Brittney Griner trial - live: Wife describes ‘gut-wrenching time’ in rally with Al Sharpton

Conservatives are slamming Brittney Griner for her 2020 comments about removing the national anthem from WNBA games and some are even comparing her to those jailed after the January 6 Capitol riot in 2021.

Gustaf Kilander reports.

Megan Rapinoe wore a powerful tribute to WNBA star Brittney Griner while attending the Presidential Medal of Freedom ceremony this week where she received the nation’s highest civilian honour.

On Thursday, the professional soccer player, 37, and 16 others were presented with the award by President Joe Biden.

Ahead of the ceremony, Rapinoe revealed on her Instagram story that she’d chosen a cream suit jacket with the basketball player’s initials and a flower sewn into the lapel.

Chelsea Rischel reports.

Texas Rep Sheila Jackson Lee has described the Russian judicial system as “worse than a paper tiger”. The congresswoman has been working overtime to gain recognition for Brittney Griner’s freedom and national support.

This morning she spoke with Mika Brzezinski on MSNBC’s Morning Joe about her efforts on behalf of the WNBA star.

The lawmaker said: “Frankly, what happened to Brittney Griner and whatever she had, would have been in the court of law in the United States, a dismissal or an acquittal.”

US basketball star Brittney Griner will take “full responsibility for her actions” to set an example to her fans, her Russian legal team said after she pleaded guilty to a drug charge in a Moscow court on Thursday.

The Olympic gold medallist’s lawyers hope that the plea will help her avoid a severe sentence and enable her to return home sooner.

Shweta Sharma has the story.

The abrupt guilty plea by Brittney Griner, the Phoenix Mercury center and two-time Olympic gold medalist, came amid a growing chorus of calls for Washington to do more to secure her freedom nearly five months after her arrest in February for drug smuggling amid rising tensions between the US and Russia over Ukraine.

A senior Russian diplomat said earlier that no action could be taken by Moscow on Ms Griner’s case until the trial was over, and her guilty plea could be an effort by her and her advisers to expedite the court proceedings.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov bristled at the official US description of Ms Griner as “wrongfully detained” and warned that “attempts by the American side to make noise in public ... don’t help the practical settlement of issues.”

Washington hasn’t disclosed its strategy in the case and the US may have little leverage with Moscow because of strong animosity over its actions in Ukraine. The State Department’s designation of Griner as wrongfully detained moves her case under the supervision of its special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, effectively the government’s chief hostage negotiator.

Asked about the possibility of Ms Griner being swapped for a Russian jailed in the US, Mr Ryabkov noted that until her trial is over “there are no formal or procedural reasons to talk about any further steps.”

He warned that US criticism and dismissive comments about the Russian judicial system, in addition to the description of Ms Griner as wrongfully detained, “makes it difficult to engage in detailed discussion of any possible exchanges.”

“The persistence with which the U.S. administration ... describes those who were handed prison sentences for serious criminal articles and those who are awaiting the end of investigation and court verdicts as ‘wrongfully detained’ reflects Washington’s refusal to have a sober view of the outside world,” Mr Ryabkov said.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexei Zaitsev said on Wednesday that the crime Ms Griner is charged with is “a serious offense, confirmed by indisputable evidence”.

“Attempts to present the case as if the American was detained illegally do not hold up,” he said.

“The law has been violated, and arguments about the innocent nature of Griner’s addiction, which, by the way, is punishable in some US states, are inappropriate in this case,” Mr Zaitsev concluded.

The 31-year American basketball star Brittney Griner has appeared in court in Moscow, where she pleaded guilty to a drug charge.

Her detention and charge followed her being stopped at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport in February, while returning to play for the Russian team UMMC Ekaterinburg. A week later, Russia invaded Ukraine.

Police said they found vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage.

Speaking through an interpreter, Ms Griner pleaded guilty to the charge, but said she had intended to break the law.

Rather, her offence was one of “negligence” and she claims she packed her luggage hastily.

So what happens next? Andrew Buncombe reports for The Independent.

The Rev Al Sharpton has called on Russian authorities to put the fate of Brittney Griner above the concerns of “national boundaries”.

Speaking in Chicago alongide the player’s wife, Cherelle Griner, the veteran civil rights activist said Ms Griner was a “champion” whose talents were recognised internationally.

He said the 31-year Phoenix Mercury centre and two-time Olympic gold medalist had spent far too being detained in Russia and that it was time to bring her home.

Andrew Buncombe reports for The Independent.

Cherelle Griner talked to April Ryan of The Grio about her conversation with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris regarding her wife’s imprisonment in Russia.

Watch below:

Brittney Griner is “the fun aunt,” according to Nneka Ogwumike. She is resilient and kind, Ogwumike said. A fellow daughter of Texas, and Ogwumike’s father’s favorite player.

Speaking Friday ahead of the WNBA‘s All-Star festivities in Chicago, Ogwumike focused more on Griner’s humanity than her playing ability as the league continued to push for Griner’s release from her detention in Russia.

“BG, Brittney Griner, is an American hero,” said Ogwumike, an All-Star forward for the Los Angeles Sparks. “She is ours and she is yours, and we must get her home.”

Ogwumike, the president of the WNBA players’ association, joined Griner’s wife, Cherelle, the Rev. Al Sharpton, Seattle Storm star Sue Bird and union leader Terri Jackson for a press conference calling for mercy for Griner a day after the eight-time All-Star pleaded guilty to drug possession charges that could see her sentenced to up to 10 years in prison.