Speaker 1: This is Gary and Shannon, and you're listening to KFI
Speaker 1: AM six forty, the Gary and Shannon Show on demand
Speaker 1: on the iHeartRadio app Listen.
Speaker 2: It's also amazing to me that even after the trade deadline,
Speaker 2: some big moves actually take place, and in this case,
Speaker 2: this was the huge, huge, arguably the largest prisoner swap
Speaker 2: since the Cold War, where Moscow has decided that they're
Speaker 2: going to release wrongly convicted Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershikovich.
Speaker 3: How are we saying it?
Speaker 2: We didn't discuss this one, Kershkevich as part of this
Speaker 2: large and very very complex prisoner swap.
Speaker 1: Yeah, we get back a reporter, a marine veteran, and
Speaker 1: a radio journalist, and they get back a convicted murderer
Speaker 1: who is heavily involved in Russian intelligence.
Speaker 2: Twenty four prisoners are involved, the big names of course
Speaker 2: that we've talked about. Twenty four prisoners in total, at
Speaker 2: least six countries, and this is all after months and
Speaker 2: months of negotiations. The biggest guy that RuSHA gets back
Speaker 2: was being held in Germany. His name is Vadim Krazikov.
Speaker 2: He was this Russian hit man who is serving a
Speaker 2: life sentence for the murder of a rebel leader in
Speaker 2: I mean in a literally in a park in Berlin,
Speaker 2: in front of children.
Speaker 3: He killed this guy. This was Russia's sticking point.
Speaker 1: They wanted their killer back, they wanted the guy entrenched
Speaker 1: in their intelligence back, and he was the sticking point
Speaker 1: for everyone. But apparently, and Kamala Harris's name comes up
Speaker 1: in this, Apparently Germany was just not going to release
Speaker 1: him at all, and Biden passed street cred in Germany
Speaker 1: and the German Chancellor said, I want to do this
Speaker 1: for you. And then Kamala Harris apparently over the summer,
Speaker 1: was hold up with one of the German the Chancellor
Speaker 1: Schlots of Germany, at the Munich Security Conference, to stress
Speaker 1: the importance of releasing the convicted murder are.
Speaker 3: So she gets a little nod here.
Speaker 2: So all of this is taking place, they're on airplanes,
Speaker 2: where they're in airports.
Speaker 3: Apparently Turkey played a massive role in this.
Speaker 2: In fact, that's where the prisoners from Russia were taken originally.
Speaker 3: But there's a question of the timing of all of this.
Speaker 2: Michael Allen was a foreign policy expert in the Bush
Speaker 2: administration and he works now at the National Security Institute
Speaker 2: and talked about why.
Speaker 4: Now you know, I.
Speaker 5: Think a lot of this has to do with the
Speaker 5: withdrawal of President Biden not running again next time. I
Speaker 5: think he's able to go to some NATO allies maybe
Speaker 5: with heavy heart, and say, listen, I understand that this
Speaker 5: Russian committed murder in a park in front of children
Speaker 5: inside of Munich, but we're trying to do a historic
Speaker 5: deal here. Let's win one for the Gipper, if you will,
Speaker 5: let us have a little bit of room in order
Speaker 5: to trade this particular Russian. So I think Biden is
Speaker 5: leaning hard on friends and especially NATO allies, so that
Speaker 5: he can try and get a grand deal.
Speaker 2: This is also proof that the good guys don't bargain well,
Speaker 2: I mean the bad guy. They literally get a convicted murderer,
Speaker 2: the massive hit man that Putin's been trying to get
Speaker 2: back on his team for a long time, and we
Speaker 2: get a.
Speaker 1: Radio girl, a veteran from the Marines, and the journalist.
Speaker 1: Not to mention, they still have a ballerina of ours
Speaker 1: locked up.
Speaker 3: Really do yes? I didn't know that. Yeah, there are
Speaker 3: several people that were not involved in this swap, one
Speaker 3: of which is a ballerina who holds I believe dual citizenship.
Speaker 2: Putin has been talking about this for some time, has
Speaker 2: been saying at least that he has been open to
Speaker 2: the idea of a prisoner swap. If you remember, Tucker
Speaker 2: Carlson made headlines back in February, I believe it was
Speaker 2: when he talked with Vladimir Putin, and at that time
Speaker 2: he indicated he really wants Vadim Krasikov, he really wanted
Speaker 2: him back specifically, And I don't know if he was
Speaker 2: claiming that Krasikov was not the guy who shot the
Speaker 2: rebel leader in Berlin or I mean, because we could
Speaker 2: probably I feel pretty confident in saying that Evan Gershkovich
Speaker 2: was not a spy, was not committing espionage, but was
Speaker 2: just picked up because he was higher profile and he
Speaker 2: knew a Latimer. Putin knew that he could use him
Speaker 2: as a bargainage.
Speaker 1: Other people currently imprisoned in Russia Americans that were not
Speaker 1: involved include American teacher Mark Fogel, musician Michael Travis Leak,
Speaker 1: US Army staff sergeant Gordon Black, and Russian American ballerina
Speaker 1: Casina Carolina. The President will be speaking about this. This
Speaker 1: is painful. It's going to be painful.
Speaker 3: I just know it. I know it already.
Speaker 1: But anyway, we'll take those comments live when he gets
Speaker 1: to the podium.
Speaker 2: And he's a scheduled any moment now, so it definitely
Speaker 2: sometime we have to break in to do it. I
Speaker 2: also want to point out the niper team in Pennsylvania
Speaker 2: is now saying the Secret Service is line. How is
Speaker 2: that not the biggest story of the world right now
Speaker 2: because that we're crazy.
Speaker 1: No, but that's been the narrative for two weeks. It's
Speaker 1: been that, Oh, it's their fault. It wasn't our fault,
Speaker 1: not my ass. I'm covering that.
Speaker 3: It's gonna be there the local guys. No, it's a
Speaker 3: secret service. I mean, everyone's pointing fingers and they.
Speaker 2: Have from go they better be in the same room
Speaker 2: at some point and has this thing.
Speaker 3: They're not going to because it looks off. No one
Speaker 3: is going to own this.
Speaker 6: Now they are bringing on Evan also Vladimir, three American
Speaker 6: citizens of one American green card holder. All four have
Speaker 6: been imprisoned on justly in Russia. Paul for nearly six years,
Speaker 6: Vladimir since twenty twenty two, Evan since March of twenty
Speaker 6: twenty three and alls since October of twenty twenty three,
Speaker 6: Russian authorities arrested them, convicted them, and show trials and
Speaker 6: sends them the long prison term with absolutely no legitimate
Speaker 6: reason whatsoever.
Speaker 4: None.
Speaker 6: Paul, a former marine, was in Russia for a wedding. Evan,
Speaker 6: a journalist with a Russian in Russia, was in Russia,
Speaker 6: signed by the Wall Street Journal. Also also a journalist
Speaker 6: was in Russia to see family. All three falsely accused
Speaker 6: of being spies. And Vladimir was a Russian citizen by
Speaker 6: birth and holds an American green card. It's a Pulitzer
Speaker 6: Prize meaning journalist and was a Paul bearer of my
Speaker 6: friend John McCain's truneral with me. He spoke out against
Speaker 6: Putin's regime and for that he was convicted of treason.
Speaker 4: And now their brutal or deal is over and they're free.
Speaker 6: Moments ago the families and I were able to speak
Speaker 6: to them on the.
Speaker 4: Telephone from the Oval office. They're out of Russia.
Speaker 6: Earlier today they are flown to Turkey and soon there'll
Speaker 6: be wheels up on their way home to see their families.
Speaker 6: This is an incredible relief for all the family members
Speaker 6: gathered here. It's relief to the friends and colleagues all
Speaker 6: across the country who've been praying for this day for
Speaker 6: a long time. The deal that made this possible was
Speaker 6: the feet of diplomacy and friendship.
Speaker 4: Friendship.
Speaker 6: Multiple countries helped get this done. They joined the difficult,
Speaker 6: complex negotiations at my request, and I personally thanked them
Speaker 6: all again. And I've thanked them personally, I'll thank them again.
Speaker 6: All told, Russia has released sixteen prisoners. Eight Russians were
Speaker 6: being held in the West will be sent home as well.
Speaker 6: These sixteen prisoners from Russia that Russia has released include.
Speaker 4: Four Americans, five Germans, seven.
Speaker 6: Russian citizens who are political prisoners in their own country.
Speaker 6: One of those Russians runs a human rights organization Memorial,
Speaker 6: which won a Nobel Prize in twenty twenty two Throw
Speaker 6: in prison for voicing opposition to the war in Ukraine.
Speaker 6: Four others work with Alexi Navalni, political opposition that died
Speaker 6: in Russia prison this year. Now they can live safely
Speaker 6: abroad and continue their work of advocating for democracy if
Speaker 6: they so choose.
Speaker 4: This still would not.
Speaker 6: Have been made possible without our allies Germany, Poland, Slovenia
Speaker 6: and Norway, in Turkey, they all stepped up and they
Speaker 6: stood with us.
Speaker 4: They stood with us.
Speaker 6: And they made bold and brave decisions, released prisoners being
Speaker 6: held in their countries who are justifiably being held, and
Speaker 6: provided logistical support to get.
Speaker 4: The Americans home.
Speaker 6: So if anyone who questions with allies.
Speaker 4: Matter, they do. They matter.
Speaker 6: And today is a powerful example of why it's vital
Speaker 6: debt friends in this world, friends who can trust, work
Speaker 6: with and depend upon, especially that matters of great consequence
Speaker 6: and sensitivity like this aciences make our people safer.
Speaker 4: And we began to see that again today.
Speaker 6: Let me say this, It says a lot about the
Speaker 6: United States that we work relentlessly to free Americans who
Speaker 6: are unjustly held around the world.
Speaker 4: It also says a lot.
Speaker 6: About us that this deal includes the release of Russian
Speaker 6: political prisoners. They stood up for democracy and human rights
Speaker 6: their own leaders through them in prison. The United States
Speaker 6: helped secure their release as well. That's who we are
Speaker 6: in the United States. We stand for freedom, for liberty,
Speaker 6: for justice, not only for our own people, but for
Speaker 6: others as well. And that's why all Americans can take
Speaker 6: pride and what we've achieved today. I want to thank
Speaker 6: everyone in my administration helped make this happen. Our work
Speaker 6: did not start just on day one. It started before
Speaker 6: day one. During the transition. I instructed our National security
Speaker 6: team to dig into all the cases of hostages being
Speaker 6: rung fully detained, which were inherently well we inherit them
Speaker 6: from the private of the prior administration. I wanted to
Speaker 6: make sure we hit the ground running, and we did.
Speaker 6: As of today, my administration's brought home over seventy Americans.
Speaker 6: We're wrongfully detained, the hell hostage abroad many since before
Speaker 6: I took off.
Speaker 1: Seems he doesn't have to carry on with this charade
Speaker 1: for four more years, he relaxed.
Speaker 3: Yeah, totally, I get it.
Speaker 6: My State Department has introduced new warnings for Americans about
Speaker 6: the risk of being wrongfully detained by a foreign government.
Speaker 6: Deals like this one come with tough calls, and there's
Speaker 6: never any guarantees. There's nothing that matters more to me.
Speaker 6: I'm protecting Americans at home and abroad, and so we'll
Speaker 6: continue to work for the release of all wrongfully detained
Speaker 6: Americans around the world. Let me from where I began
Speaker 6: with Paul Evan and also Vladimir and their families. They
Speaker 6: never gave up hope. I can't imagine what they've been through.
Speaker 4: All of you.
Speaker 6: Matter of fact, this lady right here, I think, sitting
Speaker 6: in the Oval office with us for a while, all
Speaker 6: can decide. I can't imagine their joy right now their home.
Speaker 6: Tomorrow is a big day, the thirteenth birthday of Mariam
Speaker 6: Mary Murray.
Speaker 1: Oh that's not a good blood.
Speaker 6: Happy birthday on any birthday, ready, all of your happy
Speaker 6: birthday to you.
Speaker 3: Oh my god. Wow.
Speaker 1: He reminds me so much of my dearly departed grandfather
Speaker 1: so much.
Speaker 2: That's exactly what you would want to Love you, God, love.
Speaker 3: You, That's what he would say all the time.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 6: Wow, She gets to celebrate with her Mom's what this
Speaker 6: is all about. Families able to be together again like
Speaker 6: this should have been all along. It's I want to
Speaker 6: thank you again to everyone who did their part. In
Speaker 6: just a few hours, we'll welcome home our fellow Americans.
Speaker 6: We're looking forward to that, God willing, we're going to
Speaker 6: be out at Andrews and get that done. So thank you,
Speaker 6: thank you, thank you, And this is a good day,
Speaker 6: is all right?
Speaker 3: And he wrapped it up right before the break, so
Speaker 3: that works out. Well. This is a massive, massive deal.
Speaker 2: The Wall Street Journal referred to this as the largest
Speaker 2: and most complex East West prisoner swap since the Cold War,
Speaker 2: in which Evan Gershkovich, the Wall Street Journal reporter, and
Speaker 2: more than a dozen others that have been jailed by
Speaker 2: Russia were exchanged four Russians held in the United States
Speaker 2: and in Europe.
Speaker 1: The swap at that Turkish airport, they say was painsta
Speaker 1: makingly choreographed, and you could imagine. That's why I said
Speaker 1: I would read this book or at least watch the
Speaker 1: movie about all the machinations and the behind the scenes.
Speaker 3: Ropes that were pulled.
Speaker 2: Here Tom Hanks movie where they exchanged the spies on
Speaker 2: the on the bridge.
Speaker 3: I was just thinking about that. What was it and
Speaker 3: that that was, Oh yeah, that was a good movie.
Speaker 2: That was an example of you know the amount and
Speaker 2: that was long before Bridge of Spies. What was the
Speaker 2: one that had the bridge in it and it had
Speaker 2: the spies.
Speaker 3: Oh and it's on Netflix so you can watch it again.
Speaker 3: That was that was a great movie.
Speaker 1: And it was till the last second they didn't know
Speaker 1: if they would release And that's so good, and it's
Speaker 1: just the intensity of that one.
Speaker 2: I was listening this morning to a couple of different channels, BBC,
Speaker 2: Sky News, Fox. They were all talking about They didn't
Speaker 2: want to get into too many details about what they
Speaker 2: knew about it, what their reporters knew about it, because
Speaker 2: it wasn't done yet, basically, which means until that plane
Speaker 2: is on the ground in the in the country of
Speaker 2: somebody that we like or likes us, we're not going
Speaker 2: to guarantee that they're home yet. Now that they're in Turkey,
Speaker 2: we have a great enough relationship with Turkey, nothing's going
Speaker 2: to happen to them. American military aircraft likely will go
Speaker 2: pick them up and then bring him to as the
Speaker 2: President said, bring him to Andrews.
Speaker 1: Yeah, that's why Iran was so pissed off. They thought
Speaker 1: nothing could happen to the leader of Hamas when he
Speaker 1: was in Iran.
Speaker 3: Right, That's why you gotta be careful. Oh did you
Speaker 3: hear that they had that bomb planted for months? Yes?
Speaker 3: I finally saw one of the French.
Speaker 2: I don't think she's French, actually, but I saw one
Speaker 2: of the oh Belgian, the Belgian triathletes that swam in
Speaker 2: the sane river yesterday she came in twenty fourth, so
Speaker 2: it wasn't I mean, she probably has She's not hey,
Speaker 2: she had a better knighted. But she talked about the
Speaker 2: experience of swimming in the absolutely filthy river that was
Speaker 2: the same, and she said, this is my great Joli again.
Speaker 2: Vermeil Yan said she felt debris in the water now
Speaker 2: a fifteen swim. I hope she means just leaves.
Speaker 3: And her her.
Speaker 2: Quote to the Flemish TV channel VTM was while swimming
Speaker 2: under the bridge, I felt and saw things that we
Speaker 2: shouldn't think about too much.
Speaker 1: Oh no, so actual feces she's talking about like it.
Speaker 2: She said she did ingest a lot of water during
Speaker 2: the race and was concerned with what it might do
Speaker 2: to her body. Her quote, We'll know tomorrow if I'm
Speaker 2: sick or not. It doesn't taste like Coca cola or sprite.
Speaker 1: Of course, the big news today President Biden just speaking
Speaker 1: from the White House confirming this massive prisoner swap with
Speaker 1: Russia involving six countries twenty four prisoners. Biden said Wall
Speaker 1: Street Journal reporter Evan Gershovitch Gershakovich, Gerskovich, we can.
Speaker 3: Say it anytime as free.
Speaker 1: Now American Paul Whalen and others are free. It's the
Speaker 1: largest prisoner swamp with the Kremlin since the Cold War.
Speaker 1: Both those guys were sentenced to prison for espionage, with
Speaker 1: both men and the US denied. Also, a female radio
Speaker 1: host also involved.
Speaker 3: A weird story.
Speaker 2: Study actually came out that suggests that Gen X and
Speaker 2: millennials are at an increased risk of developing cancer, certain
Speaker 2: cancers compared with older generations. So basically, anybody born from
Speaker 2: sixty five to ninety five?
Speaker 3: Is it the cell phones? No?
Speaker 2: No, Actually they referred to diet most specifically, really eating
Speaker 2: habits and diet changed significantly, ultra processed foods and things
Speaker 2: like that.
Speaker 3: But they did.
Speaker 2: They talked about specific kinds of cancers that were more prevalent.
Speaker 1: Shop around the perimeter of the supermarket. Stay out of
Speaker 1: the middle. The middle will kill you. The middle taste,
Speaker 1: I know, it does I know, And all I can
Speaker 1: think of now are like cinnamon rules.
Speaker 2: Yesterday we told you the former president was at a
Speaker 2: I wouldn't call it a campaign event, but it was
Speaker 2: an event the National Association of Black Journalists.
Speaker 1: I said this yesterday as it was happening, as the
Speaker 1: first words were coming out of his mouth. Who in
Speaker 1: his campaign thought this was going to be a good
Speaker 1: idea in what world?
Speaker 3: Well, you knew he.
Speaker 1: Was going to step in it, and he made it himself,
Speaker 1: and then he stepped in all of it.
Speaker 2: Around the planning table, there were people who were like, listen,
Speaker 2: we're going to have to make inroads with black voters,
Speaker 2: and one of the ways to do that is to
Speaker 2: show we're okay with having conversations and we'll talk about
Speaker 2: whatever we want to talk about.
Speaker 1: They know their candidate and they know he's incapable of
Speaker 1: not crapping the bed.
Speaker 3: That's the problem is, and you said this yesterday.
Speaker 2: If he had stuck with the story of just inflation,
Speaker 2: the high cost of living where we were for when
Speaker 2: he was president versus where we are now with Biden
Speaker 2: as president, and all you did was just look at
Speaker 2: the basic numbers, that would have been a winning argument there.
Speaker 1: The takeaway is John Coblt said it great. Why did
Speaker 1: he have to get into this? Why did he open
Speaker 1: up his mouth? Because this is all people are talking about,
Speaker 1: and it's all people are going to talk about for
Speaker 1: the next week. Is when he said that she decided
Speaker 1: to turn black.
Speaker 3: So I'm asking you a question.
Speaker 7: Direct find it, define it for me.
Speaker 3: I just defined it, sir.
Speaker 5: Do you believe that Vice President Kamala Harris is only
Speaker 5: on the ticket because she is a black woman.
Speaker 3: Well, I can say no.
Speaker 7: I think it's maybe a little bit different. So I've
Speaker 7: known her a long time, indirectly, not directly very much,
Speaker 7: and she was always of Indian heritage, and she was
Speaker 7: only promoting Indian heritage. I didn't know she was black
Speaker 7: until a number of years ago when she happened to
Speaker 7: turn black, and now she wants to be known as black.
Speaker 1: He just sounds so ignorant in you either are black
Speaker 1: or you're Indian, that you cannot be a hodgepodge like
Speaker 1: most Americans are of different backgrounds.
Speaker 2: We are we are a nation of of mutts. Yes,
Speaker 2: to put it blind. Now, Kamala Harris had the opportunity
Speaker 2: to take to the microphone in an event a little
Speaker 2: bit later, and she had said, let me say, I
Speaker 2: got to change a month here because it's now August
Speaker 2: and I have to go to a different folder and pull.
Speaker 3: This is what she said. Yesterday after the comments were.
Speaker 8: Made, Donald Trump spoke at the annual meeting of the
Speaker 8: National Association of black journalists.
Speaker 3: And it was the same old show.
Speaker 8: The divisiveness and the disrespect. And let me just say,
Speaker 8: the American people deserve better. The American people deserve better. Now.
Speaker 2: Jade Vance went on to say that she grew up
Speaker 2: in Canada. I guess she spent some time as a
Speaker 2: teenager living in Canada, but that suggested that that means
Speaker 2: that she is what not America. Vance talked about Harris,
Speaker 2: saying that she spent her teenage years that she changed
Speaker 2: her identity. She changes her accent for political benefit. Everybody does.
Speaker 2: We played for you the other day when she was
Speaker 2: in Atlanta and started putting on a nice southern affect,
Speaker 2: apparently because she thought that that was.
Speaker 3: Gonna Is that an unconscious thing.
Speaker 2: Or a conscious thing that politicians do when they start
Speaker 2: trying to talk like their audience like that.
Speaker 3: They all do it.
Speaker 1: I mean we've heard Bill Clinton did it. Everyone has
Speaker 1: done it. Hillary Clinton carries hot sauce in her purse.
Speaker 1: And the whoring is well documented and it goes back
Speaker 1: our at least my entire lifetime.
Speaker 2: Now, there was an interesting thing that I found that
Speaker 2: back on the twenty eighth of July, so just a
Speaker 2: few days ago, but long before these, you know, a
Speaker 2: couple of days before these comments, the New York Times
Speaker 2: had an article that was titled the lesser known side
Speaker 2: of Harris's identity Asian American, and it goes on to
Speaker 2: describe that part of her life, that half of her
Speaker 2: ethnicity and her family and her history, because I guess
Speaker 2: people don't talk about it enough. Again, this is one
Speaker 2: of those things where we in California have been aware
Speaker 2: of Kamala Harris for a couple of decades in some
Speaker 2: degree or another, and for the most part, I think
Speaker 2: a lot of people in the United States, the rest
Speaker 2: of the United States do not have that familiarity with her.
Speaker 2: So it's going to continue to cause ripples throughout the campaign.
Speaker 2: Big international news, humongous international news. The largest prisoner swap
Speaker 2: since the Cold War means that the biggest name that's
Speaker 2: been freed now is Evan Gershkevich, the Wall Street Journal reporter.
Speaker 3: President Biden spoke just a short time ago about it.
Speaker 4: Deal.
Speaker 6: It made this possible was a feat of diplomacy and friendship.
Speaker 6: Friendship multable countries help get this done. They joined a
Speaker 6: difficult complex negotiations at my request, and I personally thank
Speaker 6: them all again.
Speaker 4: I thank from personal and I thank him again.
Speaker 2: The four Americans are going to be on an airplane
Speaker 2: back to the United States very soon.
Speaker 3: Harry Shannon.
Speaker 2: First thing I noticed about Biden's speech, at least in
Speaker 2: the prisoners, was he was not about to.
Speaker 9: Attempt just you say last names.
Speaker 3: He didn't even try.
Speaker 4: He didn't even try right out.
Speaker 3: All right, I gush, that's so true.
Speaker 9: I don't like Trump's personality, but he's a poem that
Speaker 9: these policies are, okay, the best of what we got.
Speaker 9: But why does everybody keep thinking that He's saying she's
Speaker 9: not black.
Speaker 3: He's saying she she's playing the card of is she
Speaker 3: even Indian? She's like the Indian. Isn't she Pacific islander?
Speaker 9: I don't care, But he's just saying she was playing
Speaker 9: the part, now she's playing the black part.
Speaker 3: That's what he's saying.
Speaker 2: She her mother was Indian, her father was Jamaican. So
Speaker 2: no Pacific islander in there.
Speaker 3: That's all. It doesn't take. You've been listening to The
Speaker 3: Gary and Shannon Show.
Speaker 2: You can always hear us live on KFI AM six
Speaker 2: forty nine am to one pm every Monday through Friday
Speaker 2: and anytime on demand on the iHeartRadio app,