♪ hello, everyone. i'm bianna golodryga. brittney grind er is on her way

back home. president biden announced that she's been released. >> she's safe, on her way home, for months of being unjustly detained, held until intolerable circumstances. she'll soon by back in the arms of her loved ones, and she should have been there all along. >> you'll recall she was detained in february after cannabis oil was found in her suitcase. she was convicted and sentenced to nine years of hard labor at a camp. officials say it took months of negotiations to get here. the swap did not include paul whelan, another american that the state department has decwrongly detained. >> we understand there are other people who are out there enduring what i did. so thank you, everybody for

support. this is a happy day for me and my family. i'm going to smile right now. >> a big smile from cherelle griner. first, let's bring in kylie atwood, and phil mattingly. kylie, from all of the reporting we've gathered, these negotiations just wrapped up in the last 48 hours. walk us through what happened. >> that's exactly right. this has been months in the work. you'll remember that cnn reported over the summer, the united states, the biden administration put an offer on the table for both paul whelan and brittney griner, as part of that trading viktor bout, this convicted arms trafficker, but what they ended up wasn't that initial proposal. it's a different one, with paul whelan remaining in russia, and

u.s. officials today are clearly saying this was the only option, that over the course of the last few weeks, as russia and the united states were going back and forth, it became clear they had to move on this deal. secretary of state, he was in the oval office today when cherelle griner had a chance to speak to brittney griner. he called that to an unforgettable experience. he spoke what it mentality for bringing her home, but also it meant leaving paul whelan in russia for now. >> this was not a choice. the choice was one or none. we will never relent until paul, and for that matter every other american national wrongly detained abroad, is free and joining their families. >> he also said the u.s. officials put every possible offer on the table with russia to also try to secure whelan's

release, but he said that wasn't possible in this moment. u.s. officials are clearly saying they will try to get him home as quickly as possible, but for now they're elated griner is on her way home. they're also thanking the united arab emirates. it was uae, abu dhabi, where brittie griner and viktor bout were exchanged today. i spoke to a uae official earlier this year is one of the reasons that brittney griner is on her way home today. ana? >> yeah, back-channel negotiations there. phil, clearly the white house has learned a lesson or two following the release of trevor reed and paul whelan's family not being involved or given a heads-up prior to that. we know it's a delicate balance,

but also a bit sobering that paul is not there with her. they have been very sensitive about reaching out to his family and letting them know he's still top of mind. >> reporter: that's a great point because of the progrepgs and the evolution we have seen, but even within this administration over the course of the 22 months in office when it comes to dealing with the delicate situation. keep in mind, when it comes to hostage situations, they have brought several home. trevor reed, one from venezuela and others. brittney griner is the latest in what's been a shift of strategy, but part of that strategy is making sure that families are as in the loop as they possibly can be, something that those families made clear early on in this administration, they felt those efforts had fallen short. in the lead-up, official had spoken to members of the whelan

family. president biden is prepared to speak when they communicate it's the right time for that. president biden acknowledged this decision to security the release of brittney griner without paul whelan, was a difficult one. they also noted there was a very clear difference in on you russian officials were treating the two individuals. this is how president biden framed it. >> for totally illegitimate reasons, russia is treating paul's case different from brittney. while we have not succeeded in the release of paul whelan, we will not give up. we will never give up. >> reporter: administration officials made clear on this day, such positive, happy news for one detainee. on another case, they clearly still have a lot of work to do. >> paul whelan has been nearly detained four years now,

wrongfully detained. thank you to both of you. carrie champion, and bill sanger. thank you both for joining us. carrie, this has been an ordeal for the family. how important was this public push by her family and the pressure by the wnba as well on the biden administration to make sure this case was front and center, and that they are on the television, giving as many interviews as possible? how big of an impact do you think that had in her release ultimately? >> i think that's why she's home, why she's on her way home. you remember in the beginning, when she was detained, there was a messaging simple -- let's not talk about it, she's in russia, she's been playing basketball there for nearly a decade, let's

see if we can bring her home quietly without bringing any shame to the lead. her wife said, no, this is not how it's going to go. with the help of her agent and the wnba, these women were so dedicated to keeping her name in the headlines, and keep her image everywhere. they didn't have to do it. they risked a lot to do it. there was some pushback and they said, no, we are here for our sister. just in terms of context. everyone is now debating whether or not it was brittney versus this person or other wrongfully detained americans. i really appreciate the fact that the messaging from her camp has always been, let's bring brittney home, but let's also bring home every wrongfully detained american around the world. if they did not -- i'm referring to the wnba and her family and loved ones, if they hadn't

gotten in contact the lawmakers, people who had pull, i don't think we would have seen her here. when she was sentenced, moved to a penal colony, i didn't think less than a month later she would be here. i had no hope, i don't know about anyone else. this is a hopeful day for so many people. >> it is indeed. davey, you'll probably agree with me. you and i both have followed vladimir putin, and russian politics in general. i was really concerned and lost all hope she would be home anytime soon, and yet here we are. david, it's interesting, because the white house has been very public about how frustrated they were in the negotiations. many times they said russia was not negotiating in good faith, yet all of this came about in the last 48 hours. what do you think changed in terms of the kremlin's approach to this situation? >> first, it is a great day. as you heard secretary blinken say and the president say, any

day you get an american home is a huge victory. this one came at some cost. as everyone in the white house has acknowledged, because they had to give up the one man who vladimir putin wanted the most, viktor bout, the world's most notorious arms dealer, at a time that russia is having a hard times getting arms t o pro, and the same sentence at all times, the two of them alone wouldn't even quarter giving up a proven arms dealer like bout, but as you heard the president and blinken say, they didn't have

the choice between the two. they took the offer on the table. >> and on that note, paul whelan, being a bittersweet day, because he remains behind bars and his health is of concern. >> for four years. >> yeah, for four years. he had spoken to our jennifer hansler, and here's what he said. let's play it for you -- >> i don't understand why i'm still sitting here, and i'm greatly disappointed that more has not been done to secure my release. actually, as the four-year anniversary of my arrest is coming up, i was arrested for a crime that never occurred. they always considered me to be at a higher level than other criminals of my sort, and for whatever reason, i'm treated

differently than another individual here from my western country that's also on a charge of espionage. >> as we noted, the united states officially declared him as somebody who is unlawfully imprisoned in russia, even though russia has charged him with espionage. what more can the united states do in terms of offering something? clearly russia believes they have some leverage by keeping him? >> well, this was the debate that president biden had to go through internally, because he knew that once he had turned over viktor bout, he had turned over the best card the united states had to play. so the question is, is there anything you could offer the russians to make up for this? the u.s. could go out and arrest some spies, you know, try to trade them, but the u.s. has argued that paul whelan never was a spy, so that would not about a reason way to go.

it's possible, i imagine -- i don't know this -- that what the russians are looking for here is to start up a bigger conversation about ukraine with president biden. he said in a press difference not long ago that he was willing to have at least some limited conversation. maybe they think it is a swap for something related to the ukraine war -- territory, cease-fire, something like that, in which paul whelan would be the unspoken trade-off. i think that would be a hard thing for the u.s. to do, especially, as you've said, nothing in ukraine without the ukrainians. >> cari, before we let you go, brittney's celebrity helps elevate this cause and being a recognized figure that she was, it was a situation that garnered a lot of attention. on the other hand, though, now that she's coming home, we can only imagine, actually, what the

mental strain has been on her physically, emotionally. now she's going to need some privacy. are you worried at all that she's not going to be able to get that privacy and that time she needs right now to heal with her family? >> yeah, i think that's beautifully said. i don't believe that we can really, truly understand. we woke up this morning and felt like this was great news, so imagine the hope she has now. i'm pretty sure, when she does decide to talk about this, she'll tell you she doesn't have much hope. she does have celebrity, but we must remember that there was messaging early on that, i mean, she's really not that much of a superstar, considering the sport she plays and the gender. what i am noticing now, is what she was able to do, not of her own volition, but her cause to bring more attention to women's sports. she was able to do that.

she also put what i like to say, a human aspects on something so many people never pay attention to. when he gets home, i can only imagine she'll try to have time with her family, but i think the recovery begins right now. it's going to be long, hard, difficult, and i think if she's even able to return to playing in the wnba that will be a win. i'm not hopeful this won't take much of who she is is. the brittney who left on february 17th, it's not the brittney returning today. it is a win that she's returning. that says it all. she halls such a business support system waiting for her. cari champion, host of the champion shop on prime video, david sanger of "new york times," thank you both for joining us. and the new director and anchor for the only independent

russian language channel now broadcasting on youtube. katia, thank you so much for joining us. let me quickly asking -- you follow russian politics so closely. why would he deal with this now? >> because, bianna, he thinking this is the right time. he needs some political bonuses. i would not look at this situation as a signal for the negotiations, only ukraine negotiations with the united states or bigger issues. this is not something that we need to take as a first step for the better relationships washington and moscow. this is very different. on this particular date, vladimir putin needs viktor bout to be back home. he can use him, show him as a victory to his own electorate,

to the citizens of the russian federation. lately there are no victories for russia at all. can you not see anything on the front. you can see russia is in very bad shape, in terms of war, in terms of politics, in terms of sanctions, economy, everything is almost ruined, so he needed something, you know, to show to his constituents, here is viktor bout, we've been talking about him for so long and now he's home. >> but clearly he is inside russia with their propaganda. why do you think paul whelan was not included here? >> because russia would never agreed to the 2 for 1 person, two americans for one russian citizen. russia was negotiating, as you may know, bianna for two citizens of the russian

federation coming home and two citizens of the united states. it was impossible. putin would look badly if he would exchange two representatives of the united states for one russian citizen. that's why he would never do that. he wants to be on the same level as joseph biden. this whoa disaster is perfect because of this, because he wants to be the same level of politician as an american president. >> and he's viewed as a pa rya. your network has had quite the setback this week. you've been working in excite in latvia. you lost your license there when a colleague appeared to be providing support for russian soldiers. you subsequently fired him, but

it did not keep you on the air. what can you do to gain back their trust? >> we will try our beth. we have apologized several times. the person has been fired who had this huge mistake. our reputation is the main thing we think is most important, and we will keep on working. we will try to get back the license or another license in a different european country, but this episode, it taught us a lot, bianna, honestly, but still we know it doesn't mean -- we have different now. we have against war, have always been against this war. we inform russians who are sthil in russia, and thank you for asking that. >> latvia said a three strikes you're out warning for you. >> yeah, it's not -- it's

unjust, unfair, but we're going to keep on working. we're fine. all right. katia, thank you for your time and year perspective. we appreciate it. >> thank you. the house passed a landmark bill protecting same-sex marriage. we're live on the hill, straight ahead. oaoa. some are o of intensity, others, joy. all are of - ahhhh. listerine. feel the whoa! the eat fresh® refresh just won't stop! now, subway® is refreshing their catering with easy-order platters and lunchboxes perfect for any party. poolarties... tailgates... holiday parties... even retirement parties. n, i love parties. subway keeps refreshing and refreshing is it zach again? ♪ have yourself a merry little christmas ♪ ♪ let your heart be light ♪ ♪ from now on, our trouble will be out of sight ♪

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a mile does that tone for same-sex marriage in washington today, to the cheers of lawmakers. >> the motion is adopted. [ cheers and applause ] >> nancy pelosi there gleeful that that's one of the last bills under her speakership is

the respect for marriage act. 39 republicans voted with democrats to pass the measure, which the senate approved last week. president biden said he will design the bill promptly once he received it. this expected federal law is because democrats feared same-sex marriage could be at risk since it's based on the same rights of privacy in roe v. wade. manu raju has the latest from capitol hill. this does not legalize same-sex marriage nationwide. tell us what it does. >> reporter: it requires states to recognize another state's legally valid marriage. you're right, it does not set a national standard. it repeals the 1996 defense of marriage act, which defined marriage between a man and a woman, also denied -- allowed some states to deny other states' same-sex marriages.

once into law, that will no longer be allowed. there's also some exemptions for religious organizations that may not want to perform a same-sex marriage. they don't have to worry about their tax-exempt status being revoked. that was the compromise, and today in the house, 39 republicans joined in support of the bill that had 258 votes in the affirmative. in speaking to one congressman, mark -- said they no longer have to worry about the supreme court potentially targeting their marriages. did you have concerns that the cord could come and essentially nullify your haerge? >> the next day i was getting calls and texts from people, worrying their marriage could be taken away. rightfully show. it's been a tough percent to get

that far. that's why this was very significant. we don't have to weather into a court interpreting the law a different way. >> reporter: 169 no votes on this bill, all republican votes, including kevin mccarthy. i did ask him why he voted against it. he didn't respond. >> so notable there were republicans who voted in favor of this. a truly historic day for lawmakers in washington. joining miss is richie torres. he stood by nancy pelosi in a pink tie, that he's still wearing. torres is the first openly gay black member of congress. he presided over the debate on the respect for marriage act earlier today. representative torres, thank you for joining us. first, i have to begin by asking

you, what was that moment like for you? >> it has been emotionally overwhelming. there's nothing more gratifying than affirming your own equality in the chamber of the united states congress. i grew up in public housing, living in fear of coming out of the closet, struggling to come to terms with my sexuality. i never thought that i would become a member of congress and have the honor of opening and preside over the debate. so this is a deeply empowering moment for me. >> what role in your view did the overturning of roe by the supreme court have? jump-starting this historic legislation? >> we are not legislating in a vacuum. the respect for marriage act comes as a response for the right-wing judicial activism of the supreme court. it's what we should have done to

the right to an abortion. we're enshrining it in order to protect it from the whims of the supreme court. clarence thomas has says publicly, he's on a mission to overturn the cases -- we heart necessarying the federal law to protect those rights. >> and the power voters in the country, the direction it's moving in. 39 house republicans, 12 republican senators signed onto the bill. "new york times" has a piece talking about what was happening behind the scene, the big impetus by gay leaders, influential donors following these senators, saying this is the right thing for them to do, not just morally, but politically. what does that tell you about the direction of company is headed in? >> it sends a powerful message. as i was presiding over the

debate, i would say to the republican opposition, your time has expired. i meant that in more ways than one. the republican opposition to lgbtq equality is a relic of the past. we're ensuring that every american has a legal ri-- an eql right to marriage. >> you've been very outspoken in targeting any hate crimes, anti-semitism as well, is something that's important to you, so thank you for that. do you think this is perhaps a wake-up call for lawmakers to do more about the rise in hate crimes in this country? >> look, we have an obligation to combat the wave of hate crimes that have swept the country. one of the problems we have is, under federal law, there's actually no obligation for local police department to reports hate crimes to the federal government. not every police department

reports hate crimes for the federal government, and the majority of those that do claim to have no hate crimes. that is the first step towards solving the epidemic that we have seen taken hold throughout the country. representative richie torres, thank you for your time on this issue, and congratulations. what a day. >> thank you. the january 6th committee sets a decliadline to release t report. they also expect to refer one person to the justice department for further investigation. we'll discuss that, next. i'd like to thank our sponsor liberty mutual. they customize your car insurance, so you only pay for what you need. contestants read

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this just into cnn, russian state media just released a picture of brittney griner as she boarded a plane. she's on her way home. good to see her again. you also can see there's viktor bout, also on his way home as part of the prisoner exchange. we'll have much more on this story at the top of the hour. now to this. at the committee investigating the insurrection just released a timeline to release the report and vote on referrals. chairman thompson says they're aiming for the 21st, and

donald trump is one of the key people, but they would not reveal who else is on their list. they say there would be some form of public presentation, but it's unclear exactly what that would look like. harry litman, good to have you on, what is the significance if you do in fact see a recommendation on indictment, given that the doj doesn't necessarily have to follow up on it. >> well, let's start with trump. it seems to me, especially given the identify of the subcommittee here, who is recommending that you will see a referral of trump. you're right, it's not unlike some referrals where congress is itself the victim, as it was in the contempt cases. it doesn't change the legal relationship with doj, but it seems like it's a thunderbolt, sort of a crossing the rubicon

moment, and makes it more plausible and generates its own momentum for a trump prosecution. it wouldn't be enough if they wanted to otherwise put on the brakes, but i think it has a bit of both for all of us, and even for doj, a bit of a ground softening for a trump indictment. >> how would a possible referral from the committee factor into the separate ongoing investigation by the doj into january 6th? >> so, technically not at all -- well, first, they would get, in addition to the referral, all the information. that's important to them. they were going to get that anyway. the fact of referral doesn't change the equation for doj technically, legally, but sort of atmospherically, political, it's sort of out there in the

water, i think it does kind of in the subtle way that i just suggested. >> how do you expect the doj in a separate matter to respond to reports now that a team hired by the former president to simp for any more classified documents actually did find two classified documents that they then sent back to the doj at a storage facility. how does the doj respond to that, in your view? could we possibly see another search warrant? >> well, they've always wanted to do a search warrants if they could. the hangup is to get a search warrant, you have to show probable cause that contraband would be at a particular place at a particular time, but they have it, right? >> what happened here -- excuse me? >> they have it, right? they do have the probable cause if they -- >> well, not really. it's not at the storage locker anymore, that's been turned

over. and all the different places, including trump himself on the planes, i don't think they can zero in or they would have. what happened here is basically the judge ordered the trump team to do its own search. how did doj respond in on the one hand, it's one more time, but they're not happy, what is it, seven or eight times, and it still doesn't, i think, complete the ledger of what they say is missing. i think there will be more jawbones in the secret proceedings that are going on before the chief judge there, the person who ordered the trump team dodd this search. harry litman, thank you so much. we appreciate your time. the first few episodes of the highly anticipated netflix docu-series are now out.

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- [announcer] do you have an invention idea but don't know what to do next? call invent help today. they can help you get started with your idea. call now 800-710-0020. buckingham palace announced it will know be making necessary comments about the netflix documentary about harry and meghan. no big bombshells so far, but the alleged racial bias is a central theme.

>> in this family, sometimes you're not part of the solution. there's a huge level of unconscious bias. the thing with unconscious bias, is it's actually no one's fault, but once it's been pointed out or identified within yourself, you then need to make it right. >> kate, how will they revelations that we have just seen play out at buckingham palace? >> reporter: as you say, these are revelations. there were not huge bombshells. we know that they suffered at the hands of the press, but there's a lot about race in britain, and she wasn't -- and -- britain and a lot about not just the press, but also

unconscious bias, racial bias within the royal family, how he says the royal family, the judgments begin with -- because she's an american actress, and they're also talking about -- unconscious bias or racial bias towards meghan in the royal household. these are very, very significant allegations. i expect to see really more will be fleshed out in the next three episodes next week. >> it comes at a time when just last week there was an incident for someone who was very close inside the royal family, made an outlandish and really offensive racial remark as well. so, though some of this may be unconfirmed in what we see in the documentary, i'm sure it doesn't hem. the documentary points out how media coverage of the royals has

evolved. it was bad enough when it was the paparazzi that eventually let to princess diana's death, but now you have social media and trolls. >> back in my mum's days, it was physical harassment, cameras in your face, following you, chasing you. harassment really exists more online now, once the photographs are out and the stories are nex. >> what do you make of that point that's heard there from prince harry? is this a poignant one, in your view? >> yeah, it is poignant. really what we saw in the three episodes, i would say two points. one point was a very intimate documentary about their first date, archie's birthday party, the other was real anger at the press, social media, house his memories of his mother of being

chased, and explicit comparisonses between meghan and diana. these reallier very serious. they'r diana. as you say, it's gotten worse, and there's also social media. and saying the royal family stood back, and he was told, well -- that doesn't look good for the team of buckingham palace. >> he also suggested that the royal family wasn't offering more in terms of mental health that meghan needed at the time as well. kate williams, thank you so much. good to have you on. well, new details from the investigates into the killing of four idaho college students. police are looking for a car and a person who was inside it. unlike some others, neneuriva plus is a multitasker supporting 6 key indicatorss

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some welcome news for drivers today. gas prices are now lower than they were a year ago. according to aaa, the national average now $3.33 a gallon. so let's discuss with cnn's matt egan. so welcome news, of course. we even heard president biden say, you know, why aren't people talking about this as much last week, because clearly this was top of mind and a big concern as prices spiked over the summer. what's leading to this trend now? >> it is great news and it's pretty amazing to think that gas prices are actually down over the last year. >> yeah. >> given what has happened, but, you know, gas prices have been on a wild ride really ever since covid hit. you know, back in the spring of 2020, gas prices actually went below $2 a gallon briefly.

they started climbing as the economy recovered, and then russia invaded ukraine. we saw gas prices skyrocket. you see it on that chart, topping $5 a gallon and that was just crushing, you know, consumers, and that was all driven by these concerns by russia's supply of oil getting knocked offline, and thankfully those fears haven't materialized. russian oil continues to flow. >> but the price cap now. >> exactly, and despite all these sanctions and penalties and the war continuing, russian oil keeps flowing, and that combined with concerns about the economy, record-setting releases of emergency oil by the biden administration have driven oil prices back to where they were a year ago. so what happens next? we got a little bit of a scare today in the oil market because the keystone pipeline shut down due to a leak, and that sent oil prices skyrocketing. that's the red line. this carries mostly canadian oil into refineries in the midwest, and in the gulf coast. this is not to be confused with the keystone xl pipeline, the

project that was shut down. there's a leak. they have to shut down the existing pipeline, but you know what? oil markets have mostly shrugged this off. prices spiked. they've actually turned negative on the day and i think this shows that right now investors are more concerned about the help of the economy than this pipeline, and the fact the prices are down despite this outage is a signal that gas prices are probably going to continue to tick lower. >> one less thing for americans to worry about. right? >> exactly. >> matt egan, good to see you. >> thank you. after nearly ten months sitting in a russian prison cell, wnba star brittney griner is on her way home. here she is on that plane ride. so wonderful to see her there with that smile. we'll have the details on what led to her freedom, straight ahead. a must in yoyour medicine cabinet! less sick days!

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