Top Items:
Wall Street Journal:
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 …
Discussion:
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RELATED:
Rebecca Falconer / Axios:
Freed Americans back in U.S. after historic prisoner swap with Russia — Freed Americans Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan and Alsu Kurmasheva arrived in the U.S. late Thursday after being released in a historic prisoner exchange with Russia earlier in the day.
Discussion:
HuffPost, Associated Press, ABC News, The Hill, Fox News, USA Today, The Gateway Pundit, NOTUS, CBS News, DNyuz, Business Insider and Washington Examiner
Washington Post:
Read Vladimir Kara-Murza's Pulitzer Prize-winning commentary on Russia
Read Vladimir Kara-Murza's Pulitzer Prize-winning commentary on Russia
Discussion:
DNyuz
Lauren Irwin / The Hill:
Burgum says Russia agreed to prisoner swap because they think 'Trump's going to win'
Burgum says Russia agreed to prisoner swap because they think 'Trump's going to win'
Discussion:
Los Angeles Times, The Raw Story, Nebraska Examiner, Michigan Advance, New York Daily News, ABC News, Mediaite, IJR, UPI, WSVN-TV and Mock Paper Scissors
Politico:
‘That had to be bittersweet’ — how Biden managed a historic prisoner swap as his campaign was disintegrating
‘That had to be bittersweet’ — how Biden managed a historic prisoner swap as his campaign was disintegrating
Discussion:
New York Times and The Hill
Tara Suter / The Hill:
Former CIA chief: Prisoner swap a ‘remarkable display’ of ‘successful’ diplomacy by Biden administration
Former CIA chief: Prisoner swap a ‘remarkable display’ of ‘successful’ diplomacy by Biden administration
Discussion:
The Register, The White House and Patterico's Pontifications, more at Techmeme »
Sarah Fortinsky / The Hill:
Vance: Prisoners coming home 'a testament to Trump's strength'
Vance: Prisoners coming home 'a testament to Trump's strength'
Discussion:
The Guardian, RedState, Associated Press, DNyuz, Alternet.org, Washington Examiner, Reuters, USA Today, VINnews, The Cyber Express, 6abc, CBS News, Politico, WHDH-TV and Al Jazeera
Wall Street Journal:
Putin Wanted His Hit Man Back. A Mother Wanted Her Journalist Son to Come Home.
Putin Wanted His Hit Man Back. A Mother Wanted Her Journalist Son to Come Home.
Discussion:
Los Angeles Times, Lucian Truscott Newsletter, The Guardian, Washington Post, CBS News, Associated Press, New York Times, Letters from an American, CNN, New York Post, The Dossier, The Daily Caller, The Information, The Sun, Washington Examiner, New Yorker, Fox News, Breitbart, DNyuz, Axios, Atlantic Council, Business Insider, Reuters, Bloomberg, Radio Free Europe/Radio …, The Hill, New York Magazine, OutsideTheBeltway, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Mediaite, Semafor and Jewish Telegraphic Agency, more at Mediagazer »
Wall Street Journal:
A Letter From The Wall Street Journal Editor in Chief
A Letter From The Wall Street Journal Editor in Chief
Discussion:
NBC News, The Hill, Hollywood Life, Fox News, Alternet.org, The Sun, Vox, RedState, The Guardian, Reuters, Associated Press, DNyuz, Al Jazeera and CBS News, more at Mediagazer »
Washington Post:
Evan Gershkovich, others freed by Russia in landmark prisoner swap
Evan Gershkovich, others freed by Russia in landmark prisoner swap
Discussion:
The Guardian, USA Today, Washington Examiner, Forbes, DNyuz, Fox News, The Hill, Associated Press, Scripps News, CBS News and The Sun
Susan B. Glasser / New Yorker:
Trump's Racist Attack on Kamala Harris Was No Accident — Is it, perhaps, a sign that the Vice-President's swift rise in the polls has him panicked? — Spoiler alert: he meant it. When Donald Trump claimed, on Wednesday afternoon, in a combative onstage interview at the National Association …
Discussion:
The Daily Beast, New Republic, Progress Pond, DNyuz, The Guardian and Business Insider
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CNN:
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 …
Discussion:
The Daily Beast, Fox News, DNyuz, New York Times, Alternet.org and NPR
Irie Sentner / Politico:
Trump hits back at Dem attacks: 'They're the weird ones' — “Nobody's ever called me weird. I'm a lot of things, but weird I'm not,” Trump said. — After over a week of Vice President Kamala Harris and her surrogates calling Donald Trump and running mate JD Vance “weird,” the former president attempted to play an Uno reverse card.
Discussion:
The Daily Beast and Mediaite
Irie Sentner / Politico:
Trump campaign says it raised $138.7 million in July — Trump's war chest now sits at $327 million, according to the campaign. — Former President Donald Trump pulled in nearly $140 million in July, his campaign announced Thursday, a major haul coming off of the Republican National Convention and an assassination attempt.
Discussion:
New York Times, Associated Press, DNyuz, Fortune, IJR, New York Post, Washington Examiner, Raw Story, The Hill and PoliticusUSA
Ian Duncan / Washington Post:
A long shot for vice president, Pete Buttigieg is suddenly everywhere
A long shot for vice president, Pete Buttigieg is suddenly everywhere
Discussion:
New York Times
NBC News:
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 …
Discussion:
Politico, Chicago Sun Times, Washington Examiner, Power Line and The Guardian
RELATED:
Mary Ann Akers / The Daily Beast:
Women's Group to Harris: Dump Shapiro Over Sex Case Failings — VEEPSTAKES — Pennsylvania Gov. Shapiro's involvement in a sexual harassment claim against a longtime aide may hit his VP chances. — Deputy Washington Bureau Chief — Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro is the betting favorite …
Discussion:
New York Times, The Raw Story and DNyuz
Hunter Walker / Talking Points Memo:
JD Vance Is An Investor In A Far Right Video Platform Filled With Neo-Nazi Content — This is your TPM evening briefing. — Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) has been making headlines for his “rocky rollout” since being named former President Donald Trump's running mate last month.
Discussion:
Alternet.org
Joe Edwards / Newsweek:
Republicans Want Someone Younger Than Donald Trump as President: New Poll — voters have said they would prefer a president who is younger than the 78-year-old former commander-in-chief. — In a YouGov poll conducted between July 25-29, 59 percent of — surveyed said they would prefer a president under the age of 75.
Discussion:
DNyuz and PoliticusUSA
Nate Silver / Silver Bulletin:
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 …
Axios:
Scoop: Kamala Harris' brother-in-law emerges as key campaign adviser … - But some Democratic advisers in close contact with the campaign worry West's prominent role could re-create the same family dynamics that at times caused unnecessary drama in her 2020 campaign.
Politico:
Recount confirms Bob Good's loss after GOP rallies to oust one of their own — A recount on Thursday confirmed that state Sen. John McGuire beat Good in the June election by just a few hundred votes, according to The Associated Press. — Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.), the chair …
Discussion:
NBC News, Washington Examiner, Fox News, Los Angeles Times, RedState, Alternet.org, Associated Press, Cardinal News and Washington Post
U.S. Customs and Border Protection:
CBP officers in Arizona seize more than half a ton of fentanyl in largest seizure in agency history — TUCSON, Ariz. - U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Port of Lukeville recently seized approximately 4 million blue fentanyl pills — weighing more than 1,000 pounds …
Discussion:
Washington Times and UPI
Beege Welborn / HotAir:
Trump Explodes Heads: Kamala Was Indian Before She Was Black — So former President Trump did what only he does best today and walked into the proverbial “lion's den” at the National Association of Black Journalists conference. It was by invitation - they also issued one to his opponent …
RELATED:
Rachel Looker / BBC:
‘Is she black or Indian?’: Trump questions Harris' racial identity
‘Is she black or Indian?’: Trump questions Harris' racial identity
Discussion:
Breitbart, The American Spectator, Reason, The Dispatch, ABC News, The Spectator World, The Hill, The Daily Beast, CNN, Metro.co.uk, Washington Examiner, USA Today and Axios
Dan Pfeiffer / The Message Box:
Trump's Disastrous Interview Shows He's Afraid of Kamala Harris
Trump's Disastrous Interview Shows He's Afraid of Kamala Harris
Discussion:
Mediaite, The Guardian and Forbes
Sarah K. Burris / Raw Story:
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.
Discussion:
The Hill, WHDH-TV and The Federalist
RELATED:
Kaelan Deese / Washington Examiner:
Former Trump DOJ official Jeff Clark spared from disbarment
Former Trump DOJ official Jeff Clark spared from disbarment
Discussion:
Axios
Tobias Burns / The Hill:
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).
Brian Klaas / The Garden of Forking Paths:
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.
Alec MacGillis / ProPublica:
The Man Behind Project 2025's Most Radical Plans — In January 2023, a group of about 15 people gathered for three days at the Heritage Foundation, the conservative Washington think tank a few blocks from the Capitol. Their aim was ambitious and farsighted: to start building …
Amber Ruch / KFVS-TV:
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.