David Graham cover story in The Atlantic.

Society for the Rule of Law panel:

In theory, elections are the greatest safeguard of democracy—but in practice, their integrity is under increasing pressure. This panel assessed the resilience of our electoral systems amid rising challenges—from partisan interference and election denialism to foreign influence and the rise of disinformation and AI-generated distortion. Panelists explored recent and threatened actions by the Trump Administration and the Federal Election Commission. They also spotlighted credible reforms—and the institutional strengths—that can preserve electoral legitimacy and reinforce the rule of law. Featured speakers:

• Stephen Richer, Former Maricopa County Recorder

• Trevor Potter, Campaign Legal Center

• Matt Germer, R Street Institute

• Richard Bernstein, Society for the Rule of Law

You can register to watch here. Nate will be in person at UCLA and I’ll be moderating the event with a live audience.

Reuters:

Nevada’s top federal prosecutor has asked the FBI to investigate debunked Republican claims about voter fraud in the 2020 election, a probe she hopes will influence congressional races and ensnare Democrats, according to a government document seen by Reuters.

In late July, U.S. Attorney Sigal Chattah told Justice Department officials she met with federal agents and handed them a thumb drive containing data compiled by Nevada’s Republican Party about people living in the U.S. illegally who cast ballots in the 2020 election and members of Indian tribes who allegedly received cash for ballots, the document shows. She also urged the agents to call the state’s Republican Party attorney.

Chattah said she expects to pursue a variety of investigative lines of inquiry, but legal experts said she has multiple conflicts of interest and should recuse herself from any investigations involving certain legal clients or political matters she was involved with directly. Justice Department guidelines also stipulate that prosecutors cannot initiate a case based on “political association, activities, or beliefs.”

Chattah told senior officials she wants to remove “illegal aliens” from voter rolls which would possibly lead to a “reallocation of census numbers” and affect the race for Nevada’s 4th congressional district seat, currently held by Democratic U.S. Representative Steven Horsford, the document shows.

Chattah said she also wants to exonerate the six Republicans who were prosecuted by Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford for posing as fake electors in a failed bid to keep President Donald Trump in power after he lost the 2020 election to Democrat Joe Biden.

Chattah defended one of the accused and a lower court dismissed the charges. The state appealed the case, which is still pending.

Update: Judge Disqualifies Nevada’s Acting U.S. Attorney From Handling Cases

NYT:

Brazil’s former president, Jair Bolsonaro, was sentenced to more than 27 years in prison on Thursday for overseeing a failed coup plot after losing the 2022 elections, a landmark ruling for Latin America’s largest nation.

Mr. Bolsonaro was convicted of orchestrating a vast conspiracy that included overturning the vote, dismantling courts, handing special powers to the military and assassinating the president-elect, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who won the election.

Mr. Bolsonaro denied plotting a coup or planning to kill his political rival. He accused the Supreme Court justice who oversaw his trial, Justice Alexandre de Moraes, of unfairly targeting him and his right-wing movement.

The ruling marks the first time that Brazil, a nation with a long history of coups, has held accountable a leader who tried to subvert its democracy. But it is far from clear whether Mr. Bolsonaro will actually end up behind bars.

His conviction could also worsen the diplomatic tension between Brazil and the United States, which escalated after President Trump’s tried to help Mr. Bolsonaro, an ally, by applying tariffs and sanctions on Brazil….