Biden meets with Paul Whelan's sister after Russia rejects offer to free him
CBSN
Washington — President Biden on Wednesday met with the sister of Paul Whelan, who the U.S. considers to be wrongfully detained in Russia following his arrest on espionage charges in 2018.
Elizabeth Whelan had been seeking a meeting with the president for months as her family presses the Biden administration to do more to secure her brother's release.
"This afternoon, the President held a private meeting with Elizabeth Whelan, the sister of wrongfully detained American Paul Whelan, to discuss the Administration's continued efforts to secure Paul's release from Russia," the White House said, adding that national security adviser Jake Sullivan joined the meeting.
This story previously aired on Sept. 15, 2018. News report: Today, in a 5-1 decision, the California State Supreme Court ruled that Rodney Alcala did not receive a fair trial. Juror: We, the jury, find the defendant, Rodney James Alcala, guilty of the crime of murder in the first degree. Victim Robin C. Samsoe… "I wanna kill, I wanna kill, I wanna see blood and gore and guts and veins in my teeth. Eat dead burnt bodies. I mean, kill, kill, kill, kill." Jury member [in court]: We, the jury … determine that the penalty to be imposed upon defendant, Rodney James Alcala, to be death. D.A. Cyrus Vance to reporters: For both families, who had lost all hope that these cases would ever be solved, the pleas by Rodney Alcala, and today's sentencing brings closure to painful chapters in their lives.
A new law aims to strengthen reporting requirements for technology companies to combat online predators seeking to exploit children. One dad told CBS News that he hopes the law will save children like his son, who died by suicide after becoming ensnared in a "sextortion" scheme when he was 17 years old.