Spiegel Stuff: The Hill's 12:30 Report - Presented by Facebook - Trump raises idea of delaying election | Attacked mail-in voting | Pelosi quotes Constitution in response | Herman Cain dies from COVID-19 | US economy shrunk at record rate | Obama, Bush, Clinton speak at John Lewis's funeral | Lewis had written op-ed to be published today | Five takeaways from the tech CEO grilling

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THE NEW FIRESTORM THIS MORNING

‘Hey, we got a good thing going here. We don’t ~need~ an election, amirite?’:

President Trump casually floated the idea this morning of delaying the 2020 election, as he attacked mail-in voting. https://bit.ly/3jW7e6s

Trump tweeted: “With Universal Mail-In Voting (not Absentee Voting, which is good), 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history. It will be a great embarrassment to the USA. Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote???” https://bit.ly/337d3rG

Does he have the power to do that?: No, no he does not.

Keep in mind: “Trump, who is badly trailing presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden in national polls, framed the suggestion as a question and argued that with more mail-in ballots there would be more fraud.”

^Yes, but: “There is no evidence to support the idea that either absentee or mail-in ballots increases voter fraud. It also does not appear that there will be universal mail-in voting this fall, though some states require mail-in ballots.”

REACTIONS:

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) tweeted: “Article II, Section 1 of the Constitution states: ‘The Congress may determine the Time of choosing the Electors, and the Day on which they shall give their Votes; which Day shall be the same throughout the United States.’ ” https://bit.ly/39Dvvte

^Trending on Twitter: “President Pelosi.” Why: “Users [noted] that even if an election is delayed, Trump’s term in office would be up in January making Pelosi the next in line.” https://bit.ly/3geQxAS

The New York Times’s Peter Baker gave some context: “Lincoln did not delay elections during the Civil War. FDR did not delay elections during World War II.” https://bit.ly/3feKXwQ

From Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a Trump ally: “I don’t think that’s a particularly good idea,” Graham said, according to CNN’s Manu Raju. https://bit.ly/3f8COu0

From Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah): “Sen. Mitt Romney defended mail-in voting, saying it works ‘extremely well. The great thing about it is that you have a paper document that if you need to do a recount you don't have to worry about machines having been tampered with.’ ” (Also from CNN’s Manu Raju) https://bit.ly/2DoQuDR

HOW THE BATTLEGROUND MAP IS SHIFTING:

Via The Hill’s Niall Stanage, President Trump has been struggling to reshape the battleground map. https://bit.ly/3hRwvwy

How we know: “News on Wednesday that the Trump campaign has scaled down its TV advertising spending in Michigan is proof of how the 2020 landscape is shifting.”

How that could play out: https://bit.ly/3hRwvwy

It’s another hot Thursday in D.C. I’m Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Send comments, story ideas and events for our radar to cmartel@thehill.com — and follow along on Twitter @CateMartel and Facebook.

Did someone forward this to you? Want your own copy? Sign up here to receive The Hill's 12:30 Report in your inbox daily: http://bit.ly/2kjMNnn

A MESSAGE FROM FACEBOOK

Facebook's Summer of Support program helps small businesses

As many storefronts remain closed, Boost with Facebook's Summer of Support program is helping millions of people and small business owners gain skills and find resources they need to grow and transition online.

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NEWS THIS MORNING

Breaking — Herman Cain died from COVID-19:

Former Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain, 74, has died from coronavirus complications. https://bit.ly/39S0PER

Cain’s website editor Dan Calabrese posted: “You're never ready for the kind of news we are grappling with this morning. But we have no choice but to seek and find God's strength and comfort to deal... #HermanCain” https://bit.ly/2P79nOf

Last month: Cain attended President Trump’s rally in Tulsa, Okla. He was admitted to the hospital with COVID-19 10 days later.

Read the full announcement on HermanCain.com: https://bit.ly/3gg3SZx

TRIBUTES TO CAIN HAVE BEEN ROLLING IN:

https://bit.ly/2PbSLoN

JUST ON MONDAY, HIS STAFF TWEETED:

“We know it's been a few days since we last gave you an update on the boss. But he is still in the hospital being treated with oxygen for his lungs. In the meantime, the doctors say his other organs and systems are strong.” https://fxn.ws/2BHAbla

Great, another record we didn’t want to break:

Via The Hill’s Sylvan Lane, “The U.S. economy shrunk at a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 32.9 percent during the second quarter of 2020 as the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic spurred an economic collapse of record-breaking speed and size, the Commerce Department reported Thursday.” https://bit.ly/2Ere9Ee

Some context: “Between April and June, U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) shrunk at a pace that would have wiped out roughly a third of the value of the economy if extended over 12 months.”

The record: “It is the largest one-quarter plunge in economic growth since the federal government began reporting quarterly GDP data.”

AND UNEMPLOYMENT CLAIMS RISE:

“Initial unemployment claims rose for the second week in a row, coming in at a seasonally adjusted 1.4 million for the week ending July 25.” https://bit.ly/33bxd3Y

GETTING TRACTION

John Lewis wrote an op-ed to be published on the day of his funeral:

The late Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), whose funeral is happening today in Atlanta, wrote an op-ed for The New York Times shortly before his death. https://nyti.ms/315JLap

The op-ed begins: “While my time here has now come to an end, I want you to know that in the last days and hours of my life you inspired me. You filled me with hope about the next chapter of the great American story when you used your power to make a difference in our society.”

“Emmett Till was my George Floyd. He was my Rayshard Brooks, Sandra Bland and Breonna Taylor. He was 14 when he was killed, and I was only 15 years old at the time. I will never ever forget the moment when it became so clear that he could easily have been me. In those days, fear constrained us like an imaginary prison, and troubling thoughts of potential brutality committed for no understandable reason were the bars.”

Lewis’s full op-ed — it’s worth your time: https://nyti.ms/315JLap

WATCH LEWIS’S FUNERAL — IT BEGAN AT 11 A.M. EDT:

Who is speaking: Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and former Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama. Livestream: https://cs.pn/3geDdwf

A MESSAGE FROM FACEBOOK

Facebook launches Global State of Small Business Report

Together with the World Bank and the OECD, we surveyed businesses in 50+ countries and regions to understand the challenges they face and how we can support them.

Go further: Read the first report.

LATEST WITH THE CORONAVIRUS

Coronavirus cases in the U.S.: 4,431,399

U.S. death toll: 150,765

Breakdown of the numbers: https://cnn.it/2UAgW3y

AND GLOBALLY — CORONAVIRUS INFECTIONS TOP 17 MILLION:

https://bit.ly/3gr6ZOJ

Once we have a vaccine, here’s the challenge:

Via The Hill’s Peter Sullivan, “There are daunting challenges in making sure the U.S. has the millions of vials, needles and syringes needed to administer a vaccine nationwide, and some experts warn the Trump administration is not doing enough to lay the logistical groundwork.” https://bit.ly/3faiDfn

What could happen: “If production is not ramped up sufficiently, the country risks a repeat of the supply shortages that have plagued widespread COVID-19 testing, meaning more people would be waiting longer to get a vaccine even after it’s proven to work.”

FROM YESTERDAY’S TECH HEARING

Five hours of slow-roasted grilling:

The 5-hour highly anticipated congressional hearing with the chief executives of America’s biggest tech firms produced several memorable moments. Here are five takeaways: https://bit.ly/339ArVt

Lawmakers have collected a lot of info from Big Tech's competitors
Bezos’s first hearing
Republicans steer the discussion away from antitrust
CEOs get different levels of attention — “According to The New York Times, Zuckerberg was questioned just slightly more than the other tech CEOs, with Cook questioned the least.”
This could be a turning point

Context and details for each: https://bit.ly/339ArVt

These tweets are pretty funny:

A Twitter account has been rating home video backdrops and weighed in on yesterday’s tech CEO backdrops.

NOTABLE TWEETS:

This is pretty hilarious:

Watch: https://bit.ly/30dKjeR

ON TAP:

The House and Senate are in. President Trump is in Washington, D.C . Vice President Pence is in Pennsylvania today.

9:30 a.m. EDT: Vice President Pence leaves for Greensburg, Pa.

Noon: Vice President Pence speaks at a “Cops for Trump” event at the Greensburg Police Department.

1:30 p.m. EDT: The Senate votes on a nomination. The Senate’s full schedule today: https://bit.ly/3i2JJHd

2:45 p.m. EDT: President Trump tours the American Red Cross National Headquarters in Washington, D.C.

2:45 p.m. EDT: Vice President Pence tours the Guy Chemical Company in Somerset, Pa.

6:05 p.m. EDT: Vice President Pence lands in Washington, D.C.

6:30 – 8:30 p.m. EDT: First and last votes in the House. The House’s full schedule today: https://bit.ly/313PSf8

WHAT TO WATCH:

11 a.m. EDT: The funeral for the late Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga) in Atlanta. Livestream: https://cs.pn/3geDdwf

12:30 p.m. EDT: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) director Kathleen Kraninger testifies on protecting consumers during the pandemic. Livestream: https://cs.pn/39H1F7h

1 p.m. EDT: The Hill hosts a virtual event, “American Resilience: The Future of Small Business.” Featured speakers: Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Rep. Steve Chabot (R-Ohio). Livestream: https://bit.ly/2P2xXjo

3 p.m. EDT: President Trump participates in a roundtable on donating plasma. Livestream: https://bit.ly/3gpUNgM

3:05 p.m. EDT: Vice President Pence delivers remarks on the Trump administration’s economic policies. Livestream: https://bit.ly/3gfub2f

NOW FOR THE FUN STUFF...:

Today is National Cheesecake Day.

Move over, Popeyes and Chick-fil-A!

Well, maybe not yet. I’m just kidding. We love you. Don’t go anywhere. Seriously.:

Via Business Insider, “McDonald's drops its biggest hint yet that it will debut a new chicken sandwich to compete with Popeyes before the year is over, analysts say.” https://bit.ly/2Pa8SmE

And because you made it this far, here’s a pup who is just figuring out life at its own pace. Just keep doing your best, buddy!: https://bit.ly/2Xs0TpR