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☆ House Leaders Call for Release of Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Eric Bazail-Eimil | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was detained in Russia on March 29 while on a reporting trip and accused of spying. Here’s a breakdown of the events surrounding his arrest and what comes next. Illustration: Todd JohnsonDemocratic and Republican leaders in the House of Representatives condemned Russia’s detention of journalist Evan Gershkovich and businessman Paul Whelan , calling for the prompt release of the two Americans. “We strongly condemn Russia’s ongoing and illegal detention of journalist Evan Gershkovich and call for his immediate release,” House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R., Calif.) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D., N.Y.) said Thursday in a joint statement . Messrs. McCarthy and Jeffries called the charges against Mr. Gershkovich “manufactured.”

☆ The Future of Everything Festival: AI’s Path Forward, Michelle Obama and More
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Sunshine Contacts Ceo Marissa Mayer Believes Great Things Will Come Out Of Artificial Intelligence But Is Cautiously Optimistic. | Former Federal Reserve Vice Chair Richard Clarida Discussed The Challenge That Comes With The Fed Pausing Its Rate-Rise Campaign. | Google Deepmind Ceo Demis Hassabis Talked About Building Cognitive Function Within Ai. | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

“If you want to change the game, you can't just work from the outside. You’ve got to get inside.”Former first lady Michelle Obama on finding ways to change the food and beverage industry. Gary He for The Wall Street Journal

☆ The Future of Everything Festival: AI's Path Forward, Michelle Obama and More
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Sunshine Contacts Ceo Marissa Mayer Believes Great Things Will Come Out Of Artificial Intelligence But Is Cautiously Optimistic. | Former Federal Reserve Vice Chair Richard Clarida Discussed The Challenge That Comes With The Fed Pausing Its Rate-Rise Campaign. | Google Deepmind Ceo Demis Hassabis Talked About Building Cognitive Function Within Ai. | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

☆ Paul Whelan: US ambassador to Russia visits detained American
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Jennifer Hansler | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —US Ambassador to Russia Lynne Tracy visited Paul Whelan on Thursday – her first visit to the wrongfully detained American since taking up the post in Moscow. “Today, Ambassador Tracy visited #PaulWhelan at IK17 prison in Mordovia,” the US Embassy in Moscow posted on Twitter. “Paul has been wrongfully detained in Russia for more than 4 years, and his release remains an absolute priority,” the post said. The US government was unable to secure Whelan’s release last year when they brought home two other wrongfully detained Americans: Trevor Reed in April and Brittney Griner in December. Whelan is one of two Americans still in Russia who has been designated as wrongfully detained.

☆ Blinken Says U.S. Remains ‘Intensely Engaged’ in Efforts to Free Reporter Evan Gershkovich
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Caitlin Ostroff | Alexandra Bruell | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Illustration: Todd JohnsonSecretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S. is “intensely engaged” in seeking the release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was wrongfully detained by Russia more than a month ago. Mr. Blinken said he has spoken to Russia’s foreign minister about the matter and noted that President Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin have a channel to discuss such cases.

☆ Families of US detainees urge Biden to do more to deter hostage-taking
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Humeyra Pamuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Speaking at an event organized by the "Bring Our Families Home" campaign, an advocacy group set up largely by the families of American citizens detained abroad, relatives called on Biden to do more to bring home their loved ones but also deter "hostage-taking" by foreign governments and groups. Proponents of "Bring Our Families Home" are urging Biden to take steps including more swaps of prisoners and easing of sanctions against countries that are holding U.S. detainees. Most recently, Russia has detained U.S. citizen and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich on espionage charges, which he denies. The Biden administration has carried out two prisoner swaps with Russia and one with Venezuela. Families also repeated a call to meet with Biden, a plea that went unanswered for many of them for over a year.

Evan Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter, was detained by Russian authorities in March on charges of espionage. He is one of hundreds of journalists currently in custody around the world. Since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year, the killings of 14 journalists and media workers have been confirmed there, the committee said. But “we cannot withdraw from reporting about the world,” Mr. Latour said. In total, the event was likely to present a story of “a worldwide assault on journalists, their work and the public’s right to know,” Mr. Sulzberger said.

☆ Blinken says the U.S. is ‘intensely engaged’ in efforts to free Evan Gershkovich.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Edward Wong | Daniel Victor | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said on Wednesday that the U.S. government remained “intensely engaged” in efforts to get Moscow to free Evan Gershkovich, the Wall Street Journal reporter who has been held for more than a month on espionage charges that his employer and American officials vehemently deny. Speaking at a World Press Freedom Day event at The Washington Post, Mr. Blinken reiterated that President Biden and President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia had a “special channel” for discussing prisoners. “I wish I could say in this moment there was a clear way forward,” he said. “I don’t have that in this moment.”“We have a country in the case of Russia that like a handful of other countries around the world is wrongfully detaining people, using them as political pawns, using them as leverage in a practice that is absolutely unacceptable and that we’re working both broadly to try to deter — but also at the same time to try to secure the release of those who are being unjustly detained,” Mr. Blinken said.

☆ Wall Street Journal Publisher Urges U.N. Expert to Advocate for Evan Gershkovich
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Jennifer Calfas | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was detained in Russia on March 29 while on a reporting trip and accused of spying. Here’s a breakdown of the events surrounding his arrest and what comes next. Illustration: Todd JohnsonLawyers representing Dow Jones, publisher of The Wall Street Journal, asked a United Nations free-speech advocate to make an urgent appeal to Russia for the immediate release of Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich . The lawyers in a letter Tuesday urged Irene Khan , the U.N. special rapporteur on freedom of expression and opinion, to “communicate in the strongest terms your rejection” of Russia’s detention of Mr. Gershkovich.

☆ Global Risks to Journalists Increase, Say Press Advocates
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Caitlin Ostroff | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was detained in Russia on March 29 while on a reporting trip and accused of spying. Illustration: Todd JohnsonUNITED NATIONS—Press freedom advocates highlighted a growing number of risks to journalists on Tuesday as a record number have been imprisoned, including Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich . The United Nations hosted a series of speakers ahead of its 30th World Press Freedom Day on Wednesday. That date will also mark the fifth week of Mr. Gershkovich’s detention by Russia. As of December, 363 journalists were imprisoned in more than 30 countries, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

☆ From the Soviet Union to Putin’s Russia, American Journalists Have Navigated Clampdowns
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Brett Forrest | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Four weeks after Russia’s arrest of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich , Moscow has taken aim at other American reporters working in the country, the latest sign of how once-collegial ties between the Russian government and foreign correspondents have frayed under Russian President Vladimir Putin. The U.S. denial of visas to two Russian journalists seeking to cover last week’s United Nations meeting in New York prompted Moscow to threaten retaliation against American reporters. Citing privacy concerns, a State Department spokeswoman said the agency couldn’t comment on individual visa applications. The Russian Foreign Ministry warned that “such sabotage, aimed at preventing normal journalistic work, will not remain unanswered.”

☆ Biden attacks news outlets for 'lies of conspiracy and malice'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/3] U.S. President Joe Biden addresses the annual White House Correspondents Association Dinner in Washington, U.S., April 29, 2023. Speaking at the annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner, Biden referred to "truth buried by lies," in an apparent reference to false conspiracy theories that his 2020 election win was the result of a massive voter fraud. Lies of conspiracy and malice repeated over and over again designed to generate a cycle of anger and hate and even violence," Biden said. That cycle, Biden added, has emboldened local jurisdictions to ban books, and "the rule of law and our rights and freedoms to be stripped away." Biden said he and his administration were "here to send a message to the country and quite frankly to the world.

☆ Biden Praises ‘Absolute Courage’ of U.S. Journalist Detained in Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Matthew Mpoke Bigg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

It is also the first time that a Western journalist in Russia has been charged with espionage since the end of the Cold War. “Evan and Austin should be released immediately along with every other American held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad,” Mr. Biden said. Debra and Marc Tice, the parents of Mr. Tice, wrote an opinion article, published in The Washington Post last August, in which they urged Mr. Biden to step up diplomatic efforts to free him. Mr. Biden also called for the release of Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine serving a 16-year prison sentence in Russia on what the United States says are fabricated charges of espionage, and addressed Brittney Griner, a W.N.B.A. star who was freed in a prisoner swap in December after being detained for nearly 10 months in Russia.

☆ Top moments from the White House Correspondents Dinner
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Kaanita Iyer | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Washington CNN —President Joe Biden joked about a range of topics at the White House Correspondents Dinner on Saturday but struck a serious tone as he called for the release of wrongfully detained Americans abroad. In attendance Saturday evening was Brittney Griner, the WNBA star who was freed from Russia late last year after being wrongfully detained. Biden and First Lady Jill Biden held a pull-aside meeting with Griner and her wife at the event, per the White House pool. During the event, identical twin brothers Drew and Jonathan Scott, who host “Property Brothers” on HGTV, drew big laughs as their sketch-style video showcased how they would renovate the White House. “We’ve been doing this a long time and we think we know how to turn the White House into the White Home,” the pair said in video.

☆ Russia’s Combative Negotiating Style to Test U.S. in Detainee Talks
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( Daniel Michaels | Louise Radnofsky | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Illustration: Todd JohnsonRussia’s hard-nosed negotiating style, forged in the country’s tumultuous past, could prove a stiff challenge to the U.S. during any talks between Washington and Moscow to free detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich . Russians can be unrelenting negotiators, often uncomfortable with a Western win-win approach and willing to put counterparts off balance, say people experienced in business and diplomacy in the country.

☆ Biden Calls for Release of Jailed Journalist Evan Gershkovich, Other Detainees
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( John Mccormick | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

President Biden at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in Washington on Saturday. Photo: saul loeb/Agence France-Presse/Getty ImagesPresident Biden and others at an annual Washington dinner called for the release of jailed Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich in Russia during a gathering that brought together members of the media and government officials to celebrate press freedom. Mr. Biden met privately with Mr. Gershkovich’s family, who attended the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner as Journal guests, as he arrived for Saturday’s black-tie gala and recognized them in his remarks.

☆ Biden set to address White House Correspondents Dinner
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( Maegan Vazquez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

But undoubtedly, a White House official told CNN, his speech will address the issue of wrongfully detained Americans abroad. US President George W. Bush, left, waves with impressionist Steve Bridges at the White House Correspondents' Dinner in 2006. Roger L. Wollenberg/Pool/Getty Images The White House Correspondents' Dinner is held in 1923. It was started two years earlier by the White House Correspondents' Association, the organization of journalists who cover the president. Roosevelt was congratulating Brandt for winning the first Raymond Clapper Memorial Award, which was given by the White House Correspondents' Association for distinguished reporting.

☆ Biden to advocate the release of detained journalists at the White House correspondents’ dinner
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( Megan Lebowitz | Peter Alexander | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

President Joe Biden plans to use his remarks Saturday at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner to address press freedoms and the detainment of American journalists. At the 2022 dinner, Biden spoke for just under 15 minutes, cracking jokes at himself and the media. The history of the famed dinner stretches back to 1914, when the White House Correspondents' Association was established. Trump skipped all of the White House correspondents' dinners during his term. After comedian Michelle Wolf delivered a blistering 2018 dinner routine taking aim at the Trump administration, Trump tweeted that "the White House Correspondents' Dinner is DEAD as we know it."

CNN —The daughter of jailed Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny says her father’s health is deteriorating. His life and activism was the subject of an award-winning CNN Film which chronicled the investigation into a brazen assassination on him. In 2020, he was poisoned with the nerve agent Novichok – an act he and Western officials blamed on the Kremlin. After a five-month stay in Germany recovering from the Novichok poisoning, Navalny returned to Moscow in 2021 and was immediately arrested for violating probation terms imposed from a 2014 case. “We want freedom of election, we want freedom of all political prisoners, especially Alexey Navalny my dad – and foreign journalists,” she said.

☆ Pictures of the month: April
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Jeremy Schultz | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was detained in March while on a reporting trip and charged with espionage, stands behind a glass wall of an enclosure for defendants before a court hearing to consider an appeal against his...moreWall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was detained in March while on a reporting trip and charged with espionage, stands behind a glass wall of an enclosure for defendants before a court hearing to consider an appeal against his detention, in Moscow, Russia, April 18. REUTERS/Evgenia NovozheninaClose

☆ Opinion: Russia has stifled another Putin opponent. Here’s how the West might help him
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Opinion Casey Michel | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Editor’s Note: Casey Michel is the director of the Human Rights Foundation’s Combating Kleptocracy Program. While the West must continue to call for the release of those two high-profile political prisoners, it should not overlook Kara-Murza. US lawmakers in the US Congress have issued a range of congressional resolutions and individual statements highlighting Kara-Murza’s plight. The disjointed Western response to Kara-Murza’s plight only works to Russia’s advantage. It’s long past time to create a coordinating body to ensure that Western sanctions packages are aligned and airtight.

☆ Before Trial in Russia, Defendants Can Spend Months Behind Bars
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Matthew Luxmoore | Louise Radnofsky | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Illustration: Todd JohnsonThe arrest of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich has thrown a spotlight on a Russian judicial system in which defendants often languish for months in detention even before a trial while prosecutors are granted time to build their case. Mr. Gershkovich, a 31-year-old U.S. citizen, was arrested on March 30 on an espionage allegation. The Journal and the U.S. government have vehemently denied the allegation and have demanded his immediate release. The U.S. has said he isn’t a spy.

CNN —The US is imposing new sanctions on groups in Russia and Iran accused of taking Americans hostage as it works to prevent more captive-taking and potentially secure the release of citizens currently being detained. The sanctions ordered up Thursday would punish organizations the US accuses of being responsible for holding hostage or wrongfully detaining Americans. Officials said the steps should act as a warning to those thinking of taking Americans hostage. The order also mandated a better flow of information to the families of Americans held hostage or detained overseas. Officials said it was possible the sanctions could be lifted if Americans held in Russia or Iran were released.

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration on Thursday announced a first round of sanctions targeting Russia and Iran for engaging in hostage-taking and the wrongful detention of U.S. citizens abroad. The State Department has formally moved to declare Gershkovich's detention a wrongful one, which opens up additional resources to secure his release. The administration has identified at least two American citizens who are wrongfully detained in Russia and three in Iran, along with one legal permanent U.S. resident. One administration official said relevant families were briefed on the new sanctions ahead of Thursday's announcement. Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine last February, Washington and its allies have imposed rounds of coordinated sanctions vaulting Russia past Iran and North Korea as the world's most-sanctioned country.

☆ Brittney Griner Speaks to Reporters for First Time Since Release From Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Kris Rhim | Alan Yuhas | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

PHOENIX — Brittney Griner, the W.N.B.A. star who became the center of a geopolitical showdown between the United States and Russia last year, is expected to speak with reporters on Thursday for the first time since her release in December in a prisoner exchange. Mercury officials said that Ms. Griner would not discuss her time in Russia at the news conference. She has called for the release of Mr. Gershkovich and others classified as wrongful detainees by the U.S. government. She and Mr. Gershkovich have become the latest in a line of American citizens detained by Moscow under what U.S. officials have described as dubious accusations.

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