Today's Liberal News

Prisoner Swap with Russia “Offers a Possible Pathway” to Peace in Ukraine, Says Katrina vanden Heuvel

We speak with The Nation’s Katrina vanden Heuvel about the prisoner swap between Russia, the United States and several other countries on Thursday that saw the release of 24 people, with 16 prisoners in Russia traded for eight Russian nationals held in the U.S., Germany and elsewhere. It was the biggest exchange of prisoners between Russia and the West since the Cold War era. Among those released are Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, former U.S.

Picking Shapiro as VP Would Remind Voters Kamala Harris Is Liberal, Not Progressive: Marc Lamont Hill

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro is reportedly at the top of the list of potential running mates for Vice President Kamala Harris in her bid for the White House. But many progressives have raised alarm about Shapiro’s record, including his support for corporate tax breaks and school vouchers, his relationship with oil and gas companies, and his demonization of pro-Palestinian protesters.

“Simply Lying”: Marc Lamont Hill Slams Trump’s NABJ Interview, Attacks on VP Harris’s Racial Identity

We speak with journalist Marc Lamont Hill amid Donald Trump’s ongoing attacks on the racial identity of Vice President Kamala Harris. The Republican presidential nominee was interviewed this week at the annual convention of the National Association of Black Journalists, where he claimed Harris “happened to turn Black” for political expediency, even though she has always been open about her Jamaican and Indian American parents and identifies as both Black and South Asian.

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.

Olympics Photo of the Day: A Winner’s Circle

Jack Guez / AFP / Getty
The Olympic judo mixed-team final between France and Japan had come down to a tie, 3–3, at the end of the regulation bouts, when the random spin of a wheel was used to decide which gender and weight class would face each other in a tie-breaker: “men’s +90kg.” France’s Teddy Riner faced off against Japan’s Tatsuru Saito, with Riner winning the bout—and a team gold medal—before a wildly cheering home crowd.

The Value of Alliances in Washington

Editor’s Note: Washington Week With The Atlantic is a partnership between NewsHour Productions, WETA, and The Atlantic airing every Friday on PBS stations nationwide. Check your local listings or watch full episodes here.
As speculation over whom Kamala Harris will name as her running mate continues, Donald Trump is under fire this week for his controversial remarks to the National Association of Black Journalists about the vice president’s race.

The Last Thing Bees Need Right Now

This article was originally published by Knowable Magazine.
In the summers of 2018 and 2019, the ecologist James Ryalls and his colleagues would go out to a field near Reading, in southern England, to stare at the insects buzzing around black-mustard plants. Each time a bee, a hoverfly, a moth, a butterfly, or another insect tried to get at the pollen or nectar in the small yellow flowers, the scientists would make a note.
It was part of an unusual experiment.

Sports Stories for the Sports-Averse

This is an edition of The Wonder Reader, a newsletter in which our editors recommend a set of stories to spark your curiosity and fill you with delight. Sign up here to get it every Saturday morning.
My colleague Gisela Salim-Peyer put it bluntly last weekend: “Many women love sports, but I am not one of them. I don’t want to play any sports, and I certainly don’t want to watch.” I’m personally quite aligned with Gisela here, but this year, I’m finding myself invested in the Olympics.

The Police Department That Refused to Solve a Murder

In February—two months after The Atlantic reported on a Hawaii murder case that sent an innocent man to prison for 23 years—Barry Scheck, the defense-bar legend and a co-founder of the Innocence Project in New York, contacted a former FBI lawyer named Stephen Kramer to ask him for help finally solving the murder.