the u.s. and russia has led to the release of wnba star brittney griner in exchange for russian arms dealer viktor bout, known as the merchant of death. the swap was done at the abu dhabi airport in the uae and griner is about to be on her way home. her first stop will be a medical facility in san antonio where newly released american prisoners are usually checked out. the other major part of this story is that this was a one-to-one swap. meaning american businessman and marine paul whelan has been left behind in russia. he was arrested in moscow in december of 2018 and convicted in 2020 on espionage charges. president biden tweeted two photos from the oval office this morning. they show him on the phone

surrounded by brittney griner's wife, cherelle, vice president kamala harris, and secretary of state antony blinken. here is president biden speaking from the white house just moments ago. >> this is a day we've worked toward for a long time. we never stopped pushing for her release. it took painstaking and intense negotiations, and i want to thank all the hardworking public servants across my administration who worked tirelessly to secure her release. we never forgot about brittney. we've not forgotten about paul whelan, who's been unjustly detained in russia for years. this was not a choice of which american to bring home. we brought home trevor reed when we had a chance earlier this year. sadly, for totally illegitimately reasons, russia has treated paul's case differently than brittney's. while we have not secured paul's release, we are not giving up. we will never give up. we remain in close touch with paul's family, the whelan

family, and my thoughts and prayers are with them today. they have to have such mixed emotions today. we'll keep negotiating good faith for paul's release that. i say that to the family, i guarantee you. i urge russia to do the same to ensure paul's health and humane treatment are maintained until we can bring him home. >> the last nine months you all have been so privy to one of the darkest moments of my life. so today i'm just standing here overwhelmed we motions, but the most important emotion that i have right now is sincere gratitude for president biden and his entire administration. it's a happy day for me and my family, so i'm going to smile right now. thank you. >> again, we are here at the top of the hour obviously with joyous news, willie. "morning joe" has also learned this morning that the negotiation was hammered out in

october when the uae's president, mbz, went to moscow, met with vladimir putin on october the 11th, negotiated that out, and of course they made the prisoner exchange on the runway in abu dhabi. one official there tells me that it looked like a scene out of a spy movie, brittney griner's plane lined up along with viktor bout's and they walked from one plane to the other. right now based on the information we've gotten, brittney griner should be airborne in the next 15 to 20 minutes, leaving obviously to get back home. >> great news and a well-earned smile from cherelle at the white house as she spoke just after president biden. andrea mitchell is back with us now and joining the conversation david road, executive editor,

and jonathan lemire with us. andrea, what more can you tell us about what went down, including the paul whelan component? we reported some of your new information about what kind of a deal was proposed by the russians, sort of an all or nothing. >> that's exactly right. it was an all-or-nothing deal according to a senior official. they were told that it was one or none. so it would be brittney griner or if the u.s. insisted on getting paul whelan out somehow there would be no one that would come out, that griner would not be released either. i think you've noted the extraordinarily generous and nuanced statement from david whelan, paul's young brother who said they are joyful and happy for the griner family, happy that she is out, that the president and the administration did the right thing in having her released and that in this instance, unlike last spring when there was big disappointment to a false alert

that he might be coming out, this time at least they were given advance notice that their family was told that he was not going to be brought out as part of this prisoner swap, because the russians were insisting that he's a spy, which he is not, according to u.s. officials, according to paul whelan, david whelan, the entire family, anyone that we have spoken to in the intelligence community. he is not a spy, but he was convicted of espionage perhaps because he's a former marine, he was a businessman just working in moscow, visiting moscow, and this really does underscore the danger to all americans as the president was alluding to and as we've heard from admiral stavridis, the danger of any american going to russia. we're in the middle of a hot war and they and other adversaries are scooping up americans as leverage to try to get their people out.

they have gotten viktor bout back, who had not served his full 25-year sentence but served 11 years and was not a spy. the u.s. says they don't have any russian spies in captivity, so they had no one to trade to try to get paul whelan out given the terms that russia was insisting on. i think it is significant that the uae leader personally negotiated this and that is a very big deal and speaks to that long-standing diplomatic relationship and the key ally in the middle east and that the trade was done there and that she's going to san antonio. that's also important, willie, because to willie and mika and joe, you know full well how good the military is at treating our service members when they've gone through these hideous experiences. to come home, to go to san antonio where they have so much experience with treating people who have been through the worst of combat, she's been through

ten months of captivity, the last month of it in a notoriously difficult penal colony where they have very little exercise, she's '9" and she's tall, no good food, lacking hot water, lacking decent sanitation, you know, some of these facilities, one bathroom for 80 women and very little opportunity to, you know, keep in any kind of condition. she's lost her career. she knew it. in the prime of her career. and now she has to get back to good health. >> all because she was carrying vape cartridges at an airport in moscow in february. david, you yourself were kidnapped, held hostage for eight months, i think, november of 2008 into 2009 by the taliban and afghanistan and an extraordinary escape. that's a story we can tell at another time. i'm just curious, listening to the details of this, how the deal was made and now that

brittney griner is free, paul whelan is not, what's your personal reaction? >> it is so shameful that russia is doing this. it is such a cowardly and cruel act to take an innocent american, and it sort of progress from the taliban and isis terrorist groups states doing this. so i'm just so happy this has all happened. canada announced a 58-nation initiative to stop countries from doing this. the united states has joined that, but it's toothless. so there has to be a long-term strategy, sanctions, diplomatic shaming to stop russia and iran and china and north korea from doing this. i just -- i'm thrilled. i'm so proud of the families of these hostages and the pressure they have created to make the administration do this kind of swap, but my heart goes out to paul whelan. >> can you speak, david, to the human aspect of this, which is that brittney griner sent to a penal colony, a notorious one,

as was just laid out in detail, and not knowing how long you're going to be there, not knowing if you're ever going to come home. what does that feel like? >> it's terrible. i knew very quickly the taliban wanted to trade me. they asked for like $25 million and all these prisoners in gan gaughan tan mow. i felt so bad for my family. >> yeah. >> it's such a strange thing. it's like a slow-motion crime because there's tremendous pressure on the family. if they can just reach the president or say the right thing on tv, they can save the life of their loved one. and they can't. they don't have that power. >> you feel for cherelle. >> for cherelle and what she's been through. yes. >> yeah. >> i worked with diane foley, the mother of james foley, on a foundation that helps hostage families. she didn't get her son back. she's tortured. she and her husband, john, why didn't they do or say the right

thing, isis executed jim and other americans. so it's just a heartbreaking experience for this family. so, a joyous day. hats off to cherelle for all she's done. halts off to the whelans. but there are still at least 50 americans being held. iran is the most notorious of the group, and russia now. >> that's how we've been framing this news this morning, incredible news. can't help to be overjoyed, joe, for the family of brittney griner, for brittney griner, can't imagine what she's been through, yet there is this overarching weight on the entire day and the swap itself because of those still left behind. >> right. and we keep talking about paul whelan. you pointed out 50 across the world. iran, obviously, the worst perpetrator. >> and the president pointed it out. >> he did. and you heard he spoke to the whelan family, which was a good

thing, and they are -- they're being graceful and gracious right now in what has to be an extraordinarily painful time for them too. but, yes, america is celebrating and has a very good reason to celebrate. brittney griner is coming home. her plane should be airborne leaving abu dhabi anytime now. let's bring in to speak about this prison exchange president of the council on foreign relations richard haass. your initial thoughts, then i have a couple followups for you. >> two thoughts, joe. one is for vladimir putin. it's to me instructive that this happened against the back drop of his preparing the russian people for a long war. this was for him a demonstration that he still has power, he still has options, he can deliver. he's in a position of some strength and not only weakness. that's one thing.

secondly, apropos your recent conversation with david, what this shows is in some ways that others are practicing asymmetric warfare against the united states. they take people prisoner who should not be taken prisoner, and then they use that as a way to bargain for people who should be taken prisoner. that's what the russians just did. i don't think sanctions or anything like that can really help much here. it reflects the differences in our values, the differences in our societies. it's something of an unfortunate fact of life. >> i'm getting information from the intelligence community, some concern about viktor bout, once the most wanted man in the world. there are many in the intel community that are concerned that the biden administration did a one-on-one swap for the most wanted man in the world, a merchant of death. as you said, richard, it's asymmetric warfare and at times

u.s. presidents, be they republican or democrat throughout the year, have had to make decisions. what do you do? do you save the one american you can save? and unfortunately deal with a state acting like a terrorist operation. that's what president biden did. and i suspect most americans will support that action. >> 100%. you don't want to put yourself in this position. you don't want americans to be taken hostage as trading bait, which is what the russians and iranians and other such groups do. but we can't, you know, prevent that, to be perfectly honest. people are going to be out and about in the world, and again, this is just one of the nastier aspects of this world as we see it. >> i wonder, richard, mika and i have been hearing from sources

not just in the white house but also in the administration about the understanding, the realistic understanding that at some point this war grinds down from a world war ii-type war to world war i, grinding war of attrition, especially in the winter. there's starting to be talk of negotiations in the springtime. it's what mika and i keep hearing time and time again across the administration and across washington, d.c. do you suspect this was also a signal from vladimir putin, i can deal, i can make deals, like you said, i still have power and the ability to release this high-profile american, i still have the ability to get things done and do deals with america? >> i don't see the prospects far deal, joe. he may be signaling that, but it would only be on his terms,

which would be unacceptable to president zelenskyy, to the people of ukraine, and to us. no. what he said at the beginning is exactly right. i think this war grinds on, probably at a lower level of intensity, which would make it less difficult for both sides to sustain. but i don't see either leadership poised to make compromises for an agreement. i think, again, i hope i'm wrong here, but i would set until for a long conflict. >> as we said earlier, thx not an even swap based on the alleged crimes here. brittney griner had vape cart ridges at an airport. here's who viktor bout is. he was one of the world's most wanted men prior to his 2008 arrest. a former soviet air force officer, a convicted arms trafficker serving a 25-year prison sentence in the united states. his exploits are so notorious they inspired a movie and led to that nickname merchant of death. let's bring in nbc news justice and intelligence correspondent ken dilanian, who's been

reporting extensively on viktor bout this year as his name came up in a proposed trade. now, ken dilanian, it has become reality. he's on his way back home. he's made the swap at the airport in abu dhabi on his way back to russia. vladimir putin got his man home. tell our viewers a little more about who viktor bout is and how the united states effectively captured him in 2008. >> reporter: good morning, willie. that's right. viktor bout was, according to attorney general eric holder, one of the world's most prolific arms dealers. he's a former soviet military officer, actually an an ethnic ukrainian, who became translator fluent in six languages. after the collapse of the soviet union, he started an air freight business that quickly morphed into an international arms dealing empire. he was selling arms to the world's most notorious conflict zone, particularly in africa,

mongolia, a lot of human misery spread by him such that it came a nicolas cage movie "lord of war" based loosely on his life. it wasn't until 2008 the u.s. caught up with him. he was retired at that point, but the dea lured him into a sting where he thought he was providing weapons to the farq rebels. he's been in custody since 2008. so that's 15 years. he was ultimately sentenced to a 25-year prison term in the united states, and the judge at the time, the judge, while passing sentence, said she had to give him that term under the guidelines but acknowledged the only reason he was there the is because the u.s. lured him into the sting. she said he really, according to the evidence, had been retired. you can look at it different ways. he served 15 years behind bashes and, you know, he's paid some certain kind of price, but at the same time, people i'm

hearing from in the intelligence world and law enforcement world obviously very troubled by the disparity here because this was a person the russians really had wanted out for a long time. he has connections. if he's not a member of the gre he's certainly well connected to russian intelligence. he was a high priority. to just get one person in exchange is troubling to my sources. but as you alluded to, the american people don't care about viktor bout. they wanted brittney griner out and that's the priority here. just terribly sad for paul whelan's family, and clearly the russians are treating that differently, treating it as a spy case and looking for a different kind of swap. but viktor bout was a very dangerous person accused also of providing weapons to the taliban, al qaeda, all sorts of nefarious groups. >> all over africa as well. to your point about the people who took down viktor bout, this long, complicated operation where they did get him

eventually but then i'm thinking about as you cover justice, the prosecutors in the southern district of new york who put together this comprehensive case, took him down, put him away in a federal prison in illinois, they thought maybe for the rest of his life. are you hearing from any of them today? >> i'm hearing from justice department official who is just don't like these kinds of swap, period. they never have because it's just such an unequal trade. and it's really blackmail. and, you know, but at the same time they acknowledge that this is the purview of the president to do this. the one thing they really resist is for someone to tell them to not prosecute or stand down from a case for political reasons. but once the case has gone through the justice system and sentence has been meted out, it's up to the president. and they're sanguine about that. they understand that. but in the national security world, somebody like this with connections to russian intelligence who spread so much misery around the world, they

would much rather see him in prison, but, you know, that's the world we live in. >> yeah. i want to go back and just underline this one more time. everybody has a job, right? all the world's a stage. everybody's a player. everybody has a job. and i don't want people to get upset at members of the intel community who have to deal with this day in and day out. but as we always say in our sessions here on "morning joe," two things can be true at once. we can celebrate and the intel community can celebrate the release of brittney griner and they certainly are, but, man, i'm getting messages just like you, members of the intel community just absolutely flabbergasted that this was a one-on-one trade for the most dangerous man in the world, the merchant of death. they get it but at the same time they're horrified by the disparity.

>> yeah, absolutely. that's the thing. they're wondering did the biden administration cut the best deal it could. but, look, what are they going to do? putin is being under the circumstanceserly intransigent and he's got all the cards here because the american public is waiting to see what happens with this horribly unfair situation with brittney griner and nobody cares about viktor bout except russian intelligence and vladimir putin. so it's a really unfair situation, and biden plays the hand that he's dealt here. and we have to say the biden administration has been much more aggressive and proactive about all these prisoner swaps sometimes to the shah grin of some of my sources in the justice department, but they've been out front trying to do this because it's clear that's what they believe the american public is demanding. >> justice and intelligence correspondent ken dilanian. ken, thanks so much. jonathan lemire, what more are you hearing out of the white house? we heard from the president of the united states that he guaranteed the whelan family

they'll continue to work on this case. obviously they're so disappointed this morning. what are you hearing from the white house? >> administration officials telling me, sort of echoing what ken said there. this was the only deal on the table. this was the only deal they could make. the russians had put whelan in a different category, making these claims of espionage that the u.s. government and kwhee lan himself categorically deny. he simply wasn't going to be available in this deal. the u.s. would have had to expand it dramatically. the russians also asked for a spy the u.s. say they don't have. they also asked for someone in german custody, and obviously americans have no ability to free that person. so really this could only be a one for one. if they didn't take this deal, brittney griner was going to remain in that bleak russian prison, so they had to do this. jake sullivan and secretary of state antony blinken had taken a lead on this for week, talks had been sporadic and picked up this

fall with an effort to try to get griner out. she is on her way back as noted to a medical facility in san antonio, texas, a military facility where she will be checked out. they specialize in people who suffer injuries overseas or in this case in captivity, so it sounds like it's exactly the right place for her to go. we'll hear more from the administration in the next hour or two with more details as to how this went down. and, yes, willie, officials say, we heard it from the president, they will still be working on paul whelan, they're not giving up hope, but nor do they suggest his release is right around the corner. >> richard haass, you know, you can't make a deal that's not on the table, that's not ever going to be on the table. there was never going to be a two-for-one swap. we were told that early on. i'm sure the biden administration pushed that as far as they could. if you're going to bring americans home, you've got to

take the deal that is in front of you or walk away from it. and in this case, the biden administration made the deal and, you know, as ken dilanian said, the intel community may be concerned, the state department, the justice department may be concerned, but there is no doubt most americans will celebrate this and be very supportive of the decision made. >> joe, you know what this reminds me of, the kinds of deals over the years that israel has made, wildly uneven exchanges to get one or two people back and often given up hundreds of people. that's what democratic societies do. they feel the political pressure but also a moral pressure that leaders feel. i understand the criticism that it's uneven, but it's also something we do because this is who we are. and i think this is what democracies have to do as uncomfortable as it is at times. >> mika, to add in here the whelan family gave a statement

to fox where they said, "there is no greater success than for a wrongful detainee to be freed or go home. the biden administration made the right decision to bring miss griner home." >> wow. >> "and to make the deal that was possible rather than waiting for one that wasn't." the whelan family. >> that is incredible. >> incredible. >> with that, david, i'll give you the final thought before we go to break. >> hats off to the whelans. they're extraordinary. one point. we don't have to just accept this. the majority of americans ten years ago were taken hostage by terrorist organizations. we declared war on them. now the majority of americans are taken hostage by states. president trump freed people from turkey, egypt, north korea. president biden just got brittney out. four or five americans from venezuela. there must be a strategy by the biden administration to deal with this problem. it is not acceptable that there's nothing that can be done.

the families deserve this, paul whelan deserves this, brittney griner and all the americans still held. >> thank you very much for coming in. it must be very hard to talk act in many ways. we'll be back with continuing coverage of this breaking news overnight. randall lane of forbes and huma abedin will be joining us. again, the breaking news this morning, brittney griner is on her way home. we'll be right back. now, there's skyrizi. ♪things are getting clearer♪ ♪i feel free to bare my skin♪ ♪yeah, that's all me♪ ♪nothing and me go hand in hand♪ ♪nothing on my skin♪ ♪that's my new plan♪ ♪nothing is everything♪ achieve clearer skin with skyrizi. 3 out of 4 people achieved 90% clearer skin at 4 months. in another study, most people had 90% clearer skin, even at 4 years. and skyrizi is just 4 doses a year, after 2 starter doses.

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over the last nine months you all have been so privy to one of the darkest moments of my life, and so today i'm just standing here overwhelmed with emotions but the most important emotion that i have right now is just sincere gratitude for president biden and his entire administration. it's just a happy day for me and my family, so i'm going to smile right now. thank you. >> the wife of brittney griner

just a few moments ago reacting to the news of the wnba star's release from a russian prison. george steinbrennerer is now headed to a medical facility in san antonio to be checked out. she was freed in a one-for-one prisoner swap for russian arms dealer viktor bout, known as the merchant of death. that means american marine paul whelan is still imprisoned in russia. president biden says he remains in close touch with whelan's family and will never give up trying to get him home. huma abedin joins us now. she's vice chair of the 30/50 international women's day summit. more on that in a moment. the summit is in abu dab di. randall lane is here, chief content officer at forbes. we'll talk about some announcements ud about who will be joining us in abu dhabi in just a moment. but first news at hand. joe? >> randall, it's so fascinating.

you and i have talked about abu dhabi and how remarkable over the last several years it's become this -- and just you and me talking offline -- it's becoming the crossroads of the world. little did i manage three or four weeks after that conversation you would have a plane flying from russia, a plane flying from the united states, meeting on a runway in abu dhabi. again, my source on the ground there that was part of it said the prisoner swap, brittney griner and this international arms terrorist crossed paths, they got on the planes, and flew back to their respective spaces. it really has -- i was talking economically how it's become -- we were talking about it but also diplomatically. in this case, the crown prince, the president, mbz, went to putin, made the deal.

they're allies with the united states and were able to get it done. it's fascinating with this tiny country, what's happening there. >> tiny country, joe. a small country but it's so important. when you go there and you look around and you realize this is, you know, the population, you look at the people, people from all around the world, and it's a country where, you know -- it's a place where you can do business. it doesn't matter where you come from. it's neutral territory. they tried very hard to keep relationships with everybody so it's the rare place where you can go and you can do something like this and both sides trust the country to do it in. that's the whole key. that's how you become a broker, a power player. >> and i will tell you, mika, the official that i spoke to that was part of this deal, this prisoner swap, said that mbz had caught a lot of grief for going

to russia a month ago, but he was going to russia because as randall said, they work overtime for economic reasons to be neutral, and that's why this deal was able to be done the way it was. >> wow. it is incredible. and we are headed to the crossroads of the world, abu dhabi, for the 30/50 summit. actually, another secretary of state is one of our big announcements as we look at what tony blinken and joe biden have been able to do in this moment today. give us our first "a" listers that we have. what do we have? >> we're announcing today, going back to abu dhabi, crossroads of the world. we have hillary clinton coming to join us for international women's day for the forbes 30/50 summit. power players from around the world, malala yousafzai, amazing women at the prime of their

careers over 50, hillary clinton, and another icon, gloria steinem, somebody who the entire world of women can admire. we have them all coming to abu dhabi in march. sunshine credible. huma, you've spent years traveling around the world with hillary clinton. talk about the significance of hillary clinton and gloria steinem and malala in abu dhabi. maybe there's new significance today though for this event. >> i cannot think of a more appropriate place so not just honor but celebrate international women's day than to be in abu dhabi. i was there this year, and excited, thrilled, frankly, to be vice chair in partnership with you, mika, owe your value, and forbes. because to be in a space where mentorship and women coming together across generations, sharing their stories, sharing their experiences, learning from each other, particularly at a time when we know we need each other now more than ever. i mean, this idea that we have women in afghanistan deprived of

the product of education, women in iran every day fighting for basic human rights, women in ukraine on the front lines of a war fighting for their own bodily autonomy. we all connected. the struggle is really global, so women coming together sharing success story, values, and to have hillary clinton and gloria steinem, two iconic women. >> yeah. >> two firsts, and they will be the first to say that there is much work left to be done. >> yeah. and when we land in the abu dhabi airport, it's going to have whole new meaning after that scene that joe laid out for us as well. we have a couple of other announcements. who else is going to be coming? >> we are very excited that we have two women from the forbes list also coming, aisha curry, who was on the forbes 30 under 30 list, the founder and ceo, best-selling author, restaurateur, entrepreneur.

and catherine o'hara, who is very -- >> you got jelly. >> an incredible lineup. she's funny. >> she is. she's a familiar face in our house particularly around the holidays because my son watches "home alone" just about every day, kevin's mother. she's an award, emmy winning actress and on forbes' 50/50 list. >> there's more. >> mandana dayani this week parter ins with harry and meghan on their initiative. i'm sure she'll tell me what she's doing next, which is exciting. a huge advocate of registering people to vote. and mo abudu, it's a global event so she's the most important women in africa, on the 100 most powerful women in

the world list. a huge force. >> we'll see you both -- huma, you'll be speaking at the luncheon today for the 50 over 50 u.s. honoreeings we're having today and of course announcing much more about the event in abu dhabi. obviously at this point, the crossroads of the world, where so much news has happened this morning. for more information on how you can attend the 30/50 summit in abu dhabi and connect with these remarkable women as well as network with all the women on the 50 over 50 list from around the world, go to knowyourvalue.com or forbes.com and register to join us in abu dhabi. huma, randall, thank you very much. i know we're squeezed in today with so much going on, but it seemed to dovetail a bit, so thank you very much. see you soon. still ahead this hour, the strike of flu cases is driving a shortage in the most commonly used treatments for children. that reporting is next on "morning joe."

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the sun is still not quite up over seattle at 6:42 in the morning. it is 9:42 on the east coast. our top story we'll get back to in just a moment, brittney griner is free, on her way back to the united states with a frizzer in swap with russia. more on that in just a moment. back at home, as cases of the flu spike across the country, parents with sick children are dealing with shortages of amoxicillin and tamiflu. joining us with more, nbc news correspondent sam brock. sam, good morning. what are doctors saying about this? >> reporter: yeah, willie, good morning. there is no question this is putting parents in a predicament. doctors tell me this could go on for weeks of shortages, if not months. you mentioned amoxicillin. we're here at university pharmacy in coral gables. we have about enough for four or

five more patient, and that's it, no way to get more supplies. it's over the counter too. tylenol and adults, this is for adults, enough supply there. this is the kids' section. it says motrin child. nothing there. advil for kids. there's one or two left. as parents are being forced to check ahead of time to find out what is actually in stock. the sharp onset of this year's flu season is creating a problem that's nothing to sneeze at. medicines in short supply from california -- >> it's very hard to even find medicine. >> target doesn't have it, cvs don't have it. >> reporter: -- to south florida. where this mother of two is trying to track down treatments unsuccessfully. >> there's hardly anything to choose from so it's very bare compared to what it used to be. >> reporter: the national surge in flu cases creating a shrinking pool of treatments. pharmacists like natasha patel are shuffling around a shortfall. >> my technician was trying to order amoxicillin because we are almost out of it, and there's

nothing available to order. >> reporter: it's not just the oont biotics. show me the amoxicillin. >> this is all i have left. >> reporter: tamiflu costs three times the price to restock and empty patches of store shelving where kid-sized drugs used to be. >> kids right now, there is nothing available. you're talking tylenol, motrin, ibuprofen, acetaminophen, mucinex, benadryl. >> reporter: all out. >> all out. whatever we have on the shelf is it. >> reporter: after several years of isolation, flu exposure has come roaring back. fills for tamiflu, the most popular antiviral, are at their highest level for nine years. it's also one of more than 260 drugs in short supply according to the american society health system. the fda also flagging a shortage of amoxicillin, crucial for kids. why such a crunch on

amoxicillin? >> we want to give them something that works but isn't going to cause a lot of side effects. because of that, it's being used in abundance and that means the shortages are out there. >> reporter: for a smoother path to treatment, doctors suggest having your pediatrician's office call the pharmacy before writing a prescription and asking your doctor about alternative equally effective options. we did hear from one of the makers of tamiflu. they say their antviral medications are readily available for pharmacies to be purchasing. they have enough supply to meet the demand, but the reality for families is different in stores. >> frustrating for families when your kids get sick. the first plane to deport certain cue bab immigrants to their home country could take off at any time in the coming days. when it does, it will be the first of its kind in nearly two years according to two u.s. official who is spoke with nbc

news in mid-november who confirmed that the u.s. plans to begin deporting cuban migrants who crossed into the u.s. through mexico in the coming weeks. nbc's morgan radford has been talking to those in the cuban immigrant community who may be affected by this change, and what's the mood on the ground, morgan? >> as you can imagine, it's just complete panic, right. we're talking hundreds of thousands of people who crossed the border just in the past year. so we spoke to migrants and immigration experts on the ground in south florida this week, and as you know, this is an area where more than 60% of america's cuban population currently lives. even though we don't know exactly when that first flight is set to take off, we're already hearing from people who have been detained and flagged for possible deportation. for example, we spoke to an immigration attorney in miami who says he's gotten a surge of phone calls since that policy change became public. we also spoke to a family who says their 18-year-old son who's autistic was detained just after

the deportation policies were made public. they say when their son had to appear before an immigration judge alone, he simply didn't know how to make his own case. he didn't understand what was happening. now he might be deported to cuba with neither parent there to help him. we spoke to a woman whose fiance has been detained and flagged for deportation eve though they both arrived at the same time. she was released on parole and he was not. >> the way it was announced, the way it came about i think has been done with a poor political calculation. i'm overwhelmed by the number of emails i received in the last two weeks and i'm just one working lawyer. >> this is very bad because if he is deported to cuba, he don't have nowhere to stay. he don't have a home in cuba, don't have nothing in cuba. all the relatives, the family are here. he calls me almost every day,

almost every day, and, "i don't want to stay here. why am i here? i'm autistic. what happened?" he stays in jail. still in jail. >> i'd ask for freedom. for the people who are detained because where is any cuban here, who comes here because of their own desire. >> so, again, just to put the scale of this into context, more than 240,000 cubans were apprehended crossing the u.s.'s southwest border through mexico over the past year, and that's up over 43,000 from the year just prior according to customs and border protection. nbc news also did reach out to the white house for comment. the white house referred us to the department of homeland security, dhs has declined to provide any additional details on the record, but officials in the department have told nbc

news those flights will begin soon, mika. >> how unusual is this? >> pretty unusual. cubans have been used to sort of special dispensation for the past 60 year, but we haven't seen this pushback since 2017, at the end of the obama administration, and then of course those flights sort of stopped during the pandemic. this has take an lot of people by surprise. >> morgan radford, thank you so much. up next, more on our top story, the breaking news, brittney griner's release from russia in a prisoner swap ten months of her arrest in moscow. e to severe rheumatoid arthritis or active psoriatic arthritis after a tnf blocker like humira or enbrel, rinvoq is different and may help. stand up to your symptoms with rinvoq. rinvoq is a once-daily pill that tackles pain, stiffness, swelling. for some, rinvoq significantly reduces ra and psa fatigue.

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paul whelan not part of the deal and remains imprisoned in russia. president biden said this morning he will not give up trying to secure whelan's release. griner's imprisonment led to an outcry of support from fellow athletes and other members of the arts and entertainment communities. it also shined a new light on the issues women face, particularly women of color in reaching the top of their career fields. ballerina misty copeland is another athlete and entertainer who has been vocal about the struggles she faced throughout her career to rise to the top and the struggles others face. in 2019 she also spoke out about the use of black face in russian ballet saying she would no longer stay silent in the face of oppression. and misty copeland joins us now. she's the principle dancer at the american ballet theater and author of a thus book entitled "the wind at my back."

and also a new mom. >> yes, a new mom. best job yet. >> you have a lot of really good jobs. just wondering your thoughts on the release of brittney griner. it's such great news. we're all just sort of processing it. but you have really called out the russian theater. you have spoken out globally about racism and other issues of oppression. it's just such a relief to see that this woman is going home. >> being a new mother, i can't imagine my daughter, i can't imagine my sister, my partner being in this situation. it's really a testament to her will and determination. i know that being a black woman, being an athlete are all a tribute to those qualities and having the strength and perseverance to survive and get through something like that. the mental strength, it's a

great day for america to have her on her way back. >> it is. she is, we're told, just about to be wheels up on her way back to the united states. so fascinated by your book because i though your story. a lot of americans know your story. it's a trailblazer not just this ballet, but in american culture as well. you shine a light on someone who came well before you who started to blaze that trail. so for people who don't know who raven is, introduce us. >> raven wilkinson was the first blackball recent na to a malk contract with an elite ballet company. she joined the ballet and within two years she was promoted to the rank of soloist, which to this day is unheard of for a black woman. it's very rare to reach beyond the lowest rank. so for raven to do that in two years in 1955 was unheard of in

that time. she went on to have a career with the ballet, which is one of the most companies in american history that brought ballet to america from europe. she faced a the lot of adversity. she experienced her life being threatened by the kk when the company was touring through the south. like a lot of black artists in that time, she left ask went to amsterdam where she ended up performing with the dutch national ballet. learning about her story, meeting her in 2011, it completely changed the trajectory of my career and how i looked at my responsibility and my purpose in carrying on her legacy and getting the opportunitys to do so many things she didn't have the chance to do. >> dposh have you carried on her leg us is. you write you were embarrassed you didn't know her story. when you started to hear a about and and realized she lived nearby.

>> she lived a black away from me. it was really frustrating for me to not know about her story. it's so much a part of black people in america that are histories are often erased. i feel like it's my mission to share her story, to get it out there to more people, people to understand i'm the first, i'm no means the first black ballerina. >> your book is available now. misty, thank you so much. we really appreciate your coming in. it's been a very busy morning here and as i mentioned business us is morning covering the wraeking news, brittney griner freed in a prisoner swap, wheels up potentially any minute now.

jonathan, anything more from the white house on this? >> we expect to get updates throughout the day from the white house as how brittney griner is doing as well as the ongoing negotiations for paul whelan. he's not part of this deal. we heard from president biden saying that deal wasn't on the table. this had to be a one for one. they are going to keep working for his release. we shouldn't overlook how much diplomacy, that this could happen during a war. russia's invasion of ukraine goiz goes on. but the back channels stayed open. this deal was brokered and brittney griner is on her way home. >> russia is not only in a war, they are in a war with ukraine, which the united states is supporting. it's awkward to say the least. this is an incredible negotiation. i can't imagine what it took to make it happen. >> a very difficult deal. we'll have more details with jose diaz-balart as he picks up the coverage.