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☆ Brittney Griner, in Her Own Words
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Sarah Lyall | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

COMING HOME, by Brittney Griner with Michelle BurfordIf you weren’t following women’s basketball, you probably hadn’t heard of Brittney Griner when she was arrested at a Moscow-area airport in February 2022. “Fear is one thing,” Griner writes in “Coming Home,” her new memoir, describing the stomach-curdling moment when an inspector seized her passport and told her to wait. “But uncertainty, the unknown, a free fall into mystery — that’s much stronger than fear; it’s terror.”At first, Griner naïvely thought she would be fined and sentenced to house arrest. But possession of even a small amount of drugs is a serious offense in Russia, and she was eventually charged with narcotics smuggling. Days later, when Russia invaded Ukraine, Griner found herself a high-profile pawn in a vicious geopolitical battle.

Persons: Brittney Griner, Michelle Burford, Brittney, —, Griner, ” Organizations: Phoenix Mercury, UMMC, Mercury Locations: Moscow, UMMC Yekaterinburg, Russian, United States, Russia, Ukraine

☆ Brittney Griner tells The Cut she ‘worried someone might shoot the plane down’ after her release from Russian detention
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( George Ramsay | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Brittney Griner feared that her plane would be shot down after she was released from detention in Russia, the WNBA star said in a new interview with The Cut. Speaking with former US soccer icon Megan Rapinoe in an interview published in The Cut on Monday, Griner recalled the moment she learned that she was being released. “I got a note underneath my door that said, ‘Be ready at midnight,’ or some late, crazy hour,” she said. I was worried someone might shoot the plane down. The US State Department, however, deemed that Griner had been wrongfully detained, and she was released in December 2022 in a prisoner swap involving Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.

Persons: Brittney Griner, Megan Rapinoe, Griner, “, ‘, ” Griner, Viktor Bout, Suzanne Cordeiro, ”, Rapinoe, Bash Raymond Griner Organizations: CNN, WNBA, US State Department, Russian, Getty, Phoenix Mercury Locations: Russia, San Antonio , Texas, AFP

☆ Brittney Griner tells ABC that she ‘wanted to take my life more than once’ while detained in Russia
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Wayne Sterling | George Ramsay | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The US State Department deemed that Griner had been wrongfully detained and she was released in December 2022 in a prisoner swap involving Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. I felt like leaving here so badly,” Griner said in the ABC interview which aired on Wednesday. I have to endure this.”Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, also said that she was required to write Russian President Vladimir Putin a letter asking for forgiveness. Natalia Kolesnikova/Reuters“They made me write this letter,” said Griner, not specifying who told her to write the letter. The Phoenix Mercury star is entering her 11th WNBA season having returned to the team in May last year.

Persons: CNN — Brittney Griner, ABC’s, Griner, Viktor Bout, “, ” Griner, can’t, ”, Vladimir Putin, Natalia Kolesnikova, Reuters “, Cherelle Organizations: International Association for Suicide Prevention, Befrienders Worldwide, CNN, WNBA, US State Department, Russian, ABC, Reuters, ”, UMMC Ekaterinburg, Phoenix Mercury, Paris Olympics Locations: Russia, Khimki, Moscow, Russian, Paris

☆ 5 Takeaways From the Times Interview of Brittney Griner
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( J Wortham | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

star Brittney Griner was starting her nine-year sentence in a penal colony in Russia, sewing uniforms for the Russian military and subsisting on spoiled food. Griner was arrested at the Moscow Airport in February 2022, when officials found two vape cartridges in her backpack with 0.7 grams of cannabis oil. (To treat Griner’s chronic pain, a physician in Arizona had prescribed medical marijuana, but it was against the law in Russia.) She was charged with illegal drug possession and smuggling “a significant amount” of narcotics into the country and was sent to prison. Here are the highlights from my profile of the basketball star after I met her at a practice facility in Phoenix.

Persons: Brittney Griner, she’d, Griner Organizations: Moscow Airport Locations: Russia, Arizona, Phoenix

She loaded her carry-ons onto the conveyor belt at the security checkpoint and prepared to walk through the metal detector. “I just felt like they were searching for something.”At first, when they flagged her bags, Griner wasn’t too concerned. This was her eighth season in Russia; she paid taxes there and was familiar with the country and its laws. As soon as she felt the cannabis-oil cartridge stowed in a zippered inner pocket in her backpack, her stomach sank. Griner was told to wait while the agent took the cartridges for testing, along with her passport.

Persons: “, ”, wasn’t, Cherelle, Griner, Lindsay Colas, Colas, Alex Boykov, Boykov, snickered, peered, “ I’ve Organizations: Moscow Locations: Moscow, Yekaterinburg, Russia, Arizona, United States, Russian

☆ Brittney Griner felt ‘less than human’ while being detained in Russia, she tells ABC in interview
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Surveying her new surroundings in a Russian penal colony, the enormity of her prison confinement suddenly dawned on Brittney Griner, the WNBA star has told ABC. “There was a huge knife sitting on the table, and I was just like: ‘Now, this is going to be a ride,” said Griner. The mattress had a huge blood stain on it. I had no soap, no toilet paper,” added Griner, who the US State Department deemed wrongfully detained and was released last December in a prisoner swap that involved Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. This is a developing story and will be updated.

Persons: Griner, Robin Roberts, “, ”, Viktor Bout Organizations: CNN, WNBA, ABC, US State Department Locations: Russian

☆ What the conversation about Caitlin Clark’s pay gets wrong
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The WNBA’s stars aren’t asking to be paid an equal dollar amount to NBA players, however. WNBA players have made progress on salaries since 2020, when they reached their latest collective bargaining agreement with the league. Sharing the revenue pieBecause it’s a smaller and younger league, women’s players have had less bargaining power with team owners over their pay than men. While NBA players receive 50% of total NBA revenue, the WNBA must hit a certain revenue threshold annually before any revenue sharing agreements kick in. This has held back women’s salaries.

Persons: Caitlin Clark, Clark, Angel Reese, ” Terri Jackson, David Berri, Kelsey Plum, Griner, Jackson, ” Jackson, “ It’s, ”, Alicia Jessop, “ That’s, ” David Berri, David Stern, “, Berri, Cathy Engelbert, ” Breanna Stewart Organizations: New, New York CNN, NBA, National Basketball Association, Women’s National Basketball Association, University of Iowa, Louisiana, NCAA, WNBA, ’ Association, CNN, Southern Utah University, Las Vegas Aces, —, Phoenix Mercury, ’, Pepperdine University, longtime, New York Liberty Locations: New York, men’s, Russia

☆ Brittney Griner re-signs with Phoenix Mercury ahead of Team USA training camp
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-03 | by ( Jill Martin | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Brittney Griner has re-signed with her longtime WNBA team, the Phoenix Mercury, ahead of this year’s Summer Olympic Games in Paris. Griner also is a two-time Olympic gold medalist for Team USA. Tim Clayton/Corbis/Getty Images/FilePhoenix’s signing of Griner comes the same week that the USA Basketball Women’s National Team will hold a training camp in Cleveland, Ohio. On Thursday, the USA Basketball Women’s National Team announced the 14-athlete April training camp roster, which will be held Wednesday through Friday. When announcing the training camp roster Thursday, USA Basketball said at the time that Clark would attend contingent on Iowa’s progression through the NCAA tournament.

Persons: Brittney Griner, ” Griner, Griner, Tim Clayton, Corbis, Griner –, “, ”, Caitlin Clark, Clark Organizations: CNN, WNBA, Phoenix Mercury, Mercury, Team USA, Griner, Rio, USA Basketball Women’s, Paris, Phoenix, Las Vegas Aces, Team, NCAA Locations: Paris, Russia, United States, Cleveland , Ohio, Clark, Iowa, Cleveland

☆ Russian oligarch went to Moscow in effort to broker complex prisoner exchange that included Navalny, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-08 | by ( Sebastian Shukla | Alex Marquardt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —A multi-country prisoner exchange that might have freed Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny was being discussed and progressing when he died last month, multiple sources have told CNN, and included the direct involvement of a Russian oligarch, Roman Abramovich. However, a source close to Navalny’s team told CNN that on the evening of February 15 they had received word that a message had been delivered to Putin. Clinton “initially passed on the message” to US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, Grozev told CNN. “We had to find a way to package the German asset [Krasikov] into an American negotiation,” the source close to the Navalny team said. Getting the message to Putin was one of the greatest challenges, the individual close to the Navalny team told CNN.

Persons: Alexey Navalny, Roman Abramovich, Navalny, Abramovich, Hillary Clinton, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Maria Pevchikh, “, ”, Dmitry Peskov, it’s, Christo Grozev, Clinton, Grozev, Biden, Viktor Bout, Brittney Griner, Clinton “, Jake Sullivan, Sullivan, Pevchikh, Vadim Krasikov, Krasikov, Tucker Carlson, Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, Whelan, Gershkovich, Whelan –, Sergey Vladimirovich Cherkasov, ” Abramovich Organizations: CNN, United Arab, Kremlin, IK, Aspen Ideas, FSB, US National, National Security, Wall Street, Krasikov, Navalny, US Department of Justice Locations: Russian, Moscow, United Arab Emirates, Ukraine, Siberia, Western, Russia, Aspen, Colorado, Berlin, Chechen, Europe, Germans, Brazil

☆ Caitlin Clark: Iowa’s NCAA record-breaking basketball supernova who everyone is talking about
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

In her third season with the team, Iowa reached its first ever NCAA women’s basketball national championship game, though the Hawkeyes eventually lost to LSU. Jensen remembers Clark saying, “Now, what else can we do?” moments after becoming the all-time top scorer in collegiate women’s basketball. I would love to see that.”Clark signs an autograph after becoming the all-time NCAA women's college basketball top scorer. Matthew Putney/APWhat is undeniable are the eyeballs Clark has brought to college women’s basketball. Reese's gesture toward Clark during the second half of the 2023 NCAA women’s basketball national championship game became one of the biggest talking points of the college basketball season.

Persons: CNN — Clark, Caitlin Clark, ’, She’s, Clark, Pete Maravich, Pete ’ –, Maravich’s, Angel Reese, –, Kelsey Plum's, Matthew Putney, Christyn Williams, Carmen Mandato, Steph Curry, Sabrina Ionescu, skillset, Jan Jensen, Jensen, Joseph Cress, Zion Williamson, Kelsey Plum, Anthony Davis, Maya Moore, Allen Iverson, Brittney Griner, Shaquille O’Neal, – Clark, ‘ Stephen, Sabrina ’ –, “ Let’s, Reggie Miller, Damian Lillard, Steph, Sabrina, who’s, Dame, ” Clark, Caitlin, ” Jensen, she’s, Matthew Holst, LSU’s Reese, Reese, John Cena, Tony Gutierrez, Sheryl Swoopes –, Swoopes –, ”, Sheryl Swoopes, Jay Williams, “, “ I’m, doesn’t, WILT, … — Dick Vitale, @DickieV, Dick Vitale, Wilt Chamberlain Organizations: CNN, NCAA, Clark’s University of Iowa, Gatorade, Nike, State Farm, Louisiana State, LSU Tigers, Hawkeyes, Iowa, LSU, UConn Huskies, NBA, WNBA, Michigan, Iowa City Press, Citizen, USA, Indiana Fever, Hall of Famer, Carver, WWE, ESPN, Duke Blue Devils, FAIR Locations: men’s, Des Moines , Iowa, Iowa, ‘

☆ Opinion: What is Putin afraid of?
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-24 | by ( Opinion Frida Ghitis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

She is a weekly opinion contributor to CNN, a contributing columnist to The Washington Post and a columnist for World Politics Review. But in its attempt to exercise and display its strength, Putin is showing his fear. Security forces have arrested Russians questioning the war in Ukraine, let alone questioning Putin. According to rights organization Freedom House, Russia has become one of the world’s top perpetrators of transnational repression. Criticism of the war or of Putin can lead to death in a Russian prison camp.

Persons: Frida Ghitis, Vladimir Putin, Ksenia, Putin, Karelina, Alexey Navalny, Navalny, Chris Van Heerden, didn’t, Boris Nemtsov, Anna Politkovskaya, There’s Navalny, Brittney Griner, Paul Whelan, Evan Gershkovich, —, Gershkovich, Vadim Krasikov, ”, Maxim Kuzminov, Russia “, Alexander Litvinenko, Sergei Skripal, “ Organizations: CNN, Washington Post, Politics, Frida Ghitis CNN, Kremlin, Russia’s Federal Security Service, KGB, Security, US, Wall Street, House, Police Locations: Russia, Russian, Los Angeles, Ukraine, Yekaterinburg, Germany, Chechen, Alicante, Kuzminov, London, Salisbury, England, Moscow, Ukrainian

CNN —A US-Russian dual citizen has been arrested in Russia on charges of treason for allegedly collecting funds for Ukrainian organizations and openly supporting Kyiv. It also accused the woman of taking part in “public actions in support of the Kyiv regime” while in the US. The court chose a preventive measure in the form of detention for the accused,” the statement added. Moscow has detained several US citizens in recent years, some of whom have been exchanged for Russian prisoners held in Western countries. The Moscow City Court on Tuesday rejected Gershkovich’s lawyers appeal and has upheld his pretrial detention until March 30.

Persons: Evan Gershkovich, “, Gershkovich, Vladimir Putin, Vadim Krasikov, Natalia Kolesnikova, ” Putin, Tucker Carlson, ”, Brittney, Viktor Bout, Griner, US Marine Paul Whelan Organizations: CNN, Russia’s Federal Security Service, Ukrainian Armed Forces, Embassy, US State Department, Wall Street, Court, Getty, Fox News, basketball, US Marine Locations: Russian, Russia, Los Angeles, Yekaterinburg, Moscow, “, Lefortovo, Germany, Chechen, Berlin, AFP, United States

☆ Brittney Griner’s No. 42 jersey officially retired by Baylor women’s basketball
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-19 | by ( Homero De La Fuente | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —The Baylor women’s basketball program retired Brittney Griner’s No. Fans in attendance were all given yellow shirts with the number 42 and a silhouette of Griner emblazoned on the front. After finishing her collegiate career as the most decorated player in the program’s history, Griner becomes the seventh player to have her jersey retired in Baylor women’s basketball history. Following her career at Baylor, Griner was the No. She’s also won two Olympic gold medals as part of Team USA’s women’s basketball roster.

Persons: Brittney, Griner, Sims, Melissa Jones, Nina Davis, Suzie Snider Eppers, Shelia Lambert, Sophia Young, LM Otero, she’s, She’s, USA’s, Viktor Bout Organizations: CNN, Baylor, Foster, Bears, Big, NCAA, Phoenix Mercury, WNBA, US State Department Locations: , Texas, Russia, Russian

☆ Putin references Russian hitman in German jail as he suggests ‘agreement can be reached’ on detained US reporter Gershkovich
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Nathan Hodge | Helen Regan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

CNN —Russian President Vladimir Putin has suggested “an agreement can be reached” with the United States to release detained American journalist Evan Gershkovich, as he brought up the conviction of a “patriotic” Russian hitman in Germany. Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter, was arrested last March while on a reporting trip in the country. When Putin said Gershkovich was working with US special services, Carlson did push the Russian president, saying: “This guy is obviously not a spy, he’s a kid. In fact, journalists have repeatedly been requesting interviews with Putin, but the Russian President had declined to grant access. The Russian President suggested that the path to ending the war in Ukraine was through direct negotiations between Washington and Moscow.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Evan Gershkovich, Tucker Carlson, Putin’s, Carlson, Putin, “, ” Putin, ”, Natalia Kolesnikova, Gershkovich’s, “ He’s, Evan, ” Danielle Gershkovich, Biden, Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, He’s, Vadim Krasikov, Krasikov, Viktor Bout, Brittney Griner, Whelan, “ Evan, ” “ Evan, “ We’re, Viktor Orbán, Javier Milei, Volodymyr Zelensky, “ Putin, railroaded Tucker Carlson, Jill Dougherty, Dougherty, Armin Wolf, Joe Biden, Dmitry Medvedev Organizations: CNN, Fox News, Street Journal, Federal Security Service, Novosti, US State Department, Getty, White, Russian, Street, Big Tech, International Criminal Court, Rights Watch, Russia’s, Kremlin, NATO, Republicans Locations: United States, American, Russian, Germany, Ukraine, Moscow, Europe, Russia, US, AFP, Berlin, Chechen, Ukrainian, Mariupol, Austrian, Washington, Poland, Belarus, Israel

☆ Caitlin Clark: Iowa superstar tallies 35 points to move up to second all-time on NCAA scoring leaderboard
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Samuel Joseph | Sam Joseph | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —College basketball superstar Caitlin Clark continues to make history with each passing game. The reigning consensus National Player of the Year moved up to second place on the all-time NCAA Division I women’s basketball scoring leaderboard on Wednesday night, as her Iowa Hawkeyes eased past the Northwestern Wildcats, 110-74. In yet another dominant performance, Clark racked up 35 points to bring her career total to 3,424, only 103 short of the all-time record held by Kelsey Plum. It was also her 50th career game with at least 30 points, the most in men’s or women’s college basketball over the last 25 seasons. Sophomore forward Hannah Stuelke added 17 points and nine rebounds for Iowa, while guard Kate Martin had 16.

Persons: Caitlin Clark, Clark, Brittney Griner, Jackie Stiles, Kelsey Mitchell, Kelsey Plum, I’ve, ” Clark, Lisa, Ben Hsu, Hannah Stuelke, Kate Martin, Melannie Daley, ”, Lisa Bluder, “ Caitlin Organizations: CNN — College, Iowa Hawkeyes, Northwestern Wildcats, Missouri, Ohio State, ESPN, Iowa, Hawkeyes, Indiana Fever, Northwestern, Big, LSU Tigers Locations: men’s, Iowa

The U.S. State Department reported it in December, without offering details, and said Russia rejected it. In Russia, espionage trials can last for more than a year. Gershkovich is the first American reporter to be charged with espionage in Russia since 1986, when Nicholas Daniloff, a Moscow correspondent for U.S. News and World Report, was arrested by the KGB. Analysts have said that Moscow may be using jailed Americans as bargaining chips after U.S.-Russian tensions soared when Russia sent troops into Ukraine. At least two U.S. citizens arrested in Russia in recent years, including WNBA star Brittney Griner, have been exchanged for Russians jailed in the U.S.

Persons: —, Evan Gershkovich, General Stuart Wilson, Gershkovich, “, Vladimir Putin, Paul Whelan, Putin, Biden, ” Putin, Nicholas Daniloff, Brittney Organizations: MOSCOW, Wall Street, United States, Ria Novosti, Russia’s Federal Security Service, U.S, Kremlin, U.S . State Department, Russian Foreign Ministry, U.S . News Locations: Moscow, Russian, American, Yekaterinburg, United States, Russia, Ukraine, U.S

WASHINGTON (AP) — By any standard, the past 18 months have been remarkable for getting wrongfully detained Americans home. For all the releases of wrongly detained Americans, several dozen remain imprisoned or held hostage, often by a hostile government. In some instances, there have been few signs of progress, and families have sometimes seen the foreign countries that are holding their loved ones release other detainees — but not yet their relatives. In September, five Americans jailed for years in Iran walked free in a deal that saw the release of nearly $6 billion in frozen Iranian assets. Despite the administration’s recent spate of success with other detainees, he said he was pragmatic about the absence of an obvious solution.

Persons: Brittney Griner, Harrison Li, Kai, Li, ”, he’s, “, ” Li, Roger Carstens, ” “ There’s, ” Carstens, Biden, Leonard ”, Nicolas Maduro, Paul Rusesabagina, Joe Biden, Kai Li, Xi Jinping, you’re, Maryam Kamalmaz, Majd Kamalmaz, Austin Tice, Carstens, there’s, He’s, Paul Whelan, we’re, Whelan’s, David, Whelan, don’t Organizations: WASHINGTON, Stanford, Biden, ., U.S, U.S ., FBI, United, Michigan Locations: Iran, Russia, Venezuela, China, Rwanda, ”, Israel, Gaza, U.S, Shanghai, United Nations, Washington, Beijing, Texas, Syria, United States, America, Kremlin

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Caitlin Clark scored 32 points, moving into fourth place on the all-time NCAA Division I women’s basketball scoring list, to help No. 2 Iowa beat Wisconsin 96-50 on Tuesday night. So it’s special.”“It's pretty impressive,” Iowa coach Lisa Bluder said. “I think they kind of put their foot on the gas a little bit,” Wisconsin coach Marisa Moseley said. Iowa: The Hawkeyes were without injured sophomore Hannah Stuelke, so coach Lisa Bluder went with a post-by-committee of starter Sharon Goodman, Addison O’Grady and A.J.

Persons: — Caitlin Clark, Clark, Brittney, ”, Griner, Clark's, “, Pat Summitt's, Lisa Bluder, “ I’m, ” Clark, Kate Martin, Sydney Affolter, Syd, ” Bluder, She’s, Martin, Marisa Moseley, ” Moseley, we’re, Serah Williams, Hannah Stuelke, Sharon Goodman, Addison O’Grady, “ Hannah didn’t, ___ Organizations: IOWA CITY, Iowa, Wisconsin, Baylor, NCAA, West, Sydney, Hawkeyes, Badgers, ”, Minnesota, Ohio State, AP, womens Locations: IOWA CITY , Iowa, Des Moines, West Des Moines, “, Tennessee, Iowa, Wisconsin, . Wisconsin

☆ Caitlin Clark passes Brittney Griner for fourth on NCAA all-time scoring leaderboard in 96-50 blowout win
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Samuel Joseph | Sam Joseph | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Iowa’s Caitlin Clark continues to rack up the milestones as she moved into fourth on the all-time NCAA Division I women’s basketball scoring leaderboard. The reigning consensus national player of the year dropped 32 points in a 96-50 blowout win against the Wisconsin Badgers on Wednesday as she passed WNBA legend Brittney Griner in the record books. “I was really happy with our defense in this game,” Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder said after the game. Charlie Neibergall/APIn her senior year, Clark is leading the nation with 30.9 points per game and Kelsey Plum’s all-time women’s college basketball scoring record of 3,527 is now a tangible target. Her performances have been credited with increasing the popularity of women’s college basketball.

Persons: CNN — Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, Brittney Griner, Clark, Kate Martin, Serah Williams, “, Lisa Bluder, Caitlin, Sydney, ” Clark, Charlie Neibergall, Kelsey Plum’s, “ It’s, I’m, Angel Reese Organizations: CNN, Wisconsin Badgers, Baylor University, Wisconsin, Badgers, Syd, AP, Indiana Fever, Iowa, Hawkeyes, LSU Tigers Locations: Iowa, Wisconsin

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration has made a new and significant offer aimed at securing the release of American detainees Paul Whelan and Evan Gershkovich, but Russia has rejected the offer, the State Department said Tuesday. It was a significant proposal,” Miller said. Whelan, a corporate security executive from Michigan, has been jailed in Russia since his December 2018 arrest on espionage-related charges that both he and the U.S. government dispute. Gershkovich and the Journal deny the allegations, and Russian authorities haven’t detailed any evidence to support the espionage charges. Griner was ultimately released in December in a prisoner swap with notorious Russian arms trafficker Viktor Bout, but Whelan was not part of the deal.

Persons: —, Biden, Paul Whelan, Evan Gershkovich, Matthew Miller, ” Miller, Whelan, Gershkovich, “, Miller, Evan, ”, Antony Blinken, Brittney Griner, Griner, Viktor Bout Organizations: WASHINGTON, State Department, U.S, Street Journal Locations: Russia, Washington, Moscow, U.S, Michigan, Russian, Yekaterinburg, Gershkovich

Kurmasheva was detained on Oct 18, becoming the second U.S. journalist detained in Russia this year, after Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was arrested on espionage charges in March. She is being held in a detention center, awaiting a trial that could sentence her to up to five years in prison. “Alsu was well aware of the risks that were associated with a possible trip to Russia,” Butorin added. Independent media and journalists in Russia have faced immense pressure after the Kremlin sent troops to Ukraine in February 2022. through passing her notes censored by Russian authorities.

Persons: Pavel Butorin, Alsu Kurmasheva —, —, ” “, ” Butorin, “, ”, Kurmasheva, Evan Gershkovich, Alsu, “ Alsu, ” Kurmasheva, Brittney, U.S . Russia hasn't, Butorin, she’s Organizations: U.S, Free, Associated Press, Wall Street, Kazan International Airport, Protect Journalists, Radio Free Europe, Independent, Kremlin, Analysts, U.S . State Locations: PRAGUE, American, Russia, Prague, Tatarstan, Bashkortostan, Ukraine, Moscow, U.S . Russia, U.S ., United States, Litvinova, Tallinn, Estonia

☆ Griner receives WNBA Cares Community Assist Award
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

May 21, 2023; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner (42) reacts after scoring against the Chicago Sky in the second half at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 27 (Reuters) - Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner has received the season-long WNBA Cares Community Assist Award in part for her continued work in championing the safe return of wrongful detainees overseas, the league said on Friday. Throughout the 2023 WNBA season, Griner, who was freed from a Russian penal colony in a high-profile prisoner exchange last year, worked with Bring Our Families Home, a campaign that helps spread awareness about wrongfully detained Americans. "I know the opportunity, privilege and responsibility I have to make a difference in the lives of others, and I'll always remain committed to that," Griner said in a WNBA news release. During the season, Griner and the Mercury also hosted families and friends of wrongful detainees at their games.

Persons: Rick Scuteri, Griner, Viktor Bout, Frank Pingue, Ken Ferris Organizations: Phoenix Mercury, Chicago Sky, Footprint Center, Mercury, Griner, BG, Phoenix Rescue, National Basketball Association, Russia, Thomson Locations: Phoenix , Arizona, USA, Russian, Phoenix, Moscow, Ukraine, Toronto

☆ Brittney Griner honored by the WNBA for her off-the-court community impact
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-27 | by ( David Close | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Basketball star Brittney Griner was honored Friday with the WNBA Cares Community Assist Award – an honor bestowed on the Phoenix Mercury center for her off-the-court volunteer work. Griner, who the US State Department deemed wrongfully detained, was released last December in a prisoner swap that involved Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. Griner has spent all of her WNBA seasons with the Mercury, winning a championship in 2014. Griner founded the shoe drive in 2016 after noticing unhoused persons in the Phoenix area walking without shoes. The WNBA says it will split a $20,000 donation between the two charities in honor of Griner.

Persons: Brittney Griner, Griner, Viktor Bout, Adam Pantozzi, “, I’ll, ” Organizations: CNN —, WNBA, Phoenix Mercury, US State Department, Mercury, Phoenix, Team USA, University of Tennessee Locations: Phoenix, USA

☆ Robert Card, the Maine shooting suspect, was a skilled marksman, former Army Reserve colleague tells CNN
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( John Miller Curt Devine Casey Tolan Isabelle Chapman Allison Gordon | John Miller | Curt Devine | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

“Out of concern for his safety, the unit requested that law enforcement be contacted,” said the spokesperson, Col. Richard Goldenberg. Card then spent a few weeks under evaluation at the hospital, the law enforcement officials said. The 40-year-old Card also threatened to shoot up a National Guard base in Maine, law enforcement officials previously told CNN. Card is a petroleum supply specialist in the Army Reserve and first enlisted in 2002, according to records provided by the Army on Thursday. Clifford Steeves of Massachusetts told CNN he knew Card when they served in the Army Reserve together, starting in the early 2000s until about a decade ago.

Persons: outdoorsman, Robert R, Camp Smith, ”, Richard Goldenberg, Card, Card’s, Katie O’Neill, ” O’Neill, Clifford Steeves, ” Steeves, “ It’s, “, Steeves, Eric Gordon, Brittney Griner, Joe Biden, Dinesh D’Souza, Donald Trump Jr, Tucker Carlson Organizations: CNN, Army Reserve, Camp, Keller Army Community Hospital, United States Military Academy, National Guard, Richard Goldenberg . New York, Police, Card, Army, former Army Reserve, University of Maine, Public, Lewiston ., CNBC Locations: Maine, Lewiston , Maine, New York, Richard Goldenberg ., Massachusetts, Wisconsin , Georgia, Bowdoin , Maine, Lewiston, Lisbon , Maine

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — Five-time Olympic gold medalist Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner head up the USA Basketball Women’s National Team roster announced Thursday for a pair of November exhibition games and training camp in Atlanta. The national team will play the Tennessee Lady Vols on Nov. 5 in Knoxville and Duke on Nov. 12. The team will hold a training camp Nov. 7-9 in Atlanta as the U.S. women chase an eighth straight Olympic gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. This roster features seven Olympians including two-time gold medalist Griner (2016 and 2021), Angel McCoughtry (2012 and 2016), Ariel Atkins (2021), Gray (2021 in 3-on-3), Kelsey Plum (2021 in 3-on-3) and Jackie Young (2021 in 3-on-3). Stephanie White, the 2023 WNBA Coach of the Year with Connecticut, will be at training camp and a court coach at Duke.

Persons: Diana Taurasi, Brittney, A'ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart, Chelsea Gray, Taurasi, Allisha Gray, Rhyne Howard, Sabrina Ionescu, Azurá Stevens, Griner, Angel McCoughtry, Ariel Atkins, Gray, Kelsey Plum, Jackie Young, Betnijah Laney, Plum, Ionescu, Dearica, Natasha Howard, Arike Ogunbowale, Cheryl Reeve, Mike Thibault, Curt Miller, Tanisha Wright, Stephanie White, ___ Organizations: USA Basketball Women’s, Team, Tennessee Lady Vols, Duke, USA Basketball, Paris Games, Las Vegas Aces, WNBA, Atkins, New York Liberty, Aces, Boston, Sparks, Minnesota Lynx, Mystics Locations: COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo, Atlanta, Knoxville, Sydney, Connecticut

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