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Former Marine Paul Whelan said he was devastated when a Biden administration official told him WNBA basketball star Brittney Griner was being released from Russian detention after nine months and he was not. The official told him that to free Griner, the U.S. had traded convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s price for releasing the celebrity athlete. “It was a sham.”When he refused, Whelan said he was placed in a cell where the lights were left on around the clock. After he was sentenced to 16 years of forced labor, the Russian trial judge said he would probably be released in two weeks. “The prison food is even worse.”They subsisted, Whelan said, on tea, bread, watery soup, “the kind of fish only Russians eat.

Persons: Marine Paul Whelan, Brittney Griner, Whelan, Viktor Bout, Vladimir Putin’s, What’s, ”, “, ” Whelan, Trevor Reed, Konstantin Yaroshenko, Reed, Evan Gershkovich, Vladimir Kara, Murza, Alsu, Antony Blinken, David Whelan, ’ ” Whelan, Putin, Kamala Harris, Donald Trump, Alexei Navalny, Flora, Andrews, Biden, Andrea Mitchell, he’ll, he’s Organizations: Marine, Biden, WNBA, NBC News, Homeland Security, U.S ., British, Kremlin, Radio Free, Radio Liberty, Marines, State Department, CIA Locations: U.S, Russia, Russian, Michigan, Russian American, Radio Free Europe, Moscow, Canada, British, Iraq, Turkey, Manchester , Michigan

☆ Whelan says he fed information to Western officials that he received from fellow prisoners fighting in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-20 | by ( Sam Fossum | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Paul Whelan, the American who spent five and a half years wrongfully detained in Russia, revealed Sunday that he had passed to Western officials information he received from fellow prisoners who were fighting for Russia on the frontlines in Ukraine. “The prisoners from the camp that went to the frontline, they had communication. Whelan added that he and others were able to communicate with former prisoners through “burner” phones that they could acquire even while at the Russian labor camp in Mordovia. “Yeah, we had burner phones.”Whelan added that the guards “looked the other way” in exchange for goods such as cigarettes. His camp was primarily made up of young men from central Asian countries such as Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, Whelan said.

Persons: CNN — Paul Whelan, “, ” Whelan, Whelan, ”, Putin, CNN’s Jennifer Hansler Organizations: CNN, CBS, Wagner Group Locations: Russia, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland, Mordovia, “, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, United States, Germany

Biden spoke to Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from Air Force One en route to Berlin. Earlier this week, Biden announced more than $400 million in a new round of aid to Ukraine. “I deeply appreciate your partnership and the many times you’ve forsaken an easy choice to make the right choice, Biden told Scholz. “I am overwhelmed,” Biden spoke softly just moments after German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier lavished him with praise and awarded Biden his country’s highest honor. In my view, we must keep going, until Ukraine wins a just and durable peace,” Biden continued, “until once again, human dignity prevails.”

Persons: Joe Biden, Olaf Scholz, Yahya Sinwar, ” Biden, Scholz, Biden, Antony Blinken, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu “ let’s, ” Scholz, Sinwar, Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron, Germany’s, didn’t, “, you’ve, Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, Frank, Walter Steinmeier lavished, Steinmeier, ”, ” Steinmeier Organizations: BERLIN, Israel, Air Force, British, Wall Street, NATO, Ukraine Locations: United States, Berlin, Israel, Gaza, Ukraine, Russia, U.S, Russian, Germany, Europe

BERLIN — President Joe Biden is leaving Washington for Germany on Thursday morning in what will be one of the last opportunities to outline his vision for foreign policy before the election next month. After landing in Berlin, Biden will be greeted with full military honors Friday before receiving the country's highest Order of Merit from President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, his office said. After years of refusing U.S. prodding to trade the Russian, Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris separately convinced Scholz earlier this year. On Wednesday, Biden announced a $425 million aid package for Ukraine that includes air-to-ground munitions and armored vehicles, and promised more defense systems and supplies in the months to come. The White House said Biden will now travel to Angola in early December.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, Frank, Walter Steinmeier, ”, Olaf Scholz, Scholz, Evan Gershkovich, Marine Paul Whelan, Kamala Harris, Hurricane Milton Organizations: BERLIN, Merit, Marine, White, Ukraine, Russia, Wednesday Locations: Washington, Germany, Berlin, U.S, Russia, Russian, France, Britain, Ukraine, Angola, Hurricane

The Dui Hua Foundation, which monitors prisoner rights in China, estimates there are about 200 Americans detained here, more than in any other foreign country. All four were representing Americans who had been detained in China for at least eight years. “We continue to push for the release of other wrongfully detained Americans,” Miller said. “I was very excited and happy and hopeful for him and his family,” Wells Sr. said. Wells Sr. said he and his wife, Cynthia, speak with their son once or twice a month, in calls limited to 10 minutes.

Persons: David Lin, Mark Swidan, Kai Li —, “, Lin, ”, Joe Biden, Chris Smith, Jeff Merkley, Li, Paul Whelan, Evan Gershkovich, Kurmasheva, Biden, Nelson Wells, Nelson Wells Jr, Tim Hunt, Dawn Michelle Hunt, Li’s, Harrison Li, Katherine Swidan, ” Wells, ” Hunt, Alice, Alice Lin Wells Jr, Hunt, Wells Jr, —, Wells, We’ve, Nelson Jr, Dawn Michelle, Matthew Miller, Antony Blinken, ” Miller, Cynthia, GoFundMe, James Zimmerman, Zimmerman, ‘ I’m, ’ ” Janis Mackey Frayer, Jennifer Jett Organizations: U.S, Congressional, Commission, Hua Foundation, State Department, White, ”, NBC News, Chinese Foreign Ministry Locations: BEIJING, China, Beijing, United States, Russia, Washington, Chongqing, Chinese, Guangdong, Louisiana, Chicago, Hong Kong

☆ Lawmakers from both parties urge Biden to secure the release of Americans imprisoned in China
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-04 | by ( Dan De Luce | Dan De Luce Is A Reporter For The Nbc News Investigative Unit. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Lawmakers are appealing to President Joe Biden to use the remaining time in his term to work for the release of Americans who are “wrongfully detained” in China, saying U.S. officials need to do more to help secure their freedom. “There are more Americans wrongfully detained in China than in any other country. They deserve tenacious advocacy to gain their release,” said Smith and Merkley, co-chairs of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China. China has denied the allegations and says it has treated detained Americans properly and respected their legal rights. Dui Hua, a rights group that advocates for detainees in China, estimates there are more than 200 Americans “under coercive measures” in China.

Persons: Joe Biden, ”, Chris Smith of, Democratic Sen, Jeff Merkley, Smith, David Lin, Kai Li, Mark Swidan, Hua, Li, Biden, Paul Whelan, Evan Gershkovich, Alsu Kurmasheva, Xi Jinping, “, Li’s, Harrison Li Organizations: ” Republican, Democratic, Congressional, Commission, State Department, White, and State Department Locations: China, Chris Smith of New Jersey, Oregon, Washington, Long Island , New York, Texas, Russia, People’s Republic of China, United States

☆ Video: Paul Whelan shares what he is having difficulty adjusting to after 5 year imprisonment
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-18 | by ( Jodi Upchurch | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: 1 min

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☆ Whelan says he spent last five days in Russian detention in solitary confinement
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-17 | by ( Jennifer Hansler | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Paul Whelan, who spent five-and-a-half years wrongfully detained in Russia, revealed Tuesday that he had spent the final five days leading up to his release in solitary confinement. “It was due to people like my parents, who grew up in England during the war. It was that kind of, you know, resiliency that saw them through their childhood in England, and that’s how I grew up. Whelan said it was great to be back but “there’s a lot ahead.”“One of the things I’m focused on is getting a new car. Whelan also expressed gratitude for the government agencies who helped secure his release.

Persons: CNN — Paul Whelan, ”, “, ” Whelan, Whelan, Marc Fogel, Marc, Trevor, Reed Organizations: CNN, Capitol, Michigan Locations: Russia, PISA, “, England, United States, Germany, readjusting, American

☆ Putin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza thought he was being executed before his release in historic prisoner swap
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-13 | by ( Helen Regan | Mariya Knight | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Vladimir Kara-Murza, a Russian opposition politician and one of President Vladimir Putin’s fiercest critics, has described the psychological torture he endured during 11 months in solitary confinement, saying he thought he would die in a Siberian cell. “Just a little over two weeks ago, I was still sitting in my solitary confinement cell in a harsh regime prison colony in Siberia. And I was certain that I was going to end my life in the prison,” Kara-Murza said. But Kara-Murza was taken to a passenger airport in Omsk and loaded onto a plane headed for Moscow. Now enjoying his freedom and time with his family, Kara-Murza has promised to return to Russia.

Persons: Vladimir Kara, Murza, Vladimir Putin’s, CNN’s Erin Burnett, Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, Alsu Kurmasheva, ” Kara, Alexei Navalny, Kara, Erin Burnett, Evgenia Kara, Murza –, –, Vladimir, “ Vladimir Putin’s, ”, “, Vadim Krasikov, Muza, Joe Biden, Biden, Evgenia Organizations: CNN, Base Andrews, Kremlin Locations: Russian, Russia, Maryland, Siberia, New York, Ukraine, “, Belarus, Omsk, Moscow, Germany, Berlin, Ankara, Turkey, Washington ,, Kara

CNN —Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva said she’s “finally being treated as a human being” following her release from Russian detention in a historic prisoner exchange between Washington and the Kremlin last week. “I’ve been waking up from that nightmare,” Kurmasheva told CNN’s Jake Tapper on “The Lead” in her first television interview since her release. Kurmasheva rushed into the arms of her husband and daughters on the tarmac after greeting Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden. The US-backed Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty journalist had been detained in October 2023 and found guilty of spreading false information about the Russian army – charges her family and employer deny. Kurmasheva and her husband, Pavel Butorin, have two daughters, including one who turned 13 just minutes after reuniting with her mother.

Persons: Alsu Kurmasheva, she’s “, “ I’ve, ” Kurmasheva, CNN’s Jake Tapper, “, Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, Kurmasheva, Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, Pavel Butorin, Tapper, ”, Pavel, ” Pavel, wasn’t, —, Gershkovich, haven’t, Vladyslav, Ihar, Andrey Kuznechyk, Kurmasheva’s, she’s, we’ll, Vadim Krasikov, Biden, Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens, Carstens, Trevor Reed, Brittney Griner, we’ve, We’ve, ” Carstens, ” Sen, Lindsey Graham, Marc Fogel, Fogel, someone’s, Jennifer Hansler Organizations: CNN, Base Andrews, Radio Free, Radio Liberty, Wall Street, RFE, Ukrainian Service, publication’s, publication’s Belarus Service, Belarus Service, ” Hostage, Biden, Hostage Affairs, US, Fox News, South Carolina Republican Locations: American, Washington, Maryland, Radio Free Europe, Russian, Kazan, Moscow, Ankara, ”, Russia, Crimea, publication’s Belarus, Minsk, Belarus, Germany, Berlin

New York CNN —Bloomberg News took disciplinary action Monday against a “number” of its staffers after the outlet broke an embargo last week on news of the release of several American prisoners held by Russia, including Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich. In a memo sent to the outlet’s staff on Monday and obtained by CNN, Bloomberg editor-in-chief John Micklethwait wrote that an initial story, published at 7:41 a.m. News organizations, including CNN, had agreed to hold on to news of the prisoners’ release so as not to endanger the process. Ahead of the prisoner swap, the White House had briefed reporters from multiple news organizations around 8 a.m. ET on the activity, with an embargo time on the news of later that day, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Persons: Evan Gershkovich, John Micklethwait, Gershkovich, ”, ” Micklethwait, “, Emma Tucker, Paul Whelan, Alsu Kurmasheva, Vadim Krasikov Organizations: New, New York CNN, Bloomberg, Wall Street, CNN, News, White, RFE Locations: New York, Russia, US, Turkey’s Ankara, Belarus, Germany

☆ What Russia’s arrest footage of Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan really tells us
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-05 | by ( Nathan Hodge | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Russia’s pro-Kremlin media know how to create an alternative reality, and last week’s historic prisoner swap was no exception. On Monday, Russian state-backed media outlets treated viewers to lurid footage of the arrests of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former US Marine Paul Whelan. And we see a handcuffed Paul Whelan on a hotel bed, flanked by Russian security officers. But in the cases of Gershkovich and Whelan, the aim of the Russian state was to build a bank of human collateral to trade for its valued agents held abroad. But the good news is that Gershkovich is out of Russian custody and can now write the definitive and reliable account of what happened during his arrest.

Persons: CNN — Russia’s, Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, Gershkovich, Whelan, –, Dow Jones, Almar Latour, Emma Tucker, “ Vladimir Putin, ”, Evan Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, Wall Street, Bolshoi Theater, Gershkovich, US State Department, State Department, Dow Locations: Russian, Yekaterinburg, Moscow, Russia, British

As he stood on the tarmac of Joint Base Andrews late Thursday night, Pavel Butorin was in disbelief. Days before, his wife of two decades — Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva — had been sentenced to 6½ years in a Russian prison for spreading false information about the country’s military, a conviction press freedom and human rights groups denounced as politically-motivated. “It was only then when I realized it is actually happening,” Butorin told NBC News. While on the tarmac, their younger daughter described how much she just wanted to touch Kurmasheva, Butorin said. "No matter what verdict or sentence a corrupt Russian court issued against her, we know that she’s not a criminal."

Persons: Base Andrews, Pavel Butorin, Alsu Kurmasheva —, Butorin, Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, ” Butorin, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Alsu Kurmasheva, Roberto Schmidt, Taylor, Miriam, wasn’t, ”, Bibi, ” Kurmasheva, ” Bibi, “, Kurmasheva Organizations: Base, Radio Free, Radio Liberty, Wall Street, Marine, NBC News, Base Andrews, AFP, Getty, White Locations: American, Prague, Russia, Radio Free Europe, Maryland, Poland, United States

☆ 3 Americans returned in Russia prisoner swap may face challenges
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-03 | by ( Ashley R. Williams | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Brittney Griner, left, and Trevor Reed, were released from detention in Russia in 2022 and returned to the United States in separate prisoner exchanges. Getty ImagesAfter the dust settlesWhelan, Gershkovich and Kurmasheva headed to Brooke Army Medical Center for medical evaluations and additional care for as long as necessary, a US official told CNN. The non-profit supports detainees and hostages while they’re still held in captivity and after their release back to the US, Cathcart told CNN. Matthew Heath was released from being detained in Venezuela in a prisoner swap in October of 2022. Matthew HeathReturnees might return to a different family dynamic than what they were used to, according to Cathcart.

Persons: Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, Alsu Kurmasheva, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Whelan, Gershkovich, Kurmasheva, Brittney Griner, Viktor Bout, Roger Carstens, “, ”, Matthew Heath, he’s, ” Heath, Trevor Reed, Griner, Liz Cathcart, they’re, Cathcart, ” Cathcart, ” Readjusting, Jorge Toledo, CNN reintegrating, ” Toledo, CNN’s Pamela Brown, who’s, they’ve, It’s, ” Arianna Galligher, ” Griner, you’re, Heath, CNN’s Simone McCarthy, Anna Chernova, Nathan Hodge, Jennifer Hansler, Rosa Flores, Colin McCullough, Nouran Salahieh Organizations: CNN, Base Andrews, Wall Street, US State Department, Radio Free, Radio Liberty, Russian, Associated Press, Brooke Army Medical Center, Hostage, Citgo Corporation, The Ohio State University Wexner, Resilience, New York Times Magazine, Phoenix Mercury, ” Locations: Maryland, Russia, Russian American, Moscow, Prague, Radio Free Europe, San Antonio , Texas, Knoxville , Tennessee, Venezuela, United States, Heath, “, Cathcart

They spent six years behind bars until they were freed in 2022 in another prisoner exchange engineered by the Biden administration. And like the newly sprung Americans, Pereira’s first stop back in the U.S. was the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas. “When you come back from something like this, you are like a bottle of Coca-Cola. And sometimes we were treated better and sometimes it was worse.”“The questions they kept asking us were, ‘How did you do it? “I didn’t realize there were so many people supporting my family and working to free me.

Persons: Evan Gershkovich, José Pereira, ”, Biden, Pereira’s, Pereira, he’d, readjust, Jorge Arreaza, Jose Angel Pereira, Gustavo Cardenas, Jorge Toledo, Jose Luis Zambrano, Tomeu, Alirio Jose Zambrano, Paul Whelan, Alsu, Vladimir Kara, Murza, “ Everybody, ” Pereira, Jason Rezaian, ” Rezaian, “, ’ ” Pereira, you’re, it’s, Gershkovich, Whelan, Kurmasheva, Rezaian, Sam Goodwin, Goodwin, Sam, I’m Organizations: Wall Street, Brooke Army Medical Center, Twitter, Venezuela's, Bolivarian National Intelligence Service, Ministry, NBC News, Washington Post, Brooke Army Medical, military’s, Medical Center Locations: American, Venezuela, U.S, San Antonio , Texas, PISA, Caracas, Germany, Washington, North Carolina, Kara

Why did Russian President Vladimir Putin greet the children of just-freed Russian spies in Spanish? In “The Americans,” two Russian spies posing as a married couple in suburban America run Soviet agents and collect intelligence, unbeknownst to their young children. President Vladimir Putin meets convicted Russian spies released as part of a prisoners' swap at Vnukovo International Airport in Moscow. Their children attended an international school in Ljubljana and, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, were only told on the plane to Moscow that they were Russian. “To the bulk of the Russian public, the Russian president showed that he has not yet lost the remnants of adequacy and is capable of well-calculated, rational actions,” Gallyamov said.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, “, ”, Ludwig Gisch, Maria Rosa Mayer Muños, Mikhail Voskresenskiy, Artem Viktorovich Dultsev, Anna Valerevna Dultseva, Evan Gershkovitch, Paul Whelan —, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, ” Peskov, ” Abbas Gallyamov, ” Gallyamov, — Putin Organizations: Vnukovo, Associated Press, AP, Kremlin, KGB, Federal Security Service, Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, “ Locations: Russian, Slovenia, America, Soviet, Moscow, U.S, Europe, Ljubljana, Slovenia's, Moscow’s Vnukovo

☆ Instead of Taylor Swift on her birthday, daughter of journalist held in Russia gets even better gift — her mom
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-02 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Caroline-Radnofsky-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Caroline Radnofsky | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Nearly one year ago, the family of Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva purchased tickets to Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour in Warsaw, Poland, on Friday as a birthday gift for her daughter Miriam. Now Miriam, who turns 13 on Friday, gets to celebrate a more special gift: her mother’s freedom and safe return. From left, Pavel Butorin, Bibi Butorin, Alsu Kurmasheva, and Miriam Butorin at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Aug. 1, 2024. “The Taylor Swift tickets were the original birthday gift for Miriam who turns 13 today. Her original birthday gift were these Taylor Swift tickets, but an even bigger present was her mom returning,” he said.

Persons: Alsu Kurmasheva, Taylor, Miriam, Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan —, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Pavel Butorin, Bibi Butorin, Miriam Butorin, Roberto Schmidt, ” Ari Goldberg, “, Alsu, ” Goldberg, Taylor Swift, ”, It's, Bibi, Kurmasheva Organizations: Radio Free, Radio Liberty, Wall Street, Marine, Joint Base Andrews, AFP, Getty, today’s, RFE, Inc, NBC Locations: American, Warsaw, Poland, Radio Free Europe, Russia, U.S, Maryland, today’s Warsaw

☆ Gershkovich advocates for Russian dissidents in first comments after arriving in the U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-02 | by ( Aurora Almendral | Aurora Almendral Is A London-Based Editor With Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich chose to advocate for dissidents languishing in Russian prisons, in his first public comments on U.S. soil after he was freed as part of a prisoner exchange. “I just spent a month in prison in Yekaterinburg where basically everyone I was sat with is a political prisoner,” he added. Seven Russian citizens, including four who worked with the late opposition figure, Alexey Navalny, were among the the 24 people freed in Thursday’s major multinational prisoner exchange. On the dissidents he’d met behind bars Gershkovich said no one knew them publicly, but they had various political beliefs. President Joe Biden called the deal a “feat of diplomacy and friendship.” It was cut among seven nations, involving 24 people, including five Germans and seven Russian citizens held in Russia, and eight Russians imprisoned in the U.S., Germany, Slovenia, Norway and Poland.

Persons: Evan Gershkovich, “, ” Gershkovich, Andrew Roth, ”, Alexey Navalny, he’d, Gershkovich, “ They’re, Paul Whelan, Joe Biden, Alsu Kurmasheva, Vladimir Kara, Murza, Biden, Whelan, ” “, ” Whelan, Putin, “ I’m Organizations: Guardian, Base Andrews, AP, Getty, Marine Locations: Russian, Maryland, Yekaterinburg, Russia, U.S, Germany, Slovenia, Norway, Poland, Turkey, United States

In May, former President Donald Trump declared that he was the only person who could obtain the release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich from a Russian prison. That’s the way it should be, or this situation will get worse and worse.”Facts First: Trump’s claim that he gave opposing countries “NOTHING” to secure the freedom of American prisoners is false. “The previous administration also conducted prisoner exchanges. It’s not easy.”FactCheck.org debunked this Trump claim about his record on securing the release of American prisoners abroad when he previously made it in 2022. Read more here about four prisoner exchanges under Trump.

Persons: Donald Trump, Evan Gershkovich, Joe Biden, Gershkovich, Trump, ’, Jake Sullivan, John Kirby, Whelan, Trevor Reed, Biden, “, …, You’ve, It’s, FactCheck.org, Read Organizations: Wall Street, Biden White House, National Security, CNN, Trump Locations: Russia

☆ Freed prisoners return to U.S. from Russia and the race to define Kamala Harris: Morning Rundown
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-02 | by ( Elizabeth Robinson | Elizabeth Robinson Is A Newsletter Editor For Nbc News | Based In Los Angeles. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +13 min

Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan and Alsu Kurmasheva make an emotional return to the U.S. Simone Biles and Katie Ledecky add to their Olympic medal collections. Jamie Squire / Getty ImagesBiles won gold in the women’s all-around gymnastics final, reclaiming her 2016 title and becoming the first American to win the Olympic all-around gold medal more than once. Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade won silver, and American Suni Lee, who won the all-around gold medal three years ago in Tokyo, took home the bronze. Katie Ledecky made Olympic history when she won a silver medal in the women's 4x200m freestyle relay final on Thursday. The battle intensifies to define HarrisIt goes without saying that Vice President Kamala Harris’ path to de-facto Democratic presidential nominee has been unprecedented.

Persons: Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, Alsu, Simone Biles, Katie Ledecky, Sonya Massey, Biden, Harris, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Alsu Kurmasheva, Whelan, Gershkovich, Kurmasheva, “, Vladimir Kara, Murza, Antony Blinken’s, Sergei Lavrov, Suni Lee, Jamie Squire, Biles, Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade, Maddie Meyer, Peacock, Read, rance, wimmer, ▶️, ure, Ana l, J uly, dow, ros, Pres, ena, Gray, ood, Joh, edd, maki, abou, , in Organizations: U.S, Russia, Marine, Joint Base Andrews, Wall Street, Radio Free, Radio Liberty, Paris, unt, pla, us. Locations: Maryland, Germany, U.S, Russia, Slovenia, Norway, Poland, Radio Free Europe, Berlin, Paris, American, Tokyo, Belgium

☆ Putin got a pretty great deal, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-02 | by ( Mikhaila Friel | Thibault Spirlet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewThe US claimed a major victory on Thursday, orchestrating a sweeping prisoner exchange with Russia that returned high-profile captives. Smiles in the KremlinAndrew Payne, a City University of London lecturer in foreign policy, told BI that Putin won the historic deal. "You could say in that sense that Putin got a better deal," Payne said. Though Putin won on a transactional level, the deal also greatly benefited Biden, Payne said. "For Biden, this deal signals that he's still in charge and still has what it takes to manage high-stakes diplomacy," he said.

Persons: —, Russia —, Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, Kremlin Andrew Payne, Putin, launderers, Payne, Joe Biden, Vadim Krasikov, Zelimkhan, Tucker Carlson, Sergej, Gershkovich, Emma Tucker, Sam Greene, Biden, Donald Trump Organizations: Service, Wall Street, Business, City University of London, Krasikov, European Resilience Initiative, BBC, Street, King's College London, Ukraine Locations: Russia, Kremlin, Berlin, Georgian, German, Ukraine, Moscow

☆ Joint Base Andrews: Three freed Americans back on US soil in Maryland after historic prisoner swap
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-02 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Elizabeth Whelan hugs her brother Paul Whelan at Joint Base Andrews following his release from a Russian prison. Alex Brandon/APPresident Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris walk with family members of the returning Americans to greet them at Joint Base Andrews. Today, their agony is over,” said Biden, who hosted the families of Gershkovich, Whelan, Kurmasheva and Kara-Murza at the White House. Whelan, Gershkovich and Kurmasheva flew roughly 10 hours from Ankara, Turkey, on top of a three hour and 45 minute flight from Moscow to Ankara. This is typical protocol for wrongfully detained Americans who return home.

Persons: Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, Alsu Kurmasheva, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Whelan, Gershkovich, Harris, Biden, Kurmasheva, “, ”, ” Biden, Feedback Biden, CNN Whelan, Vladimir Kara, Murza, –, Vadim Krasikov, Elizabeth Whelan, Joint Base Andrews, Alex Brandon, Base Andrews, Brittney Griner Organizations: CNN, Wall Street, Joint Base Andrews, Street Journal, US State Department, Radio Free, Radio Liberty, Washington Post, Joint Base, Base, AP, White, National Security Council, State Department, Brooke Army Medical Center, Defense Department Locations: American, United States, Russia, Maryland, Moscow, Radio Free Europe, Germany, Poland, Norway, Slovenia, Gershkovich, Kara, Ankara, Turkey, San Antonio, PISA

☆ Children of Russian spy couple in prisoner swap only learned their nationality on flight to Moscow
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-02 | by ( Anna Chernova | Radina Gigova | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The children of two Russian intelligence agents, who were among the detainees released as part of a historic prisoner swap, only discovered their nationality when they were being flown to Moscow, the Kremlin said Friday. The pair had been posing as an Argentine couple in Slovenia where they were convicted of spying. Russian President Vladimir Putin greeted them on the tarmac in Spanish as they didn’t speak Russian and didn’t even know who Putin was, according to Peskov. “When the children came down the plane’s steps – they don’t speak Russian – and Putin greeted them in Spanish, he said ‘Buenas noches,’” Peskov said. While living undercover in Slovenia, Dultsev posed as an IT businessman named Ludvig Gisch.

Persons: Artem Dultsev, Anna Dultseva, “, Dmitry Peskov, Vladimir Putin, Putin, –, ‘ Buenas, ” Peskov, ”, Dultseva, bouquets, Dultsev, Vadim Krasikov, Paul Whelan, Evan Gershkovich, Ludvig Gisch, Maria Rosa Mayer Munos, Peskov Organizations: CNN, Wall Street, CIA Locations: Moscow, Argentine, Slovenia, Turkey, Russian, Ankara, ”, Spanish, Russia, Belarus, Germany, Berlin, Ljubljana, United States

☆ Freed American’s family to miss Taylor Swift concert for the very best reason
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-02 | by ( Jennifer Hansler | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Miriam Butorin was supposed to attend Taylor Swift’s concert on Friday for her 13th birthday. Miriam’s mother, Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, was released Thursday from Russian detention in a historic prisoner swap. When CNN spoke with Kurmasheva’s family in mid-July, her husband, Pavel Butorin, had mentioned the concert tickets. “We were so confident that she would get back to us that I bought Taylor Swift tickets…in June or July…for August 2024,” Butorin said at the time. Even though they are missing Friday’s concert, Butorin expressed confidence the family would still get to go to a Swift concert in the future.

Persons: CNN — Miriam Butorin, Taylor, Alsu Kurmasheva, Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, Kurmasheva, Joe Biden, Miriam, Pavel Butorin, Bibi Butorin, Miriam Butorin, Manuel Balce Ceneta, Biden, Kamala Harris, Kurmasheva’s, Taylor Swift, ” Butorin, “, ”, Butorin Organizations: CNN, Radio Free, Radio Liberty, White, Andrews Air Force Base, Base Andrews Locations: American, Radio Free Europe, Russia, United States, Maryland, Warsaw

☆ A Triumphant Biden Welcomes 3 Freed Americans Home
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-02 | by ( Katie Rogers | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Wall Street Journal reporter greeted his waiting colleagues with a wide grin and open arms. In the middle of the emotional scene that unfolded on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews late Thursday was President Biden. Hours earlier, Mr. Biden had triumphantly announced that his administration’s diplomatic efforts had secured the release of three American prisoners held by Russia. “It feels wonderful,” Mr. Biden told reporters. And for Mr. Biden, they provided a seeming vindication of the type of patient, multilateral diplomacy that he proudly practices but that has so far proved unable to halt wars in Gaza and Ukraine.

Persons: Base Andrews, Biden, Paul Whelan, Evan Gershkovich, Mr, “ Organizations: Street, Base Locations: Russian American, Russia, Maryland, Gaza, Ukraine

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