Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the mercenary Wagner Group, is believed dead after a private jet crashes near Moscow. The cause of the crash remains unclear. / Reuters

See also: In Russia, nobody expects to be told the truth. / The Economist

A Russian court extends the detention of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershokovich into November. / The Associated Press

Takeaways from the first Republican debate. "Ramaswamy wanted the ball, DeSantis didn't." / Wake Up to Politics

Three researchers face paying hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees to defend themselves from a disgraced Harvard professor. / Vox

Cheating accusations roil Little League parents in DC. / The Washington Post

Related/unrelated: "Competence is when you're good at life's games; lucidity is knowing which game you're playing." / Vanguard Anthology

A pilot artificial intelligence program in California struggles to identify wildfire smoke. / The New York Times

Contemporary painters use Leonardo da Vinci's "sfumato" style and other techniques to create a modern haze. / Artsy

Research finds people who talk to a variety of people each day feel happier than people who talk only to colleagues and friends. / Goats and Soda

Recommendations from a travel agent: "Travel with the expectation of irritation for the foreseeable future." / Slate

Data on what time different Americans eat dinner. / Flowingdata

The Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte, now twenty years old, returns today to stores. / Forbes