Today is Friday, December 9th, and you're listening to the Morning Announcements presented

by Vetch's media.

I'm your host Sammy Sage, and the Morning Announcements is your daily 5 minute breakdown of the

headlines that isn't afraid to take a side and roast the most consequential reality

show there is, our government.

This episode is brought to you by Uncommon Goats, your secret weapon to make holiday shopping

stress-free, where you can shop a huge selection of meaningful, unique gifts by small independent

businesses.

The WMBA star Brittany Griner, who has been held in a Russian penal colony after authorities

found traces of cannabis in a cartridge that was in her luggage, as she flew through the

Moscow airport in February, has been released in a prison or swap.

In exchange, the US released the notorious Russian arm-sealer Victor Booth, who was nicknamed

the Merchant of Death, though they failed to secure freedom for another American, Paul

Whelan, who has been jailed in Russia for almost four years.

US officials said they didn't see a path to his release at this time, because the charges

against him in Russia were related to espionage, though President Biden has vowed to continue

to negotiate, and as a man who originally started running for President four decades ago,

I have no doubt he'll keep trying.

Iran announced yesterday that it executed the first prisoner who was convicted of a crime

that they committed during the recent anti-government protests, and many detainees still face

the possibility of an execution like that of this first protester, Mosun Chikari.

Chikari was convicted during a closed door case in Tehran's Revolutionary Court, after

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