Vance defends Trump over former president's false claims about Harris' racial identity  —  Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance on Thursday defended Donald Trump's false comments about Kamala Harris' racial identity, saying that it was “totally reasonable” for his ticket mate to describe …

WSJ Reporter Evan Gershkovich Is Free  —  Release of 32-year-old American from Russia secured as part of largest East-West prisoner swap since Cold War  —  Russia freed wrongly convicted Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich as part of the largest and most complex East-West prisoner swap since …

Harris campaign has met with 6 potential VP picks as the selection process nears its end  —  The top contenders include governors, a senator in a key battleground state and a member of President Joe Biden's Cabinet.  —  WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign has met …

Trump co-defendant Jeff Clark barred from practicing law after fake elector charges  —  The Washington D.C. Bar Association has suspended former acting Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey Clark from practicing law for two years, Politico's Kyle Cheney reported Thursday.

How Hamas Leader Ismail Haniyeh Was Killed in Iran … A photograph circulating on Telegram and among Iranian officials on Wednesday showed a damaged building in northern Tehran.Provided to The New York Times  —  Ismail Haniyeh, a top leader of Hamas, was assassinated on Wednesday …

The presidential election is a toss-up  —  Kamala Harris is giving Democrats the race that Joe Biden couldn't.  —  I don't want to get in the habit of making a huge ruckus every time the election model passes a certain arbitrary probabilistic threshold.  There are still a very long 96 days …

Plea deal for 9/11 terrorists draws blowback from families, Republicans  —  A plea deal for the alleged mastermind of the 9/11 terror attacks and his two accomplices is being slammed by some families of the victims, New York City firefighters and high-profile Republicans.

Trump loses appeal of gag order in hush money criminal case  —  A New York state appeals court on Thursday rejected former U.S. President Donald Trump's challenge to a gag order in his criminal case on charges stemming from hush money paid to a porn star.  —  The Appellate Division's ruling …

Senate GOP blocks bipartisan bill to expand child tax credit  —  Senate Republicans blocked Wednesday a bipartisan bill that would boost a tax credit for parents as the GOP and Democrats feud over remarks from Republican vice president nominee Sen. JD Vance (Ohio).

The MAGA Abuse of the English Language  —  Thank you for reading The Garden of Forking Paths.  This article is free, but if you'd like to support my work—and unlock more than 130 articles—consider upgrading to a paid subscription for just $4/month, or, support me by buying my book, FLUKE.

Critics Stunned By Donald Trump's ‘Heartless’ Punch Line About Man Killed At His Rally  —  The Republican nominee was slammed as horrible, unkind and a “self-centered sadistic monster” over the line.  —  LOADING  —  Donald Trump drew fierce criticism for making a crass comment about the wife …

Gov. Beshear cancels planned stop in western Ky.  —  HICKMAN, Ky. (KFVS) - Governor Andy Beshear canceled a stop in western Kentucky planned for Friday, August 2, according to his office.  —  They say Lieutenant Governor Jacqueline Coleman will visit the Jackson Purchase Distillery instead.

Don Lemon Sues Elon Musk Over Canceled X Deal  —  The former CNN reporter said in a lawsuit that X had refused to pay him after a testy interview with its billionaire owner.  —  Don Lemon, the former CNN anchor, sued Elon Musk and X on Thursday, arguing that the billionaire refused to pay …