VIDEO: Sen. Rand Paul says mob "of over 100 people" attacked him as he left the White House after President Trump's speech.

"Senator Rand Paul (R., Ky.) is calling on the FBI to investigate the mob of protestors that swarmed him outside of the White House on Thursday following President Trump’s Republican convention speech, saying the group is part of 'an organized interstate racket.'" (National Review)

• What's happening: Outside the White House, where President Trump delivered a powerful acceptance speech, radical activists were protesting all night. When speech guests, including Sen. Paul and his wife, left the White House, some were quickly surrounded -- even though guests had police assistance.

Sen. Paul was blunt, as National Review reported: "I truly believe this with every fiber of my being, had they gotten at us they would have gotten us to the ground, we might not have been killed, might just have been injured by being kicked in the head, or kicked in the stomach until we were senseless."

And he wasn't alone. Radical protesters reportedly also:

-- Brought an effigy of President Trump to the White House and then placed it in a guillotine. See photos and watch a video of it here. (Daily Wire)

-- Allegedly harassed and allegedly assaulted other convention speech guests, including an elderly couple. See photos and watch a video of it here. (Daily Wire)

Sen. Paul has called for an FBI investigation of the events. We'll keep you updated as this story develops.

• What's at stake: We're saddened that we must say this again: violence and intimidation have no place in American politics. These stories -- plus photos and video -- are shocking and disturbing.

Even worse, this is part of a disturbing trend from the left. Although the media won't hold them accountable for what they say, even Speaker Nancy Pelosi recently referred to President Trump and all congressional Republicans as "enemies of the state" and "domestic enemies." The MSNBC host she was speaking with at the time seemed surprised.

Rep. Jim Banks called on Pelosi to apologize. Unsurprisingly, there's no comment from her office according to the Daily Caller.

Iowa judge rules that 50,000 absentee ballot requests must be invalidated because they "violated a 'clear directive.'"

"However, Judge Ian Thornhill ruled that Miller’s mailing of the ballots violated a 'clear directive' from Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate, who said absentee ballots forms must be blank when sent to voters, according to the AP. Thornhill has ordered Miller to notify voters who received the pre-filled ballot that their ballot cannot be processed." (Daily Caller)

• What's happening: Another day, another important election lawsuit. In this case, the judge ruled that 50,000 absentee ballot request forms that were sent to voters in Linn County, Iowa must be invalidated. 

Here are the key facts, according to the Daily Caller:

-- Linn County sent out 140,000 absentee ballot request forms to voters in July. These forms were partially pre-filled, which means some basic information about voters was already filled out for them. That includes a special voting pin number that Iowa voters use.

-- However, the Iowa Secretary of State had already said that counties should sent out blank absentee ballot forms, including leaving that voting pin number blank.

-- The Trump campaign filed a lawsuit against Linn County (and two other Iowa counties) for sending out pre-filled absentee ballot request forms. Republicans have argued that blank ballots are "a safeguard against fraud," according to the AP.

-- Now a judge has ruled that 50,000 of those absentee ballot requests must be "invalidated" because they were partially pre-filled. Affected voters must now request a new ballot or choose to vote in-person.

-- Worth noting: President Trump won the state of Iowa by 147,314 votes in 2016. But Hillary Clinton won Linn County -- the county featured here -- by 10,545 votes in 2016.

• What's at stake: There's two reasons these election lawsuits matter -- and could affect the 2020 election:

(1) Most important, these lawsuits affect how Americans vote. The presidential election is likely to be close, and the margin of victory may just be a few thousand votes.

Combine the close margin of victory with new or changed voting procedures due to COVID, and there's a great deal of uncertainty that is still being worked out by the courts.

(2) Judges' rulings create precedents that can affect other cases. Put another way: what happens in one state may affect what happens in yours!

For example, just weeks ago, the Republican National Committee challenged a Rhode Island voting regulation all the way up to the Supreme Court ... based on a court ruling in Alabama in July.

Big change in D.C. as the "old ways of Washington" are up-ended by social media, grassroots movements, and, yes, primary challenges.

"Speaker Nancy Pelosi stunned Democrats (D-Calif.) last week when she backed Rep. Joe Kennedy’s bid to unseat Sen. Ed Markey in a contentious Massachusetts Senate primary. Days later, liberal superstar Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez fired back with an endorsement shocker of her own — becoming the first lawmaker to support a progressive primary challenger trying to defeat House Ways and Means Chair Richard Neal (D-Mass.), her most high-profile Democratic target to date." (POLITICO)

• What's happening: Politicians from both major parties usually don't wade into primary election battles, in which an incumbent (i.e. the politician in office running for re-election) is being challenged.

But that's changing, in no small part thanks to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (AOC)'s efforts against Democratic colleagues this year. An AOC-backed candidate unseated a  16-term Congressman and House committee chair in New York's Democratic primary.

• What's at stake: This won't be a major factor in the 2020 election, as the primary season has wrapped up, but it could be the start of an important political transformation.

(1) For constituents angry that some politicians get to D.C. and immediately break their campaign promises, this is welcome news.

Groups like the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which helps Democrats get elected to the House, usually enforce party loyalty by doing things like "enforcing a 'blacklist' of vendors who work for candidates seeking to oust sitting lawmakers," according to POLITICO.

(2) And this could mark a shift in campaign strategy.

As Rep. Matt Gaetz explained in the POLITICO piece: "The old ways of Washington empower leadership through money. But we’re starting to see that the message and movement may be more important than money. In today’s world of social media, digital communication and wall-to-wall cable television, the leadership no longer has a stranglehold on the brand or the messengers."

Biden is finally leaving the basement. He'll start traveling again after Labor Day.

"Biden, who has taken his campaign almost entirely online amid the coronavirus pandemic, said at a fundraiser that he plans on going to Arizona, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, all swing states this November. The former vice president maintained his events will be conducted in line with local health guidance regarding the pandemic." (The Hill)

• What's happening: Joe Biden announced he will start campaign travel to key swing states after Labor Day, which is next weekend. He had been running a virtual campaign from his home in Delaware, which some dubbed his "basement strategy."

• What's at stake: This means two things as we gear up for the fall election season.

(1) The race is truly on. The "basement strategy" was based on the assumption that Biden could coast to a win in November and didn't need to run a traditional campaign. That's no longer the case.

(2) And Democrats are getting worried. Earlier this week, The Vote highlighted Democrats' concerns about Biden's campaign style and lack of visibility. His staff must have listened.