Happy Thursday! Some of today’s top stories: A historic prisoner swap marks “success” for Putin as Americans return home. For the first time, Kamala Harris is the favorite to win the election. A New York court denied Trump’s gag order appeal. JD Vance visits the border, slamming “Harris Administration” on immigration. Zelensky names one condition for Ukraine to give up territory. At the Paris Olympics, a female boxer abandons fight in tears against athlete who failed gender test. What we know about Prince Harry and Meghan's new Royal tour. Which U.S. states have the highest IQs? And a cat owner checks her pet cam, and is hilariously unprepared for what she sees!

The Gist of It: Russia's exchange of political prisoners for spies with the West marks the largest swap of its kind since the end of the Cold War, and is being hailed as a "success" for Vladimir Putin. The U.S. State Department confirmed that Russia was handed eight spies and agents; in return, Putin freed 16 prisoners, including The Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and U.S. citizen Paul Whelan. Read the full story.

Related: JD Vance Suggests Donald Trump Deserves Credit for Joe Biden's Success

The Gist of It: For the first time since launching her presidential campaign, Kamala Harris is predicted to win the 2024 election, according to an online betting company. Since Harris launched her presidential campaign two weeks ago, polls have shown that she has reduced Trump's lead over the Democrats compared to when Biden was on the ticket. Read the full story. 

New ruling: Donald Trump's Bid to End Gag Order Rejected
Just in: Josh Shapiro Suddenly Changes Plans Amid VP Buzz
Related: Former Trump Aide Raises Questions About His Ancestry Claims

The Gist of It: Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance visited the U.S.-Mexico border Thursday and repeated claims that Vice President Kamala Harris was responsible for illegal crossings, crime caused by migrants and fentanyl deaths, part of a GOP strategy to tie Harris to what they say is the current administration's failings on immigration. Read the full story. 

New: Donald Trump Dealt Quadruple Polling Blow Within 48 Hours
New data: Number of Americans Filing for Unemployment Hits Highest Level in a Year

The Gist of It: Volodymyr Zelensky has said that territorial concessions to end the war started by Vladimir Putin would require the backing of a referendum in Ukraine. However, the Ukrainian president said such a move "is not the best option because we are dealing with Putin and it will be a victory for him if he takes part of our territory." Read the full story. 

Kharkiv region: Ukrainian Soldiers Ambush Russians After Capturing Enemy Radio
Related: Putin Ramps Up War Machine Purge With New Arrests
Israel-Hamas war: Hezbollah Leader–Israel War Enters 'New Phase'

The Gist of It: An Italian boxer has burst into tears after abandoning a boxing match at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Angela Carini stopped her bout against Algerian Imane Khelif, who had previously failed a gender eligibility test in 2023, after 46 seconds. Read the full story.

The Royal Family: Prince Harry and Meghan's New Royal Tour

The Gist of It: Republicans currently hold a narrow majority in the House of Representatives–220 seats compared to Democrats' 212–meaning Democrats need to only flip a handful of districts to win control of the House next year. But polls show that voters are closely divided. Read the full story. 

Hunter Biden tax fraud trial: Court Docs Reveal New Allegations
Supreme Court: Ketanji Brown Jackson's Supreme Court Decisions Are 'Promising' Sign

DID YOU SEE THIS?

The Gist of It: While Kassandra and her fiance were out enjoying cocktails, they wanted to check on the cats at home. They opened their pet camera and were shocked to see the two cats staring right back! Watch the viral video here.