GEOFF BENNETT: On the major political stories# shaping the week, we turn to the analysis tonight## of Capehart and Johnson.

That's Jonathan Capehart,# associate editor for The Washington Post, and## Eliana Johnson, editor in chief of The Washington# Free Beacon.

David Brooks is away this evening.

Hello, hello.

JONATHAN CAPEHART: Hi, Geoff.

ELIANA JOHNSON, .. GEOFF BENNETT: S.. Democratic presidential nomination in# this virtual vote of party delegates.## This is the same day that the campaigns# says it raised $310 million in July.

This is the biggest haul of the 2024 cycle, more# than double what Donald Trump's campaign and the## RNC raised in the same month.

But, Jonathan, it# was far from a guarantee that Democrats would## remain as united and as energized as they have# been since V.P.

Harris emerged atop the ticket.

What do you make of this launch of hers# and this historic fund-raising haul?

JONATHAN CAPEHART: Well, the launch is pretty# spectacular.

I remember sitting here and saying,## if Joe -- Joe Biden needs to be the top the# ticket, and if he's not top the ticket, and## it's not Vice President Harris,# Democrats are going to lose.

And I said that because there were people talking,## there were moves afoot to leapfrog over the# sitting vice president for someone else.

That## did not happen.

And I think the way the vice# president comported herself through all of## this spoke well of her, the team around# her, her commitment to the president.

And I think that once the president endorsed# her, which was very, very important,## the level of enthusiasm went from zero# to 1,000 in a nanosecond.

And we see,## according to the Supreme Court, money is# speech.

So $310 million raised in just,## what -- in the month of July, but the bulk of# it in the last 10 days, that says something.

The Democratic Party is energized.

They're# thrilled.

And her campaign speeches and her## events show that it's not just that# they're -- you got a new candidate,## but there's some passion behind her.

GEOFF BENNETT: And, Eliana, for Donald Trump,# I mean, he's now facing criticism for falsely## claiming that Kamala Harris misled voters about# her race.

He's also having to defend his vice## president, J.D.

Vance, who's being scrutinized for# past comments he made disparaging childless women.

The vice president has a real record# that Republicans could scrutinize,## but Donald Trump keeps reverting to these# race- and gender-based attacks.

Why are## he and his campaign struggling to# find a line of attack that sticks?

ELIANA JOHNSON: One thing on# the Democrats before that is,## in terms of uniting the party and getting# people excited, it helps not to have a primary,## where Democratic candidates were pummeling# each other, which they managed to avoid.

In terms of Trump, yes, he's veering off# into bizarre spaces.

And what the Trump## campaign needs to do -- why is he doing# it?

He's not a particularly disciplined## messenger.

I don't think anybody's# particularly surprised to see this.

They need to settle on one message and one line# of attack against Kamala Harris, whether it's that## she's a San Francisco liberal whose views are out# of touch and to the left of those of the average## American, or that she's flip-flopped and changed# every position she held that she ran on in 2019.

And so if they do that, they can say she doesn't# believe in anything.

She's willing to say anything## in order to be elected president.

But pick# one and hammer it home every day.

I'm sure## that is what Susie Wiles and Chris# LaCivita, Trump's campaign managers,## are telling him to do, but Trump is Trump.

He's the same candidate he's always been.

GEOFF BENNETT: And, Jonathan, Democrats say# that they have learned their lesson from 2016,## that now, when Donald Trump attacks,# they try to respond aggressively,## but they use his attacks to# reemphasize their own message.

Are we seeing more of that?

JONATHAN CAPEHART: We are.

Well, here's the thing about the vice president# and her campaign's responses to the raci.. misogyny coming from Donald Trump.

She# does -- she gives it maybe one line in## any of her campaign speeches, and she moves# on to talking about the Biden/Harris record## and then what a Harris administration would# do if she's entrusted with the presidency.

So they're not paying attention -- they're not# giving it undue oxygen to keep it going.

And## so I think they're doing what they need to do.# Meanwhile, on the social media side, however,## they're all over it, I mean, so many memes, so# many little videos that the young people can share## where she -- where the campaign is responding# to the ridiculousness, particularly from NABJ,## with Donald Trump saying she turned Black,# which has set off a whole meme on its own.

GEOFF BENNETT: Well, we expect that the# vice president could name her running## mate any time this weekend, certainly by Tuesday,## when she and her running mate are expected to# have their first appearance in Philadelphia.

And I'm told that she has settled, she's# narrowed her list of finalists to these six,## Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear,# Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg,## Arizona's Senator Mark Kelly,# Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker,## Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, and, of# course, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro.

So this is according to two sources familiar.

Eliana, the conventional wisdom has# always been that a V.P.

pick doesn't## really matter in the grand scheme of things.# Is that different in this election cycle?

ELIANA JOHNSON: I think it could be,## in that Harris has a more difficult# row to hoe in the Electoral College.

And so, if I were her -- the Harris# campaign is not asking me for advice.

(LAUGHTER) ELIANA JOHNSON: I would pick# someone .. And some of these candidates# could help her marginally,## given that they come from states that are# very competitive, Mark Kelly in Arizona,## though I think he has too much personal baggage.# He had a very testy divorce in 2004, and Josh## Shapiro in Pennsylvania.

And, for that reason, I# think those two are probably the front-runners.

My money would probably be on Shapiro, but# I have no special insight into this process.

GEOFF BENNETT: Jonathan, do you have# special insight into this process?

JONATHAN CAPEHART: I have no# special insight into this process.

JONATHAN CAPEHART: But I will say, I# mean, every four years, we talk about,## well, the vice presidential# pick doesn't really matter.

But tell that to John McCain in 2008,# where Sarah Palin looked real great.

I## was in the hall when she gave the hockey# mom, hockey mom speech and thought, ooh,## Obama's going to have some issues here, and# then, within a couple of weeks, completely## imploded.

And so the vice presidential pick# does have an impact, as Donald Trump is seeing.

ELIANA JOHNSON: I actually# don't agree with that on Palin,## though.

I think McCain -- I think Palin# actually helped the McCain ticket,## even though, in retrospect, people# think, oh, she was a total moron.

I think McCain got more votes with# Palin on that ticket because she## excited women at the time than# he otherwise would have gotten.

JONATHAN CAPEHART: Initially, but come# on, a couple Katie Couric interviews... ELIANA JOHNSON: I don't think she hurt him.

JONATHAN CAPEHART: ... Charlie# Gi.. ELIANA JOHNSON: I don't think she hurt him.

GEOFF BENNETT: Well, as we end our conversation,## I want to talk about the fact that Wall# Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich## and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan were among# those two dozen detainees released as part of## the biggest prisoner exchange between# Russia and the West since the Cold War.

Lasting takeaways.

President Biden# said it was a feat of diplomacy.

JONATHAN CAPEHART: Yes, not bad for# an 82-year-old man everyone said had## cognitive decline and were questioning# his mental acuity.

When you read what was## that -- the ticktock of what happened in The# Wall Street Journal, that man was all over it.

This was a huge diplomatic feat, but this was also# a huge victory for the United States and for the## American people.

To bring those Americans home is# something that should be universally celebrated.

GEOFF BENNETT: And the detail that he# was on the phone with his Slovenian## counterpart basically coordinating this# deal just an hour before he announced## that he wouldn't seek reelection,# I mean, how does that strike you?

JONATHAN CAPEHART: Well, that# example is something that,## when I have interviewed -- I have the# president twice.

And in both interviews,## I came away with one really distinct# impression.

He loves that job.

And the fact that he's got all of this stuff going# on, but he is on the phone trying to make a deal,## that's why he wants to be president.

That's why he# loves the job.

It's about getting something done.

GEOFF BENNETT: Eliana?

ELIANA JOHNSON: It's wonderful that# they're home.

However, w.. stop doing deals where we trade terrorists# and assassins for reporters and dissidents.

And what dictator wouldn't take more hostages# to make that deal?

And in order to do that,## we need to impose serious consequences on the# hostage-taking nations.

And that is not something## I have seen from the Biden administration.# If we continue to do deals like this,## we will find more Americans behind bars,# unjustly detained in despotic nations.

GEOFF BENNETT: Eliana Johnson and# Jonathan Capehart, thank you both.

JONATHAN CAPEHART: Thanks, Geoff.

ELIANA JOHNSON: Thank you.