Will Democrats Go to Jail for Russiagate? Plus. . .

It’s Tuesday, July 29. This is The Front Page, your daily window into the world of The Free Press—and our take on the world at large. Today: The aftermath of brutal massacres in Syria. France’s wine country is on life support. And an obituary for Tom Lehrer, master of the musical punchline.

But first: The Gabbard files.

Is there any story that better encapsulates our divided political and media landscapes than Russiagate?

For much of Trump’s first term, the legacy press and political establishment convinced themselves that the president of the United States was a Russian asset, or at least colluded with the Kremlin to secure the White House. It turned out to be a nothingburger, and then another scandal loomed into view: the story of how Trump was framed by the Clinton campaign and senior intelligence figures using flimsy evidence compiled by a disgraced British former spy.

Years have passed, and the Russiagate saga has taken many twists and turns—most of them greeted with a shrug by the mainstream outlets that had once worked themselves into a lather about Trump and Russia. (The Washington Post even published an illustrated edition of the Mueller report.)

Now Russiagate is in the news again, courtesy of Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. In recent weeks she has released documents that she says prove that none other than former president Barack Obama is guilty of a “treasonous conspiracy.” Parking that rather serious claim for a second, has Gabbard turned up anything of note? Last week, our own Eli Lake—no squish when it comes to this issue—said he thought the answer was no. (You can read his argument in full here.)

Today, and in light of additional document releases, we present the opposing view from conservative journalist Josh Hammer. He argues that the fresh evidence is enough to warrant a new criminal investigation, and asks: Will justice finally be served?

For an answer to that question, we turn to our legal columnist Jed Rubenfeld. Read his take. (Spoiler: Barack Obama is not guilty of treason.)

And if you’re still not sure where you stand on this important story—or just want to watch two smart dudes duke it out—watch Eli and Josh on the next Free Press livestream, today at 10 a.m. ET. Tune in here.

—Oliver Wiseman

Ross Douthat on Jeffrey Epstein and Conspiracy America

Was Jeffrey Epstein a Mossad agent, or just a sleazy financier with powerful friends and kompromat? As Epstein’s accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell asks the Supreme Court to overturn her conviction, Bari interviews New York Times columnist Ross Douthat on the unanswered questions of the Epstein saga, the conspiracy theories that won’t die, and why some people are working to keep them alive.

• A gunman opened fire in a Manhattan office building yesterday evening, killing four people, including a police officer, before turning the gun on himself. Authorities identified the alleged assailant as Shane Tamura, 27, of Las Vegas, and said last night his motive was unclear. Earlier this morning, CNN reported that a suicide note had been found in the suspect’s back pocket, in which he claimed that “football gave me CTE”—a brain disease associated with repeated blows to the head—and “You can’t go against the NFL.” (The National Football League is headquartered in the tower block he allegedly attacked.)

• Some European leaders slammed European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen yesterday over her trade deal between the EU and U.S., which included 15 percent tariffs on most EU imports. French prime minister François Bayrou called it a “submission” to Trump, while Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán called von der Leyen a “featherweight.”

• Roy Cooper, the former two-term Democrat governor of North Carolina, has officially entered its U.S. Senate race. “The biggest corporations and the richest Americans have grabbed unimaginable wealth at your expense,” he said in his announcement video. Cooper maintains in-state popularity and is seeking to replace incumbent Republican Senator Thom Tillis, who announced in June that he wouldn’t seek reelection. Trump threatened Tillis with a primary challenge for voting against the president’s signature budget bill.

• Trump has shortened the window for Russia to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine to 10 to 12 days. Trump had set a 50-day deadline on July 14, after which he would impose what he called “very severe tariffs” on Russia’s trading partners.

• The Washington Post’s top fact-checker, Glenn Kessler, announced that he will leave the paper. Citing “financial considerations,” Kessler joined a group of prominent staffers departing amid owner Jeff Bezos’s new directive to “champion American values.” Kessler came under fire for “debunking” some claims that turned out to be true, including the Covid lab-leak theory.

• Thailand and Cambodia agreed to a ceasefire along their disputed border yesterday after Trump said he would not agree to trade deals with either nation unless the fighting stopped. The dispute had gone on for five days and killed at least 36 people.

• Trump acknowledged there is “real starvation” in Gaza yesterday, breaking from Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has denied widespread hunger there. “We have to help on a humanitarian basis before we do anything,” Trump said, announcing the U.S. would soon set up food centers in Gaza.

• Twenty-six teenagers beat the smartest AI models at the International Mathematical Olympiad this month. The event is considered the most prestigious high-school math competition in the world. “I think it’s really likely that AI is going to be able to get a perfect score next year,” said Alexander Wang, one of the teenage winners.

In other news at The Free Press, we are delighted to announce that in September, we are hosting Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett for a special edition of Bari’s Honestly podcast. The two will be appearing at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center in New York City. Paid Free Press subscribers received early access to seats, which sold out in under three hours. If you’d like to be part of our community to ensure access to future events, please subscribe today!

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