>> you ready? >> what do you got? >> i'm at the emmys. i'm waiting to hear. >> what we need most is not ideology. it's evidence. >> when are you going to call me? >> this week. >> okay. >> okay. >> yeah, you don't usually see the pets on air. you can find us at ari melber on various social media. or go to arimelber.com to sign up for my writing. newsletter, pick the free option. you can get my writing for free. tonight is an important time to keep it locked. joy reid has a very big interview. you may have heard about it, brittney griner, an exclusive here in the land of cable news. joy and britney talk about so many important issues. keep it locked for a very special edition of "the reidout" with joy reid. tonight on "the reidout" --

>> talk to me about that moment when you realized that those cartridges had accidentally remained in your bag. in the airport. in russia. >> it was definitely a free fall. i literally saw my life flash before my eyes. i was like, it's over. bg is no more in that moment. i was afraid. >> wnba star brittney griner in her first cable interview since her imprisonment in a russian penal colony. we talk about the fear, the politics, putin, and how her childhood prepared her for that harrowing ordeal. also tonight, more damning testimony against donald trump in his crimthal trial in new york. this time from one of his company's accountants who allegedly helped reimburse michael cohen for stormy daniels' hush money payment. plus, a glimmer of hope that the end of the israel/ghazi war could be near. hamas announces it has accepted an egyptian/qatari cease-fire

proposal. how will israel respond? but we begin tonight with the age old adage, the cover-up is worse than the crime. today, in a new york city courtroom, a jury began hearing all about the cover-up in donald trump's hush money election interference trial. regarding those allegedly falsified business records hiding the repayments from trump's company to his former lawyer, michael cohen. of the $130,000 cohen gave out of his home equity line of credit to adult film actress stormy daniels. the jury heard from former trump organization controller jeffrey mcconnie, and from a current trump organization employee. accounts payable supervisor debra terasoff about details surrounding the false invoices, false ledger entries and checks at the center of the alleged criminal conspiracy to make

those reimbursements look like routine legal fees. how instead of just reimbursing cohen the $130,000, the payments were plussed up to $420,000. broken up into 11 monthly checks, nine of which trump signed himself. you may remember in the trump team's opening statement two weeks ago, they posed to the jury, ask yourself, with a frugal businessman, a man who pinches penny, repay a $130,000 debt to the tune of $420,000? well, today we saw in black and white how that amount came to be from former trump cfo allen weisselberg's own notes, as discussed with mcconnie. $130,000 was to reimburse for cohen's payment to stormy daniels through his essential consultants llc, the company he registered to put the money he took from his home equity line

of credit into. $50,000 was for a separate reimbursement cohen was claiming for technical services he paid for. during the campaign. and an extra $180,000 was to cover cohen's state, federal, and city taxes on those two amounts. and then there was a $60,000 bonus for a job well done helping trump's campaign. the prosecution honed in on that additional $180,000 paid to cohen to cover taxes, asking, quote, are you aware of another instance where an expense reimbursement was doubled to account for taxes? mcconnie answered, no. the prosecution has claimed previously that the only reason to account for taxes is if one was trying to mask the payment as income rather than a reimbursement. to further adto the prosecution's case this was not just your average legal expense and actually a reimbursement cover-up, they entered into evidence trump's signed 2017

presidential financial disclosure report that under the section marked liabilities included the line, in the interest of transparency, while not required to be disclosed, a reportable liabilities on part 8 in 2016 expenses were incurred by one of donald j. trump's attorneys, michael cohen. mr. cohen sought reimbursement of those expenses and mr. trump fully reimbursed mr. cohen in 2017. the category of value would be $ $ -- and the interest rate would be zero. the payment to daniels was $130,000, and according to trump's attorneys today before the jury, trump brought in his morning judge juan mar chen ruled trumpnition to all of that further violated his gag order. in addition to the $1,000 fine

on top of the $9,000 he was allegedly paid for the other nine violations, the judge reiterated trump could face jail if he continues to ignore the gag order. joining me is susanne craig and kristy greenberg, former deputy chief of sdny's criminal division and an msnbc legal analyst. that was my sort of summary of what happened today. what stood out to you? >> well, the documents really were the stars of the day. at the heart of this case is the allegation that 34 business records were falsified. and today, we saw them up on the screen, the jury saw them. one after the other. and it was powerful. i have to say. i mean, we saw checks signed by donald trump. we heard a lot of information from people inside the trump organization that donald trump signs off on any expense over

$10,000. that these checks to michael cohen came from donald trump's personal account. and they're all building towards donald trump -- there's no burden he has to personally falsify them. he just has to have caused the falsification. and i think we're going to hear from michael cohen about the deal they had, but today, we saw all of these documents that the prosecution is alleging were falsified. >> and let me go to you, because what is the significance of the plus-up? there was a lot of time spent on how the $130,000 became north of $400,000. the fact they're basically giving him extra money to pay his taxes seems interesting. where don't know that you normally do that with your lawyer, and then giving him a bonus. would that be important to the prosecution? if so, how? >> so again, going back to why these are false, on these invoices, it says this is a retainer for legal services that are going to be performed in

2017. with each check there's a stub that indicates the month these legal services are being performed. then when you go back and look at what the handwritten notes of allen weisselberg say and they're showing $130,000 times two were grossing up, the income, that's not consistent with paying legal services going forward. none of those numbers would make sense with what's actually being written on the documents and the reason for the payments. it really just shows those notes and then the explanation that's given where jeff mcconney said allen weisselberg said we were reimbursing michael, and then you have this conflict of interest form where donald trump signs it himself in 2018 under penalty of perjury saying we are reimbursing michael cohen for expenses he had in 2016. and so again, you have this -- the documents and what they're

showing about paying legal services don't match up to this grossing up of income, to the statements that jeff mcconney is saying. you're seeing the falsity of those records being laid bare. >> and the other issue is that, so michael cohen is submitting invoices to the trump organization, but he's not saying for what. normally, if you're submitting invoices for reimbursement, you would say it was for this, for this, for that. some didn't have anything, right? >> mainly, they said per our legal retainer, which there is none. jeff mcconney said he didn't see one. on cross-examination, trump's lawyers raised the possibility that it could have been a verbal agreement, and everybody in the court was like, what? that just didn't add up. so he actually was saying, when michael cohen was submitting them, that a lot of them were for legal services. that's going to be, i think the

trump case is going to be these were legitimate payments for legal services. but it didn't add up. there's not even a written agreement down for a retainer for michael cohen. none of it really added up at the end of the day. i can see where trump's lawyers are going. they're going to make it out like these were legal fees but they don't have a written agreement on that. >> and the thing i just keep coming back to is, yes, michael cohen was donald trump's attorney, so obviously he was paying him to be hiattorney, but i can't get to what would cause michael cohen without donald trump's knowledge or consent or on his orders to on his own pay off a porn star that he himself had not slept with to keep that porn star from saying that she slept with donald trump. why would he do that? and commit crimes that he actually was jailed for, and those crimes are literally the reason that he's being impeached

as a felon you can't trust, because it's the same crimes at issue in this case. so he did the thing, he wasn't like a serial bank robber. he was doing these things in this case. and the guy he was doing it with is named in his indictment. i can't get to how the defense will be able to explain why michael cohen just on his own out of the goodness of his heart would commit these felonies for which he was incarcerated without donald trump's knowledge. how do they riddle their way out of that? >> i think they're going with he was a rogue actor. he loved donald trump so much that he would do anything for him. and that he went rogue on this. i think that's going to be another pillar of their defense. >> kristy, can you see that happening? i have never heard of that. >> as a lawyer myself, i will say lawyers generally don't just shell out $130 down for their clients out of the goodness of their heart. lawyers like to get paid. lawyers aren't the ones paying

for their clients' debts. look, it's ridiculous. not only that, it's not like michael cohen had $130,000 just lying around. he had to take out a home equity line of credit to be able to get that money. and again, you would also have to believe that according to david pecker and donald trump was really concerned in conversations about the karen mcdougal payment, making sure that happened. so then you would have to believe after the "access hollywood" tape when we hear that the campaign is in crisis, then when stormy daniels wants to get paid on this, the all of a sudden donald trump is hands-off. he's not interested anymore, and michael cohen is just going rogue and doing this on his own. it defies common sense. >> that has always been my challenge with this. you would have to believe that lawyers get paid by their clients to do work. they don't put out money for their clients. they don't go out on their own

and just pay for things they think might hurt their clients. there's not a lawyer that's ever lived that's ever -- i have never heard of that, so it feels like the defense has a huge burden here to prove that michael cohen left his body, did his soul leave his body and he just decided to like -- i have never heard of it. i don't understand what they'll impeach him on. today was document day, they showed it in black and white. >> today was powerful. the documents really did stand out. and they went through the one by one in front of the jury, and checks signed by donald trump, from some of them we learned from the oval office. they were fedexed down to them and he signed them and sent them back and they were paid out to michael cohen. it does defy logic, but they're going to make michael cohen out to be a rogue actor. they're working with what they have, and they're going to say he was so obsessed with donald trump that he went out and did this.

>> let me get to the merchan's order. this is what he said to donald trump warning hip about jail. it appears the $1,000 fines are not serving as a deterrent. going forward, this court will have to consider a jail section if recommended. mr. trump, it's important to understand the last thing i want to do is put you in jail. he said you're the former president of the united states and possibly the next president. can you see, just as a former prosecutor, even this judge, he seems pretty firm, putting donald trump in jail? >> i hope so. he should if he violates the order again. i mean, i have to say that aspect of the judge's remarks really didn't sit well with me. this is the defendant who has violated a court order ten times. that is not normal in my experience. he has targeted jurors and witnesses. not normal. he has done it outside the freaking courtroom. that's not a normal thing for defendants in criminal cases to do, and so for the judge to then

say the last thing i want to do is put you in jail to a defendant who has violated his orders repeatedly and flagrantly, it was really striking to me. this is a defendant who grew up with a silver spoon in his mouth. who has had every privilege, who has been found liable for $464 million in fraud, for sexual assault, and defaming a sexual assault victim twice. so you think of the normal defendant who comes through the criminal system, they don't have that background. they don't have that privilege. you really hear judges saying this is a last resort, the last thing i want to say, no, if you violate the law, you're going to be put in jail. >> under injail. there is a two-tier justice system. donald trump is just wrong about how the tiers work. he's at the top, and everybody else is at the bottom. susanne craig, kristy greenberg, thank you. up next on "the reidout,"

hamas says it has accepted a cease-fire proposal from egyp and qatar today after the israeli military told 100,000 people to live rafah. that is -- we'll give you the latest next. when enamel is gone, you cannot get it back. but you can repair it with pronamel repair.

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major news out of the middle east today with word that hamas has agreed to a cease-fire deal brokered by qatar and egypt. israel has called the deal far

from its necessary requirements but said it would send mediators to negotiate an agreement even as benjamin netanyahu's war cabinet decided to move ahead with its military operation in rafah, where today israel's military conducted what it called targeted strikes against hamas targets in the eastern part of that crowded southern gaza city, where more than a million palestinians are sheltering. earlier in the day, palestinians evacuated eastern rafah, after the israeli military told 100,000 people to move to a humanitarian area, suggesting a ground offensive could be imminent. over the weekend, israeli air strikes on rafah killed 22 people, following a hamas rocket attack toward the carom shalom border crossing that killed three israeli soldiers. this morning, president biden spoke by phone with prime minister netanyahu to discuss the operation in rafah. the white house said biden reiterated the u.s. will not

support a a ground operation that puts civilians at greater risk. meanwhile, on sunday, israeli police raided the jerusalem office of the qatar based media company al jazeera and confiscated equipment after netanyahu's cabinet voted to shut down its operations in israel. in a statement, the network accused israel of attempting to conceal its actions in the gaza strip. the situation inside gaza is catastrophic. the leader of the world food program said that parts of gaza are now in full-blown famine. joining me now from tel aviv is nbc news foreign correspondent raf sanchez. thank you for being here. let's talk about what's happening in rafah now, because it doesn't seem that there is an imminent, i guess, attack on rafah. it seems it is already happening. is that accurate? >> reporter: it is already happening. the skies in rafah, joy, are lit up right now with explosions.

we don't know at this point whether israeli ground forces have actually entered. there are report on social media from palestinians on the ground in rafah that israeli ground troops and tanks are in the vicinity of the rafah crossing right now, that critical lifeline for humanitarian aid flowing from egypt into gaza. we asked the idf about that earlier. they are neither confirming nor denying that ground forces moved in. but we do know, joy, earlier today the israeli military dropped leaflets over a portion of eastern rafah with a stark message to palestinian civilians telling them get out. we're going to attack this area. the area they are telling people to get out of, around 100,000 palestinian civilians there according to the israeli military. they're being told to flee to a so-called humanitarian zone along the mediterranean coast. humanitarian agencies, aid groups are saying there is

simply not the infrastructure there in terms of food, water, medicine, hospitals to support those people. now, joy, as you know, the biden administration has said consistently to israel, it is opposed to any large scale ground operation in rafah. a u.s. official is telling nbc news tonight that they do not believe that this is an all-out attack. they believe this is a more tactical operation linked to hamas firing a number of rockets yesterday, which killed four israeli soldiers. but there is real terror in rafah tonight, joy. palestinian civilians fleeing from that eastern area, many of them on foot, many on donkey carts, and these are people who have been displaced many, many times by this war already. they fled to rafah believing it would be safe. and the war has come to them there. joy. >> we also have the raid on al jazeera, which my understanding is they are the primary source

of images and information coming out of gaza. it feels noncoincidental they were raised and can no longer do that. is that how it seems to you? >> reporter: so joy, al jazeera is definitely the primary news source for arabic speaking audiences all over the middle east. it has a very large number of viewers across the middle east. what israel has done is shut down al jazeera's operations inside of israel. that means two things. al jazeera journalists are not able to work, broadcast inside of green line israel. their cameras, their equipment were confiscated by israeli police during that raid on sunday. the foreign press association here in israel condemning that raid, saying it is a dark day for democracy when you see israeli police moving in on a

press organization. if you try to turn your television here in israel to al jazeera right now, you get a black screen with a message in hebrew that says, according to the israeli government's decision, al jazeera's broadcasting has been banned. that is what's been stopped. you can still watch al jazeera in egypt, in syria, in turkey, in other areas across the middle east. and there is at this point no impact on al jazeera's broadcasting out of gaza. so if the goal here is to stop people across the region seeing the reality in gaza, that hasn't happened yet. we have heard concern from al jazeera if israel's military does seize control in rafah, they could in theory try to stop broadcasting happening there. more than 100 palestinian journalists have been killed in gaza over the course of this war already. in some ways the decisions of israel's cabinet release their concerns. >> let's talk about this

proposal. the proposal hamas says it accepted, it would be one israel hostage for 33 palestinian prisoners based on seniority of detention in israeli prison. the deal does not use the word cease-fire. jordan's minister of foreign affairs says tremendous effort has been made to produce an exchange deal that will release hostages and realize a cease-fire. if netanyahu wants a deal, he'll negotiate in earnest. instead, he's jeopardizing the deal by bombing rafah. this seems to be the end of negotiations. is that correct? >> reporter: ironically, joy, it doesn't seem to be correct in the sense that the israeli war cabinet put out a statement earlier tonight, and they said they're doing two things simultaneously. they're moving ahead with what appears to be this large-scale attack inside rafah and they're agreeing to send negotiators to cairo, so it does look like israel is going to try to fight

and negotiate simultaneously and there's a discrepancy between what israel and hamas have agreed to. we'll see if that gap can be bridged. >> raf sanchez, one of the best in the business. thank you for being with us tonight. up next, my interview with wnba star brittney griner. her first cable interview since she was released from a penal colony in russia. you don't want to miss it. want . if you spit blood when you brush, it could be the start of a domino effect. new parodontax active gum repair breath freshener. clinically proven to help reverse the four signs of early gum disease. a new toothpaste from parodontax, the gum experts.

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american soldier was detained in russia last week on suspicion of theft and is currently being held in pretrial detention. for the u.s. army, the soldier had traveled to russia on his own and not on official business. and is accused of stealing from a woman. the exact number is unknown, arrests of americans in russia have increased. some cases are more known than others. perhaps the best known case is brittney griner, a wnba all-star and two-time olympic gold medalist who in february 2022 was stopped at a security checkpoint at a moscow airport. officials said they found vape canisters containing cannabis oil in her luggage. griner played basketball in russia in her offseason, something many players do to supplement their league salaries. after being found guilty of drug smuggling and position charges she was sentenced to nine years in a russian penal colony,

thrusting her into the international spotlight as a pawn in putin's chess board. many feared how she would be treated, especially during a time when russia was invading ukraine. in the u.s., griner's wife cherelle griner lived a different nightmare. in a perpetual state of waiting while becoming the public face to bring brittney known to her family and friends as bg, home. seven months in a penal colony in russia known for its harsh conditions. griner said she contemplated suicide and has recently shared more details on the harrowing days, left outside in the frigid russian winter for hours, having to get permission to cut her frozen locs in prison. she was released in exchange for a russian arms dealer. it's ben 17 months since her detention in russia, and life isn't what it once was. in her first cable television interview, we get to hear about the story from brittney griner

herself. >> brittney, thank you for being here. >> thank you. >> i appreciate you being here to talk to me. your book is so good. it's so poignant. it might have given me a nightmare or two, but it's important i think that you told this story. because it strikes me that only you could have been in the situation that you were in for a lot of reasons. we're going to get into some of those. i pulled some quotes from your book. i'm going to read you to you. this is the first one that struck me, struck all of us on the team. and it says, fear takes many forms. there's had kind you feel when life sneaks up from behind and frightens you half to death. some people freeze. others run. i'm usually the one who fights like hell. when i saw those cartridges, not one but two, different types of fear shuddered through me, the instinct to fight, flee, or freeze. instead, my body went into a major freefall as if i had

plunged into the ocean. talk to me about that moment when you realized those cartridges had accidentally remained in your bag. in the airport in russia. >> it was definitely a freefall. like, you ever been so scared, like, something just really to the core, not, you know, a little ghost scare, but i'm talking really loved one in danger type fear. that feeling went through my whole body. i literally saw my life flash through my eyes. bg is no more in that moment. i was deathly afraid. >> part of this story is the fact that you were a star in russia. you were on the team, the star of that team. russian kids run up to you and want your autograph. did part of you think, no, no, they're going to let me go? >> there was a little hope, but then at the same time, i also

understand the relations between our countries and i'm like, uh-uh. that's not going to slide. >> and you talk about not just that, but being forced to sign something. now, you don't speak russian. >> not at all. >> no one there spoke english. they finally get somebody from duty-free to come over and try to translate. when you finally relented after being prodded and needled to sign this paper, what did you think you were signing? >> i had no idea. i knew i was signing something that probably needed to be read to me. my dad's history in law enforcement and all that. so i knew this was something that needed to be explained to me. what am i -- by me signing this paper, what am i saying, agreeing to, what rights am i giving up it? it was just a duty-free worker who came over and said you sign here in very broken english. it's not even you have to sign

this paper because you're admitting to -- none of that. >> you played for seven years in russia. you know a little something about the country. you felt you had an affinity for the country. in that moment as you're thinking i'm going to be arrested. you're told you're going to be taken to the police station. it's a temporary detention center. it's like a county jail. so now you know okay, not only are they arresting me, but i'm really going to be taken to jail. >> yes. >> did you think in that moment, i, brittney griner, am being taken to jail, or did you think, wait a minute, i'm a black queer woman in a country in which i am a super minority and not necessarily an embraced minority, and what in the world is that jail going to be like for me? >> i was terrified when i was thinking about going to that jail. what game are they going to play? i soon found out, they told me to go to one of the men's cells.

i'm like, i'm not going in that cell. the other guard said something in russian, shake his head, and they take me to the women's side. see, it's a game. and i knew all that was stacked against me. >> did you believe you were targeted deliberately, that people knew who you were, you were landing on that flight, and deliberately targeted you? >> i believe so. i wholeheartedly believe that. the whole going through, doing the transfer, how i was singled out to come over when there's a flood of people walking through, not being scanned. things not getting searched. and i saw the people that were getting asked to come to the side. i was like, something -- there was a tip, i don't know, they knew i was coming through. >> when you got to the jail, you write a lot about the isolation of being in a cell alone. the pain of the ride. you were a tall, tall person. 6'9"? >> yeah. >> trying to fit into a car where they're not concerned about your physical health and your physical safety. i wonder if you think that the

people in that jail knew who you were and decided that they were then going to further target you, the bullying. it was striking to see that you -- to see you write about the way that you were sort of made a spectacle. turned into a spectacle. >> yes. >> in your mind, was it simply your identity or do you think we know who this is, we're going to mock her? >> they definitely knew who i was. i would hear little things like the american, the basketball american. and it was just, i would see the little hole where they could see you, they would lift that up all the time, all hours of the night, i would hear it go up and down and snickering and the laughing. i'm like, okay, i'm the zoo animal today. i'm the zoo animal they get to come see. >> i think one of the most tragic things about the narrative you wrote is that you write about that not being the first time you felt that way. you write about being always the

tallest, about always being different. even growing up. >> yep. >> and so it strikes me as doubly tragic to feel as you said like the zoo animal, when for you, other than playing basketball and sports getting you out of that feeling just growing up, talk a little bit about that. >> definitely always felt like i was the outsider. i vividly remember like sixth, seventh grade, another girl literally came up to me, touched my whole chest and was like, see, she's not a girl. like, the boys being a little deeper, the height. i was always a spectacle. i was always the ooh, look how different you are. and i have always felt that. i mean, i am different. when i walk in a room, people notice how different i am. it took me a little bit, but i embraced it. but that moment being in that prison and how they were treating me, it took me back to that spectacle of my childhood. >> i mean, even to the point of

essentially threatening to put you in the mad house. >> yes. >> trying to force you to admit you're a drug addict, using all the stereotypes of a black person. you must be a drug adktd. when did you decide you were gay, and trying to sort of needle you in that way. >> it was so crazy, i was like, i didn't decide that i was gay. i knew this, and when i said it and it was translated to them, you could see their faces like, what? no, that's not right. when did you choose? you know, when did you start having sick thoughts? i said i never started having sick thoughts. then being told that they're going to throw me in basically the mad house if i didn't admit to my guilt. >> take me back before that. because you had to have obviously developed some skills growing up and dealing with bullying and as somebody who has dealt with a little bullying and you know, understands that on some level as well, sports and athletics does help a lot. it gives you something for people to focus on, being a

class clown a little bit. making people laugh with you rather than at you. i think a lot of people who have been bullied can relate to that. talk about the skills you had to develop to deal with that. >> getting a thick skin. definitely developed a thick skin going through all that. then when i found sports, it gave me a purpose. instead of acting out and trying to get people to like me, i was able to channel that into my performance on the court. and it was crazy, i always talk about i became popular when i started playing basketball. now, i can be accepted because i'm doing this cool thing on the court, but when i really felt the acceptance is when they got to know me and they were like, oh, bg, you're really cool. like, oh, or like i can relate to you. you know, more, and that's when i really felt the genuine acceptance. i felt it a little bit, of course. i'm young and i felt the stardom a little bit. like finally, but it wasn't finally until they got to know me. >> and then you found love. >> i did.

>> cherelle, because the other thing that obviously got you through really what was torment and being tormented and in this case by yourself, this is before you had anyone with you, it was cherelle, her faith and it was knowing that she was there that got you through it. but initially, you desperately were trying to get in touch with her. you desperately were sending these text messages, pick up the phone, it was 2:00 in the morning. talk about being without her in that moment. >> i was searching for her so hard. i was sending messages, calling, message, but it was the wee hours. i did this flight so many times that she was still asleep and waiting for me to be on my next flight. when i finally got to her, it was a little bit of relief because i know someone that loves me knows exactly what's going on where i'm at. she can start rallying the troops to figure out the next course of action plan. i was lost. i really didn't understand.

i really didn't know what to do next. i knew to just be quiet and wait for legal representation. but other than that, i really needed her. >> let me read a little more of your book. and you write this, it was relle's strengths i borrowed when mine ran out. i wanted to take my life more than once in the first weeks. i didn't care anymore if there was an after life, i just wanted that one to be over. suicide would have been easy. i couldn't put my family through that nightmare, and i especially couldn't do that to my mama. that and relle's faith are what kept me here. i note that you write a lot about faith. not just cherelle's faith, but the faith that you developed over time. >> yeah. >> tell me a little more about that. i think for a lot of people, people might be surprised that you could develop a strong faith, not only because of the situation, but because in this country, people who claim to be christians and i will say claim to be christians, are not

normally affirming of someone like you. so how did you find faith in that moment nlt? >> it was a journey. it was a journey and it was hard, but my dad would always tell me and relle, her faith was always so strong when we first met, to rely on god, trust in god, and you know, turn it over to him. in that moment, i had to do that. i had to rely on all those things, turn it over to him because it was literally out of everybody's hands at that moment. and that's what got me through, you know, my faith. and my family. if i would have did that, i just knew it was going to be bad. i knew it was going to be bad, because who knows. if they were going to release my body, if they were going to hold on to it. i couldn't put my wife or my family through that. >> coming up, much more of my interview with brittney griner. she tells us about feeling like putin's pawn, the heartbreaking

letter she received from her father, and the moment that changed everything for her. we'll be back in two minutes.

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more now of my interview with brittney griner. >> so you spend valentine's day with your wife. and then you get on a plane with those cartridges that you didn't realize were in there. you get arrested. ten days later, russia invades ukraine. how did the invasion change what you understood to be a reality? because any hope that you were going to be able to get out of this, the ukraine war changed it. >> that changed everything. any sliver of hope i had that we would come to some kind of agreement or, you know, a trade or something quietly, that all went out the window. when they invaded, i knew that was another moment that feeling, that sunken just it's all over.

i was like, this is it. there's no way now. and how long does this war take? they take forever sometimes. and they're still going on. i was like, well, i need to get prepared for the long haul. this is going to be a very long time. >> you wrote a chapter called putin's pawn. did you get the immediate sense once you had russian lawyers, one of whom you became very close to, did it become clear it you and to them that putin was going to use you? >> oh, yes. 100%. i mean, the few times that i would get the guards to say something to me when i'm like where am i going? am i the only one in the cell? i knew that the american basketball player had to be by themselves. you are in a cell, you don't have a room to your self in the

beginning. you are with a lot of people. i already knew there were little things going on and then the check ins, the top card was always there, the warden, the deputy warden was always there. i knew there was some special treatment. let's keep her good right now for her on. >> eventually wrote to your dad and your law and you wrote that the letter that you received back from your law broke you but it was your dad letter, it was hardest to write to him. i'm going to read a little bit of what he wrote back to you. he wrote "you still have a daddy and always will. i've always been there for you and i will be there for you

when no one else is. you are still my baby no matter how old you are or how tall you get. i pray for you every day, for your help and for you to return home. everything will work out, just take care of yourself and what they ask of you. i'm glad you got another bed. i hope you're getting some sleep now. i know you probably get tired of entering so many letters but just let me know if you get this one, even if all you write is i got it. remember i love you and always will. no matter where you are, nothing and nobody can change that. your dad and law are with you for life. please don't ever forget that. love you, dad." talk about your relationship with your dad it >> me and my dad's relationship, is complex . some people don't really understand it. but, that's my hero. it was hard for him, probably, raising a child like me, a little different than the average. but, he is legit my hero. he has done everything for me, my career, when i first started off, when i was younger, taking me everywhere. there was never i'm going to send you with the team law . no, my dad was with me always. he drove me to every basketball tournament. so, for me, my biggest thing was i didn't want to bring

shame to our last name. he wrote me and told me that i would never do that and that was a hard moment for me because i still to this day feel like i did. and, that was hard. that was really hard for me. >> why do you feel that? i sense that throughout the book. that you blame yourself for this throughout the book. i didn't get the sense that you stopped doing that. why do you feel that? >> we take ownership of what happens, regardless if you meant to do it, not meant to do it, you take ownership. that is something my dad instilled in me. that is something that i will always have, regardless of the situation. i still say it is my fault and i feel like i brought a tarnish to our last name a little bit and everyone tells me to have grace, give yourself grace. it's so hard to give yourself grace, though. someone like me. >> i'm going to tell you the same thing. you've got to understand that

this was not your fault. it wasn't. you didn't mean to do it. you packed quickly. as someone who packs quickly, it wasn't your fault. i'm going to add myself to that. your law, who calls you ladybug, which i love. one of my favorite things. you put it in the book so i get to talk about it, was the first person you came out to when you were a kid. she took it very well. she was very cool about it, she was a cool law. your dad did not . what was interesting to me is you start by writing about how close you and your dad are and how you guys are fixing cars together and doing everything together. one would think he knows you better than anyone else. were you surprised that he was surprised and were you surprised by how negative his reaction was? >> i was a little surprised because it was kind of one of those things where, i mean, the family knew. they were waiting for me to say it. it was one of those things. and, it didn't take until i got a little bit older and, you know, looked at it from his

side, from his lungs, the era that he grew up in. i'm not saying it was right but i'm just saying that i understand why it was probably hard for him a little bit. he was so worried about me and how the world was going to be on me because he always, it was tough love but he prepared me for life. my dad prepared me for life and everything. and, i think it was more he just knew the uphill battle that it would be for me and i think that is why it was so hard. but, that is also why i understand and i forgive him. that is my dad. you only get one. >> that letter that he sent you back was probably like the greatest thing in the world to you. >> i cherish that letter. i cherish it so much. hearing my dad say that and our relationship is great. i think he calls my wife more than me now. >> that's what happened. >> that, hello, you can call me now. >> it is what happened. >> that was just half of my

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be sure to tune in tomorrow for much more with brittney griner. how did you process just the idea of spending that much time in a foreign person? how aware were you there was a campaign building back home to