Brittney Griner is free

Laura L. Davis, USA TODAY
·5 min read

Brittney Griner is on her way back to the United States after a prisoner exchange with Russia. The House passed a bill that would federally protect same-sex and interracial marriage rights. And the FDA signed off on a new bivalent COVID-19 shot for kids.

Happy Thursday! It's Julius with today's news.

But first, meet college football's first $1 million strength coach. 💪 Oklahoma State's Rob Glass is the first football strength coach at a public school to make $1 million a year.

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Brittney Griner released from Russian prison, on her way back to US

WNBA All-Star Brittney Griner has been released from a Russian penal colony and is in U.S. custody after a prisoner exchange for arms dealer Viktor Bout, President Joe Biden confirmed Thursday. Senior administration officials said Griner had been released within the past 48 hours and taken to Moscow before flying to the United Arab Emirates and is on her way back to the United States.  Biden said that the exchange had been in the works for the past two weeks and that he had given the final go-ahead. "We never forgot about Brittney," Biden said. "I'm glad to be able to say Brittney is in good spirits."  Keep reading. 

Brittney Griner is on her way home to the U.S. after a prisoner exchange for a Russian arms dealer, President Joe Biden announced Thursday.
Brittney Griner is on her way home to the U.S. after a prisoner exchange for a Russian arms dealer, President Joe Biden announced Thursday.

House passes Respect for Marriage Act

The House passed historic legislation Thursday that would federally protect same-sex and interracial marriage rights in a major win for LGBTQ-rights advocates. The Respect for Marriage Act, passed by the Senate last week, guarantees federal recognition of any marriage between two people if it was valid in the state where they were married. It also requires states to accept the legitimacy of a valid marriage performed elsewhere, but it does not require any state to issue a marriage license contrary to its own law.The bill now heads to President Joe Biden, who is expected to sign it into law. Follow updates on the bill.

The House passed the Respect for Marriage Act, a bill that would federally protect same-sex and interracial marriage rights.
The House passed the Respect for Marriage Act, a bill that would federally protect same-sex and interracial marriage rights.

What everyone's talking about

FDA signs off on new bivalent COVID shot for young kids

The Food and Drug Administration authorized a new bivalent COVID-19 shot for children ages 6 months to 6 years Thursday. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was expected to quickly follow suit. As with adults and older kids, their third shot will be a so-called bivalent vaccine, targeting the original virus and a variant widely circulating for much of this year. The change applies to third doses of both the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, called Comirnaty, and Moderna's vaccine, named Spikevax, though there are slight differences in age and dose between the two.  Here's what you need to know about the shot.

Biden announces bailout for troubled union pension fund

President Joe Biden on Thursday announced a federal bailout for a pension fund largely benefiting Teamster workers and retirees. The $36 billion for the Central States Pension Fund will prevent benefits from being cut more than in half for more than 350,000 truck drivers, warehouse workers, construction workers and others, according to the White House. The bailout was made possible by the American Rescue Plan Act, the $1.9 trillion package passed last year in response to the pandemic. Before the act passed, more than 200 pension plans were on pace to become insolvent in the near term, according to the White House. Learn more about the bailout. 

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Real quick

Celine Dion says she has stiff person syndrome

In an emotional Instagram post Thursday, Celine Dion said she's been diagnosed with a neurological disorder called stiff person syndrome. The singer said the symptoms are what have been causing her to have severe muscle spasms in the past. Dion also said the diagnosis means the Europe portion of her tour won't be able to restart in February. Stiff person syndrome is a disease that causes "progressive muscle stiffness and painful spasms" that are triggered by environmental factors such as "sudden movement, cold temperature or unexpected loud noises," according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. Read more about what Celine Dion and stiff person syndrome.

A break from the news

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Brittney Griner released, Respect for Marriage Act, Celine Dion: Thursday's news.

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