At the start of July, in an effort to protect federal monuments and buildings, President Trump started deploying federal agents to cities across the country. But in Portland, Oregon, that effort backfired. In a city where protests had started to calm down, thousands of people started turning out against what they saw as a federal occupation. We’ll break down what’s been happening in Portland, how things came to a boiling point this past week, and why the Trump admin is sending agents to more cities. Also this week: the race for a COVID-19 vaccine reached a new milestone. Biotech company Moderna started its phase three trial in the US. We’ll tell you what this means for the vaccine timeline. And finally: a record number of Black women are running for Congress this year. We talk to Kimberly Walker, who’s in the race for Florida’s 12th Congressional District, about why she decided to run. On this episode you’ll hear from: Esther Krofah, Executive Director of FasterCures at the Milken Institute Kimberly Walker, candidate for Florida’s 12th Congressional District Let us know what questions you have about what’s going on in the news right now. Email us at [email protected] or call and leave us a voicemail at: 646-461-6370. You might hear your message on the show.  If you want to add theSkimm to your daily routine, sign up for our free newsletter the Daily Skimm. It has everything you need to know to start your day, right in your inbox.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices