Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Friday that Americans shouldn’t worry about whether mail-in ballots will get tallied in November’s presidential election.

The electorate has multiple choices, the Kentucky Republican stressed.

“I don’t think people ought to worry about their vote not counting,” he said. “And I would encourage people: They’ve got three options in Kentucky. You can vote early, you can vote on Election Day, or you can drop it in the mail.”

MAIL-IN VOTING BEGINS AS NORTH CAROLINA SENDS OUT BALLOTS; DEMS LEAD BIG IN ABSENTEE REQUESTS

“So I would encourage people not to worry about your vote not counting,” he added. “Choose which option is the best for you, but be sure and vote.”

Voting by mail has become a contentious political issue over the past couple of months.

President Trump has attacked mail-in voting as rife with fraud, while providing no evidence, and there are escalating concerns about the ability of the U.S. Postal Service to handle an expected record number of mailed ballots.

Although access varies by state — with some mailing ballot to every registered resident and others requiring voters to retrieve ballots themselves — the Postal Service is facing serious questions about its ability to deliver ballots on time.

In July, Postal Service General Counsel Thomas Marshall reportedly told a top Michigan election official about a “significant risk that the voter will not have sufficient time to complete and mail the completed ballot back to election officials in time for it to arrive by the state’s return deadline.”

The long-troubled service has been battered since the COVID-19 pandemic gripped the nation in March, and it announced last month that it had lost $2.2 billion in just three months.

While Postmaster General Louis DeJoy did not deny the organization’s finances are “dire,” he has promised that it has “ample capacity to deliver all election mail securely and on time” even with the significant increase in mail-in ballots expected due to coronavirus fears.

DeJoy was subpoenaed by Congress following reports of widespread mail delivery delays, and reports in the past week have also raised questions about the Trump donor’s personal finances.

Despite the uncertainty, McConnell maintained Friday that the Postal Service “can handle this.”

The president did not share that confidence, telling a crowd in Pennsylvania on Thursday to vote twice in order to make sure their vote was received.

Voting twice is illegal.

“Sign your mail-in ballot, OK? You sign it and send it in and then you have to follow it. And if on Election Day or early voting, that is not tabulated and counted, you go vote,” he said.  “And if for some reason after that — it shouldn’t take that long — they’re not going to be able to tabulate it because you would have voted.”

“But you have to make sure your vote counts, because the only way they are going to be able to beat us is by doing that kind of stuff,” Trump added.

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McConnell, who is running for reelection this year, said he supported giving the agency an additional $10 billion to ensure its election-related deliveries are handled properly.

Democrats proposed giving the Postal Service $25 billion to handle the extra mail.

Fox News’ Samuel Dorman and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Heat that the National Weather Service is calling “dangerous” and “life-threatening” is on track to impact nearly all of California over the three-day Labor Day weekend.

In the San Francisco Bay Area, peak temperatures are expected Sunday and Monday when the hottest interior locations could exceed 110 degrees.

The National Weather Service issued an Excessive Heat Warning for interior locations, 11 a.m. Saturday to 9 p.m. Monday, and a Heat Advisory for coastal areas during the same time frame.

“The severity of the heat is on the dangerous side because the heat wave will last Saturday-Monday with little to no relief at night,” according to the National Weather Service report. “When it’s all said and done by Tuesday many temperature (day/night) records will be broken.”

The uptick in heat begins Saturday, with widespread high-90s to mid-100s forecast across the interior, 80s to low-90s near the San Francisco Bay shoreline and 70s to 80s just inland from the immediate coastline.

“It’s setting up for a very hot day,” NWS forecaster Will Pi said Saturday morning.

Temperatures will peak Sunday and Monday as the hottest interior locations reach 100 to 105 degrees and several spots exceed 110. Coastal locations on Sunday and Monday will warm up into the 80s to 90s, but a light ocean breeze will prevent excessive heat. Places immediately on the coast, such as Ocean Beach in San Francisco, will likely stay in the mid-70s to low-80s.

A slight cooling trend is expected Tuesday, with temperatures remaining warm, rather than hot, after Labor Day.

Except for a light ocean breeze, winds will be calm through most of the weekend, picking up Monday night and continuing into Tuesday. The offshore wind event next week is predicted to be moderate but will increase the wildfire risk, said Pi. Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) Watch in effect for Tuesday and Wednesday (read more on SFGATE).

Here’s a look at the high temperatures forecast for the three-day weekend in several locations around the Bay Area, according to the NWS.

Saturday

San Francisco: 79

Oakland: 83

San Jose: 96

Santa Rosa: 97

Cloverdale: 101

Concord: 103

Byron: 106

Vacaville: 104

Gilroy: 104

Livermore: 107

Sunday

San Francisco: 90

Oakland: 95

San Jose: 102

Santa Rosa: 106

Cloverdale: 106

Concord: 109

Byron: 111

Vacaville: 112

Gilroy: 112

Livermore: 112

Monday

San Francisco: 85

Oakland: 90

San Jose: 100

Santa Rosa: 103

Cloverdale: 104

Concord: 105

Byron: 109

Vacaville: 107

Gilroy: 106

Livermore: 108

Cities across the Bay Area plan to open cooling centers for residents to find daytime respite from the weekend’s most intense heat. All plan to enforce COVID-19 prevention measures, including requirements to wear face coverings. Some will allow food, others no. Most will not allow pets.

The most accurate information will be available on each city’s own website. Here is a sampling.

In Santa Clara County, cooling centers will be open in Cupertino, San Jose, Morgan Hill and Mountain View on Saturday through Monday, or on just Sunday and Monday, depending on the center. More information is posted here.

In Concord, where temperatures are expected to top 100 from Saturday through Tuesday and could hit 109 on Sunday, a cooling center will be open from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday through Monday at the Concord Senior Center, 2727 Parkside Circle. Residents should bring a snack and drinking water.

And in Santa Rosa residents can cool off from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday and Monday at the Steele Lane Community Center, 415 Steele Lane. Food and pets will not be permitted.

The California Independent System Operator (ISO), which oversees the state’s power grid, is issuing a statewide Flex Alert calling for voluntary electricity, Saturday through Monday, 3 p.m. to 9 p.m., due to the forecast heat event. ISO is expecting increased demand in electricity, mainly from air-conditioners.

Poor air quality due to wildfire smoke is likely to be an issue through the weekend. While the fires in the region are coming under containment, they continue to emit smoke and the high-pressure ridge over the region can act as a lid, trapping smoke produced by the wildfires in the atmosphere.

The Bay Area Air Quality Management District issued a Spare the Air Alert for Friday and Saturday, which makes it illegal to burn wood or wood products.

“Another week, another major California heat wave,” Daniel Swain, a climate scientist with the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability at the University of California, Los Angeles, shared on Twitter. “This will undoubtedly complicate ongoing wildfire situation, & may have elevated health impacts given ongoing ‘smoke storm’ conditions that make it difficult to spend time outdoors/open windows.”

Bay City News contributed to this story.

Amy Graff is the news editor for SFGATE. Email her: agraff@sfgate.com.

The Trump administration is halting “critical race theory” training in federal agencies, with White House officials calling it “anti-American propaganda.”

“This is a sickness that cannot be allowed to continue,” President Trump tweeted. “Please report any sightings so we can quickly extinguish!”

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION WANTS TO END RACE-BASED TRAININGS FOR FEDERAL EMPLOYEES, OFFICIAL CLAIMS 

Russ Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget, wrote a memo informing agencies of Trump’s instruction to stop using controversial forms of training on “critical race theory,” “white privilege” and “any other training or propaganda effort that teaches or suggests either…that the United States is an inherently racist or evil country or…that any race or ethnicity is inherently racist or evil.”

“It has come to the President’s attention that Executive Branch agencies have spent millions of taxpayer dollars to date “training” government workers to believe divisive, anti-American propaganda,” Vought wrote in the memo to heads of federal agencies and offices.

Vought cited reports of executive branch employees being taught in the classes — designed to educate employees about “white privilege” and other concepts — that “virtually all White people contribute to racism” and that it is racist to believe that America is a land of opportunity.

“These types of ‘trainings’ not only run counter to the fundamental beliefs for which our Nation has stood since its inception, but they also engender division and resentment within the Federal workforce,” Vought said.

CHRIS RUFO CALLS ON TRUMP TO END CRITICAL RACE THEORY ‘CULT INDOCTRINATION’ IN FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

The move comes after Discovery Institute researcher Christopher Rufo told “Tucker Carlson Tonight” that “critical race theory” had become the default ideology of the federal government.

Rufo pointed to several of his own findings, including that Sandia National Laboratories — which designs nuclear weapons — held a mandatory retreat titled, “White Men’s Caucus on Eliminating Racism, Sexism, and Homophobia in Organizations.”

A training document obtained by Rufo listed a series of “examples of white male culture.” Those included “golf,” “quick decisions,” “self-confident,” “risk taking,” “brave,” and other attributes that the document notes were “generated by participants.”

In July, the federally-created National Museum for African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) faced a wave of backlash for publishing a graphic that linked things like the nuclear family and “decision-making” to whiteness. The museum later removed the graphic.

Rufo claims to have found instances of similar trainings across a long list of federal agencies, including the FBI.

Proponents of the training say it can help the government eliminate bias in areas such as the awarding of federal contracts. M.E. Hart, an attorney who has conducted diversity training sessions for businesses and the federal government, told The Washington Post that it also can improve morale, cooperation and efficiency.

“If we are going to live up to this nation’s promise — ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal’ — we have to see each other as human beings, and we have to do whatever it takes, including taking whatever classes make that possible,” Hart told the Post. “These classes have been very powerful in allowing people to do that, and we need them more than ever. There’s danger here.”

In his memo, Vought warned that the training “seeks to undercut our core values as Americans and drive division within our workforce.”

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“The President has directed me to ensure that Federal agencies cease and desist from using taxpayer dollars to fund these divisive, un-American propaganda training sessions,” he said.

Vought told managers that OMB will soon be issuing more guidance, but in the meantime agencies are to identify all spending on such training, the avenues to cancel contracts and move money away from them.

Fox News’ Sam Dorman contributed to this report.

Police in Rochester, N.Y., arrested 11 people and three officers were injured Friday night after racial justice protests turned violent, according to local reports.

Protesters clashed with police for a third night after the leader of Rochester’s police union defended the seven officers linked to the death of Daniel Prude, 41.

Prude, a Black man, died March 30 of asphyxiation, with drug use a contributing factor, after police placed a “spit bag” over his head during his arrest a week earlier.

Crowds gathered earlier on Friday evening and first came face to face with police around 11 p.m., with a subsequent clash later in the night, Spectrum News reported. Eleven people were arrested for a number of charges, ranging from unlawful assembly to rioting.

DETROIT POLICE FACE TEMPORARY BAN ON BATONS, OTHER ANTI-PROTEST GEAR: JUDGE

Three officers were treated for cuts and bruises to their hands and legs, with one officer suffering neck burns, police said. The officers were later released.

During the first confrontation, police declared the protest “unlawful,” at which point the group of protesters split into two.  Most reportedly turned and headed for MLK Jr. Park, but some continued to confront police, throwing rocks, bottles and debris.

Poice responded with pepper balls and spray.

An hour later, police and protesters clashed again, with protesters allegedly throwing fireworks, as seen in footage captured by local news crews. Rioters set fires to property in the area around the protests.

Earlier Friday, the police union defended the officers linked to Prude’s death, saying they followed protocol. A day earlier, the mayor suspended the officers, pending an investigation.

“An officer doesn’t have the ability to go off-script,” Michael Mazzeo, the union president, said at a news conference, the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reported. “They have to follow protocol and do what they are trained to do.”

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The Rochester Police Department has not responded to a request for comment.

Brie Stimson contributed to this report.  

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., was denied access to two U.S. Postal Service mail sorting facilities Friday, saying she had arranged a tour amid questions regarding mail-in ballot efficiency as the presidential election looms.

The congresswoman was barred entry into both Opa-locka and Northwest Miami-Dade facilities by police tape blocking the entrances, along with security guards, according to a local news outlet that was on the scene for the scheduled 4 a.m. tour.

Wasserman Schultz said she received warnings and pictures from union members that claimed stacks of mail were just sitting in the facilities, with some dating back to at least July 23.

“This is an outrage, an absolute outrage,” Wasserman Schultz told NBC 6. “If they think they are going to throw a bed sheet over what’s going on behind these doors, they are mistaken.”

TRUMP URGES VOTERS TO CHECK MAIL-IN BALLOTS COUNTED AT POLLS AFTER SAYING THEY SHOULD TRY TO VOTE TWICE

Wasserman Schultz sits on the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, which issued a subpoena on the USPS Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, after he missed the Aug. 26 deadline to release documents he withheld from Congress.

DeJoy found himself in the middle of a congressional hearing after reports arose of mismanaged mail services, along with the removal of USPS mail boxes and sorting machines around the country, following President Trump’s remarks admitting to purposefully trying to block USPS funding to prevent mail-in voting.

“Postmaster DeJoy has already obstructed the committee by failing to provide requested documents in a timely way. Now he’s denying Congress access to public facilities,” she said in a statement today to the publication. “There are no children, defense secrets or sick patients behind those doors. Denying Congress access to the facilities, is denying the vital public oversight of our mail system.”

The congresswoman could not be reached for comment on whether or not she intends to go back to visit the facilities.

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Fox News could not reach the USPS, but they claim to have barred Wasserman Schultz from entry because the tour arrangements were made too “late.”

“The Postal Service welcomes visits from members of Congress at our facilities, and we routinely arrange for tours. We learned late yesterday afternoon that Representative Wasserman Schultz wanted to arrange for a tour at 4:00 am this morning. We spoke with her staff to explain that we were unable to set up the tour on such short notice, but would be happy to accommodate her at another time,” Debra J. Fetterly, a USPS spokesperson, said in a statement provided to NBC 6.

Democrats are threatening violence if Joe Biden does not defeat President Trump in November, New York Post columnist Miranda Devine said Saturday.

“If you think that they were sore losers in 2016, you ain’t seen anything yet. … Democrats have no intention of accepting defeat at the ballot box,” Devine said on “Fox & Friends Weekend.”

JOHN YOO: TRUMP AND BIDEN COULD FACE DRAMATIC POST-ELECTION BATTLE — HERE’S WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN

Devine called it “information warfare” to benefit the Biden campaign, citing a Washington Post op-ed by Georgetown law professor Rosa Brooks, who says Americans should prepare for war if the election result is anything short of a Biden landslide.

“It’s just a variation on the theme … when [Biden] said if you don’t vote for him, you ain’t safe,” Devine said. “It’s pretty despicable, but that is everything you need to know.”

RAND PAUL BLAMES VIOLENCE ON BIDEN SUPPORTERS IN DEMOCRAT-RUN CITIES

The columnist called the op-ed dishonest.

“Because the scenarios they put together show that actually the Democrat proxies in the street are supposedly peaceful protesters, we’ve heard that before,” she said. “And yet the Republicans are supposed to send in a whole bunch of violent agitators, which is exactly the opposite of what’s been happening.”

The law professor’s comments come amid violence in Democrat-run cities and after Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and others who attended Trump’s Republic National Convention acceptance speech at the White House and afterward were surrounded by angry people.

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While Biden himself has condemned rioting and looting, Devine accused Brooks of “pouring gasoline on the fire” at a volatile time in the nation.

“They are being encouraged now by the Democrats to take to the streets by whatever means necessary to make democracy happen, and democracy … from their point of view is only if Joe Biden wins,” she said. “They will not tolerate another Trump win.”