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The conventions are over and the gloves are off

Editors  |  Paste BN

Happy Monday, Daily Briefing readers.

The conventions are over and our candidates have their set eyes on November, with Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden campaigning in Southwestern Pennsylvania and President Donald Trump heading to Kenosha, Wisconsin — despite the governor asking him to reconsider the visit.

Here's what's happening today: 

Biden to get back on campaign trail, speak in Pennsylvania

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden will return to the campaign trail and deliver remarks in Southwestern Pennsylvania on Monday, according to a campaign news release Sunday night. The release stated Biden's speech will take place in the Pittsburgh area and will focus on "whether voters feel safe in the U.S. under President (Donald) Trump's administration." The former vice president's speech will be his first major address since he appeared at the all-remote Democratic National Convention two weeks ago. Biden's surrogates have pushed back against Trump and many Republicans who have blamed Democrats for the violence that has broken out in several cities, including in Kenosha, Wisconsin where Jacob Blake was shot seven times by Officer Rusten Sheskey and in Portland, Ore., where ongoing clashes between protesters and police has drawn national attention. Democrats have argued the responsibility for the unrest lies with the president.

The latest on coronavirus in America

Hurricane Laura's Louisiana outages could last a month

Debris removal and cleanup efforts will continue in Louisiana Monday following Hurricane Laura, a destructive storm that ripped off roofs, flooded streets and knocked out power to thousands after it made landfall last Thursday. Louisiana's death toll from the storm rose to 14 Sunday as cleanup efforts were hampered by power outages that may last a month and dry water spigots in many of the hardest-hit areas. More than 350,000 Louisiana residents remained without electricity Sunday, while 87 water systems serving upward of 150,000 people remained inoperable. Beauregard Electric Cooperative, which serves the hard-hit parish of DeRidder, said it will be at least four weeks before their power is restored."Members could be without power for longer depending on the damage in their area," the company wrote in a Facebook post.

'Red flag' warning issued amid California wildfires

As firefighters continue to battle nearly two dozen wildfires blazing in California, a "red flag" warning was issued in Northern California through Monday afternoon. Though cooler weather over the weekend helped fire crews, temperatures are forecast to reach nearly 100 degrees this week with winds that could lead to "critical fire weather conditions," the National Weather Service said. Two complex fires in the San Francisco Bay Area have burned more than 750,000 acres and forced hundreds of thousands of evacuations, while more than 60,000 people remain under mandatory evacuation orders from other fires throughout the state.

More must-read news happening now

MLB's trade deadline: The last day teams can upgrade their rosters

Major League Baseball's trade deadline is Monday, marking the final chance for teams to make improvements heading into the final month of the season. The trade deadline is traditionally on July 31, but was rescheduled as the pandemic-shortened 60-game season didn’t begin until late July this year. A handful of deals have already been completed, but some big names – including Cleveland Indians pitcher Mike Clevinger – are thought to be available. With an expanded playoff field of eight teams per league, this season’s deadline has an interesting dynamic as teams weigh whether or not they have a shot at playoff contention.

French tennis player positive for COVID-19, but US Open will go on

Benoit Paire of France became the first player in the U.S. Open field to test positive for COVID-19 and will miss the competition, but the iconic tennis tournament is scheduled to start Monday in New York City as planned. It won't be a typical Grand Slam-type atmosphere as the world's top tennis talent converges on Flushing Meadows – matches will be played in front of empty stands, and safety reminders about masks and physical distancing will be omnipresent. The event will take place in a modified bubble that essentially keeps players and coaches in a controlled environment for the duration of the tournament. Matches kick off starting at noon ET, with stars Novak Djokovic and Naomi Osaka headlining the prime time slot that evening.

In better news

What outfit could be even more 2020 than a meat dress? Known for her over-the-top looks, Lady Gaga wowed at this year's 2020 MTV Video Music Awards with some stunners – but had fans going gaga over her coordinated masks. The star, who was getting the VMA's version of a lifetime achievement award, stole the awards show with outfits she accessorized with a bubble mask, pink gas mask, devil horn mask, sequined mask and more. (Plus: here are the best and worst moments from the show, which began with a touching dedication to actor Chadwick Boseman, who died Friday of cancer.)

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