Thursday, August 1, 2024

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1/ Russia freed wrongly convicted journalist Evan Gershkovich and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan as part of the largest prisoner swap since the Cold War. In total, four Americans, seven Russian political prisoners, and five Germans were released from Russia in exchange for eight Russians who had been imprisoned in the U.S., Germany, Norway, Slovenia, and Poland. The most notable prisoner released in the swap is Vadim Krasikov, a convicted Russian assassin who received a life sentence for the 2019 murder of a former Chechen separatist fighter in Germany. Biden called the swap “a feat of diplomacy,” and “a powerful example of why it’s vital to have friends in this world whom you can trust and depend on.” After the prisoner exchange took place at the international airport in Ankara, Turkey, Biden said: “And now their brutal ordeal is over and they’re free.” Later, when asked about Trump’s repeated claims he could’ve gotten the hostages out of Russia without concessions, Biden replied: “Why didn’t he do it when he was president?” (Wall Street Journal / Associated Press / Axios / CNN / NPR / New York Times / Washington Post / NBC News / Politico)

2/ Kamala Harris dismissed Trump’s accusation that she “turned Black” for political gain, saying his remarks are the “same old show” of “divisiveness and disrespect.” Harris added: “The American people deserve better. The American people deserve a leader who tells the truth, a leader who does not respond with hostility and anger when confronted with the facts. We deserve a leader who understands that our differences do not divide us — they are an essential source of our strength.” Mark Kelly, a contender to be Harris’ running mate, called Trump’s remarks “the comments of a desperate, scared old man” who has “been having his butt kicked by an experienced prosecutor. I think he’s worried, and she’s going to continue to do this, and she’s going to win the election in November.” (Politico / NPR / NBC News / Washington Post / New York Times / Axios)

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