curated citations to news sources
Anne Applebaum: How to end the war in Ukraine
The war will be over when Putin understands that he can’t win
Next week, maybe, there might be a meeting between President Putin and President Trump. Once again, many people are speculating about the end of the war, what it would take for both sides to stop fighting. As it happens, this was the subject of a conversation I had a few weeks ago with a Russian journalist, Konstantin Eggert, who works for Deutsche Welle, Germany’s international media company. When I first met him, Konstantin worked for Kommersant, which used to be one of Russia’s best newspapers. Now, like so many other Russians I know, he’s in exile. The interview was made for DW’s Russian-language audience, but it’s been posted in English as well.
The most important argument is worth repeating, now, before the speculation grows more intense: This is not a war for territory. Putin doesn’t need another hundred square kilometers of Donetsk province. His goals are ideological. He wants to to destroy all of Ukraine, to make Ukraine part of a new Russian empire or sphere of influence and to use that victory to undermine NATO and the European Union. As recently as June 20, he said that “all of Ukraine” belongs to Russia. Russia’s state news agency, RIA Novosti, published two articles on July 30 arguing that “no one should remain alive in Ukraine” and “Ukraine will end very soon.” Right now, Putin still thinks he can achieve those goals. Until he is convinced otherwise, he will continue fighting.
(Anne Applebaum more…)
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Intercept: Chinese ICE Detainee Dies by Suicide at Pennsylvania Detention Center
The death, the first in the Northeast in ICE custody this year, came at the largest immigration jail in the region.
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NewsMax: Hacking Group Claims to Have Compromised FAA
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NewsMax: Kennedy Slammed for ‘Tepid’ Response to CDC Shootings
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Al Jazeera: Al Jazeera condemns killing of its journalists by Israeli forces in Gaza
Media network condemns ‘assassination’ of its Gaza correspondents and photographers by Israeli forces.
(Al Jazeera more…)Reuters: Israel strike kills Al Jazeera journalists in Gaza
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Israel’s military said it targeted and killed Anas Al Sharif, alleging he had headed a Hamas militant cell and was involved in rocket attacks on Israel.
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TechCrunch: The computer science dream has become a nightmare
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Register: Nvidia and AMD reportedly chipping in to Washington’s coffers with 15 percent fee for China sales
Trump administration’s licenses come with an IOU
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Heather Cox Richardson: Letters from an American – August 10, 2025
On Friday, Democracy Forward Foundation sued the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to make it respond to its request for the release of the Epstein files, as well as all communications the administration has exchanged over the files and President Donald Trump’s inclusion in them, as required under the Freedom of Information Act. The Democracy Forward Foundation filed Freedom of Information Act requests on July 28, asking for expedited processing in light of public interest in the files, but the DOJ and the FBI have not responded.
The case has been assigned to Judge Tanya Chutkan of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, who presided over Trump’s criminal trial for his attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. Drawing Chutkan for an Epstein case means decisions will not be weighted in Trump’s favor.
(Heather Cox Richardson more…)
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Conversation: 3 reasons Republicans’ redistricting power grab might backfire
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Sarah Jones & Jason Easley: JD Vance Tried To Clean Up His Jeffrey Epstein Mess And It Was A Disaster
JD Vance somehow managed to go on Fox News and make Trump’s Jeffrey Epstein problem even worse.
Borowitz: Zelenskyy Suggests Trump Give Florida to Russia
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Explaining his rationale for a Russian annexation of the Sunshine State, Zelenskyy said, “There are already so many Russian-speaking people there, especially the oligarchs and criminals around Mar-a-Lago.”
(Borowitz more…)
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