secret memo (BuzzFeed News / Craig Silverman, Ryan Mac and Pranav Dixit)

How ‘Cuties’ is fueling the far right’s obsession with pedophilia (Rolling Stone / EJ Dickson)

‘I have blood on my hands’: A whistleblower says Facebook ignored global political manipulation (Buzzfeed / Craig Silverman, Ryan Mac, and Pranav Dixit)

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Lawyers for Eric TrumpEric Frederick TrumpEric Trump says he will comply with New York AG’s subpoena only after Election Day Trump luxury properties have charged US government .1M since inauguration: report NFL struggles with message of ‘unity’ in opening week MORE said the president’s son is willing to comply with a subpoena issued by New York Attorney General Letitia James (D), but only after the upcoming presidential election to avoid “any appearance of politicizing” the process, according to a Thursday court filing. 

Eric Trump’s attorneys wrote in a filing Thursday that they have “made it clear that he is willing to appear” and provided four available dates after the Nov. 3 election. 

They wrote that they are requesting dates after the election because of Eric Trump’s “extreme travel schedule and related unavailability,” as well as to “avoid the use of his deposition attendance for political purposes.”  

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“In this regard we note that the OAG investigation has been ongoing for approximately 18 months, and that additional examinations are scheduled in october 2020 for certain other individuals,” the filing states, adding that they proposed dates two weeks after Election Day. 

“Given all the circumstances and the fact that counsel’s requested dates are, for all practical purposes, just 30 days after other scheduled depositions, and given the importance of avoiding any appearance of politicizing the investigatory process, we respectfully submit that the proposed dates are reasonable,” the filing continued. 

James asked a judge to force Eric Trump and the Trump Organization to comply with subpoenas last month as part of her office’s investigation into whether President TrumpDonald John TrumpHR McMaster says president’s policy to withdraw troops from Afghanistan is ‘unwise’ Cast of ‘Parks and Rec’ reunite for virtual town hall to address Wisconsin voters Biden says Trump should step down over coronavirus response MORE illegally inflated his assets to attract investors and earn loans. 

In response to the Thursday filing, James said “no one is above the law, period.”

“While we cannot comment on the particular steps we’re taking on specific litigation, we won’t allow any entity or individual to dictate how our investigation will proceed or allow anyone to evade a lawful subpoena,” the attorney general said in a statement. 

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James accused Eric Trump last month of refusing to comply with a subpoena for his testimony and alleged that the Trump Organization and its lawyers are improperly invoking attorney-client privilege to shield thousands of documents from investigators. 

Lawyers representing Eric Trump and the Trump Organization pushed back on James’s argument, writing in the Thursday filing that the client is properly asserting the attorney-client privilege. 

The New York attorney general opened the investigation in March 2019, after President Trump’s former attorney Michael CohenMichael Dean CohenEric Trump says he will comply with New York AG’s subpoena only after Election Day Former model accuses Trump of sexually assaulting her at 1997 U.S. Open Michael Cohen: Trump taxes would reveal ‘wealth is not as significant’ as he says MORE testified to Congress that the president had altered the value of his assets in financial statements in order to get loans, better insurance rates and tax breaks.

The coronavirus has caused a delay in researching alternatives to using cancer-linked chemicals in military firefighting foam, the director of the Defense Department’s Strategic Environment Research and Development Program said Tuesday.

Director Herb Nelson referenced the delay when asked by Rep. Mo BrooksMorris (Mo) Jackson BrooksOvernight Defense: Trump hosts Israel, UAE, Bahrain for historic signing l Air Force reveals it secretly built and flew new fighter jet l Coronavirus creates delay in Pentagon research for alternative to ‘forever chemicals’ OVERNIGHT ENERGY: House Democrats tee up vote on climate-focused energy bill next week | EPA reappoints controversial leader to air quality advisory committee | Coronavirus creates delay in Pentagon research for alternative to ‘forever chemicals’ Coronavirus creates delay in Pentagon research for alternative to ‘forever chemicals,’ official says MORE (R-Ala.) about whether the possible alternatives will be safer than the currently used chemicals called PFAS. 

“It’s too early to answer that question. We’re just getting started. Normally, on this day, I could give you some early indicators, but like everyone else on this Earth, they’ve really taken a delay because of the COVID situation,” Nelson said. 

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“Many of the people are out of their laboratories, so maybe they’re six months further behind than we would expect them to be,” he added.

PFAS chemicals are a class of cancer-linked substances that are also sometimes called “forever chemicals” because of their persistence in the human body and in nature. They’re found in a variety of products, including firefighting foam that’s used by the military. 

However, the military will be prohibited from using foams containing PFAS after Oct. 1, 2024, due to a provision in a past National Defense Authorization Act bill.

During a House hearing on Tuesday, Nelson also said that the environmental impacts of potential substitutes for firefighting foam were being tested at the same time as the products’ firefighting abilities, an unusual step taken to meet the 2024 deadline.

Also at the hearing, Maureen Sullivan, the Pentagon’s deputy assistant secretary of Defense for acquisition and sustainment, said that the department would begin testing the blood of the firefighters it employs for PFAS this October.