Prisoner swap: The largest prisoner swap between the United States and Russia in the post-Soviet era occurred on Thursday. The deal involved 24 people who the Associated Press described as "a collection of journalists and political dissidents, suspected spies, a computer hacker and a fraudster." Russia released 16 people, including Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and others facing long prison sentences. Like Gershkovich, many were wrongly accused of espionage. In turn, the US and western allies handed over prisoners who had been "properly charged," such as Vadim Krasikov, a convicted murderer imprisoned in Germany who allegedly committed his crime on orders from the Kremlin.
 
Bad/sad timing: The prisoner swap could have included Russian political dissident and Vladimir Putin critic Alexei Nalvany. Around the time he died in Russian custody in February, officials were discussing a prisoner swap for his freedom. 

ACLU sues Spokane: The ACLU of Washington filed a lawsuit against the city of Spokane for ordinances against camping and lying (the body position, not flouting the truth) because of the unconstitutional way the city criminalizes homelessness. The ordinances make camping or sleeping on public land a misdemeanor and authorize the city to destroy the personal property of anyone found to be unlawfully camping. They also make sitting or lying down on public property "in a designated zone" between the hours of 6 am and 12 am a misdemeanor. The ACLU complaint believes these ordinances are cruel and therefore unconstitutional, according to a press release. 

Hot, hot, hot: Summer continues. High temperatures return. Drink some water. 
Job growth slows: In July, the US only added 114,000 new jobs. Comparatively, June saw 179,000 new jobs. Unemployment, meanwhile, climbed to 4.3%. Is the economy about to crumble? I don't know! That's above my pay grade!
 
Layoffs at Intel: The chipmaker is cutting its workforce by 15%. That means over 15,000 workers so far are out of a job. The final number could reach closer to 19,000. 
 
Whale of a tale: A humpback whale swimming around the San Juan Islands is doing so without a tail. Yep, humpbacks can survive without their majestic tails, swimming around with just their front flippers. Researchers believe this whale lost her tail after getting entangled in fishing gear. Whale entanglements are actually a side-effect of climate change; when the marine heat wave known as "The Blob" started back in 2013, it caused whales to feed closer to shore to find a dwindling supply of anchovies, and it spawned toxic algae blooms that delayed the start to crab season until the crabbers overlapped with migrating humpbacks. Climate change is taking the tails off our whales! Put that in an election ad. 
 
Look out for zombie deer: The chronic wasting disease known as "zombie deer disease" reared its head in Washington. The Evergreen State is now one of the 35 states and four Canadian providences where the disease is attacking the nervous systems and brains of elk, deer, and moose. 
 
A quick word from Ashley.
 
Recycling bad ideas: Council Member Cathy Moore proposed reinstating Seattle’s prostitution loitering laws. Her plan also creates a Stay Out of Area Prostitution (SOAP) Zone, allowing judges to banish people from the zone if they’ve been accused or convicted of prostitution-related crimes. The zone Moore proposed runs up Aurora Avenue North starting at North 85th Street and continuing up to North 145th Street. The zone includes the Aurora Commons, which provides drop-in services for people in the sex trade. A spokesperson for the Commons said some of the language appears to allow people to access medical care in the zone, but it's not totally clear to them how this would affect people who access their services. A spokesperson for Moore said people can access services in the zone so long as they have an appointment. The spokesperson for the Commons noted that King County has few resources for people trying to leave the sex trade, and the only place with wrap-around services and long term housing for this population is Real Escape from the Sex Trade (REST), which has just seven beds in the entire county dedicated to helping these people. 
 
Okay, back to me. 
 
Smoke: Did you think we'd sneak out of summer without a sniff of wildfire smoke? Don't be stupid. Don't be foolishly optimistic, either. It's not a good look for you. The first week of August will bring "hot, dry, windy conditions and dry lightning," Ed Hiatt, Pacific Northwest assistant fire director for operations, told the Seattle Times. That means perfect conditions for fires. Those fires could spark as soon as Sunday around northeast Washington. Meanwhile, smoke from Oregon and California has already seeped into the air in a thin layer—not enough to impact the air quality significantly, but enough for you to catch a whiff and say, "Hmm, is someone barbecuing?" and then realize that if you really think about it someone is barbecuing and it's us slapping our planet on the grill. It could be a long month! 
 
Haven't we heard enough of this story? Ted Bundy's cousin is looking to finally cash in on her relationship to the notorious serial killer. Edna Cowell Martin, 72, penned a memoir called Dark Tide: Growing up with Ted Bundy. Whatever, Edna! Should've told the story before the biopic came out. 
 
The Blue Angels are back: I hate those planes. Even though the one time I actually saw their show it was kind of cool, I still hate them. You can like them, that's fine. Just remember, my not liking them is not a personal attack on you liking them, even if you have bad taste and bad hearing. Anyway, I'd be kind of okay with them if they just did their one show and left, but they have to practice so much and so loudly. Why do they have to practice? Shouldn't they know the routine by now?
 
Supersize this: McDonald's will soon unveil its biggest burger yet. Weighing in at 14 ounces, the Big Arch beats out the chain's current biggest burger, the 8-ounce Double Quarter Pounder. McDonald's says the customers want bigger burgers, so McDonald's will give them bigger burgers. So far, the Big Arch has debuted in three international markets. An American debut for the 1,065-calorie sandwich will happen soon. 
 
I'll eat any burger so long as it's not the bloody Burger King burger.

Sha'Carri showed up to play: American Olympic sprinter Sha'Carri Richardson easily won the opening round of the 100-meter dash. She finished in 10.94 seconds. Now, she's headed to the semifinals. This is Richardson's first Olympics since she was stripped of her spot on the 2021 Olympic team after testing positive for THC. 
Kyle Rittenhouse will vote for Ron Paul: Rittenhouse, 21, killed two people in 2020 during the George Floyd protests. He says he will not be voting for Donald Trump because Trump is "bad" on gun protection. "If you cannot be completely un-compromisable on the Second Amendment, I will not vote for you," Rittenhouse said. Rittenhouse instead will write-in Libertarian Ron Paul's name on the ballot. That'll show 'em, Kyle. 
 
Egg-snatcher jailed: The 29-year-old British man who stole 798 Cadbury's Creme Eggs was sentenced to eight months in jail. 
 
A song for your Friday: With SeaFair on the horizon, I'm just thinking about the suburbs today.