Biden celebrates freeing of Americans wrongfully detained in Russia: ‘Their agony is over’

August 1, 2024

ABC News

(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden is celebrating a prisoner swap that freed several wrongfully detained American citizens held in Russia, including Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan, saying Thursday “their agony is over.”

“Today, three American citizens and one American green-card holder who were unjustly imprisoned in Russia are finally coming home: Paul Whelan, Evan Gershkovich, Alsu Kurmasheva, and Vladimir Kara-Murza,” Biden said in a statement.

“The deal that secured their freedom was a feat of diplomacy,” he continued. “All told, we’ve negotiated the release of 16 people from Russia — including five Germans and seven Russian citizens who were political prisoners in their own country. Some of these women and men have been unjustly held for years. All have endured unimaginable suffering and uncertainty. Today, their agony is over.”

Biden will deliver remarks from the White House on the exchange, which officials said he was directly involved in helping negotiate.

The president was gathering the families of Whelan, Gershkovich, Kurmasheva and Kara-Murza at the White House on Thursday morning to inform the swap was underway, according to national security adviser Jake Sullivan.

“And let me be clear: I will not stop working until every American wrongfully detained or held hostage around the world is reunited with their family. My Administration has now brought home over 70 such Americans, many of whom were in captivity since before I took office,” Biden said in the written statement. “Still, too many families are suffering and separated from their loved ones, and I have no higher priority as President than bringing those Americans home.”

“Today, we celebrate the return of Paul, Evan, Alsu, and Vladimir and rejoice with their families. We remember all those still wrongfully detained or held hostage around the world. And reaffirm our pledge to their families: We see you. We are with you. And we will never stop working to bring your loved ones home where they belong.”

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Harris says she’s ‘feeling very good about Pennsylvania’ during campaign stop in battleground state

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(JOHNSTOWN, Penn.) — Vice President Kamala Harris told reporters she was “feeling very good about Pennsylvania” while campaigning on Friday in the key battleground state, even as both supporters and detractors came out for the occasion.

In an unannounced stop to Classic Elements, a cafe and bookstore in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Harris told reporters, “I am feeling very good about Pennsylvania, because there are a lot of people in Pennsylvania who deserve to be seen and heard.”

“I will be continuing to travel around the state to make sure that I’m listening as much as we are talking,” Harris said. “And ultimately, I feel very strongly that — got to earn every vote, and that means spending time with folks in the communities where they live. And so that’s why I’m here.”

She added, “We’re going to be spending a lot more time in Pennsylvania.”

Harris and former President Donald Trump remain locked in a tight race in Pennsylvania, with 538’s presidential polling average for Pennsylvania showing less than a percentage point between the candidates as of Friday afternoon.

Both campaigns will look to win the state, which Biden won by about a 1% margin in 2020 — four years after Trump won by slightly less 1%.

Before she spoke with the media, Harris chatted with the store’s owner while Democratic Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman and his spouse Giselle Fetterman looked on.

Harris spoke about a small business owner neighbor she had growing up who was a “second mother” to her. Harris also praised the staff for their work.

When Harris went into the main seating area of the cafe, a patron called out, “Kamala, we love you!” to which Harris responded, “I appreciate you, thank you” to applause and comments of “Madame Vice President.”

Speaking to the patrons, Harris said, “We’re doing it together. But I wanted to come to Johnstown … I wanted to come and visit this small business — you know, a lot of the work I care about is about building community, right? There are many ways to do that … one of them is our small businesses.”

But Harris encountered both supporters and detractors outside of the bookstore.

Near the bookstore, people behind temporary fencing held signs that were both supportive of Harris and supportive of Trump.

One person could be heard chanting “USA!” while another chanted “We’re not going back” — which can often be heard at her campaign events.

And one person could be seen holding up a sign that said, “Even my dog hates Trump.”

Earlier, when she landed in Johnstown, there was a large crowd gathered at the airport hanger; Harris was greeted by the Fettermans and Johnstown Mayor Frank Janakovic.

As the motorcade drove to the bookstore, some healthcare workers lined a street holding up middle fingers and a sign that said, “Harris sux.”

The visit came ahead of a Friday evening rally Harris is set to hold in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, and amid a battleground-state swing by Harris, running mate Gov. Tim Walz, and others launched after the ABC News presidential debate on Tuesday.

Speaker Johnson’s funding plan expected to fail as shutdown deadline approaches

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(WASHINGTON) — House Speaker Mike Johnson on Wednesday will forge ahead with a vote on his government funding plan despite it being expected to fail.

“We’ll see what happens with the bill,” Johnson told reporters. “The quarterback’s calling the play. We’re going to run the play. I’m very confident.”

Johnson’s measure would fund the government for six months but also includes the SAVE Act, a bill backed by GOP leadership and former President Donald Trump that would require individuals to provide proof of U.S. citizenship to vote. Democrats have said the legislation is a non-starter, noting it is already illegal for non-citizens to cast a ballot in federal elections.

Johnson was set to try to pass the funding plan last week but pulled it from the floor because he didn’t have the votes.

Some Republicans in his caucus oppose the measure because they say it would contribute to the deficit while defense hawks say they won’t vote for it because the six-month extension would effect the Department of Defense’s readiness.

Still, he’s dug in on the measure and is not talking about what the next steps should be if it fails. Congress needs to pass a funding measure before Oct. 1 to avoid a shutdown.

Trump has openly called for Republicans to let the government close if they don’t pass the SAVE Act. He wrote on his social media platform that if they “don’t get absolute assurances on Election Security, THEY SHOULD, IN NO WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM, GO FORWARD WITH A CONTINUING RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET.”

Asked about Trump’s comments that Republicans should let funding lapse in such a scenario, Johnson responded “No, look, President Trump and I have talked a lot about this. We talked a lot about it with our colleagues who are building consensus on the plan. We all believe that election security is of preeminent importance right now.”

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, the chamber’s top Republican, said it would be “politically beyond stupid” to allow a shutdown to take place with just seven weeks until Election Day.

“I think we first have to wait and see what the House sends us. My only observation about this whole discussion is the one thing you cannot have is a government shutdown,” McConnell said. “It’d be politically beyond stupid for us to do that right before the election, because certainly we’d get the blame.”

Democrats have urged Johnson to drop his funding plan and bring a clean short-term measure to the floor to keep the government open.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters last week that the only path forward is a bipartisan agreement that does not include “extreme” measures, such as the SAVE Act.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Monday also urged the House to pass a clean bill.

“In order to avoid a shutdown, the worst thing our colleagues in the House can do right now is waste time on proposals that don’t have broad bipartisan support,” Schumer said.

ABC News’ Allison Pecorin, Mariam Khan and Alexandra Hutzler contributed to this report.

‘Unfairly attacked’: Army defends Arlington National Cemetery employee involved in Trump incident

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(WASHINGTON) — The Arlington National Cemetery staffer who tried to stop the Trump campaign from filming a video among the graves of recently fallen service members has declined to press charges, according to a statement released Thursday by the Army that said the “employee and her professionalism was unfairly attacked.”

The updated statement also defended the actions of the employee, who the military has opted not to name publicly due to privacy and safety concerns.

“This employee acted with professionalism and avoided further disruption,” according to the statement.

The Army said the incident was reported to Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall in Virginia, which has jurisdiction over the cemetery, “but the employee subsequently decided not to press charges. Therefore, the Army considers this matter closed.”

“This incident was unfortunate, and it is also unfortunate that the ANC employee and her professionalism has been unfairly attacked,” the Army continued. “ANC is a national shrine to the honored dead of the Armed Forces, and its dedicated staff will continue to ensure public ceremonies are conducted with the dignity and respect the nation’s fallen deserve.”

Trump campaign’s communications director, Steven Cheung, has said his team was given permission to have an official photographer and videographer outside the main press pool.

According to the Army statement, public wreath laying ceremonies at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier are routinely allowed. However, it said participants from Trump’s campaign were told in advance there should be no photography or video taken in “Section 60,” where recently fallen service members are buried.

Federal law prohibits campaigns from using the military cemetery for political campaigning or election-related activities.

Virginia Democrat Rep. Gerry Connolly has called for the public release of the police report with the names redacted.

“The public has a right to know. It must be released protecting the staffers’ identities,” he said.

In response to the Army statement, Cheung said, “This employee was the one who initiated physical and verbal contact that was unwarranted and unnecessary.”

ABC News’ Soorin Kim. Lalee Ibssa and Kelsey Walsh contributed to this report.