Griner has begun serving sentence in Russian penal colony
WNBA star Brittney Griner has begun serving her nine-year sentence for drug possession at a Russian penal colony. That’s according to statements from her lawyers and agent on Thursday. Her lawyers say they visited her last week at a penal colony in Mordovia, about 210 miles east of Moscow. They say, “Brittney is doing as well as could be expected and trying to stay strong as she adapts to a new environment.” The Biden administration has been trying for months to negotiate the release of Griner and another American jailed in Russia, Michigan corporate security executive Paul Whelan.
Lake refuses to concede in Arizona governor’s race
Defeated Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake says she’s assembling lawyers and collecting evidence of voters who had trouble casting ballots as she considers her next move. The Republican did not concede Thursday in her most extensive public comments since losing the election. Lake also traveled to former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Florida on Thursday. Before the election, she refused to say that she would concede if she lost the race to Democrat Katie Hobbs. She has pointed to long lines at some polling places and problems with ballot printers in Maricopa County. County officials say all ballots were counted and voters could go to any polling place in the county.
Buffalo shooting suspect expected to plead guilty in massacre
The gunman who was accused of killing 10 people in a racist massacre at a Buffalo supermarket this year has agreed to plead guilty to all state charges against him, according to two victims’ relatives. Garnell Whitfield Jr., who lost his 86-year-old mother, Ruth, in the May 14 attack at Tops supermarket, said Thursday that he had been informed that the suspect, Payton Gendron, would plead guilty Monday. Zeneta Everhart, whose son was wounded, also confirmed that a plea had been reached. Gendron, 19, had been indicted on 25 counts, including a count of domestic terrorism motivated by hate.
CPB agent is fatally shot off Puerto Rico
A Customs and Border Protection agent was fatally shot and two other agents were wounded Thursday in a gunbattle with two people aboard a suspected smuggling vessel off the coast of Puerto Rico, an agency spokesperson said. One of the people aboard the suspected smuggling vessel was also fatally shot in the exchange of gunfire, which occurred about 14 miles off Cabo Rojo, on Puerto Rico’s southwest coast, according to the spokesperson, Jeffrey Quiñones. The area is part of a treacherous corridor between Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic that has long been a passageway for migrants and drugs.
Lab-grown meat receives clearance from FDA
The Food and Drug Administration has cleared a California company’s “slaughter-free” chicken, putting lab-grown meat one step closer to restaurant menus and grocery store shelves in the United States. On Wednesday afternoon, the agency said it had completed an evaluation of chicken from the company, Upside Foods, and had “no further questions” about the product’s safety, signaling that the agency considered it safe for consumption. It will probably take months, if not longer, before the product reaches consumers, and it first must get additional clearance from the Department of Agriculture.
Sydney court overturns conviction for gay American’s murder
An appeals court has overturned the conviction a man who temporarily admitted murdering an American who fell to his death in 1988 from a Sydney cliff top that was known as a gay meeting place. Scott White was sentenced in May to 12 years and seven months in prison for the murder of 27-year-old mathematician Scott Johnson. White had surprised his lawyers by pleading guilty to murder during a court hearing in January. Three judges of the New South Wales state Court of Criminal Appeal on Friday allowed White to reverse his guilty plea, quashing his conviction and sentence. The murder charge will be considered by the New South Wales Supreme Court next month. White is likely to plea not guilty.
3 convicted in 2014 downing of Malaysian jet over Ukraine
A Dutch court has convicted three men of murder for their role in shooting down a Malaysia Airlines passenger jet with a Russian surface-to-air missile, killing all 298 people aboard, as the aircraft flew over a separatist-controlled region of eastern Ukraine in 2014. The convictions and life sentences handed to the two Russians and a pro-Moscow Ukrainian who were tried in absentia were seen as directing the blame for the downing at the government of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Kremlin has always denied any connection. The trial was held in a courtroom near Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport where Flight MH17 took off for Malaysia. Since they are still at large, it’s unlikely those convicted will serve any time.
France urges US to change ‘Made in America’ electric car policy
France has warned the United States that its recently passed climate and energy law threatens the economies of Europe and urged the Biden administration to enact the law so that subsidies for American electric vehicles do not put European carmakers at a competitive disadvantage. The warning came during meetings at the Group of 20 leaders’ summit in Bali, where top officials gathered to discuss the fraught state of a global economy gripped by inflation and war. The tension between Europe and the United States over the Inflation Reduction Act is straining relations among allies that have shown unity in confronting Russia over its war with Ukraine.
By wire sources