an american citizen in a courtroom cage accused today of selling narcotics. >> my name is michael travis leake1 year old michael travis leake arrested in moscow earlier this week according to a video posted on social media by russian media. >> i am not admitting to any guilt. >> russian news agencies reporting the court today formally charged leake with narcotics dealings placing him in pretrial detention for three months if convicted he could face up to 12 years in prison. leake's mother confirming to abc news that he appears in a video that russian media shows as an arrest. he briefly served in the air force as a teen-ager and lived there in the past decade working as a musician in a rock band and teaching english. she says she's not heard from him since mother's day. the arrest comes a mids a series of detentions from russian on what the u.s. calls false charges including us reporter evan gook and former marine paul whelan. the state department has said it's aware of reports of an american detained in moscow but declined to comment otherwise. leake's mother told us she hasn't spoken to him

state department tells nbc news they are aware of the arrest of michael travis leake he is accused of drug-related charges according to a russian court statement via telegram we go now to josh lederman for details. >> reporter: american michael travis leake is facing up to a dozen years or more in russian prison, seen on state television locked in a cage in court in moscow russian state media saying he is accused of large scale drug dealing but giving few details releasing this video they say shows leake after his arrest. >> i am not admit to go any guilt and i do not believe i am done what i've been accused because i don't know what i've been accused of. >> reporter: nbc news cannot verify w when the vivideo was me or if leake was under distress he has lived in russia for years. he has been the front man for one band and the producer for three others in 2014 leake was being interviewed for anthony bourdain's parts unknown about russia's rock scene when a mic malfunctions. >> the kgb, they're blocking your signal. i'm quite sure you have had someone on your tail the entire time you've

state department tells nbc news they're aware of the arrest of michael travis leake he is accused of drug-related charges according to a russian court statement the telegram well go now to josh lederman for the details. >> reporter: america michael travis leake is facing up to a dozen years or more in russian prison seen today on state television locked in a cage in court in moscow russian state media saying he is accused of large scale drug dealing involving young people but giving few details pro kremlin media releasing this video they say shows leake after his arrest >> i am not admitting to any guilt, and i do not believe that i have done what i've been accused of, because i don't know what i've been accused of. >> reporter: nbc cannot verify when the video was made or if leake was under duress leake, believeved d to be e in s early 50s, has lived in russia for years. ♪ well-known in moscow's rock music band, he has been the frontman for one band and the producer for three others. in 2014, leake was being interviewed for anthony bourdain's "parts unknown" about russia's rock scene

the court claimed michael travis leake had organised the sale of drugs to young people.as denied the charges and in a video shared online says he doesn't know why he was being detained. a us state department spokesperson says it is closely monitoring the case and that staff attended his court hearing on saturday. leake is the third american detained in russia the last few yea rs. earlier, i spoke about all of this with kurt volker, former us ambassador to nato and former us special representative for ukraine. ukraine reporting its first progress in the longawaited counteroffensive, reclaiming these small settlements. what is your reaction to that news? ukraine reporting its first progress in the longawaited counteroffensive, reclaiming these small settlements. this is not the big part of the counteroffensive yet, this is ukraine probing to see where the russians are able and willing to defend and where they are not, make a few gains here and make a few gains there. we will see them judge after this phase where they want to make a bigger push. interesting, these probes, a

american musician, michael travis leak. he's accused now of running a drug dealing business.a moscow jail in cage in a courtroom. this video shows him denying the charges but nbc news could not verify when the video was made or whether he was under duress when it was recorded. >> i do not believe what i've been accused of because i don't know what i've been accused of. >> he was interviewed by the late anthony boar dane in 2015. this is their exchange. listen when a microphone in the interview failed. >> it's the kgb. they're blocking the signal. i'm quite sure you've had someone on your tail. >> he was not shy about criticizing the russian spies. joining me now is ali in london. just moments ago, the secretary of state was asked about this because there was a whole question of whether there was any consular contacts that you can recall when evan was taken. it was quite a while before he was seen by anyone from the embassy. this is what secretary blinken had to say just now. >> seeking to learn more about the apparent detention of travis leake and we're working to be not only

what more are you learning about the detention of michael travis leake? t's a little bit mysterious, honestly. there was some video posted by russian television alleging to show leake being arrested. it's not clear if it is travis leake. there is the video of him in the moscow court. we don't know when that took place. what we're hearing from the moscow court service is he's accused of drug dealing charges which would bring a sentence of around 12 years. then, we also have seen a video on russian television that appears to show travis leake insisting that he is innocent. take a look. >> i have been formally accused about nothing. i don't know why i'm here. i am not admitting to any guilt, and i do not believe that i've done what i'm accused because i don't know what i'm accused of. >> reporter: again, we don't know when that video was recorded. it's not dealer whether he was under duress at the time that video was recorded. it's, again, a difficult thing to make sense of. plainly the u.s. government would be trying to get access to him in prison. so far th

military paratrooper michael travis leake appeared in a moscow court saturday inside a metal cage. the 51-year-old who was living in russia was taken into custody on suspicion of drug trafficking. he's accused of running a drug dealing business involving young people. the court ordered that leake be held for two months in pretrial detention. he could face up to 20 years in prison. >>> ukraine says it's gaining ground in its much-anticipated counteroffensive. officials claim they've liberated three villages in the southeast part of the country. footage shows troops raising a ukrainian flag in a bombed out building in the donetsk region. russia is also claiming victory. the kremlin says its troops sunk a number of ukrainian boats and thwarted a major attack in the black sea. new drone footage gives us a fresh view of the catastrophic flooding after a dam burst last week in kherson. desperate civilians remain stuck on rooftops or in attics amid the humanitarian crisis. debora patta has more. >> reporter: from putting out fires from an overnight drone sn flooctims inrson under fire, re

michael travis leake was arraigned saturday in moscow on suspicion of drug trafficking, russian media says. leake is accused of selling a stimulant known as mcat. if convicted, he could face 20 years in russian prison. the state department says it's monitoring the situation. now to south america , an incredible story. four children are recovering after spending more than a month in the jungle of colombia. they wound up there because of a plane crash that took the lives of their mother and two other adults. relatives say some of the kids are speaking now about their ordeal. abc's derrick dennis reports. this morning, a helicopter rescue that's almost unbelievable for young children found together and alive after surviving two miracles in one. first, a deadly plane crash, then 40 days wandering alone in the amazon jungle. it's this is milagro de dios manuel rannoch, the father of two of the children saying the children are recovering well, giving thanks for the care they're receiving at a military hospital in bogota , colombia, and for their lives . the children ages 13, nine, four, and

. >> reporter: tonight american michael travis leake is facing up to a dozen years or more in russianrison seen today on state television locked in a cage in court in moscow russian state media saying he is accused of large scale drug dealing involving young people but giving few details. pro kremlin media releasing this video they say shows leake after his arrest >> i am not admitting to any guilt, and i do not believe that i have done what i've been accused of, because i don't know what i've been accused of >>>> reporter:r: nbc cannnnot verify y when thehe video wasas made or r if leake e was under r duress he is belilieved to bebe in his early 50s s and has lived in russia foror years ♪ well-known in moscow's rock music band, he has been the frontman for one band and the producer for three others in 2014, leake was being interviewed for anthony bourdain's "parts unknown" about russia's rock scene when a mic malfunctioned. >> the kbg is blocking your signal >> listening to it. >> i'm quite sure they are. believe it or not. i'm quite sure you've had someone on your tail the entire ti

the state department has confirmed michael travis leak has been detained after russian officials saidug charges. our foreign correspondent james longman has that story for us. good morning, james. >> reporter: good morning, robin. michael travis leake is a rock musician who's lived in russia for years. now they accuse him of drug dealing. this could further ignite tensions between moscow and washington, d.c. this morning another american arrested in russia. michael travis leake, a musician and music producer is now in russian custody. the 51-year-old accused by russian authorities of selling drugs. state controlled media released this video online, russian police in full tactical gear breaking down his apartment door. he's pinned to the ground and later tells an officer he doesn't understand the charges against him. over the weekend russian state tv showed him in a cage in a moscow courtroom. he's now in pretrial detention until august. the state department confirming his arrest saying embassy officials went to his arraignment and said there is no greater priority than the safety and

musician michael travis leak was arraigned saturday in moscow. russian officials say he suspected of trafficking the stimulant m-cat. reports say he'll be held at least eight more weeks if convicted, he faces 20 years in ukraine. president zelensky says about 4000 people have been rescued from flooding caused by the destruction of a major dam. zelensky says dozens of towns and villages are still flooded. he accused, quote, russian terrorists of shelling evacuation routes, leading to three deaths. now to the amazing survival story out of colombia for children lost in the jungle for 40 days after a plane crash found alive. new video has surfaced from their rescue as we learn more about how they survived, here's abc's derrick dennis. this morning, a helicopter rescue that's almost unbelievable for young children found together and alive, surviving two miracles in one. first, a deadly plane crash, then 40 days wandering alone in the amazon jungle. it's this is milagro de dios manuel rannoch, the father of two of the children, saying the children are

a russian musician who worked with michael travis leak says he's never seen or heard of leak selling drugs and believes the charges are just another effort by russia to blackmail the us into a prisoner exchange. leaks mother spoke with our station in bakersfield , california. she says her son was apparently beaten when he was arrested. and former nfl star peyton hillis says it is 100% a miracle that someone didn't die when he saved his son and his niece from a rip current in florida. hill has spoke publicly for the first time about january's incident. to good morning america's michael strahan. he says he saw his nine year old son and his eight year old niece struggling in the water and he had to make a hard decision. often, i think the scariest point to me was when i'm swimming to my son and i have to pass by him because my niece is in more danger. you had to make a decision and she starts freaking out, you know, you know, we're going to die. we're going to die. i go, honey , you're not going to die. you know, that's not going to happen. so scary. hillis lost consciousness on shore,

. >>> now, to developing news out of russia, where an american citizen, a musician named michael travis leake, was in court today. russia saying he faces drug charges. keir simmons is tracking it for us. keir, we saw those stark images today of leake in russian custody. >> reporter: they are images that are all too familiar now, aren't they, lester? he appeared behind bars in court and in a video maintaining his innocence, including during that interrogation saying he does not even know what he's accused of. russia says leake, a rock musician who has lived in russia for ten years, is under arrest for drug dealing, charges that could mean around 12 years in jail. his mother says she's worried and concerned, telling nbc news tonight the state department has made contact. the question tonight, is this part of a pattern by russia. evan gers covich and former marine paul whelan are both wrongfully detained, while u.s. wnba star brittney griner was exchanged for a russian arms dealer. >> keir simmons, thank you. >>> now to a story a lot of us have been talking about today, stunning new details abou

american musician michael travis leak has been arrested in moscow accused of selling drugs.s lived in russia for more than a decade. he is being held for two months in pretrial detention. if convicted he faces 206 years in prison. the -- 20 years in prison. the state department says they're aware and working on assistance. pete: thanks, will. oklahoma governor kevin stitt becoming the first u.s. governor to officially support ron de santis for the white house. >> i believe that ron de santis is the right guy. i know all the candidates. i believe he is the right guy to beat joe biden, to be in office for the next eight years. i am officially 100% endorsing ron de santis for president and we're going to win it in oklahoma. >> joining us now, fox business co-host of the bottom line, sean duffy along with fox news contributor tammy bruce. welcome to you both. >> good morning. >> tammy remarks do you make, this endorsement, does it make a difference and kind of your overall state of the race. >> look, at we've seen over the last several cycles that the campaign matters. you learn

citizens, 51-year-old michael travis leak was detained in russia on saturday. moscow court services say he's accused of running a drug dealing business. the state media reports moscow ordered from him for a pre-detention. he potentially faces 20 years in prison. novak djokovic won the 2023 french open. it's his record 23rd grand slam title. it breaks us tie it with rafael nadal. he now holds the most men singles grand slam titles ever won in history. more politics nation with al sharpton after this break. on after this break. ♪ ♪ huh, huh, so did their dog roger. ♪ ♪ gain scent beads keep even the stinkiest stuff smelling fresh. i'm a bear. i'm coming out of hibernation, and papa is hungry. and while you're hittin' the trail, i'm hitting your cooler. and your cut-rate car insurance might not pay for all this. so get allstate. (fisher investments) it's easy to think that all money managers are pretty much the same, but at fisher investments we're clearly different. (other money manager) different how? you sell high commission investment products, right? (fisher

musician michael travis leak lived in russia for more than a decade arrested on drug charges in moscowand here with what this means for an already tense relationship with russia is dan hoffman a former cia station chief who served in moscow and rebecca a russian born u.s. officer good morning to both of you. >> good morning. y'all are not surprised by. this you say they are constantly on the hunt for americans. explain that. >> oh, absolutely ainsley, this is putin's playbook. the russians have elevated this type of hostage diplomacy into a form of state craft. this is how they get their high value assets such as the merchant of death. victor beauty who conspired to kill americans who exchanged for brittney griner. this playbook works. started with president obama who exchanged 10 russian deep cover operatives who were living in america posing in america as americans spying on us and obama, who is desperately trying to play reset with putin exchanged four russians, not even americans but four russians who were working for u.s. intelligence dan, they are saying, the courts are saying he

michael travis leake appeared in a russian courtroom on saturday on drug charges he denies. in custody until at least august 6th. ali joins us from london. how long has this -- mr. leake been in russia and what else do we know about the charges against him now? >> hi, kate. so firstly we've just learned he served in the u.s. air force for less than a year in 1989 as an active duty serviceman, but since then, he's been a musician and a music producer who's lived in russia for the last ten years or so during which time he was a member of a rock band based in moscow, and he also taught english. now this court in moscow claimed that mr. leake organized the sale of drugs to young people. russia has very strict drug laws with very heavy punishments, and he faces charges of production or distribution of drugs which carry a sentence of up to 20 years in prison. according to state media in russia, he's accused of selling a drug similar to cocaine and mdma, and he's been ordered to be held for two months in a pretrial detention. russian state tv broadcast footage of him locked in that

about the detention of a us citizen in russia. 51 year old musician and former paratrooper and michael travis leak was arrested in moscow on drug dealing charges. is called appears on saturday, was both cost on russian state television. russian media have reported that he found guilty could face up to 12 years in prison. coming off on this news from london, the netherlands and canada to take serious government to the world court as a tow truck has ations preparations for donald trump's day in cold securities. tajah miami, ahead of a full of presidents arraignment, over the ledge, mishandling of classified documents and messy mania in china as hundreds of funds where it's outside his hotel. desperate for eclipse in argentina is woke up with the explosions, abrupt the student needs to have them do mon neighboring call to him as fighting intensifies between the army and the permanent tree rapids support forces. they don't seize hotspots early on sunday, bringing them to 24 hours of relative calm in the capital region. at least 18 people live in cuba since that presented a correspondence him and morga

michael travis sneak, was arrested in moscow on drug dealing charges. is called appearance on stocks. today was both cost on russian state television. russian media have reported that if found guilty, leak could face up to 12 years in prison. the explosions have brought to you through to the city of on demand, neighbouring cartoon as fighting intensifies between the army and the permanent tre . rapid support forces a day long cease far expired early on sunday, bringing in to 24 hours of relative calm in the capital region. at least 18 people have been killed us since that truce ended correspondent, morgan has moved from on demand. now the capital monday started with heavy explosions and artillery fire in the city of on demand. they will also direct the confrontations between the rapids support forces. and this is denise army around the afternoon local time here in the city. now they are to strategic locations controlled by this within these army, and which the power, military rapids support forces have been trying to gain control of since the thoughts of the fighting in mid april. there's the engineer score in the southern part of the mind city. then there is why they say you're not in