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U.S. Strikes Historic Prisoner Swap With Kremlin

Your unbiased daily news brief

Author

James Kratch
August 02, 2024

Good Friday morning. A new local law in Japan mandates that people laugh every day after a university study concluded humor can boost heart health and longevity. Have a great weekend!

In Today’s Brief

  • 2026: Presidential influence

  • Venezuela: Pressure builds

  • Veepstakes: Schedule change

  • Intel: Layoffs coming

  • Katie Ledecky: Olympic history

... and more

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Top Tips

1) Back home

The U.S., Russia and six other countries conducted a prisoner exchange after days of speculation.

  • The deal: Twenty-four detainees from seven countries were swapped in Ankara yesterday after Turkey brokered the handover. Belarus, Germany, Norway, Poland and Slovenia also participated. It was the biggest prisoner exchange between Russia and the U.S. since the end of the Cold War. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris greeted the released Americans at Joint Base Andrews a little before midnight in Maryland.

  • The big names: Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan and Radio Free Europe reporter Alsu Kurmasheva were released by Russia along with Vladimir Kara-Murza, a U.S. permanent resident who has written for The Washington Post. Germany turned over Kremlin assassin Vadim Krasikov, who was the linchpin to the deal. Seven Russian dissidents, five Germans and seven Russians rounded out the group.

  • Don't forget: There are still several Americans being held by Russia. The State Department said it is working to free them, but was not able to secure their participation in the deal.

  • Big picture: The deal is a significant diplomatic victory for Biden as he begins his final six months in office. It also factors into the presidential race, as former President Donald Trump had claimed he alone could convince Russian President Vladimir Putin to release Gershkovich. Trump criticized the terms of the deal while Republicans suggested Putin was spurred by the prospect of Trump’s re-election.

2) International incident

A women's boxing bout at the Paris Olympics sparked outrage in America and abroad.

  • What happened: Italy's Angela Carini abandoned her welterweight second-round matchup with Algeria's Imane Khelif after 46 seconds, saying she could not withstand her opponent's punches. Khelif was barred from last year's world championships after failing a unspecified gender eligibility test for XY chromosomes.

  • Significant outcry: The incident caused a firestorm and reignited the debate surrounding gender equity in sports and transgender athletes (even though Khelif is not transgender). Tennis great Martina Navratilova was among the prominent voices who spoke out, calling the situation "a travesty."

  • Key context: International sport has seen past instances of elite female athletes with intersex conditions that cause natural testosterone levels similar to men. But he International Boxing Association has never disclosed how it tested Khelif or given specific data. The International Olympic Committee has disregarded the results and no longer recognizes the IBA as the sport's governing body.

  • Next steps: Taiwan’s Lin Yu‑ting, who was also disqualified by the IBA on gender grounds, is a featherweight also competing at the Games. She will fight today while Khelif is scheduled to fight her next bout tomorrow. The IOC decried the "current aggression" against them and defended the decision to allow the boxers to compete, saying the IBA’s decisions were arbitrary.

3) Sudden change

Things have gotten nip-and-tuck between Harris and Trump with Election Day a little over three months away.

  • Battleground polls: Harris has taken the lead on Trump in four critical swing states and is tied in a fifth, according to a new batch of surveys by Bloomberg and Morning Consult.

  • Go deeper: Trump is ahead of Harris (and at 50%) in Pennsylvania, but she now leads him in Wisconsin and has a stunning 11-point lead in Michigan, according to the new polls. Bloomberg also has Harris leading in Arizona and Nevada and tied in Georgia. Trump is still up in North Carolina, but Harris is within two points.

  • GOP silver lining: Trump's 50-46 lead in Pennsylvania is key. If the former president wins the state, he only needs to hold onto the southeastern swing states to reach 270 votes in the Electoral College and secure re-election.

Quick Tips

U.S. News

  • Former Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama will be honorary national co-chairmen of America250. Former First Ladies Laura Bush and Michelle Obama will also hold the role for the organization overseeing the celebration of the national semiquincentennial in 2026 (More)

  • Two couples dropped a wrongful death lawsuit against an Alabama in-vitro fertilization clinic and hospital. The state's supreme court had ruled they could seek damages for the accidental destruction of embryos in a decision that became a national flashpoint; a third couple is still pursuing legal action against the institutions (More)

  • Scientists believe sea lions off California's coast are being poisoned by toxic algae. Over 20 creatures have been rescued after stranding themselves on beaches north of Los Angeles; hundreds of sea lions and dozens of dolphins last year died due to the poisonous blooms (More)

World News

  • The U.S. State Department recognized Venezuelan opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez as the nation's president-elect. Brazil, Colombia and Mexico are pressuring President Nicolas Maduro, who has claimed victory, to allow an independent audit of election results as protests grow (More)

  • Israel said it killed Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif in an airstrike last month in Gaza. Iran and its proxies are expected to attempt a retaliatory attack for separate assassination of the militant group's top political leader as soon as this weekend (More)

  • Nigeria is bracing for "days of rage" as widespread protests over the country's economic crisis have already turned deadly. At least seven people were killed in clashes with police amid soaring inflation (More)

Campaign News

  • Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro canceled a weekend fundraising trip to the Hamptons. The schedule change prompted speculation he may be Vice President Harris' running mate; the Democratic ticket is expected to hold a rally in Philadelphia on Tuesday (More)

  • Democratic Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown has a four-point lead over Republican candidate Bernie Moreno, according to a poll commissioned by AARP. The same survey has former President Trump up nine points on Harris in the state (More)

  • Trump lost an appeal to lift the gag order in his New York hush money case. The former president has asked Judge Juan Merchan to recuse himself for the third time ahead of his Sept. 18 sentencing date after he was convicted on 34 felony charges (More)

Business & Markets

  • Major indexes closed lower yesterday as Wall Street ponders whether the Federal Reserve is waiting too long to cut interest rates. The Nasdaq was hit hardest (Dow -1.21%, Nasdaq -2.30%, S&P 500 -1.37%).

  • Intel will lay off over 15% of its workforce as part of a $10B cost-reduction plan. The chipmaker's share price dropped almost 20% yesterday after weak Q2 earnings; it was down over 40% this year in after-hours trading (More)

  • The Bank of England cut interest rates yesterday for the first time since the start of the pandemic. It was a close call for the central bank; its nine-person board voted 5-4 to make the cut and cautioned about lingering impacts of inflation (More)

Entertainment & Sports

  • Katie Ledecky is the most decorated female U.S. Olympian in history. The swimming star won her record-breaking 13th career medal after taking silver in the 4x200 meter relay at the Paris Games (More)

  • Universal Pictures acquired the film rights to Britney Spears' memoir. The deal was reportedly in the eight figures; Jon M. Chu will direct the adaptation of the pop star's The Woman in Me (More)

  • A federal judge tossed the NFL Sunday Ticket antitrust verdict, ruling testimony from two witnesses should have been excluded for flawed methodology. The league was facing a penalty of roughly $14B; the plaintiffs will likely appeal (More)

Quick Hitters

  • Feel Good: A British girl wrote about her Olympic dreams in her diary, but then tore the page out in embarrassment. Her father saved the paper and gave it to her years later before he died. And Lois Anderson won a gold medal earlier this week.

  • Go Deep: Courts and legislatures worldwide have begun granting legal personhood to nature. While environmental advocates vouch for the practice, others contend it creates more harm than good.

  • Fun Stuff: The town of Rabbit Hash, Kentucky, holds a mayoral election every four years like most American cities. But they vote for dogs and raise money for a local organization in the process.

  • Helping Hand: Record stores have made a seemingly obsolete medium cool again by tapping into the most modern thing possible. The secret? They are posting on TikTok.

  • Life Hack: Wooden cutting boards and other cooking tools are not just helpful in making dinner. If you care for them properly, they can become family heirlooms that last for generations -- and save you money in the long run.

No amount of money can fix this problem.

Looking Ahead …

The men's 100-meter dash competition begins tomorrow at the Paris Games. Jamaican sprinting legend Usain Bolt has held the world record for 15 years at 9.58 seconds. Will anyone ever be able to run the event faster?

Question of the Day — Friday Trivia

In which state does the Democratic Party have its longest active Electoral College winning streak?

Make the pick ...

Login or Subscribe to participate in polls.

Yesterday’s results:

Who should play J.D. Vance on Saturday Night Live?

  • Zack Galifinakis (34%)

  • Trump will have replaced him by the season debut (31%)

  • Taran Killam (22%)

  • Other (13%)*

* — among the suggestions: Jason Bateman and Jack Black