colleagues it would be eccentric to change governments when we re delivering so much. i regret not to have been successful in those arguments. and there s big breaking news from moscow. appearing at her trial today wnba star center brittney griner has pleaded guilty to drug charges but said it was accidental, just one day after president biden spoke with her wife cherelle by phone. her plea to perhaps accelerate the end of the trial, perhaps lead to negotiations to her release. we ll have more coming up this afternoon at the white house. the president awarded the medal of freedom to 17 americans for their dedication to the nation. denzel washington, gold medal ayes simone biles, gabby giffords, simone campbell and steve jobs and john mccain post posthumously. we begin with keir simmons, doug has worked with johnson in the past and welcome to you all. sir peter is also author of they call it diplomacy. and now a big welcome to all including keir, first of all, boris johnso
peter alexander, talking about one of those happy moments in the white house. there haven t been that many for this president, but this one is certainly glorious with these people coming. peter? reporter: andrea, this is always a special moment. in fact, joe biden himself received the presidential medal of freedom when he was serving as vice president. this is the first time he will be delivering those medals, those awards, to so many individuals today, stalwarts of religion, politics, sports, entertainment, civil rights, military, the labor community as well. so let s walk you through some of these individuals. first simone biles at just 25, she s already the most decorated american olympian in history as she, of course, is an advocate for sexual assault victims, denzel washington, a household name, not just as a director, an actor, a producer, an academy award winner but for more than 25 years he has served as a national spokesperson for the boys and girls clubs of america.
Billionaire philanthropist Mackenzie Scott is donating $4.8-million to the Sonoma-Marin Boys and Girls Club. Scott, who is the ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff