Griner back in court amid more pressure to free her

Brittney Griner returns to court on today in Russia, a "month after the beginning of the trial in which she could face 10 years in prison if convicted." U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken last week "spoke to his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, urging him to accept a deal" under which the WNBA star would go free. This "underlines the public pressure that the White House has faced to get Griner released, which has brought some backlash." White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre yesterday told reporters that Russia "has made a 'bad faith' response to the U.S. government’s offer, a counteroffer that American officials don’t regard as serious" (AP, 8/1).