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☆ 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

He was interviewed by Maria Butina, a Russian gun-rights enthusiast-turned TV personality who now works for the network. Viktor Bout arrives at Westchester County Airport November 16, 2010 in White Plains, New York. When asked if he had a portrait of President Vladimir Putin in his prison cell, Bout said: “Yes, always. Griner, 32, returned to the United States early Friday after being released from custody in an exchange for an international arms dealer. The families of Griner and Whelan had urged the White House to secure their release, including via prisoner exchange if necessary.

With winter approaching at the penal colony where Griner was being held, Biden faced a singularly presidential decision. Griner’s wife, who arrived in Washington on Wednesday, was invited to an early morning meeting at the White House set for Thursday. Cherelle Griner waited at the White House for a short period of time before it became clear the planned meeting with Sullivan had shifted. The White House described her suffering “intolerable circumstances” during her detention. At the White House, Biden met with Griner’s wife for the first time to show her the letter he was sending in response.

☆ Viktor Bout: The Russian arms dealer swapped for Brittney Griner
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Eliza Mackintosh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Brittney Griner’s freedom ultimately hinged on the release of a convicted Russian arms dealer whose life story inspired a Hollywood film. On Thursday, a source told CNN that the US basketball star had been released from Russian detention in a prisoner swap for Viktor Bout, nicknamed the “Merchant of Death” by his accuser. Viktor Bout is pictured in a temporary cell ahead of a hearing at a court in Bangkok in August 2010. Christophe Archambault/AFP/Getty Images“His early days are a mystery,” Douglas Farah, a senior fellow at the International Assessment and Strategy Center who co-authored a book on Bout, told CNN in 2010. He said that Bout graduated from the Military Institute on Foreign Languages, a well-known feeder school for Russian military intelligence.

☆ Paul Whelan tells CNN he is 'disappointed' that more has not been done to secure his release
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Jennifer Hansler | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Washington CNN —Detained American Paul Whelan expressed his frustration that more has not been done to secure his release in an exclusive CNN interview hours after another detained American, Brittney Griner, was freed. It was a choice between bringing home one particular American – Brittney Griner – or bringing home none,” a US senior administration official said Thursday morning. Elizabeth Whelan said she believes the Russians wanted to deny Biden a win by releasing both of the American wrongful detainees. Elizabeth Whelan also told CNN that she does not believe her brother knows the extent of the efforts to free him, noting the family has to be careful what they tell him because they assume the Russian authorities are listening. Asked if he thought he would face repercussions for speaking to CNN, Whelan said he didn’t think so.

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