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On the roster: Trump backs down on payroll tax cut - I’ll Tell You What: Before the scrunchie broke - Q Poll shows Trump sinking fast in Florida - President joins in House GOP crackup - Does Waze have a ‘hot pursuit’ feature?

TRUMP BACKS DOWN ON PAYROLL TAX CUT
AP: “The White House reluctantly dropped its bid to cut Social Security payroll taxes Thursday as Republicans unveil a $1 trillion COVID-19 rescue package, yielding to opposition to the idea among top Senate allies. ‘It won’t be in the base bill,’ said Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, speaking on CNBC about the payroll tax cut, killing the idea for now. The cut in the tax that finances Social Security and Medicare has been a major demand of President Donald Trump. ‘The president is very focused on getting money quickly to workers right now, and the payroll tax takes time,’ Mnuchin said at the Capitol. …  The long-delayed legislation comes amid alarming developments on the virus crisis. It was originally to be released Thursday morning by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, but the Kentucky Republican instead hosted an unscheduled meeting with Mnuchin and White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows. Afterward, Mnuchin declared the administration had reached a ‘fundamental agreement’ with Senate Republicans. Given the hold-up, however, Mnuchin and Meadows floated the idea of passing a bill next week that would be limited to maintaining jobless benefits that would otherwise expire and speeding aid to schools.”

Could a vaccine be Trump’s October surprise? - Politico: “President Donald Trump’s bet that a proven-effective coronavirus vaccine will be the October surprise to catapult him into a second term is facing increasingly long odds. But that doesn’t mean he won’t find just enough reason to declare victory anyway. While the race to find an effective vaccine for Covid-19 has crucial implications for nations around the world, it also carries political ramifications in the United States — with Trump banking heavily on finding a vaccine to quell both the pandemic and mounting unhappiness over his handling of the coronavirus response. Buoyed by a series of encouraging early trial results, the administration is laying the groundwork for a high-profile rollout of initial coronavirus vaccines in as little as three months. It’s a best-case timetable that also tracks with the final weeks before the Nov. 3 election. The White House’s Operation Warp Speed has poured billions of dollars into developing a vaccine in record time, funding several efforts in parallel and buying up doses of the experimental shots in a wager that one will ultimately pay off.”

THE RULEBOOK: PARTY FAVORS
“…because an extinction of parties necessarily implies either a universal alarm for the public safety, or an absolute extinction of liberty.” – Alexander Hamilton or James Madison, Federalist No. 50

TIME OUT: HEY, VENUS
Weather Channel: “As many as 37 recently active volcanic structures have been identified on Venus, thereby providing ground-breaking evidence that Earth’s neighboring planet remains a geologically active world. The surface of Venus is covered by volcanic features; in fact, it has more volcanoes than any other planet in the Solar System. At least 1,000 volcanic structures populate Venus, with about 65% of its surface a mosaic of volcanic lava plains. But, none of these volcanoes have shown any signs of being active until now. A new study by researchers at the University of Maryland, US and the Institute of Geophysics at ETH Zurich, Switzerland, has found 37 volcanoes on the planet that are dormant. The evidence suggests that these volcanoes were active very recently and are now sleeping, but far from dead. Researchers say that these findings could have some major implications as the knowledge of Venus’ most active geological locations could help identify where the geologic instruments should be placed for future Venus missions…”

Flag on the play? - Email us at HALFTIMEREPORT@FOXNEWS.COM with your tips, comments or questions.

SCOREBOARD
NATIONAL HEAD-TO-HEAD AVERAGE
Trump: 40.6 percent
Biden: 51.8 percent
Size of lead: Biden by 11.2 points
Change from one week ago: Biden ↓ 0.4 points, Trump no change in points
[Average includes: Fox News: Trump 41% - Biden 49%; ABC/WaPo: Trump 44% - Biden 54; Quinnipiac University: Trump 37% - Biden 52%; NBC News/WSJ: Trump 40% - Biden 51%; Monmouth University: Trump 41% - Biden 53%.]

BATTLEGROUND POWER RANKINGS
(270 electoral votes needed to win)
Toss-up: (109 electoral votes): Wisconsin (10), Ohio (18), Florida (29), Arizona (11), Pennsylvania (20), North Carolina (15), Iowa (6)
Lean R/Likely R: (180 electoral votes)
Lean D/Likely D: (249 electoral votes)

TRUMP JOB PERFORMANCE
Average approval: 40.8 percent
Average disapproval: 56.4 percent
Net Score: -15.6 points
Change from one week ago: ↑ 2 points
[Average includes: Fox News: 45% approve - 54% disapprove; ABC News/WaPo: 40% approve - 58% disapprove; Quinnipiac University: 36% approve - 60% disapprove; NBC News/WSJ: 42% approve - 56% disapprove; Monmouth University: 41% approve - 54% disapprove.]

I’LL TELL YOU WHAT: BEFORE THE SCRUNCHIE BROKE
This week, Dana Perino and Chris Stirewalt sound off about technical difficulties and the oppressive Mid Atlantic heat during Dana's vacation week. They discuss posturing from Capitol Hill as Congress attempts to plan additional stimulus legislation, competitive races for the 2020 congressional elections, updates from the most recent Fox News Poll, and more thoughts on school re-openings. Plus, Chris fields listener questions and answers “Lie in State” trivia. LISTEN AND SUBSCRIBE HERE

Q POLL SHOWS TRUMP SINKING FAST IN FLORIDA
Quinnipiac University: “In the race for the White House, former Vice President Joe Biden opens up a big lead over President Trump. Voters back Biden 51 - 38 percent over Trump. In an April 22nd poll, it was close with Biden at 46 percent and Trump at 42 percent. Democrats back Biden 89 - 2 percent, independents back Biden 48 - 32 percent, compared to 44 - 37 percent in April, and Republicans back Trump 88 - 10 percent. … In five direct matchups, the President scores his best numbers on the economy, while Biden holds wide leads on handling a crisis, health care, response to the coronavirus, and addressing racial inequality. Asked who would do a better job handling ... The Economy: Trump 50 percent, Biden 47 percent. A Crisis: Biden 55 percent, Trump 42 percent. Health Care: Biden 57 percent, Trump 39 percent. Response to the Coronavirus: Biden 58 percent, Trump 38 percent. Addressing Racial Inequality: Biden 58 percent, Trump 35 percent.”

Tight in Texas - Quinnipiac University: “In the race for the White House, 45 percent of voters support former Vice President Joe Biden, while 44 percent back President Trump. That compares to early June when the race was equally tight and voters backed Trump 44 percent to Biden's 43 percent. In today's survey, Democrats back Biden 94 - 3 percent, independents back Biden 51 - 32 percent and Republicans back Trump 89 - 6 percent. … In direct matchups, Trump holds a clear lead when it comes to handling the economy. Biden holds a clear lead when it comes to addressing racial inequality. On health care, handling a crisis, and response to the coronavirus, the candidates are tied or essentially tied.”

Buddy picture: Obama boosts Biden in new video - Fox News: “Former President Barack Obama, in a clip from a discussion with his former Vice President Joe Biden released Thursday morning by Biden's presidential campaign, says that he ‘couldn't be prouder’ of the Affordable Care Act and that ‘20 million people have health insurance that didn't because of what we did.’ The campaign had previously released other segments from the discussion between the former Democratic president and the current presumptive Democratic nominee for president. The entire video will be released later Thursday morning. ‘I mean, you and I both know what it's like to have somebody you love get really sick. And in some cases to lose somebody, but that loss is compounded when you see the stress on their faces, because they're worried that they're being a burden on their families,’ Obama said while talking about his signature health care legislation known as ObamaCare, which Biden has run on and promised to expand, including a public option.”

Somebody tell Jackson, Johnson, Wilson, Roosevelt… - AP: “Joe Biden said Wednesday that President Donald Trump was the country’s ‘first’ racist president. The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee’s comments came during a virtual town hall organized by the Service Employees International Union. When a questioner complained of racism surrounding the coronavirus outbreak and mentioned the president referring to it as the ‘China virus,’ Biden responded by blasting Trump and ‘his spread of racism.’ ‘The way he deals with people based on the color of their skin, their national origin, where they’re from, is absolutely sickening,’ the former vice president said. ‘No sitting president has ever done this. Never, never, never. No Republican president has done this. No Democratic president. We’ve had racists, and they’ve existed. They’ve tried to get elected president. He’s the first one that has.’”

Trump pays price for skipping virtual fundraisers - Bloomberg: “President Donald Trump skipped all of his campaign’s virtual fundraisers in the first few months of the coronavirus pandemic while mocking Democratic nominee Joe Biden for appearing from his basement. But it looks like Biden might be laughing all the way to the bank. Trump’s receipts from high-dollar donors plunged 61% in the second quarter, to just $27 million, as he declined to appear on a livestream. Biden’s big-donor committee took in more than three times as much -- $86.4 million -- after launching in late April. He attended almost all of the events virtually, talks to donors and invites reporters to listen in. Trump Victory, which raises money in chunks of a maximum $580,600, took in $64 million in the first quarter. But once social-distancing and lockdown orders spread across the country, Trump held just a few in-person events that gave donors face time with the president.”

PRESIDENT JOINS IN HOUSE GOP CRACKUP
Politico: “President Donald Trump on Thursday lashed out at Rep. Liz Cheney, the third-ranking House Republican, promoting criticism from [some] colleagues that she has not been sufficiently supportive of the White House’s agenda. ‘Liz Cheney is only upset because I have been actively getting our great and beautiful Country out of the ridiculous and costly Endless Wars,’ Trump wrote on Twitter. ‘I am also making our so-called allies pay tens of billions of dollars in delinquent military costs. They must, at least, treat us fairly!!!’ Trump’s tweet targeting the Wyoming congresswoman marks a further escalation of an intraparty dispute that erupted Tuesday during a heated closed-door meeting of the House Republican Conference. Lawmakers from the GOP’s conservative wing, including Reps. Matt Gaetz of Florida and Jim Jordan of Ohio, berated Cheney for breaking with the White House in recent weeks on issues related to international affairs and Trump’s coronavirus response. Cheney is the most senior female lawmaker in House Republican leadership.”

Hotline House rankings show House Dems in strong position to hold - National Journal: “Democrats’ funding, polling, and presidential candidate put them in a strong position not only to defend their House majority, but to expand it by pressing their advantages among suburban voters. A slew of partisan polling shows President Trump losing ground in districts that voted for him in 2016, especially in the suburbs, as the global health crisis drags into its fifth month. Democrats are all but guaranteed to flip two seats in North Carolina, which aren’t included in Hotline’s rankings because they’re not competitive. Republicans need to flip 17 seats to retake the majority, and that appears to be an increasingly narrow path four months out from Election Day. Democrats maintain that health care is the priority for voters, while some Republican strategists who spoke with National Journal believe centering messaging around cultural wedge issues—Confederate statues, 'cancel culture,' and calls to defund the police—will turn voters away from the Democratic Party.”

Bloomberg’s gun group makes big buy key states - NYT: “Michael R. Bloomberg’s gun control organization will focus its political advertising spending this fall on eight states where it aims to help Democrats flip three Senate seats, wrest control of state legislatures and lift former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. to victory in Florida. The group, Everytown for Gun Safety, is making an initial $15 million investment in digital advertising in the states, an opening outlay of the $60 million it has pledged to spend during the 2020 campaign. It includes $5 million earmarked for Florida, the lone state where Everytown plans on advertising in the presidential contest; $3.5 million in Texas, where the group is targeting six House races; and $1 million to $1.5 million in Arizona, Iowa and North Carolina — three states where it will advertise in Senate races — as well as in Minnesota and Pennsylvania.”

Ocasio-Cortez tap dances on Yoho - Fox News: “Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, backed by a team of supportive colleagues, led one hour of passionate speeches on the House floor Thursday morning calling out Rep. Ted Yoho, R-Fla., for ‘dehumanizing’ insults against her and slamming his attempt to apologize as falling way short. Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., recounted how Yoho accosted her on the Capitol steps Monday, put a finger in her face calling her ‘disgusting,’ ‘crazy’ and ‘dangerous.’ Later, she said Yoho then called her a ‘f---ing b---h,’ which was overheard by reporters. ‘I will not stay up late at night waiting for an apology from a man who has no remorse over calling women and using abusive language towards women,’ she said. Ocasio-Cortez said she's used to getting harassed as a woman in America, recalling her time as a bartender and rider of New York City subways, and then getting targeted by President Trump as a member of Congress.”

TRUMP RIOT SQUAD FACES GROWING TENSIONS   
Fox News: “A riot was declared in Portland just after midnight Thursday morning after Mayor Ted Wheeler’s tense visit with protesters -- where he was booed, told to resign, given a list of demands and tear-gassed by federal agents. His visit ended with his security detail engaging in a struggle with protesters late Wednesday night as they worked to get the mayor to safety, a report said. Earlier, he moved with protesters to the fence outside of the federal courthouse where he stood at the front and was tear-gassed along with the crowd, according to New York Times correspondent Mike Baker. Wheeler called the tear-gassing an ‘egregious overreaction,’ telling Baker he didn't see anything in the crowd that warranted the reaction by federal officers. ‘This is not a de-escalation strategy,’ he said. ‘This is flat-out urban warfare and it's being brought on this country by the president and it's got to stop now.’”

Bipartisan backing for House bill to nix Confederate statues at Capitol - WaPo: “The House voted Wednesday to remove statues of Confederate leaders from the Capitol and replace the bust of Roger B. Taney, the U.S. chief justice who wrote the Supreme Court decision that said people of African descent are not U.S. citizens. The vote was 305 to 113 for the bill that would replace the bust of Taney, which sits outside the old Supreme Court chamber on the first floor of the Capitol, with one of Thurgood Marshall, the first black member of the Supreme Court. The legislation also would direct the Architect of the Capitol ‘to remove all statues of individuals who voluntarily served the Confederate States of America.’ It specifically mentioned three men who backed slavery — Charles B. Aycock, John C. Calhoun and James P. Clarke. Democrats were unified in backing the measure; all the no votes came from Republicans, who were divided with 72 GOP lawmakers voting for the bill and 113 opposed.”

The Judge’s Ruling: Portland is in America, right? - This week Fox News Senior Judicial Analyst Judge Andrew Napolitano explains how the actions of federal agents in Portland are unlawful, unconstitutional and harmful: “Serious issues are implicating personal liberty and public safety in Portland, Ore. The police are not enforcing local and state laws. They are refraining from doing so because they have been so instructed by elected public officials. The Supreme Court has ruled that state and local elected officials — not police — are empowered to determine the depth and breadth of law enforcement. And the court has also ruled that the police have no legal obligation to protect lives and property. Stated differently, the police cannot be sued for their willful failures. The remedy for those failures — according to the court — is to elect different officials who will deploy police assets differently. Yet, the police have a moral obligation to protect lives and property. For what other purpose have we hired and empowered them?” More here.

PLAY-BY-PLAY
UN nixes this year’s General Assembly - Bloomberg

AUDIBLE: YOU CAN TAKE THE BOY OUT OF FARMINGTON...
“That’s bullsh**.” – Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W. Va., talking to CNN about the renewed Democratic push to eliminate the filibuster.

FROM THE BLEACHERS
“Love the Report and ‘I’ll Tell You What.’ And LOVE when you’re on The Remnant with your brother-from-another-mother, Jonah. Wednesday you mentioned a great spinach pizza crust. Please post the recipe! Oh - and let me know where I would find it posted. Thanks so much and God Bless!” – Kim Koch, Phoenix

[Ed. note: It’s so simple, it’s hardly a recipe. Basically, you take four cups of washed and WELL DRIED baby spinach, a cup of grated mozzarella, two eggs and a little salt and put them in a blender or food processor. Want to add delicious herbs and spices? Groovy. Want to substitute in some other dark and tender green like arugula or basil for some of the spinach? YOLO. Garlic? Bam! Now you have what is basically a batter. Pour/silicone spatula it into the desired shape (I’m from the Ohio Valley so a rectangle, obvi)) and thickness (you will figure out by trial and error how thin you can go without burning) on an olive oil-sheened parchment or Silpat and bake in a roasty oven (I go with 400 degrees)  for 10 or so minutes before you start checking for crisp edges. When it’s lightly crispy, do what you like. You could have it as a kind of quick bread/wrap situation because it is thin and pliable, or you can fold it over for a big green calzone. Or, add your preferred pizza toppings and return to the oven until gooey with dark and crispy edges. It won’t behave like a flour crust and you may need to use a fork, but if you cut it into St. Louis-style squares, the structural integrity should hold.]

“I hope I’m wrong, but I get the sense from all the reading I try to do that if Biden wins, his job in 2021 and beyond will be to sign whatever bill the Democrats put in front of him – no ifs, ands or buts. He is careful to say he doesn’t support defunding police, but I don’t see much hope in this view since I haven’t seen him tell Bernie Sander’s people or the BLM movement to go pound sand on any issue, thus far. A spine is a hard thing to grow in a few short weeks. Usually you have one, or you don’t.” – Ron Smith, Larned, Kan.

[Ed. note: That would all certainly depend on how Biden won. If Republicans crash and burn and Biden comes in with Democrats in control of both houses and the kind of mandate his old boss had in 2008, then Biden will most assuredly attempt some big legislation on par with ObamaCare in its ambition. If Republicans hold the Senate, though, we will have gridlock right away. Biden would try to woo some GOPers on legislation, and might sometimes succeed, but he would be scourged by the progressive left for any whiff of compromise. And with Biden a one-termer there will be big incentives for Democrats in Congress to rough him up to establish their status with the fringy voters who are so influential in primaries. Barring a Democratic tidal wave like 2008, it’s hard to see Biden being much more than a frustrated caretaker. It’s kind of the same for Trump. If he does get re-elected, he will be an instant lame duck. Second terms are usually harder than first terms and Trump’s situation will be harmed by the fact that he has no real relationship or shared trust with the Republican Senate. The 2022 map looks challenging for the GOP as it defends Wisconsin, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida and Georgia while Democrats will be defending seats in all solidly blue states. With no legislative chops and a party looking to midterms and its 2024 primaries, Trump would be left with, as Barack Obama said, pen and phone. One imagines it wouldn’t work out any better for Trump. It’s hard to see much big stuff happening if either candidate wins with anything short of a tidal wave of support.]

“I was just looking at a Pew poll on how the Democrats and Republicans have two different views on the seriousness of Covid-19. What struck me is that it is a Trend Panel consisting of 10,211 adults conducted online. Having been following polls since 2016, many red flags are making me question the poll. Are Trend Panels a reliable indication of the views of Americans?” – Steven Lentz, Cypress, Texas

[Ed. note: Well, Mr. Lentz, I’d say that it’s not a poll in the strictest sense, but it is useful public opinion research. A poll captures a snapshot of public opinion a moment in time, and therefore needs to be random in selecting potential respondents. But you can use panels like this one to track changes in voter attitudes over time. You lose the snapshot effect so it wouldn’t be good for a horse race vote, especially since the participants would be inclined to think more intently about the election as members of an influential group. But you gain the ability to see how changing events affect subpopulations over time. It’s not bad, just different.]

“Regarding the $600 bonus on Worker's Compensation checks, a writer in one of the Conservative columns, suggested making the Compensation payment equal to 85% - 90% of their former paycheck instead of adding a $600 bonus. That revised amount should provide the necessary relief for home budgets and remove, at least somewhat, the reluctance to return to work when work is again available. This time off work should not be a paid vacation.” – Michael Ryan, Hilliard, Ohio

[Ed. note: Republicans, led by Sen. Ben Sasse, have been pushing for something similar since before the first bailout package. He and his co-sponsors are a little more generous than you, Mr. Ryan. They want to prevent workers from getting more from unemployment than they did from work and eliminating a perverse incentive to want to get fired during layoffs or delay looking for work. They’re bringing their cap back around in the new plan, so we’ll see what happens.]

Share your color commentary: Email us at HALFTIMEREPORT@FOXNEWS.COM and please make sure to include your name and hometown.

DOES WAZE HAVE A ‘HOT PURSUIT’ FEATURE?
Lexington [Ky.] Herald Leader: “A Tennessee man was arrested Wednesday after he drove a stolen car right up to the Whitley County Detention Center, authorities said. ... He drove over spike strips, but continued evading officers, and wound up trying to abandon the car at a jail entrance … As the tires gave out, the vehicle continued through Williamsburg and ‘inadvertently chose the roadway leading to the’ county jail, [a spokesman] said. It stopped at the sally port. The man fled the vehicle and tried to evade officers on foot, but was arrested, according to Shelley and county jail records. The sheriff’s office did not disclose the suspect’s name, but Scotty Inman, 33, was detained … Wednesday morning, according to Whitley County jail records. He now faces 19 charges, including speeding, evading police, resisting arrest, wanton endangerment, theft of under $10,000, and more, according to Whitley County jail records.”

AND NOW, A WORD FROM CHARLES…
“Face it: Our kids are not going to beat the South Koreans at math for decades. But we can still produce a thinking dog. For now.” – Charles Krauthammer (1950-2018) writing in the Washington Post on July 15, 1994.

Chris Stirewalt is the politics editor for Fox News. Brianna McClelland contributed to this report. Want FOX News Halftime Report in your inbox every day? Sign up here.