Friday Briefing – The New York Times
‘Their brutal ordeal is over’
President Biden and Kamala Harris, the vice president, welcomed home Americans who had been released from Russian custody, including the Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland last night. “Their brutal ordeal is over, and they’re free,” Biden said earlier in the day.
The complex deal for their release — which came together after elaborate negotiations involving seven countries — was a diplomatic victory for Biden, who has long pledged to bring imprisoned Americans home. Sixteen people in total were released by Russia, and in exchange, eight people were freed by the West.
In a statement, Gershkovich’s family thanked Biden and other officials for helping to secure his release after 16 months in a Russian prison. At the air base, after stepping off the plane and talking with Biden and Harris, Gershkovich hugged a family member and lifted her into the air.
Analysis: The linchpin of the deal for Russia was the release of the assassin Vadim Krasikov from a German prison, which President Vladimir Putin had long sought. “Russia passed a law in 2006 which formally permitted the extrajudicial killing abroad of those Moscow accuses of extremism and terrorism,” Neil MacFarquhar, a reporter for The Times who has covered the Kremlin for years, said. “In the eyes of the Kremlin, Krasikov’s assassination in Berlin of a Chechen separatist leader whom Russia labeled a terrorist was legitimate.”
Details: The Americans freed were Gershkovich, 32; Alsu Kurmasheva, 47, a Russian American editor for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, who was also arrested last year; and Paul Whelan, 54, a former Marine arrested in 2018.
In Russia: The deal was a triumph of a different sort for Putin, who can use it to highlight his loyalty to Russian agents who get arrested abroad.
That defies a claim of victory by the country’s authoritarian president, Nicolás Maduro, backed by the government-controlled electoral body. Maduro’s government has not provided a vote count. González’s campaign says it has receipts from voting machines that indicate he won by an insurmountable margin.
Blinken’s announcement is sure to anger Maduro, who has been in power since 2013. González’s candidacy has posed the most significant electoral threat to Maduro’s power since he took office.
Statement: “Given the overwhelming evidence, it is clear to the United States and, most importantly, to the Venezuelan people that Edmundo González Urrutia won the most votes,” Blinken said.
🇺🇸 U.S. ELECTION 2024
The presidential election is less than 100 days away. This is what we’re watching.
Kamala Harris’s No. 2 will soon be announced
With just days until the full Democratic ticket is unveiled, contenders to be Kamala Harris’s running mate are raising money and highlighting their résumés. Here’s the latest.
Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky spoke in Oklahoma yesterday, while Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota underscored his ability to sell gun rights supporters on more restrictive measures. Gov. JB Pritzker of Illinois posted a video highlighting his accomplishments, and Pete Buttigieg, the transportation secretary, is set to headline a fund-raiser in New Hampshire today.
Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, whose state is scheduled to host the first joint appearance of Harris and her running mate, canceled weekend appearances for reasons that were unclear.
Nomination process: An online roll call to formally select Harris as the Democrats’ presidential nominee, expected to conclude on Monday, began yesterday.
Here’s what else to know:
Do you have questions about the election? Send them to us, and we’ll find the answers.
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