eight available cameras and 14 views. >> so you can focus on the view that really matters though, miss it vague. a slow network is no network for business. that's why more choose comcast business. and now, we're introducing ultimate speed for business —our fastest plans yet. we're up to 12 times faster than verizon, at&t, and t-mobile. and existing customers could even get up to triple the speeds... at no additional cost. it's ultimate speed for ultimate business. don't miss out on our fastest speed plans yet! switch to comcast business and get started for $49.99 a month. plus, ask how to get up to an $800 prepaid card. call today! hi america, thursday, july 4th, they 70s dirt on cnn i ever one you're in the cnn newsroom. i'm omar jimenez in washington putin in an exclusive interview with cnn, detain a detained american paul whelan is appealing for the white house to help him come back home. as you marks another milestone in a remote so russian prison camp, he's now been detained for more than 2000 days. that's five-and-a-half years. we then was arrested in moscow back in 2018 on espionage it's charges he denies he was sentenced to 16 years in prison. now, the state department says rylan has been wrongfully detained and telling cnn 2000 days is far too long. long for paul to be wrongfully detained in russia. our hearts go out to paul and his family, who feel the pain of separation in a way that very few people have experienced and then as jenny hansler joins me now, who's been reporting on all of this and has been speaking to paul whelan. so jenny, i guess i know we've talked a little bit about it, but what else has he had to say at this point? >> well, omar, he's incredibly disheartened and kind of in disbelief at the amount of two time he has spent in russian detention, five-and-a-half years. he said that's an incredible amount of time. he pointed to the fact, do you go to college, for example, you go to high school. that's four years and five-and-a-half years, far surpasses that amount of time for these major life milestones. he is calling on the us government to do their utmost to bring both himself and evan gershkovich, the detained wall street journal reporter, home. he says he does feel the us government is taking his case seriously, but he wants them to take it more seriously. he wants them to take what he did describes as decisive action to bring him home. i want you to take a listen to what he describes as a decisive action in his mind u.s. >> need to go out and do something you don't fill up guantanamo bay with russian officials rushed russian spies do something that makes the kremlin sit up and take notice and say, okay, yeah, right now it's time that we're going to get evan and paul back and then we want back what you've got a bowers and we'll call it a day so his argument here, omar, is that unless the us government takes this kind of decisive action, they will continue to detain americans and we have seen a number of americans detained in by russia in the past years and months. >> cord and black, the us soldier alsu kurmasheva, though a dual rushing us journalist the dual so russian u.s. ballerina, there have been a number of cases. now the us government for their part, has put forward what they describe as a substantial and serious proposal to bring being home both paul and evan to the russians to this point, the russians have not accepted that proposal. we don't even know if they've actually seriously considered it during all of this this trial. paul is in this remote russian penal colony about a day's drive from moscow. and he described the conditions there as just incredibly grim he works in a clothing factory there, omar, this is what else you told me about his time there everything is dusty and dirty and nasty. >> and you do everything you can just stay cool and just the state claimed just horrible we really do rely on personal purchases to stay healthy medical cares. does nil there is no dental care at all it's it's it's the worst environment you can imagine. i mean, it's unbelievable anyone could even consider this human rights it's nothing that you can get used to this is just a really grim place that he has spent had to spend years and years throughout his course of detention there and russia? no, i think he said it in place in terms in the conversation you have just last week, i was talking with a top hostage negotiator, nobel peace prize nominee, mickey bergen, who i, mickey bergman, who i knew no that you know, as well, i want you to take a listen a little bit of what he said last week on this topic it's the russians are really their professional diplomats, old school diploma diplomacy with them. >> they, they have very clear intent to know exactly what they're going going for very, very sharp an early on when we started working on prisoners, it was paul whelan. there was no trevor reed taken, there was no brittney griner taken, certainly not evan gershkovich and others that we have now and we figured out and we started talking to them, we realized that the russians are very big on reciprocity and symmetry that is the big thing that drove in if you look at the bills that were conducted, trevor reed for constantinian shanker, brittney griner for victor boot and there were opportunities to bring paul whelan. i actually discuss it in my book. i believe he was left behind four times on this he can still come home and we need to do it and i played it because i know that you've spoken in paul whelan multiple times, dozens, if about a dozen if i'm not mistaken, but one of the first time around when brittney griner was released and he was left behind in that sense, what has been the evolution of the conversations you've had from maybe from the first time you spoke to going to now well, that's been kind of a through line throughout the conversations omar, is this sense that he was left behind in a number of these prisoner exchanges. >> he didn't come home when britney came home can come home and trevor reed came home and he feels that this is a problem that he has not been included in these negotiations. now, the us government says russia would not include them in these negotiate associations. mickey makes the point that they're always looking for reciprocity, so they are looking for a spy for an alleged spy, which is what they allege paul is he has vehemently denied that. he he's had to adjust to that for sure. >> yeah. journey hands are really appreciate you being here. >> thank you for bringing us this reporting really important perspective. 2000 days thanks. >> all right. we're following other news as well. countdown is on for cnn's presidential debate. now, just five days away and come at president joe biden and his republican challenger, former president donald trump, are taking very different approaches to how they prepare for this high-stakes face off at least as of late sources from trump's campaign, tell us the former president is taken can maybe a less conventional approach holding private and informal policy discussions with potential vp picks coming up with ways to answer questions about his criminal conviction in and skipping mock debates all together in fact, today, he's not even doing debate prep at least for now. instead, he's hitting the campaign trail, holding a rally in philadelphia for you tonight. and here he was just a few hours ago, according christian conservative voters, at an event in washington and we do not answer to the bureaucrats in washington. >> we answered to god in heaven, who likes to ten commandments by the way, going up in the school but christians cannot afford to sit on this sidelines of joe biden gets back in christianity will not be safe. we have also achieved what the pro-life movement fought to get 449 years and we've gotten abortion out of the federal government now, i'll trump hits the campaign trail. >> president biden, is that camp david with a close team of advisers poring over possible questions, holding mock debates, and focusing on how the best frame trump as unfit for office. so a lot to talk about here, joining us now to discuss his betsy mccoy, former lieutenant governor of new york, and a trump's supporters well, i should mention also with us is former obama administration official and cnn senior political commentator van jones. alright, look, we've got the debate and a few days here at this point the big the question van, i'll start with you is, what is president biden need to do on thursday well, i mean, you're going up against a force of nature you've going up against a grizzly bear, a hurricane, and are on a freight train at the same time. >> so just being able to stand his ground and deliver is a big part of it. you couldn't do it. i couldn't do it. nobody here could do a donald trump is a force of nature. so just to stand toe-to-toe with this guy for an hour-and-a-half long. it is. and give his goods he gets they win. and tropez has to knock them out. i mean, trump has got to do extraordinarily well because everybody expects him to know bags of eggs, biden chew, so it's really trump's to mess up in my point of view. >> and betsy, i'll ask you the same question. i mean, what does the former president need to do? what are you looking for from him at the end debate? >> well, i want to compliment them first because he wrote a terrific piece two days ago, emphasizing what high-stakes these stupid, this debate is and it probably is one of the most high-stakes debate in presidential history. i think to make this a fair debate two things need to be done. i would suggest that the moderators as both both candidates, the same questions they're both incumbents with records to defend. and secondly, i would call on judge merchan to lift the gag order. so when the topic does turn to president trump's conviction he is free to explain why he believes that conviction is unjust, including his views of the judge and of the testimony at the trial because otherwise, it's not just as his rights are being deprived, that he's losing his first amendment rights all right. >> but the voters are losing their right to hear from the candidate fully. >> and if it's a close election and trump loses by a sliver and then his conviction was overturned. voters aren't going to get a second chance to go to the polls and i will say this is happening right before trump's sentencing, which is scheduled to happen in july. and he can still talk about the justice department at large. and about the judge. but it's specific people as well. but as you point out, it'll be interesting to see how he threads that line. van a big part of democrats strategy, dysnomia remember, we have seen and likely we'll see, we'll focus on abortion. and many activists believe that painting trump as the reason why roe v. wade was overturned. in which the anniversaries and just a few days here and just ahead of the debate is going to be key and trump today at a rally commented on just that take less in real quick i want to thank the six supreme court justices, thanks to these justices. >> we have also achieved what the pro-life movement four to get 449 years and we've gotten abortion out of the federal government, getting it back to the states puts the question where it belongs with a vote of the people in overtime it will all all work it's working out right now so i guess van the question is, do you expect abortion politically to hold the same weight that it did in the immediate aftermath of when dobbs was struck down? it definitely will. and i'm happy to see donald trump just a hug and that cactus, you keep plugging that cactus brother. that is the one issue that the american people or have been increasingly appalled by the outcome of this abstractly b. my oh, yes, i'm against abortion. but then when they hear about people who are i'm going to die if they can't have this procedure, they hear about people being raped, people who've been big the incest, who were being forced to have, they're rapist kids i go, well, that's not what i wanted. and so donald trump has to hug this cactus. it is the one issue that i think, especially for younger voters, will continue to be a primary motivator and betsy, i'll just ask you on the other side of that. i mean, is it wrong for him to tout overturning abortion? is he hugging a cactus here well, i don't think he is, but and i'm approached choice republican, but i will say this. >> the new york times reported just a couple love days ago that donald trump's lead among men is widening. but biden's lead among women is not. it's shrinking and here's why as important as abortion rights are too many women, particularly suburban women. they're beginning to notice other things that are very important to them that donald trump is more focused on. of course inflation, they go to the supermarket and see the price of food, the price of gas. but the other one is crime related to the border in latin america, there was a culture of wanton assault, rape, and murder of women. the united states, the united nations has called it femicide. and is condemned several latin american nations for allowing this to occur. now, it is being transferred across the southern border. you see rape trees and rape tents all the way along from the northern triangle and the latin american countries to the mexican border. and now just in the last week, you've seen several gruesome crimes. the rape of 11-year-old girl walking home from school and queens, the murder of a 12th year-old girl in texas, her body noting down the river and a woman of thought with five children murdered all by these migrants so sure about that. >> i'll just jump in really quickly. i don't want to take away from the seriousness of those events. obviously. obviously those are those are tragedies and i know what you're talking about. the un designating that part of the world as having issues with femicide. we also see that issue across the world in various regions. and while these crimes are happening i don't know that we've seen them happen at a rate higher than us citizens committing crimes at this point that does not take away from the seriousness of what we're talking about. and van i use that framing to pose the question to you. is that obviously immigration and concerns about security, security at the border are very real for the voting population here and i just wonder, how do you think biden has handled this? and do you think this will hurt him politically, how he's handled it so far to this point well, right now of people were concerned about immigration, trust trump more than they trust biden. >> so right now it's hurting them, but the reality is that biden is doing more and doing more in a balanced way despite the republicans refusing to help him. now, the republicans strategy was to scream fire. as we just heard, is terrible. it's terrible loss, horrible stuff is happening. and then when it's time to pass the bill, refused to pass a bill to do anything about it because they like being able to tell these kind of horror stories. and by the way, the vast majority of people who are locked up in this country for rape our of american citizens are american citizens. the vast majority, the vast majority of people in this country are locked up for murder and all of these crimes against american citizens are american citizens. and so the pink, this because say there's a culture, there is not a culture. there are some criminal elements who are running rough shot. there's no culture south of the border that celebrates rate and that's the kind of stuff i hope republican scream that from the rooftops that the republican, we got one right here that thinks that latinos are have some passion for crimes against women that is the kind of stuff actually pushes people toward democrats and away from that party i have to leave it there than to the right i didn't nations on that topic. >> there the right way station has pointed to these south american and central american countries as fostering tolerating, you say culture that demonizes and victimizes women and young girls. and you citizens. >> but we should not allow much refereeing reporter who think people using the border you are insulting people below the board. you're misrepresenting that report and we can come back, talk about later on to watch it. >> i'll leave it there. we will come back to that. we'll have you guys back. we'll talk it out i just didn't reshet your perspectives as always, van jones, that betsy mccoy, thanks for being here. all right. that may have been a little bit of a preview because the cnn presidential debate is this thursday, where some of these same issues are going to be discussed. june in 27th at 9:00 p.m. eastern watch right here on cnn or stream on max. still ahead for us here today, the supreme court made a major ruling on a gun, right? 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