Griner, a prominent basketball player, had been convicted of bringing hash oil into the country. President Biden secured Griner's release by commuting the sentence of Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. The president said Russia refused to release other Americans imprisoned in the country, including former Marine Paul Whelan who Russia convicted of espionage in 2018.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices)NPR Privacy Policy)