OUR PICKSThe Bolton Raid Feels Like a Warning | How China Influences Elections in America’s Biggest City | The Mysterious Shortwave Radio Station Stoking US-Russia Nuclear Fears, and more

Trump Orders Major Expansion of National Guard’s Role in Law Enforcement  (John Ismay, Helene Cooper and Eric Schmitt, New York Times)
An executive order released on Monday directs the creation of specialized Guard units to quell civil disturbances in each state and seeks civilian volunteers to assist federal agents in Washington.

How China Influences Elections in America’s Biggest City  (Michael Forsythe, Jay Root, Bianca Pallaro and David A. Fahrenthold, New York Times)
The Chinese Consulate in Manhattan has mobilized community groups to defeat candidates who don’t fall in line with the authoritarian state.

The Mysterious Shortwave Radio Station Stoking US-Russia Nuclear Fears  (Justin Ling, Wired)
A popular shortwave Russian radio station dubbed UVB-76 has been an enigma for decades. But its recent messages have turned it into a tool for Kremlin saber-rattling.

Trump Has No (Legal) Power to Mess with the Election  (Quinta Jurecic, The Atlantic)
But that won’t stop him from finding ways to make chaos.

The Bolton Raid Feels Like a Warning  (Shane Harris, The Atlantic)
In just one week, the administration has targeted dozens of its perceived critics, leaving national-security officials angry and afraid.

Trump Is Sending a Terrifyingly Clear Message  (David Frum, The Atlantic)
The president is going after his enemies and undermining the American system.
In Trump’s second term, the government is changing fast. In his first half year as president, Trump has systematically purged the federal law-enforcement apparatus of rule-obeying public servants. He is replacing them as quickly as he is able with people chosen for their loyalty, without regard for their other qualifications. At the FBI, Trump forced out his own first-term appointees to replace them with absurdly unqualified loyalists chosen for their record of complying with any Trump wish, no matter how glaringly unlawful. Over at Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, Trump is building an enormous paramilitary force staffed by people hired for pro-Trump zeal—and who may ignore written law. The administration has claimed an emergency to collect hundreds of millions of dollars of revenue without the approval of Congress. Post-Watergate ethics rules have collapsed beyond recovery as Trump and his family collect hundreds of millions of dollars in gifts, gratuities, and payoffs.