California Gov. Gavin Newsom says there's no imminent threat to the state from Iran. ABC News says the FBI warned California that Iran had aspired to send drones to the West Coast in retaliation for war. The FBI later released text of the alert, which noted that the information was based on "unverified information." The White House now says, "No such threat from Iran to our homeland exists." Newsom says California and various agencies plan for worst-case scenarios. Police in Los Angeles and San Francisco say they are monitoring world events for any risks.
By ERIC TUCKER, DASHA LITVINOVA and MATTHEW LEE Associated Press
Updated
The United States and Russia have made their biggest prisoner swap in post-Soviet history. Moscow on Thursday released U.S. journalist Evan Gershkovich and Michigan corporate security executive Paul Whelan along with dissidents including Vladimir Kara-Murza in a multinational deal officials say has set two dozen people free. The trade follows years of back-channel negotiations despite relations between Washington and Moscow being at their lowest point since the Cold War after Russia invaded Ukraine. Among those the Russians got back is Vadim Krasikov, who was convicted in Germany of killing a former Chechen rebel in a Berlin park. President Joe Biden is heralding the diplomatic achievement in the final months of his administration.
Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich has been convicted of espionage charges that his employer and the U.S. vehemently reject. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison after a secretive and rapid trial in the country's highly politicized legal system. The conclusion of the trial could potentially clear the way for a prisoner swap between Moscow and Washington. The publisher of the Journal called it a "disgraceful, sham conviction." Gershkovich, his head shaved, looked calm as he stood in a defendants' cage in the Sverdlovsk Regional Court and listened impassively to the verdict. When the judge asked if he understood it, the journalist replied yes. After the verdict was read, someone in court shouted, "Evan, we love you!"
