Evan Gershkovich is free

An emotional scene unfolded at Joint Base Andrews last night, with the surprise return of a number of American hostages after a prisoner swap with Russia and Belarus. Among those returned were Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post columnist Vladimir Kara-Murza, Radio Free Europe correspondent Alsu Kurmasheva and former US Marine Paul Whelan. 

The returned hostages were greeted by their families, along with President Biden and Vice President Harris. Harris exchanged what are technically her first remarks with the press since becoming the presumptive nominee: “This is an extraordinary day and I’m very thankful for our president. This is an extraordinary testament to the importance of having a president who understands the power of diplomacy and strengthening alliances. This is an incredible day and you can see it in the families and in their eyes.” She never was one for conciseness. 

One shocking aspect of the prisoner swap was that it was first reported by Bloomberg, rather than the outlet of one of the detainees. This was due to the financial publication breaking an embargo, which could have jeopardized the return of the prisoners. “We literally had Yaroslav Trofimov on the ground with binoculars waiting to see Evan come off the plane, and we pubbed as soon as that happened,” one fuming Wall Street Journal staffer told New York magazine. There were nonetheless celebrations in the newsrooms of the Post and the Journal after the release of the journalists. 

The sixteen prisoners released to the West were exchanged for eight Russians, including Vadim Krasikov, an assassin who murdered a Georgian dissident in broad daylight in Berlin back in 2019. 

The exchange marks a foreign policy win for the Biden administration and Biden personally, as it follows nearly a year of negotiations with the Russians, some of which involved the president himself. 

Gershkovich, a thirty-two-year-old from Princeton, New Jersey, was detained in Yekaterinburg in March 2023 and falsely accused of spying while attempting to investigate a story about the Wagner group. Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said the Kremlin had “irrefutable evidence” that the reporter was engaged in espionage, which was never produced. The Central Intelligence Agency has been restricted from using journalists as agents or assets for over two decades, excepting emergency circumstances — rendering Gershkovich’s detainment and sentencing clearly unjust. When asked how he felt to be free, Gershkovich said, “Not bad!”

–Matt McDonald

On our radar

GOOD, BYE A recount in a south-central Virginia congressional district confirmed that former House Freedom Caucus chair Bob Good lost his re-election bid in June. Good was primaried by John McGuire after making enemies across the GOP for backing a bid to oust Speaker Kevin McCarthy and supporting Governor Ron DeSantis over Donald Trump in the presidential primary. 

DODGING THE DRAFT A group of US senators led by Rand Paul, Cynthia Lummis and Ron Wyden introduced legislation to end military conscription. Earlier this year, some politicians sought to include women in the draft. 

IT’S OFFICIAL Vice President Kamala Harris has received the votes of enough delegates to become the Democratic Party nominee for president, the Democratic National Committee announced Friday. Voting closes on August 5, which is when Harris will officially be the nominee. 

Kamala Harris, horrible boss? 

Is there another side to VP Kamala Harris the coconut tree memes aren’t showing you?

In a recently unearthed 2019 op-ed published in the California newspaper the Union, professor Terry McAteer details the “eye-opening” month his son Gregory spent interning for Harris when she was attorney general in 2011.

Harris would allegedly throw around F-bombs and other “profanity… in her berating of staff and others.” She also instructed her entire staff to “stand every morning as she entered the office and say, ‘Good Morning General.’”

McAteer added that Gregory was told to “never address Harris nor look her in the eye as that privilege was only allowed to senior staff members.” Her staff did not even introduce Gregory to her because they were “in complete fear” of her during her time.

Her tenure as veep, meanwhile, has been marked by instability and a mass staff exodus.

Top Harris spokeswoman Symone Sanders left her post in late 2021. In July 2022, Harris’s director of speechwriting Megan Groob departed after only four months into the job. Soon after, one of Harris’s longest and closest serving aides, domestic policy advisor Rohini Kosoglu, left her office to “spend more time with family.” Kosoglu previously served as chief of staff in Harris’s Senate office and on her failed presidential campaign in 2020. Other departures included Harris’s chief of staff Tina Flournoy, deputy chief of staff Michael Fuchs and national security advisor Nancy McEldowney. In total, thirteen high-profile staffers left VP Harris’s office that year, according to the Washington Post.

Of the forty-seven staff members hired when Harris took office in 2021, only four remained in her employment as of 2024. Staffers spoke of the toxic environment as a reason, using terms like “uncomfortable” and “soul-destroying.” Others also mentioned her lack of preparation: “It’s clear that you’re not working with somebody who is willing to do the prep and the work,” a former anonymous staffer told the Washington Post. They claimed she would refuse to look at briefing materials prepared by staffers, and berate them when she was unprepared.

–Elisenne Stoller

The oppo veepstakes

Have you canceled plans this weekend? Are you a white dude for Kamala? You just might be in contention to be the Democratic pick for vice president this year! The nation’s hacks are doggedly monitoring the movements of electable white dads from convenient states as the campaign formerly known as Biden 2024 prepares itself for weekend auditions ahead of an announcement next week. Similarly, America’s grubbiest political operatives have been working overtime to farm out opposition research on the men in question. 

The top two candidates, unsurprisingly, have borne the brunt: Arizona senator Mark Kelly, the astronaut husband of former congresswoman Gabby Giffords who according to an AP poll has the highest name recognition, has been “Loomered”: frothy-mouthed Twitter psycho Laura Loomer posted a video ostensibly from Kelly’s daughter Claire showing off MDMA on her Instagram Story. 

Outlets including Newsmax, RadarOnline and the Mail Online have followed up on her revelations — which is handy, given her dubious track record with the truth.

The other front-runner, Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro, is the subject of a more serious takedown effort: a women’s group is urging Harris not to consider him as they say he mishandled accusations of sexual harassment against one of his top aides. 

Two other contenders are Hyatt Hotel scion and Illinois governor J.B. Pritzker and nepo baby and Kentucky governor Andy Beshear. At present, they seem most likely to face scrutiny for policy positions they’ve taken in office rather than any more sordid scandal (though if Cockburn is wrong, tell him). The same can be said for the last two of the six under consideration, famously effective transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg and former high school football coach Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota. Walz, like Kelly, may also have progeny problems: during the George Floyd riots of 2020, his daughter Hope was tweeting about the movements of the National Guard, as if to help the fiery but mostly peaceful protesters.

–Cockburn