I would watch a show where Tucker Carlson interviews Brittney Griner. It might be fun to see the cable-TV star squirm before the openly lesbian 6-foot-7 basketball player as she schools America’s leading Kremlin apologist on the realities of Vladimir Putin’s Russia that he missed during his slack-jawed tour of Moscow’s lavish subway stations and grocery stores.

There’s been celebration since the release of American basketball star Brittney Griner from a Russian penal colony on Dec. 8, an unexpected burst of good news for many following a 10-month ordeal that drew global attention. 

A 32-year-old, two-time Olympian, Griner was originally detained at the Moscow airport in mid-February after authorities found vape cartridges with hash oil in her luggage. Russia has some of the most draconian drug laws in the world, and penalties for carrying even small amounts of recreational drugs can be severe.

Brittney Griner thanked her family and friends and credited her faith for surviving her time in custody on Friday in her first comments since being released from a Russian prison earlier this month.

"It feels so good to be home! The last 10 months have been a battle at every turn," Griner wrote on Instagram. "I dug deep to keep my faith and it was the love from so many of you that helped keep me going. From the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyone for your help."

In Brittney Griner’s first statement since being freed from a Russian prison through a prisoner swap, the basketball star called for the release of Paul Whelan, who is also detained in the country, and said she intends to play in the WNBA this season so she can “say ‘thank you’ to those of you who advocated, wrote, and posted for me in person.”

Griner shared the statement on Instagram on Friday along with photos of her getting off a plane and reuniting with her wife, Cherelle Griner, which was also sent out by her publicity team.

Two-time Olympic gold medalist and WNBA star Brittney Griner thanked the Biden administration Friday in her first statement since returning to the US last week as part of a prisoner swap with Russia.

Griner, 32, was released in exchange for convicted international arms dealer Viktor Bout on Dec. 8, almost 10 months after she was busted at a Moscow airport with cannabis oil in February.

A thought experiment... What is your immediate response to the following words and concepts: freedom and individual rights; justice and the rule of law; the vision of a long-separated family finally able to reunite for the holidays.

By far most of us, I’m sure, would say they’re all positive and worth cherishing. And so, too, would heads of government in America and other democracies across the globe, who argue that world politics cannot be only about the exercise of power or the search for short-term gain.

Politics should be rooted in values.

Speaking to reporters at the White House Monday, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan refused to overtly state convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, who was recently released from a U.S. prison in exchange for WNBA player Brittney Griner, is a terrorist. 

"I'm curious, does the administration consider Viktor Bout to be a terrorist?" Sullivan was asked. 

White House officials are convening a planning session Monday to discuss the next steps in securing retired U.S. Marine Paul Whelan's freedom from Russia, an official with the National Security Council confirmed to CBS News.

The meeting is part of the Biden administration's "continued work" on Whelan's case, and is "routine," according to the official. Whelan, 52, was arrested by Russian authorities at a Moscow hotel in December 2018 on espionage charges and sentenced to 16 years in prison. He is currently serving his sentence at a remote penal colony.