Justice Department Sues Visa for Monopolizing Debit Markets

 

The Justice Department

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Today, the Justice Department filed a civil antitrust lawsuit against Visa for monopolization and other unlawful conduct in debit network markets in violation of Sections 1 and 2 of the Sherman Act. Filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, the complaint alleges that Visa illegally maintains a monopoly over debit network markets by using its dominance to thwart the growth of its existing competitors and prevent others from developing new and innovative alternatives. Related: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justic... https://www.justice.gov/opa/speech/pr... https://www.justice.gov/opa/speech/at... https://www.justice.gov/opa/speech/pr...

POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Moulton PACs the House

By Kelly Garrity Presented by Mass General Brigham ON BATTLEGROUND BALLOTS — The way Seth Moulton sees it, the road to a Democratic majority in the House runs through candidates who have served — in the military, in the Peace Corps, as members of Teach for America and more. If past is prologue, maybe he’s right. “I think that people look for the military when there's a tough job to be done,” Moulton told Playbook, pointing to 2018, when Democrats were scrambling to take back control of the House. Candidates backed by Serve America, the political action committee Moulton founded to help elect Democrats with service backgrounds (military and otherwise), had their best year to date — more than 20 of them won seats to help flip the House. Now, the PAC is on track for its most successful year since. More than two-thirds of its endorsed challengers made it through their primaries — including Maggie Goodlander in New Hampshire, who won a bitter primary battle despite, as Moulton put it, not being the “local gatekeeper’s choice.” (“Despite getting derided by some of the establishment for not knowing what's best for New Hampshire , it turns out the voters agreed with me,” he said). Moulton attributes their success in part to parallels between this cycle and 2018. “If you look at the class in 2018 you had people who would probably not have gone into politics, if not for the imperative of the moment,” he said. “But they ran for office because of the threats in the country that Republicans and Donald Trump posed, and with the prospect of Trump now returning … it's gotten people engaged in supporting great leaders who can take on that threat.” Now comes the hard part for the Serve America-backed candidates: flipping seats blue, and holding on to the ones they currently have. Several of the group’s picks are facing tough general election matchups. Derek Tran , who’s looking to unseat Republican Rep. Michelle Steel in CA-45, is vying for one of the most competitive seats in the county. Shomari Figures is looking to flip AL-02 with its newly redrawn district map. And incumbent Rep. Jared Golden is trying to fend off a challenge from Republican state Rep. Austin Theriault in Maine, who one recent poll shows has pulled slightly ahead . Serve America has raised $2 million so far this cycle, according to Moulton’s team, and there are more fundraisers on the horizon, he said. One thing that’s been a boon for the down-ballot candidates: Kamala Harris taking over at the top of the ticket. Fundraising “has gotten a lot better since [Joe] Biden stepped aside,” Moulton said. “There's just more enthusiasm across the board for Democrats, and it's absolutely affecting both fundraising and volunteering for House and Senate races.” GOOD THURSDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS . TODAY — Gov. Maura Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll attend Massachusetts Day at the Big E at 9:30 a.m. in West Springfield; Secretary of State Bill Galvin attends at 11:30 a.m. Healey celebrates the state’s Literacy Launch program at 12:30 p.m. in Clinton and speaks at the New England Wildlife Center’s anniversary at 7 p.m. in Qunicy. Rep. Ayanna Pressley holds a press conference with House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi and other members of Congress to unveil a report on the disparate impact of school disciplinary policies and practices on Black and brown girls in K-12 public schools at 11 a.m. in D.C. Sen. Ed Markey chairs a meeting of the Senate HELP Committee where members will vote on resolutions to hold Steward Health Care CEO Ralph de la Torre in contempt of Congress at 10 a.m. in D.C. Rep. Jake Auchincloss holds a press conference on bipartisan legislation regulating pharmacy benefit managers at noon in D.C. State Auditor Diana DiZoglio attends the North Andover Historical Society’s annual fundraiser at 6:30 p.m. Attorney General Andrea Campbell speaks at the Brookings Institution and Lincoln Institute of Land Policy conference at 3:30 p.m. in Cambridge and pays tribute to homicide victims at an event hosted by the Massachusetts Office for Victim Assistance at 5:30 p.m. in Boston. Tips? Scoops? Birthdays? Email me: kgarrity@politico.com     A message from Mass General Brigham: At Mass General Brigham, we harness the collective strength of our healthcare system to provide research-driven cancer care for the patients and communities we serve. Mass General Brigham is number one in hospital medical research. We perform the most cancer surgeries and have the most cancer specialists in New England. We have the region’s only proton therapy center and provide access to more than 1,000 clinical trials annually. We’re one against cancer. Learn more.   DATELINE BEACON HILL — “Deal Would Make $421 Mil Available As Fed Funds Bait,” by Sam Doran, State House News Service (paywall): “Senate and House negotiators filed an accord Wednesday on a bill that would allow the Healey administration to leverage millions of dollars in interest from the state's savings account to compete for federal grants and to pay down state debt, teeing up the legislation for final votes as soon as Thursday." — “Mass. business leaders launch nonprofit to fight progressives — and ‘Taxachusetts’ label,” by Jon Chesto and Shirley Leung, The Boston Globe: “Top executives in Greater Boston have been quietly raising millions of dollars and drumming up support for what’s being called the Mass Opportunity Alliance, a nonprofit launching this week to highlight the tax burden and high costs of doing business and living in Massachusetts. Its goal is to improve the state’s competitiveness by changing public opinions and lobbying.” FROM THE HUB — “State officials silent on BPS’s late bus problems,” by Christopher Huffaker, The Boston Globe: “A day after Mayor Michelle Wu backed away from her agreement with the state to have 95 percent of Boston school buses arrive on time, the state’s education agency remained silent on the issue, despite pleas from some city officials for it to enforce the agreement.” — “Boston City Council to examine termination process for city appointees after ex-Zoning Commission chair’s replacement,” by Niki Griswold, The Boston Globe: “The Boston City Council intends to examine and potentially revise the termination process for city appointees in response to claims by Jay Hurley, the former chair of the Zoning Commission, that the city fired him in retaliation for how he voted on one of Mayor Michelle Wu’s key climate proposals, delaying the initiative." MIGRANTS IN MASSACHUSETTS — “Massachusetts migrant advocates sue Saugus schools over ‘exclusionary’ admissions policy,” by Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald: “Two Massachusetts migrant advocacy groups are suing Saugus Public Schools over the district’s admissions policy, which they describe as ‘exclusionary,’ while officials argue it’s written similarly to those elsewhere." ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR WHY IS THIS EVEN REASONABLE? — “Israel-Hamas resolution calling for the Israeli flag to be raised on Boston City Hall Plaza leads to Council fireworks,” by Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald. YAHD SIGNS AND BUMPAH STICKAHS REGISTER! VOTE! — “Taylor Swift fans are ready for it. After post-debate endorsement, voter registration numbers spike in Mass.,” by Samantha J. Gross and Neena Hagen, The Boston Globe. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — The Norfolk County Central Labor Council has endorsed Bill Dermody in his bid for the 13th Norfolk District state House seat, according to his campaign. CRYPTO SCAMMER CARPETBAGGER JOHN DEATON HAS MADE FALSE ALLEGATIONS AGAINST SENATOR ELIZABETH WARREN....HE VOTED 3 TIMES IN 20 YEARS & IS WOEFULLY UNINFORMED!  CRYPTO IS BANNED IN CHINA & OTHER NATIONS FOR GOOD REASON - DO YOU HOMEOWRK!  TRAIL MARKERS — Republican Senate hopeful John Deaton heads to West Springfield at noon for Massachusetts Day at the Big E. DAY IN COURT — “More police officers file state, federal wage theft suits against Westfield,” by Cliff Clark, MassLive: “The city of Westfield is now defending itself against three alleged wage theft lawsuits involving the Police Department, after two new cases were filed last week." FROM THE DELEGATION ****STEWARD*** — “Senate panel to hold Steward CEO in contempt,” by Christian M. Wade, The Eagle-Tribune. — “Lawmakers press Mass. landlords over whether they used software to inflate rents,” by Andrew Brinker, The Boston Globe: “ A group of Massachusetts legislators on Wednesday sent letters to 13 of the state’s largest apartment owners questioning their use of a software that allegedly helps landlords inflate rents at their properties. The letters come in the wake of a sprawling antitrust lawsuit filed by the Department of Justice this month against the company RealPage over a software it developed that gathers competitively sensitive leasing data from the landlords of millions of units to algorithmically suggest rental prices." BALLOT BATTLES IGNORE THAT ADS & PROPAGANDA! MAKE A DECISION FOR YOURSELF ON BALLOT QUESTION 2! NEW THIS MORNING — MassVOTE and the Massachusetts Voter Table are throwing their support behind the ballot question that would end MCAS as a high school graduation requirement, according to the Yes on 2 campaign. — “School leaders oppose MCAS mandate repeal,” Christian M. Wade, The Salem News: “School administrators are joining the ballot fight over a proposal to scrap the state’s MCAS graduation mandate, arguing that the move would undermine the state’s nation-leading educational standards. The Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents’ executive committee has voted to oppose Question 2, which will appear on the Nov. 5 ballot. The referendum asks voters if they want to scrap a mandate requiring 10th-graders to demonstrate proficiency in math, English and science by passing tests known as the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System.” MARIJUANA IN MASSACHUSETTS — “Cannabis commission research chief takes medical leave after alleging ‘inappropriate’ and ‘harmful’ behaviors by leaders,” by Diti Kohli, The Boston Globe: “The state Cannabis Control Commission’s research chief said Tuesday she will take medical leave for job-related post-traumatic stress, just days after she penned a public letter alleging she had experienced “inappropriate” and “harmful” behavior from senior leaders. ... The Legislature plans to hold hearings this fall to revisit the structure and issues within the commission after calls for receivership surfaced this summer.”   A message from Mass General Brigham:     THE LOCAL ANGLE —  “'Pockets picked': WPI deal sparks calls to reevaluate city's relationship with colleges,” by Marco Cartolano, Telegram & Gazette: “The day after news spread that Worcester Polytechnic Institute had completed its $46 million purchase of two hotels at Gateway Park, some city councilors said the city should take a more aggressive stance toward keeping properties on the tax rolls and evaluating how much colleges pay the city.” — “Several MetroWest communities have struggled to fill school crossing guard positions,” by Norman Miller, MetroWest Daily News. — “New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell proposes three zoning changes to spur housing development,” by the Standard-Times staff. — “Massachusetts passed historic police certification reform. But even with the POST Commission, the public can’t see which cops have been part of the ‘officer shuffle,’” by Chris Faraone and Sam Stecklow, Horizon Mass.   — “New Bedford police now equipped with body cameras: what to know,” by Anastasia E. Lennon, The New Bedford Light. MEDIA MATTERS — “Globe host’s endorsement of Harris raises murky ethics questions,” by Jennifer Smith, CommonWealth Beacon: “The host of the Boston Globe’s television venture spoke passionately on behalf of Vice President Kamala Harris on a fundraising call in late August, direct political advocacy that the Globe says was inappropriate even for the face of the newspaper’s quasi-journalistic product. ‘Boston Globe Today’ host Segun Oduolowu, formerly a correspondent on PEOPLE’s television show, urged attendees to vote, donate, and organize for Harris in the presidential race during an August 26 ‘African Diaspora for Harris Post-Convention Call.’” CAMPAIGN TRAIL — “Teamsters skip presidential endorsement amid apparently strong member support for Trump,” by Nick Niedzwiadek, Brittany Gibson and Holly Otterbein, POLITICO. GRANITE STATE STANDING — The latest University of New Hampshire poll shows Vice President Kamala Harris strengthening her lead over former President Donald Trump in the swing state. Harris notched 54 percent to Trump’s 43 percent of likely New Hampshire voters in the poll, which surveyed 1,803 people between Sept. 12 and Sept. 16. The poll had a margin of error of +/-2.3 percent. Read the results.  MEANWHILE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE DO YOUR RESEARCH BEFORE VOTING FOR KELLY AYOTTE! NEW HAMPSHIRE DESERVES BETTER! RESEARCH KELLY AYOTTE'S HISTORY & ACTIONS! SHE ATTACKS, BUT WHAT HAS SHE DONE FOR NEW HAMPSHIRE? CALIFORNIA CAMPAIGNIN’ — Republican gubernatorial candidate and former Sen. Kelly Ayotte was quick to turn former Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig ’s California fundraiser — featuring Gov. Maura Healey as the special guest — into a campaign cudgel in the run-up to November. HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH TRANSITIONS — Dr. Mary B. Rice will be the new director of the Center for Climate, Health, and the Global Environment at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. She starts Oct. 1. — Pierre Lubin and David Rockwell have joined the board of directors at Volunteers of America of Massachusetts. Lubin is the chief human resources officer at Codman Square Health Center and Rockwell formerly served as director of lending at the Massachusetts Housing Partnership. HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Dorey Scheimer, Rachel McNeill, Joe Kennedy III alum Brian Phillips, John Hawthorne, Maddie Miller and Sophie Hansen. Happy belated to Steven Pinker and Joshua Angrist, who celebrated Wednesday.   A message from Mass General Brigham: At Mass General Brigham, we harness the collective strength of our healthcare system to provide research-driven cancer care for the patients and communities we serve. Mass General Brigham is number one in hospital medical research. We perform the most cancer surgeries and have the most cancer specialists in New England. We have the region’s only proton therapy center and provide access to more than 1,000 clinical trials annually. The vision for Mass General Brigham is to build a world-class center of cancer care, with the patients at the center of everything we do. New collaborations, new treatments, and innovative approaches. Leading to new hope and possibilities. At Mass General Brigham, we’re one against cancer. Learn more.   Want to make an impact? POLITICO Massachusetts has a variety of solutions available for partners looking to reach and activate the most influential people in the Bay State. Have a petition you want signed? A cause you’re promoting? Seeking to increase brand awareness among this key audience? Share your message with our influential readers to foster engagement and drive action. Contact Jesse Shapiro to find out how: jshapiro@politico.com .   Follow us on Twitter Kelly Garrity @KellyGarrity3   Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook  |  Playbook PM  |  California Playbook  |  Florida Playbook  |  Illinois Playbook  |  Massachusetts Playbook  |  New Jersey Playbook  |  New York Playbook  |  Ottawa Playbook  |  Brussels Playbook  |  London Playbook View all our politics and policy newsletters Follow us

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POLITICO NIGHTLY: Scarred Dems still fear Trump

BY RYAN LIZZA Presented by The National Council on Election Integrity With help from Renuka Rayasam and Myah Ward COULD BIDEN HIT 400? Good evening from Arizona, where President Donald Trump spent Monday at two rallies and where I’m about to go check out Lara Trump addressing supporters in Scottsdale. The Trump campaign and the RNC announced Monday they are pumping an extra million dollars a week into TV ads here. There’s a reason for all of the attention. Trump won this state by 3.5 points in 2016, but in 2020, Joe Biden has had a steady 3- to 4-point lead for months. If you’re looking for a bellwether state to watch on election night, Arizona, which has 11 electoral votes, would be my choice. There’s a great deal of attention in the news media about a potential blue wave that could see Biden sweep states like Georgia and Texas, but inside the Biden campaign and among top Democrats, there is extreme caution. “All of us are suffering from PTSD so nobody is overly confident in these poll numbers,” said a former top member of the Obama administration and confidante of Hillary Clinton. “Nobody I know is saying there’s an 80 percent chance this guy is going to be president. God bless America if there’s a wave coming, and I’ll be glad to jump on a surfboard, but these numbers are too close.” Ryan Lizza | POLITICO Top Democrats are not ruling out a second Trump term. “It’s still close enough in the battlegrounds that Trump could win,” said one of the most experienced presidential campaign operatives I know. “But this isn’t 2016. Biden’s margins are bigger and more locked.” While driving from Las Vegas to Scottsdale today, I reached out to Democrats to get a sense of how big they thought a potential Biden victory could be. Instead of a flood of gloating texts and predictions about the size of a new Democratic-controlled Senate, most people were wary about being overconfident, especially people inside campaigns. There was a clear demarcation between Democrats who worked on the 2016 campaign and those who didn’t. “The question is how close to the oven were you,” said the former Obama administration official. The conventional wisdom of those who are willing to believe the polls was summed up by Dylan Loewe, who was a speechwriter for Biden and a book ghostwriter for Kamala Harris. “I think Trump’s attacks on mail voting are going to backfire spectacularly,” he said. “So I think this wave is going to be a few feet taller than the polls suggest. But I still get into a fetal position when I think about it. I do think Biden will win Texas. I think we’ll win the Kansas Senate seat. I think Alaska’s in play. And I think the Democrats will win enough state delegations in the house to prevent the house from installing Trump in a contingent election. You can put this on the record if you want. If Trump wins, the last thing on my mind will be my shitty predictions.” One senior Biden adviser offered a range of estimates that put things in perspective. He said he thought it was possible for Biden to win 413 electoral votes, which would be the largest electoral vote victory since 1988, when George H. W. Bush crushed Michael Dukakis. But he also noted that Trump still could have a path to reelection. “I think Trump’s EV ceiling is 283,” he said. To get to that number, Trump would need to not just hold on to Ohio, Georgia, Texas and North Carolina, but also win the swing states of Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Florida, and Arizona. Which brings us back to the Grand Canyon State, the Trump 2016 state that, if Biden were to take, would prevent most scenarios for a Trump victory. While winning 413 electoral votes would be nice, most Biden strategists are obsessed with just getting to 270 as efficiently as possible. “My gut says the true path of least resistance is Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona, NE-2,” the senior Biden adviser said in a text. “Don’t need Pennsylvania, Ohio or Florida.” He added, “I am least bullish on Florida and most bullish on Arizona.” Welcome to POLITICO Nightly. Check out the new season of the Global Translations podcast, dropping tomorrow. In the first episode, Luiza Savage and Ryan Heath look at how the pandemic has interrupted global supply chains. Reach out at rlizza@politico.com and rrayasam@politico.com or on Twitter at @ryanlizza and @renurayasam.   A message from The National Council on Election Integrity: The National Council on Election Integrity, a bipartisan group of political, government, and civic leaders, was formed to ensure that every American’s vote is counted this November. Stand with the council and demand every vote be counted: take the pledge at CountEveryVote.org.   FIRST IN NIGHTLY WHAT TEXAS DEMOCRATS COULD ACTUALLY WIN — Forward Majority, a national Democratic super PAC, announced today it would spend more than $12 million for ads in Texas statehouse races, up from $2.5 million in 2018. Democrats in the state haven’t totally given up on carrying the state for Biden or flipping a statewide office, the party has a far more narrow and more realistic aim this year: to win nine seats in the state House, which would give them control of the chamber, writes your host Renuka Rayasam. Why this year? If Democrats can control the state House they will have a seat at the table during next year’s congressional redistricting process. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott is not up for reelection this year, and the state Senate will retain its Republican majority come January. But a Democratically controlled state House could block maps that it thinks are drawn unfairly. How close are they? Texas Democrats picked up 12 state House seats in 2018. The state party is targeting 22 state House seats this year, about half of which are in Dallas and its surrounding areas. In nine of those 22 seats, Democratic Senate candidate Beto O’Rourke beat Republican Ted Cruz in 2018. Can they do it? It’s been 18 years since Democrats controlled the Texas state House and 26 years since Texas elected a Democrat to statewide office. But the party has some key advantages this year: fast growing suburbs, a relatively unpopular president and gobs of money. What could stop them? Despite the momentum, there are a lot of reasons why Democrats could lose. Republicans point to a January special election where a Democratic state House candidate got beaten by 16 points. The lack of straight ticket voting, in which a voter can select all candidates of one party with a single button or check mark, could also hurt Democrats — many think the gains that Democrats made two years ago, when Texans could still vote straight ticket, had a lot to do with O’Rourke’s coattails. Who are the power players in local governments across the country? Check out The Fifty for a look at state leaders driving politics, shaping policy and influencing Washington.   HELP BUILD SOLUTIONS FOR THE FUTURE OF GLOBAL HEALTH: POLITICO is a proud partner of the ninth annual Meridian Summit, focused on The Rise of Global Health Diplomacy. The virtual Meridian Summit will engage a global audience and the sharpest minds in diplomacy, business, government and beyond to build a more equitable economic recovery and save more lives. Join the conversation to help secure the future of our global health.     PALACE INTRIGUE STAHLING TACTICS — At the White House this afternoon, Trump ended a fiery interview taping with CBS News’ “60 Minutes,” proceeded to launch an attack against the interviewer on Twitter for not wearing a mask, and threatened to post the interview before it aired, White House reporter Meridith McGraw writes. The drama unfolded after Trump was frustrated with the line of questioning and how the interview was being conducted, said one person familiar with the episode, while another in the room described the president as “pissed.” The president spent more than 40 minutes with CBS News correspondent Lesley Stahl, and did not proceed to shoot a second portion of the interview that included Vice President Mike Pence. Following a short break, the president decided he had spent enough time in the interview, one White House official said. The official described Stahl as “very antagonistic,” and said she “seemed ill prepared in a wide-ranging interview.” The president was expected to shoot part of the interview with Pence, who went on to spend 15 minutes with Stahl and the “60 Minutes” crew.       COVID-2020 LINDSEY GRAHAM’S WILD RIDE — He’s been in the Senate since 2003, but this year could be his last. In the latest POLITICO Dispatch, congressional reporter Andrew Desiderio traces Lindsey Graham’s transformation from a moderate Republican known for working across the aisle to a staunch defender of Trump — and explains why that’s put him at risk of losing his seat. Listen to the latest POLITICO Dispatch podcast THE GLOBAL FIGHT OBRIGADO — Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro endorsed Trump today, adding his name to a list of foreign leaders who have given their support to Trump’s reelection campaign, Nick Niedzwiadek and Lara Seligman write. “God willing I will be able to attend” Trump’s second inauguration, Bolsonaro said through a translator, adding that he won’t “interfere” in the election but “it is from the heart.” The remarks came moments after U.S. and Brazilian officials signed a new trade agreement at an event in Brasilia, Brazil, with national security adviser Robert O’Brien. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell departs the weekly Senate Republican policy luncheon in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill. | Getty Images ON THE HILL ‘ON A PATH’ — Speaker Nancy Pelosi said today that she and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin are “on a path” to a massive coronavirus relief deal. Pelosi and Mnuchin plan to speak again Wednesday after a productive, 45-minute call this afternoon. Though a deal was not reached by Pelosi’s self-imposed deadline tonight, enough progress was made that both sides felt like talks should continue, Congress reporters Heather Caygle and Sarah Ferris write. Pelosi later told reporters that she hoped to get something done by the end of the week: “That’s the plan. That’s what I would hope.” But the California Democrat’s biggest obstacle may be across the Capitol — with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell privately urging the White House not to settle with Pelosi before the election.   GLOBAL PULSE, GLOBAL PURPOSE: At a high-stakes moment when global health has become a household concern, it is pivotal to keep up with the politics and policy driving change. Global Pulse connects leaders, policymakers and advocates to the people and politics driving global health. Join the conversation and subscribe today for this new weekly newsletter.     NIGHTLY NUMBER 11 The number of Republican state attorneys general who joined the Justice Department in filing an antitrust lawsuit against Google in Washington, D.C., federal court today, unleashing the might of the U.S. government against one of Silicon Valley’s most powerful companies. (h/t Leah Nylen) PARTING WORDS BORDER CONTROL — Renu, quarantining with two toddlers, emails from El Paso: On Saturday my family — mostly my husband — began Googling things to do. The zoo, public pools and other city-run activities have long been closed here. So is a family dairy that doubles as a petting zoo. The science museum in nearby Las Cruces, N.M., holds weekend animal feedings, but this Saturday the snake feeding was canceled. We settled on a botanical garden. It was open, but there wasn’t another person in sight all morning, not even staff. We dropped $6 into a lockbox and wandered around with our kids. On the way back, we stopped at a Taco Cabana, hoping to get lunch and margaritas on a patio overlooking the mountains. We had to settle for drive-through. The fast-food spot had closed its outdoor seating area the previous day because of the city’s tightened Covid restrictions. If pandemic frivolity had arrived at our house, the past several days jolted us back to reality. Covid cases have been rapidly rising in El Paso. While we spent our Saturday looking at desert plants, 449 Covid patients spent the day in the city’s hospitals, a new record. With two little ones, our quarantine life hasn’t been all that different from normal life. But we had started to imagine breaking free from the unending threat of Covid and its attendant limits on life. This morning, I woke to a WhatsApp message that a baby in one of our children’s daycare classes had tested positive for Covid. It has been nearly two weeks since the baby, who is symptom free, was in daycare. I think they and we are in the clear. But it won’t be the last close call. So for now, for the foreseeable future, we’ll stop trying to Google away our restlessness and stick to our Saturday routine: take-out, walks around the block, Sesame Street, and visits to an empty playground.   A message from The National Council on Election Integrity: The National Council on Election Integrity is a bipartisan group of political, government, and civic leaders united around protecting the integrity of our elections. Our country has held successful elections through good times and bad, and this November is no different. Individual voters, the media, candidates, and the political parties have a duty to be patient while local election officials count every vote. Because no matter who we choose to represent us, in America we count every vote. Stand with the National Council on Election Integrity: take the pledge at CountEveryVote.org.   Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter Renuka Rayasam @renurayasam Chris Suellentrop @suellentrop Tyler Weyant @tweyant Myah Ward @myahward   FOLLOW US

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