August 1, 2024: Midday News

New Jersey native and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich is among three U.S. citizens released on Thursday in the largest U.S.-Russia prisoner swap since the Soviet era. Gershkovich, accused of spying for the U.S., was sentenced to 16 years in prison. Meanwhile, Mayor Eric Adams says his administration has shut down more than 750 unlicensed marijuana shops since May, seizing over $41 million worth of illegal products. Finally, Mayor Adams is under scrutiny from the city’s campaign finance watchdog over fundraising practices in his 2021 mayoral campaign. WNYC’s Michael Hill speaks with reporter Brigid Bergin, who exclusively obtained a draft audit by the city’s Campaign Finance Board.