Hi, I'm Orman Alney, host of To the Point, produced at the non-profit public radio station, KCRW.

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From KCRW in Santa Monica and PRI, Public Radio International, this is To the Point.

Power and Amnesty in Putin's Russia.

I'm Barbara Bogave, sitting in for Warren only, and this is To the Point from Public Radio International, a daily look at the issues Americans care about most.

The last remaining members of the punk band Pussy Riot are free today in Russia as part of a wide-ranging amnesty for thousands of political prisoners, all coming just six weeks before the start of the Sochi Olympics.

Are these sudden pardons meant to counter international criticism of Russia's record on human rights?

Or is President Putin responding to larger forces, both at home and abroad?

We'll hear how the uproar over LGBT rights is playing out in the Russian media and on the ground

and what the current sparring over the Olympics bodes for U.S. Russian relations.

Also, on today's talking point, identity theft and holiday shopping. First, the news.

Listen to KCRW's 24-hour all-news channel. Stream BBC World Service, NPR and KCRW programs, continuous coverage and accessible

via our smartphone app or online at kCRW.com.

Support for To The Point comes from the members of KCRW and from the Public Radio International Program Fund.

Welcome to To the Point. I'm Barbara Bogave, sitting in for Warren only. Just ahead, human rights,

...