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Coming home: Three of the four Americans released from Russian custody Thursday are back in the U.S. Retired U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and Radio Free Europe reporter Alsu Kurmasheva were greeted at Joint Base Andrews late Thursday by President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. All three have opted to participate in a program that supports people who’ve been in captivity, according to a U.S. government official. The latest >
The prisoner swap: The historic swap included 26 people and cooperation from seven countries: Russia, the U.S., Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Norway and Turkey, according to Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Gershkovich and Whelan were released into U.S. custody after spending 16 months and more than 5 1/2 years, respectively, behind bars in Russia. While many are celebrating their return, some have expressed concern over the practice of swapping prisoners. “Continuing to trade innocent Americans for actual Russian criminals held in the U.S. and elsewhere sends a dangerous message to Putin that only encourages further hostage-taking,” House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul said. Read more >
Who was released from Russia? Biden confirmed that 16 people being detained in Russia were being released, including five Germans and seven Russian civilians who were being held as political prisoners. “All have endured unimaginable suffering and uncertainty. Today, their agony is over,” Biden said. Here’s a complete list of people released from Russia and where they are being relocated >
Who is returning to Russia? Eight prisoners will be sent back to Russia in exchange for the 16 people Putin included as part of the deal. Here’s a list of people returning to Russia and from which country they were released >
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Gershkovich’s family, friends ‘ecstatic’: Gershkovich was the first American reporter to be detained in Russia on espionage charges since the Cold War. His tight-knit group of friends say they’re ecstatic now that he has been freed. The Wall Street Journal told NewsNation it is “overwhelmed with relief.” The Gershkovich family expressed gratitude for the deal, adding that “most important now is taking care of Evan and being together again.” Read more >
Fight to bring Whelan home: Whelan was arrested over spying allegations in 2018 in Moscow where he was attending a friend’s wedding. While he was in prison, his family refused to let him be forgotten and were relentless in visiting and calling officials to get the former Marine home. He was previously left out of prisoner exchanges in 2022. Whelan’s family is “grateful” he’s home, saying he was held hostage for 2,043 days with his case being “that of an American in peril” and part of Russia’s “initiative to use humans as pawns to extract concessions.” Read more >
Left behind: Arrests of Americans are increasingly common in Russia, especially since Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Among U.S. nationals remaining behind bars in Russia include Los Angeles ballerina Ksenia Karelina and Pennsylvania teacher Marc Fogel. What to know >
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Jose Ibarra: The man accused of killing Georgia nursing student Laken Riley is scheduled to appear in court Friday for a status conference hearing. Jose Ibarra 26, faces multiple charges, including malice murder, kidnapping with bodily injury and aggravated assault with intent to rape. NewsNation confirmed Ibarra entered the United States illegally in September 2022 and had been previously arrested in connection with other minor crimes. He pleaded not guilty in May to charges in Riley’s death. The latest >
Laken Riley: The investigation into Riley’s death began when a friend reported her missing in February when she didn’t return home from a run. Investigators soon discovered her body in a forested area on the University of Georgia campus. Prosecutors allege Ibarra beat Riley with an object and dragged her body to a secluded area in an attempt to conceal her body. Read more >
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2024 election: Delegates to the Democratic National Convention will officially select their nominee for president in a process that started Thursday. Delegates will fill out electronic ballots remotely more than two weeks before the party gathers at Chicago’s United Center. Vice President Kamala Harris will be the only candidate eligible to receive votes after no other candidate qualified. Here’s how the “virtual roll call” works >
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Treadmill abuse case: After nearly three and a half years since the death of 6-year-old Corey Micciolo, his father will be sentenced Friday for his son’s death. In May, a jury found the New Jersey father guilty of aggravated manslaughter and child endangerment in the death of his 6-year-old son, who he forced to do abusive treadmill workouts. What to know about the case >
Abuse reported: Surveillance video from an apartment complex gym shows Gregor forcing his son to run at high speeds on a treadmill, continually increasing the treadmill’s speed and causing his son to fall about six times. The child died a few days later due to blunt force trauma and lacerations to his heart and liver, according to autopsy reports. The 6-year-old’s mother said she reported suspected abuse more than 100 times in 18 months, but no action was taken before his death. Read more >
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Apple River sentence: The parents of Apple River stabbing victim Isaac Schuman say the 20-year sentencing of a Minnesota man for fatally stabbing their 17-year-old son is “nauseating” and “unjust.” A judge sentenced 54-year-old Nicolae Miu for fatally stabbing Schuman and wounding four other people who were tubing on Wisconsin’s Apple River in July 2022. “It didn’t make sense to any of us. It was almost like there was no justice for any of the other victims,” said Alina Hernandez, Schuman’s mother, during an appearance Thursday night on NewsNation’s “Banfield.” Watch the interview >
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Most decorated: With a silver in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay Thursday night, Katie Ledecky collected the 13th medal of her stellar Olympic career to become the most decorated female in swimming history. The 27-year-old now has eight golds, four silvers and one bronze over four Olympics, with every intention of swimming on to Los Angeles in 2028. Read more >
Simone Biles makes history: Fresh off a gold medal win in team competition, Simone Biles on Thursday won her sixth Olympic gold medal, the most ever won by an American gymnast, breaking a 120-year-old record. Read more >
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Britney biopic: Universal Pictures landed the rights to Britney Spears’ memoir and will make a biopic of the pop star. Spears celebrated the news on X, where she posted she was “excited to share with my fans that I’ve been working on a secret project with #MarcPlatt. He’s always made my favorite movies … stay tuned.” Read more >
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We’re keeping an eye on these topics today. Make sure you tune in to our latest coverage and share your thoughts with us on social media! Here’s what the presidential candidates are doing on the campaign trail today.
Unemployment report released by the U.S. Labor Department.
The family of 12-year-old murder victim Jocelyn Nungaray holds a news conference with Texas Sen. Ted Cruz.
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An NYPD sergeant was shot and another was grazed by a bullet while trying to arrest a robbery suspect in Lower Manhattan on Thursday night, police said. The latest >
Multiple pieces of Louisiana legislation, including a law that allows judges to impose the punishment of surgical castration for offenders guilty of certain sex crimes against children, went into effect. Read more >
In Tennessee, a fall matchup is set between U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, a GOP ally of former President Donald Trump, and Democratic state Rep. Gloria Johnson, who was dubbed part of the “Tennessee Three” that faced expulsion hearings after protesting on the state House floor. What to expect in the race >
The city of Los Angeles pushed back against an anticamping order by California Gov. Gavin Newsom by passing an ordinance this week saying its jails won’t be used to house people removed from homeless encampments. Full report >
The American Civil Liberties Union has sued a city in Washington state, alleging that its anticamping laws violate the state constitution, which is believed to be the nation’s first legal challenge since the Supreme Court ruled in June that cities can enforce outdoor sleeping bans. What to know >
A former detective in Texas is accused of using her department-issued laptop to delete more than 500 records in her police officer husband’s file the night he got fired, according to records. The investigation >
Four Las Vegas teens, accused of beating their high school classmate to death, have agreed to plead guilty to voluntary manslaughter in an agreement that will keep them out of adult court. The latest >
A former New Hampshire attorney has been arrested on allegations he stole from a former client who had recently suffered a traumatic brain injury. Read more >
The teen brother of a U.S. Air Force airman who was fatally shot by a Florida sheriff’s deputy in May has been killed in a shooting near Atlanta, authorities said. The latest >
An inmate was sentenced Thursday for his role in the 2018 killing of notorious Boston gangster James “Whitey” Bulger. Court details >
A former Utah state employee has signed a plea deal after a teenager’s miniskirt was yanked down in a restaurant, an incident that made national headlines due to a viral TikTok video. What to know >
A Tennessee restaurant has agreed to pay a six-figure settlement after allegedly refusing to seat and serve a group of parents and their children who use wheelchairs, claiming they were a fire hazard. Full report >
A housekeeper at a resort on the Las Vegas Strip is accused of stealing large amounts of money and personal items from hotel rooms, and police reported that she was wearing a guest’s gold bracelet at the time of her arrest. The investigation >
West Virginia Republican Gov. Jim Justice is in a fight to keep the historic Greenbrier Hotel. Details >
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A Tennessee shelter recently welcomed a new litter of kittens found abandoned in a box, including a four-eared feline that the staff has named “Audio.” Read more >
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This NewsNation email is written by Caitlyn Shelton and NewsNation staff.
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