
RUSSIAN BLOCKBUSTER. Senior DHS official said he was told to stop doing intelligence analysis on threat of Russian interference in 2020 election because it “made the President look bad.” “On July 8, Murphy said, acting Homeland Security secretary Chad Wolf told him that an ‘intelligence notification' regarding Russian disinformation efforts should be ‘held' because it was unflattering to Trump, who has long derided the Kremlin's interference as a ‘hoax' that was concocted by his opponents to delegitimize his victory in 2016.”

E. JEAN CARROLL. Department of Justice will defend Trump in rape/defamation case.
OSCARS. Academy announces new diversity and inclusion requirements for Best Picture.
BORAT 2. Apparently it exists and Sacha Baron Cohen has screened it.
NOBEL PEACE PRIZE. Trump gets nominated by Christian Tybring-Gjedde, a right-wing member of the Norwegian parliament. Kayleigh McEnany: “This is a big deal and it's well deserved. You cannot deny what has happened on President Trump's watch. … This president has created peace around the world, drew down endless wars, and this is a president who is very much deserving of the Nobel Peace Prize.”
ACROSS THE POND. England to ban gatherings of more than 6 amid second coronavirus wave. “The number of cases in Britain has begun to rise sharply again in recent days. Although testing is more widespread and the number of people in hospital is well below the peak of the outbreak, ministers fear it is beginning to slip out of control. … The previous limit on the number of people who could socialise together was 30.”
DAN COATS. Former director of national intelligence thought Putin “had something” on Trump.
TIM COOK. How the CEO got his start and transformed Apple into the world's most valuable company.
MUZZLED. Emails show HHS effort to stop Anthony Fauci from speaking about COVID risks to children.
ROBERT KIMMITT. Deutsche Bank hires friend of Attorney General Bill Barr: “Kimmitt's precise role isn't clear even to many executives within the bank. The view from Frankfurt, some of the people said, is that the bank's senior leadership brought him on earlier this year to bolster its presence in the U.S. capital, where, in addition to the criminal inquiries, Democratic lawmakers are scrutinizing the bank's relationship with one its highest-profile clients, President Donald Trump.”
RECIPE OF THE DAY. Schitt's Creek enchiladas.
HUMP DAY HOTTIE. Ivoy Colo.