Thursday, March 28, 2024

Friday Briefing: One year since Russia jailed a U.S. reporter

Sam Bankman-Fried's sentencing and 25 furnishings that defined the past century
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Morning Briefing: Europe Edition

March 29, 2024

Good morning. We're covering a year in a Russian prison for Evan Gershkovich and Sam Bankman-Fried's sentencing.

Plus: The 25 furnishings that defined the past century.

Evan Gershkovich, wearing handcuffs and a gray jacket, is escorted by a person wearing a face mask. Snow is falling.
Evan Gershkovich, whose detention has been extended for a fifth time. Alexander Zemlianichenko/Associated Press

A year in a Russian prison for a U.S. reporter

One year ago today, the Russian authorities detained Evan Gershkovich, a reporter for The Wall Street Journal, and accused him of spying for the U.S. government. He is the first American reporter since the end of the Cold War to be held on espionage charges in Russia.

The Journal and the U.S. government have vehemently denied that Gershkovich is a spy, saying he was an accredited journalist doing his job. But he is still incarcerated today, held in the same notorious prison as the people arrested in connection with last week's terror attack in Moscow.

President Vladimir Putin of Russia said in a recent interview with Tucker Carlson that he wanted to trade Gershkovich for Vadim Krasikov, a Russian citizen imprisoned in Germany for an assassination in a Berlin park.

Putin is practicing "transactional diplomacy," but countries worry that such exchanges could potentially encourage more incarcerations, said my colleague Valerie Hopkins, who covers Russia.

"The White House has raised Evan's case, President Biden talked about it in the State of the Union," Hopkins said, adding, "But it's incredibly difficult to make any kind of agreement at this time with Putin."

Earlier this week, Gershkovich's detention was extended for a further three months. A trial date has not been set.

Moscow attack: Even after several warnings, Russia's vast security services failed to stop the deadliest attack in Russia in nearly two decades. Here's why.

Sam Bankman-Fried walking away from a building with a gold door and window frames, while surrounded by people and cameras.
Sam Bankman-Fried faced up to 110 years in prison. Hiroko Masuike/The New York Times

Bankman-Fried sentenced to 25 years in prison

Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of the FTX cryptocurrency exchange who was convicted of stealing billions of dollars from his customers, was sentenced yesterday to 25 years in prison.

His sentence was a fraction of the maximum penalty of 110 years he faced, but it still ranks as one of the longest imposed on a white-collar defendant in recent years.

The sentencing signified the finale of a sweeping fraud case that exposed the rampant volatility and risk-taking across the loosely regulated world of cryptocurrencies. In November 2022, FTX imploded virtually overnight, erasing $8 billion in customer savings. At a trial last fall, Bankman-Fried was convicted of seven counts of fraud, conspiracy and money laundering.

Bankman-Fried vowed to appeal his conviction, but in remarks after his sentencing he appeared to recognize that he would be in prison for some time. "My useful life is probably over now," he said.

Related: How Bankman-Fried's sentence compares to those of other white-collar fraudsters, like Bernie Madoff and Elizabeth Holmes.

Two uniformed police officers wearing helmets and holding rifles stand in front of a red barrier wall.
Police officers monitoring a street after gang violence in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Clarens Siffroy/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

A 'cataclysmic situation' in Haiti

Gang violence in Haiti has killed more than 1,500 people this year, the U.N. human rights office said, the result of what it described as a "cataclysmic situation" in the country.

Armed gangs have taken control of most of the capital, Port-au-Prince, destroying police stations and government offices, as well as looting banks and hospitals and killing and kidnapping dozens of people. There is also widespread, deadly vigilantism, with community groups attacking people suspected of petty crimes or gang affiliation.

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Loic Venance/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

War in Gaza

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The Week in Culture

Sean Combs, wearing a dark shirt that is unbuttoned to his chest, raises a drink with his left hand at a party.
Jutharat Pinyodoonyachet for The New York Times

A Morning Read

A brown and white Dachshund with a red scarf around its neck is led across a street with a leash by a person wearing jeans and a green coat.
Carsten Koall/picture alliance, via Getty Images

Dachshunds, the German dog breed known for their distinctive long bodies and short legs, face an uncertain future in Germany if changes to an animal protection law are approved, the country's kennel club said.

The club is concerned that the current draft of the law could ban the breeding of dachshunds because their characteristics could cause them to suffer. But don't despair, doxie fans — a spokesman for the Ministry of Agriculture and Food said that the bill was likely to be modified.

Conversation Starters

SPORTS NEWS

A celebration of Rodri: The soccer player went an entire year without suffering a defeat.

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Searching for an edge: Novak Djokovic has split with his coach, Goran Ivanisevic.

ARTS AND IDEAS

A woman wearing a pleated skirt and a white top reclines in a chaise longue with raised legs and a tubular pillow. A shadow of the chaise longue is projected on the wall.
Banque d'Images, ADAGP/Art Resource, NY

The 25 pieces of furniture that defined the last century

T, The Times's style magazine, convened a panel of experts that included architects, interior designers, curators and the actress Julianne Moore to make a list of the most influential furniture from the past 100 years.

The jurors were determined to largely avoid the usual collectors' items, though they couldn't omit Charles and Ray Eames or Le Corbusier. Their list includes outré pieces, like Ettore Sottsass's Ultrafragola illuminated mirror, and the instantly recognizable, like the ubiquitous plastic Monobloc chair.

You can peruse the whole list here.

We hope you've enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times.

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Play the Spelling Bee. And here are today's Mini Crossword and Wordle. You can find all our puzzles here.

That's it for this week. Have a great weekend, and see you on Monday. — Dan

You can reach Dan and the team at briefing@nytimes.com.

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