that was the case with brittney griner.other side holds the keys to the jail cell and our job is to painstakingly try to find out what's it going to take to get that american free? brittney was faster than most. paul whelan, that took years to break that logjam in order to get paul home. we were grateful to see paul come out of russia and i'm certainly glad to see trevor reid released in the last 48 hours. >> john: when you hear about the most recent releases, you've worked with the russians. we don't know quite what they got in return but they probably given your experience, they didn't get nothing. >> there are reports they'e got a gentleman by the name of mr. vinnik who might be going in the direction of russia right about now. he's someone who's been on our radar screen for quite some time. a long time ago when we were trying to determine how to get americans back, the first thing we did was look at our jail system to see who the united states was holding, what they were charged with, and how long they had served their

and i actually take a good bit of offense to the brittney griner references. i want to back up just a little bit and simply say that today is a good day, and i'm glad that he's brought home. and the reason i'm glad he's brought home is because i placed that inherent value and give each american the benefit of their humanity, whether or not they are this gentleman or paul whelan or trevor reed, or her name is brittney griner. and so i think we have to give everyone that same value and to, to, to castigate or for some reason, make the public believe that brittney griner should still be in russia doing. >> that. >> doing that hard labor in those menial tasks and sleeping on those floors when she too, is an american. i just have a fundamental problem with and i think that today, instead of picking apart and i don't even know what the deal was, but i will i will venture out and say that the price of an american soul, someone to come home and be with their 95 year old mother, i think, is worth the value. so donald trump and steve witkoff, they get that respect from

. >> john: so, when fogel was taken, right around the way same time that brittney griner was taken, asell, and she had a quantity of marijuana on her, as well. she was immediately labeled as wrongfully detained. fogel wasn't. and there was a great cry, why are you treating brittney griner one way and marc fogel a different way? as sandra mentioned, he eventually did get that wrongfully detained designation, but can you speak to us about -- what were the differences here? it seems like very much the same thing. >> yeah, i don't see the difference, john, and marc fogel missed out on the exchange that resulted in brittney griner's release, and then the 2024 prisoner exchange, which was quite extensive, as well. a lot of us felt, a lot of us who had served in moscow, and i have friends come i never met marc but i had friends who did, felt like it was a jury election of duty on our part on the previous administration's part that they did not secure mc fogel's release. should have been no reason, finally described marc fogel, jake sullivan did, wrongfully detained in august of 2021, way late

he a lot of people will remember the case of brittney griner. circumstances that they were found with very small amounts of cannabis, of marijuana. he could have faced 14 years in prison. did that seem like a very real possibility? after brittney griner was released fairly quickly? >> of course it did. to his family, to his kids. there was little hope when he was not released from brittney was they finally got the designation that you just mentioned at the end of the biden administration. but but it's just very difficult when you're dealing with putin and putin's russia, where there is no rule of law, there are no procedures. everything depends on on deals like this. and again, you know, we need to know the details. we need to know what happened. but there was not a lot of hope among people that knew. mark, this is a great, great day. and i really want to emphasize one thing that i think people forget about people like mark fogel. these are the people that teach our sons and daughters of diplomats, of military officers that serve our embassies,

that was six months before brittney griner.k, sorry, we don't have any more details on that, refer you to the state department. >> jesse: yeah, so they both had grass, she came home and he didn't and everybody knows why. biden thought that would help him politically and it didn't, at all. and so trump is despite what people say about him a true humanitarian pier he places such a priority on human life. you got the gaza hostages, the russia hostages, the venezuelan hostages. almost immediately. remember what we did with otto warmbier. it is also the mah a movement. it is also fighting fentanyl. all of these things are about cherishing and saving human lives. and he doesn't get a lot of credit for that and he is not going to get enough credit for ending the ukraine war and not going to get enough credit for hopefully resolving things in the middle east, but if you look back on both terms, at the end of the second one, he will be probably viewed as one of the more humanitarian-minded presidents we have had. >> dana: one of the thi

and you contrast that with the brittney griner situation where there were headlines that said, quote:id biden make the right call as he exchanged the merchant of death for brittney griner's freedom the same year she was arrested he was sentenced to 14 years. the point is when president trump, what did you do in exchange? he said nothing much. the point is that we got an american home we didn't have to exchange a violent terrorist in exchange. we exchanged based on goodwill the strength. the after the the deal and the strength of this president. >> brian: why the president said i'm not going to talk to you. i'm going to talk to vladimir putin. i'm not going into detail what did you give up for? not much. this is all a play for the ukraine, russia war. all part of the bigger picture. stay tuned. he will be trasht when he can. he has proven that and if it hurts the deal, he's not going to. why did vladimir putin give it up initially looked like for absolutely nothing. one, i think it's a show of respect. number two, i think it shows he knows things have got to change because he is losing

brian, we were going back and forth on who had the greater charge, him or brittney griner. and he was there first. but we went and got brittney griner first. >> brian: higher profile. >> lawrence: doesn't make sense. the president is lifting the vale of all of that and saying this is an american. let's go get him back home and another one that is supposed to do come back home today as well. >> brian: we had to go get paul whelan, too. somebody out of berlin. >> steve: we don't know what we gave up. the president said it wasn't much. sounds like on the verge of something else. they don't want to tell us where this person is from. they never announce it until they are out of that country's airspace. what is interesting. and speaking of forgotten. things that are forgotten. it's amazing that donald trump remembered that story about talking to the mother because he talked to mr. fogel's 95-year-old mother and there she is yesterday shoe looks goods. >> steve: she does look good and very happy. obviously. he talked to her at the rally in butler, pennsylvania, july 13th, the day

you were in brittney griner's team, involved in that release. tell us your reaction to seeing this. >> well, certainly a huge congratulations to there's a team at the nsc. i hope they all still have their jobs. there's a team at the state department that this is what they do all day, every day is. and when you talk to them, they say, you know, when we go to sleep at night, we're thinking about the people who we couldn't get home, even when they have a win like this. but it feels like, look, i think they probably didn't want to say who, who was for who so that we when we if we criticize that you get the benefit of one news cycle where he's the hero and we're celebrating because as you may recall, there were a lot of questions about the the i forget his name, the gun dealer. viktor bout. yeah. so, you know, and we had to have both that positive and the negative when really it is thank god they're home because you know being in particularly being in a russian gulag is particularly horrendous. >> no question. it's a it's an extremely happy moment. a

get as much pressure to get him out, frankly, as the celebrity better known prisoners such as brittney grinereed and his parents had advocated so strongly for him. so this is really a great moment. and could be a big signal for how russia is going to approach the ukraine negotiations. >> a great and consequential moment. andrea mitchell, thanks so much. >> later this hour, president trump issues an ultimatum to hamas. what he says will happen if the group refuses to release the remaining hostages. that's coming up on "nbc news daily." my mom used to tell me if you want to be a champion you got to be a champion at life. i got to watch her play at her highest from when i was born. from one generation to the next, to the next, we don't stop. i always wanted to know why i'm the way i am. my curiosity led me to ancestry. it breaks down like everything genetically. what that means. that's amazing. — right. it all comes full circle. (♪♪) mirajoy: the overwhelming relief after miralax® helps you “go” miralax® works naturally with the water in your body. putting you in a supernaturally good mood. mira

at the san jose convention center, and some of the speakers of the day include simone biles, brittney griner our nbc bay area's janelle wang is at the event. she is the emcee, and she says the theme of the conference is power and unity. the california conference for women believes there is power in unity because it leads to belonging, advances, diverse perspectives, and empowers us with more significant influence. nbc bay area's isla gutierrez also hosted a session on navigating new work environments and opportunities to build and manage a career. love to see that. i heard it's a great one. i would love to go this year, but it is sold out for the girls that it is. girl power. girl power continued right here. yeah. and we're going to be watching this storm system coming in late tonight. good thing it held off for the conference. we are going to see it stay cloudy throughout the afternoon. rain picking up this evening. and tomorrow we'll see heavy waves of rain kind of off and on throughout the day, but racking up to about at least two inches of rainfall for much of the bay area. that may caus

i think i told you, brittney griner, we had a 17 hour flight, and we must have talked about 13 or 14 hours of that trevor reed, same thing. he was in a covid bubble and i had a mask on. we still found a way to communicate for about probably 8 or 9 hours. but it's fascinating to listen to these people who are tasting freedom and in some cases, have not even been allowed to speak english for a year or two prior. so it's going to be it's a special trip. i hope steve's enjoying it. it was nice to see mark with, i think probably a scotch in his hand or a rum, but well earned. and i think that's going to be something that steve will never forget. >> yeah, that picture that that adam boehler posted flying back on steve witkoff plane. there it is. that's mark fogel beautiful. about to be home on u.s. soil. >> for the first time. >> yeah, absolutely. um, roger carson, it's great to have you. thank you very much. >> good seeing you. >> thank you. and up next, as we are waiting for mark fogel to be returned, we will be bringing that to you live here. so you'll be able to watch all of it. meanwh

keynote speakers included olympic gymnast simone biles, wnba star brittney griner, and actress jane fondaook so many nuggets away from today's conference, it was definitely inspiring and empowering. it was so honored to be part of it. that looks wonderful. yes. garvin thomas what's coming up on the 5:00 news? a couple of big stories coming up at five. one, of course, is the weather. it is going to be nasty tomorrow. it will be a bay area wide event. but what's a little unusual about this storm is how hard it's going to hit the south bay. so that's where our marianne favro spent the day checking in with people about how they are preparing for what's going to be a lot of rain in a short amount of time. that other big story, of course, the start of the all star weekend. it's drawing in not just the best basketball players in the world, but thousands of fans, as well as both san fran to both san francisco and oakland. in those cities. security is going to be everywhere for these events. our sergio quintana runs down how they are securing the event, and you'll want to see this if you're thinki

>> he was bypassed twice, there was a big exchange in 2022 with release of brittney griner in return for giving russians the merchant of death and in 2024, we were able to get e evan out, as well. marc fogel was not named wrongfully detained until august 2024, are national security advisor said he was wrongfully detained. feeling was biden administration was missing an opportunity not including anymore in those deals. he had 0.6 ounce of medical marijuana on him. he was a teacher. no doubt it was so putin could extort us. good on trump administration for getting him out so quickly, in matter of weeks. it is a cause for celebration. we'll see how this might relate to strategic relationship between united states and russia. >> carley: when asked what president trump gave russia in exchange for marc fogel being returned, he said, not much. does that surprise you? >> we don't know exactly what that was. there is speculation how this might play into the relationship between united states and russia. there are host of issues we need to deal with starting with russia's barr ic war in ukrain

compare marc fogel's treatment with the treatment of others wrongfully detained in russia, like brittney grinerr circumstances yet she was put on that status and brought how many quickly. mamarc fogel got very little attention from the administration. president trump got the release of marc fogel. it shows you that president trump in the first tea weeks of office has done more than joe biden has done not only in his four years as president but probably his entire political career. that's how quickly and effective president trump is moving. maria: yeah. and of course we're talking about an increase for money for the budget, an increase for money for defense, house republicans advancing the budget plan out of committee last night, the one track bill competing with the senate's two track approach to fund the president's agenda and the resolution provides a minimum of 1 and-a-half trillion in spending cuts over 10 years and maximum of 4.5 trillion in tax cuts. where are you with this at this point, congressman? year in go>> we're going to hae what happens, if we run the senate's budget or the budge

letting them know their beloved brother was not involved in the hostage release that involved brittney griner. i note number one that president trump referenced that negotiations will be led by the director of the cia by secretary of state rubio walz they will manage the negotiations, this is a delegation unhis executionchy think is hallmark of this presidency we talked about he surrounded himself with people who have the same vision and will be in lock step with putting america's priorities first and the visit between the two presidents promised in this men i think will be phenomenal into that's important. on that day july 13th last summer when he had the conversation with mark fogle's mom now 95 i promise to bring your son home two or three hours within that whole realm was the first assassination attempt, presidential candidate who had been shot in butler, pennsylvania. he never lost track of that promise he made to her. >> it actually solidified his resolve. inyears the gap in between his presidency and that's what is so unprecedented about this because normally a two term president by th

stars like simone biles, brittney griner and actress jane fonda will headline a big conference in the south bay. all three women will deliver keynote speeches at the fifth annual california conference for women in san jose. 5000 female leaders in business are set to attend the one day event. the conference features a lineup of speeches, panels, and topics focused on inspiration and skill building for women of all ages and in all stages of their careers. in-person tickets are still available online, starting at $475. >> hello everyone, i'm joan chen. i'm going to be the grand marshal in this year's chinese new year parade. >> yes, and grand marshal to a list of roles that include actor, producer and creator. so why is this new role the one that makes joan chen so nervous? but now with skyrizi, i'm all in. thanks to skyrizi, i saw dramatically clearer skin. and many even achieved 100% clear skin. don't use if allergic. serious allergic reactions, increased infections, or lowered ability to fight them may occur. before treatment, get checked for infections and tb. tell your doctor about

some of today's speakers include simone biles, brittney griner, and jane fonda.chor janelle wang is emceeing the event. the theme is power in unity. the california conference for women believes there is power in unity because it leads to belonging, advances, diverse perspectives, and empowers us with more significant influence. nbc bay area investigative reporter hilda gutierrez also hosting a session on navigating new work environments. all right, that's it for this right, that's it for this if you have heart failure or chronic kidney disease, farxiga can help you keep living life, because there are places you'd like to be. (♪♪) serious side effects include increased ketones in blood or urine and bacterial infection between the anus and genitals, both which may be fatal, severe allergic reactions, dehydration, urinary tract or genital yeast infections, and low blood sugar. stop taking and tell your doctor right away if you have nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, tiredness, rash, swelling, trouble breathing or swallowing. tell your doctor about lightheadedness, weak

some of the speakers include simone biles, brittney griner and jane fonda. area's hilda gutierrez will host a session, and janelle wang will speak with jane fonda. the conference will be at the san jose convention center. it starts at 845 this morning, and like every year, those tickets are sold out. all three of them. i want to go. it's a great, great conference. yeah, i hear you talking about it all the time, so i usually go to it, but it's fantastic. just, you know, to collaborate with women, build each other up. it's cool. well, also today, a major milestone for the san francisco bay ferry. at 820 this morning, the transit system was celebrating carrying more than 1 million passengers between the alameda sea plane and downtown san francisco. now that route first launched in july of 2021. last month, the ferry system announced more than 2.6 million passengers hopping aboard in 2024, a 16% increase compared to 2023. 526 for you right now and let the games begin just about one year from now. ahead, right here on today in the bay, we have a first look at the

olympic gymnast simone biles and wnba all star brittney griner are both keynote speakers at this year'sornia conference for women. that event draws thousands of women across several professional worlds for a day of networking and career growth. it is all happening tomorrow at the san jose convention center, and that is going to do it for sports. the 11:00 news with mike starts now. >> the 11:00 news on ktvu. fox two starts now. >> all right. good evening everyone. i'm mike mibach right to some of our top stories tonight at 11. right now there is an active hazmat situation in south san jose. firefighters say they responded to an overturned tanker carrying 4000 gallons of liquid nitrogen. this is right near bernal and harry roads, right by the ibm research lab. if you're familiar with the area, all the roads nearby have been blocked off. this incident was initially reported just before 730 this evening. officials say the driver was able to safely get out of the vehicle. the fire department says it is helping with the truck company's technicians to contain the spill. >> what the company is

listen, it was awesome to see brittney griner come back out of that russian prison. wnba star, a couple of years ago. fogel has been there for almost four years and many others. so thank you, donald trump, for bringing everyone home, trying to not just a couple of people that fit the agenda. so awesome news tonight here and i hope that it continues. >> and we're expecting more news tomorrow. i feel the same way you do. when i heard that this hostage was being released and steve witkoff was flying him home, i just couldn't be happier. i mean, i hate the thought of any american being held captive anywhere around the world. and what do you make of the reaction to elon musk? just exposing, you know, billions and billions in waste, fraud, abuse and corruption. and the left is going insane because it's money not even spent on anything that i would define as worthwhile, but spent on their radical agenda. why? what do you make of the hatred of elon musk? i think we all owe a debt of gratitude. >> i do too, i absolutely love it. at the end of the day, i don't care that he's n

that is a reference to brittney griner's exchange for the arms dealer viktor bout back in 2022 underiden administration. so here it's clear that this administration believes that this is start of a developing good relationship between president trump and vladimir putin. >> and we don't know, peter, if president trump spoke with the leader of russia specifically for this case, the president wouldn't say that last night. but there are clearly conversations going on. >> i think that's right. obviously, there have been conversations. we know that president trump has spoken to vladimir putin at least once so far since taking office, the president himself making that point. we asked steve witkoff about this a bit. he was particularly vague about details that he would share, saying he wanted to leave those to the president, but he said, in effect, that this was the sign of good things to come between the u.s. and russia. here's part of what witkoff told us. >> i would just say to you that mark fogel coming out and he didn't expect to, is an indication of what the possibilities are. you know

exciting news, we are nominated for not one, but two naacp image awards for our interview with brittney grinerou'll be back. emus can't help people. >> customize and save hundreds on. car insurance with liberty mutual. >> you're just a flightless bird. >> no, he's a dreamer, frank. >> and doug. >> well. i'll be. that bird really did it. really did it. >> only pay for what you a sleep number® smart bed is perfect for couples the climate360® smart bed is the only bed that cools and warms on each side and all our smart beds adjust the firmness for each of you and now, save 50% on the new sleep number® limited edition smart bed. shop a sleep number® store near you. ♪♪ chocolate fundraiser. with the chase mobile app, things move a little more smoothly. ♪♪ deposit checks easily and send money quickly. ♪♪ that's convenience from chase. circulation and energy production, for starters. so here's a radical new approach to cardiovascular health support from the brand, with more five star ratings at walmart than any other beat brand. it's super beats by human. the number one cardiologist recommended beat

he blasted the deal that brought home the wnba star brittney griner. uh, any evidence that there's a deliberate effort by this white house to just simply not reveal what they gave up to russia? >> i mean, as of now, there deliberately have not revealed, i mean, what their motivation for that is, but all i can do is speak to the facts that we just don't know. and as i say, that it will, i think will fuel speculation or questions about a connection. you know, is is trump engaging and pushing for an end to the hostilities in ukraine in a way that russia is good with? and if so, are they willing to play ball in hostage diplomacy? if so, some in trump's orbit might be perfectly happy with that deal, but they have not made that link. no one has proven that link. i think there'll just be questions about the concurrent timing. >> and of course, the big question is to end the war in ukraine. what is this president willing to give up? what would russia demand? what would ukraine be willing to to give up? i want to turn now to to this moment in the oval office. e

this year's speakers include simone biles, brittney griner, and jane fonda. nbc bay area's hilda gutierrez will host one session. janelle wang will interview fonda. it all starts at 845 at the san jose convention center. that event, like every year, is sold out. well, many people are congratulating jalen hurts and the philadelphia eagles on winning the super bowl. but there is another winner showing off how he is the best in show. five year old giant schnauzer monty won the top prize over at stminster dog show last night. the spirited schnauzer best best six beat out six other finalists to become the first of his breed to win best in show. monty also won the huge american kennel club champion in december, and his handler said that monty is retiring from showing and this was his last competition. wow. well, if you're going to go out, go out big. you're like, look, i'm done.e. it's pretty good, though. they call him monty because usually they have those long names like montgomery. oh, yeah. the third. exactly. very cool. what an honor to do, monty. and the hand

one where we got brittney griner back in return for the merchant of death, viktor bout. and then in 2024, when we were able to get evan gershkovich out of a nasty siberian prison. but in this case, we didn't have to make that sort of a deal. and it sort of indicates that there may be something else at stake here for the russians. the last thing i'll say, sean, is that i find it really interesting that president trump called on his middle east envoy, steven witkoff, to close this deal. it's like he just looked at the bench and said, that's the right guy. i've got to send him to do this. the middle east may also be a part of the discussion that took place when this when this deal was made. >> well. >> dan, i'm personal friends with steve witkoff, and i got to tell you something. he's one of the most charming and personable people you ever meet. he's a guy that's hard to say no to and an incredible negotiator. you know, look, i realize that vladimir putin, i have no illusions who he is. i think he's a thug, a murderer and a dictator. however, that does not mean we can't hav

we saw under the biden administration where they traded the merchant of death viktor bout for brittney griner. but we are still awaiting further details on the other detainees that are expected to come out today and also looking for answers on whether after speaking or maybe before speaking with putin if the president also spoke with ukrainian president zelenskyy. lots of questions still to be answered today, john peered. >> john: i am told today's hostage release of an american is a two-part deal, first on january the 26th, released from belarus, this is sort of closing the other end of that deal. jackie, look forward to your questions in the briefing coming up. sandra? >> sandra: let's bring in bret baier, anchor and executive editor of "special report," chief political anchor. take your pick on what you think will be the top question in the briefing room moments from now. >> good afternoon, to both of you peered i think the biggest focus is that phone call. we are getting a more detailed readout from the kremlin that the phone call lasted about an hour and a half, that is significant for t

>> it's brittney. >> griner russia has a has a practice of got unlawful detentions.ad other just just. >> to mess. with the united states. >> well, you know, what they say is this american went to their soil and violated their law. and so, you know, they believe in the rule of law. they they they arrest people. >> big, big believers. >> big believers in the. >> rule of law. >> but it's you're right. it's holding. it's holding hostages for potential for potential trades. and that's what's going to happen now. and evidently the us is going to release some some russian prisoners as well. >> oh we didn't get. >> they haven't named the side of that. they haven't named the person. but they've said there could be some release. >> that's what it took for brittney griner to. >> go for. >> people who. >> had. >> been accused. >> of espionage here. it's. >> well, we got you here. >> yes, >> gaza, the next, the riviera of the middle east. >> yeah. >> what do you think? >> well, look, i don't think it's a feasible plan. and the king of jordan and saudi arabia and others have expr

. >> same charge as brittney griner. >> he wasn't famous. he wasn't a celebrity.g for your buck, is that it? i mean, he was. can you he was. >> he was a teacher. >> look. >> he was a teacher. >> and he. >> was embracing, you know. >> maybe. >> woke ideologies that you saw. >> with brittney griner. it was political in nature. he was. >> a teacher. >> of many american. >> families that were expats. >> in moscow. >> in fact. >> my debate partner from. >> high. >> school, mike. >> mcfaul. >> was the ambassador to russia under barack obama. we both grew up in bozeman, montana. mike mcfaul and i. and mike's more of a democrat. i'm a republican. we're working together with the. biden administration. >> to no avail. >> i want to thank my debate partner, mike mcfaul. >> for his help to, but. >> thank god for what president trump did. all i know. >> is marc fogel's home. >> we're very, very thankful. >> and it'll. >> be. >> a very warm weekend for the family. >> and a. >> joyous reunion. >> hey, senator, i want to ask you a different question. you've been very outspoken abo