* The RNC has a national debt clock familiar to New Yorkers, who may remember when it went in reverse under Clinton. * Mitt Romney could become Ronald Reagan. * Mitt Romney could become Richard Nixon. * NYPD admits targeting Urdu speakers as potential terrorists—a problem since 80,000 New Yorkers speak it.
* Army-linked militia planned to take over Fort Stewart, bomb dam, poison apples, assassinate Obama. * Jeffrey Johnson's mother seeks clues from his life as to why he killed a former coworker. * Israeli judge rules Rachel Corrie's death not Israel's fault—she was protecting terrorists.
* Why Breivik's 21-year sentence doesn't seem like enough: It's a question of retributive vs. restorative justice. * Two members of Russian punk band Pussy Riot have fled the country. * The Economist remembers Neil Armstrong, "The Ice Commander": equal parts reserve and shyness.
* Up to 300 people executed in one of the deadliest raids by the Syrian army. * How one woman lost her career for thwarting plans to provoke war with Iran. * NSA whistleblower fears the NSA will soon be able to track and store a century's worth of the world&
* We're on summer vacation until Aug. 27. In the meantime, enjoy a selection of our summer longreads. * A report from North America's largest consumer craft fair, where the competition for puppet dollars is intense. * A two-week journey across the U.S.—passing through a handful
* Russian punk band Pussy Riot sentenced to two years in prison for protesting Putin in a church. * Listen to Pussy Riot's new single, "Putin Lights Up the Fires." * Tom Morello: "Paul Ryan is the embodiment of the machine our music rages against." * The [Confederate]
* South African police open fire on striking miners, killing at least 18. * Even after billions of dollars have been spent reconstructing Haiti, many refugees still don't have safe housing. * France's targeting of gypsy camps continues under Hollande, though with less opposition; as for the Roma, deportation
* AP Stylebook releases list of election cliches to avoid—WaPo provides commentary. * Hungary tries to quell "brain drain" by requiring state-sponsored grads to stay for 10 years—a possible violation of EU laws. * Mr. Ramirez thinks that around 0.5% of all bills in Peru, including dollars,
* Europe lets Hezbollah operate openly as a political and social movement. * Prize-winning 1987 essay by Hilary Mantel on women's domestic life in Saudi Arabia. * Favorite new meme: "Ridiculously Photogenic Syrian Soldier." * NBA officials didn't think black players looked good in black until Jay-
* Rebuke to anti-algebra op-ed says algebra, like math itself, is for everyone. * I make even my most ardent pro-choice friends very uncomfortable when I explain why my mother should have aborted me. * Soledad O'Brien lucidly fact-checks GOP's $700+ billion Medicare cut claim.
