Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Prisoner Swap Involved 24 People, Seven Countries; Eight Russians Freed From Western Custody in Prisoner Swap; Vance Defends Trump's Attacks on Harris' Racial Identity; Biles Completes Comeback; Ledecky Makes U.S. Olympic History. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired August 02, 2024 - 04:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[04:30:00]

MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: But also, I'm sure they may be some conversations with, it's a military base, so perhaps the military will want to get, glean what information they can as well from these three former prisoners in Russian prisons to see what else they can find.

You've got to remember there are still Americans in American prisons, so a bit of a bitter, sweet moment here, but a huge moment in diplomacy, Western diplomacy, working with Russia to see this moment.

Now, will this prison swap lead to warmer relations between Washington and Moscow?

That's more -- we'll have more on that after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: Welcome back. Let's get you caught up on our top story this hour. Three US citizens are back on American soil following the largest prisoner swap between Russia and the West since the end of the Cold War.

After arriving at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland a few hours ago, Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan and Alsu Kurmasheva have just landed in Texas. They'll receive medical evaluations there, also any treatments, as necessary. In addition, prominent Kremlin critic Vladimir Kara- Murza is a dual British and Russian citizen and a permanent resident of the U.S. He was headed to Germany.

[04:35:02]

They are among the 16 people who were held in Russian detention.

In exchange for their release, Russia got back eight of its citizens. They include a former FSB colonel convicted of murder, as well as several alleged or convicted spies and cybercriminals.

Let's have a look now at those U.S. arrivals from CNN's Alex Marquardt.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: An extraordinary moment as a small private jet carrying the three Americans freed from Russian custody touched down at a military base just outside Washington, D.C.

First down the steps was Paul Whelan, held by Russia for almost six years, then greeted by President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris before being reunited with his sister Elizabeth.

Then Evan Gershkovich, the Wall Street Journal reporter who, like Whelan, had been convicted of espionage by Russia and sentenced to 16 years in prison.

Finally, Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, whose two daughters and husband rushed across the tarmac to hug her.

An emotional moment for all on a truly historic day that saw 24 prisoners in total exchanged, seven different countries involved.

President Biden spoke with reporters at Joint Base Andrews and emphasized the partnerships with other countries that made this moment happen.

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I asked them to do something that were against their immediate self interest and really very difficult for them to do, particularly Germany and Slovenia. Slovenia came in at the last minute and I'll tell why. The chancellor was (INAUDIBLE), he was incredible.

MARQUARDT: To accomplish the deal, the United States had to convince Germany to free a Russian assassin and other European countries to release Russian spies that they had caught.

The U.S. sent three Russian prisoners back to Russia, and Moscow in turn released 16 prisoners, including the three Americans and Pulitzer Prize-winning Russian dissident Vladimir Kara-Murza, who is a U.S. resident.

But the essence of the moment was summed up by Evan Gershkovich, who walked over to talk with reporters, including his "Wall Street Journal" colleagues, and said simply, I'm home.

Alex Marquardt, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Eight Russian citizens, including convicted assassin Vadim Krasikov, returned to Russia as part of the massive exchange. But a top U.S. national security official tells CNN that Washington and Moscow are still very much at odds. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JON FINER, PRINCIPAL DEPUTY NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: I would caution anybody against reading anything into the relationship between the U.S. and Russia other than that it's in a very difficult place. And it's in a very difficult place because Russia has chosen to commit some unconscionable acts in the world. First and foremost, its war of aggression on Ukraine. Nothing that's happened today changes that. We are fundamentally still at odds.

But on the other hand, we did find a target of opportunity through very hard-nosed diplomacy with Russia, close collaboration with our partners and allies, including some very difficult questions we had to ask of some of our friends to help us here, and then very careful execution of what was a logistically, diplomatically and politically complicated exchange to execute today that went off without a hitch.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Well, U.S. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump questioned the prisoner swap on his social media platform. He speculated about what the U.S. may have given up in exchange and called the negotiators an embarrassment.

He writes, quote: They're calling the trade complex. That's so nobody can figure out how bad it is.

Well, Trump had previously suggested that he was the only one who could get Vladimir Putin to release Evan Gershkovich. That turned out to be untrue as the massive prisoner swap marks a major achievement and legacy defining moment of Joe Biden's presidency, they argue.

Still to come, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris delivered a moving eulogy for the late Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee with some high profile guests as well on stage.

[04:40:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is predicting that Democrats will hold on to the Senate come November. He's insisting that Vice President Kamala Harris is the right choice for his party's presidential ticket. Schumer dismissed concerns that her left-leaning policies could hurt vulnerable Senate Democrats in Montana and Ohio.

On Thursday, Harris gave a eulogy for the late Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee at her celebration of life in Houston, Texas. She praised Jackson Lee's legacy of service and dedication.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE U.S. (D) AND U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: She truly was a force of nature. When it came to her constituents, there was no task too big or too small for the Congresswoman. If it needed to be done, she made sure it was done and done right.

When it came to crafting policy, there was no detail too minor or point of order too obscure.

(END VIDEO CLIP) FOSTER: Meanwhile, Donald Trump is defending his appearance at the National Association of Black Journalists Convention, which was contentious and combative at times. He says he showed up whilst Kamala Harris didn't. At the convention on Wednesday, he attacked Harris' racial identity and falsely claimed that she, quote, happened to turn Black a few years ago.

Donald Trump's running mate, J.D. Vance, is defending those comments. He spoke with CNN's Steve Contorno on Thursday.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEVE CONTORNO, CNN REPORTER: Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance visited the U.S.-Mexico border on Thursday in Arizona. I had a chance while he was there to talk to him a little bit about those controversial remarks by former President Donald Trump, where he asserted that Vice President Harris was, quote, all of a sudden Black. I asked him, as the father of three biracial children, did Trump's remarks give you pause at all?

Listen to what he said.

SEN. J.D. VANCE (R-OH), U.S. REPUBLICAN VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: They don't give me pause at all. Look, all he said is that Kamala Harris is a chameleon. She goes to Georgia two days ago. She was raised in Canada. She puts on a fake southern accent. She is everything to everybody, and she pretends to be somebody different, depending on which audience she's in front of.

I think it's totally reasonable for the president to call that out, and that's all he did. I mean, look, she's running as a tough-on-crime prosecutor, even though she implemented open border policy. She's saying that she wants to support the police, yet she wanted to defund the police just three years ago.

It's totally reasonable to call out the fact that she pretends to be somebody different, depending on the audience she's talking to.

CONTORNO: You used that word chameleon yesterday as well. You're someone who was an unabashed critic of the former president previously. Now you're his running mate.

You're someone who has text messages out there now that say, I hate the police. Now yesterday you said, I back the blue. By your own standard, are you a chameleon?

VANCE: Look, I criticized Donald Trump 10 years ago, and we've talked about it, and I've made a good argument to the American people about why I think he was a great president and why I think he deserves re- election.

[04:45:00]

That's different than going to Georgia two days ago and putting on a fake Southern accent when you were raised in Canada. So I think it's totally reasonable to change your mind. Has Kamala Harris stood for a tough debate with you and explained why

she wanted to ban fracking and now she doesn't, or why she wanted to defund the police and now she doesn't, or why she wanted to open the border but now she doesn't?

It's reasonable to change your mind. It's not reasonable to run and hide from the media and not answer the American people's questions.

CONTORNO: I also had a chance to ask Senator Vance about former President Trump asserting that he doesn't believe the vice presidential pick will have any bearing on this race. And J.D. Vance actually agreed. He said that ultimately voters will choose between Donald Trump and Vice President Harris and not the vice presidential picks.

So I asked him, well, then why are you here? Why are you spending your time on the campaign trail if you don't think you will have an effect? And he said, well, ultimately we can help articulate the message of the campaign.

Just another example of him explaining on behalf of the former president. And he will be doing more of that this weekend. The two are expected to appear at a rally together on Saturday in Atlanta, Georgia.

Steve Contorno, CNN, Tucson, Arizona.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Kamala Harris and other Democrats have recently been saying that Trump, Vance and Republicans in general are weird and may be getting under Trump's skin as well. The Republican presidential nominee is pushing back in a new radio interview, insisting he's not weird. Harris is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT, 2024 PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: If you've ever seen her with the laugh and everything else, that's a weird deal going on there. They're the weird ones. Nobody's ever called me weird. I'm a lot of things, but weird I'm not.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Well, still ahead, we go live to Paris, where today's Olympic competitions are getting underway. Our Amanda Davies will recap Team USA's big wins and today's must watch events.

[04:50:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: A judge threw out a multi-billion dollar verdict against the NFL. On Thursday, a jury had ordered the league to pay more than $4.7 billion for anti-trust violations for its Sunday ticket package, but the judge found issues with the trial's expert witnesses and said the jury's decision was based on speculation not evidence. The case involved an NFL package that required fans to buy a bundle of games in order to watch teams outside their home markets. In a statement, the NFL says it's grateful for the ruling.

Today's competitions at the Olympic Games are underway right now. China has the most gold medals. The U.S. trails closely and has the most medals overall.

Thursday proved to be monumental for U.S. gymnastics star Simone Biles, and it was also historic for swimming sensation Katie Ledecky. And while all eyes were on Biles and Ledecky, Team USA's women's fencing team made history in their own right.

But the excitement of the Games is far from over. Track and field events kick off today in just a few hours. American track star Sha'Carri Richardson will make her long-awaited Olympic debut.

Our Amanda Davies joins us live from Paris, and you got one of the hot tickets yesterday, didn't you?

AMANDA DAVIES, CNN WORLD SPORT: I did. I was fortunate enough to be there for the gymnastics, Max. And there's not many people who can get away with celebrating with a diamond-encrusted GOAT necklace around your neck, is there?

But if anybody can, Simone can. And that's pretty apt. So when it comes to her gymnastics performances as well, it really was a privilege to be there.

The atmosphere was everything you've been hearing about. The game has changed. The likes of Vogue and Vanity Fair were there. Seth Rogen, Steph Curry, Kim Kardashian, everybody wanting to get in and see the action and history play out. And Biles did have some pretty tough competition from Brazil's Rebeca Andrade. She won silver last time out.

Her U.S. teammate Suni Lee, who took the gold in Tokyo, but she's credited both of them with pushing her and inspiring her to do what she does. She did have a wobble on the uneven bars. Can't all be perfect. So that brought a massive intake of breath, but then put in a great performance on the beam and the floor, ultimately stepping up and doing what she does to become the first woman to win non- consecutive all-around titles. The first woman to win two since 1968, her sixth Olympic gold medal in all. It was Andrade claiming silver, Lee the bronze. And if Tuesday in the team event had been dubbed the redemption tour, I'm not entirely sure what you call this, but there is potentially more to come.

She's still got three finals left, which she says are now the events where she can have some fun, more fun, I guess.

But from the most decorated U.S. gymnast to the woman with the title of the USA's most decorated female Olympian across the board, Katie Ledecky, she racked up an incredible 13th medal last night in the pool, helping Team USA to silver in the 4x200 relay behind an Australian four that set a new Olympic record en route to gold. For Ledecky, it completes her set of medals for this Games, one of each color.

And later this evening, she's got a chance of another in the event she's dominated for so long, the 800 freestyle. But she is going to have some tough competition from the next gen, Canada's 17-year-old sensation Summer McIntosh. She took her second gold of the Games last night.

FOSTER: Yes and take us through what you're looking at today. It's quite exciting. The athletics are starting. It always sort of creates a new wave of energy, doesn't it?

DAVIES: Yes, it does. We kind of have the baton being passed. And Sha'Carri is the big attraction for today. She's waited a really, really long time for this, her Olympic debut, as you mentioned, after missing out on Tokyo, having tested positive for marijuana at the 2021 Olympic trials. She is the favorite. She's the reigning world champion.

She ran the fastest time of the year at this year's U.S. trials, 10.71. And she is the person carrying the hopes, looking to end the Jamaican dominance of this event. She has been given a helping hand by the fact that the Tokyo gold medal winner, Elaine Thompson-Herah, isn't here because of injury. Shericka Jackson has withdrawn, interestingly, to focus on the 200.

But we have to give a shout out to Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. It's her last hurrah, her fifth straight Olympic Games, her swan song after three Olympic golds, eight Olympic medals in all, dating back to Beijing in 2008. And Paris has treated her well in the past.

[04:55:04]

And you saw those images of Sha'Carri. The days gone by, the big and bold with her hair and nails, the nails are definitely still there. But the hair is more low-key. And she really determined that this time it's her performances that are going to do the talking.

FOSTER: OK, good stuff. Amanda, back with you later. Thank you so much for joining us from Paris.

Stories in the spotlight this hour.

Two Ukrainian athletes have won accolades in Paris without winning any Olympic competition. The city's mayor awarded them the city's highest distinction on Thursday for their bravery and their perseverance. The athletes say they had to train in the shadow of the war whilst keeping an eye out for airstrikes and worrying about loved ones. The ceremony also honored the Ukrainian athletes killed in the conflict. The Ukraine's Olympic team has so far won two medals, one silver and one bronze. What an achievement.

Spotting a dolphin -- it's frequently considered a good thing. But one seen swimming in the Thames towards central London is causing concern to the welfare group British Divers Marine Life Rescue.

The adult mammal may be disoriented. And that's an indication it might also be in distress. This year alone, they say at least five dolphin pods have come far inland via the river. Sadly, three didn't survive. They're meant to obviously be going the other way. But I think one positive people are saying is that it's clean enough to swim in at least. Hopefully, he'll get his orientation back.

Finally, this hour, Britney Spears' most, well, his best-selling memoir heading to the big screen, we're told. Universal Studios has landed the rights to the book "The Woman in Me" after a competitive bidding war. It's being developed as a biopic of the pop star's life to be directed by John M. Chu, who directed the highly anticipated "Wicked" movie coming out later this year as well.

On Thursday, Spears posted on social media that she's excited about working with the Oscar-winning producer, Mark Platt, who's also attached to the movie.

Thanks for joining me here on CNN NEWSROOM. CNN THIS MORNING is up next.