It’s Thursday, August 14. This is The Front Page, your daily window into the world of The Free Press—and our take on the world at large. Today: How a Wall Street bigwig went from partying with George Soros to playing tennis at Mar-a-Lago. Three cheers for the return of the Presidential Fitness Test. And what China’s persecution of Hong Kong dissident Jimmy Lai says about the West. 

But first: What you need to know about tomorrow’s Trump-Putin summit. 

While he was campaigning for a second term, Donald Trump repeatedly promised that he would be able to bring Russia’s war in Ukraine to an end “in 24 hours” after taking office. That didn’t happen. 

Now, with Trump and Russian president Vladimir Putin scheduled to sit down in Anchorage, Alaska tomorrow, Trump is threatening to impose “very severe consequences” on Russia if the two leaders can’t broker a ceasefire deal at the summit. His announcement came after the White House spent days downplaying expectations for the meeting, only for Trump to raise them at the last minute. In a call with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and other European leaders on Wednesday, Trump said the purpose of the meeting was to figure out a way to end the war.

The war has raged for three-and-a-half years—ever since Putin invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, with an eye toward erasing not only Ukraine’s borders but its history, its heritage, and its national identity. Roughly 250,000 Russian troops have been killed, and more than 700,000 have been injured. As many as 100,000 Ukrainian soldiers have lost their lives; another 300,000 or so have been wounded.

So what can we really expect from tomorrow’s get-together in Anchorage? In our lead story today, Matthew Continetti takes an in-depth look at whether Trump, fresh off a string of diplomatic victories, can outmaneuver Putin at the conference table now that he’s shown his willingness to push back on Moscow. 

Meanwhile, I spoke to Victor Sebestyen—an award-winning journalist who’s been covering Russia and Eastern Europe for decades—about what’s driving Putin, and whether we can ever expect him to agree to peace. 

—Peter Savodnik

The Dissident Beijing Can’t Break

Robert A. Sirico

The names of political prisoners were once widely known—Nelson Mandela, Václav Havel. Jimmy Lai, wrongfully held in Hong Kong, should belong in this pantheon, writes Robert Sirico. A champion of democracy fighting an authoritarian government, Lai is facing life in prison for being an outspoken critic of the Chinese Communist Party. Today, closing arguments in his show trial will begin. But his ordeal, Sirico writes, is not really about Lai at all. It’s a test of the seriousness of Western democracy—and of all who believe in truth and liberty. Read full story

The Presidential Fitness Test Was Humbling. I’m Glad It’s Back.

Kat Rosenfield

Sit-ups. Pull-ups. Push-ups. Many readers will remember the annual ordeal of the Presidential Fitness Test: seven mandatory exercises created to test the strength, stamina, and flexibility of the American youth. President Obama repealed the fitness requirement, but now, after Trump signed an executive order last month, the test is back—and Kat Rosenfield is thrilled to hear it. Read full story

The Wall Street Democrat Who Became MAGA’s Favorite Money Man

Gabe Kaminsky

Omeed Malik was a lifelong Democrat who voted twice for Barack Obama and donated to Hillary Clinton. Now, he’s taken a prominent place in the MAGA universe, working side by side with Donald Trump Jr. and helping Tucker Carlson launch his own internet network. “I had no choice but to do what I did,” he told Gabe Kaminsky. But is this Wall Street tycoon an opportunist or a true believer? Read Gabe’s investigation to find out. Read full story

Coleman Hughes: Candace Owens, Brigitte Macron, and Our Age of Conspiracy Coleman Hughes Read full story