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(SAN ANTONIO) — The former Marine who spent more than 2,000 days in Russian custody spoke out after a historic, multi-country prisoner swap allowed him and three others to return to the U.S.

Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan and Alsu Kurmasheva deplaned shortly before 4:30 a.m. eastern at Joint Base San Antonio, officially marking the beginning of their next chapter, free and back home in the United States.

The three embraced one another for a photo surrounded by their loved ones and held up the Hostages and Wrongful Detainees flag.

“This is us down here,” Whelan said pointing to three slash marks on the bottom of the flag, “Those last three, that’s us.”

Upon their arrival, they were greeted by officials who gave them instructions on immediate next steps. Col. Davis explained that they would first send them for a medical assessment while their families stayed overnight in hotels off base.

Whelan wore the American flag pin given to him by President Biden at Joint Base Andrews — “It’s a keepsake.”

Whelan criticized the “nonsense narrative [the Russian government] came up with” for his imprisonment.

“So, you know, this is how Putin runs his government. This is how Putin runs his country. Yeah, I’m glad I’m home. Yeah. I’m never going back there again,” he said, with a smile.

He also said he had received thousands of letters of support, so many that the Russian Federal Security Service “stopped giving them to him.”

“I just say thank you to everybody. You know, thank you for all your prayers, your your, you know, good wishes. Thanks for doing everything you did,” he said.

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris greeted the three Americans freed from Russian custody as they arrived back on American soil and reunited with their families.

Biden hugged Paul Whelan and the vice president greeted the former Marine as he arrived on the tarmac. Whelan’s sister, Elizabeth Whelan, also on the tarmac awaiting his arrival when he landed.

When Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich arrived on the tarmac, a cheer erupted. He and Biden shook hands and spoke for some time before a long and emotional hug took place between the journalist and his mother, Ella Milman, who was picked up during their embrace at one point.

Alsu Kurmasheva was also welcomed by Biden and Harris. In an emotional moment, she was reunited with her daughters before Biden came over and talked to them as they hugged.

Biden interacted very freely with the press, taking the chance to speak to reporters multiple times on the tarmac.

When asked by a reporter whether he ever thought this moment would come, Biden’s simple reply was “yes.” And when asked what made him so confident, he said it was his relationships with the “other heads of state.”

Biden was also subsequently asked what was his message to Vladmir Putin after the former prisoners were back on American soil.

“Stop,” Biden said.

Biden also said that the scene playing out behind him was the “essence” of America.

“To me, this is about the essence of who we are as a country. It really is about personal relationships,” Biden said. “It’s about family. It’s about being able to have access to the people you love.”

One reporter asked him what the hardest part of securing the deal was.

“The toughest call was for one of the other countries because I asked them to do some things that were against their immediate self-interest,” said Biden. “It was really very difficult for them do, particularly Germany. Slovenia really came at the last minute and I tell you what, [the] chancellor was incredible.”

Biden was also asked about whether he was making calls to secure this deal within the hour that he announced his decision to drop out of the 2024 presidential race.

“I would get this done even if I was seeking a second term. You’re stuck with me as president for a while, kid, there’s no way out, okay,” Biden said. “You got me for at least another 100 — 90 days or so. So it had to do with that. It had to do with the opportunity trying to convince one last country to say okay, they’ll step up.”

When asked about whether this deal would be part of his legacy, Biden sidestepped, saying it’s something to talk about “another time.”

“This is just an extraordinary testament to the importance of having a president who understands the power of diplomacy and understands the strength that rests in understanding the significance of diplomacy and strengthening alliances this criticism, incredible day saving families, in their eyes and in their cries,” Harris said as the Kurmasheva family could be heard crying behind her when they were reunited.

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(PHOENIX) — A 6-month-old boy has died after he was left in a hot car in Arizona for about seven hours, authorities said.

The incident unfolded after the mom asked a neighbor to drive her to Prescott Valley on Tuesday, the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office said.

The baby was in his car seat in the back of the neighbor’s car and he fell asleep on the neighbor’s way home to Cordes Lakes, the sheriff’s office said.

The neighbor was asked to drop the baby off with his father, who lives next door and “would be home shortly,” according to the sheriff’s office.

The neighbor got home at about 2 p.m., parked the car in the sun and went inside, “claiming to forget about the baby in the car,” the sheriff’s office said.

Around 8:45 p.m., the baby’s dad reached out to the mom, asking when the neighbor was bringing the little boy over, according to the sheriff’s office.

The mother, who was at work, called the neighbor, at which point the neighbor realized the 6-month-old was still in the car, the sheriff’s office said.

The neighbor and the dad pulled the baby out of the car and called 911, authorities said.

Cordes Lakes — which is about 65 miles north of Phoenix — reached 98 degrees on Tuesday.

On the same day as the Arizona fatality, another 6-month-old boy died after being left in a hot car in Louisiana, authorities said. When the parent went to pick up the baby from day care after work, they realized they forgot to drop him off at day care that morning and had left him in the car, the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office said.

These two babies are among at least 17 children who have died in hot cars across the U.S. so far this year, according to national nonprofit KidsAndCars.org.

A total of 29 children died in hot cars last year. A record high of 54 children died in hot cars in 2018, according to KidsAndCars.org.

Since 1990, at least 1,101 children have died in hot cars — and about 88% of those kids were 3 years old or younger, according to KidsAndCars.org.

Click here for hot car safety tips to keep in mind this summer.

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(NEW YORK) — A change in the nation’s political landscape means the judge overseeing former President Donald Trump’s criminal hush money case should be recused, defense attorneys argued in a court filing made public Thursday.

Trump is reviving a longshot effort to have Judge Juan Merchan recused from the case because of an alleged conflict between the judge’s daughter and Vice President Kamala Harris, who is now the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.

“Your Honor’s daughter has a long-standing relationship with Harris, including work for political campaigns. She has obtained — and stands to obtain in the future — extensive financial, professional, and personal benefits from her relationship with Harris,” defense lawyers Todd Blanche and Emil Bove wrote.

Describing the vice president as Trump’s “presumptive opponent,” defense lawyers argued that Merchan’s daughter has had an “extremely beneficial working relationship” with Harris because her company was a top vendor to Harris’ 2020 presidential campaign.

This is the third time Trump’s lawyers have attempted to have Judge Merchan removed from the case. Last year, New York’s Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics determined that Merchan’s impartiality “cannot reasonably be questioned” based on his daughter’s professional work as a political consultant.

When Trump renewed his motion earlier this year, Merchan determined that defense lawyers failed to prove a conflict, describing their motion as a “series of inferences, innuendos and unsupported speculation.”

In a separate filing made public Thursday, Trump’s lawyers reiterated their argument that the case should be dismissed based on the Supreme Court’s recent landmark ruling that Trump has presumptive immunity from criminal prosecution for official acts taken while in office.

Last week, prosecutors pushed back against the motion by arguing that Trump’s conduct was “entirely personal” with “no relationship whatsoever to any official duty of the presidency.”

Defense lawyers responded by arguing that the introduction of evidence related to official acts at trial caused an irreparable harm that merits the case be dismissed.

“In this case, a politically motivated district attorney violated that immunity by using official-acts evidence in grand jury proceedings and at trial. Therefore, the case must be dismissed, and the jury’s verdicts must be vacated,” Trump’s lawyers wrote.

Trump was found guilty in May on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to a 2016 hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels in order to boost his electoral prospects in the 2016 presidential election.

Judge Merchan last month postponed Trump’s July 11 sentencing to Sept. 18 so he can consider Trump’s request to toss his conviction based on the Supreme Court’s immunity ruling.

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(NEW YORK) — The National Hurricane Center is monitoring a disorganized cluster of showers and thunderstorms near Puerto Rico that could develop into a tropical system near the Southeast early next week.

There’s a 20% chance of this forming into a named storm in the next two days. But as it moves toward the waters around Florida, the chance rises to a 60% chance of development over the next seven days.

If this strengthens to a named storm, it would be called Debby.

No matter what it becomes, Florida could face a large amount of rain.

Atlantic hurricane season ramps up throughout August and typically peaks in September.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts an above-average hurricane season this year. NOAA scientists predict between 17 and 25 named storms, compared to an average of 14; between eight and 13 hurricanes, compared to an average of seven; and between four and seven major hurricanes, compared to an average of three.

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(STERLING, Va.) — Twenty-six patients were transported to area hospitals late Wednesday evening for ammonia exposure after a leak occurred at a commercial building in Sterling, Virginia.

At approximately 8:36 p.m., Loudoun County Fire Rescue responded to the 22400 block of Sous Vide Lane in Sterling for reports of a gas leak. Officials later confirmed the leak was ammonia.

A representative for Cuisine Soultions Inc. told ABC News that employees were immediately relocated outside of the plant and that the leak was contained.

Four of the 26 patients were experiencing significant symptoms, according to officials.

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(NEW YORK) — A wildfire that started Tuesday in Colorado has killed a person in their home, while California firefighters battling the largest active wildland blaze in the nation made significant progress on containing it but still have a long way to go before it is extinguished, authorities said.

As the Park Fire in Northern California has grown into the fifth largest wildfire in California history, firefighters were dealt a new challenge when another blaze erupted in Southern California and quickly blew up into a major conflagration, prompting mass evacuations, officials said.

The Stone Canyon Fire in Colorado

During a news conference Wednesday, Boulder County, Colorado, Sheriff Curtis Johnson said the remains of a person were recovered from a home in the area of the Stone Canyon Fire burning about 20 miles north of Boulder. But Johnson released few details about the circumstances of the death.

The Stone Canyon Fire burning west of Rabbit Mountain and the town of Lyons was first reported around 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Johnson said. By Wednesday morning, the fire had grown to 1,320 acres and was 0% contained, according to the Boulder Office of Disaster Management.

The fire prompted evacuations in the fire zone, authorities said. At least five structures have been destroyed, according to authorities.

The Alexander Mountain Fire in Colorado

Colorado firefighters were also trying to get the upper hand on the Alexander Mountain Fire, which was first reported around 10:30 a.m. local time on Monday, according to the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office. The fire burning in a remote mountainous area near Roosevelt National Park grew to 6,781 acres by Wednesday afternoon, fire officials said during a news conference.

The fire was 0% contained as of Wednesday afternoon, according to the sheriff’s office.

The Alexander Mountain Fire, which also prompted evacuations, is about eight miles from the Stone Canyon Fire, officials said.

“The good news for us is that we were able to grab resources from Larimer County. As soon as our fire kicked off, the Larimer sheriff was in contact with me, offered to send some of those air resources to this fire, tried to help us get it under control,” Johnson said. “So within an hour, we had a lot more support than we might on a normal initial fire because of the fire burning north of us.”

The Park Fire in Northern California

Firefighters battling the Park Fire in Northern California, the largest active fire in the nation, made significant progress overnight, increasing containment lines on the blaze from 12% on Tuesday to 18% on Wednesday, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire).

As of Wednesday, the Park Fire, which officials said was deliberately started on July 24 and spread through Butte, Plumas, Shasta and Tehama counties in Northern California, had grown to 389,791 acres — which sent it leapfrogging over the 2020 Creek Fire, which tore through Central California’s Sierra National Forest, to become the fifth largest wildfire in state history, officials said.

The Park Fire has destroyed 361 structures, including homes and commercial property, and damaged another 36 structures in a path of destruction that started in Bidwell Park near the city of Chico and spread about 90 miles north to the Lassen National Forest, according to Cal Fire.

More than 5,800 firefighters are fighting the Park Fire from the air and ground. At least 3,800 people have been forced to evacuate their homes, according to Cal Fire.

Meanwhile, the suspect arrested on suspicion of starting the Park Fire was formally arraigned on Monday. Ronnie Dean Stout II, 42, of Chico, was charged with felony arson with an enhancement of special circumstances due to prior convictions. His arraignment was continued to Thursday, when he is expected to enter a plea. Stout was ordered to be held without bail.

Stout was allegedly spotted just before 3 p.m. PT on July 24 pushing a burning car down a gully called “Alligator Hole” in Bidwell Park, near Chico, sparking the Park Fire, prosecutors said.

Weather conditions in the Chico area will be heating up in the coming days. The high temperatures in the area are forecast to climb into the upper 90s on Wednesday and reach triple digits by Thursday and into the weekend, according to the National Weather Service.

The Nixon Fire in Southern California

California firefighters were confronting 20 active blazes on Wednesday, including seven that started on Monday and Tuesday. Among the biggest new fires is the Nixon Fire that ignited around 12:30 p.m. local time on Monday off Richard Nixon Boulevard in Riverside County, northeast of the town of Aguanga, according to Cal Fire.

As of Wednesday morning, the Nixon Fire had grown to 4,941 acres and was 5% contained, according to Cal Fire.

At least five structures in the fire zone were damaged or destroyed, but it was unclear if they were homes. More than 900 structures were being threatened by the fire, according to Cal Fire.

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office issued mandatory evacuation orders for residents in the area.

There were no immediate reports of injuries.

More than 700 fire personnel, including 44 fire engine crews, two helicopter crews and numerous firefighting air tankers, were battling the fire on Wednesday.

Smoke spreading across the Northwest

The fires in the West are spreading smoke across the Northwest.

By Wednesday afternoon, the smoke is expected to remain heavy in the Northern California region, but farther east, it will be pushed south.

Medium to heavy smoke is possible from Salt Lake City to Denver on Wednesday afternoon, while places farther north that have been under heavy smoke for days will finally get a break as they get rainfall and cooler temperatures.

Air quality alerts were issued for Boise, Idaho, and Denver due to the smoky conditions, officials said.

Red flag warnings signaling elevated fire danger were issued for at least Idaho, Wyoming, Utah and Colorado.

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(NEW YORK) — A man has “intentionally” run over and killed a flock of 25 seagulls with his Jeep Cherokee before almost running over two people and their dogs, authorities said.

The incident occurred last Saturday around 8 p.m. when the unidentified suspect was driving his silver four-door Jeep Cherokee approximately 1.7 miles south of the Klipsan Beach approach outside of Long Beach in Pacific County in Washington, some 180 miles southwest of Seattle, according to a statement from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Police.

“The same Jeep nearly struck two subjects walking their dogs on the beach,” officials said. “Multiple witnesses came forward including three that stopped the vehicle, photographing it and the driver.”

Most of the seagulls died immediately but efforts to save the few remaining injured birds failed.

“WDFW police have identified the driver thanks to these community members and officers are currently attempting to contact the man who is believed to be living out of State,” authorities said.

Seagulls are classified as protected in Washington and it is illegal for them to be hunted or fished.

Authorities are currently looking for witnesses and have asked the public to get in touch with them if you have any information regarding the person of interest or vehicle by contacting the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Police at (877) 933-9847.

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(OKLAHOMA CITY) — Several Oklahoma schools are speaking out against State Superintendent Ryan Walters’ directive to teach the Bible in public school grades 5 through 12.

Walters recently released guidelines on his controversial Bible mandate in public schools after ordering educators to incorporate the religious text into their lessons, arguing that the Bible is necessary to ensure “students grasp the core values and historical context of our country.”

In a June 27 meeting, Walters spoke on the requirement, saying, “every teacher and every classroom in the state will have a Bible in the classroom and will be teaching from the Bible in the classroom.”

The order was followed by intense backlash from civil liberties groups and the Oklahoma Education Association – a collective of educators, administrators and other school employees — who say it infringes on students’ and educators’ freedom of religion.

Now, several Oklahoma schools have publicly stated that there will not be any changes to their curriculum and that they will continue to adhere to current school standards despite Walters’ recently announced guidelines.

In a July 25 statement, Owasso Public Schools Superintendent Margaret Coates said the district “will continue to adhere to the curriculum and instructional materials previously adopted by the district.”

“As a public school system, it is crucial that we maintain neutrality and objectivity in our curriculum and instructional practices,” Coates continued.

Many school district superintendents noted that Walters cannot solely mandate curriculum or instructional resources — pointing to the state law that requires standards to receive legislative approval on a six-year cycle and state statutes that give local districts the ability to determine reading and instructional materials.

Currently, the 2019 approved Oklahoma state education standards include religion as it relates to its historical role and to cultures around the world. According to the current “World History Content Standards,” educators are to discuss “the origins, major beliefs, spread and lasting impact of the world’s major religions and philosophies, including Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Confucianism, and Sikhism.”

Stillwater Public Schools Superintendent Uwe Gordon said in an online statement that the school will neither be purchasing class copies of the Bible nor will it deliver lessons from Bibles or any other religious text.

“SPS prides itself on being respectful of the myriad religions, cultures, traditions, worldviews, and belief systems inherent in our community,” said Gordon. “The district also holds itself to adherence with the state’s established academic standards and the laws of the land.”

Gordon also reaffirmed students’ abilities to pray in schools, read religious texts on their own, wear religious garb and meet with religious student-led clubs.

In a statement on the Bixby Public Schools district website, Superintendent Rob Miller said he agrees with Walters on “the importance of studying the role of religion in historical and cultural contexts.”

However, the district argues that the teaching of any specific religious doctrine or ideology is not part of the current state standards. Therefore, Bixby Public Schools said it will not change its curriculum.

Moore Public Schools Superintendent Robert Romines clarified in a statement on July 18 that while students should learn about religion’s role in historical and cultural contexts, the teaching of specific religious doctrines or practices is not a part of the current education standards.

“Our goal is to continue providing a respectful environment that acknowledges various perspectives while adhering to the set and approved Oklahoma educational standards,” said Romines.

Walters told ABC News in a statement: “Some Oklahoma educators have indicated they won’t follow the law and Oklahoma standards, so let me be clear: they will comply, and I will use every means to make sure of it.”

ABC News asked for clarification on the consequences educators or schools could face if they did not comply, but his office did not provide a response.

Walters’ guidelines require educators to incorporate the Bible by looking at “only its historical, literary and secular benefits” by noting the Bible’s influence on Western civilization, American history, literature, art and music.

The guidelines also repeatedly state that the Bible “is not to be used for religious purposes such as preaching, proselytizing or indoctrination” and that “maintaining neutrality and objectivity is crucial.”

When it comes to the constitutionality of religion in schools, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled against mandated religious practices or texts in schools.

In 1980, the U.S. Supreme Court determined that Kentucky’s then-law requiring that a copy of the Ten Commandments be posted in public classrooms “had no secular legislative purpose” and was “plainly religious in nature.”

Nearly 20 years before that, the Supreme Court ruled that school-sponsored devotional prayer and Bible readings in public schools are unconstitutional.

Local news outlet Tulsa World recently reported comments from Walters in which he appeared to welcome lawsuits against the Bible directive, in hopes that the U.S. Supreme Court could overturn previous precedent on the separation of church and state.

Miller, from Bixby Public Schools, noted that these comments seem to be a “tacit acknowledgment that this directive may not pass constitutional muster based on current statutes and legal precedent and may require a future review by the Supreme Court.”

“Bixby Schools will continue to comply with existing case law to ensure that the rights of our students and employees are fully protected,” Miller said.

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(PLANT CITY, Fla.) — Four people and three dogs are dead after a Florida mobile home was intentionally set on fire in what authorities called an “evil” act, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.

The sheriff’s office responded to a call of a fire at a residence in Plant City shortly after midnight on Wednesday.

Fire crews were able to knock down the fire in 20 minutes, though four people were found dead at the scene, authorities said. Three dogs were also killed in the blaze.

A 25-year-old man who lived in the home has been arrested after allegedly admitting to intentionally setting the home on fire.

The suspect, Shawn Gossett, was found near the mobile home after fire crews responded to the blaze, according to Hillsborough County Chief Deputy Joseph Maurer.

Gossett allegedly admitted to detectives that he started the fire by igniting paper towels with a lighter, Maurer said.

“The details of why and his motive are still being worked out as we work through this investigation,” Maurer said during a press briefing on Wednesday. “This is an immense tragedy, and one that was senseless.”

Gossett has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder while engaged in arson, three counts of aggravated cruelty to animals and one count of arson of a dwelling, the sheriff’s office said. It is unclear if he has an attorney who can speak on his behalf.

Gossett is believed to have been friends with the family who lived in the home, Maurer said. The names of the victims, who were all adults, have not yet been released pending family notification, he said.

Maurer said the victims were unable to get out of the home, but it is unclear why.

Their manner and cause of death are pending an autopsy and should be available later Wednesday, Maurer said.

Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister commended the swift actions of the Hillsborough County Fire Rescue that led to an arrest in the incident.

“This is an utterly senseless and horrific crime where four innocent lives were tragically taken due to the evil actions of this man,” Chronister said in a statement.

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(MOUNDRIDGE, Kan.) — A toddler was rescued Sunday afternoon after getting stuck underground in a PVC pipe, officials said.

Emergency responders in Moundridge, Kansas, “acted swiftly and worked diligently for approximately 15-20 minutes to safely recover the child,” the Moundridge Police Department said in a press release.

The 14-month-old boy was “understandably shaken,” but was not injured in the incident, police said.

The boy fell into the sump pump drain while playing outside, according to Wichita, Kansas, ABC affiliate KAKE.

“Kids are always a concern, especially small kids,” Moundridge EMS Director Brian Falco told KAKE. “He doesn’t communicate. He doesn’t follow instructions. It’s not like an adult.”

The pipe was about 1 foot in diameter and about 10 to 12 feet deep, police said.

Police specifically commended one officer, identified as Officer Ronnie Wagner, who they said “constructed a makeshift ‘catch pole’ using a smaller PVC pipe and rope.”

“This creative solution was instrumental in lifting the child safely from the pipe,” police said.

Police thanked first responders for their work in rescuing the toddler.

“We extend our deepest gratitude to all the first responders for their swift and effective action, which transformed a dangerous situation into a successful rescue,” police said.

ABC News’ Alex Faul contributed to this report.

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