Dec 09 Bulgarian lawmakers approve military aid to Ukraine By Associated Press Bulgaria previously agreed to repair Ukrainian military equipment at its factories but refused to send weapons directly due to opposition from President Rumen Radev and the country's Moscow-friendly political parties. Continue reading
Dec 09 WATCH: State Department announces new sanctions for human rights abuses By Lekan Oyekanmi, Eric Tucker, Associated Press The U.S. is imposing sanctions on a broad array of people and companies around the world for corruption and human rights abuses — from illegal fishing operations in Chinese waters to kickbacks in Guatemala. Continue reading
Dec 09 NATO chief fears Ukraine war could broaden into wider conflict By Jamey Keaten, Associated Press The head of NATO expressed worry that the fighting in Ukraine could spin out of control and become a war between Russia and NATO, according to an interview released Friday. Continue reading
Dec 09 Brittney Griner arrives home in U.S. after months of Russian imprisonment By Lekan Oyekanmi, Eric Tucker, Associated Press Griner's status as an openly gay Black woman, her prominence in women's basketball and her imprisonment in a country where authorities have been hostile to the LBGTQ community heightened concerns for her. Continue reading
Dec 08 Watch 11:43 American Brittney Griner released from Russian detention in exchange for arms dealer By Nick Schifrin, Dan Sagalyn, Teresa Cebrian Aranda Brittney Griner is finally free after a dramatic prisoner swap. The WNBA star had been held by Russia for most of this year on a minor drug offense, and was serving 9 years in a prison camp. But on Wednesday… Continue watching
Dec 08 Watch 8:27 With Griner's release, questions remain over fate of Americans still held in Russia The Biden administration on Thursday secured the release of Brittney Griner from Russia the controversy persists around the still-imprisoned American Paul Whelan, who remains inside Russia. John Kirby, the strategic communications coordinator for the National Security Council, joins Judy Woodruff… Continue watching
Dec 08 Watch 7:25 'I cried tears of joy': Griner's former coach discusses WNBA star's newfound freedom Dawn Staley is the head coach of the South Carolina Gamecocks and a Hall of Fame player. She coached Brittney Griner and her teammates when they won the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics last year, and she has tweeted… Continue watching
Dec 08 Watch 5:56 Ukrainians brace for a brutal winter amid Russian attacks on energy grid By Volodymyr Solohub For nearly two months, Russia has targeted Ukraine’s energy grid in an attempt to sap and freeze the country’s morale. At one point, more than 10 million Ukrainians had no electricity or heat. Special correspondent Volodymyr Solohub and videographer Pavlo… Continue watching
Dec 08 WATCH: Former Olympic basketball coach Dawn Staley on Brittney Griner's release By Gretchen Frazee, Courtney Norris Griner, who was detained at a Russian airport after authorities allegedly found vape cartridges with trace amounts of cannabis oil in her luggage, was let go in exchange for convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. Continue reading
Dec 08 Griner release 'right choice,' say family of American left behind in Russian prisoner swap By Mike Householder, Kathleen Foody, Associated Press Paul Whelan's brother said his family supported the U.S. government's agreement to a prisoner exchange that freed WNBA star Brittney Griner but left Whelan behind. Continue reading