Biden hails release of Brittney Griner from Russian prison: ‘She’s safe, she’s on her way home’ – live

The day so far

Here’s the scene as House speaker Nancy Pelosi signed the Respect for Marriage Act in a ceremony following its passage:

That’s Democratic Senate leader Chuck Schumer next to her.

The real signature that matters is Joe Biden’s. The White House has not yet announced when the president will sign it.

Meanwhile, Barney Frank, a former Democratic congressman who was the best-known LGBTQ+ lawmaker during his time in the House, made some remarks about the bill’s passage. In particular, he compared it to the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, a federal law that, among other provisions, banned federal recognition of same-sex marriages:

It appears that the GOP will try to use frustration over Russia’s continued detention of Paul Whelan, and the deal that saw Brittney Griner released in exchange for arms dealer Viktor Bout, against Joe Biden.

Here’s the attack line, as articulated by top House Republican Kevin McCarthy:

Whelan: ‘I don’t understand why I’m still sitting here’

Richard Luscombe

Courtesy of CNN, here are the names of House Republicans who voted for the Respect for Marriage Act:

These include Elise Stefanik, the third-highest ranking Republican in the House, and Liz Cheney, whose sister Mary is lesbian.

Missing from that list is Kevin McCarthy, the top-ranking Republican in the chamber, who is facing opposition from rightwing lawmakers in his bid to become speaker of the House when Republicans take over the majority next year. CNN tried, and failed, to find out why he opposed the bill:

January 6 committee report set for 21 December release

Here’s the moment when House speaker Nancy Pelosi announced the Respect for Marriage Act had been approved by the chamber:

Same-sex marriage bill heads to Biden’s desk after House vote

Voting is still ongoing, but thus far not a single Democrat has come out against approving the Respect for Marriage Act.

Most Republicans oppose it, but some GOP members have overcome the party’s traditional wariness towards LGBTQ rights and voted for the bill, Axios reports:

Meanwhile in the Capitol, the House is voting on whether to approve the Respect for Marriage Act, which will protect the rights of both same-sex and interracial couples to wed.

The measure is expected to pass, and will head to Joe Biden’s desk for his signature.

Semafor reports that former Democratic House representative Barney Frank has come to the chamber for the vote. He was the first congressman to voluntarily come out as gay, and was one of the best-known LGBTQ lawmakers until he stepped down in 2013:

Saudi Arabia’s crown prince and the president of the United Arab Emirates have issued a joint statement acknowledging they led mediation efforts that resulted in the exchanged of arms dealer Viktor Bout for Brittney Griner, Reuters reports.

“The success of the mediation efforts was a reflection of the mutual and solid friendship between their two countries and the United States of America and the Russian Federation,” the countries.

It “highlighted the important role played by the leaderships of the two brotherly countries in promoting dialogue between all parties”.

Saudi Arabia has lately been involved in mediating the release of foreign fighters captured in Ukraine. Washington’s relationship with both countries has suffered in recent months after they supported a production cut by the OPEC+ group of oil producers, which the Biden administration said would needlessly drive up energy prices that had already risen due to Russia’s invasion of its neighbor.

Russia exchanged Brittney Griner for arms dealer Viktor Bout at Abu Dhabi airport, Politico reports, and the two walked past each other on the tarmac.

Biden said Griner would be back in the United States “in the next 24 hours”. According to Politico, Griner is heading to a military facility in San Antonio, Texas, to be evaluated.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has cheered the release of Brittney Griner.

“Congress and the Country are overjoyed to learn that, thanks to the committed and focused leadership of President Biden, Brittney Griner is finally free. Today, our hearts are with her dear wife, Cherelle, and the entire Griner family as their beloved Brittney is safely on her way back to America and will be home for the holidays,” the Democratic leader said in a statement.

“For nearly ten long months, Brittney Griner suffered unthinkable trauma as she was wrongfully imprisoned by the Russian government. Putin’s cruelty against Brittney – and his monstrous actions against Ukraine – are staggering reminders of his brazen contempt for human rights, human dignity and the rule of law.”

Pelosi is in her final weeks leading Congress’s lower chamber, before the new Republican majority takes over next year. Her successor as leader of the House Democrats, Hakeem Jeffries, also hailed the Griner’s release:

Former Trump administration official Richard Grenell criticized Joe Biden for the terms of the prisoner swap that got Brittney Griner out of Russia:

Grenell served as US ambassador to Germany under Donald Trump, and was briefly the acting director of national intelligence in 2020.

CBS News reports that Paul Whelan’s brother has described the swap that freed Griner but left the detained American security executive behind as a “catastrophe”:

NBC News reports that the sticking point with Whelan is that Russia believes he was spying:

CBS News has more details about how the swap for Griner came about:

Brittney Griner’s wife, Cherelle, shared a few words as Biden closed his speech.

“Over the last nine months, you all have been so privy to one of the darkest moments of my life,” Cherelle Griner said,” describing herself as “overwhelmed with emotions, but the most important emotion that I have right now is just sincere gratitude for President Biden and his entire administration.”

“Today my family is whole, but as you are all aware, there are so many families who are not whole,” she continued, saying she and Brittney will remain committed to “getting every American home, including Paul, whose family is in our hearts today.”

‘Brittney will soon be back in the arms of her loved ones’: Biden

Joe Biden’s address on the release of Brittney Griner is expected to start any minute, and you can watch along live here:

Joe Biden has tweeted news of Brittney Griner’s release, sharing photos of him speaking with her wife, Cherelle Griner:

Also pictured is vice-president Kamala Harris and secretary of state Antony Blinken.

Biden to speak after Brittney Griner freed by Russia in prisoner swap