WNBA

FILE - A poster photo of U.S. Marine Corps veteran and Russian prisoner Trevor Reed stands in Lafayette Park near the White House, March 30, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)

Trevor Reed released in Russia prisoner swap

Trevor Reed, a prior service Marine jailed in Russia, was traded for a Russian citizen imprisoned in the US. After lengthy negotiations Wednesday, Russia’s foreign minister said the US agreed to return a Russian pilot serving a 20-year federal prison sentence in Connecticut for smuggling cocaine into the US.

FILE - Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner is shown during the first half of Game 2 of basketball's WNBA Finals against the Chicago Sky, Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021, in Phoenix. A Moscow court announced it has extended the arrest of WNBA star Brittney Griner until May 19, according to the Russian state news agency Tass. Griner was detained at a Moscow airport in February after Russian authorities said a search of her luggage revealed vape cartridges. They were identified as containing oil derived from cannabis, which could carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri, File)

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State Dept. says helping Americans detained abroad a top priority

The State Department responded to a letter by two GOP congressmen who called on Joe Biden to do more to secure the release of WNBA star Brittney Griner. The letter, written by Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) and Rep. Burgess Owens (R-Utah), was sent to the President in March.