Sunday Snapshot: "Self-destructive" Trump

1. GOP should call Trump "out for what he is," ex-Georgia official says

Former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan said Sunday he's "never seen a human be more self-destructive than Donald Trump the last two weeks."

Why it matters: Duncan, a lifelong Republican, endorsed Biden's 2024 White House bid and, after Biden's bow-out from the race, has rallied behind Harris.

• Speaking to Atlanta rally-goers Saturday, Trump dug up old grievances with the state's top GOP leaders, attacking Gov. Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, whom the former president infamously asked to help him "find 11,780 votes" and overturn the Peach State's 2020 election results.
• "Your governor, Kemp and Raffensperger, they're doing everything possible to make 2024 difficult for Republicans to win," Trump said at the rally.

Driving the news: Asked about the jab at his former boss, Duncan, now a CNN political commentator, told CNN's Dana Bash Sunday, that he and Raffensberger have "done more for the conservative cause than Donald Trump has ever done."

• "This is now starting to not be Donald Trump's problem; this is starting to be the Republican Party's problem," urging the party to "call him out for what he is."
• He accused the GOP of being "content sitting across the street watching it happen."

Catch up quick: Endorsing Biden in May, Duncan wrote in an op-ed, "This November, I am voting for a decent person I disagree with on policy over a criminal defendant without a moral compass."

2. U.S. tried to include jailed teacher in prisoner swap

While Thursday's prisoner exchange, one of the largest between Moscow and the West since the Cold War, saw Gershkovich and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan back stateside, the family of Marc Fogel continues to plead for his return.

Zoom in: "Marc Fogel is on all of our minds, every single day. We have been working to get Marc Fogel out throughout the course of his detention, including trying to get Marc Fogel included in this deal," Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer said on CNN's "State of the Union."

• Finer added that the State Department is still working on Fogel's release.

Flashback: Fogel was arrested in 2021 and sentenced to 14 years in prison for allegedly entering Russia with medical marijuana.

• "Marc has been unjustly detained for far too long and must be prioritized in any swap negotiations with Russia, regardless of his level of notoriety or celebrity," his family said in a statement after the exchange.

State of play: Asked on CBS' "Face the Nation" if Fogel could be home by the end of Biden's term, Finer said, "predictions about future events like this is not a business I want to be in."

3. SCOTUS Judge warns Biden about reforms

Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch gave a bit of a warning for President Biden over proposed court reforms: "Be careful."

The big picture: Biden's reform proposal calls for 18-year term limits for the justices, an enforceable ethics code and a constitutional amendment that would neutralize the court's presidential immunity ruling.

• In a clip aired on "Fox News Sunday," the justice was careful not to wade too far into what he said "is now a political issue during a presidential election year."

What they're saying: Asked what the independence of the U.S. justice system means, Gorsuch said anyone can get a fair hearing "even when you are unpopular."

• "It's there for the moments when the spotlight's on you — when the government's coming after you. And don't you want a ferociously independent judge and a jury of your peers to make those decisions? Isn't that your right as an American?"

4. Gershkovich "hasn't lost his spirit as a journalist"

Dow Jones CEO and Wall Street Journal publisher Almar Latour did not rule out Gerhkovich following through on his final request before he was released from prison: an interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

What they're saying: "Evan hasn't lost his spirit as a journalist," Latour said. "He's a journalist with a hunger for stories — he's a storyteller."

• The paper's publisher suggested the interview could be in "a neutral country" rather than Russia but deferred to the newsroom. It's unknown if the Kremlin will grant Gerhkovich's request.
• "Boy, wouldn't that be an amazing thing to see?" Latour asked, but added, "I don't want to speculate."

Between the lines: The Wall Street Journal was deeply involved in securing their Russia correspondent's release, characterized by Latour as "a lot of quiet diplomacy."

Catch up quick: A formality of the release process required the detained reporter to write an official request for presidential clemency addressed to Putin, the WSJ reported.

• At the bottom of the form, the Journal reported, Gershkovich added his interview request.

More from Axios' Sunday coverage:

• Trump and Vance argue they don't care about Harris' VP pick
• Rival Democrats line up to tank Shapiro's veepstakes chances