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President Donald Trump signed a pair of executive orders prohibiting U.S. residents from doing business with the Chinese-owned TikTok and WeChat apps beginning 45 days from now, citing the national security risk of leaving Americans’ personal data exposed. The bans mark a significant escalation by Trump in his confrontation with Beijing as the U.S. seeks to curb China’s power in global technology. With the U.S. election less than 90 days away, Trump is making his challenge of China a central theme of his campaign, where he trails Democrat Joe Biden in the polls. Shares of WeChat’s owner, China’s Tencent Holdings Ltd., fell as much as 10% in morning trading and sliced almost $70 billion from its market value. The offshore yuan weakened as much as 0.45%, the most in two weeks. Conservative Catholics call on Biden to break 'deafening silence' on anti-Catholic vandalism, arson Catholic churches hit with fires, beheadings of Jesus, Mary statues  Conservative Catholics called Thursday on former Vice President Joseph R. Biden to break his “deafening silence” on the recent targeting of religious statues and churches, accusing the Catholic Democrat of ignoring the leftist vandalism and arson. CatholicVote, a faith-based advocacy group, said Mr. Biden should “publicly condemn the disturbing rise in attacks on Catholic symbols, churches, statues and beliefs,” which include setting fires; beheading statues of Jesus and the Virgin Mary; pulling down statues of Father Serra, and painting Satanic symbols on churches. “Catholic churches across America are literally burning, and Joe Biden has said nothing,” said CatholicVote president Brian Burch in a statement. “Leading members of the Democratic Party have fueled a climate of hate against Catholics, and these attacks have now led to acts of vandalism and violence.” CNN Analyst Sees Trump 'Within Striking Distance' Of Biden CNN’s senior political analyst believes President Donald Trump is “within striking distance” of presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. In a commentary posted Thursday, analyst Harry Enten said Biden has had the “upper hand” in national and battleground state polls from May to July. “Yet, while Biden has maintained advantage, Trump has one thing going for him: His position is no longer deteriorating,” he wrote. “A look at the polls shows that even as coronavirus cases and deaths rise, Trump remains within striking distancing of Biden.” Unemployment rate fell to 10.2% in July, but job growth eases The unemployment rate dipped to 10.2% in July, the government reported Friday, as the labor market continued to improve from the coronavirus pandemic. Employers added a better-than-expected 1.763 million jobs last month, although job growth slowed from 4.8 million in June. The jobless rate has continued to decline from its high of 14.7% in April, during the worst of the economic shutdowns. White House eyes executive action on COVID relief as talks stall White House and Democratic negotiators emerged from their tenth covid-relief negotiation late Thursday still “very far apart” on major issues they need for a deal. Republicans have set Friday up as a new deadline for lawmakers to make significant progress on a larger relief bill, or President Trump will continue to move forward with his plans to use executive action. “I think there are a lot of issues we are close to a compromise position on but I think there are a handful of very big issues we’re still very far apart,” Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin told reporters. “If we conclude tomorrow that there is not a compromise position on the major issues the president has alternatives.”
'We're very far apart': Coronavirus relief negotiations left in uncertainty after Congress leaves for the weekend Negotiations over another coronavirus relief package tumbled into a state of uncertainty Thursday evening with congressional leaders and lead White House negotiators painting a grim picture on a path forward, even as millions of anxious Americans wait for vital financial relief. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., met for a 10th time Thursday evening with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows to hash out their differences over the next round of emergency funds. After three hours, both sides reported progress but also described a bleak portrait of the discussions that may stunt future meetings, even as pressure continues to mount for action to keep renters from being evicted and to help unemployed workers make ends meet. Both sides have pushed for a compromise by the end of the week, with White House negotiators and the president repeatedly threatening executive action if a deal isn't met. New York attorney general sues to dissolve NRA, sets up gun rights group for political damage New York’s attorney general filed a lawsuit Thursday to dissolve the National Rifle Association after an 18-month probe found the organization “fraught with fraud and abuse,” though the damage to the struggling gun rights group could be more political than legal. State Attorney General Letitia James accused top officials at the NRA of diverting millions of dollars of charitable donations made to the lobbying group and squandering it on family vacations, private jets and expensive dinners. Current and former executives “instituted a culture of self-dealing mismanagement” to benefit themselves and their families, causing the organization to lose $64 million in three years, Ms. James said. Black Lives Matter protesters could be jailed for LIFE BLACK Lives Matter protesters could be jailed for life after trashing a district attorney building during a demonstration. The Salt Lake City protesters could face up to life in jail if they're convicted of splashing red paint and smashing the building's windows last month. District Attorney Sim Gill inspects the damage to his office The felony criminal mischief charges are more serious because they carry a gang enhancement. Prosecutors said Wednesday that’s justified because the protesters worked together to cause thousands of dollars in damage, but watchdogs called the use of the 1990s-era law troubling, especially in the context of criminal justice reform and minority communities. Omar, Seeking 2nd Term, Is Targeted For Her Celebrity As Democrat Antone Melton-Meaux meandered through racks of headscarves and clouds of spice and pepper, he carried a pointed message to the voters he courted at the city’s largest Somali market: I want to focus on the work, not being famous. There’s no missing the target of the dig: Rep. Ilhan Omar. Omar, a liberal Democrat, made history two years ago as the first Somali-American elected to Congress and went on to make countless headlines for making controversial statements on Israel, for tangling with President Donald Trump and for a personal life that became tabloid fodder. All the attention has helped make Omar a progressive star, but it’s also drawn criticism and a surprisingly strong primary challenger in Melton-Meaux. The Black attorney and mediator is raising millions in anti-Omar dollars and shaking up what was expected to be an easy race. The heated primary is playing out in a city already wrestling with racial divisions and political identity. Melton-Meaux has drawn support from some traditional Democrats uncomfortable with Omar’s style — highlighting a generation gap that has dogged Democrats this year. He’s raised big money from pro-Israel groups with strong support in the city’s first-ring suburbs. And his bid has prompted a fight for votes in the Black and Somali-American communities, each roiled by this summer’s uprising over George Floyd’s death. Portland mayor unleashes police on violent demonstrations Warns protesters they're helping Trump campaign Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, who for weeks had blamed President Trump for fueling riots in his Oregon city, on Thursday acknowledged that the violence has continued even after the federal presence was curtailed, and told peaceful protesters to stay home. Mr. Wheeler, who is also the city’s police commissioner, said he’s authorized officers to “do whatever is necessary” to gain control after another night of rioting against officers. And he used a base political appeal to try to get the riots to stop, saying they’re inadvertently helping Mr. Trump. Leading the donkey by the tail Barack Obama would NEVER have run on a platform like this Defunding city police departments. Exploding murder rates. Free health care for illegal aliens. Crushing debt. Obliterating American history. For Democrat politicians, the era of American Exceptionalism is over. Welcome to the land of “Shelter in place!” The fear-mongering and demagoguery are enough to choke a mule. At least it would choke the mule that symbolized the old Democrat Party. Even the Democrat Party of just a few elections ago. Hidin' Biden stays in basement and skips Milwaukee Mentally compromised candidate hides from gaffes and plagiarism Hidin’ Biden announced this week that he would no longer travel to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to accept the Democratic presidential nomination. Instead, Joe Biden will accept the nomination in Delaware (presumably in his basement where he has mostly been hiding out for months). The former vice president spent much of 2020 hidden in the basement of his home away from the questions of the national press corps. Some of his critics blame it on his age (if elected, he will be 78 on Inauguration Day, while Ronald Reagan was 70 when he was sworn in as the 40th president). Others question Mr. Biden’s mental stability. Joe Rogan, who endorsed Sen. Bernie Sanders earlier this year, said on his podcast, “I believe there is also a large group of people that are very uncomfortable with a man who seems to be mentally compromised winning the election and doing so by hiding,” and went on to say, “He was just at another thing the other day and forgot where he was.”
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