Anonymous wrote:Putin sees that Trump may well be elected in November. He would rather deal with Biden because he knows the Biden administration is a bunch of push overs and he would get a better deal with them.

This move by Putin is so transparent.

If Putin was so smart, then why didn't he release these people to help the optics for Trump.

Heck, he would have released them the day after Trump suggested it a month ago and it would have boosted him.

No, Putin sees the writing on the wall and did what he could to get these people back into the motherland before he had no more leverage.

Anonymous wrote:Stayed up to watch the live feed of them stepping off the plane at Andrews and reuniting with their waiting families. The bickering can start again on the morning shows, but for now, welcome home.

This was such an uplifting moment! Amazing work of diplomacy. I loved how Kamala embraced the journalist and how he picked up his mother. The little girls hugging their mother. President Biden pinning the flag pin on Paul Whelan.

Anonymous wrote:But Samaher Esmail is still held. Guess Biden only cares about certain types of Americans being held by foreign countries.

What a terrible spin to put on these deals. The deal that was arranged was between seven nations and Israel was not one of those nations.

Paul Whelan was incarcerated for 5.75 years. Brittney Griner was incarcerated for 10 months. Evan Gerskavich was incarcerated for 1.5 years.

Samaher Esmail was arrested 7 months ago and was held for 3 weeks before being released on bail to return to the West Bank village she is staying in while in Israel. She is now awaiting trial. She is not currently imprisoned but cannot leave Israel until her trial. If she is found not guilty, she will be able to return to the US. If she is found guilty, then the US state department will begin negotiations to get her release. But the situations are hardly equivalent and they are certainly not on the same time line.

Anonymous wrote:Stayed up to watch the live feed of them stepping off the plane at Andrews and reuniting with their waiting families. The bickering can start again on the morning shows, but for now, welcome home.

+1

Such a contrast to see the 3 released Americans being welcomed personally by Biden and Harris while Trump tweets incoherently about why this is a bad thing.

Stayed up to watch the live feed of them stepping off the plane at Andrews and reuniting with their waiting families. The bickering can start again on the morning shows, but for now, welcome home.

Anonymous wrote:my gd he is such an a-h***. he just sucks the energy out of every single room - out of the whole world. takes away every bit of happiness and joy. it's all cold, angry darkness.

What a whiny pathetic B.

Read the room MAGA. The country is moving on, we have found Joy, we want Kamala Harris.

Anonymous wrote:Putin sees that Trump may well be elected in November. He would rather deal with Biden because he knows the Biden administration is a bunch of push overs and he would get a better deal with them.

This move by Putin is so transparent.

+100

I am just happy that people are free.
Don’t go to Russia if you have even a small amount of visibility AND are an American.

Anonymous wrote:I'm worried about the Navalny associates being released. Will Putin just have them assassinated?

I thought the US was giving them asylum, in an effort to foster democracy around the world?
Jokes aside they are so useless he can afford to let them go

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Putin sees that Trump may well be elected in November. He would rather deal with Biden because he knows the Biden administration is a bunch of push overs and he would get a better deal with them.

This move by Putin is so transparent.

Actually, Russian state TV, in the last day or so, has switched from claiming Trump will win to lamenting that he will probably lose.

Putin's Ukraine strategy hinged on Trump winning and cutting off aid to Ukraine. He made this deal because he recognizes Trump will likely lose. He's using this deal to show that he can negotiate in good faith. He wants to soften the ground to get the best negotiated end to the war in Ukraine.

I agree with this take.

Russia takes normal people hostage (not prisoners) and then exchanges them for assassins.

It feels good to get these people back but long-term this is a losing battle. Putin can send assassins all over the world then when they get arrested take a few hostages and trade them for the assassins. This encourages more of the same behavior since the assassins know they will have minimal consequences.

Anonymous wrote:my gd he is such an a-h***. he just sucks the energy out of every single room - out of the whole world. takes away every bit of happiness and joy. it's all cold, angry darkness.

90+ days until we're done with him because on Nov. 6th, this MF is going to jail.

He is forgetting the 5,000 Taliban prisoners who were released for zero return,

Anonymous wrote:Putin sees that Trump may well be elected in November. He would rather deal with Biden because he knows the Biden administration is a bunch of push overs and he would get a better deal with them.

This move by Putin is so transparent.

I think it's the exact opposite. Putin was banking on Trump winning and now that's rapidly fading on him so the deals he thought he could make with Trump are burnt.