brittney griner is one of the all-time greats in basketball. i talk about a couple of reasons why the american public might not >> nonconforming. research shows some of these traits could make a far less likely to receive the same attention another victim might. there a known as the missing white women syndrome suggests white female hostages are far more likely to receive attention. pick up on that point but also the point you made previously, if this was a male nba star with her accomplishments in russia in prison, what do you think would happen? >> a lot of people are focusing on this gender element. i think the fact that she is a female basketball star rather than a male basketball star has one really important element, which is the fact that she had to play in russia in the first place. women who play in the wnba make far less money playing basketball than their male counterparts in the nba. they make far less in the united states than they can make during the off-season abroad. the whole reason brittney griner was in russia is for the last

on the home court of griner's team, the phoenix mercury, a rally for her release. >> brittney griner, b.g.! >> reporter: griner's wife cherelle wiping away tears. delivering this emotional message. >> what and hoy i feel today is a deeper emotion than hurt. i'm frustrated. i'm frustrated that 140 days have passed since my wife has been able to speak to me, to our family, and to her friends. i'm frustrated that my wife is not going to get justice. >> reporter: public pressure directed at the white house is mounting, calling on president biden to double down on efforts to bring griner home. earlier this week, more than 1,100 black female leaders penned an open letter to the administration, urging them to swiftly make a deal, writing in part, brittney griner cast her first-ever vote in 2020. she voted for you and vice president kamala harris. more than prioritizing her immediate return in word, you must do so in deed. concerns are also growing for griner's physical and mental well-being. civil rights activist reverend al sharpton, who was so moved by cherelle's public outcry, asked biden

wnbpa stands with brittney griner" and griner also got support from u.s. women's soccer star megan rapinoe thursday during the presidential medal of freedom ceremony at the white house. as rapinoe received the award, she wore a blazer with the initials "bg" embroidered on her lapel alongside stitched flowers. rapinoe shared the image online, writing, "the most important part of today. bg we love you." for more, we're joined by two guests. dave zirin is a sports editor for the nation magazine and host of the edge of sports podcast. his recent article is headlined "brittney griner's show trial begins." also with us, maya goldberg-safir, independent writer and audio producer and the co-director of the third coast international audio festival. her recent article is "brittney griner and the labyrinth of wrongful detainment." first, let's start with maya. your response to this trial and the trial's end with brittney pleading guilty to carrying these vape cartridges and cannabis oil, ich would not be illegal in the united states, and what this means? >> first, i

griner was able to read that letter. >> reporter: the biden administration says griner is being wrongfully detained. but the russian deputy foreign minister warning that "attempts by the american side to make noise in public don't help the practical settlement of issues." and 5,000 miles away at the home stadium for the phoenix mercury, griner's teammates, family and fans with a simple message -- bring brittney home. >> i'm frustrated that a 140 days have passed since my wife has been able to speak to me, to our family, and to our friends. >> we can hear that pain and frustration from her family. rachel scott joining us now from the white house. rachel, what more are you learning about how this guilty plea could play into the strategy for brittney griner's release? >> reporter: well, whit, all of this is a calculated decision. tonight, the legal team for brittney griner says she wanted to take full responsibility for her actions, but given the nature of the case, as well as her contribution to the sport, they are hoping for the lightest sentence possible. and the white house says even with

custody griner's next court date is set for july 14th. we now welcome our legal analyst paula canny paula. >> good news, bad news. i mean, everything we hear about the court and >> russia's that 99% end up being guilty anyway. so >> through i mean, as long as you understand that the russian system, there's no moral error correlation to american legal system. that's a good starting point. and you're absolutely right. 99% of the people in charged with a crime or convicted and those that art, the prosecutor appeals and the acquittal as first. so it's like 0, 3, 6, people were found not guilty. so i think it's important to recognize what she pled to what britney griner, but 2, it's drugs, not drug smuggling, and it is a significant distinction and it's way less back. but kuz smuggling and it, you know, presupposes like this and tench the do this bad bank. the u.s. government has said she is wrongfully detained, that she's being used as a political. but what you know, really interesting to me about this is that. she's there. she had to go to r

considers brittney griner as being wrongfully detained. charge d'affaires called on russia to release brittney griner immediately. >> wrongful detention is unacceptable wherever it occurs. the united states government at the very highest levels is working very hard to bring miss griner as well as all wrongfully detained u.s. citizens safely home. >> reporter: brittney griner's trial starts as tensions between the u.s. and russia have reached a boiling point. not just over russia's invasion of ukraine. the u.s. is also calling for the immediate release of former marine paul whelan, who was sentenced to 16 years in russian prison for alleged espionage. the u.s. called his conviction politically motivated. the kremlin rejects that and today also said brittney griner's trial was not political. >> translator: you know, i cannot comment on the actions of the russian court. we don't have the right to do that and never do. i can only deal with the facts, and the facts say that a prominent athlete was detained in possession of prohibited substances

i think everyone's heart goes out to the griner family and of course, brittney griner 6'9" stuck in a cell is almost five months now. it was february 17th, another week or so it will be five months, wolf she has been arrested at the moscow airport and of course, being held and it is such a difficult story and it's set against the backdrop of course of the horrors of the ukraine war that started just a week after brittney griner was arrested and also, the issue of how women athletes are treated compared to male athletes. the money they make, the reason that brittney griner as you know was going to russia was because so many wnba players don't make much money, basically $200,000 or so they go to try to make more money, supplement their income overseas that is wrapped into this very difficult story. >> very difficult. is there some risk, christine, to the presidents getting personally involved in making this an even higher profile case because some experts as you heard, say that could give the russians more leverage in what is essentially probably going to turn out to be some sort of hos

and brittney griner certainly is very much aware of that. i was able to speak to her legal defense team today. and they said that she is somewhat nervous, as this trial moves into this decisive phase. and you could have a verdict very soon. but that she's also laser focused on her defense. here's what they told me. >> wnba star brittney griner focused on the final and decisive phase of her trial for drug charges in russia. speaking to cnn right after visiting her, griner's lawyer says the athlete is keeping the faith. >> she is of course stressed and quite nervous. and she knows that the end of the trial is approaching. but she really appreciates all the support she is getting. >> reporter: griner's legal team is building their strategy on efforts to get lenience from the court for showing remorse for trying to enter the country with vaping cartridges containing cannabis oil. >> i do understand what my charges are against me and with them being accidentally in my bags, i take responsibility. but i did not intend to smuggle or plan to smuggle

and a programming note: brittney griner's wife, charelle griner, will be on "cbs mornings" tomorrow. now to ukraine, which suffered a major setback in its war with russia. it lost control of the bombed- out eastern city of lysychansk, and as a result, lost control of the critical luhansk region. ukrainian president zelenskyy said the lost territory will be regained with the help of long-range western weapons. here in washington, the house select committee investigating the january 6th attack is collecting new information ahead of more public hearings later this month. still, a question persists: was the conduct leading up to the capitol attack "criminal?" here's cbs's scott macfarlane. >> reporter: the committee investigating the u.s. capitol attack is talking publicly about the possibility they'll recommend a first-ever criminal prosecution of a former president. >> i think there was evidence the former president engaged in multiple violations of the law, and that should be investigated. >> reporter: despite concerns about how "divisive" it could be for the country for the justice d

cannabis oil griner pleading guilty late last week >> it was unintentionally brought to russia, because she was in a hurry as she was packing. >> reporter: her attorney hoping that plea expedites the process getting her closer to possibly being released as the kremlin says they won't discuss next steps until the trial is over. in a phone call with griner's wife, president biden and vice president harris assuring her they're doing everything they can to get griner home >> the next step in this journey is to support our administration in making sure they have our support to do whatever is necessary to bring her back home >> reporter: family and fans waiting and hoping for her return. meagan fitzgerald, nbc news >>> now to new mexico, where a mother is back with her two children tonight following a terrifying carjacking. her desperate efforts to rescue the kids all caught on camera here's priscilla thompson with that story. >> i have two babies in there are >> reporter: it looks like a stunt only seen in movies but for melody maldonado, this was very real. new video shows her clinging to t

griner as well as all wrongfully detained u.s. citizens safely home. >> reporter: brittney griner's trial starts as attetensions ben u.s. and russia reached a boiling point, not just over the invasion of ukraine, u.s. also demanding release of former marine paul wheelan, sentenced to 16 years in russian prison for espionage. u.s. called it politically motivated, and trussian court denies that. >> i cannot comment on the actions of the russian korcourt can only deal with the facts and that is that she was detained on possession of substances that contained drugs. >> led away hand cuffed again, as lawyers and u.s. authorities fight to bring the basketball star home as soon as possible. >> and fred joins me now, from moscow. so fred, this is expected to be a lengthy trial. so what comes next? >> reporter: yeah, first of all, you're absolutely right. it is expected to be a lengthy trial, unclear how many trial dates there are going to be but certainly could be quite a few more. what we have learned is that the next trial that is going

as you heard, griner's head coach allude to there, there's now speculation that griner's return home could be dependent on a prisoner swap. there's new reporting in "the new york times" that peels back the curtain on a man named victor boot, who russian media outlets have directly linked to griner's case in recent weeks. here's that reporting. "he is a notorious russian arms dealer known as the merchant of death, serving a 25-year federal prison sentence for conspiring to sell weapons to people who said they plan to kill americans." the times adds, "the vast disparity between the cases of bridny griner and victor bout highlight the extreme difficulty president biden would face if he sought a prisoner exchange to free ms. griner, the detained wnba player, from detention in moscow." the biden administration reluctant to create an incentive would be hard pressed to justify the release of a villainous figure like mr. boot. meanwhile, all of this comes at a time of extremely heightened tensions between russia and the u.s. as the war in ukraine rages on. the ongoing detainment of brittney

griner says she was not read her rights or given a lawyer. she says she was also forced to sign documents she did not understand and her phone was confiscated. griner said the cannabis oil was for medical use only and it was accidentally in her bag because she was rushing to pack. she says she knows the law in russia and called it an honest mistake. joining us is dawn staley, the head coach for the south carolina gamecocks. thank you for your time. let me start with something we've learned, that the secretary of state antony blinken is going to make remarks soon. what do you want to hear from him? >> i want to hear that we're one step closer to brings brittney home, and although we know it's a difficult process that's forever changing, but if anybody can get her home, it's him, so look forward to his comments and hopefully hearing that she's one day closer to coming home. >> all right, let's go now to the secretary of state and hear what he has to say. >> it's six months, the calls continue to climb, thousands of civilians are hurt or wounded

and a programming note: brittney griner's wife, charelle griner, will be on "cbs mornings" tomorrow. now to ukraine, which suffered a major setback in its war with russia. it lost control of the bombed-out eastern city of lysychansk, and as a result, lost control of the critical luhansk region. ukrainian president zelenskyy said the lost territory will be regained with the help of long-range western weapons. here in washington, the house select committee investigating facing expensive vitamin c creams with dull results? olay brightens it up with olay vitamin c. gives you two times brighter skin. hydrates better than the $400 cream. here in washington, the house select committee investigating the january 6th attack is collecting new information ahead of more public hearings later this month. still, a question persists: was the conduct leading up to the capitol attack "criminal?" here's cbs's scott macfarlane. >> reporter: the committee investigating the u.s. capitol attack is talking publicly about the possibility they'll recommend a first-ever criminal prosecution of a former preside

why he's criticizing the white house's handling of the griner case. >>> and the long overdue honor for a 102-year-old world war ii veteran. >> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt >>> good evening, everyone after holding the attention of millions of tv viewers this summer, the recent pause to the january 6th hearings into the attack on the capitol have turned attention now to the department of justice and attorney general merrick garland to provide what could be the next act in this american, legal, political, and constitutional drama with outside pressure mounting for indictments of mr. trum and some of his inner circle, i sat down with the attorney general today for an exclusive interview. the ag dismissing accusations his office hasn't moved swiftly enough to build cases against those at the top of the ladder and telling me concerns over further tearing the country apart would not deter his office from holding those criminally responsible accountable. let's start off and talk about january 6th. we just watched weeks of some pretty horrific testimony about what led

in her personal plea griner urged president biden to free all u.s. captives writing i realize you are dealing with so much, but please don't forget about me and the other american tee tanes. please do all you can to bring us home. in an interview on cbs mornings her wife cherelle griner says she is done letting the government handle things behind the scenes. >> i will not be quiet any more. i will find that balance of, you know, harm versus help in pushing our government to do everything that's possible because being quiet they are not moving, they are not doing anything. >> reporter: a national security council spokesperson tells cbs news the u.s. government continues to work aggressively using every available means to bring her home. but griner's wife is still waiting for a direct response from president biden. >> i still have not heard from him and honestly it's very disheartening. >> reporter: in the letter, which was delivered on the fourth of july, griner wrote freedom means something completely different to her this year. michael george, cbs n

the white house says the president also penned a letter to griner in return. this is something that on which he's personally engaged on a daily basis. state department spokesperson ned price as russia wrongly detained griner in february after authorities claimed they found cannabis oil in her luggage. if griner is convicted on the drug charges she faces, she could spend a decade behind bars. but bill browder a fine answer and political activists to expose a multi-million dollar fraud scheme orchestrated by russian officials says russia won't release criner without something in return. all they're doing is trying to figure out. >> which hostages have more value. how do they determine value? they determine how upset the american people get by the hostage taking grounders says russian media has expressed interest in a prisoner exchange involving viktor bout a russian arms dealer known as the merchant of death is in us prison. >> he's responsible for thousands, if not not many more. tens of thousands of deaths with arms that he supplied to different rebels in diff

basketball player brittney griner. she's appeared in court in moscow for a hearing in her trial and drops charges. she faces a potential sentence of a decade in prison after being found carrying canada's oil in vapor cartridges. these latest pictures show brittney griner entering the courthouse. the court heard from character witnesses including the sporting director of a russian team praising her. her team captain testified and spoke to reporters afterwards. >> i can say that britney has always been a very good teammate. my role is to be with her, support her. we miss her energy. i was very happy to see her and i hope this trial will be over soon, and with a positive outcome. >> russian authorities previously raised this cctv footage of brittney griner apparently being stopped at an airport in february. she pleaded guilty but told the court she did not intend to break the law. this is her lawyer after a previous hearing. >> she admitted that it was ours -- was hers. but she said it was unintentionally brought to russi

is trying to organize a prisoner swap for brittney griner and paul whelan. secretary of state blinken saying he raised the issue with the russian foreign minister in their first phone call since russia invaded ukraine. >> i pressed the kremlin to accept the substantial proposal we put forth on the release of paul whelan and brittney griner. but the russians made clear they don't want to speak publically about prisoner swaps. >> this topic was discussed over a year ago between putin and biden. there they agreed to authorize competent people to deal with these issues. the foreign ministry is not one of them. >> reporter: brittney griner's legal team said they're not made aware of any negotiations and are only focused on the tough legal battle ahead. >> she loves everybody, she misses her family, of course, her wife. and again she appreciates a lot the huge support she's getting from wnba, from the sports community in the usa, world wide, so she's really, really grateful and it means a lot to her. >> reporter: and jim, brittney griner's lawyers, her defense tea

cartridges in >>> brittney griner admitting to having cannabis cartridges in her luggage but said she brought them by accident. the potential prison time could a plea earn leniency? also the growing pressure on the president to bring her home. also, shockwaves in the uk. boris johnson resigning amid mounting scandal. who he is blaming for forcing him out. >>> the father that sponsored a gun permit application for the suspected july 4 shooter, speaking out. why he said he bears no responsibility. my one-on-one with the new york city mayor eric adams. on the surgeon crime in the city and nationwide. we ask, does he consider new york a dangerous city in the two groups he said are holding america hostage. simone biles and megan rubino at the white house today among 17 receiving the nation's highest honor. and from the godfather, remembering james kohn. remembering legendary actor james caan >>> this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. >>> good evening, everyone a guilty plea today in a russian court from brittney griner, the american basketball star the biden administration says has b

in exchange for brittney griner and paul whelan another american in russian detention. and the secretary of state blinken in a press briefing today would not comment on the details. only telling reporters quote, we've got a substantial proposal on the table weeks ago, to facilitate their release. when pushed by reporters to further address that substantial proposal, this is what blinken said. >> we are very focused on getting brittney griner and paul whela nochld home. this is something we're working on every single day and most of the time we're working it quietly, behind the scenes, for obvious reasons. and i would say just because you don't see us doing something, or you don't hear us talking about it doesn't mean it is not happening. on the contrary. this is something that bringing people home, bringing brittney griner home, bringing paul home, this is something that we're focused on 24/7, seven days a week. >> so can we expect russia to allow griner and whelan to return with some sort of deal? joining us now is kimberly st. julian, her work is focused on race and t

. >> griner has not entered a plea yet. her n hearing is scheduled for thursday let's bring in william pomerantz, the acting director of the wilson center's institute. they say she is wrongfully detained here. does she have any fair shot at all at a fair trial in russia? >> no, she does not. russia has a severe bias against criminal defendants and they are co convicted at a 99% rate and griner does not have a chance in a russian court. how do you see this thing unfolding from here. >> i think it will be a long trial, and i think in light of the -- the clip that you showed just before this episode, i think it is going to be a political trial in the sense that griner was arrested just before the invasion of ukraine just before the imposition of sanctions, and just before the assembling of weapons to ukraine. so i think russia wants to get some sort of effort and this is the way they can do it >> so is the russian goal here a trade, one of ours for one of theirs and the old-fashioned cold war style here? is that what they're t

it is hardly a fair deal exchanging him for brittany griner. objectively none of this is fair, brittany griner and paul whelan shouldn't be held like hostages in russia which purports to be a member of the g20, a member of the security council and yet acts like north korea and iran in seizing americans without due process and holding them without due process and rightful cause, so it is a problem from the get go but of course the swap is in and of itself not an equivalent situation because viktor bout was found guilty in a us court, he was extradited from thailand after he was on the run for some time. having said that he has served a heavy chunk of his time that he was sentenced and in fact the judge who sentenced him in new york, she made a statement saying she could live with the consequences of the swap because in her estimation because he had served such a large portion of his time already, that in essence, he had givenjustice it's fair due, more or less. antony blinken and sergei lavrov haven't spoken since before the start of the invasio

some believe griner is being used as a political pawn by vladimir putin. griner testified today that she had no intention of breaking russian law by bringing a small alum -- amount of cannabis into the country. and after recovering from covid in traveling on a 13 hour flight from -- to russia, they took her passport. she was asked to sign a few documents, an interpreter was president, but did not explain to grinder what she was signing. so griner use google translate on her phone to -- in an attempt to understand the documents. ed amid griner's testimony today, cnn was first to report on a potential prisoner exchange between -- reportedly offering convicted russian's arm dealer viktor bout who is currently serving a 25 year sentence in the u.s., in exchange for brittney griner and paul whelan. another american in russian detention. nbc news has since confirmed the reporting. secretary of state blinken enough press -- would not comment on the details. only telling reporters quote, we have a substantial proposal on the table weeks ago to facilitate their rel

and brittney griner's wife. now that there's been a phone call what do you want from the administration? >> i think it's helpful, very helpful there's been a phone call. in that conversation, our commander in chief gave cherelle griner the assurance that bg was a top priority. paul whelan is a top priority and others are a top priority. that's what cherelle griner deserved and hopeful that other families get the same opportunity. what we now to do is to stand by the administration. our commander in chief. our vice president harris and let them know that we encourage and support all efforts to they will undertake to bring our citizens home. >> thank you for your time. >> thank you. >>> two former of president trump's biggest foes were the sunt of tax audits. one said his was no coincidence. we have new details next. lactaid is 100% real milk, just without the lactose. tastes great in our iced coffees too. which makes waking up at 5 a.m. to milk the cows a little easier. (moo) mabel says for you, it's more like 5:

. >>> and brittney griner pleads guilty to drug charges in russia. how that will impact efforts to bring her home. >>> well, good morning, and good to be with you. i'm anne-marie green. we begin with breaking news out of japan where former japanese prime minister shinzo abe has been shot. it happened during an outdoor campaign speech. in this video you can see what appears to be a gun go off and then police wrestling a suspect to the ground. abe was rushed to the hospital and is said to be in grave condition. elizabeth palmer is in tokyo with what we know right now. >> reporter: former prime minister shinzo abe e was givin an unscheduled campaign speech in western japan when suddenly two shots rang out. [ gunfire ] his security detail immediately tackled the gunman, but it was too late. abe lay in the road with obvious gunshot wounds to the chest. the suspect has been identified by the police. he's a 41-year-old former military man and a local person who has told police he wanted to kill abe, that he had a grudge against him. abe is certainly a polar

>> right now the white house is essentially saying that exactly what griner's -- what they told griner's wife, which is this is the highest level of a priority that the president is regularly, you know, in conversations about it, talking to his secretary of state antony blinken, talking to national security adviser jake sullivan, both of whom have specifically, you know, regularly communicated with griner's wife and have talked to her. when you ask the white house about anything in terms of the methods they are using to try to get griner released, you know, it is a black box there. again, national security, confidentiality, they're not going to discuss that. they also won't be -- they haven't said at all or answered questions about whether or not president biden is going to ultimately meet with griner's wife. i know you asked them as well, and i asked them again on friday, and they have not answered then. >> so, jill, tell us about what brittney griner faces. this 99% conviction rate, it spells out a legal system that, you know, people have described as not a legal system. what should pe

dna players union about griner's detainment. good to see you again, thank you for being with us. >> thank you for having me. >> britney griner pled guilty today, reportedly this was her decision after consulting with her lawyers and experts. a simple google about the russian criminal justice system will tell you that there is almost 100 percent conviction court in rate in russian courts. >> has the russian criminal justice system if he can call it that, has almost over 97% conviction rate. a good way of thinking about brittany's plea and in the russian system they work a little differently. she has acknowledged the her guilt in this crime, it's still up to the russian prosecutor to prove the evidence to the crime that she pled guilty to. i think it's a strategy. it's one of the ways that she can say she had an accident but you didn't mean to break russian raw, but that she respects russian raw law. i think that was a very smart move on her and her legal team's behalf. >> some legal analysts say that if she does this and allows r

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brittney griner's wife says the president's response to griner's letter gave her hope, and now she's pleading with the russian government for mercy. >> it has just been overwhelming for my entire family. >> reporter: this morning, brittney griner's wife cherelle speaking out for the first time since her wife pleaded guilty to drug charges in russia. cherelle griner embracing the wave of support from around the world and thanking the biden administration for their work to help bring brittney home. just this week the president responding to griner's handwritten plea to intervene. >> i want to make it very clear that our next move as supporters for bg is to make sure that the administration understands that they have our full support. >> reporter: griner joined by al sharpton during a chicago press conference urging leniency for the wnba star who faces ten years in a russian prison. >> there ought to be a place where conflicts stop and where the politics stop. >> reporter: grasping a photo of her wife, a shackled brittney griner pleading guilty thursday after russian police say they fou

is there movement to getting brittney griner and paul whelan home? we will talk about a reversal of u.s. policy coming up. this is "andrea mitchell reports." you are watching msnbc. s. you are watching msnbc welcome to allstate, where you can bundle and save. isn't that right phil? i'm in the metaverse, bundling my home and auto insurance. bundle home and auto and save. call a local agent or 1-888-allstate for a quote today. from the #1 fiber brand comes metamucil gummies. getting your daily fiber is now even easier. made with prebiotic plant based fiber to support your digestive health. each serving has 5 grams of fiber and no added sugar. metamucil fiber gummies. there is nothing glamorous about migraines. since i was a teenager the pain has taken me away from my family and friends. but i finally found relief with nurtec odt it's the only medication that can treat my migraine right when it strikes and prevent my next attack. treat and prevent all in one. don't take if allergic to nurtec. most common side effects, in less than 3%, were nausea, indig

wnba star brittney griner and paul whelan. tonight, secretary of state antony blinken saying the u.s. has offered a substantial proposal to moscow, saying the u.s. believes they are both wrongfully detained. and tonight, sources now telling abc news that the u.s. is offering russian arms dealer victor bout in exchange. right now, serving time in a u.s. federal prison. all of this comes on the same day that brittney griner testified in her own trial in russia. she has pleaded guilty to having hash oil in her luggage. saying it was an accident. her lawyers presented evidence she had a prescription for cannabis in her home state of arizona. griner testified she had traveled for 13 hours and was still recovering from covid when she was interrogated and arrested at the airport about a week before the russian invasion in ukraine. and former marine paul whelan was arrested more than three years ago and convicted on espionage charges. u.s. officials call that a mockery of justice. tonight, secretary blinken saying in the coming days,

griner has already spent the last 130 days in a russian jail. officials have now extended her detention for six months pending the outcome of this trial. we should note the state department has said griner has been, quote, wrongfully detained. >>> last night, cnn's abby phillip sat down with griner's wife for an exclusive interview. you'll hear part of that conversation in just a moment. back at home, though, new developments in the january 6th investigation. sources tell cnn that someone tried to influence the testimony of cassidy hutchinson, the former trump white house aide who shared damning details about what the former president was doing as the capitol attack unfolded. we'll have much more on that just ahead. we begin, though, this morning, in moscow. cnn's senior international correspondent frederik pleitgen is outside the court where brittney griner's first trial hearing wrapped up, about an hour ago. fred, we should note, these trials take place in russia, with enormous political interference, often doing the bidding of the kremlin. bu

sunny griner was able to read that letter. >> reporter: the letter to griner, following her letter pleading for her release. part of a pressure campaign on the biden administration by griner's family and advocates including a rally on wednesday night in phoenix. >> i'm frustrated that my wife is not going to get justice. >> has her pressure an the biden administration's reaction to it raised the asking price for brittney griner in a trade. >> russians are nothing if not mercenary, so the more prominent, the person that they've managed to detain, the hostage if you will, the more they think they could get for that. and really, people should understand sh this is a hofstag taking. >> but they are concerned about the conditions in which she's been held. she and her wife have not been able to speak on the phone since her arrest in february. russian officials have granted permission for a call because of an arranged call botched by the u.s. embassy, it hasn't happened. they have been able to exchange letters. brian todd, cnn, washington. >> thank you. >>> and you're going need a lot of water and

and then they do it for some people and not for others. >> griner's guilty plea. what kind of impact does this have on the negotiations to try to bring her home? >> it will have no impact on negotiations. we're going to do everything that we can to bring home brittney griner safely and also make sure that we bring paul whelan back home as well. >> reporter: jonathan franks is a consultant that worked on the release of marine veteran trevor reed in a prisoner swap earlier this year. >> a number of strategic reasons why people would enter a guilty plea, even if they are in fact innocent. that may be what happened here. >> reporter: griner's legal team hopes that her guilty plea will lead to a less severe sentence, and they also hope the court takes into account her contributions to russian sport, adding that she wanted to take responsibility for her actions. jericka? >> all right. we'll see if this strategy works. thank you, caitlin. >>> well, now to the passing of a hollywood icahn. actor james caan. tonight tributes are pouring in on social media from fans and fel

, their fans and griner's family making it clear brittney is not alone. estly can't rest she's home. >> president biden, please help bring bg home. >> reporter: day two of the wnba star's trial gets under way this morning in moscow. just days after the white house received a handwritten letter griner wrote to president biden. reading in part, i'm terrified i might be here forever. the president and vice president yesterday called griner's wife directly. the white house saying, the president called cherelle to reassure her that he is working to secure brittney's release. as soon as possible. >> let's make sure this administration knows they have our support to do whatever is necessary and that we are not going to ever be quiet until she's home safely. >> reporter: but the family of paul whelan, an american detained in russia since 2018, is slamming the president saying he's never called them. whelan's sister tweeting, still looking for that press release saying president biden has spoken to anyone in our family about paul whelan wrongfully detained in russ

the president hasn't written back to britney griner and spoken with her wife cherelle griner, who expressed hope and resolve to -- and wrongfully detained americans in russia. here she is at a press conference yesterday. >> i want to make it very clear that our next move in supporting bg's to make sure the administration understands as they have our full support in doing anything and everything is necessary to bring bg hone and as well as any of the lawfully unlawfully obtained detained american. >> -- he's a national action president and host of ms beasts politicsnation. reverend al, thank you for being here. paul whelan does another prisoner detained. his brother just cried the deplorable conditions he was living. and you mentioned it yesterday's press conference that britney does not have access to the news that isn't aware of the million standing with her. can you speak to the level of isolation that griner is experiencing right now? do you have a sense of the conditions that she's being held in? >> well in speaking with cherelle his or wife, i know that she has not been able to even ha

history may be repeating itself in the case of the a wnba star brittney griner. today she pleaded guilty to drug charges claiming that the two cartridges found in her luggage witch police said contain cannabis oil were left there unintentionally. but she still faces up to ten years in jail if convicted. she's expected back in court on july 14. her wife and her team thephoenix mercury calling on the biden administration to do more of to free the basketball star. but ironically, today's guilty plea could be a sign that we're seeing close to seeing a diplomatic resolution to the situation. a russian -- russia ex appears interested and exchanging britney griner for a former soviet officer named victor boot. boot is currently serving a 25 years prison sentence for conspiring a sell weapons to people who said they plan to use those weapons to kill americans. the biden administration has not made any official comment on whether they would agree to that swap but had said that griner's safe return is a priority. the situation is also complicated by the fact that britney g

griner and her family. >> reporter: the biden administration does believe that brit nye griner is being wrong fli detained. tonight, some are calling for a prisoner swap, and not just for griner, but also for another american, paul whelan. he has been detained in russia for more than three years, linsey. >> rachel scott, thank you. >>> overseas tonight, russia is claiming a key victory in eastern ukraine, but one that is taking a toll on russian forces, and now ukraine's military is bracing for a new assault. abc's foreign correspondent james longman is in ukraine for us. >> reporter: vladimir putin has scored an important victory, linsey, he's claimed fullluhans. one of the two provinces at the heart of this conflict. entire neighborhoods have been virtually destroyed. it's likely now that russia will try to move onto donetsk, the other province in the donbas. ukraine, though, perhaps better able to rappel that advance. they've got u.s. himars online. much more difficult to attack because they are so mobile. but all this is after one of the bloodiest weeks for civilians of this war so

griner and all u.s. citizens wrongfully detained. >> reporter: while griner, a sports celebrity, has been detained for four months, others are held far longer. ex-marine paul whelan arrested in 2018. >> three and a half years in, and we really haven't seen any forward movement to get paul released >> reporter: whelan, griner and others holding out hope in russia where 99% of cases end in conviction >>> it's a pivotal day for the committee investigating the january 6 insurrection the panel is expected to hear testimony from pat cipollone who served as white house counsel for then president trump brie jackson joins us from d.c committee members have insisted they need to hear from cipollone on the record. >> reporter: that's right. good morning, phillip. the committee spoke with cipollone back in april. but after explosive testimony from cassidy hutchinson, there's a new urgency to speak with him on the record. hutchinson testified that cipollone repeatedly raised legal concerns about president trump's act

on the first day of her trial last week, she was able to speak to brittney griner, brittney griner asked her to convey the message that she is keeping the faith. and i think you see that to a remarkable degree, in that remarkable handwritten letter that brittney griner sent to the administration. brittney griner, paul whelan, americans around the world who are held hostage or unjustly detained, they are always on our thoughts. they are always weighing on everything it is that we do. we regularly engage with families, we regularly engage with the representation of those who are wrongfully detained or held hostage. but, i think, all of you can understand, at the same time, while we update families certainly in broad strokes on our efforts. it is not something that we are in a position to speak to publicly and any detail. and i point to the case of trevor reed, i was often asked from this podium about updates for trevor reed's case and i have said things very similar to what i just said about brittney griner. and to paul whelan, of course, we were able to find a way to secure trevor reed's

brittney griner - led frightening. brittney griner pled guilty _ frightening. brittney griner pled guilty to _ frightening. brittney griner pled guilty to a _ frightening. brittney griner. pled guilty to a drug-related pled guilty to a drug—related charge but says she didn't intend to break the law stop at the us says she has been wrongfully detained which russia denies. but now in a rare move the state department has gone public about her release. ~ has gone public about her release-— has gone public about her release. ~ ., , , release. we have conveyed this on a number — release. we have conveyed this on a number of _ release. we have conveyed this on a number of occasions, - on a number of occasions, indirectly to russian officials, and my hope would be that in speaking to misdelivery of, i can advance the efforts to bring her home. —— sergei lavrov. to bring her home. -- sergei lavrov. ., . ., , to bring her home. -- sergei lavrov. . . , ,, lavrov. that increased pressure from the families _ lavrov. that increased pressure from the families of—

a great interview you did with cherelle griner. tell us what she told you about this dire situation underway right now. >> well, the start of the trial today in russia is really the beginning of a process that cherelle griner knows is going to be a lengthy one and one that is unlikely to end in a positive way for her life. she repeated this figure to me, 99% of criminal trials in russia end in a conviction. so there's an awareness there that at the end of this process, it's very unlikely that britney drien griner is going to be acquitted. one thing to keep in mind about cherelle griner is she is actually a lawyer herself, and she's very clear eyed that this kind of legal process is not what we're used to in the united states. so with that knowledge, she's advised her wife to approach it very differently. take a listen. >> i want people to try and put themselves in her shoes and just think about the fact that, you know, this is not our typical system. so bg is not walking into a situation where there is a balance of justice. she's w

with the griner family. jackson lee told cnn earlier that despite russian claims to the contrary, she considers griner's detention to be political. >> the small amount of drugs that they say she has is an allegation. we don't know whether it's true or not. it's a very small amount. and in the united states, it wouldn't be considered any kind of crime. so we know this is a political detention. incarceration. i believe that it is political, that she's a pawn. and that they're very little chances of her being acquitted. >> i spoke earlier with cnn contributor and former cnn moscow bureau chief about the trial. and asked her about the speculation that some sort of prisoner exchange could bring her home. >> she's a significant person. she is a major sports figure. she's in the public eye. interestingly she's going to russia to play which is what happens with some female athletes in basketball in the united states. she's really kind of, she's a significant person. and as to what would happen, yes, the prime person