Washington CNN —The family of Austin Tice, a freelance journalist held in Syria since 2012, said they have new confirmation that he remains alive and well. A source familiar with what the Biden administration knows says there is no change in the administration’s assessment of Austin Tice, and they have no new information. Bill McCarren, director of the Press Freedom Center at the National Press Club, emphatically insisted the Biden administration is “lying” about what they know about Tice. “Our larger question was, how can we use this disruption to leverage something for Austin during this time?” she said. Austin’s father, Marc Tice, said that the family met with the State Department on Thursday, but that the meeting was not productive.

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Persons: Austin Tice, Biden, Tice, “, ”, Debra Tice, Karine Jean, Pierre, Jean, Bill McCarren, Roger Carstens, Bashar Assad’s, Jacob Tice, Jake Sullivan, Assad, Sullivan, ” Jacob Tice, “ Sullivan, Harris, ” Debra Tice, Meagan Tice, Austin’s, Marc Tice, ” Marc Tice, Donald Trump, Austin, Naomi Tice, CNN’s Jennifer Hansler, Samantha Waldenberg Organizations: Washington CNN, National Press, White, Press, National Press Club, State Department, Austin, ”, State Department’s, White House, National Security, Biden, Harris Administration Locations: Syria, Damascus, Austin, Aleppo, ”