Page 13 - Mark Fogle News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Earlier, i was instructed by our teams on what can and can't go into certain countries. >> so coach, what was it like hearing from her today? and i say also that the -- hearing her voice, but you see her in that essentially cage where she was holding up a picture of her family. what was it like for you to see and hear that? >> i mean, it was tough. i mean, we know what b.g.'s about. the one thing i can tell you just, you know, from personal experience, she's very honest and sincere person. i believe whatever she says. and just to hear her say her intent and what she was feeling, it was very en...

Detained and i kept asking if i could leave or what's next? but it was just, wait, wait for results. >> reporter: with russia's invasion of ukraine still raging and u.s. sanctions still pressuring russia's economy, u.s. officials believe the kremlin is using griner as a political pawn. the family of mark fogle, who was similarly detained for bringing cannabis into russia, believes he's being used as a pawn. last month, he was sentenced to 14 years in a russian penal colony. though the state department has not declared him as being wrongfully detained. >> he made a terrible mistake by taking me...

Written in russian. >> he says what he wants in english. someone translates for him, one of his cell mates, and depending on how good their english is is how accurate a picture we get of what is happening. very convoluted, and it's incredibly worrisome because we can't really have -- there is no honest conversation. everything goes through the censors. it's -- it's harrowing. >> fogle was convicted of smuggling drugs into russia and last month sentenced to 14 years in prison. in a high security penal colony. his family and lawyers have said he was carrying cannabis for medical reasons. treatin...

State department yesterday as was my producer abigail williams and you know, they say they're doing everything that they can, but they've got to move putin at a time when we have the worst relations are russia that we've had since the cold war. just this past weekend, you know, putin agreed to a deal with turkey and the u.n. to let grain, 20 million tons of grain get out to feed starving people in africa and the next day bombed the port, bombed odesa, the port city. odesa, rather, the port city, where the grain was supposed to move. so that deal blew up literally and now they're trying to put ...

Majority of his career. i need my president and my first lady to stands up for him. he needs to come home. >> now, the importance here of deeming him wrongfully detained would mean that that would then launch the biden administration, the state department, to engage in efforts, negotiations with the russians to get him home as quickly as possible. and jake, we should note that this week is mark fogle's birthday. and so it's an incredibly emotional week for his family, as he has to celebrate that birthday for the first time in a russian prison. jake. >> kylie atwood at the state department for ...