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On this Election Day, take a moment to look at George Bingham‘s “The County Election.”

George Caleb Bingham painted a series of canvases celebrating elections in newly created states along the Western frontier.

The County Election by George Bingham.

Here, gathered around the polling place is a crowd of characters, including the happy drunk whose vote has been bought with liquor and the downcast loyalist whose candidate has lost and who bows his head with more than a hangover. The sole African American, excluded from the voting process, stands at the left edge of the canvas serving hard cider. Women are notably absent from the scene.

Bingham himself was a disappointed politician, denied election to the Missouri statehouse in 1846 by crooked dealing. He swore never to get involved in politics again, but, in the end, he found himself addicted to the competition, was elected a legislator in 1848, and served as state treasurer during the Civil War.

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“Why do we vote on Tuesdays?” via NPR — Buggies are to blame: [Historian Don Ritchie] says lawmakers reasoned that Monday was out because people would have to travel to the polls in their buggies on Sunday, the Sabbath (this is where the buggies come in). And in a mostly farming society, Wednesday wouldn’t work because that was often market day. So, Tuesday was the day, and that seemed to work great for 19th-century voters. “In the 1840s, elections were a big to-do — there was a lot of hoopla, there were parades,” Ritchie says. “Whole families would come on wagons from the farms; people would get dressed up for the occasion.”

For a Ted Talk on this very subject, click on the image below:

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There are several races on the primary ballot where the outcome is anyone’s guess, but Florida Influencers are mostly in agreement as to who’ll win in all but a few big contests on Election Day.

In what is arguably the most consequential primary on the ballot, the top political minds in the state put U.S. Rep. Ross Spano on upset watch in Florida’s 15th Congressional District.

The freshman Republican is getting hammered from the right and Democrats are salivating at the chance to take him down in he manages to eke out a win on Tuesday, yet only a third believe he’ll make it to November.

If Ross Spano should happen to defeat Scott Franklin, he will be lucky to make it past November.

The balance is backing Franklin, who picked up support from high-profile Republicans such as Polk Sheriff Grady Judd and U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, the latter of whom recorded a robocall blasting Spano as a “weak link” that could jeopardize Republicans’ chances of retaking the House.

In Florida’s 3rd Congressional District, Influencers say Cammack is a lock for the Republican nomination.

Her stock was highest among Democrats, with seven out of 10 saying she’ll emerge from the 10-person primary to succeed her former boss, U.S. Rep. Ted Yoho. She’s also the pick for 60% of Independents and 58% of Republicans. Clay County business owner Judson Sapp was the only other candidate to register among Influencers, with 32% saying he’ll pull out a win Tuesday night.

On the other side of the aisle, Influencers expect Reps. Jones and Polsky to join the Senate Democratic caucus next year.

Despite facing three former lawmakers in the primary, Jones is the pick to succeed Sen. Oscar Braynon in Senate District 35 for nearly 90% of those polled. Likewise, five in six Influencers say Polsky will overcome former Rep. Irv Slosberg’s million-dollar campaign and advance to the general in the open contest to replace Sen. Kevin Rader in Senate District 29.

— What others think —

“10 primary races to watch Tuesday” via Jim Saunders of the News Service of Florida — CD 15: Spano and Franklin; CD 19: Nine Republicans, including state House members Donald and Dane Eagle, are seeking the seat; SD 27: Rodrigues and Heather Fitzenhagen are locked in a fierce Republican primary; SD 29: Rep. Polsky and former Rep. Irv Slosberg; SD 35: The race has drawn six Democrats, including Reps. Jones and Barbara Watson, former Sen. Daphne Campbell and former Rep. Cynthia Stafford; HD 4: Rep. Kimberly Daniels faces Angie Nixon; HD 72: Republicans Donna Barcomb, McFarland and Jason Miller are competing; HD 88: Rep. Al Jacquet has drawn a list of opponents.

“Here are the key Central Florida races to watch in Tuesday’s primary” via Steven Lemongello and Martin Comas of the Orlando Sentinel — SD 9: Florida Democrats see District 9 as one of their best chances to pick up a Republican seat; Orange-Osceola State Attorney: Four Democrats are vying to replace Aramis Ayala — Deborah Barra, Monique Worrell, Ryan Williams and Belvin Perry Jr.; Orange Commission: Three of the seven members are running for reelection — but nobody is in a tougher fight than Betsy VanderLey. Orange Property Appraiser: Rick Singh faces Rep. Amy Mercado and Khalid Muneer. Orange County Sheriff: John Mina is facing a crowded field of reformers and career cops; Orange School Board; Seminole Tax Collector; Seminole Commission; Seminole School Board and Osceola Commission.

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Post-primary pop-up — On Wednesday, GrayRobinson is hosting a post-primary election virtual pop-up forum with a look at “Who’s In and Who’s Out” from Tuesday’s primary election. Moderated by Senior Government Affairs Consultant Kim McDougal, the featured presenters include Chris Carmody, Chris Dawson, Katie Flury, Jessica Love, Joseph Salzverg and Robert Stuart. The forum begins at 3 p.m., with further information here.

—@DanPfeiffer: The only polls that count are boat parades

—@JMartNYT: That a handful of former GOP electeds are willing to speak at a Dem convention is no small thing, even if the names aren’t terribly surprising. But the bigger reveal may be that three *sitting* GOP senators are publicly declining to support an incumbent Prez of their own party

—@WolfBlitzer: Another 1,029 Americans died yesterday from coronavirus. Some perspective: In mid-March, the U.S. & South Korea each had approximately 90 deaths. The U.S. now has 169,754 deaths. South Korea, with a population of 52 million, has 305.

—@Fineout: So how does an ACC school play football if the entire campus is online?

—@Gdebenedetti: Just heard from a teacher friend prepping for the school year: they’ve been told they can’t leave classroom doors open to promote better air circulation, because that would circumvent the school’s automatic locking system that’s in place for active shooter situations.

—@JoeFlechas: The eve of election night, the day journos use TK in copy more than any other

“Vote by mail in Florida primary already far exceeds 2016” via Brendan Farrington of The Associated Press — Florida will elect at least two new members of Congress this year, and the Republican primaries in two districts will likely decide who they will be. Florida has no statewide races on the 2020 ballot and voters are voting by mail in larger numbers, likely because of the coronavirus pandemic. Tuesday’s primary will largely involve legislative and congressional seats and contests for local office. As of Friday, 1.9 million people had already voted by mail and more than 370,000 people had cast ballots at early voting sites. The vote by mail totals far exceed the 2016 primary, when fewer than 1.3 million people voted by mail, and ballots will continue to arrive at election offices through Tuesday. Nearly 2.4 million requested vote-by-mail ballots had not been returned.

Republican U.S. Rep. Ted Yoho is vacating his office in a heavily GOP district. It’s one of two open congressional seats in Florida for 2020. Image via AP.

“Floridians return to the polls today for primary” via Allison Ross of the Tampa Bay Times — When Floridians last went to the polls in March, the coronavirus had just been declared a pandemic. No one could know then how much concerns over the virus would disrupt elections, let alone how pervasive the virus would become in everyday life. Elections officials scrambled at the last minute to find hand sanitizer and replacement voting sites and poll workers. Now, almost exactly five months later, it’s election time again. This time, county elections officials and voters alike have had months to think about how voting amid the pandemic should look. For many voters, that has meant opting to cast a ballot by mail rather than voting in person. As of Monday morning, more than 2.1 million mail ballots had already been cast for the primary, a significant jump from the 2016 and 2018 primary elections. About 555,000 voters had also opted to vote early, hoping to take advantage of light or no crowds.

Assignment editors — Secretary of State Laurel Lee will hold a media availability to discuss Florida’s 2020 Primary Election, 11:30 a.m., Gallery for Innovation and the Arts, R.A. Gray Building, 500 South Bronough Street, Tallahassee.

“Matt Gaetz calls for backup, urges CD 3 to vote for Judson Sapp” via Jordan Kirkland of The Capitolist — With one day remaining until the Republican primary for Florida’s 3rd Congressional District is decided, Gaetz made one final push to get voters in the district to pick Sapp to represent the GOP in the general election. The Florida rock star and ardent Donald Trump supporter sent out the message, calling on the voters of CD 3 to select Sapp to help “backup” Gaetz in Washington. “I need backup, and that’s why I need you to vote for Judson Sapp in tomorrow’s Republican primary for Congress,” Gaetz says. “Judson Sapp is a pro-Trump business owner, and he’ll help our president “Keep America Great.” Considered to be a front-runner in the race, Sapp has put together an impressive resume of prominent backers.

Tweet, tweet:

“Outside spending continues at a furious clip in CD 19 as Election Day nears” via Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics — Spending by outside groups continues to pour into Florida’s 19th Congressional District. Americans for Prosperity’s political arm, AFP Action, spent $111,952 to promote Naples RepublicanDonalds. The center-right PAC, connected to super-donor Charles Koch, endorsed Donalds in July. More than $62,1000 went to canvassing expenses, with other funding going toward digital ad production and political mailers in the district. The filing was disclosed in an Aug. 14 notice. They weren’t the only group aiming to influence CD 19 voters before final votes get cast in the Republican primary Tuesday. The American Liberty Fund on Aug. 14 disclosed putting in $21,236 for digital production and advertising, all of it earmarked for opposing Cape Coral Republican Dane Eagle. The group is tied to Topper Lewis, the president of Jupiter-based Fast Food Systems, and previously spent money promoting Donalds in the race.

“An exotic dancer, a nuclear engineer, a QAnon enthusiast and Laura Loomer: The GOP race to represent Donald Trump’s Palm Beach district” via Lori Rozsa of The Washington Post — In a congressional race where an acolyte of Roger Stone who’s been banned by Twitter and Facebook may not even be the most unconventional candidate, voters in the Republican primary for Florida’s 21st Congressional District have a rich array of choices. The six people competing in the Aug. 18 primary include a former burlesque dancer and wild animal exhibitor who did business in the same circles as “Tiger King” Joe Exotic; a Palm Beach neighbor of Mar-a-Lago who is supported by QAnon believers; and Loomer, a far-right commentator and anti-Islam activist who calls herself “the most banned woman on the Internet” and who once handcuffed herself to the front door of Twitter’s office in New York. There’s also an ex-cop, a nuclear engineer-turned college professor and a retired investigator for the IRS.

“Congressional District 5 candidates on Trump, health care and economic inequality” via James Call of the Tallahassee Democrat — Albert Chester and LaShonda J. Holloway are challenging incumbent Congress Al Lawson Jr.in the Aug. 18 primary to be the party’s nominee for the 5th Congressional District in the November election. In a candidate forum hosted by the Tallahassee Democrat, differences between Lawson and Chester emerged over how to improve access to health care, while Holloway parted from the others and specifically called for a $15 minimum wage. All three stated support for the Black Lives Movement and found little in Trump’s agenda to endorse. “It’s tough to find something,” said Holloway. “I disagree with him on 99.9%. But the $225 million he gave to HBCU’s and the First Step to start to reform the criminal justice system are two things,” countered Lawson.

Florida Democrats feel Anthony Eldon is the best chance to flip SD 21.

“Javier Fernández leaves more than $440K banked ahead of SD 39 Democratic primary” via Ryan Nicol of Florida Politics — Fernández is leaving plenty of money on the sidelines ahead of his Democratic primary against Daniel Horton-Diaz. Fernández opted not to spend more than $440,000 between his campaign account and Florida Future, a political committee supporting his bid. That money would help fund what’s expected to be an expensive general election against GOP Rep. Ana Maria Rodriguez. Fernández has to secure the nomination first, however. Make no mistake, he’s spent plenty so far in that effort. His campaign has listed nearly $110,000 in expenses this cycle. Excluding donations to various campaigns and causes, Florida Future has recorded another $175,000 in expenditures. Those entities spent just over $22,000 in the final financial period, covering Aug. 1-13. Horton-Diaz spent a little over $2,300 during the same span.

“’You’re a liar’: Cris Dosev confronts Alex Andrade, suggests he is capable of killing his pet dog” via Jason Delgado of Florida Politics — The Republican primary for House District 2 neared another boiling point Sunday when challenger Dosev and Rep. Andrade collided at an early voting station in Pensacola. A seven-second clip of the face-to-face confrontation was posted on the City of Milton Political Circus Facebook page and shared on Twitter. In it, Dosev can be heard calling Andrade a liar and describing him as someone capable of killing a dog. “You’re a liar and you know what?” Dosev told Andrade. “I wouldn’t put it past you trying to kill my dog. That’s the kind of guy you are.”

To watch the clip, click on the image below:

Randy Fine boosts committee attacking primary challenger — Republican Rep. Randy Fine donated $20,000 to a political committee attacking primary challenger Marcie Adkins, Matt Dixon of POLITICO Florida reports. Fine, who is running for reelection in House District 53, cut the check to the “Make America Great Again” committee, which is chaired by longtime Republican donor Randy Kise. The committee has been producing ads that attempt to link Adkins to “Socialist Democrats.” Fine amplified the committee’s claims in a Facebook post, saying it was “crazy to see there is a Socialist Democrats for Marcie Adkins mail program! She must have made a lot of friends in her 20+ years as a registered Democrat, working as a Democratic operative in Tallahassee for folks to shell out this kind of money!”

“Brian C. Johnson, Ashira Mohammed top spenders in closing days of HD 101 Democratic primary” via Ryan Nicol of Florida Politics — Johnson and Mohammed top the House District 101 field in spending in the final financial reporting period ahead of Tuesday’s primary. Mohammed edged Johnson as the top spender. Mohammed dropped $16,500 into her bid from Aug. 1-13. Johnson was within $100 of that total, spending more than $16,400. Johnson was the top fundraiser for the period, collecting more than $8,700. He was the best fundraiser overall, raising nearly $130,000 in outside contributions and adding another $2,500 in loans. Johnson spent more than $105,000 in pursuit of the Democratic nomination. Former Miami-Dade County Public Administrator Marie Woodson placed second in that metric, spending close to $50,000.

“Jose Oliva’s vendetta forces Daniel Perez to defend HD 116 in an expensive primary” via Drew Wilson of Florida Politics — There wasn’t supposed to be much of a Republican primary for House District 116. Perez won a 2017 special election for the seat by a landslide, easily dispatching former Rep. Alex Diaz de la Portilla in the primary and trouncing his Democratic challenger with two-thirds of the vote in the general. His reelection a year later was similarly lopsided; HD 116, after all, is a safe Republican seat that Jose “Pepe” Diaz had held since before it was redrawn. The special election afforded him a redshirt advantage in the House Speaker race for the 2024-26 term, a race the self-described “Spanish Brad Pitt” won with relative ease and without burning bridges.

“Jim Mooney outspends Rhonda Rebman Lopez for first time this cycle in closing push for HD 120” via Ryan Nicol of Florida Politics — Mooney outspent Lopez for the first time as the two compete for the Republican nomination in House District 120. That first for Mooney comes in the final primary fundraising report before the General Election, covering Aug. 1-13. Mooney spent nearly $42,000 during that 13-day span. The campaign paid more than $18,000 to Mentzer Media Services for media expenses. More than $15,000 also went to The Stoneridge Group for direct mail costs. Lopez was no slouch either, dropping more than $30,000 in the campaign’s final days. Lopez paid more than $17,000 to Groundswell Strategies for consulting fees, marking her biggest expense of the period. Attorney Alexandra Suarez is also seeking the GOP nomination. She spent $0 in the final reporting period, electing to sit on nearly $16,000 in funds.

“More than 81,000 Brevard voters cast ballots early, in advance of primary day” via Dave Berman of Florida Today — Tuesday is primary day, but more than 81,000 Brevard County voters already have cast their ballots through vote-by-mail or early in-person voting. As of 5 p.m. Monday, 66,675 people voted through mail ballots since July 6. In addition, 15,275 people voted at one of 10 early-voting sites during eight days of early voting from Aug. 8 to Aug. 15. Combined that represents 18.83% of the eligible voters. Brevard County Supervisor of Elections Lori Scott says the majority of ballots for this primary could be cast by mail, as many people want to avoid going to a polling place because of concerns about the coronavirus pandemic. Even before the pandemic, vote-by-mail was consistently growing in popularity.

“Brutally fought Democratic race for Broward Sheriff reaches final round on Tuesday” via Skyler Swisher of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel — Broward County’s contest for sheriff has been rocked with the revelation of a hidden killing, racy photos, the N-word dropped on live television and relentless back-and-forth attacks. Voters on Tuesday will decide whether to keep Ron DeSantis-appointed Sheriff Gregory Tony, return his predecessor Scott Israel to the office, or go with someone entirely new. The winner of the Aug. 18 Democratic primary is favored to beat the Republican challenger in November given Broward’s political makeup. Israel, 64, and Tony, 41, are seen as the front-runners, and they’ve traded blows for months. At stake is the command post of one of the nation’s largest law enforcement agencies with a budget of nearly $1 billion.

The Broward battle between Gregory Tony and Scott Israel ends Tuesday.

“Desmond Meade’s new PAC pours $1.5 million into Orlando’s State Attorney race” via Scott Powers of Florida Politics — A new political action committee created by Amendment 4 backers to support State Attorney candidate Monique Worrell has received more than $2.2 million and spent more than $1.5 million, mostly on television commercials in the Orlando market. Most of the money appears to trace back to George Soros, the New York billionaire and progressive Democratic backer who invested heavily in Orlando’s State Attorney election in 2016. Leaders of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, Meade and Neil Volz, chair and treasurer of Our Vote Our Voice Political Action Committee, have all but overwhelmed the advance campaign advertising for Tuesday’s primary in Florida’s 9th Judicial Circuit State Attorney race. The money was transferred into the PAC from FRRC through a project with Tides Advocacy, and another $1 million from Democracy PAC. Both Tides Advocacy and Democracy PAC are heavily funded by Soros.

“Court rejects State Attorney candidate” via the News Service of Florida — Upholding a lower-court ruling, an appeals court said an Alachua County lawyer is not eligible to run for state attorney because she received a 15-day suspension from the Florida Supreme Court last year. Democrat Beverly McCallum and Republican Brian Kramer filed qualifying papers in April to run to replace outgoing State Attorney Bill Cervone in the 8th Judicial Circuit. But Kramer filed a lawsuit alleging that McCallum did not meet a constitutional requirement that state attorneys be members of The Florida Bar for the previous five years. While McCallum is a longtime attorney, Kramer’s argument was based on the 15-day suspension she received in December from the Florida Supreme Court.

“Progressive Democrats denounce Cindy Stuart for attack ads, conservative endorsements” via Kelly Hayes of Florida Politics — Local Democratic leaders have called on Stuart to denounce several conservative endorsements and negative mailers targeting her opponent Kevin Beckner in the race for Hillsborough County Clerk of Court. In their plea, they also urged Democratic endorsers to rescind their support. In a recent mailer put out by Impact Florida, a PAC with ties to political consultant Chris Mitchell, Beckner is called a “desperate career politician” who will “push a radical agenda.” Mitchell, who has given $250 to Stuart’s campaign, is the PAC’s chairperson and treasurer. The PAC has also raised thousands from sources including charter school interests, real estate development and construction interests. In another mailer from Impact Florida, Stuart boasts endorsements from current Clerk of Court Republican Pat Frank, as well as endorsements from the Tampa Tea Party, United Christians of Florida and conservative Christian radio show host Bill Bunkley.

“Interim Clay County sheriff doesn’t know what happens if Darryl Daniels wins reelection” via Andrew Pantazi of The Florida Times-Union — Interim Clay County Sheriff Matt Walsh, in his first news conference since being appointed Saturday, said he doesn’t know if he will be asked to continue as sheriff long-term if Daniels, who was removed from office following an arrest, wins Tuesday’s primary. DeSantis removed Daniels as sheriff Friday after Daniels was arrested for his role in ordering the arrest of his mistress and then allegedly lying to police and allegedly deleting phone data. DeSantis replaced Daniels with Walsh, who was the assistant special-agent-in-charge of the Jacksonville region for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Although FDLE investigated Daniels, Walsh said he didn’t have anything to do with the investigation. Walsh said he does not intend to make any personnel changes during his time as interim sheriff.

“Carmine Marceno goes negative on Jim Leavens in final campaign push” via Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics — As the primary campaign for Lee County Sheriff entered its final days, Marceno went negative against his GOP challenger. Mailers struck Leavens for recession-era home foreclosure. It also suggests Leavens, who worked at the Sheriff’s Office 1988 to 2018, had a less-than-spotless record. “Jim Leavens violated Sheriff’s Department policies for handling dangerous inmates, putting employees and the public at risk, and made threats against employees who called out his violation of safety standards,” the mailer reads. But at the Leavens camp, the negative advertising coming from Marceno revealed weakness. “We take this desperate attack as an indicator that the voters of Lee County have seen through the shallow facade of Carmine Marceno and are choosing Jim Leavens to be the next sheriff of Lee County,” reads a statement from Leavens’ campaign.

Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno goes on the attack.

“Collier Democrats call out Supervisor of Elections after incident at voting site” via Patrick Riley of the Naples Daily News — In a Saturday Facebook post, Ellen Hemrick wrote about her experience going to North Collier Regional Park to cast her vote the day before. Hemrick wrote in the lengthy post that she had her mail-in ballot with her and showed it to a poll worker, telling her that she had decided to vote in person “after seeing news reports that the mail was slow.” Hemrick said that a poll worker, upon being told Hemrick was a registered Democrat, told her that it was “the Republican primary” and that another worker told her that “Democrats had their own primary back in March.” The Supervisor of Elections Office said in a statement Monday that when Hemrick contacted the office, “we apologized for her not having the experience she deserved and immediately investigated the issue by speaking with both the election worker directly and the clerk in charge of the site.”

“Joe Biden leads Trump, 50% to 41%, in poll ahead of party conventions” via John McCormick of The Wall Street Journal — Trump and former Vice President Biden start their nominating conventions this month with Trump struggling to reach a level of job approval that would make reelection more likely and his challenger drawing soft support that could present turnout challenges, the latest Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll shows. Less than three months before November’s election, 50% of registered voters nationally say they would vote for Biden if the election were held now, while 41% back Trump. That is essentially unchanged from Biden’s 11-point lead a month ago and is similar to his advantage much of this year. Biden, however, is failing to generate widespread enthusiasm, the poll finds. For the past year, he has been viewed more negatively than positively among the broader electorate.

Ahead of the conventions, Joe Biden widens his lead. Image via AP.

“Post-ABC poll shows Biden, Kamala Harris hold double-digit lead over Trump, Mike Pence” via Dan Balz, Scott Clement and Emily Guskin of The Washington Post — As the two major political parties prepare to open their national conventions, the race for the White House tilts toward the Democrats, with former Vice President Joe Biden holding a double-digit lead nationally over Trump amid continuing disapproval of the president’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll. Democrats kick off their convention on Monday in a mood of cautious optimism, with Biden and his running mate, Harris, leading Trump and Vice President Mike Pence by 53% to 41% among registered voters. The findings are identical among a larger sample of all voting-age adults.

“Most Latinos haven’t heard from Biden or Trump campaigns about voting, new poll finds” via David Smiley of the Miami Herald — Despite highly publicized efforts by Democrats and Republicans to win over Hispanic voters, a new national and swing-states poll has found that a majority of Florida’s Hispanic voters have yet to be contacted about the November election. Released Monday, the poll by Latino Decisions found that just 40% of Florida’s Hispanics have heard from political organizations about voting or registering to vote in the upcoming election. Nationally, the numbers are even lower, with just 34% of Latino adults having heard from the Republican or Democratic parties, or from the nonpartisan civic organizations heavily involved in grassroots organizing.

Tweet, tweet:

“Trump counters Biden with law and order message in Minnesota” via Eke Miller of The Associated Press — Declaring it’s “crunchtime” for the upcoming election, Trump zeroed in on Midwest battleground states on Monday with a tough, law and order message to counterprogram former Vice President Biden’s show at the Democrats’ national convention. In Mankato, Minnesota, Trump stepped up his rhetoric against Biden, calling him a “puppet of left-wing extremists trying to erase our borders, eliminate our police, indoctrinate our children, vilify our heroes, take away our energy,” Trump told a crowd of several hundred supporters outside an aircraft hangar. He alleged that Biden a victory would “replace American freedom with left-wing fascism.”

“Mail-voting critic Trump returned mail ballot to Palm Beach County elections office — then continues assault on the practice” via Anthony Man of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel — Trump, the nation’s most outspoken foe of mail voting, has returned his mail ballot for Tuesday’s Florida primary to the Palm Beach County elections office. The ballots for Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were returned Monday. Also Monday, Trump continued his assault on the way mail voting operates. In a tweet, he criticized the use of drop boxes for mail ballots. That practice was expanded in Florida under changes signed into law by DeSantis. Just two weeks ago, Trump praised Florida’s system of early voting, and DeSantis’ leadership. On Monday, he tweeted that his complaint about drop-off locations. “Some states use ‘drop boxes’ for the collection of Universal Mail-In Ballots.

“Sheldon Adelson makes nice with Trump” via Jonathan Swan of Axios — Despite a tense recent phone call with Trump, Adelson has signaled he is poised to spend big to support the president. Last Monday morning a group of top Republican Party donors gathered at the Four Seasons resort in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, for a Trump campaign fundraiser. Adelson’s top adviser Andy Abboud entered the room late, toward the end of the meeting. He raised his hand for a question, and they gave him the mic, according to two sources who were there. “I just want to say that I just spoke to the Adelsons,” Abboud announced to the room. “They are 110% behind the president. And that’s going to become apparent shortly.”

“A Republican central to Trump’s reelection campaign led secret talks to remove him from the 2016 ballot, sources” say via Tom LoBianco of Business Insider — The maneuvers of Katie Walsh and, to a lesser degree, her husband, Mike Shields, have been discussed quietly among some of Trump’s closest advisers for years. They have both served in the White House and the Republican National Committee. Some of those advisers have debated whether the two actually want to help the President or whether they simply want to cash in on their access to Trump. At the time, dominating the news cycle was The Washington Post’s Oct. 7 story about an audio recording from “Access Hollywood” on which Trump boasted about sexually harassing women. “Grab ‘em by the p—y,” Trump had said. Many observers thought it might doom his campaign.

“Here’s one way Trump could try to steal the election, voting experts say” via Robert McCartney of The Washington Post — There’s a plausible way that independent voting experts worry Trump could try to steal the election: by blocking the counting of mail-in ballots. Democrats are much more supportive of voting by mail than Republicans, according to recent polls. That’s partly because Trump has falsely smeared mail-in voting as subject to widespread fraud. At that point, the experts warn, Trump could declare himself the victor, saying the mailed ballots should be ignored because of the (baseless) risk of significant fraud. In states where Republicans control the voting process, he might get away with it. Trump said Thursday that he opposes both election aid for states and an emergency bailout for the U.S. Postal Service because he wants to restrict how many Americans can vote by mail.

“GOP outraises Democrat as elections near” via the News Service of Florida — The Republican Party of Florida raised $5.66 million from April 1 through Thursday — more than double the amount raised by the Florida Democratic Party. The GOP, which received six-figure contributions from companies such as Duke Energy, Florida Power & Light, U.S. Sugar Corp. and TECO Energy, spent nearly $3.14 million during the period. The Florida Democratic Party raised about $2.15 million and spent $2.32 million, the reports show.

“Virus, fees hinder drive to register Florida felons to vote” via Terry Spencer of The Associated Press — When Floridians overwhelmingly approved a measure allowing most felons to vote after completing their sentences, many expected Democrats to benefit most from the participation of up to 1.4 million newly eligible voters in this year’s election. But the coronavirus pandemic, which has hampered registration drives, and a disputed requirement that felons pay a series of costs before their rights are restored have turned the anticipated geyser of new voters in the largest swing state into a trickle. The state does not track how many felons — or “returning citizens” as many activists call them — have been registered since Amendment 4 passed in 2018, lifting a ban enacted following the Civil War.

Desmond Meade, president of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, talks about Amendment 4 during a news conference at the Miami-Dade County State Attorney’s Office in Miami. Image via AP.

“Vitriol abounds after Florida GOP blasts leader of Trump fan club as ‘dishonest’” via Wendy Rhodes of The Palm Beach Post — On the eve of an important primary election in Palm Beach County, the Florida Republican Party and Trump’s reelection campaign are in open warfare with Trump Team 2020 Florida and its leader Anne Marie Delgado. After months of sniping, the gloves came off this weekend after the independent Trump club issued a voter guide grading candidates for Tuesday’s primaries. That was followed by a scathing August 15 statement by the Republican Party of Florida that included a copy of the voter guide and blasted the organization. It called Delgado “dishonest” and said the group presented a “distraction” to the “hard work being done across our state.” Florida GOP chairman and state Sen. Joe Gruters then tweeted out the release.

Spotted — U.S. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell in a video that opened the Democratic National Convention called “We the People,” featuring a group of impactful community leaders reading the preamble to the U.S. Constitution.

“How a Broward County teen organized hundreds of young DNC delegates during a pandemic” via Alex Daugherty of the Miami Herald — Like most high school seniors, Joseph Mullen had a lot of time on his hands this spring. As the coronavirus pandemic began to close schools across Florida in March, the Broward County 18-year-old — who had become increasingly interested in the politics of climate change, gun violence and education policy — filled out a form to run as a delegate for Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders at the 2020 Democratic National Convention. Though Sanders dropped out and the Democratic National Convention is now all virtual, Mullen never stopped his online work to connect with other young delegates. Now Mullen will be virtually voting on the platform and for the 2020 nominee this week at the convention, along with the members of the group.

“Top Ron DeSantis staff duped into no-bid COVID-19 testing deal with ‘con artist’” via Daniel Ducassi of the Florida Bulldog — Florida’s top emergency management official personally signed off on a major, no-bid COVID-19 testing contract with an unqualified company run by a confessed thief — while the man who supposedly signed for the company says the signature on the contract isn’t his, and he has nothing to do with the firm. Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) provided a copy of the contract nearly two months after Florida Bulldog requested it, and days after publishing a story about how the state was withholding the contract with Indur Services, along with other no-bid, coronavirus-related contracts. Emails provided by the Governor’s Office this month reveal that various high-level administration officials were involved in the contract.

Richard Corcoran wants to deal with any coronavirus outbreaks in schools with ‘surgical’ precision. Image via AP.

“Another 102 Martin County students forced into COVID-19 quarantine; total now at 238” via Sommer Brugal of the TC Palm — More than 100 more public-school students here must quarantine after they were confirmed to be contacts of a presumptive positive COVID-19 case, school district officials said Monday. The 102 students are comprised of 37 Jensen Beach High School students from seven classrooms and 65 South Fork High School students. Since the school year began, 238 students districtwide have been told to quarantine. Three South Fork High teachers also were told they were considered contacts of a presumed positive coronavirus case. However, the school district has declared teachers essential workers, meaning they could be required to come to work so long as they were not experiencing symptoms, district officials said.

“Walton County public schools reopen; educators, students face COVID-19 realities” via Jim Thompson of the NWF Daily News — Walton County’s public schools opened Monday, with students and parents facing some new situations with efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19, the viral pandemic continuing to sweep the state, the country and the world, “Things are different, but to be so different, it’s been so good,” Walton County Schools Superintendent Russell Hughes said Monday afternoon, offering his initial assessment of the county’s new school year, as his day of visiting schools across the district began to wind down. In spite of the ongoing pandemic, which closed public schools for weeks in the last school year with children learning digitally from home, the state’s public schools are opening this month for both brick-and-mortar classroom instruction and virtual learning. The reopening of schools is the result of an order some weeks ago from DeSantis, followed up by an executive order from Florida Education Commissioner Corcoran.

“COVID-19 will hit colleges when students arrive for fall semester. So why open at all? Money is a factor.” via Chris Quintana of the Tallahassee Democrat — Colleges that are reopening campuses this fall know they’re bringing a higher risk of coronavirus to their community. The questions aren’t really about if or when, but about how bad outbreaks could be and whether having an in-person experience for students is worth the cost. With so much at stake, some students, parents and faculty are asking: Why take the risk at all? In many cases, it comes back to money. For months, colleges and experts have warned another semester of remote courses could have disastrous effects on student enrollment and college budgets. Colleges already lost billions of dollars when they pivoted to digital instruction in the spring, in the form of refunded room-and-board payments and expensive technology for online courses. Another semester of online courses could be even worse, especially for universities without large endowments.

“‘We’ve got to do better than this’: College students raise alarm by packing bars, avoiding masks” via Tim Elfrink of The Washington Post — Music blared outside a row of off-campus houses on Saturday near the University of North Georgia as hundreds of students packed the streets and front yards. Virtually no one wore a mask. The huge party in Dahlonega, Georgia, captured in a viral Twitter video, was one of a number of mass gatherings around the country this weekend as tens of thousands of students returned to college towns already on edge amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. Local officials from Georgia to Alabama to Oklahoma reacted with horror and anger on Sunday, warning that unless students take social distancing and mask rules seriously, the fall semester could come to a swift end. There’s no national consensus on how to approach college this fall, with many schools going at least partially online and others trying mass testing of students. But other large schools are welcoming everyone back to campus and relying on masks and social distancing to avoid outbreaks, a plan, as local leaders noted this past weekend, that could crumble if students don’t abide by the recommendations.

Patrons stand on the Bear Trap’s rooftop bar on the Strip, the University of Alabama’s bar scene, on Saturday in Tuscaloosa. Image via AP.

—”UNC-Chapel Hill pivots to remote teaching after coronavirus spreads among students during first week of class” via Nick Anderson of The Washington Post

“Orlando bars and breweries pitch ideas for reopening with state, but there’s no date in sight” via Austin Fuller of the Orlando Sentinel — Armed with new ideas, Florida’s top business regulator is considering his options after meeting with bar and brewery owners across Florida to discuss reopening. Halsey Beshears, secretary of the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, met with owners in Orlando during two meetings Sunday that like other gatherings across the state was closed to news reporters. But both the department and people who attended the meetings said there was no timeline for reopening. Beshears has held meetings across the state, including in Jacksonville, the Tampa Bay area and Pensacola. He met with owners in Brevard and Seminole counties last week.

Reopening bars is not going to happen anytime soon, says DBPR chief Halsey Beshears. Image via Florida DBPR/Facebook.

“Sarasota-Manatee banks accelerate branch closings during coronavirus pandemic” via John Hielscher of The Sarasota Herald-Tribune — A number of banks in Southwest Florida have reduced hours or temporarily shut down branches during the coronavirus pandemic, but some of those locations may not reopen. Banks are focusing on how to cut expenses as the virus-fueled recession has already cut into their earnings and threatens to generate large loan losses. In recent weeks, several banks have filed with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to close local offices. U.S. banks have been closing branches in record numbers for several years as their customers migrated to online and mobile banking services. Florida lost a net 21 bank offices during the first half of 2020, S&P Global Market Intelligence reported.

Is herd immunity closer then we think? Image via Getty.

“COVID-19 is now the No. 3 cause of death in the US. But testing to find and isolate cases has dropped off” via Holly Yan of CNN — A virus that didn’t even exist a year ago is now killing more Americans than Alzheimer’s disease, accidents and diabetes. The novel coronavirus has infected more than 5.4 million Americans and killed more than 170,000, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Over the past three weeks, the U.S. has averaged more than 1,000 COVID-19 deaths per day. Heart disease and cancer are the leading causes of death in the U.S., according to the CDC. The rate of deaths from COVID-19 is also much greater in the U.S. than in many other countries.

“COVID-19 deaths skew younger among minorities” via Paul Overberg and Jon Kamp of The Wall Street Journal — COVID-19 is known to be particularly risky for the elderly. For many minorities, the disease is killing them in the prime of their lives. Among people in the U.S. who died between their mid-40s and mid-70s since the pandemic began, the virus is responsible for about 9% of deaths. For Latino people who died in that age range, the virus has killed nearly 25%, according to an analysis of death certificate data collected by federal authorities. The data show how deaths from the coronavirus are skewing younger for many minorities, a stark disparity that offers a clear picture of the pandemic’s outsize impact on vulnerable populations. This is especially the case for Latino people, in part because their high representation in jobs ranging from health aides to meatpacking have made it harder for some of them to dodge the virus, and because many have poorer access to care, according to public-health experts.

“Coronavirus doctors battle another scourge: Misinformation” via Adam Satariano of The New York Times — Doctors on the front lines of the pandemic say they are fighting not just the coronavirus, but also increasingly combating a never-ending scourge of misinformation about the disease that is hurting patients. Before the pandemic, medical professionals had grown accustomed to dealing with patients misled by online information, a phenomenon they called Dr. Google. But in interviews, more than a dozen doctors and misinformation researchers in the United States and Europe said the volume related to the virus was like nothing they had seen before. Last week, researchers said that at least 800 people worldwide died in the first three months of the year, and thousands more were hospitalized, from unfounded claims online that ingesting highly concentrated alcohol would kill the virus.

“Wartime doctors battling COVID-19 rush to treat the ill — but without knowing what really works” via Carolyn Y. Johnson of The Washington Post — When the coronavirus appeared in the United States in late January, hopes were high for quick progress: Science would find a treatment for people with the illness and develop a vaccine to prevent future cases. Today, the vaccine race is on, but answers about treatments remain frustratingly elusive, with a handful of basic therapies supported by evidence, and a messy and imperfect scramble to extract information about what works from what has been given to thousands of patients. Therapeutic regimens vary from hospital to hospital, and much of what is offered is supported by hints and hunches, which official treatment guidelines refer to as a “knowledge gap.”

“Tourism numbers plummet in second quarter” via Jim Turner of the News Service of Florida — Tourism suffered an estimated 60.5% drop in visitors as the COVID-19 pandemic hit hard during the year’s second quarter, with international travel off more than 90%. And the outlook remains dim for the state following the nearly 20 million visitor drop from April through June. During the second quarter, an estimated 12.801 million people — almost all traveling from other states — came to Florida as businesses were shut down in April and amid harried reopening efforts in May and June, according to numbers posted Sunday by the VISIT FLORIDA tourism-marketing agency. For the first half of 2020, the state saw its tourism numbers drop 35.2%, attracting 44.188 million visitors.

Tourism takes a nose-dive in Florida.

Volunteers loading up vehicles in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, for the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank drive-up distribution. Image via AP.

“The number of pregnant Latinas with COVID-19 is staggering. And a warning sign, doctors say.” via Samantha Schmidt and Rebecca Tan of The Washington Post — More than two months have passed since Ana, who asked to be identified only by her first name because of fears of deportation, returned from the D.C. hospital to meet her new daughters for the first time, since she woke up from deep sedation to learn that she had been intubated for the first three weeks of the infants’ lives, battling complications from COVID-19. Her head still aches. She lost 50 pounds. She can’t breastfeed. The fatigue and dizziness and shortness of breath make it difficult to get out of bed in the morning. Doctors say it could take months for her to fully recover from the weeks she spent connected to a ventilator and to an aggressive life support machine that pumped blood into her lungs and heart.

“COVID-19 vaccine candidate from Novavax starts midstage trial” via Jonathan D. Rockoff of The Wall Street Journal — Novavax Inc. said its experimental COVID-19 vaccine is starting the second phase of testing to see if it can safely protect against the new coronavirus. The vaccine candidate is the latest to move a crucial step closer to wide use, behind a handful of shots that have already started the final stage of testing, and one developed in Russia that the government there cleared after limited study. Novavax said its vaccine could begin the large final stage of testing by September. The company’s so-called Phase 2b trial will take place in South Africa, which is among the countries hit hardest by coronavirus, with more than 587,000 cases and over 11,800 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

“Facing unmasked diners and sick colleagues, restaurant workers worry about safety — and their livelihoods” via Tim Carman of The Washington Post — Across the country, many hospitality workers are afraid to work right now in an industry that’s fighting for survival with limited resources, conflicting reopening guidance from government and a significant portion of the population that continues to think the coronavirus is no worse than the seasonal flu. The reopening of restaurants has also further frayed the already-fraught relationship between worker and employer. Workers’ fears are as individual as their situations. Some have loved ones who are immune-compromised, and they can’t risk bringing the virus home. Some have their own health issues that make them vulnerable. Some work in a part of the country where people don’t believe in wearing masks. Some worry their employers are not taking the pandemic seriously. Some have to interact with tourists who may be traveling from hot spots.

Marco Rubio says more people want Donald Trump to fail than find a cure for COVID-19. Image via Reuters.

“Federal dollars bolster state Medicaid program” via Christine Sexton of the News Service of Florida —Despite a projected 10% increase in costs over last year, economists said the state will have enough money to keep the safety-net health care program funded during the current 2020-2021 fiscal year, in part because of Congress’ decision in March to increase the amount of federal funds spent on the program. But the projected financial stability could be short-lived. Economists project a near $554 million shortfall in the amount of state revenue needed in the 2021-2022 fiscal year if Congress doesn’t agree to extend the additional matching funds — through what is known as the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage, or FMAP — beyond a scheduled Dec. 31 cutoff. The decision in March increased the FMAP by 6.2 percentage points.

Ron DeSantis sees some positive trends in the latest COVID-19 numbers.

Happening today — The Florida Public Service Commission will discuss several issues during a regular meeting prior to a special meeting to consider a plan by Duke Energy Florida to contract with another company to do what is known as “decommissioning” of the former Crystal River nuclear power plant, 9:30 a.m., floridapsc.com/Conferences/AudioVideoEventCoverage and on The Florida Channel.

Happening today — The full 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will hear arguments in a legal dispute over the constitutionality of a 2019 Florida law dealing with restoring felons’ voting rights, 10 a.m., ca11.uscourts.gov.

“Hurricane Michael recovery loan program slotted for second year” via Renzo Downey of Florida Politics — The state will make available a new round of loans for victims of Hurricane Michael next month, DeSantis said. Last year, the Florida Housing Finance Corporation started the Hurricane Michael Recovery Loan Program. But this year’s program, beginning Sept. 1, is twice as big, totaling $10 million and able to help more than 660 families. Those affected by Michael in Bay, Calhoun, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson, Liberty, Taylor, Wakulla and Washington counties who make less than 140% of the area’s median income are eligible for a $15,000, zero-interest loan to purchase a new home. For five years, 20% of the loan is interest-free each year. The loan is “completely forgiven” for active duty service members who are reassigned to a different location partway through the loan.

“Price tag for DeSantis’ protection up $1M” via Renzo Downey of Florida Politics — Keeping the DeSantis family safe at home and during travel cost the state $4.8 million last fiscal year, up more than $1 million from the year before. That’s according to an annual report published this weekend by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE). This year’s report covers July 1, 2019, to June 30, 2020, and is the first report covering exclusively DeSantis and his family. The prior Report of Transportation and Protective Services combined the costs for DeSantis and former Gov. Rick Scott during that fiscal year. The total is also up from roughly $3.25 million in 2017-18, and $2.99 million in 2016-17. A $1.6 million increase in the Governor’s transportation costs drove the more than 30% increase in protection costs, according to the report.

“Florida property insurance rates may spike. Here’s why” via Malena Carollo of the Tampa Bay Times — Florida’s property insurance market is ready for hurricane season after a tumultuous start to the year. But ratepayers may be in for rougher seas. Several Florida insurers filed for premium hikes ranging from 15 to a little more than 31% this summer. A number of trends within the property insurance market are driving up rates. Despite the ballooning costs, experts said, Florida insurance companies are well-positioned to handle storm claims this year. “If you have insurance with a carrier in Florida, you are well-protected for the hurricane season,” said Mark Friedlander, Florida representative for nonpartisan industry group the Insurance Information Institute.

“Brightline name returns, replacing short-lived Virgin brand as the passenger rail aims for Disney station” via Kevin Spear of the Orlando Sentinel — The Brightline name is coming back, replacing the name Virgin Trains, according to a financial report issued Friday that also suggests a station at Walt Disney World may open soon after service arrives at Orlando International Airport. The upscale, higher-speed train began operating in South Florida in early 2018 and, while operations are suspended now because of the pandemic, is scheduled to start service to Orlando’s airport in 2022. Virgin’s worldwide empire of trains, planes, and cruise boats has been in financial distress with the COVID-19 pandemic, according to media accounts. The bond report also provides details on the proposed extension from Orlando to Tampa, with a stop at Walt Disney World, which has been in engineering and design work since early this year.

“We could control the coronavirus by winter if we start using rapid tests” via Ranu S. Dhillon, Abraar Karan and Devabhaktuni Srikrishna — More rapid tests are under development that could help get the epidemic under control, even though they aren’t as accurate as the ones that take longer. Some are like home pregnancy tests that patients can perform on themselves, get results in several minutes and repeat often. Others, including two that recently received emergency authorization from the FDA, require small devices that can be used in places where we know spread is happening, such as nursing homes and food-processing plants, and in settings where we are concerned that transmission could happen, like schools and workplaces.

“Despite COVID-19, Florida’s Republican leaders think your kids, their teachers are expendable” via Carl Hiassen of the Miami Herald — The Republican Party, which traditionally rails against Big Government, is making it bigger by the day in Florida. In his Trump-ordered push to reopen public schools during the COVID-19 pandemic, DeSantis has muzzled local health departments to ensure that Tallahassee is calling the shots. At a time when parents, students and teachers need expert guidance and solid information, the governor has sidelined medical specialists so he can hog the microphone. While everyone desperately wants schools to reopen, the risk varies critically in different parts of the state. Last month, Education Commissioner Corcoran, a DeSantis appointee, ordered that all schools must open “brick-and-mortar” facilities unless their local health departments approved keeping them closed.

“Florida Legislature needs a special session on unemployment crisis” via Linda Thompson Gonzalez of The South Florida Sun-Sentinel — “It is time we change the way we manage unemployment in Florida. … Imagine if all 120 members of the Florida House of Representatives came together to address the problem and commit to changing how the system works?” Florida state Representative for District 93, Chip LaMarca, wrote in an Aug. 5 op-ed. Rather than taking any action at all to alleviate the greatest human health and economic tragedy of our time, LaMarca and his Tallahassee teammates have poised themselves as bystanders, abdicating their legislative oversight responsibilities to their governor. We have had three inspector general audits of the unemployment system to date. The most recent, in March 2019, came during the DeSantis administration, a full year before the pandemic. We had ample reporting to highlight the problem before the current meltdown. And we have had months since, of a Legislature that has been missing in action.

Also, on today’s Sunrise:

— The state is reporting 87 more fatalities Monday, bringing the coronavirus death toll to 9,647. And Gov. DeSantis says the key indicators are headed in the right direction.

— But those trends may be in jeopardy now that schools are welcoming kids back to the classroom. New cases have been linked to the reopening of schools in several counties; Professor Sarah Matthews says more closings are inevitable.

— Andrew Spar with the Florida Education Association will discuss the specter of COVID-19 in the classroom, along with the micromanaging by education commissionerCorcoran.

— It’s primary day in Florida, and polls are open until 7 p.m. If you requested a vote-by-mail ballot and haven’t mailed it yet, make sure you drop it at the nearest elections office in person if you want it to count. The U.S. Postal Service is having all sorts of problems and Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman-Shultz says it’s all because of Trump.

— And checking-in with two Florida Men, who are having problems with Florida Women.

To listen, click on the image below:

Going to Disney makes some people feel safer than going to the grocery store.

“The new pandemic hobby: Gazing at the stars” via Adam H. Graham of The Wall Street Journal — It’s too hot to bake yet another peach pie and too late in the season to start a victory garden, but it is a prime time to ponder the night sky. More than 60 places around the country have been designated as exemplary stargazing sites by the International Dark-Sky Association, which is not, as the name suggests, the bureaucratic arm of the League of Villains, but a conservation organization devoted to reducing light pollution. Not only do these Dark Sky sites provide a high-def upgrade to backyard stargazing, but, since they’re often in fairly remote locales, they’re also conducive to social distancing.

“‘Tenet’ tickets go on sale Friday, August 21” via Tom Brueggemann of IndieWire — Advance ticket sales for Nolan’s “Tenet” begin this Friday, August 21, for three days of sneak previews that start Monday, August 31. Tickets for regular engagements, which start Thursday, September 3, will be available Thursday, August 27. These are some of the “Tenet” contract details that Warner Bros. sent to exhibitors. Limited advance showings of “Tenet” will be offered three days prior to September 3. According to the contract, theaters can have one showing per night, no earlier than 5 p.m. Those theaters that screen in premium formats may offer a second show. To participate in “Tenet,” theaters must agree not only to follow local laws, but also to comply with the not-yet-published but already disseminated safety standards drafted by the National Association of Theater Owners. These include wearing a face mask anywhere in a theater, with the exception of when consuming concessions.