'In a normal country, their activities wouldn't even be crimes'

'Russia isn't prosecuting US journalists. It's taking them hostage.'

The Washington Post editorial board

Russia's charges against Evan Gershkovich and Alsu Kurmasheva are "both false on their own terms and based on provisions of Russian law that lack elementary democratic legitimacy," says The Washington Post editorial board. While the "prosecutions do send a chilling message about freedom of expression in Russia, we suspect that is not the main signal Mr. Putin wants to send." Instead, Putin is "engaged in outright hostage-taking." Journalism is "essential democratic work, not a crime."

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'Why Kamala could win'

Daniel Henninger at The Wall Street Journal

After the assassination attempt, Donald Trump had been "handed the election on a silver platter," says Daniel Henninger. All he "had to do was deliver a statesmanlike acceptance speech and pocket the election, with or without Mr. Biden in the race." Instead, Trump "gave a shopworn, meandering stump speech." This "means that Ms. Harris, for all her liabilities, has a good chance of making this election competitive. She could win," especially because "track records matter in political forecasting."

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'California's anti-AI bill undermines the sector's achievements'

Anjney Midha at the Financial Times

Artificial intelligence has "given the U.S. technology sector a shot of adrenaline and the world a jolt of excitement," says Anjney Midha. But "all this is at risk thanks to a new bill in California" that "threatens to stifle AI development." If passed, the bill "will have a chilling effect not only on AI investment but the entrepreneurship that drives technological advancement around the world." The bill would "risk a brain drain, with top talent fleeing to more accommodating jurisdictions."

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'My friend was killed on her porch at 83. We aren't doing enough to protect older adults.'

Joseph Blake at The Philadelphia Inquirer

"Rarely is it noted that violence, neglect, abuse, and poverty are major everyday concerns of a significant percent of the elderly in America," says Joseph Blake. There is "no sense of urgency to address this growing issue of violence" against the elderly, Everyone "should have the right to sit on our porch in peace, and not be victimized by the kind of violence that sends ripples through entire families, neighborhoods, and a demographic that deserves better."

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