Monday Sunrise Briefing: When democracy hangs on snail mail

The buzz this weekend was all about trust in the November election results. For different reasons, Republican and Democratic leaders are questioning the credibility of mail-in voting. Democrats say President Trump is deliberately undermining a vote delivery system during a pandemic. But White House officials on Sunday said it was too late to safely expand vote by mail (beyond the nine states that now have universal mail-in voting). “If you have a tried-and-true system, where there are some security mechanisms built in, that’s acceptable,  President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner said on CBS’ “Face the Nation. “But you can’t have a new system and expect Americans to have confidence in the election.”

Sunday evening, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called lawmakers back from their August recess to vote this week on a USPS bill intended to address concerns about the mail delays. Mr. Trump is “sabotaging our democracy,” Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders claimed on NBC’s “Meet the Press. “I guess that he thinks that a suppressed vote, a lower voter turnout, will ... help him win the election.” The U.S. Postal Service said Sunday it would postpone removing its blue mailboxes in 18 states until mid-November. 

2. People-power protests. In two nations, some 4,600 miles apart, citizens took the streets Sunday demanding democratic change. In Thailand, some 10,000 turned out - the largest protest in years - in support of a peaceful student-led movement that has three core demands: hold new elections, amend the constitution, and end the intimidation of government critics. 

In Minsk, Belarus, President Alexander Lukashenko rejected calls for a rerun of last Sunday’s election in a speech to some 50,000 supporters. But a nearby counter-protest drew an estimated 200,000 people, an unprecedented show of support for the opposition. It was the eighth straight day of anti-government demonstrations. Mr. Lukashenko said Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed to send security assistance if Lukashenko asked for it.

Look Ahead

Monday, Aug. 17

Democrats convene, virtually. The U.S. Democratic National Convention begins today and runs through Thursday. Monday night’s scheduled speakers: Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Nevada Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, N.Y. Gov.  Andrew Cuomo, Michigan Gov. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina,  Rep. Gwen Moore from Wisconsin, Alabama Sen. Doug Jones, Vermont Sen.  Bernie Sanders, and former first lady Michelle Obama. 

High hoops. The first round of the NBA playoffs begin today with eight teams from the Western Conference and eight teams from the Eastern Conference playing at Disney World. No team has a home court. Four games will be played each day. 

Tuesday, Aug. 18

Women’s right to vote. The United States marks the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, giving women equal voting rights with men. 

Exercising democratic rights. People in Alaska, Florida, and Wyoming are expected to vote in primary elections. 

Thursday, Aug. 20

Meeting on the Med. German Chancellor Angela Merkel meets with French President Emmanuel Macron in his vacation residence on the Mediterranean, for talks on Europe's pandemic financial rescue plan, Brexit, and tensions in Belarus and between Greece and Turkey.

Big screens reopens. AMC, the world's largest movie theater chain, plans to reopen more than 100 theaters in the U.S. Admission price: 15 cents per ticket.

Friday, Aug. 21

European soccer finals.The UEFA Europa League finals pits Sevilla against the winner of the Monday match: Inter Milan or Shakhtar Donetsk. 

Generosity Watch

Nothing says generosity like free concrete. 

Let me explain. 

The McNeal family in Auburn Hills, Michigan, paid $26,000 to have a concrete ramp built to their house so that their wheelchair-bound granddaughter, Kaylee, could get in and out. 

Unscrupulous contractors spent four months building something that failed to meet the building code, and had no railings.

Jeremy Plunkett and Tiffany J. Snyder, owners of Bonnici Concrete in Utica, Michigan had nothing to do with the original installation. But when they heard about what happened, they decided, “We really need to do something about this," Mr. Plunkett  said.

This past week, Bonnici Concrete workers removed the poorly built ramp, and installed a new one, up to code. And they added a concrete apron in front of the garage. No charge. 

"They're my guardian angels. I just love them," Michelle, Kaylee’s mom, told Fox News in Detroit. 

Hidden gem

Start your week with a recent story that inspired Monitor readers:

How two Nigerian women are breaking into comedy’s boys club

Sneak preview

In tonight’s Daily Edition, watch for our story about the historic evolution of voting rights among nonwhite U.S. women. 

Finally, check out the Monitor’s selected stories from Friday's subscription-only Daily Edition:

1. Mideast ‘breakthrough’ a long-sought win for deal-maker Trump
2. For working women, a recession like no other
3. From life in prison to out on parole: One group easing the transition
4. ‘Don’t stop having optimism’: combat vets on surviving the pandemic
5. Waterboys frontman calmly waits for the lyrics to come. They always do.

Editor’s note: As a public service, all our pandemic coverage is free. No paywall.

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