picture of kelly field in san antonio, texas, where brittney griner is expected to arrive tonight. as we wait for word on that, cnn's mark bark ward as more on how this prisoner swap came about. >> reporter: the dramatic, brittney griner in the red coat, walking toward the american plane. coming toward them, state department official roger, accompanying viktor bout, who was hugged by a russian official. this new video shows griner leaving russian detention and boarding the plane in the snow. her passport returned, griner smiles, knowing she's heading home. >> are you ready for flight. >> yes. >> congratulations again. >> thank you. >> reporter: back in the u.s., griner's wife, cherelle, was invited to the white house. >> today i'm standing here overwhelmed with emotion. the most important emotion i have right now is insear gratitude for president biden and his entire administration.

>> reporter: the release was the culmination of many months and negotiations with russia. >> this work is not easy. negotiations are always difficult. there are never any guarantees. but it's my job as president of the united states to make the hard calls and protect american citizens everywhere in the world. >> reporter: the wnba star, who was caught with cannabis oil entering russia, spent ten months in russian detention. but now she is spared from a brutal nine-year sentence in a russian penal colony. u.s. officials said the trade for a notorious russian weapons smuggler, viktor bout was finalized in the last 48 hours. griner was flown to abu dhabi, where the exchange took place on the tarmac of a small, private airfield. >> i'm glad to say that brittney's in good spirits. she's relieved to finally be heading home. >> reporter: the u.s. wanted to trade bout for griner and american paul whelan, but russia refused.

in an exclusive interview from the penal colony, whelan told cnn, he was surprised he was not included. >> i'm greatly disappointed that more has not been done to secure my release. i'm happy that brittney is going home today and that trevor went home when he did, but i don't understand why i'm still sitting here. my bags are packed. i'm ready to go home. >> reporter: whelan told cnn that the russians see him at a higher level than griner. he's been charged with espionage and sentenced to 16 years. >> this was not a choice of which american to bring home. the choice was one or none. i wholeheartedly wish that we could have brought paul home today on the same plane as brittney. >> and alex marquardt joins us now. what more do you know about what's going to happen once brittney griner lands in san antonio. >> reporter: we're still waiting to get word that that plane has touched down in san antonio. it's been about 13 hours since we first heard the exchange had taken place on that tarmac in

abu dhabi. the plane headed for san antonio. griner is from texas, but the reason it's going to san antonio is because there's a medical treatment facility there. there, griner will be able to get any medical attention she needs. u.s. officials do believe she is in pretty good health, but they don't want to take any chances. how long griner stays at that medical facility will be up to her and her wife, according to the state department. that is the same airport, the same facility that trevor reed went to when he was exchanged back in april by the russians. anderson, viktor bout, he's already home. he landed back in moscow just a couple hours ago. he was greeted off the plane by his mother and his wife. that was broadcast on russian state tv, as so many of today's events were. the russians clearly see this as a win. >> i appreciate it. i want to talk to the father of trevor reed, who was detained in

russia for nearly three years, before he was returned in april in a prisoner swap. trevor reed's father, joey, joins us now. i appreciate you being with us. what is your reaction to the news that brittney griner was released? >> well, thanks for having me on, anderson. we had a lot of mixed emotions today, the entire family. we're very happy for brittney and her family and her friends. we know how it feels to have this day. but at the same time, we're heart broken, we're disenchanted and to a certain extent angry that paul's been left behind for the third time. and we just can't get over that. my wife was nauseated. she was sick to her stomach this morning when she heard that paul was left behind. >> what do you think it's going to take to get him back? >> well, to be blunt, it's going to take the united states

actually negotiating to get his release. and let me make a point. initially, the russians told everyone in the world basically that they wanted to trade paul for viktor bougt, and the unite states government wouldn't consider that or talk about it. then there was third party channels talked about trading for my son and paul. and the united states government was still opposed to that. now they realize they've got something else, and they traded viktor bout for brittney but not for paul. so, they're wanting more. and quite frankly, if the united states government doesn't have some russian spies in their prisons along with the thousands of other foreigners that we arrest around the world, then somebody's not doing their job. there's got to be somebody we could trade or a group of people we could trade to bring paul whelan home. >> the administration, i talked to former admiral john kirby at the white house in the last hour, who said that essentially, russians came back to the administration and said, look, this isn't a question of, you

know, paul whelan for viktor bout or brittney griner for viktor bout. it's ether griner for bout or whelan's in a different category, and we consider him different. do you buy that? >> not really, no. and, again, because of what i just said. originally there was a lot of talk by the russians of trading paul for viktor bout. and now not. well, what's changed? well, what's changed is the political climate in the united states, the war. there's a lot of things that have changed. but they were willing to make that trade at one point, and now they're not. now they want to get more. and of course they've asked for ze lez neve. he's a spy but he's also convicted of murder. that's very difficult for the united states to make a trade like that. but there's got to be some deal that can be made. and there's other americans in russia that have not been declared wrongfully detained, which is -- that term is misused

all the time. there's hundreds of americans around the world that are wrongfully detained but never declared so by our government. >> how is your son, trevor, doing? >> he's -- thank you for asking. he's doing well. he's healthy. you know, he gained back all of his weight and muscle within a month or two. >> wow. >> he's enjoying his family and friends. oh, yeah. he's in good shape and doing a little traveling and just enjoying being a free person. we hope he's going to be back in college next year. >> did the government provide trevor with any support or services when he returned home? what happens to somebody when they return home? >> well, they did. and like you mentioned earlier, he landed at the same airport, i think, that brittney's arriving at. and then he was taken to a medical facility there. i don't want to give the name because i don't want -- i'm sure they know, but i don't want to cause any problems with the media there. but -- and then he was in the hospital for i think three days doing testing because, again, they thought he had

tuberculosis. and then he was released to officers quarters and then given counseling by a special team provided by the dod. and i think the venezuelan hostages that were returned, many of them went through the same program. and i hope if brittney and her family want that, i encourage them to take them up on it. it's a great deal, and it will help her get back on the road to being a free person and enjoying her life. >> what other advice do you have for brittney's family, for griner herself? >> take it all in. i know it's overwhelming. my son -- speaking to him the other day, he said that -- of course he and paul went through some really brutal things during their time there that i don't think brittney has experienced. but still, brittney's going to have some issues to work out. and her family and friends and her employers and her fans, they

all need to understand that. and she needs space. she needs love. and let her do what she wants at her own pace. and she needs people to encourage her not to take it too fast because it will come back to bite her later if she tries to jump back into everything, you know, right off the bat. so, she needs to take it easy, and she just needs a lot of love. >> it's really a pressure to talk to you tonight. i appreciate it. i'm so sorry for what your family has been through and i'm sorry for what so many families are still going through tonight, and hope they're still waiting to hear. so, thank you. >> thank you, anderson. and remember all the other families out there. they're all over the world, americans, that need to be brought home. and you, the media, are the ones that can do that. so, thank you. >> joey reed, i appreciate your time. thank you. we touched on paul whelan. more now on who he is, how he came to be where he is, and the effort to get him jack. jim sciutto has more. >> reporter: paul whelan's odyssey in russia's criminal justice system began on december

28, 2018. former marine, he was arrested in moscow during the trip for a wedding of a fellow marine to a russian woman. >> he took a tour through the kremlin. that evening, he disappeared. >> reporter: russia's federal security service accused him of being a spy. whelan had visited russia before, including as early as 2006, while on a two-week leave from a deployment to iraq. born in canada to british parents, whelan moved to the u.s. as a child. he has u.s., canadian, british, and irish citizenship. whelan joined the marine reserves in 1994. he did multiple tours in iraq. and during the 2006 deployment, he was accused by the military of attempting to steal more than $10,000. he was court marshalled and discharged for bad conduct two years later. after the military, whelan worked in corporate security, first as a senior manager in the global security firm, kelly

services. and in 2017, he began working for automotive component supplierburg warner, eventually becoming director of global security. according to his brother, whelan was a world traveller, with friends in russia. he was also active on russian social media. after his arrest, russia claimed whelan was caught, quote, red handed with a flash drive with state secrets. whelan maintains he was set up. >> one of the friends he made in russia visited him the night of the wedding, right before the wedding happened, and gave paul a usb, just a usb stick and said that they were photos from a previous trip they had been on to another part of russia. as soon as he was given the usb stick and put in his pocket, his door was opened by the fsb and he was arrested and that was it. >> reporter: whelan was convicted of espionage and sentenced to 16 years of hard labor in prison. the years since his arrest, the u.s. government has also

maintained whelan's innocence and made repeated attempts to secure his release. today cnn's jennifer hans letter spoke to whelan by phone. >> i have to say i'm greatly disappointed that more has not been done to secure by release, especially as the four-year anniversary of my arrest is coming up. i was arrested for a crime that never occurred. i'm happy that brittney is going home today and that trevor went home when he did, but i don't understand why i'm still sitting here. >> jim sciutto, cnn, washington. >> incredibly difficult day for the whelan family. we're joined by paul's family, david. david thank you so much for being here. i'm sorry it's under these circumstances. how are you? how's your family doing tonight? >> well, i think we're moving on. we were given the grace by the white house of learning the news

a day early, so we knew yesterday and were able to process it privately and go through all the emotions y. you can imagine the many stages of grief of not having paul come home. at the same time, like joey said, joyful that any american who has been detained gets to go home. >> i understand president biden spoke to your sister, elizabeth this afternoon. did she say what that phone call was like? >> no, i haven't been able to update after yesterday. >> when was the last time you were able to speak with paul? are you able to communicate with him? >> no. i believe it wasn't an official phone call. i haven't spoken to paul since october 2018. and he is only right now allowed to speak to our parents and u.s. embassy and other embassies in moscow. >> i know paul spoke to cnn earlier today, expressed doubt the biden administration has a concrete plan to bring him home. how worried are you about your brother, not just his physical health, but the toll this has

taken on him? >> yeah, in fact, i think you hit the point, which is i'm most worried about his mental health. he's been doing this for four years, doing another 12 years. i think it's hard to ask of anybody. he has come up with some rituals, things that he does every day to try to, i think, survive, things like singing the u.s. national anthem every morning when he gets up. partly i think because he wants to sing it and partly because it irritates the guards. but he has been doing these things now for four years, and it's hard to imagine that he's going to have to continue to do it. and the substantial offer that the u.s. government made last summer to bring paul and to bring brittney home has built some hope. i think that has crashed down today for paul, and it's going to be hard to see him pull that back together. >> do you -- i mean, do you see a lane for a new negotiation? >> certainly. i think as joey said, there are americans being wrongfully

detained around the world. and whether it's paul in russia or brittney russia, whether it's in syria or iran or china, each one of those is a separate case and each one has to be dealt worl with with its own particular constraints. what we may be realizing now is that paul always had its own particular peculiarities. now the u.s. government will have to get together what those are. >> the families of americans detained in russia have remained very supportive of one another. brittney griner's wife mentioned your brother. i want to play that. >> b.g. is not here to say this, but i will speak on her behalf and say that b.g. and i will remain committed to the work of getting american home, including paul, who's family is in our hearts today as we celebrate b.g. being home. >> i wonder what your reaction is hearing that? >> cherelle is very, very

gracious. i think any family who's been through this understands the pain of having your loved one in this position. and some of us still just sort of dream of the day when we'll be able to experience what joey and paul and cherelle have experienced of their loved one coming home. >> i cannot imagine -- i've read accounts of penal colonies in russia and the former soviet union, but do you know much of what your brother's day-to-day life is like there? >> yeah, it's brutal and it's simple in that they do labor every day. he's in unheated sort of sewing factory all day long. that's six days a week. there's very little food. there's almost no fresh fruits and vegetables. so, i mean, it's about the worst existence you can think of. as i said before, it's surviving but it's not living. and that's going to take a toll on the person. he's lost about 20% of the weight he had in 2018.

his hair is going white, but people of a certain age like us. but, i mean, he's aging. and at some point you can imagine that his mental health will deteriorate and eventually maybe his health be deteriorate as well. >> is he in a cell by himself? are there others -- is everybody russian there? are there people he -- are there other people he can talk to? >> over time he's been able to build -- friendships may not be the right word, but people he can work with or rely on who are friendly to him. he still doesn't speak the language, so he does the best he can. there are about 1,000 prisoners there, or there were until the wagner mercenaries persuaded about 100 of them to go to war in ukraine. there are two other americans there. there are other english speakers. a lot of non-ethnic russians. and i think that may have actually helped paul. >> david whelan, i so appreciate

talking to you. and again, i'm so sorry it's under these circumstances. and i hope to talk to you under better circumstances soon. >> you too. thanks for having me. joining us now, someone who has seen these exchanges and all the good play from the inside. steve hall is the former chief of russia operations with the cia. we always like to get his take on things. to see that prisoner swap on the tarmac in abu dhabi, it's like something out of the cold war. it's extraordinary to actually see it. how complex are these negotiations? >> they're really incredibly complex, anderson. that's one of the things i was thinking about, as i heard the family members talk about their loved ones, who were still in prison. to get something like this done, the amount of stuff that has to be done behind the scenes out of the public view, stuff that you and i even working for a news organization probably wouldn't be able to find out about, it's just amazing. the other problem is that the russians will constantly, constantly change the goal posts. so, this is not really a matter of does this administration or any other administration want to get these americans out.

that's job one as a u.s. government. that's a key role that the government has. it's that the russians will say one thing one day and then choose to say something the other day. >> so, they might -- to his point that the russians may have said earlier on, well, look, we'd be willing to exchange viktor bout for paul whelan, they may have said that. they may have also changed their mind. >> absolutely. if something bigger and better in vladimir putin's view came along, they might say, oh, let's hold out for just a second. there could be politics. there often are behind the scenes stuff going on with the russians say, why don't you do this or that for us? one of the things the russians are extremely serious about and i've seen a number of situations where diplomats are thrown out and that happens. the russians are very, very big on the reciprocity. they're a one for one kind of thing. you could throw one of their diplomats out very low ranking and have another very senior guy go in there. the ranks don't matter. it's person for person.

i'm sure we probably made a bid to get broegt brittney griner as well as whelan out, and i'm sure the russians said, no, it's one to one. >> there's been criticism from republicans and democrats in congress that this makes things more dangerous for americans overseas, that other countries, russia and others, will decide to grab americans for potential bargaining chips down the road? do you think that's true? >> it's one of these issues we have in open societies. we're americans. we want to be able to travel wherever we want to do whatever we want to do. and sometimes we'll go to places where there is no rule of law, like russia. so, when you are arrested as an american in a country that doesn't have rule of law, you know, it's extremely -- you can't build a legal argument when a legal system doesn't exist. so, it's up to the u.s. government to try to do that. i don't see how we could ban americans from really going anywhere. what happens is we let americans have freedom of travel, but then we've got to do the best we can when they run out of trouble to get them out of that trouble. >> you do see the limits of the power of a country when their

citizens are being held overseas. there is only so much at some point you can do. what does negotiation actually look like? i mean, who is doing it, and i mean, is it just on the phone daily? is -- how do you do it? >> a lot of it depends on the circumstances. for example, when we had, you know, back in 2010 we had that big spy swap between the russians that had been imprisoned in russia and the illegals that were found here. because that was an intelligence matter, the intelligence services were talking a lot to each other. in this particular circumstances, the state department has a lot to do. it isn't a whole of government approach on the american side. of course in russia, everything's whole of government approach. there's one guy who says, and that's vladimir putin. >> on the russian side, that's what it comes down to, what vladimir putin wants. >> at the end of the day, yes. there's no one who can make a deal without his approval. he's probably not sitting at the table for the negotiate yalgss, but at the end of the day he

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as we wait for brittney griner's arrival tonight in san antonio, former president obama tweeting, grateful for the release of brittney griner from russian custody. kudos to the administration for making it happen. terry jackson is executive director of the women's basketball association talking earlier with cnn's jake tapper. >> i go to bed every night saying brittney's coming home tomorrow, so i was anxiously anticipating this morning. i thought i was just going to be happy, happy, happy. and i was. but hearing the news just released the gates of emotion.

i sobbed like i haven't sobbed in quite a long time. but it was all tears of joy. pure joy. >> more now from someone who's known brittney griner since childhood, her friend and former player. i know this has been a day of celebration for you. and everyone who's been working with brittney griner and working to get her home. how did you first hear the news? >> oh, my goodness. you are absolutely correct. this is a huge moment for everyone who has followed b.g.'s story, our sister in the wnba. over the last 294 days since she was wrongfully detained, and we all woke up today with the best news imaginable. it was actually a text from my big sister, who is the president of the wnba players' association. i'm vp. and she gave me a heads up because i'm on the west coast. and what an amazing start. and also the powerful visuals that we got from the white house to really commemorate this

occasion. >> when you get to speak to her for the first time, what are you going to say? >> say or do? give her a big hug and then just say, we love you and we are here for you. we know that the journey that she has just experienced was a very difficult one, but we're here to walk with her step by step, foot by foot, with whatever her next chapter is. so, we've missed her and we have said her name and we're so happy that she's back. and we most importantly love her and everything she represents to us. >> you and your sister who also plays in the wnba, i know you first met brittney when you were growing up in houston. can you just tell us what she's like? >> oh, my goodness, if you know brittney griner, you know she brings joy wherever she goes. she's always good to put a smile on someone's face. and talking about her journey and getting to know b.g., if you know women's hoops, you know it's a sisterhood. that's literal for me.

we picked up a basketball back home in houston, texas, for the first time. we watched the news that night and there was a report of a 66' high school basketball player who could dunk. hang on the rim dunk. that was brittney. since that time, our journey has been tied. we played against her in high school in aau, in college, in the pros. we've lived out our wildest dreams. and now the world, they know her as a dominant basketball player. but we know b.g. as a friend, an amazing teammate, a real compassionate human. so, to be able to say that right now she's coming home, her family, her extended hoops family, my sisters included, were thrilled. >> it's such a pleasure to talk to you, and i'm so glad it's under these happy circumstances for you and for all who know and love brittney. thanks so much. >> always. just ahead, we're going to speak with one of the members of congress who helped bring about a truly memorable moment for civil rights in this country,

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. today the house passed a landmark civil rights bill that protects same sex and interracial marriage. >> the motion is adopted. >> president biden is expected to sign into law soon. it requires individual states to recognize another state's legal marriage. and to put it bluntly, it's a big deal. >> the respect for marriage act takes key steps to uphold marriage equality under federal law. this is what we're celebrating, tearing down the defensive -- taking off the books for good. >> not only does the return overturn the defense of marriage

act -- passed more than 16 years ago, it does so, in the words of my next guest, with strong bipartisan vote to vote chambers. change of the congressional lgbtq plus equality caucus, who cosponsored the bill. appreciate you joining us. the bill was bipartisan in both the house and the senate. how important was that and how important was it to get this bill done now, given republicans will control the house starting next month? >> well, it was very important to get it done now because we had a speaker of the house and a senate majority leader who were committed to bringing this bill to the floor for a vote. it was important that it be bipartisan to reflect the overwhelming support of the marriage equality by the american people. the only place this remains controversial is in some areas of the republican caucus because in every state of the country, majority of voters support marriage equality. but this was an important bill because when the supreme court of the united states reversed roe versus wade and the dobbs

decision and the concurring opinion, justice thomas said they would look at other cases that found freedoms like the freedom to marry and specifically cited obergefell, revisits that as well. this was urgent to get this done before the court reverses the decision before the republicans took over and it would not have got ton the floor. >> i remember one republican member of congress speaking out against this bill today on the floor of the house, crying, denigrating the marriages that same sex couples have as somehow less than the marriages that heterosexual couples have. and i just don't -- it just was surprising to me to hear that viewpoint. i understand the idea that biblically based maybe people don't agree with the idea, but somehow that the marriages are less than or less legitimate than heterosexual marriages just

seems very antiquated. >> yeah, i mean, it's really hard to listen to. i was on the floor when those comments were made. it fundamentally doesn't recognize lgbtq people as people who have a right to access marriage like everyone else. the other reason people in the lgbtq people marry is for the same reasons straight people marry. they want to spend their lives with someone they love and build a family and build a future. to hear someone say my marriage, a heterosexual marriage, is valued and you, others, shouldn't have access to the same institutions, was horrific to listen to. the speaker reminded us we're all entitled to be treated equally under the law. and this legislation we passed today and the president will sign, will ensure that for federal purposes, if you are married lawfully in any other state in the country, every other state must recognize that for federal purposes, marriage between individuals of the same

sex will be determined to be valid if it was valid in the state it was performed. and it repealed doma, this homophobic law that defined marriage as between a man and a woman. this is a great victory in our long fight for full equality in this case. it's still the case that members of the lgbtq community can face legal discrimination, so we have work to do. but today was a great day. it made a real difference for millions of people all across this country. >> i really appreciate your time tonight. thanks so much for joining us. >> thanks for having me. just ahead, vladimir putin admits russia is attacking ukraine's energy infrastructure, but says he didn't start it. sam kylie is in ukraine with a report on the attacks next.

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in a rare public comment on the war in ukraine, russia's president vladimir putin admitted to attacking ukraine's power infrastructure. while he was clutching a champagne class, he said, yes,

we're doing it, but who started it? and he blamed the ukrainians. russia attacked the donetsk region, which has came under heavy fire. ukraine's president zelenskyy says the attacks were aimed precisely at civilians. we're joined by sam kylie, who's in kramatorsk in eastern ukraine. the ukrainian military said it's coming under heavy fire from the russians. what's the latest on the ground you're seeing. >> reporter: first of all, the killing of civilians there not unusual here. president zelenskyy there is targeting of civilians in several locations, in other words the use of multiple rocket or artillery systems to take out civilian targets. more widely in donetsk, the fighting around bakhmut, anderson, remains intense.

it's been a ferocious battle. it's raining now. it has been freezing. certainly ukrainian troops have bulked down in trenches. armor is difficult to move around. neither side can really prevail under these conditions. and it's likely to get worse actually when the ground freezes and armor and mobile artillery can start moving around. there are also reports that the russians are heavily reinforcing yet more troops on that front. so, there's no sign of a let-up, rather this area is becoming a real focus of russian violence, as putin, in the view of ukraine, desperately seeks to get some kind of victory, anderson, after months of defeat, particularly in the north and the south of the country. >> this week, putin said the conflict is going to take a while, and increasingly threats of nuclear war. what's the view from ukraine? >> reporter: well, the ukrainians and many in the international community are extremely concerned about previous threats made by the

kremlin and particularly vladimir putin, that there might be some use of a nuclear weapon, albeit a tactical nuclear weapon, in other words, a relatively small device that could be used on a battlefield. not only would it be, of course, catastrophic, but it could unleash something much more terrible in the opposite direction. according to olaf scholz, the chances have gone down, he says communications with vladimir putin about the international community's red lines. and certainly it has been a message coming from the white house and others around europe that any use of even a limited nigh clear device would be met with a ferocious response from the international community. but vladimir putin saying that they wouldn't come from them first, saying that, we're not mad n his words, and that russia isn't going around the world holding the nuclear knife to people's throats. of course, that is exactly what the kremlin has done in previous

threats made over this conflict, anderson. >> sam kylie, thank you. appreciate it. stay safe. we are just getting word about the first known execution in iran of a protester. the first person we know that was killed by the iranian regime because they spoke out. news outlets in iran said the protester was executed by hanging this morning. his name was mohsen shekari. according to "the new york times," he was 23 years old. "the times" also reports a protester who met shekari loved life. according to iranian authorities, he was convicted of what was basically waging war against god for attacking the paramilitary force in tehran in september. he was sentenced that same month. the protests were sparked after a 22-year-old woman was apprehended by the state's morality police for not wearing a hijab. he later died in custody.

authorities are seeking the death penalty for at least 21 people in connection with the protests. an uprising across china now leading to a drastic reversal in covid restrictions. one man in another country can also take credit. he helped bring those protests to light to the entire world and you're going to meet him in a cnn exclusive next. they'll help you create a flexible strategy designed to balalance growth and guaranteed income so you can enjoy the lifee you've created. that's the planning effect. frfrom fidelity.

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major changes are happening in china where the people have risen up in ways you hardly ever see there. the country is finally easing some of the strictest zero covid policies after protesters swept the nation. there's one man who can take credit for helping bring those protests and information to light risking his own life bieg do by doing so. he spoke exclusively to our salina wang. >> reporter: video after video of historic anti-zero covid protests in china broadcast on the world's television screens everywhere but inside china where authorities censored all evidence of the protests, so how did these images manage to get beyond china's controlled internet? newsrooms around the world

including cnn have been relying on information from this twitter account, and there's only one man behind it, lee, a chinese painter in italy whose identity we're hiding for security reasons. >> translator: this account -- when you post something within china it will quickly disappear. this account can document all these historical events that cannot be saved inside the country. >> reporter: his account quickly turned into one of the world's key sources for protest information. li said he received thousands per day. people used virtual private networks or vpns which are prohibited in china to access twitter and send their videos li. what's the motivation behind all the work you do? >> translator: it's to let people inside china climb out of

the great firewall, to see what's happening in this very moment. >> reporter: but that's exactly what authorities want to prevent. here's what happens if you search for information aboutgy of the protests on chinese social media. you get a notice that says, sorry, no relevant results are found. meanwhile, on li's twitter account he was rapidly uploading videos of demonstrations across china to shanghai where protesters chanted for xi jinping to step down, calling for freedom and an end to zero covid. and researchers say the chinese government is even trying to bury information about the protests from social media users abroad. search on twitter and chinese characters for cities that had protests and you get this, a flood of spam and porn advertisements. the spam campaign, researchers say, appears to be the work of chinese authorities. twitter did not respond to a request for comment. are you worried about your own

safety? >> translator: of course i'm very worried. i get a lot of anonymous harassments saying i know who you are, where you live, and i will kill you. >> reporter: his parents frequently call him in fear, he says, and the chinese authorities have been harassing them, too, making midnight visits to their home in china. what price do you think you have to pay for the work that you do? >> translator: this account is more important than my life. i will not shut it down. i've arranged for someone else to take over if something bad happens to me. i'm mentally prepared even if authorities won't let me see my parents again. >> reporter: authorities in china try to keep the country in a parallel universe, but li is playing a pivotal roll in breaking that bubble. li spends hours a day on the account only taking breaks to feed his cat and barely slept during the peak of protests. as he sorted and verified the endless stream of video submissions, each one urgent and

historic. he's doing the work that he hopes one day chinese journalists and chinese citizens from within china will be able to do without fear. >> salina wang joins us now from beijing. salina, the authorities cracked down on the protests. we aren't seeing major demonstrations, so is li still busy with the twitter account? >> reporter: yeah, anderson. li told me every day he's still going through hundreds of submissions and spending 6 to 7 hours on the account every day. he's getting messages from people about all sorts of challenges across the country including the continued covid chaos and restrictions despite the recent easing of rule. now, he started using twitter just as a personal outlet because all of his accounts on chinese social media kept on getting banned, and he said he never expected to become this influential, and he told me that he hopes one day he isn't needed anymore because what he said is that it's sad and ridiculous that you have a painter in italy anonymous lecollecting all the footage from brave people in

china. but as people in china try to find ways to get around censorship, the authorities are cracking down even harder. the government recently announced internet users in china could be punished for even just liking posts that authorities consider illegal or harmful. so the space for people inside china's great firewall to express themselves, anderson, is just getting smaller and smaller. >> salina wang, thank you. appreciate it. the news continues with nooit with laura coates alisyn cam rata is next right after a short break. ♪ sam! hey little brother! the time machine worked. make this december one to remember. the day you get your clearchoice dental implants makes every day...

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good evening, everyone. i'm laura coates. >> and i'm alisyn camerota. this is "cnn tonight." brittney griner is on her way home tonight flying halfway around the world from moscow to san antonio.

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