Low Block to the Cell Block; A Russian Hostage Crisis

Welcome back to the Bill Bradley Collective, where this week we focus on the ongoing plight of American basketball star Brittney Griner. Unjustly detained in Russia for months under suspect charges of drug possession, Griner’s “trial” has now come and gone, and the result is a conviction and sentence of nine years. Your hosts cover this troubling situation from an assortment of angles: the trial and conviction; what to make of negotiations between the State Department and Russian officials with regard to the prospect of a prisoner exchange; American right-wing reaction to Griner’s circumstances reeking of racist and anti-LGBTQ sentiment; and finally how we expect this situation to ultimately unfold: how much of this sentence does Griner serve? What is the next move of the Biden administration in procuring her return home? When do we expect this return? We all agree that Griner’s release should come as soon as possible. But first a troika of rants, perhaps this week best described as a trilogy of evisceration. Zak leads off with a hostile takedown of the recent workings of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee; Andrew fires away on LIV Golf’s glowing reception of Donald Trump and other deplorable Republican ideologues at their latest sham sportswashing exhibition; and finally Ed calls bullshit on Arizona’s (among others) prison labor system amidst claims that the state’s economy would collapse if not for what amounts to institutional slavery.