Things when confronted by viciousness and cruelty. Going high means taking the harder path. It means scraping and clawing our way to that mountain top. Going high means standing fierce against hatred while remembering that we are one nation under god, and if we want to survive, weve got to find a way to live together and Work Together across our differences. And going high means unlocking the shackles of lies and mistrust with the only thing that can truly set us free. The cold, hard truth. Truth. Truth against lies, action against injustice, a vision of the high road that is sure to resonate in a country that chose not to ignore Donald Trumps latest assault on democracy. Open attempts to knee cap the mailin vote with funding cuts at the post office. The outcry that resulted, the postal workers who spoke out over the slowdowns caused by recent post office overhauls, the state officials who responded to thousands of worried voters with efforts to restore their confidence. The house of representatives which rushed back from vacation, even the criminal referral from two democratic members in congress have led to early signs of some progress on this front with todays breaking news. Postmaster general louis dejoy, a major trump ally and donor, announcing today that he is suspending those changes to the Postal Service. He says its in order to avoid even the appearance of any impact on election mail. For democrats, its a fight thats not yet won, though, as jerry nadler points out in a twitter statement, dejoys statement fails to remedy any damage already done. Nadler says House Democrats will pass legislation protecting the Postal Service this weekend. Well ask House Speaker nancy pelosi more about that later in this hour. But with the caution from congress, room potentially for optimism over a swift acknowledgement from a trump ally at the outcry over attacks on the post office was not to be ignored. Michelle obamas high road with a side of epic shade and a capitulation from a trump crony running the post office is where we start today. Pbs newshour White House Correspondent yamiche alsindor is here and maya gaye and eugene robinson. Wow, Michelle Obama. And wow, a pretty quick capitulation from trumps mega donor running the post office. Two big headlines this hour. Two big headlines. Michelle obamas speech, i thought, was quite a terrific speech and great start to the Democratic Convention. And, in fact, obviously it got under President Trumps skin because he was in a sort of tweeting frenzy and he had remarks earlier in the day that just showed they really got to him which was interesting. He really hates being challenged by a strong woman. And as for the Postal Service, you know, americans really like getting their mail. They really like the Postal Service, and this just turned out to be a bridge way too far. If that was the president s plan, and the postmaster generals plan to wreck the post office as a way of disrupting the election or weighing it for trump, that was the wrong plan. That doesnt go over well with endangered republican senators with republicans at all because their constituents like the post office, too, and they need it to deliver on their benefits, their medicines. It was a dumb plan, and theyve had to take it back after this huge outcry. You know, i dont want to be a Debbie Downer here, but is it possible that the damage was already done . Polls show that over 40 of americans already doubt whether all votes will be counted. If trumps intent was suppression, he may have changed the voting plan for some people, even trying to push the toothpaste back in the tube now, there may already have been harm done. Well, the big question here is, what was the harm already done and whether or not are there other issues that may be not as obvious as post office boxes piled up in a trash bin with photos for everyone to see. So i think the real question here for critics of President Trump is what can they do and what will they do that will not be as obvious to thwart the idea of mailin voting. Experts tell me the main part of Voter Suppression apart from physically stopping people to vote is also implying that peoples vote wont count so there are a lot of people now worried about whether or not they should vote absentee ballot here. The president is going to continue to rail about mailin vote and his allies are going to lead the post office. There are Big Questions there. The other thing to note is if i could turn to Michelle Obama please. This idea she was prosecuting the case against donald trump, she articulated everything that democrats want to articulate which really is bottom line that they think donald trump is not a decent man and is not up to the job to be president. Her talk about President Trump was really about the idea that most politics aside, hes not a good person. And when you hear people going for joe biden, thats their main thing theyre talking about. Theyre talking about, i may not agree on everything but i know hes going to do the right thing if hes president. Michelle obama set the bar high when it comes to a virtual convention. Yamiche, let me play some more of that Michelle Obama speech. Well talk about it on the other side. I am one of a handful of People Living today who have seen firsthand the immense weight and awesome power of the presidency. And let me once again tell you this. The job is hard. It requires clearheaded judgment, a mastery of complex and competing issues, a devotion to facts and history, a moral compass and an ability to listen. And an abiding belief that each of the 330 million lives in this country has meaning and worth. You simply cannot fake your way through this job. As ive said before, being president doesnt change who you are. It reveals who you are. Let me be as honest and clear as i possibly can. Donald trump is the wrong president for our country. He has had more than enough time to prove that he can do the job, but he is clearly in over his head. He cannot meet this moment. He simply cannot be who we need him to be for us. It is what it is. I described that last night as elegant but epic shade from the former first lady. It is what it is. Of course, what donald trump had to say about what is now nearing 170,000 american lives lost to covid. What did the white house think was going to happen this week . This is a week devoted not just to making the case for joe biden but making a case against donald trump which has nothing to do with his trespasses as a tv host as it was four years ago. But with his epic public failures as president of this country. And as she said, his complete indifference to the lives of the 330 Million People . I dont think theres a better encapsulation of the case against President Trump than what we heard from Michelle Obama last night. Its incredible. Michelle obama says over and over again that she hates politics. Last night she shows yet again how to articulate the case against donald trump if you are a democrat better than all the politicians that were speaking because she was someone who delivered the message that was pointed, piercing, critical, but she did it in an elegant way and very high sort of way and what she did there was essentially say, look, hes just not someone we should trust with our country. The other thing she was noting with her necklace that said vote, we understand as democrats that people are might have issues when it comes to mailin voting. If you can, go in person. Pack a lunch. Have comfortable shoes on. She was giving democrats not only the message of why they should be voting but how. Because she and democrats are anticipating this usps problem, thats going to be something thats going to continue to happen. People are going to be facing long lines on november 3rd. And shes essentially giving people a face to think of when theyre in line, wondering whether they should stay in line. In some ways its going to be uphill from here in terms of who else we hear from because Michelle Obama really was someone who closed the show last night. Democrats have really no better spokesperson. At least last night, than Michelle Obama because of all the things she articulated. And the white house expects democrats to come at them. But in this way, President Trump did not understand and did not really wasnt ready for the Michelle Obama to really prosecute the case in the way she did. And prosecute the case she did, even fox news forced to acknowledge that, mara gaye. Lets watch. Very difficult to try to connect with an audience without an audience there with you, but she has the ability to connect with people through the screen. Youve got the sense when you talk about authenticity, she has it in spades. I think the dnc, if they look over the course of the night, the First Virtual convention of our history, Michelle Obama stuck the landing. Michelle obama doesnt like politics and she said that this speech was her main contribution to the biden campaign. It was a heck of a contribution. She really filleted, sliced and diced donald trump. Mara . The sorry. Ive got a fly on me here. The thing thats amazing to me. I was watching last night. I was reminded when barack and michelle met, michelle was Barack Obamas mentor, and thats all i could think about last night because thats great. A piece of history to remember. Youre right. This is a woman who herself in a different world could have been president. And she is just as politically talented as her husband or as anyone that we see on the american stage. But yet, she also has the authdentisity of an american who cares deeply about her country and about her neighbors. But really isnt a political junkie necessarily. And i think that really is what makes her such a powerful asset really to any campaign and to american politics. So she has this way of delivering really brutal truths. But just as the neighbor next door and it really resonates with people who are not just politics junkies like we are, but with voters at large. And her point about creating a plan to vote is essential. Its only august and so the fear is that if weve already removed, you know, mailboxes and its august, what is going to happen the next few months . This is the beginning, not the end, i believe, of a strategy to suppress voters and suppress turnout. And i really think that people need to be on guard. I think Civil Society is going to have a large role to play. Lawyers who help protect the vote, organizations that are nonpartisan that do some of that work and help get people to the polls safely. Its all going to come together to protect our democracy. And eugene, some of that contributed, im sure, to the announcement today from the Postal Service that some of the reforms or changes or whatever they were spinning them as will be suspended. And to maras point, i think what Michelle Obama does is she reminds all of us that were not we dont have to be sort of victims of trumpism. Exactly. There is something we can do. Theres no more political document than the programming decisions of a political convention. I worked on three. And to put Michelle Obama and that speech last night, and they knew what was in that speech, to put that out there on Opening Night was, as we said, really this new more intense chapter of making the case for joe biden and making the case against trump and everything he ushered in. What do you think that she does in terms of sort of infusing this week with, as mara just said, action. People planning to vote. People using their voices. People saying, no more. That was the last part of her speech. She laid out the case. Remember, shes harvard law. You know, she laid out her case in a passionate but very logical way. And the conclusion was, you are not victims. You have agency here. Go vote. And she said, just go do it. They cant really stop you. They can dont allow yourself to be intimidated or depressed or somehow freaked out by whatever louis dejoy is doing, whatever donald trump is saying. Just go vote. Go vote early by mail, vote absentee in person, as you can do in my jurisdiction, vote on election day and be determined to stand there all day and all night if you have to. But you can do that. Thats within your power and no one can take that power away from you. And so she was telling people what their responsibility is. Its every citizens responsibility to express his or her voice at the polls. And that cant be done for us. Its something we have to do. Mara, to eugenes point, she was the most thematically powerful, the most appealing and most tactical. She went down and said if you break out the vote margin in the precincts in the states where donald trump won by the fewest votes, it was two votes per precinct. If you are at home and on the fence, Michelle Obama just gave you one more reason to get off the fence to get off the couch, put on your comfortable shoes, pack a snack and go wait. I want your thoughts on sort of that tactical information as a motivating factor. But im going to give you a twoparted question here. John kasich, winner loser . Let me start with michelle. Michelle obama is kind of like that democrat who has sat by for the past four years just enraged but also just deeply saddened and depressed and who she said so much. She said she was yes. Exactly. And so she knows better than anybody, i think, just kind of what malaise can lead to and how that can lead to apathy. And i think shes not an optimist in the same way her husband is. And so shes thinking very tactically about this. And it was a message to all americans but also, i think, to black americans, too, who have a long history of working very hard to vote. Its dont let people take your vote away from you. You have agency, but you have to act on it to eugenes point. You really have to force this issue, and it might take waiting in line all night to do so. John kasich. You know, after watching michelle last night, i just think, who . I mean, its just i just think michelle stole the night, and i think that shes going to be an asset Going Forward. And if i were in the biden campaign, id have her on every day for me. Shes a better campaigner than he is. I didnt mean the two of them side by side. But just the acknowledge i guess if kasich wasnt the right move, how do you think biden tries to represent what hes assembling which is a really ideologically Diverse Coalition . You know, i think whats funny is bidens platform is far more liberal than Barack Obamas was years ago. So when we looked at that as an editorial board, we were blown away how much more similar it is to Bernie Sanders platform in some ways than barack obama in 2008. But i think culturally what joe biden needs to do is he needs to say that he is the campaign of the big tent. And so that might mean having, you know, mitt romney even at some point. Lets remember he was at a black lives matter protest. The message is about the message is that this is about more than politics. This is a year to vote for your democracy, and then we can have substantive policy discussions later on in the family. But we have an existential threat. That is the message, and that goes beyond politics. Thats why cardi b is just as essential to joe bidens campaign as mitt romney might be. I love it. I love hearing from all of you. Yamiche this could take the whole hour but well pick it up another day. Thank you so much for starting us off. When we come back, a republicanled Committee Investigating trumps ties to russia reveals a vast web of contacts between Trumps Campaign and russians seeking to aid his candidacy in 2016. Well dig into the new report. Also, House Speaker nancy pelosi pulled the figurative fire alarm over the post office slowdowns, but could the damage have already been done . Well ask her. Speaker pelosi joins us on that breaking news and a look ahead to night two of the Democratic National convention. Plus, a grieving daughter vouches for joe biden at the Democratic National convention by placing the blame for her fathers death squarely on Donald Trumps shoulders. Well talk about the politics of trumps failure to protect americans. All those stories coming up. Try boost® high protein. With 20 grams of protein for Muscle Health versus only 16 grams in ensure® high protein. And now enjoy boost® high protein in new cafe mocha flavor. We live in the mountains so i like to walk. Im really busy in my life; im always doing something. Im not a person thats going to sit too long. In the morning, i wake up and the first thing i do is go to my art studio. A couple came up and handed me a brochure on prevagen. 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