Russian President Vladimir Putin’s top spokesman denied accusations that WNBA star Brittney Griner is a hostage and gave no update about a potential release from Russian authorities, NBC News reports.
Why it matters:Griner was detained in February after landing in Moscow. Authorities said she had vape cartridges containing hashish oil, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison in Russia. The State Department says Griner was "wrongfully detained."
A coalition of families of Americans held abroad pushed for a meeting with President Biden and urged him to do anything necessary to secure the release of their family members.
Why it matters: The Bring Our Families Home Campaign said in the letter that over 59 people are being unjustly held by foreign governments because they are American.
China's internet regulator has released a new set of draft rules that, if implemented, would impose stricter censorship of comments posted to social media platforms, MIT Technology Review reports.
Why it matters: Tighter restrictions could close off what few spaces remain for Chinese people to speak their minds online.
A law banning the importation of products made in China's Xinjiang region goes into effect today. Complying with it will be a monumental challenge for many U.S. companies.
Why it matters: The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, if strictly implemented, could reroute certain global supply chains away from China.
Attorney General Merrick Garland made an unannounced visit to Ukraine on Tuesday, where he met with Ukrainian Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktov and affirmed his commitment to prosecuting war crimes committed during Russia's invasion.
Driving the news: "I'm here to continue our discussions ... about the actions the United States is taking to assist the Ukrainian authorities in holding accountable those responsible for the atrocities for the war crimes that the entire world has seen," Garland said Tuesday, per a video from a Department of Justice official.
Amid Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine, Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau told a meeting of Polish ambassadors Tuesday that the continent's current security crisis shows that Europe couldn't defend itself without the U.S.
Driving the news: Rau told the ambassadors that Poland sees U.S. engagement in European security as a "fundamental condition of peace in Europe," per state news agency Pap, AP reported.
WNBA star Brittney Griner was unable to reach her wife over the weekend despite calling nearly a dozen times because there was nobody at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow to connect the couple, Griner's wife, Cherelle, said Monday.
Why it matters: The long-awaited phone call was scheduled for the couple's fourth wedding anniversary. The two haven't been able to talk since the WNBA star was arrested in February, Cherelle Griner said.
French President Emmanuel Macron's centrist coalition lost its absolute parliamentary majority, with results in Sunday's elections showing a strong outcome for the far-right and a coalition of left-wing parties.
Driving the news: While the left played a minimal role in the French presidential election earlier this year, in the past few weeks an alliance of five left-wing parties emerged as a major threat to Macron's majority in the National Assembly.
Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov's Nobel Peace Prize was auctioned off for $103.5 million in a fundraiser for Ukrainian child refugees in New York City on Monday night.
Driving the news: The co-founder of the independent Novaya Gazeta newspaper has pledged all proceeds from the record sale of a Nobel medal at auction will go toward UNICEF's response to the crisis.
The big picture: A State Department spokesperson confirmed in an emailed statement to Axios the death of U.S. citizen Stephen Zabielski and said officials had "provided all possible consular assistance."
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told NBC News on Monday international rules of war wouldn't apply to two Americans that Russian forces captured in Ukraine and he wouldn't rule out death sentences for the vets.
The big picture: The U.S. State Department issued a statement to Axios and other outlets calling on the Kremlin and its proxies to "live up to their international obligations in their treatment of any individual, including those captured fighting in Ukraine."
