Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Conservatives Are Completely Melting Down Over The Brittney Griner Prisoner Trade

Brittney Griner
Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Right-wingers took to social media to blast Biden for trading Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout in order to bring the WNBA star home.

Conservatives took to social media to blast the Biden administration after it secured the release of basketball player Brittney Griner in a prisoner exchange with Russia after she was sentenced to nine years on smuggling charges.

Griner, a professional basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), was detained by Russian customs after cartridges containing hashish oil were found in her luggage.


American officials had expressed concern that Russia had been using her as leverage in response to the Western sanctions imposed against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. News outlets reported over the summer that the American government offered to swap Griner and United States Marine Paul Whelan for Viktor Bout, a convicted Russian arms trafficker.

Ultimately, Russia agreed to swap Griner for Bout, an entrepreneur and former Soviet military translator who reportedly used his multiple air transport companies to smuggle weapons since the collapse of the Soviet Union from Eastern Europe to Africa and the Middle East during the 1990s and early 2000s.

In 2011, Bout was convicted by a jury in a Manhattan federal court of conspiracy to kill U.S. citizens and officials, delivery of anti-aircraft missiles, and providing aid to a terrorist organization, and was sentenced to 25 years' imprisonment.

These facts have enraged right-wingers who suggested Griner deserved to stay in Russia and that Democratic President Joe Biden should have prioritized securing the release of Whelan and Marc Fogel, a teacher who was arrested and later sentenced for trying to enter Russia with about half an ounce of medical marijuana he had been prescribed in the U.S. for chronic pain.

Critics of the Biden administration have claimed Griner "hates America" because she previously stated she would not be on the court while the national anthem is played during game openers in solidarity with athletes like football player Colin Kaepernick who've refused to stand for the national anthem ahead of games to protest racial injustice and police brutality.

They're out in full force now that Griner has been released—and furious.


But many others have celebrated Griner's release and criticized Republicans for suggesting she should have remained in prison.



The conservative outrage over Griner's release mirrors remarks former Republican President Donald Trump made over the summer that prompted accusations that he was siding with Russia over Griner's arrest because Griner is “a potentially spoiled person” who went to Russia “loaded up with drugs."

Trump's supporters have repeatedly asserted Griner would have been home much earlier if Trump were still in office given his often deferential relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

However, Republicans have previously delayed the release of Russian prisoners.

Earlier this year, Trevor Reed, the U.S. Marine released after spending two years in Russian detention, called out Georgia Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene for delaying the vote on his release.

The resolution, House Resolution 186, was introduced in March 2021, mere days before Reed was scheduled to appear in Russian court on charges that he assaulted two police officers in Moscow following a drunken party when he was visiting his girlfriend.

Reed called Greene's delay of the vote last year "embarrassing" and also offered criticisms of the House Republicans who joined her, saying he intends to go to "every single one of their campaigns and thank them personally about that."

More from Trending

Screenshots from Dove's ad featuring transgender women
Dove

'One Million Moms' Calls For Dove Boycott Over Hair Care Ad Featuring Trans Woman

The vehemently transphobic conservative group One Million Moms (OMM)—an arm of the Christian fundamentalist nonprofit American Family Association (AFA)—called for a boycott of Dove products after the company featured a transgender woman in an advertisement for their Damage Therapy Intensive Repair Conditioner.

The ad garnered attention after it was shared by the social media account Libs of TikTok—run by the anti-LGBTQ+ conservative Chaya Raichik—which described the ad as an example of "another woke company trying to erase women."

Keep ReadingShow less
Alyssa Milano; Julian McMahon
Michael Kovac/Elton John AIDS Foundation/Getty Images; Marcus Ingram/The Surfer/Getty Images

Alyssa Milano Shares Poignant Tribute To 'TV Husband' Julian McMahon After His Death At 56

Actor Julian McMahon lost his battle with cancer at the age of 56 earlier this week, and to say that the Charmed, Nip/Tuck, and Fantastic Four actor touched many lives would be an understatement.

When the news of McMahon's passing went public, his Charmed costar and "TV wife" Alyssa Milano came forward and expressed her sadness and condolences on Instagram. The pair were a favorite couple on Charmed, and it was clear from her post that their care for each other extended beyond the screen.

Keep ReadingShow less

People Who Slept With Their Best Friend Describe The Aftermath

When two people have a deep and meaningful friendship, the question might eventually come up of whether or not they could be more. Agreeing that their friendship might deserve more, they might try to date or at least explore physical intimacy.

But crossing that line carries with it consequences, and it's only once the pair crosses that line that they'll find out if crossing it was good or bad.

Keep ReadingShow less
child writing on chalkboard
Leonardo Toshiro Okubo on Unsplash

Bilingual People Explain Which Words They're Surprised Don't Exist In English

According to one report, approximately 3.3 billion people worldwide—43 % of the population—are multilingual, meaning they speak at least two languages. According to the last Census, 21.6% of people in the United States speak more than one language, while in the United Kingdom, the number is 36%.

More multilingual people speak English as a second language than English speakers who have learned another language besides English. Worldwide, people who learned English as a first language rate among the lowest in multilingual rates.

Keep ReadingShow less
Andrew Garfield at the 2025 Glastonbury Festival
Harry Durrant/Getty Images

Andrew Garfield meets fan with wild tweet!

American actor Andrew Garfield had a funny yet awkward reunion with a fan from a viral “Thirst Tweet” featured on Buzzfeed Celeb.

The Thirst Tweet compilation shows celebrities reading a collection of scandalous tweets from fans commenting on their looks, attractiveness, and sex appeal. Blushing stars include James McAvoy, Renee Rapp, Keanu Reeves, Anthony Mackie, and more recently, Brad Pitt and Javier Bardem, as they promote F1 the Movie that was released in theaters last week.

Keep ReadingShow less