Brittney Griner

President Joe Biden said he’d only meet with Vladimir Putin to discuss the release of WNBA star Brittney Griner, but would not talk with the Russian leader about the war in Ukraine without Kyiv’s involvement. In an exclusive CNN interview, Biden called ...

Former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Bill Richardson told CNN in an interview on Sunday that he had met with “senior Russian officials, individuals close to President (Vladimir) Putin” during his trip to Moscow in September to help secure the release of  WNBA star...

In her first interview since her wife, WNBA superstar Brittney Griner was sentenced to nine years in a Russian prison for drug possession, Cherelle Griner told "CBS Mornings" co-host Gayle King that she is terrified. Griner is now in her 230th day in prison. In the...

A Russian court has set Oct. 25 as the date for Brittney Griner’s appeal against her nine-year prison sentence for drug possession. The Moscow region court said it will hear her appeal. Griner was convicted on August 4 and given a nine-year prison sentence in a Russian...

Saturday Venezuela freed seven U.S. citizens, including five oil executives, in exchange for two relatives of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro who’d been in prison since 2015 on drug convictions.  The swap, so far the largest arranged by President Biden’s...

This past weekend, large images of 19 wrongfully detained Americans abroad, including WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner appeared on buildings throughout New York City as meetings of world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly concluded. The...

Criminal defense attorney Steve Zissou and his client the convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, who is serving out a 25-year sentence in federal prison, are looking forward to making big news when/if the prisoner swap takes place. The White House...

President Joe Biden sat down in the Oval Office with Brittney Griner’s wife Cherelle Griner and former Marine Paul Whelan’s sister Elizabeth late Friday, Reuters reported. Biden conducted separate meetings to assure the families that their loved one “are at...

President Joe Biden will meet Friday with family members of WNBA star Brittney Griner and former Marine Paul Whelan as the White House continues to push for their release via negotiations for a prisoner swap, said White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.  The meetings...

Former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson (D) and a small team traveled to Moscow this week to meet with Russian officials presumably to raise the level of negotiations over WNBA star Brittney Griner and former Marine Paul Whelan.  Sources told CNN on Wednesday that...

As of Labor Day, WNBA star Brittney Griner has been in a Russian prison for 200 days since she was first detained at a Moscow airport on Feb. 17 for having cannabis oil in her suitcase. Griner, a medical marijuana patient in the U.S. had forgotten to remove the...

The lawyer for Russian criminal mastermind Alexander Vinnik, accused of laundering more than $4 billion through the digital currency bitcoin (BTC/USD), urged Moscow on Monday to begin negotiations with the United States and to include his client in a potential prisoner swap. In a letter...

The U.S. Ambassador to Russia on Sunday ended his tenure as America's top diplomat in Moscow after nearly three years. Spanning the Trump and Biden administrations, Ambassador John Sullivan will retire entirely from a lengthy career in government service. Sullivan's retirement, though...

At least 32 Americans have signed up to play in Russia’s top basketball league this coming season despite Brittney Griner’s harrowing experience, according to USA TODAY.  Griner had been playing for Russia’s UMMC Ekaterinburg for seven years during the WNBA off-season...

The 14-year-old Isabella Escribano is known as "Jiggy Izzy" to her 240,000+ social media followers. The teenage basketball prodigy, who trained with a number of NBA greats including Kobe Bryant, will play for the U15 Mexican national basketball team. The youngest to ever...