US basketball star Brittney Griner appears in Russian court on drug smuggling charges
CNN
The two-time US Olympic basketball gold medalist Brittney Griner went on trial at a court near Moscow on Friday, on drug smuggling charges which can be punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Griner, 31, a Phoenix Mercury player who plays in Russia during the WNBA's off season, was arrested February 17 at a Moscow airport, a week before Russia invaded Ukraine.
Griner's supporters and US officials say she is wrongfully detained and have called for her release as fears mount that she is being used as a political pawn amid rising tensions between Russia and the US.
The Supreme Court said Friday it will review the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act’s no-cost coverage mandates for certain preventive care services, putting the landmark health care law in front of the justices again just as President-elect Donald Trump – who tried to repeal the law during his first presidency – returns to the White House.
President Joe Biden said Friday that Meta’s decision to get rid of fact checkers and replace them with user-generated community notes is “really shameful” as he answered questions from reporters on a number of subjects following a speech on the economy.
Brazil’s government will give Meta until Monday to explain the changes to its fact-checking program, Solicitor General Jorge Messias said on Friday.
Widespread destruction from the L.A. fires was inevitable, given the drought and winds. Still, the region could have been better prepared.
Rudy Giuliani has been held in contempt of court for the second time in a week, as the former New York mayor and top Trump lawyer’s fall from grace continues because of the false information he spread after the 2020 election.
President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to serve as Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, is voicing support for a key government surveillance authority she once sought to dismantle.
A majority of the Supreme Court appeared likely to uphold a controversial ban on TikTok over concerns about its ties to China, with justices lobbing pointed questions at lawyers for the social media app and a group of its content creators.
Prosecutors seek 15 years in prison for former New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez after bribery conviction
Prosecutors say former US Sen. Bob Menendez should be imprisoned for 15 years, after the Democrat from New Jersey became the first to be convicted of abusing a Senate committee leadership position and the first public official to be convicted of serving as a foreign agent.
Greenland’s leader said on Friday he had not been in contact with incoming US president Donald Trump, who has said he wants control over the Arctic island, and urged everyone to respect Greenland’s wish for independence.
Donald Trump was sentenced without penalty in the New York hush money case Friday after a symbolic – and historic and unprecedented – hearing following the first felony conviction of a former and soon-to-be sitting president.
The Biden administration on Friday targeted Russia’s energy sector, including its oil industry, with some of its harshest sanctions to date meant to cut off funding for Moscow’s war against Ukraine.