probably did not want to start with viktor bout. there s a period of time where you have to figure out how far you are willing to go or willing to let someone like through to go. and, from watching this from the outside it seems like they were trying to get paul whelan home as a part of this. but the russians were making certain demands, and essentially insisting that the u.s. view paul whelan as a cia or intelligence operative at some point, and that made it impossible so it is a hard process in the white house, because you really want to achieve the objective. but the price of achieving that objective is always gonna be high. because of any kind of prisoners change like this, both sides, you have to give something up that want to. you mentioned paul whelan, and i want to get this, what his brother had to say. i thought the family s statement on this was very moving and incredibly gracious. see what his brother had to say on the show earlier today. i think president biden made the
fogle as wrongfully detained. ben rhodes served as a deputy national security adviser under president barack obama and he joins me now. ben, i m curious your perspective. i know that while you were in the white house you were involved some negotiations that happened, i believe in cuba. how this looks from inside the white house? this is the kind of thing that really only presidents can do. it is incredibly dicey and difficult and fraught. how does this work inside of the white house. trying to get to wrongfully imprisoned americans back home? yeah, it is incredibly difficult. and usually it has to be done from the white house, because that is really have the authority to execute a swath. it is also usually a lot of secrecy around the diplomacy and negotiations. but also, because anytime you have a swab like this, no side gets anything they want. so i m sure the u.s. coming into this desperately wanted to get bring griner home, as well as paul wieland.
i wish i could say i was. because this is something that all americans could feel good about, brittney griner coming home. her wife being reunited with her. i think paul whelan s brother had the exact right sentiment on this. look, you asked about being in the white house, one of the most difficult things is talking to families and not being able to give them the good news. as one of the hardest possible conversations that you can have. and i am sure that the biden administration wanted paul whelan home. but the russians are insisting that he be treated as an intelligence asset. both paul whelan in the u.s. as he is. not the russians are probably asking for all manner of their intelligence agents in response. sometimes you can t get to an agreement on the scenes. all you can do is work on it. but i hope tonight, what americans are focused on is what a good news brittney griner is coming home. he had such good news, what a relief. ben rhodes, thank you very much. that is all in on t
recognition of same sex marriages and formerly repeals dome of has now passed both the senate and the house. it was the right wing supreme courts threat, particularly clarence thomas threats to overturn the case that legalized same sex marriage that prompted lawmakers in both houses to take action. the bill now goes to president joe biden s desk where he will sign it. well, 39 republicans joined democrats in passing the bill. 169 house republicans, the majority of the caucus, voted no. some members of that caucus took to the floor to literally cry about it. traditional biblical marriage is the foundation of a strong society, and a strong culture. i will say it once again. almost everything that plagues our society is a failure to follow god s design for marriage, morality, and the family. the democrats want americans to believe that supreme court any moment, in fact, the chairman just referenced this. at any moment could stack in and overturn s opinions and
but was arrested back in 2008 after trying to sell cash for weapons or many thought or colombia revolutionaries. he said they wanted to use the guns to kill u.s. citizens. he served 11 years, 25 year sentence here in this country. when charges which included conspiracy to kill americans. the deal comes at a particularly perilous time, of course, for u.s. russian diplomacy. griner was arrested one week before russia invaded ukraine. the biden administration found itself in the unenviable position of negotiating her release while also trying a hard line against russia for its geopolitical belligerence. the white house was hoping to negotiate a deal that also included the release of another american, paul whelan, an american security executive serving 16 years in russian prison on charges of spying which the u.s. denies. well, russia would not agree to her release. nor did the deal secure the release of mark vogel, pennsylvania teacher currently serving a 14 year sentence in a russian pen