After a historically complex, monthslong negotiation involving more than six countries and two dozen prisoners, the Biden administration on Thursday announced it had secured the release of three American citizens from Russia, including Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, Marine veteran Paul Whelan and Russian-American radio journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, all of whom are expected to arrive on American soil by nightfall. The three returned to the United States late Thursday night as part of a 24-person prisoner swap — one of the largest since the end of the Cold War — among the U.S., Russia, Germany and three other Western countries. The deal is a significant and hard-fought win for the Biden administration.... Under the terms of the agreement, 12 political dissidents held in Russia have been released to Germany. Kremlin critic and Washington Post contributor Vladimir Kara-Murza is expected to be flown to Germany, national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Thursday. Kara-Murza is a British-Russian citizen and a green card holder. His family lives in the U.S. Two Russians held in Slovenia, one in Poland and another in Norway are also headed home. All have known or suspected ties to Russian intelligence, according to U.S. officials. They included a husband and wife, Artem Viktorovich Dultsev and Anna Valerevna Dultseva, who were arrested in 2022 and convicted on espionage charges in Slovenia. They were each serving a 19-month sentence. They flew back to Russia with their two children. Key among the prisoners returned to Russia, according to American officials familiar with the talks, was Vadim Krasikov, a convicted murderer who was sentenced to life in prison by a German court in 2021 for killing a Georgian asylee who had fought against Russians in Chechnya. German judges said the killing had been ordered by Russian federal authorities and called it "state terrorism." The painstakingly choreographed exchange, apparently one of the most complex in history, finally took place on Thursday on a tarmac in Ankara, Turkey. Russia had long sought the repatriation of Krasikov, a convicted murderer with ties to Russian intelligence. But the Germans were reluctant to let Krasikov out. "He was certainly the biggest fish the Russians wanted back," a senior U.S. official said about Krasikov. "This is a bad dude and a member of the Russian intelligence service." https://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-russia-prisoner-swap-frees-americans-evan-gershkovich-paul-whelan/ The U.S. Secret Service held a critical news briefing on Friday to address its “colossal security failure” at the Butler, Pennsylvania Trump rally, in light of the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump. Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe Jr. revealed the detailed timeline and critical moments that transpired on the day Trump was shot. Rowe admitted that Secret Service personnel were unaware that Thomas Crooks had a firearm during former President Trump’s speech until gunshots rang out. ... It is my understanding that personnel were not aware the assailant had a firearm until they heard gunshots,” said Rowe. Rowe said, “At 6:11 PM, the assailant’s first volley of three shots was fired, and within three seconds, the former President’s detail rushed the stage and covered former President Trump, shielding him with their own bodies. The fourth through eighth shots took place over the next several seconds. Fifteen and a half seconds after the assailant’s first shot, a Secret Service counter-sniper fired a single round that neutralized the assailant.” As Gateway Pundit readers know, the AGR building is where Crooks set up shop to carry out his assassination attempt. The Secret Service inexplicable left the area unguarded despite it being within 150 yards of Trump, an easy shot for a halfway decent shooter. When asked if any personnel had been terminated in connection with the incident, Rowe responded that not a single person has been fired for the attempt on President Trump’s life. [I watched this on TV, the first news briefing by the Secret Service about the assassination attempt. He said they are still investigating it and don't want to fire people prematurely. But, they are changing some procedures.] https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/08/secret-service-director-reveals-what-exactly-happened-day/ During her first run for the presidency, Harris endorsed a ban on fracking, mandatory federal gun buybacks and the abolition of private health insurance. Harris’ campaign now says that she endorses a ban on assault weapons rather than mandatory federal buybacks, no longer believes that fracking should be banned and does not still want a single-payer health care system, according to The New York Times. The campaign also pointed out that the vice president supported Biden’s requests for more funding for border enforcement. September 11, 2001, saw the deadliest terrorist attack in the history of the United States, killing nearly 3,000 American citizens. And yet, the masterminds behind the onslaught — Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two of his accomplices — have accepted plea deals. “What they've done is in exchange for the removal of the death penalty as a possible punishment,” says Glenn Beck, who can’t believe these three men “haven’t even been tried yet.” According to the report, “These three accused have agreed to plead guilty to all of the charged defenses, including the murder of 2,976 people listed in the charge sheet.” “Now if there is anyone that deserves execution, I think it's somebody who killed 3,000 people” and “perpetrated the largest terrorist attack the world had seen,” says Glenn. Stu Burguiere points out that the lack of a trial denies the families of the victims a critical component of their “closure process.” “He just gets to say ‘I’m guilty’ and it’s over,” he says. “What would be another reason not to have a trial?” asks Glenn. “Some might think that if an entire trial were to go on, we might learn some things about how the government handled this situation, who they were dealing with, what arrangements were made for government officials from other countries. There's maybe something they might not want us to know about,” says Stu. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced Friday the revocation of a plea deal previously reached with Khalid Sheikh Mohammad, the alleged mastermind behind the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, along with two of his co-conspirators, Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak Bin Attash and Mustafa Ahmed Adam al Hawsawi. This decision effectively reinstates the possibility of the death penalty for the trio. Secretary Austin’s announcement comes amid mounting pressure from various political factions and advocacy groups who argue that any leniency shown to those involved in the 9/11 attacks undermines justice for the nearly 3,000 victims and their families. “I have determined that, in light of the significance of the decision to enter into pre-trial agreements with the accused in the above-referenced case, responsibility for such a decision should rest with me as the superior convening authority under the Military Commissions Act of 2009,” Austin wrote. “Effective immediately, I hereby withdraw your authority in the above-referenced case to enter into a pre-trial agreement and reserve such authority to myself. Effective immediately, in the exercise of my authority, I hereby withdraw from the three pre-trial agreements that you signed on July 31, 2024 in the above-referenced case,” he added. A senior Pentagon official said that the decision was the secretary’s alone, and that the White House had no involvement. The official said Mr. Austin had never supported a plea deal and wanted the military commission trials to proceed. https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/08/pentagon-revokes-plea-deal-9-11-mastermind-khalid/ 
U.S., Russia prisoner swap secures release of Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan and others:
Secret Service Director Reveals What Exactly Happened on the Day Trump Was Shot — Crooks Was Neutralized 15 Seconds After First Shot — Agents Unaware of Crooks’ Firearm Until Shots Were Fired:
It didn’t take long for Harris’ campaign to start backtracking on her left-wing positions:
Pentagon Revokes Plea Deal of 9/11 Mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammad and Two Fellow Co-Conspirators After Public Outrage: