former marine paul whelan, gershkovich. former marine paul whelan. three — gershkovich.whelan, three american - gershkovich. former marine paul whelan, three american citizens | whelan, three american citizens and also, leading kremlin critic and green card holder vladimir curra more as an as our plane comes into land, you can only imagine the relief that the families who have been campaigning for their loved ones to return home and in some cases for years now seeing that moment as our plane finally taxis in with their loved ones. returning. we still got my colleague, will grant there, well, that plane out, touching down and what were expecting next is president biden and vice—president, kamala harris to greet them of the aircraft? that's right. i think you really point out the sense of emotion that the families must be feeling now. what a world when few days the must of hard, we understand that evan gershkovich�*s mother knew about 48 hours ago, and so ever since then, she must�*ve had her heart in a mouth because it's not entirely clear in those remaining hours if thin

it's so i'm so much looking forward to it, it's so anticipated after so many years, especially for paul whelan yellen home whelan spoken to cnn several times throughout his imprisonment. one of those times in the wake of russian opposition leader alexey navalny's death. and whelan spoke candidly than about his own fears that he could also be killed extremely troubling that someone like navalny would die under suspicious circumstances. but it's also extremely worrying for me. this is this total thing that goes on here. >> let's bring in right now cnn contributor, former cnn moscow bureau chief jill doherty, cnn national security analyst steve hall, and cnn political national security analyst david sanger is back with us as well steve, want to start with you, just give me your your reaction and what you're thinking about in this moment as we are all waiting for this one volt yeah, i think everything that alex and other reporters have been talking about is absolutely the case. >> i've seen these things happened before. they're extremely complicated. it's not easy for those of us on the outside be

paul whelan had been help since mr. trump's time in office. >> why didn't he do it when he was president? >> reporter: a legacy achievement for the freed americans, long-awaited homecoming. >> i want to bring in a friend, newly freed russian dissident vladimir kara-murza. he's the founder and ceo of hermitage capitol management and the largest foreign investor in russia until 2005. he wrote the book, freezing order. a true story of money laundering, murder, and surviving the vladimir putin's wrath. i am privileged to be with you tonight because we got to see several americans who were freed from the vladimir putin's wrath. how do you feel tonight? >> it was very emotional. it's an emotional day and emotional evening. i watched those images as evan gershkovich, paul whelan, and alsu kurmasheva got off the airplane and saw their families. i know the feeling because of been intimately involved in the duress of another family, the family of vladimir kara-murza. valletta merck, his family lives in the united states. is a bir

marine, paul whelan. join us now, white house correspondent gabe gutierrez. also with us, david rhodes, senior executive editor on national security for nbc news, and former u.s. ambassador to ukraine, bill taylor. thank you all for joining us. gabe, what are we hearing from the white house this morning, as this prisoner swap is underway. >> hi there, ana, good morning. potentially a momentous day at the white house, and as you said, we are awaiting details of what this prisoner swap entails and we are awaiting word to hear that these prisoners are safely in u.s. custody. we cannot report any more than that at this point. but as you said, there are several high profile prisoners that we have been watching in russia for quite some time. among them, evan gershkovich, and paul whelan who has been imprisoned in russia for years. this has been a top priority for the biden administration, ana, since president biden came into office. his administration has secured the release of dozens of wrongfully detained ind

and paul whelan has been left behind. that has been tremendously challenging getting for his family he is serving there. he has called our colleague jennifer hansler multiple times from the penal colony where he is to talk about his emotions and how challenging it has been for him to effectively ride this wave of emotions sometimes he feels like the u.s. government is working on his behalf. sometimes he felt like they weren't doing enough and was pleading with them to do more. now, when it comes to what the state department has said about the status of these ongoing efforts but recently, they haven't said much. and so it was late last year that the secretary of state, antony blinken, called on russia to accept a deal that the united states had put on the table for them as far as we knew, right? russia had rejected the proposal that the u.s. put on the table for them that was after brittney griner was released from russia last year, but since then and it's now been eight months, we haven't gotten a sudden an update from us

he wore it when he arrived at joint base andrews this evening and when he shook paul whelan's hand whene hugged him, he took it off of his own jacket and he put it on paul's. when paul spoke to reporters you saw the pin on his jacket and when president biden spoke with reporters it was no longer on his. i suspect paul will be keeping it. there you see the president who no longer has it on. this incredible evening is the result of over two years of negotiating by the biden white house. and our own peter alexander has all those details. >> this is the emotional moment inside the oval office when the families of those released prisoners spoke to their loved ones. finally freed. >> what did you say? >> i said welcome home. >> reporter: president biden spearheading the deal just an hour before he announced he was dropping out of the 2024 race. and personally lobbying the german chancellor to help facilitate the swap. olaf schultz responding for you i will do this. >> the deal that made this possible was a feat of diplomacy. >> reporter: jake sullivan holding back tears. >> today was a very g

we also know that paul whelan, sister is there. evan gershkovich father and mother? sister and brother-in-law, and the husband of alsu kurmasheva, as well. president biden, vice president harris, walking side-by-side in a critical moment can we go back to excuse oh, they're walking right now with evan gershkovich, his mother were hearing i think the voice of paul whelan, if i'm not mistaken biden is approaching towards the press right now, while we hear more from the president in it tastes on this extraordinary moment even briefly trotting to access the press relief for the family. >> did you think that this moment would come, sir? >> yes. >> what made you feel so confident relation move ahead? that was what american, sir. >> what did you have to say to the three americans and their family members? welcome home and beyond that you said, sir, that family is everything earlier today. what has it meant to be with the family all day today as they are now finally reunited with their loved what you appreciate it. >> look anyone who's lost family worried about whether famil

paul whelan, the former us marine, first arrested in 2018 and then convicted in 2020, also to 16 years's been serving in a penal colony and in horrible conditions about eight hours outside moscow whelan has seen other americans released in his time there and has said that he didn't understand why others we're getting the chance to go home, although he was certainly happy for them another name aaron, i want to mention is vadim krasikov. he is believed to be the russian assassin who the kremlin wants back most he's being held in germany. he's an fsb colonel. he carried out a killing in a berlin park and has been held by the germans for several years. and so at least the russians, the germans and the americans are part of this deal. but we believe there could be other countries involved. the u.s. would release a number of russian prisoners as well though the u.s doesn't have big boldfaced names like viktor boot, who they released it for brittney griner and so that's why there has been this pressure campaign from the biden administration on the germans to release krasikov because that's re

that paul whelan could be a spy. 0ne told me, if paul whelan is a spy, i'm michael jackson.ways said he's innocent, the government has labelled him wrongfully detained and has been advocating for his release, but he has taken a very long time that it left paul whelan in a pretty dark place for many, many years. sarah, thank ou place for many, many years. sarah, thank you very _ place for many, many years. sarah, thank you very much, _ place for many, many years. sarah, thank you very much, sarah - place for many, many years. sarah, l thank you very much, sarah rainsford there in berlin. reflecting some of there in berlin. reflecting some of the detail for that story of paul whelan, he is one of those freed. just before i go to will in washington, will grant, let me tell you that vice president kamala harris has tweeted about the prisoner exchange, of course she's on the campaign trail for the presidency. she says today, we celebrate the release of paul, evan, vladimir and others who were unjustly held in russia, she said it gives me great comfort to know that their horrible

what it means for americans, evan gershkovich and paul whelan.'re on their way home, what about the politics behind the deal will explore next? >> it's almost time horizon small business days are coming. august 5 to the 11th, meet with our experts get a free tech check and special offers. don't miss. that. gets started today with decks calm g7 managing your diabetes, just got easier so what's your glucose number right now? >> good thing. you don't need to fingerstick house all about food affect your glucose? >> oh, the answer's on your phone. what if you're heading low at night wow, it can alert you and you can even track your goals manager, diabetes with confidence, with deck come g7, the most accurate cgm learn more at decks com.com. >> the best things in life come into two scoops of ice cream, two thumbs up. and now by any phone, when you switch to consumer cellular and get two months of service free that's right, two months break. all the fast, reliable, nationwide coverage make this switch today show don't want that chip roy, your trade that

americans, evan gershkovich and paul whelan are in american custody after a massive massive prisoner swap with russia. it involves 26 people and seven countries. at this exchange happen at an airport and awkward turkey, you see that airport there? it. happened just moments ago. president biden confirmed the exchange. >> the deal also included washington post columnist vladimir kara murza, among others now we haven't yet seen, of course, the people who are coming off and historically, just to put this in context, this has not happened, nothing close so this has happened since the end of the cold war any moment president biden will address the nation from the white house and we will of course, bring that to you live cnn and journalists are in place across the world working their sources and they're going to bring you all the latest details. >> matthew chance is in london, kylie atwood at the state department. we're going to start though with mj lee at the white house, mj. i know you have some new reporting on what to expect from president biden and some of the details that went into th

we have the names of evan and paul whelan. russian american radio journalist was part of the mix. you've just confirmed that person also has gone free. any word of mark fogel? we had a guest on earlier formerly of the trump administration, national senior advisor, security advisor victoria coates from pennsylvania, one of her citizens from 2022, mark fogel. they were hoping that he was in the mix. his family was engaged today. any word of that name or any other americans at this point being held inside russia? >> yes, so we do have some other names. mark fogel is not among the people being released. we are told that there were efforts to get mark fogel returned and that was just not going to happen. those efforts are continuing. however, along with the three u.s. citizens and one legal permanent resident there were 12 german nationals russian political prisoners returning to germany and they included a list here. [names are >> this is all coming in rapid fire now. the families are in the oval office and any moment calling thei

and in paul whelan's case, years for them to be home. the pictures do tell this story. that is evan gershkovich embracing his mom ella milman after lifting her into the air. can you imagine. president biden giving former marine paul whelan the american flag pin right off his own lapel. and also kirma shayva, she was reunited with her husband and daughters, including her youngest, the one in the gray shirt there who turns 13 years old today, remarkably i was told by jake sullivan that she was supposed to be going to a taylor swift concert tonight in poland, but she was told she couldn't make that trip because there was a more important visit that would be taking place. as for president biden, it was a chance to bask in what he described as a wonderful moment after an extraordinarily trying few weeks. jake sullivan said this morning that biden's determination and personal diplomacy even as his own presidential bid was faltering was critical to ensuring that this deal got done. >> these are very tough decisions, and the president has to weigh as do the other leaders, has t

marine, paul whelan who were on their way home to the u.s. right now.ion with nbc news senior executive editor for national security david rohde and political analyst, peter baker. national security adviser jake sullivan described this as vintage joe biden, rallying allies to get this done, and i want to play a moment from his briefing just a short time ago. >> i spent a lot of time with the families of evan and paul and alsu, and most of the time, as you can imagine, those are tough conversations. but not today. today -- excuse me -- today was a very good day. and we're going to build on it. drawing inspiration and continued courage from it for all of those who were held hostage or wrongfully detained around the world. i saved my tearing up for this podium. i would like to strike that from the record, i don't know if that's permitted, probably not. >> a really emotional time, clearly, for all of those involved in the deal, in the biden administration, can you paint the picture of how intricate the international coordination was here and how president b

don't ask me for interviews with paul. >> i'm going to give him back his agency and let him make his decisions from now on. >> he put out a statement, david whelan, who became a family spokesman and he said that paul was a russian hostage. >> president biden's getting ready to speak. let's see, we can hear what he is saying on this extraordinary moment as he approaches them. microphones i asked him to do some things against her meat self-interest very difficult for me to do germany, slovenia, i'm really came in at the last minute and i tell you what chancellor was your credit maui what's your message to other walk with a good way to get sort hey, want it looked that's been the case for all history my job is to make sure number one they do. >> we get them back i don't buy this idea that i can let you go, let these people rot in jail because other people may be captured all the notifications for all the other countries all our citizens countries, not to do it. and what to do, what not to do. >> and they got to pay attention i got more work to an extraordinary day. and i'm very thankful for our president and what he has done but in particular, as i

paul whelan was held in unheated barracks with black mold. evan gershkovich was held -- according to a journalist called it a psychologically tortuous placement to make prisoners feel isolated and abandoned. >> can we all stipulate that russia is a brutal place to which no american should travel again? when president biden speaks today, i would like the president to say "don't go to russia." under no circumstance should any businessman or businesswoman or sports person go to russia. if you do, you put yourself at great risk. otherwise, all we are doing is providing russia with future people to take hostage. this is what we need to recognize about vladimir putin and the regime. it is a joyous days for the family. the reunification of those families with their loved ones. of course, it is everything they are yearning for. what about the assassin who is released? what about the victims? what about their family who see somebody being released from prison? this is why you have to call russia what it is. i hope every american realizes it is russia

paul whelan for over six years. able to come home, to have their families be able to greet them is just so memorable beyond words. >> it was a complicated deal. it was really led by the president, by his intelligence director, the national security advisor, secretary of state, hostage negotiator. it's so unusual in the face of the war right now with ukraine by proxy the u.s. and russia, nato and russia more properly. the fact that this could be done, that nations, including the kremlin, they have particular interests and their interest was in getting this russian assassin and other russian prisoners out. >> that's right. it speaks to just how important family voices and advocates are incontinuing to pressure them. we helped get russian citizens out of jail being held wrongfully by their own country. it speaks to the whole of government effort in getting this kind of a deal done. you mentioned jake sullivan, the president, obviously. the hostage negotiator who we have worked closely with in the past, organizations li

they have been going on when it comes to paul whelan for example, the former us marine, four years.d we first saw him in court, i rememberway arrested and we first saw him in court, i remember way back then him and his lawyer making it clear they believed he had been taken for a prisoner swap. believed he had been taken for a prisonerswap. he believed he had been taken for a prisoner swap. he talked about hostage diplomacy way back then. he is still in prison but as steve are just outlining there have been two other high—profile prisoner swap since then. we know there is this, and occasion. there are these negotiations. i think when evan gershkovich was arrested just over a year ago, gershkovich was arrested just over a yearago, i gershkovich was arrested just over a year ago, i think perhaps those negotiations really intensified. certainly to get american citizens released and returned from russia. i know from families and relatives of russian political prisoners who are being mentioned as part of this major prisoner swap as possible names, not confirmed yet but possible names, i k

and to that end, on their flight home, paul whelan, evan gershkovich gershkovich. and all kurmasheva were all job point on that airplane by multiple medics, a psychologist and of course, us government officials from the nsc to the state department. we are told and once they do land at joint base andrews, they will spend some time with their families, but then all three of them will get on a flight to san antonio. that is where they will head to brooke army medical center to get the medical well evaluation and the care that they need. that, of course, will just be the first step in there readjustment to life back in the united states all right. >> mj lee. thank you so much. and we just wish then the past and one very happy for their families, but i want to get more on this historic prisoner swap and how it was reached. we're joined now by cnn, chief national security correspondent alex marquardt. this is truly extraordinary the way this deal came together involving 24 prisoners, seven countries, and much of this was driven by us intelligence it's alex, how did it al

then paul whelan and he is a u.s. marine and they are coming home. >> brian: "new york post" and we have it here and covering it. >> ainsley: i'm heading to go interview usha vance. first interview since her husband became the vice presidential candidate. everyone have a great weekend. >> steve: "america's newsroom" starts now. >> bill: good morning. we'll pick up the coverage from here. there appears to be good news this morning. it appears that evan and paul apparently are coming home. a major prisoner exchange between the u.s. and russia in the works as we speak that would free the jailed american journalist evan gershkovitch and former marine paul whelan. we'll work through it as we get it step-by-step. we don't know where these gentlemen are and wait for more information on that. >> dana: so much to come. it could be a very good day. i'm dana perino and this is "america's newsroom." evan gershkovitch spent 16 months behind bars. paul whelan was arrested in 2018. >> bill: what we don't know is what putin gets. we

paul whelan wanted his freedom, you know, understandably.it puts governments in an impossible position. flanked by relatives of the freed americans, at the white house, president biden gave his reaction. it says a lot about the united states that we work relentlessly to free americans who are unjustly held around the world, but it also says a lot about us that this deal includes the release of russian political prisoners. they stood up for democracy, human rights, their own leaders threw them in prison. the united states helped secure their release as well. america accuses moscow ofjailing us citizens to trade them for russians jailed abroad. for the families and friends of evan gershkovich, paul whelan and dissidents like vladimir kara—murza, this is a moment to celebrate. but keep in mind — for the kremlin, it's mission accomplished. it got what it wanted. it got its agents back. for moscow, the takeaway from all of this will be that hostage diplomacy works and that means we are likely to see more of it, more prisoners here being used as b

marine paul whelan and u.s.-russian journalist, alsu kurmasheva.d too, prominent kremlin critic's and antiwar campaigners like vladimir kara-murza and human rights campaigner oleg orlov. back to russia, convicted assassin vadim krasikov, identified by a german court as having links to the russian state, and nine others the kremlin wanted back. for paul whelan, this ends an ordeal that began more than five years ago when he was arrested in russia, convicted of spying and sentenced to 16 years in prison. it is a charge she has always fiercely denied -- charge he has always fiercely denied. president biden gave his reaction. >> it says a lot about the united states that we worked relentlessly to free americans who are unjustly held around the world, but it also says a lot about us that this includes the release of russian political prisoners. they stood up for democracy and human rights. their own leaders through them in prison. the united states helped secure their release. >> america has repeatedly accused moscow of jailing u.s. citizens with the ai

then paul whelan and he is a u.s.ey are coming home. >> brian: "new york post" and we have it here and covering it. >> ainsley: i'm heading to go interview usha vance. first interview since her husband became the vice presidential candidate. everyone have a great weekend. >> steve: "america's newsroom" starts now. >> bill: good morning. we'll pick up the coverage from here. there appears to be good news this morning. it appears that evan and paul apparently are coming home. a major prisoner exchange between the u.s. and russia in the works as we speak that would free the jailed american

, who has beenin now, but also paul whelan, who has been in prison for such a long time, since 2018.nce 20113-— since 2018. politically, is the biden administration - since 2018. politically, is the biden administration going l since 2018. politically, is the | biden administration going to since 2018. politically, is the - biden administration going to get a lot of credit for this with the us public? i lot of credit for this with the us ublic? ~ , public? i think it will be particularly _ public? i think it will be particularly important l public? i think it will be l particularly important for public? i think it will be _ particularly important for president biden now, now that we know that he is not running as a candidate, people will be watching to see, what has he been able to achieve with those final months in office? i'm sure that when historians come to write history books and you look at his legacy, this is also going to be something that will be pointed to as well. and of course harris as well, she is now in her campaigning season heading up to november as well, that likely

government paul whelan, as well.o's been in a russian jail for the best part of the past six years. he was in moscow attending a wedding and he was accused and convicted and sentenced to 16 years for spying as well and so yes, this is a big tactical victory or the party dinner knighted states they're bringing these people home but strategically, this is a vindication, i think for vladimir putin of his strategy of taking bargaining chips and using them to extract as bigger concession as possible from the united states and from the west at large. and this is an important day. it's an emotional day, but it's also a day that has involved a substantial amount of moral compromise on the part of the west to get these people back? >> yes. and i think it's important and we will go through as we learn more and can confirm names the individuals, the criminals that the united states at least is returning to russia in exchange for this and very, very serious criminals convicted of incredibly serious crimes. let's go to senior whi

that according to these sources, both paul whelan and evan gershkovich are in united states custody. they're free. right now. and, again, alexander, when you hear this, it is just so monumental and we think of whelan who has been in prison there since 2018, what are your thoughts? >> i was sitting in the office that was responsible for russia, u.s.-russia policy and the name paul whelan came up repeatedly after he was detained. this was going to be a difficult negotiation. it took, for his family, from his family's perspective, it took way too long. i'm sure there is enormous joy about the fact he's now back -- he's going to be back with his family. same thing with regards to evan. i really also have to think about the injustice for the victims of the russians, those folks were experiencing some degree of peace with regard to the fact that hardened criminals involved in various different kinds of crimes were behind bars. so i'm sure that they are, you know, saddened by the fact that these criminals are released on the russian side. but all and all, we did what we needed to do for our

mary, thank you. >>> and for years, the family of paul whelan has done everything possible to keep his name in the press, making sure he wasn't forgotten. earlier today, i spoke with his twin brother, david whelan, about how this all unfolded. the family's reaction, and what happens next. david, thank you so much for joining us today. i'm sure it's been an extraordinary day for you and your entire family. if you could first just describe that moment when you learned the exchange was successful, paul was free and would soon be coming home? >> it was relatively late this morning. i was being very cautious until i saw an announcement from the white house that paul was free and that he was on his way back. we had been through two prisoner releases before where he had not come home. so, despite the growing media announcements and speculation overnight, and even into this morning that an exchange was happening and that paul was going to be a part of it, i didn't really allow myself to believe that it was going to happen until i saw that announcement by the white house. and of course, we're o

they are bringing "wall street journal" relater evan gershkovich and paul whelan home.e israeli defense forces confirming they did, in fact, take out the leader of hamas. we know that the leader was taken down, the hamas leader was taken down in iran yesterday with. but we did not have the confirmation that it was israel. now on the follow-on to that, the ayatollah khamenei is reportedly ordering a direct retaliatory attack on israel. markets this morning are are rallying after the federal reserve left interest rates steady and, of course, said that there is a chance for a rate cut in september. jay powell saying that he could see a scenario of zero rate cuts or several rate cuts depending on where inflation is. we're watching the july jobs report out tomorrow we are expecting job growth for the month of july, and look at this market going into it. we're also focused on amazon and apple reporting earnings after the close tonight. let's get some final thoughts from this esteemed panel. mark themmer. >> all investor eyes more than likely are going to be on apple and amazo

a new america wanted paul whelan and others and he had something to trade.k it is a dealfor vladimir putin. remember this is a man who believes he is at war with the west and, as far as he is concerned, the russian dissidents in prison are enemies of russia. in a way this is a kind of wartime exchange for him. this is not an act of political thawing, it is not an act, a conservatory act, or an act of mercy. it is made in conditions of mercy. it is made in conditions of war between two countries, a political war if not a fighting war. for the families of these prisoners it has been an agonising time and so many of them have campaigned really hard to try and see this day and make sure it happened. if we could just talk about one of these prisoners for a moment and you have mentioned him already, vladimir kara—mirza. i know you have had correspondence and interviewed his wife before. tell us what she has been so the family has been through. i don't know where there is confirmation that he is being released. he is certainly one of the names that has been mention

as i say, paul whelan was held for five years.rk undertaken by the state department, intelligent services as well but the white house �*s part in an election year will be very, very important and year will be very, very importantand i year will be very, very important and i think president biden, as he leaves office, as he has analyses stepping down from the race, he wanted to achieve something important and this is that something had fought vice president harris she will take this and run with it in her campaign to the white house. ~ ., it in her campaign to the white house. ~ . ., , ., house. we had the family of evan gershkovich _ house. we had the family of evan gershkovich played - house. we had the family of evan gershkovich played a l evan gershkovich played a pivotal role, particularly his mother, when it came to the negotiations into this complex deal. what more openly heard from the families and are they expected to be there as well as the plane touches down? indefatigable is a word that can be used about evan gershkovic

paul whelan and evan gershkovich are expected to be included in this prisoner sw.iden presidency is winding down. our rivals and enemies are gearing up. in the last three years, russia, china, or iran and north korea have come together to challenge american power. they are brutal. they are aggressive. and they are united against i. -- us. russia invades ukraine for no good reason other than putin's dreams of empire. ukraine ruined. china rushes hong kong. it used to be a bastion of freedom. xi jinping threatens the same to taiwan. chinese bombers joined russian fighter jets last month if flying in formation directly at alaska. iran funds hamas which massacred israelis last october. it funds hezbollah which fires thousands of rockets into israel. it funds the houthis which tie up the mideast sea lanes and kill american soldiers. north korea? they supply russia with the ammunition it needs to destroy ukraine. america's facing a concerted global challenge. are we prepared in that's more than a military question. it's a question about a willingness to confront our brut

specifically, paul whelan, evan gershkovich, a feat of diplomacy.van gershkovich, of course, alsu kurmasheva. she was imprisoned overfailure course, alsu kurmasheva. she was imprisoned over failure to course, alsu kurmasheva. she was imprisoned overfailure to register as a foreign agent will stop and vladimir kara—murza, who is in prison on treason charges. so taking all those together, we know there will be a real sense of relief obviously for the families that will be echoed by president biden, but he will be adding that sort of sense of rejoicing when he speaks to them in the white house, when he addressed the white house, when he addressed the nation. i think this is hugely significant in terms of politics. there were 16 people secured by the united states in exchange for eight in the other direction, so purely on the numbers it looks good for the biden administration to have carried that off. but also the significance of those four names i have just mentioned. long—standing celebs, particularly evan gershkovich, as a young journalist working fo

paul whelan wanted his freedom, you know, understandably.governments in an impossible position. flanked by relatives of the freed americans, at the white house, president biden gave his reaction. it says a lot about the united states that we work relentlessly to free americans who are unjustly held around the world, but it also says a lot about us that this deal includes the release of russian political prisoners. they stood up for democracy, human rights, their own leaders threw them in prison. the united states helped secure their release as well. america accuses moscow ofjailing us citizens to trade them for russians jailed abroad. for the families and friends of evan gershkovich, paul whelan and dissidents like vladimir kara—murza, this is a moment to celebrate. but keep in mind — for the kremlin, its mission accomplished. it got what it wanted. it got its agents back. for moscow, the takeaway from all of this will be that hostage diplomacy works and that means we are likely to see more of it, more prisoners here being used as bargaining

evan gershkovich is now free, paul whelan is out, we'll talk to evan's friend.l jack keane, advising people not to visit. and secret service will hold a press conference today with whistleblowers making claims about cheatle's replacement and kamala harris expected to make v.p. pick by monday as questions swirl over josh shapiro cancel ing fundraiser to be by her side. progressives are saying he better not be her pick. and a lifeguard injured saving a boy from drowning, that hero will join us. plus, gronk is here, no longer playing, but in good shape and will talk football. and maverick city music will rock the series, they are playi playing already. get dressed, hope you laid out your clothes the night before. you're now on your own, make me proud. k . they've 20,. ♪ >> todd: americans are celebrating the return of political prisoners from russia but some in the media are taking the opportunity to celebrate biden's so-called accomp accomplishments. >> the president is going to leave in the next six months with a huge win. the economy is growing. he is releasing

paul whelan wanted his freedom, you know, understandably.ition. flanked by relatives of the freed americans, at the white house, president biden gave his reaction. it says a lot about the united states that we work relentlessly to free americans who are unjustly held around the world, but it also says a lot about us that this deal includes the release of russian political prisoners. they stood up for democracy, human rights, their own leaders threw them in prison. the united states helped secure their release as well. america accuses moscow ofjailing us citizens to trade them for russians jailed abroad. for the families and friends of evan gershkovich, paul whelan and dissidents like vladimir kara—murza, this is a moment to celebrate. but keep in mind — for the kremlin, its mission accomplished. it got what it wanted. it got its agents back. for moscow, the takeaway from all of this will be that hostage diplomacy works and that means we are likely to see more of it, more prisoners here being used as bargaining chips. tonight, president putin

the cia actually put forward a proposal to get paul whelan out. this was before evan gershkovich was arrested to get paul whelan out in exchange for two russian spies who were picked up in slovenia. the russian said no. and then ten months later in november, after evan gershkovich had been picked up and arrested the u.s. the cia again put forward a proposal saying, how about we get back the two americans for for russian spies in this time it was additional spies in poland and in norway. and at that point in november, the russians made it clear, no, we're not talking about anything unless we're getting back this assassin in germany, vadim krasikov, which you mentioned boris was a lynchpin. he absolutely was the conversation evolved a little bit over time. the name alexei navalny was then thrown into the mix. the germans really wanted navalny navalny had gone to germany when he left russia. then, of course, he eventually went back. there was never a formal proposal. i'm told with navalny's name in it, and the germans were very reluctant to give up t

paul whelan, almost six years the not knowing is the hardest part. will this ever and how will this end? i think that initial period on the airplane with fellow americans, with government officials on your way to freedom is really the first moment where you can let your shoulders loosen up a little bit and really plus okay. this part of my ordeal is finally over. and for the families i've been in touch with a couple of them today. and throughout the last few years, in the case of paul whelan this has to be a moment of immense joy and relief but also an understanding. there's a really long road ahead. as you know, it's been about eight years since i got out the road continues, you carry the pain. >> there's no there's no question. i heard the joy and the families voices this morning. steve hall, i do want to ask you a question here because jason mentioned the uncertainty of not knowing when they would be free. that's part of the part of the torture of this. but there was also fear that they might die in prison. i know that for instance, speaking to ka

brought home brittney griner and in a prisoner swap that did not include paul whelan. and we're told from that point on, they were working feverishly to try to come up with another solution. to get paul home. evan gershkovich was then arrested in 2023 at the end of march. and this added even more urgency to these us efforts to get them home. and we are told by national security adviser jake sullivan that these were painstaking negotiations over months and months months they involved quiet diplomacy among a number of allies scouring the globe to look for people to include in this swap. and perhaps the most important element, trying to convince germany to include this convicted russian assassin named vadim krasikov who was the key demand from moscow. moscow has made very clear for years that they wanted krasikov back and that they would not release americans until the germans did so, so jake said that this was a lot of efforts to have these conversations with german officials to get them on board with this deal. he actually met with evan's parents in the white house back

this was the moment that president biden first met paul whelan. there. the flight had come via turkey. it was quite a feat for many countries that were involved in this prisoner swap. russia claiming the victory as well. let's speak to professor steve fish, who teaches political science at the university of california, berkeley. professor, thanks so much for joining us. we saw on the tarmac there president biden and vice—president kamala harris, but russia claiming a victory as well, who wins in this? i victory as well, who wins in this? ~ victory as well, who wins in this? ,, ,., victory as well, who wins in this? ,, , , this? i think both sides win. it's this? i think both sides win. it's hard _ this? i think both sides win. it's hard to _ this? i think both sides win. it's hard to see _ this? i think both sides win. it's hard to see which i this? i think both sides win. it's hard to see which one i it's hard to see which one actually came out on top. typically that is not really the question you ask in these prisoner swaps. you know, what we kn

marine paul whelan.e also been told that they are that that they are expected to soon be in u.s. custody. of course, we know this is something that this white house has been working on for a long time. behind the scenes evan gershkovich has been detained since march 2023 on those spy charges that he, the wall street journal and the u.s. all fiercely deny and say was a complete sham. he was sentenced, you know, just last month to 16 years in a penal colony after that secret three day trial with absolutely no proof. and, of course, paul whelan is that former u.s. marine. he's been held for over five and a half years. he's actually been left out of previous deals as the u.s. brought home other wrongfully detained americans. the hope here is that he, too, is now going to be coming home with. >> and mary, we know that. remember when brittney griner, griner was released and was able to come back to the u.s? that was in 2022, and those discussions really picked up since then with regards to paul whelan and then

for the families and friends of evan gershkovich, paul whelan and dissidents like vladimir kara—murzathis is a moment to celebrate. but keep in mind — for the kremlin, it is mission accomplished. it got what it wanted. i think it was very difficult - for germany to agree to accept the idea that they would have to return a convicted assassin to russia in any circumstances. one of the biggest prisoner swaps since the cold war has taken place between russia and the west. 26 people have been traded, some after spending years behind bars. also tonight... the bbc director general has defended the decision not to sack huw edwards despite knowinghe had been arrested while in possession of the most serious images of child sexual abuse. and we will bring you the latest on the stabbing in southport. the 17—year—old attacker has appeared in court today — charged with murdering three girls and attempting to murder ten others. good evening. the largest prisoner swap between russia and the us since the cold war has taken place in ankara today. 16 people were freed from russian and belarusianjails, i

we saw paul whelan speaking to the camera.shkovich, the - released? definitely. evan. gershkovich, the journalist, released? definitely. evan i gershkovich, the journalist, i released? definitely. evan - gershkovich, the journalist, i heard gershkovich, thejournalist, i heard from our white house team that he even made a request while he was still in russia to vladimir putin to see if the president wanted to do a sit down interview with him. so he has not lost that sense of journalistic mission and i am sure he will be speaking about his experience, although it might take some time. there is a lot of adjustment coming back after such a long ordeal. taste adjustment coming back after such a lona ordeal. ~ ., ., adjustment coming back after such a long ordeal-— long ordeal. we will have to leave it there, thank _ long ordeal. we will have to leave it there, thank you _ long ordeal. we will have to leave it there, thank you very _ long ordeal. we will have to leave it there, thank you very much - it there, thank you very much ind

much and joined here by my panel, starting with congresswoman haley stevens, because congressman paul whelan lives in your district, right? obviously know vaez is, you know what is family thanked you personally in a statement today for advice and comfort to our family as paul's case wore on, i know you had a chance to speak with elizabeth paul's sister today. what can you tell us congresswoman? >> they're absolutely remarkable people elizabeth whelan is an american hero he, has been tireless. we have cried together. we've prayed together. our entire delegation has rallied around this family it's such a treat to have jason and novi, michigan. this is really personal not only to the community, but our entire state and we're we've just been there with them and it's it's been long road. every term i've been in congress three terms. i've introduced a resolution calling on russia to release paul and now he's finally free and he's coming home. this is a day we dreamed for, and it's absolutely remarkable. and it's showcases the biden-harris approach to foreign policy. erin it showcases what happens

gershkovich and paul whelan, that wasn't going to happen according to the russians. so that discussions continued throughout this year the name election navalny was floated. of course, the biggest russian opposition figure he was in russian custody. the germans wanted him out. so that was being discussed, but then he died in russian prison in february. so then the u.s. started applying pressure to the germans to try to figure out what they could do, what or who they could, who else could be released? to the russians in order for the germans to release krasikov, they eventually got to this extraordinary deal that we're seeing take place today, some 24 detainees from seven different countries all being exchanged on the tarmac at ankara airport. just a tremendous feat of diplomacy of alliances as jake sullivan just said, at the white house, a truly historic moment, not just in terms of the size of the number of prisoners being released today, but also the number of countries involved. boris, brianna josh, what does this mean for vladimir putin right? >> well, to be sure

[cheering] [applause] >> steve: that last guy, paul whelan. took another flight overnight to texas. san antonio, texas for evaluation at brook army medical center. >> brian: sam tobin is in sam houston, texas. good morning, sam. >> three of the returnees from this historic swap are in the facility behind me, inside of fort sam houston, the outskirts of san antonio. paul whelan, evan gershkovich and alsu kurmasheva are all here and were greeted by the president and vice president and flown to kelly air force base and were transferred to the medical center and inside of fort sam houston, they began reintegration. while at andrews, whelan spoke about the wedding he attended and when authorities picked him up five years ago. >> the fsb grabbed me and said i'm a spy, general in the army and secret agent for fbi. they would not let it go. this is how putin runs his government and country and i'm glad i'm home. i'm never going back there again. >> political prisoners and prisoners of war have been reintegrating here since end of vietnam war. there ar

then paul whelan was not. that is something the ministration decided they were going to try for to get him released. discussions began. then evan gershkovich was detained and the idea of doing something bigger comes into the mix. it was critical to get germany on board with releasing the russian assassin that wanted to make clear he wasn't going to cut a deal. once that happened, they felt it got momentum. then as peter mentioned, -- was supposed to be part of it and only negotiated between the u.s. and germany. once he was pronounced dead, they had to go back to the drawing board and figure out how to do this. over the past couple of months, that is what they have been doing. this was playing out, they made offers to the russians that were rejected. as it came to a head, you have this parallel track of president biden. he is overseeing this momentous moment where he was eyeing a significant victory and giving families a lot of joy they have been waiting for. at the same time his own political careers unraveli

three american prisoners, including paul whelan and evan gershkovich, soon to be reunited with their es. part of a multi-country swap with russia involving two dozen prisoners. the biggest deal of its kind since the cold war. whelan and gershkovich and another american journalist detained by russia taking off from turkey, heading to the

paul whelan had been held since mr. trump's time in office. >> why didn't he do it when he was president? >> reporter: for president biden, the legacy achievement. for the freed americans, a long-awaited homecoming. peter alexander, nbc news, the white house. >>> here in paris, it was all about gold, lots of it, for team usa, including a historic night for simone biles as she won the women's gymnastics individual all around for a second time. stephanie gosk is here. it was a tense, tense night. >> it was, lester. we were on the edge of our seats. you know, gymnastics can be unpredictable, and it definitely was tonight. the lead changed hands multiple times, and it went right down to the wire. >> everything has led to this moment. >> reporter: in the end, it came down to the final rotation, the final performance. simone biles took the floor. it was hers to win. >> and she put pressure on simone. >> but brazilian rebeca andrade set the bar high. biles would need to be nearly perfect, and she was. >> that's what greatness

marine paul whelan are now free after a u.s.-russia prisoner exchange involving cooperation from germany, poland, slovenia, norway, and belarus. a total of 24 prisoners were released as part of the agreement, taking it the largest prisoner exchange since the cold war era. evan gershkovich and paul whelan were convicted of espionage. at the white house president biden talked about the historic agreement while surrounded by family members of the freed prisoners. to the white house where president biden is speaking to the families of u.s. citizens released as a result of the prisoner swap with russia. president biden: good afternoon. this is a very good afternoon. a very good afternoon. today, three american citizens and one american green colored -- green card holder, all three unjustly imprisoned in russia, paul for three years, vladimir since 2022, evan since march of 2023. russian authorities arrested them, convicted them in show trials, and sentenced them to long prison terms. with no legitimate reason whatsoever. paul is a fo