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☆ Many security lapses led to escape of Texas inmate accused of killing 5 while on the run, reports find
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice, or TDCJ, conducted an internal review of the escape and also hired an outside firm to do an independent review. Texas Department of Criminal JusticeAdditionally, two officers had falsified search logs indicating Lopez’s cell had been searched when it had not. Attorneys for the Collins family have notified the Texas agency that they plan to file a lawsuit against it over the deaths. CGL also made several recommendations, including suggesting TDCJ reconfigure transport buses to improve security and develop strategies to reduce its staff vacancies. In the month before Lopez’s escape, 43% of correctional officer jobs at the Hughes Unit were vacant.

☆ Photos this week: December 1-9, 2022
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

WNBA star Brittney Griner arrives in San Antonio, Texas, on Friday, December 9, after being released from Russian custody in exchange for convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout. "She's safe, she's on a plane, she's on her way home," Biden said at the White House alongside Griner's wife, Cherelle. Griner's arrest sparked diplomatic drama between the United States and the Kremlin that played out alongside Russia's war in Ukraine. At the same time that the United States enacted crippling sanctions in response to the Ukraine war, US diplomats kept open lines of communication with Moscow to try to secure Griner's release. Here are some of the stories that made headlines over the past week, as well as some photos that caught our eye.

☆ Brittney Griner arrives in the U.S. after prisoner exchange with Russia
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Dec 9 (Reuters) - A plane carrying basketball star Brittney Griner landed in the United States early on Friday, nearly 10 months after she was detained in Russia. Griner was released in a prisoner swap with Russia in exchange for arms dealer Viktor Bout and was heading home on Thursday, ending what President Joe Biden called months of "hell" for her and her wife. [1/3] The plane carrying U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner arrives, following her release from prison in Russia, in San Antonio, Texas, U.S., December 9, 2022. The swap was a rare instance of cooperation between the United States and Russia since the invasion of Ukraine. The two countries also swapped prisoners in April when Russia released former U.S. Marine Trevor Reed and the United States released Russian pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko.

☆ Griner lands in U.S. as Russia's Bout greets family in Moscow
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, Dec 9 (Reuters) - Basketball star Brittney Griner landed in the United States on Friday after 10 months in Russian detention that ended with a prisoner swap with arms dealer Viktor Bout who flew home hours earlier to embrace his family on the airport tarmac in Moscow. The two countries had swapped prisoners in April when Russia released former U.S. Marine Trevor Reed and the United States released Russian pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko. Griner, 32, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and star of the Women's National Basketball Association's Phoenix Mercury, flew in to San Antonio, Texas. She had been arrested on Feb. 17 at a Moscow airport after vape cartridges containing cannabis oil, which is banned in Russia, were found in her luggage. As Griner flew back home, Bout arrived in Moscow and hugged his mother and wife after stepping onto the tarmac, television images showed.

☆ Video shows Brittney Griner touching down on US soil after being released from Russian custody
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

WNBA star Brittney Griner was released from Russia on Thursday after nine months in custody. Griner was released from Russian custody in exchange for notorious arms dealer Viktor Bout. download the app Email address By clicking ‘Sign up’, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider as well as other partner offers and accept our Terms of Service and Privacy PolicyA video shows the moment WNBA star Brittney Griner touched down on US soil after nine months in Russian custody. US officials who met Griner upon her arrival told CNN that she was "in good spirits and incredibly gracious." Roger Carstens, a State Department official who was traveling with Griner, tweeted on Friday morning: "So happy to have Brittney back on US soil.

☆ Senior officials argued that Viktor Bout's release in exchange for Brittney Griner would be a mistake, report says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

WNBA star Brittney Griner was swapped for arms dealer Viktor Bout on Thursday. Her release marked the end of prolonged and agonizing negotiations for Biden, CNN reported. Some senior officials told Biden they thought Russia was getting the better deal, the outlet said. But some senior law enforcement officials told Biden prior to his decision that Bout was too notorious of a figure to release in exchange for Griner, whose offense was only minor, one official told CNN. Her release marked the end of prolonged and agonizing negotiations for Biden, CNN reported.

Biden had been hopeful that Russian President Vladimir Putin would be more apt to free Griner once America’s midterm elections were done, a calculation that proved correct. Still detained in Russia is Paul Whelan, a businessman whom the White House has also been working to free without success. In a 2012 interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press” when he was vice president, Biden came out in favor of same-sex marriage, and he is expected to sign the measure into law. White House officials acknowledged the headwinds and worried that the midterm elections would be a repudiation of Biden’s record. “When I look at what the Biden White House has done, I think experience and patience really paid off,” said Jennifer Palmieri, who served as White House communications director during the Obama administration.

☆ WNBA star Brittney Griner released from Russian custody in a high-profile prisoner swap between the U.S. and Moscow
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms | Andrea Mitchell | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

WASHINGTON — WNBA star Brittney Griner is free Thursday after the Biden administration negotiated her release from a Russian penal colony in exchange for an arms dealer, according to a senior administration official. People familiar with the negotiations for his release say the Russians refused to release Whelan without getting a Russian spy in return. The entrance to the Russian penal colony IK-2 on Nov. 19, 2022, where Griner began serving her sentence. The Biden administration has faced tremendous pressure to help bring home the 6-foot-9 Houston native. Alexander Zemlianichenko / AP fileGriner’s release is the second publicly known U.S. prisoner swap with Russia since the war in Ukraine started.

The first-of-its-kind study was presented Thursday at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, an annual meeting of breast cancer specialists. Faced with this possibility, Partridge said, many women stop or never start endocrine therapy, against the advice of their doctors. The findings were highly anticipated by other breast cancer specialists. Women in her practice were already making the executive decision to stop endocrine therapy for the chance of having a baby. Johnson was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer at age 34.

US WNBA basketball superstar Brittney Griner arrives to a hearing at the Khimki Court, outside Moscow on June 27, 2022. Kirill Kudryavtsev | AFP | Getty ImagesWNBA star Brittney Griner is free Thursday after the Biden administration negotiated her release from a Russian penal colony in exchange for an arms dealer, according to a senior administration official. Maxim Shemetov | ReutersGriner will be flown to a medical facility in San Antonio where she will receive care, a senior administration official said. Cherelle Griner, will meet her there, according to a senior administration official. People familiar with the negotiations for his release say the Russians refused to release Whelan without getting a Russian spy in return.

☆ Biden administration brings WNBA star Brittany Griner home for the holidays after 10 months in Russian custody
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Emma Kinery | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The Biden administration is bringing WNBA star Brittney Griner, who has been detained in Russia for 10 months, home for the holidays after months of negotiation. "She is safe, she is on a plane, she is on her way home," U.S. President Joe Biden announced Thursday. Cherelle Griner was present and able to speak with Brittney when Biden made the call from the Oval Office. Notably absent from the swap was another American detained in Russia, Paul Whelan, who has been in Russian custody since 2018. "We've not forgotten about Paul Whelan," Biden said.

☆ Long Covid's financial devastation: $8,000 in credit card debt, ruined retirement plans
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Annie Nova | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

More than a third of respondents said their income had gone down as a result of long Covid. "Long Covid is as much part of the pandemic as is the acute phase, during which the government went to great lengths to treat people and save lives," said Oved Amitay, president of the Long Covid Alliance, an advocacy group. Of the long Covid patients she has seen, only 2 out of 50 who have applied for SSDI have been approved so far, she said. Sharon Sunders long Covid patient"They may not have the resources to go through the process," Verduzco-Gutierrez said. 'There's a tidal wave of us coming'Sunders wishes the Biden administration would do more to help those financially struggling with long Covid.

☆ Targeted therapy shows benefit for people with advanced breast cancer in late-stage trial
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Jen Christensen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The details of the trial were presented Thursday at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. The trial involved 708 adults with HR-positive, HER2-low or -negative breast cancer whose disease has recurred or progressed during or after certain previous treatments. About three-quarters of women with metastatic breast cancer have HR-positive breast cancer. He points to the cancer drug Avastin, which was initially touted as having an advantage in progression-free survival for metastatic breast cancer. Burstein said he is encouraged by many of the presentations at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.

☆ How to stay safe in an extreme solar flare, where the sun bombards Earth with radiation and magnetic havoc
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Stay safe during a solar storm by preparing to lose power, printing out maps, and staying off planes. What is a solar flare and how do they affect Earth? CMEs primarily affect the magnetosphere, jostling Earth's magnetic field lines in an event called a geomagnetic storm, also known as a solar storm. NASAGetting ready for the possibility of a major solar flare isn't that different from getting ready for any other disaster. If you follow the basics of disaster preparedness, you'll probably be ready for a solar flare.

☆ Former San Antonio officer indicted in shooting of teenager outside McDonald’s
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Phil-Helsel-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Phil Helsel | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

A former San Antonio police officer who shot a teenager in a McDonald’s parking lot in October was indicted on assault and attempted murder charges, prosecutors said Thursday. Of the charges, the aggravated assault counts are the most serious and carry up to life in prison if convicted. Brennand allegedly shot Cantu, 17, after he ordered the teenager, who was eating a hamburger, out of a vehicle. Brennand was arrested in October on two counts of aggravated assault by public servant. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is representing the Cantu family, said Thursday’s indictment was a significant step toward justice.

watch nowMichael Bryand, 35, first got Covid in September 2020. And currently, as many as 23 million Americans have what's considered long Covid, according to recent estimates from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Long Covid is 'something invisible'Michael Bryand, here with his family, first got Covid in September 2020. Ramey was a nurse in San Antonio for 30 years before she got Covid in 2020. Verduzco-Gutierrez works primarily with Covid patients, including Ramey and Bryand, through the long Covid clinic she established in 2020.

☆ Florida Developers Are Holding Off on Big Projects as Insurance Costs Surge
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Deborah Acosta | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

David Lynd, a San Antonio-based developer of large-scale apartment buildings, had been expanding his business in South Florida. But recently, he decided to put one of his new projects on hold. There’s no problem with demand. People in tech, finance and other businesses are pouring into the area, looking for a home to rent. It is the cost of insurance for commercial property in the state, which overall has doubled in the past year, that is causing him to pull back.

New Jersey-based BlockFi, founded by fintech executive-turned-crypto entrepreneur Zac Prince, said in a bankruptcy filing that its substantial exposure to FTX created a liquidity crisis. BlockFi listed its assets and liabilities as being between $1 billion and $10 billion. Renzi said that BlockFi had sold a portion of its crypto assets earlier in November to fund its bankruptcy. In a court filing on Monday, BlockFi listed FTX as its second-largest creditor, with $275 million owed on a loan extended earlier this year. In its bankruptcy filing, BlockFi said it had hired Kirkland & Ellis and Haynes & Boone as bankruptcy counsel.

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New Jersey-based BlockFi, founded by Zac Prince, said in a bankruptcy filing that its substantial exposure to FTX created a liquidity crisis. In a court filing on Monday, BlockFi listed FTX as its second-largest creditor, with $275 million owed on a loan extended earlier this year. Crypto lenders, the de facto banks of the crypto world, boomed during the pandemic, attracting retail customers with double-digit rates in return for their cryptocurrency deposits. Crypto lenders are not required to hold capital or liquidity buffers like traditional lenders and some found themselves exposed when a shortage of collateral forced them - and their customers - to shoulder large losses. In its bankruptcy filing, BlockFi said it had hired Kirkland & Ellis and Haynes & Boone as bankruptcy counsel and Berkeley Research Group as a financial adviser.

There are no proven treatments for long Covid. No one knows exactly what causes the range of lingering issues associated with long Covid. Stanford's study aims to enroll 200 adults who have had long Covid symptoms for at least three months, without a recent diagnosis of the disease. "We really feel that with long Covid, you shouldn't wait until you already have all of these problems to address them. He's been struggling with the effects of long Covid for a year and a half.

☆ Lakers’ Patrick Beverley suspended three games for shove
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Steve Almasy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Los Angeles Lakers starting point guard Patrick Beverley has been suspended for three games for knocking Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton to the court during a game Tuesday, NBA officials have announced. Beverly’s shove came with 3:55 left in the game, which Phoenix led at the time 106-96. After Los Angeles guard Austin Reaves went to the floor, Ayton walked over and stood above the Lakers’ guard. Deandre Ayton of the Phoenix Suns is restrained after being pushed to the court Tuesday. Before joining the Lakers this year, he played five seasons with the Houston Rockets, four with the Los Angeles Clippers and one with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

☆ 17-year-old shot in McDonald’s parking lot by San Antonio officer released from hospital
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Marlene Lenthang | Marlene Lenthang Is A Breaking News Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Erik Cantu, the 17-year-old boy who was shot by a San Antonio police officer in the parking lot of a McDonald's, is back home after spending nearly two painstaking months in the hospital, his family announced. Erik Cantu with his parents upon release from a hospital in San Antonio. Cantu’s parents issued a statement Wednesday saying he was released from the hospital just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday. Police body camera footage showed Cantu in the driver’s seat eating a hamburger and a 17-year-old girl in the passenger seat. He was fired after the shooting, then arrested and charged with two counts of aggravated assault on Oct. 11.

☆ Fact Check-Biden was referring to Trump’s views in rally speech
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Biden was referring to the views of former U.S. President Donald J. Trump. In the clips being shared, Biden can be heard saying: “I’m going to take down those rapists Mexicans…”The clip is from a speech Biden gave at a rally in San Antonio on Dec. 13, 2019, visible (here). They’re sending people that have lots of problems and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re sending us not the right people.”A transcript of the speech can be seen (here). The clip shows U.S. President Joe Biden referring to former U.S. President Donald J. Trump’s views about Mexican people.

☆ NBA roundup: Kyrie Irving returns, helps Nets top Grizzlies
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Dillon Brooks led all scorers with 31 points but shot 13 of 30 as the Grizzlies saw their seven-game winning streak over Brooklyn halted. John Konchar added 16 while Steven Adams contributed 15 and 10 rebounds as the Grizzlies shot 43.4 percent. Bruce Brown scored 12 points and DeAndre Jordan had 17 rebounds for the short-handed Nuggets. Six Cavs scored at least 11 points with Lamar Stevens posting 11 and Evan Mobley recording a double-double of 15 and 10 rebounds. KJ Martin scored 12 points off the bench.

☆ Five countries, other than China, most dependent on the South China Sea
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Sean M. Holt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

Territorially, there are seven claimants to the South China Sea: China, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. Analysts name the top five countries, other than China, that are most dependent on the South China Sea. Aerial view of fishing boats setting sail to South China Sea for fishing on August 16, 2022 in Yangjiang, Guangdong Province of China. "Although they claim more than half of the South China Sea, China has pushed claimant states such as Vietnam out of traditional fishing waters and more into the South China Sea, causing excessive overfishing." South KoreaSouth Korea is "intentionally quiet about the South China Sea" as it wants to "maintain favor with China," Graham said, citing Seoul's primary focus on the North Korean issue.

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