ORANGE ALERT !!:  Donald Trump held a rambling press conference yesterday during which one of the few truths he uttered was that he would agree to debate Kamala Harris three times.

  He offered the dates of September 4^th, 10^th and 25^th. ABC says both campaigns have agreed to debate on their network on the 10^th.

  Trump rattled off lies and falsehoods faster than anyone could catch up. He said no one was killed in the January 6^th Capitol insurrection, that Harris “wants to take away your guns,” that “the vast majority of the country does support me,” “everybody is going to be forced to buy an electric car,” and that Democrats favor abortion after birth meaning they would murder a newborn. He said abortion will not be a big issue in the election.

  Despite Kamala Harris being married to a Jewish man, Trump said she has been “very bad to Jewish people.”

  Trump attacked Harris for not holding a news conference 18 days into her candidacy for president. “She’s not smart enough to do a news conference,” he said.

  As for the transfer of power in 2025 Trump lied, “Of course there will be a peaceful transfer, and there was last time.” Seven people died during and as a result of the Capitol attack.

MAMALA: Democrats in Detroit Tuesday night were treated to the steely side of Kamala Harris that Donald Trump has yet to confront. Pro-Palestinian protesters chanting “We won’t vote for genocide!” interrupted Harris. She gently but firmly said, “I am speaking now.”

  When the disruption continued she stopped and said, “You know what? If you want Donald Trump to win, then say that. Otherwise, I’m speaking.”

  As the crowd roared, Harris stared silently at the hecklers. It was a look that could melt ice.

THE WAR ROOM: Ukrainian mechanized forces have advanced up to 10 kilometers into Russia’s Kursk Oblast in what appears to be an effort to draw the Russians away from other areas of the front where Ukraine is on the defensive. Russian President Vladimir Putin called it a “large-scale provocation” as if somehow the Ukrainians are the provocateurs in the war.

  Publicly, the Kremlin is trying to downplay the situation even while civilians are fleeing the area. 

ECON 101:  The average rate on 30-year mortgages dropped to 6.47 percent this week, the lowest in a year. Mortgages are still high. They were around 3 percent in late 2021.

NOT SO SWIFT: Austrian authorities arrested two teenagers they say were planning to attack a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna and kill as many people as possible. Swift’s three-concert Vienna run was cancelled after advance warning of an attack. 

  The primary suspect is a 19-year-old man who was radicalized online and swore allegiance to the Islamic State, the head of Austrian public safety told reporters. Franz Ruf said a search of the suspect’s home turned up explosives, timers, machetes, and knives. A second suspect, age 17, had recently started a job for an events service provider that was working at the stadium where Swift was to play. The three concerts were expected to draw 200,000 fans.

BAD MEAT: A third person has died as the result of eating listeria-infected Boar’s Head deli meats, the CDC said yesterday. Boar’s Head has recalled all of its deli meats. So far, 43 people have been hospitalized with listeria across 13 states.

FIVE RINGS: US runner Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone set a world record to win gold in the women’s 400-meter hurdles with a time of 50:37. No other runner was even close.

  Noah Lyles took the bronze in the men’s 200 meters sprint then hunched over on the track, calling for water and being taken away. He revealed minutes later that he had tested positive for Covid two days before the race.

  In one of the first real matches of the Games, the US men’s basketball team fell behind Serbia by double digits before coming back to win 95-91 in the semifinals. Serbia a basketball power?

  “Saturday Night Live” star Colin Jost had to leave his post as a correspondent covering the Olympic surfing competition in Tahiti after injuring his foot on a coral reef then developing an infection. He said he had “been to the Olympic medical tent more than any of the athletes.”

THE OBIT PAGE: Duane Thomas, an NFL running back who stood up to the coaches and owners in the days before free agency gave players more power over their careers, has died of a pulmonary embolism at age 77.

  After leading the Dallas Cowboys in rushing and a 1971 loss in Super Bowl V, Thomas tried to re-negotiate his contract. He publicly called coach Tom Landry “so plastic, just not a man at all” and Tex Schramm, the general manager, “dishonest with me all along.”

  Thomas was traded briefly to the New England Patriots where he refused to set in the traditional three-point stance before the snap of the ball. He was sent back to Dallas where he led the team in rushing and its first Super Bowl win in 1972.

THE SPIN RACK: Planned Parenthood announced that its only Manhattan clinic will stop performing abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy because they can no longer afford the deep sedation required for the procedure. Abortion is legal in New York State through the 24th week of pregnancy. — About 400 million people worldwide have been afflicted with long Covid, according to new research. They say only 7 to 8 percent of people with long Covid have recovered after two years. — A woman in her 40s died yesterday morning after being trapped in a luggage conveyor at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. 

BELOW THE FOLD: French pole vaulter Anthony Ammirati missed his shot at an Olympic medal when the male bulge in his track suit caught the bar and made him an internet star.  He has since been offered a quarter million dollars to pose for a porn site.

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