Today's Liberal News

The Real Trade-Off With Russia

Last night, the anticipation of a prisoner swap between Russia and the West was nearly unbearable for advocates of prisoners held in Russia. My own sleep was fitful. Among those who might be released were journalists, dissidents, and human-rights workers I knew in Russia, or whose work I’ve covered as a reporter.

Olympics Photo of the Day: The Moment of Impact

Mohd Rasfan / AFP / Getty
In the split-second after taking a huge punch to the face, Canada’s Wyatt Sanford was photographed during a match against Uzbekistan’s Ruslan Abdullaev in the men’s 63.5-kilogram quarterfinal boxing event at the North Paris Arena, in Villepinte.

A Skeptic Attends the First Modern Olympics

This is an edition of Time-Travel Thursdays, a journey through The Atlantic’s archives to contextualize the present and surface delightful treasures. Sign up here.
The Olympics stir a sense of patriotism in me that’s surprising in its ferocity.

The Kremlin Gets What It Wants

Russia and its junior partner, Belarus, have agreed to a prisoner exchange with the United States and Germany. The deal includes the Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, the retired U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, and the Russian British journalist and Kremlin opponent Vladimir Kara-Murza among the people who are being released after arrests and convictions on various charges.

Elon Musk Says He Would Recognize a Harris Election Victory

Yesterday, Elon Musk told me that he will accept the results of the 2024 presidential election. “Of course” he would, he said when I asked him as much by email. Ever the gentleman, he added, in apparent haste, “Don’t be jackass.”
I can imagine why he wanted to get that dig in. In years past, asking someone whether they believe in the basic reality of America’s electoral process would be a little bit like asking them to acknowledge that they have to pay for groceries.

Money War: How the U.S. Unleashed Economic Warfare Across the Globe, from Venezuela to Iran

We look at a new Washington Post investigation titled “Money War” that traces the effects of U.S. sanctions under the last four presidents: Bush, Obama, Trump and Biden. According to the report, the U.S government has instituted, in some form or another, sanctions against a third of all other countries around the world, despite no clear evidence that they are effective in influencing target nations’ politics, and in fact may often entrench the power of ruling parties.

Trump Questions If Kamala Harris Is Black in Hate-Filled Interview with Black Journalists at NABJ

We play excerpts from Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s interview Wednesday with a panel of Black women journalists from the National Association of Black Journalists. In response to his interviewers’ questions about his record with Black Americans, Trump cast doubts on Kamala Harris’s racial identity, repeated his claims that immigrants are threatening “Black jobs,” and declared that he was the best president for the Black community since Abraham Lincoln.

Venezuela: Maduro Claims Victory, Accuses Opposition of Coup Attempt Following Disputed Election

Protests erupted on Monday in Venezuela after sitting President Nicolás Maduro was declared the winner of Sunday’s presidential election despite the opposition’s accusations of election fraud. Maduro has countered by accusing the opposition of attempting to stage a fascist coup. We go to Caracas for an update from Venezuelanalysis reporter Andreína Chávez, who says the opposition’s claims are still unsubstantiated.

It’s Not Just “Childless Cat Ladies”: JD Vance Once Described Childless People as “Sociopathic”

New details have emerged about Republican vice-presidential nominee JD Vance’s past comments that continue to plague the Trump campaign, with the Ohio senator having made repeated remarks over the years denigrating people without children as “cat ladies” and “sociopaths.” We speak with ProPublica reporter Andy Kroll, who has reported on Vance and says he is “demonizing huge swaths of Americans” and embodies a “really extreme version of conservative politics.

The Case Against Biden’s Supreme Court Proposal

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Even more dangerous than the politics of Biden’s Supreme Court–reform proposal is the escalating attack on American institutions that it represents.
First, here are four new stories from The Atlantic:
Donald Trump questions whether Kamala Harris is really Black.

Donald Trump Questions Whether Kamala Harris Is Really Black

Onstage at the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) convention today, Donald Trump complained bitterly that technical difficulties had delayed his appearance, but he had no trouble squeezing plenty of inflammatory comments into a shortened interview.
The former president refused to condemn the violent rioters on January 6, 2021. He gave only faint support for J. D. Vance’s preparedness to serve as president.

The Seine River Passed Its Test

Last night, in Paris, thunderstorms threatened to pummel the Seine. The men’s triathlon had already been postponed after levels of bacteria in the river measured high, and more rain would have made it worse. Downpours can sweep trash and grime into the river and overwhelm treatment plants as well as old combined pipes where stormwater mingles with wastewater; even the massive tanks Paris installed to keep that mess from pouring into the Seine can be bested by pounding rains.