Freed Americans Home, Trump Hits Back, Harris VP Hopefuls
46:50 Share

Voters 50 and over have the power to decide elections. So candidates who want to win need to talk about the issues they care about. Learn more from our latest polling in Pennsylvania at aarp.org slash pa polling.

Hi, I'm Angie Hicks, co-founder of Angie. When you use Angie for your home projects, you know all your jobs will be done well. Roof repair? Done well. Kitchen sink install? Done well. Deck upgrades? Done well. Electrical upgrade? Done well. Angie's been connecting homeowners with skilled pros for nearly 30 years, so we know the difference between done and done well. Hire high-quality, certified pros at Angie.com.

It is Friday, August 2nd, and right now on CNN This Morning. Freed Americans, finally, back on U.S. soil following the largest prisoner swap since the Cold War. Plus... Anyone who questions whether allies matter, they do. They matter. How President Biden and key allies got the historic prisoner exchange across the finish line. And... Nobody's ever called me weird. I'm a lot of things, but weird I'm not.

Trump hitting back at Democrat attacks on his campaign being weird. Then, top vice presidential hopefuls scrapping their weekend plans ahead of Kamala Harris' expected announcement on Tuesday.

it is 601 here in washington on a summer friday this is a live look at the white house good morning everybody i'm jessica dean in for casey hunt today and it is great to be with you from russian prison cells to u.s soil three americans reunited with their loved ones this morning freed in the largest prisoner swap since the cold war wall street journal reporter evan grishkovich

Former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan and Russian journalist Alsu Kermesheva, all walking off a plane at Joint Base Andrews just before midnight Eastern last night, greeted one by one by President Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and then, most importantly, their families. Tears of joy.

An amazing moment to watch unfold. It was Turkey playing the role of mediator in that deal. The prisoner swap involving the release of 16 individuals previously detained in Russia in exchange for eight individuals held in the U.S., Germany, Norway, Slovenia, and Poland. Great satisfaction and a feeling of relief for the family. To me, this is about...

the essence of who we are as a country. It really is about personal relationships, about families, about being able to have access to your own, the people you love and you adore. This is just an extraordinary testament to the importance of having a president who understands the power of diplomacy.

The freed prisoners and their loved ones just arriving in San Antonio in the last 90 minutes. They will be evaluated at the Brooke Army Medical Center there. Paul Whelan just speaking to reporters about the moment he realized he was going home. It didn't feel real until we were flying over England. I'm a British citizen, Irish citizen, Canadian and American. So as we came over England and I looked down, you know, that's when it became real. We flew over Ireland, then Canada and into America.

and then I knew I was home. So getting off the plane, seeing the president, the vice president, that was nice. It was a good homecoming. So looking forward to seeing my family down here and just recuperating from five years, seven months, and five days of just absolute nonsense by the Russian government.

Let's bring in Jonathan Frank, spokesman for the Bring Our Families Home campaign. Jonathan, good morning to you. It is a good morning. Wonderful to have these Americans back on U.S. soil. I know you've been playing such a role in all of this. What went through your mind? So many of us staying up, watching them come off that plane. It was very emotional. It sure was. And thanks for having me, Jessica. I mean, watching...

For me personally, getting to see Paul come down those steps after, you know, it's been about two years since Trevor Reed came home and we've been working every day to bring Paul home since. It was great to see Evan walk down so confidently and having spent some time last week with Al-Soo's husband, Pavel, and their two daughters, getting to see her come down the steps and getting to see her daughters hug her for the first time made it all worthwhile.

No question about it. And the families in all of this, of course, they've been wrongfully detained and stuck in these Russian prisons, which is awful. The families in a kind of a prison of their own as well with their loved ones stuck there and not knowing when they're coming back. This has been really difficult for them as well. They have to be feeling tremendous relief this morning.

I have to say, Pavel and his daughters yesterday looked like the weight of the world had been taken off them compared to when I saw them last week. And it was great to see. And I think the president is right in the sense that this is who we are as Americans. And this should be, whether or not the former president's on board with it or not, this should be a fairly unifying thing for us all to watch. And I think for most of us, it is.

Yeah. And I want to play a clip from the president about how important friends are and allies in a moment like this. This is what he said. Today is a powerful example of why it's vital to have friends in this world, friends you can trust, work with and depend upon, especially on matters of great consequence and sensitivity like this. Our alliances make our people safer.

And it was it's amazing, Jonathan, because, as you well know, there were a number of countries and allies that were involved in getting this over the finish line. President Biden couldn't deliver this on his own. He needed the help of those allies. And it really underscores how many nations had to come together and the diplomacy that had to be used to get something like this done.

Absolutely. And I think this was a big step for the German government in particular to take. And, you know, I'm glad to see so many German nationals going home. But certainly, you know, that unlocked, you know, this this what we saw yesterday, their willingness to let Mr. Krasikoff go back to Russia. Yeah. All

All right. Well, it is a good day indeed, Jonathan. And I know, again, you're happy for the families that you've worked with for so long to let them have this moment with all their loved ones back. We really appreciate it. Thanks for having me, Jessica. And let's bring in our panel now. Molly Ball, senior political correspondent at The Wall Street Journal and a colleague of Evan Gerskovich, former DNC communications director Mo Alethi, and Republican strategist Sarah Longwell. Good morning, all.

of you. Molly, I want to start first with you because let's, just if we can show everyone, this is the Wall Street Journal and it's Evan Gruskovic is free with a huge photo. It has to be, we all know newsrooms are a tight place and it's a hard, it was hard for all of the journalists to see that but for you all especially, it had to be a special day yesterday.

Incredible. And I can hardly express how elated we are, how relieved we all are. We have been thinking of Evan every single day for the 16 months that he was unjustly detained in that Russian prison. We've been working for his release and we're all just incredibly grateful and relieved to everyone who got this done. And I think

it needs to be said he never should have been in that prison. He did nothing wrong. Journalism is not a crime. He was doing his job. And this trend of autocratic leaders taking innocent prisoners as pawns in these type of games really has got to stop. It's a big problem in the world.

Most of all, we are so happy and relieved for Evan, for his family. He's an incredible journalist, an incredible colleague, and we're so glad he's home. Yeah, and the note that at the end of the evaluation or the paperwork where he asked Putin for an interview. Isn't that amazing? A journalist, you know, you never lose the instinct. It's in his soul. It really is. That's right. It's amazing. Mo, we heard from the president in some of those clips I was playing earlier yesterday

He has really hung his hat and wants his legacy to be foreign policy and bringing together these coalitions of Western democracies for a variety of reasons. This is just another incident of that happening. But do you think that he, when the story is told, that will be what he is in part known for? I mean, I certainly hope so. I mean, it's...

it's something he said when he was running for president. He said it from day one of his presidency, and here we are in the closing months of his presidency. And we've seen time and time again his ability to pull together international coalitions to great effect. I mean, pulling everyone together to support Ukraine, and now this.

And it will give, I think, not just a boost to his legacy, but a really strong contrast with Donald Trump in the fall. And you heard it yesterday when he talked about this shows the importance of having friends and allies. And you heard the vice president echoing that on the tarmac overnight. This is, I think, going to help

help amplify and underscore that difference between this administration and Donald Trump when it comes to foreign policy. And so we come to Sarah for the politics of all of this. As Mo was alluding to, we have Trump's post. It's long, but I think one part that kind of gets at the heart of what we really heard from him yesterday, our negotiators are always an embarrassment to us.

I got back many hostages and gave the opposing country nothing and never any cash. Just to remind everyone, this was not a financial transaction that occurred yesterday. But what we didn't hear from the former president, at least I didn't, was we're so glad Americans are home. Yeah. No, that's kind of step one. First of all, I don't know, between the Olympics.

Simone Biles floor routine, the hostages coming home, like the vibe right now should be tattooing an American flag on your chest and running through the streets. But what does this guy do? He sits there on his phone, grumpy that the hostages are home, mad that he doesn't get to fame like he and Putin have some special deal. So he's going to be able to negotiate this. He's always Trump first, America last, despite his rhetoric. And it

people should be more offended by things like this than a lot of the other crazy stuff Trump does because these are the points where he really shows how he does not love America. Donald Trump, this is where Republicans have lost the plot on who they were and who I felt like we were for the 20 years that I cared about being in the party. One of the reasons I became a Republican was that

They felt like they loved America. It felt like they thought America was a good place, that we were often in the right. But Donald Trump describes it as a dark place. He isn't excited when we bring the hostages home. He's not even being cool about the Olympics. And so, yeah, I think this is a stark contrast in people who are out there doing their jobs for America and somebody who's sitting on his phone sending out nasty tweets about America. Yeah. And so, Wally, how does that start? I mean, it certainly does create quite

Contrast, there are two very different views of this situation, but also more broadly, two different views of which direction they want to take America and when it comes to Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.

Well, and as has sort of been said, I mean, this was really a test case for two opposing ideas of how you get things done in foreign policy. There is the model, the Biden model that says friends, alliances, multilateralism, institutions,

And that has been the way that Biden has run his presidency with, I think we can say mixed results, right? And then there is the Trump model, which is my buddy Putin is gonna do things for me because we're friends. And he was really sure that this was going to be a case that proved that his model was right and the Biden model was not.

Instead, it was the opposite. And I think you have Biden somewhat justifiably taking a victory lap and saying, this was a test of my approach to foreign policy. And it did eventually get results after a very long and difficult and rocky process to get there. All of that delicate negotiation, all the many, many, many countries that were involved in this,

And, you know, the fact that it was not just Americans that were released. It was Russian political prisoners as well. So this was about standing up for democracy and freedom around the world on the part of a bunch of different freedom-loving nations who were all able to come together. And so for Biden, that proves his point. All right, stay with us. We have much more to discuss. Coming up on CNN this morning, Donald Trump responding to claims by Democrats

that he and his running mate are weird. Plus, the race to be Kamala Harris' running mate entering its final hours. And... It's totally reasonable for the president to call that out. J.D. Vance defending controversial comments by Trump about Kamala Harris' race.

Hi, I'm Angie Hicks, co-founder of Angie. And one thing I've learned is that you buy a house, but you make it a home. Because with every fix, update, and renovation, it becomes a little more your own. So you need all your jobs done well. For nearly 30 years, Angie has helped millions of homeowners hire skilled pros for the projects that matter. From plumbing to electrical, roof repair to deck upgrades. So leave it to the pros who will get your jobs done well.

Hire high-quality, certified pros at Angie.com.

Sleep Number does that too. You have to feel it to believe it. Find the bed that's for both of you, only at a Sleep Number store. Nine out of 10 couples say that they sleep better on a Sleep Number smart bed. Only Sleep Number smart bed lets you choose your ideal comfort and support your Sleep Number setting. Sleep Number smart beds automatically respond and adjust to your movements so that you sleep comfortably all night long. Beat the summer heat. Temper

Temperature balancing bedding, like TrueTemp bedding, is designed to move heat and humidity away so you sleep just right. Can't agree on temperature? The Sleep Number Climate 360 smart bed lets you adjust up to 30 degrees cooler or warmer on either side. So you can be polar opposites in the same bed. Sleep better together. J.D. Power ranks Sleep Number number one in customer satisfaction with mattresses purchased in-store.

And now Sleep Number smart beds starting at $999. Prices higher in Alaska and Hawaii. For J.D. Power 2023 award information, visit JDPower.com slash awards only at a Sleep Number store or SleepNumber.com. It's getting weird. Donald Trump says he's not weird and neither is J.D. Vance after Kamala Harris and other Democratic leaders trotted out weird to describe the GOP duo.

Nobody's ever called me weird. I'm a lot of things, but weird I'm not. And I'm up front. And he's not either, I will tell you. JD is not at all. They are. It's always soundbite. And the press picks it up. You notice the evening news, every one of them talk, you know, they introduce the word weird. And all of a sudden they're talking about weird. No, we're not weird people. We're actually just the opposite.

Okay, our panel is back to talk more about this. Let's talk about weird. I want to play a clip. This all started, Tim Walz, who is potentially a VP pick for Kamala Harris, just said it very plainly, but a lot of Democrats have picked up on weird. So let's listen to them.

These guys are just weird. That's where they are. It's the weirdest thing. He'll go and like literally hug an American flag. Now, I love the flag, but I mean, it's like weird what he does. I mean, on the other side, they're just weird. I mean, they really are.

kamala harris has used it as well uh sarah this seems to be sinking it's rare you see messaging like that just take off and they've all adapted to it or adopted it pretty quickly uh how is it landing with voters and kind of it is very plain spoken but but do voters kind of

Yeah, totally. And here's the thing. For a long time, I would say the way that people talked about Donald Trump, because he is a very dangerous person, they talk, you know, dictator, strongman, authoritarian, and that stuff, voters oftentimes will say, like, you know, what do you think about Trump being authoritarian? And people will be like, what? What is that? Yeah. Whereas we

- Weird, people are like, "I know what weird is." And JD Vance has really helped to define the weirdness, right? The cat lady stuff, the fact that he has done a full personality transplant. So it's funny, they're trying to brand Kamala Harris as a chameleon, but everybody, when I talk to swing voters in focus groups,

I haven't seen as negative a reaction to a candidate as I have seen from swing voters to JD Vance since Mike Pence was in the primary to Trump voters. Like these swing voters do not like him and they do

think he's weird. They think he's inauthentic. They think he's a phony. And so that like it's like if the weird shoe fits, like that's what's happening right now. Well, what do you say to all of this? No, I think that's right. And, you know, so right. Like when you listen to words that are often used in politics, right. Authoritarian dictator, dangerous, extreme, like

Everyone has been using the word extreme for so long on both sides of the aisle that the word has kind of lost its meaning to a lot of voters. But weird, that's something that people just get. And I think it does reflect their feelings. And you know what? It's been a weird cycle. It's been a weird campaign. And it's been a really bad and weird week for the Trump campaign.

you know, even that response, I think a lot of people are like, really? You're not weird, you're weird. Like, that's weird for an adult to say, right? Like, a toddler, sure. A kid, maybe. But, so I just think it's one of those things that's going to stick a little. Yeah, it seems to have caught on. And Molly, we're getting these fundraising numbers. Trump raising $139 million in July. The Harris team raising $109 million.

$310 million in July. And it's worth noting, of course, she entered late in the month once Biden stepped aside. These numbers really indicate that enthusiasm that we were talking about on the Harris side. I mean, this was Trump. Obviously, Trump has made real gains in fundraising. They were really lagging before, and they have caught up in a lot of ways. But this is a huge haul for the Harris campaign.

Yeah, well, and it should be said that the campaign's cash on hand is much closer to parity because the Trump campaign hasn't spent as much so far. But look, as you say, there is a lot of momentum behind the Democratic ticket now that was not there before. And I want to say I'm a proud, weird American. I'm not here to stigmatize weird people. It's OK not to conform.

with the dominant culture. But I think it's part of the same thing where you have the Democrats suddenly seeming to be in the driver's seat, being able to say, you know, we're where the regular people are. We're where people who just want to live their lives are able to feel at home.

And that's what this weird attack is. I mean, every campaign is trying to find new ways always to say, my opponent isn't like you, right? My opponent is different. My opponent is not someone who you relate to. And so this is another way of saying that. But what Democrats really like about this that I've spoken to is also that it has a dismissiveness to it where when you call Trump a strongman or an authoritarian, in a lot of ways, you're elevating him. And what voters hear from that is he's strong.

He's tough. He can get things done. And so what Democrats like about this weirdness idea is instead it sort of marginalizes him and says he's not serious. Yeah, I mean, one of the things about Trump, I think ever since he burst onto the scene, is for a lot of people, he just doesn't sit well with them, right? And that's what I think this does, is it reminds people

Like, are you sure this does this guy sit well with you? Does this feel right to you? And as long as voters are going into the voting booth thinking that asking themselves that question, that helps the Democrats. OK, we I know you want to talk. We're coming right back. Hang on one second. We just got to take a quick break. Up next, Kamala Harris is poised to pick her running mate. Michael Smirconish is here to analyze those options, plus dangerous heat rising across the U.S.

Dangerous and widespread heat across the U.S. this morning, and Florida could see some heavy rain as the tropical system is brewing in the Atlantic. Let's get over to meteorologist Derek Van Dam. Derek, a lot of people going to be in some extreme temperatures today.

Yeah, Jessica, and there's a climate influence to this as well. The heat and humidity that we will feel as we step outside today will be made three to five times more likely across the U.S. due to the effects and impacts of climate change. That, according to Climate Central, they're stating that nearly half of the U.S. population experiencing heat that was influenced by climate change today. That is just impressive. Look at these heat alerts stretching from coast to coast. We're talking over 100

million Americans under heat alerts, including many locations along the East Coast. These are the actual temperatures forecast for today, but of course you factor in the humidity, that's when it becomes unbearable and very uncomfortable. On top of that, baked into this equation is the fact that we're still battling 93 active large wildfires, and with all this extra heat, there's more

ability to hold water vapor in the atmosphere, right? So the National Hurricane Center monitoring this tropical wave moving across Cuba that will enter the eastern Gulf of Mexico through the early parts of the weekend, overspread heavy rain into the Florida peninsula, eventually impacting the coastal areas of Carolina, the Carolinas and into Georgia. We're not exactly sure how the storm will develop, but we need to be very agile this weekend across Florida because this could develop quickly into a tropical storm.

Jessica. All right. Derek Van Jam, thanks so much for that update. Up next on CNN This Morning, who will the VP pick as her VP? The ticking clock for the Harris campaign. Plus, the breaking news overnight is three Americans held in Russian prisons are back on U.S. soil this morning. From politics to pop culture and everything in between, CNN's Five Things brings you the five essential stories to get you up to speed and on with your day five times a day.

Hey there from CNN. I'm Krista Bowe with the five things you need to know for Wednesday. CNN five things. Listen now. Ad free with Amazon Music.

Well, if you need an excuse to cancel some weekend plans, maybe you're going to be the vice presidential nominee. A number of Kamala Harris's final vice presidential contenders are canceling events this weekend ahead of her highly anticipated VP announcement on Tuesday. Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear calling off a planned stop at a local distillery. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg canceling a trip to Indiana due to, quote, unforeseen scheduling constraints. And Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro scrambling a scheduled fundraising swing through New York.

Then there's contender J.B. Pritzker cracking this joke when asked about his weekend plans. Lollapalooza is happening this weekend here in Chicago. And my kids and I mean, tens of thousands of others are going to be there. You know, I've heard other governors talk about how they've canceled their weekend plans. I was going to perform, of course, with Blink 182 on Sunday, but I've canceled in order to clear my schedule.

Joining us now, Michael Smirconish. He's the host of CNN Smirconish and a CNN political commentator. Michael, good morning to you. Worth noting, Mark Kelly says he's going to be in Arizona all week or all next week. Just, you know, they're on recess. So it's going to be the countdown is on. We were just talking about it here during the commercial break. It's been such a compressed schedule.

time to vet to vet these candidates and for them to meet with Harris how do you see this all shaping up in the next few days Jessica nice to see you as well I would be floored if it were not Josh Shapiro at this point I think that Josh Shapiro makes sense geographically I think he makes sense ideologically I think there's also just a practical consideration I can't imagine

that the vice president comes to Philadelphia on Tuesday, has Josh Shapiro on that stage, and introduces someone other than Josh Shapiro as her running mate. Geographically, everyone knows the importance of Pennsylvania in the 19 electoral votes. Ideologically, he provides balance to her, and I think helps...

and limit some of that perception of her as being far left and a progressive from San Francisco. Yeah. And, you know, interesting, sticking with Pennsylvania for a second, we've seen Vice President Harris, to your point, that her record in that primary, especially in 2019 into the 2020 race, when she...

took some of these positions that she's now being criticized for for being too far left. She's in recent days disavowed her past support for banning fracking, which is a huge issue in Pennsylvania. How do you think that is playing? And again, how would somebody like Josh Shapiro maybe work into that equation?

Well, I think she has some explaining to do. I mean, there have been any number of positions on which it seems in the last couple of months that it's a different Kamala Harris than she who ran initially as a candidate herself. Shapiro brings the necessary ideological balance. It's interesting to me because the very thing that some progressives are raising and saying are problematic for him, I think are advantageous.

For example, his support of school vouchers or some of the words that he has used in being critical of anti-Semitism and some of the protesters in the last several months on college campuses. I think it's great for Kamala Harris because every time she's perceived as or portrayed as being very far to the left, there's Josh Shapiro who's going to lend some ideological balance to

to that ticket. She has other choices. I mean, Mark Kelly is central casting good, and he provides what she needs in terms of a response to her border policy and whatever that role is that she had in the border. So she's got a lot of good choices, but I'd be floored if it weren't Shapiro.

And in your mind, there's all, you know, there's a lot of different ways to kind of look at this in picking a running mate. Are they balancing out? Are they going to bring their home state with them like you're talking about with Josh Shapiro? Are they going to balance out the ticket maybe in terms of, in this case, it's a white man with a black woman of South Asian black woman. What do you see in terms of your Kamala Harris and her team? How are you balancing out the ticket? What are you looking for?

There is one objective to win. Who is going to help me win? And maybe the first criteria is the Hippocratic oath. Like don't do any harm. Don't pick somebody who's going to make a comment about cat

or some such thing that you're now going to be on defense for the next couple of weeks. Like, do no harm. And then who gives you an edge? Who's going to be a balance geographically? Who's going to be a balance ideologically? Who's going to be good on their feet? Because I assume there's going to be a debate with Senator J.D. Vance. That's going to be a much watched event as well. So all of those are the factors, but mostly help me win.

- Michael Smirconish, all right, thanks so much. We'll be watching you this weekend. - Thank you. - Don't forget to tune in to Smirconish at 9:00 a.m. Eastern tomorrow, right here on CNN. And the mad scramble that has been Kamala Harris' Veep Stakes is entering its final phase with the big announcement scheduled to take place Tuesday when her running mate, possibly one of these four men, will join her on a stage at a rally in Philadelphia. Then they'll embark on a swing state blitz together covering Wisconsin, Michigan, Georgia, Arizona, among others.

The panel is back. I just want to let you all react to what to kind of what Michael was just saying. Do you agree with him? Do you not agree with him? 100% agree. Josh Shapiro, I hope, is the pick. Pennsylvania is too important. But I will say, look, no, no.

bad choices, really. Everybody's going to have something, you know, that they've got to deal with. The best thing about this vice presidential audition, though, man, the thing that Biden had been lacking for so long that I would come on the show and complain about all the time is where are the surrogates? Where are the surrogates? He's not a super strong communicator. Where's the rest of the Democratic Party? They got this deep

bench. Why aren't they putting them out there? A VP audition was apparently how you did it. Suddenly there's Gretchen Whitmer, there's Pete, there's Tim. Who knew about Tim Waltz? We didn't know. And so to have all of them out there, you know,

putting on a show so that they got the attention that they needed. But what I am curious about is they're going to bring them all together. And she's only going to choose one of them. I don't know if they're going to have a fist fight or what they're going to do. What is happening? But I hope that on the other side of this, they all can continue the surrogacy with the same enthusiasm with which they've auditioned for the vice presidency.

Mo, is it that obvious that it's Pennsylvania and you have to win it and it needs to be Shapiro? Or do you think there are other ways to think about it? No, I think there are other ways to think about it. I think, yes, do no harm, first and foremost. But there are really three directions you can go when you're looking at a running mate.

If you think someone can bring you a state, historically that actually hasn't really worked very often, but could Shapiro really help in Pennsylvania? Maybe when it's this close. Number two, to balance out a weakness of yours. And, you know, maybe Mark Kelly on immigration helps there as voters still think Republicans are stronger.

Or the third option is double down on your strength, double down on the contrast you want to make with the other side. Like when Bill Clinton picked Al Gore and people were like, wait, there's no geographic balance there. But if they were presenting change, generational change,

someone like Shapiro, someone like Buttigieg really could underscore that whole part of it. So I think there's a few different ways she can go, but I don't think she can go wrong with any of them. Yeah. And she does have a lot of choice, Molly. There are, it's not just

"Oh, maybe this person, maybe this person." It seems like she does have at least some options here that she can pick from. And it comes to, this choice comes as they're trying, of course, to look at the map and say, "How do you win?" As Michael was just saying, as Mo was just saying, "How do you win?" And the Democrats in the Harris campaign really hoping now that they've opened back up the Sun Belt and that it's not just Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan.

That's right. There's a sense that having Harris at the top of the ticket may have put Georgia back on the map, may have put North Carolina back on the map. The Western swing states, Arizona, Nevada, not really clear if there's an effect there. And I think

we're all waiting for another cycle or two of polling just because this is still very new to voters. As quickly as this has all happened and as we've been able to process it in the political sphere, most people are not as tuned into this and it's still sort of dawning on them that the whole contours of the race have changed. So

I think, you know, I want to see more information about sort of how this is all registering. Because what we do see is sort of across the board nationally an increase in enthusiasm among the Democratic base. And so does that change the composition of the electorate in various states? And the flip side of that also is, is she weaker in those Rust Belt states than Joe Biden was? Because he did have a special appeal to a lot of particularly older white voters in the Rust Belt

and we saw him overperforming versus the rest of the coalition with those voters, she may have a tougher time with those voters. Between her liberal positions and the profile that she represents, there may be a higher hurdle for her to convince those voters that she can do the job, that she's ready to be

president. And so I think that also increases among a lot of Democrats the idea of bringing in someone like a Josh Shapiro who already has credibility with voters in Pennsylvania. He's got a very high approval rating in a very politically divided state. And and

Democrats certainly see him as a very compelling campaigner. All right, stay with us. Still ahead, thousands mourn the death of a Hamas leader in Iran as Israel braces for potential retaliation. Plus, inside the negotiations that led to the biggest prisoner swap since the Cold War.

It is 49 minutes past the hour. Good morning. Let's take a look at your morning roundup now. Later today, the Secret Service will deliver an update following the acting director's congressional testimony about the attempted assassination of Donald Trump. The agency says it wants to provide additional transparency. A California judge throwing out a jury verdict ordering the NFL to pay more than $4.7 billion for antitrust violations surrounding its Sunday ticket television package. The NFL saying it is grateful for that ruling.

And the body of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh arriving in Qatar on Thursday ahead of his burial in Doha. This comes after his funeral service in Tehran where he was killed on Wednesday.

And turning back now to this long-awaited prisoner swap that freed three Americans from Russian captivity yesterday, Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gruskovic, former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, and Russian-U.S. journalist Alsu Kermesheva all arriving back home after a combined eight years.

In the brutal Russian penal system, their release, the culmination of a complex arrangement involving 24 detainees in seven countries, and President Biden underscoring this lesson from those years' negotiations. For anyone who questions whether allies matter, they do. They matter. Today is a powerful example of why it's vital to have friends in this world.

joining me now is the president and founder of the eurasia group ian bremer ian good morning to you thanks so much for for getting up early with us we just heard from president biden there talking about the importance of friends uh and really leaning in as as one of our panelists molly ball just said leaning into his version and his belief that it's it's this sort of diplomacy that can really move the needle

Yes, this has been going on for at a minimum a long number of months. And, you know, we're talking about countries who especially whose Russia policy are very different. I mean, Poland, for example, who wants, you know, to hit the Russians really hard, more weapons, you know, maybe even troops on the ground in Ukraine.

Germany been much much more cautious about it Turkey which of course has a direct relationship with the Kremlin not only have do you have to coordinate those diverse interests you have to keep it from leaking

And it was only two nights ago, and I work with all these governments, that I actually heard about it. I mean, literally not a peep that they had created, that a deal had actually transpired. So I think that it's not just that the Biden administration deserves a lot of credit here. NATO.

deserves a lot of credit here. NATO is stronger, it is more coordinated, it is more aligned than it was when Putin invaded Ukraine two and a half years ago. And it's ironic, isn't it, that Putin invades Ukraine and the result is a more united NATO

although of course here in America there's been back and forth over sending aid to Ukraine. But to see NATO come together and be strengthened in the intervening years, what does that mean globally and as Putin continues to try to join forces with China and Iran?

Well, of course, Biden gets some credit for it. Trump gets some credit for it. But Putin gets the most credit for it. I mean, if you want to know why it is that after 30 years of the Europeans not caring much about their defense and not coordinating much with each other or the United States on security matters, that changed immediately on February 24th in 2022 when the Russians decided they were going to try to take Ukraine out.

and literally overthrow a democratically elected government. That was seen as an existential threat, not just for the Ukrainians, but for a lot of NATO members. And suddenly they took it very seriously. And, you know, you asked, what does that mean for closer relations of Russia with other countries, other American adversaries? It's a great danger. The fact is that today the Russian alignment

with both Iran and North Korea is far stronger than it's been in the past. And these are countries that the U.S. does not have diplomatic relations with. These are countries that the Americans are actively hostile with, together with their allies, both in Europe and in Asia. And they're providing military support

And intelligence and technology back and forth between the Russians, the Iranians and the North Koreans. That's a very dangerous environment. And if China becomes closer to those countries, well, I mean, then you have something that feels more like a Cold War. And I can tell you that no one really wants that.

It's a very dangerous place to be. But clearly China has big decisions to make because Russia is not all that useful to China as an ally. And China wants stability in the world as opposed to chaos. They need that for their own economy. The Russians, the Iranians, North Koreans actually want the United States to be defeated on the global stage, and they want international chaos. They benefit from that. So, I mean, it's a very challenging backdrop for what has been –

quite a multilateral success. Yeah. And I want to read you two contrasting thoughts about what the deal means for Vladimir Putin. First, the editor-in-chief of Foreign Policy magazine writing this, it is the contrast drawn by Thursday's events that will be remembered. There was Washington fighting for the freedom of not only its own citizens, but also Russians who dared to criticize their own government. And in stark relief, there was Moscow openly trading journalists for

criminals and Nobel winners for fraudsters. The symbolism of the movement will not have been lost on Russian President Vladimir Putin. This exchange isn't a great look for him. And then you have Tom Nichols in The Atlantic writing, "More important and more dangerous is the fact that every successful hostage deal is a signal from Putin to the people who do his bidding overseas that he will rescue them if they are caught."

make no mistake, the Kremlin is getting what it wants. Where do you land kind of in those two ways of thinking about this? - Look, they're both right. I mean, we have to, we can't forget the fact that, I mean, Putin is a war criminal, he's a thug, and the people that he is getting back

are criminals. They are cyber hackers. They've engaged in espionage. In one case, he's an assassin in the case of the one that was arrested in Germany. And these are not people that we should in any way be happy are getting freed

and going back to Russia where they can continue to engage in that criminal behavior. That's a win for Putin. But the reason that Putin gets that win is because we in the United States and our allies care about freeing our citizens. We care about getting them back to their families. We place an even greater value on their lives

than we do on Russia scoring this win. And I personally am proud to live in a society that acts that way. I think that's the way we should act. But we need to recognize that Russia is getting what they want here. And there's a reason why Russia has hundreds of billions of dollars of their assets seized and now used for Ukraine's defense. There's a reason why there are such heavy sanctions on Russian oligarchs.

There's a reason why someone like me can be sanctioned by the Russian government just for writing the honest truth about what's happening in international relations around the world. And that's why we're fighting with this country. It's a dangerous, again, dangerous environment with a country with that many nuclear weapons that behaves with such impunity on the global stage with allies who are also powerful. We can't forget about that. All right. Ian Bremmer, thank you so much. We appreciate it. Yeah, sure.

Let's turn back now to the 2024 race. J.D. Vance visiting the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona yesterday, criticizing Vice President Harris' role in the Biden administration's immigration policy. The bipartisan border deal was actually a massive giveaway to illegal immigrants. It would not have solved any of the problems that Kamala Harris has caused. They have the tools necessary. They just need to empower Border Patrol to tell people who want to come in illegally, you're not allowed to do that. They just need to use the authority that the border czar Kamala Harris has.

The panel is back.

Mo, can Republicans successfully tie Kamala Harris to the Biden administration's policy at the border? Do you think that's going to work? One of the things I loved this week was watching Kamala Harris go on offense on this issue. For too long, Democrats have been in a defensive crouch. And she went on offense out on the campaign trail, drawing a distinction between the Biden administration, which actually worked on this bipartisan deal, and Republicans, Donald Trump, who

killed it the fact that the border patrol uh union supports the plan that jd vance was just railing against shows that there is room here for democrats to take the fight to republicans on immigration and they need to do that aggressively yeah sir how do they shore that up then

Well, I mean, look, here's the thing. This is an enormously important issue to voters. I hear from people all the time, well, why do people in Pennsylvania care so much about immigration? The fact is they do. A lot of it has to do with fentanyl. It is all over a lot of the states in the Midwest. And so Democrats need an answer on immigration, and they haven't had one for a long time. And it's just such a weak spot and a real vulnerability. But I have been incredibly...

excited to see Kamala Harris saying, "No, we're gonna have to fund the border." I do think what she's gonna have to do though, just with a lot of her positions from back in 2019, is figure out how she explains to the American people why she's had an evolution on them. What she saw as vice president, what she learned as vice president that brought her to the positions that she holds now. And I think if she can articulate that clearly and make what feels like an authentic case for border security and not just a, "Oh, hey, it's an election. I might need to talk about the border a little bit."

and get Americans to trust her on that and be able to talk about executing the plan, talk about the way that Republicans stood in the way of a very conservative senator, James Lankford, that they talk about them working on it together and how Republicans scuttled it. Yeah, then I think she's got, I think she neutralizes what is a very potent issue for Republicans. All right, we are out of time. We're going to leave it there. So good to see all three of you. Thanks so much for being here. Thank you for joining us. I'm Jessica Dean, CNN News Central starts right now.

They say opposites attract. That's why the Sleep Number smart bed is the best bed for couples. You can each choose what's right for you, whatever you like. You like a bed that feels firm, but they want soft? Sleep Number does that. You want to sleep cooler while they like to feel warm? Sleep Number does that too. You have to feel it to believe it. Find the bed that's for both of you, only at a Sleep Number store. Sleep better together. J.D. Power ranks Sleep Number number one in customer satisfaction with mattresses purchased in-store. And

And now, Sleep Number smart beds starting at $999. Prices higher in Alaska and Hawaii. For J.D. Power 2023 award information, visit jdpower.com slash awards. Only at a Sleep Number store or sleepnumber.com.

I'm Oprah Winfrey, and I am delighted to introduce you to my podcast, Super Soul Conversations. You can listen to some of the most universal, powerful life lessons. I hope these conversations will help illuminate your path to all that you've been meaning to be and all that you were meant to be.

You want to feel better about your life, where you're headed? Subscribe to my Super Soul Conversations on Apple Podcasts and begin the journey to your best self.