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Biden, Harris greet Michigan’s Paul Whelan on U.S. soil following historic prisoner swap

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Biden, Harris greet Michigan’s Paul Whelan on U.S. soil following historic prisoner swap


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After more than five years in Russian captivity, Michigan’s Paul Whelan is back in the United States.

The wheels of a sleek, silver jet with a single red stripe touched down at 11:37 p.m. Thursday at Joint Base Andrews near Washington D.C., carrying Whelan, 54, of Novi, along with Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, who also had been held by Russia.

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It slowed to a stop at 11:43 p.m., and President Joe Biden, who personally intervened in the long months it took to negotiate a multi-country prisoner swap involving some two dozen people, walked side by side with Vice President Kamala Harris to greet the passengers.

Whelan’s sister, Elizabeth, followed directly behind them, trailed by Gershkovich’s parents and Kurmasheva’s family.

More: Michigan leaders react to release of Paul Whelan

More: Tiny Michigan village filled with ‘pure joy’ as Paul Whelan is released from Russia

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Whelan was the first to step off the aircraft, meeting applause.

He shook Biden’s hand and gave him a hug, asking, “How you doing, sir?” and then did the same with Harris before walking toward his sister, Elizabeth Whelan, for a long embrace.

“It feels wonderful,” Biden told reporters who asked how he felt a short time later, standing nearby as the families hugged and mingled. “It was a long time coming.”

“I meant what I said (earlier in the day), alliances make a difference, [allies] stepped up and took a chance for us.” Biden’s negotiators worked with a team of other countries, including Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Norway and Turkey to arrange a swap of some two dozen prisoners, including the three Americans.

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It was considered the biggest, most complicated prisoner swap since the end of the Cold War.

Speaking to reporters briefly after being greeted by Biden and Harris, Whelan said, “thank you very much,” to all the people who played a part in his release.

And when asked how he managed to cope during his more than five years and seven months in Russian detention, Whelan said: “I’m resilient. It’s my Irish background. You have to be a little tenacious with these people, but you do it day by day. Every day, I sung the national anthems of my four countries. I did it one step at a time.”

Whelan, who was born in Ottawa, Ontario, holds passports in the U.S., Canada, Britain and Ireland. His parents, Edward and Rosemary Whelan, immigrated to Canada from Britain. The family moved to Ann Arbor when Whelan was a small child, and he graduated in Huron High School’s class of 1988. He got Irish citizenship from his grandparents.

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Whelan is a former Marine and was the head of global security for BorgWarner before his arrest in December 2018 in Moscow. He was charged with espionage while visiting Russia for a friend’s wedding. His family and the U.S. government have maintained the charges were false.

Next off the plane after Whelan on Thursday night was Gershkovich, who had been detained in Russia since March 2023 and who waved to the crowd gathered to greet him as he came down the steps. He hugged Biden and Harris before he trained his eyes on his waiting parents.

He lifted his mother into the air as they hugged for the first time in more than a year.

Last off the plane was Kurmasheva, a journalist for U.S.-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, who holds both U.S. and Russian citizenship. She had been detained since October of last year.

She held the hands of the president and vice president, speaking with them for a few minutes before running into the arms of her daughters and husband.

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One of her daughters, Miriam, will be 13 years old on Friday. On the tarmac, as Biden wished her happy birthday, Miriam ran to her mother, crying, saying, “I love you so much, I can’t believe you’re here.”

After the other reunions, Whelan returned to Biden, who spoke with him a little longer before taking off the American flag pin on his lapel and giving it to Whelan, who swiftly put it on the collar of his shirt.

Kurmasheva’s husband wore a USA t-shirt and an enormous smile. He lifted his arms into the air, posing for the cameras with his newly reunited family.

Biden felt so invigorated by the event he jogged over to other reporters to answer some more questions. 

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Whelan said he felt pretty good — even after the long day of travel from Russia to Turkey and then to the U.S. He wasn’t ready to celebrate his freedom, he said, until the plane had reached British airspace, where he finally felt safe.

It was not immediately known when Whelan would return to Michigan. His parents live in Manchester, southwest of Ann Arbor. He said only that he was headed next to Texas.

And now that he’s back on American soil, Whelan said one of the first things he’d like to do is get a steak.

Contact Todd Spangler: tspangler@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @tsspangler.



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Menominee, Michigan man arrested on sexual assault charges involving a minor

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Menominee, Michigan man arrested on sexual assault charges involving a minor


MENOMINEE, Mich. (WLUK) — 24-year-old Ethan Raymond Masters of Menominee was arrested on sexual assault charges June 30th, according to the Menominee County Sheriff’s Office.

According to a news release from the Sheriff’s Office, deputies learned of an incident involving a 24-year-old man and a 12-year-old girl which happened in Menominee June 22nd. Following a sexual assault investigation, police charged Masters.

Masters was arraigned July 2nd on 2 counts of Criminal Sexual Conduct First Degree. He remains in the Menominee County Jail on a $250,000 cash bond.

Menominee City Police and the Michigan State Police Crime Laboratory of Marquette assisted with the investigation.

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Michigan immigration advocates react after Supreme Court ruling on Temporary Protected Status

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Michigan immigration advocates react after Supreme Court ruling on Temporary Protected Status


Twenty-four thousand immigrants in Michigan have Temporary Protected Status (TPS), but a recent Supreme Court decision could put their protection in jeopardy.  

TPS is a humanitarian protection granted to U.S. immigrants fleeing dangerous situations in their home countries, often from natural disasters or political instability. The status allows immigrants from the designated countries to live and work in the U.S.  

The Supreme Court overturned those for 356,000 Haitians and Syrians in a recent decision. While the court’s decision directly impacted Haitian and Syrian immigrants, it also established that the Secretary of Homeland Security has the authority to determine TPS status without judicial review or input from the courts.

That means that the Secretary of Homeland Security can eliminate TPS for any immigrant group that is currently in the U.S. under protection. That puts 1.3 million immigrants in the U.S. at risk of deportation. In Florida, 113,000 healthcare workers with TPS are at risk of deportation. The Haitian population in Philadelphia is also expressing concerns about what comes next for them.  

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“The Supreme Court turned its back on our moral and legal commitments to people seeking safety,” said Christine Sauvé, manager of Policy and Communication at the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center. “The decision eliminates legal protections for people fleeing danger and allows the Trump Administration to really advance its mass deportation agenda.”

Left without the ability to live or work in the U.S., these Haitian and Syrian immigrants with TPS now face deportation. But going back home could still be incredibly dangerous.

“It’s not really an option to go back to their home country,” said Melanie Goldberg, immigration attorney with the Institute of Metro Detroit. “In the case of Haiti, they don’t even have an airport in Port-au-Prince that’s operational. Yet they say it’s safe for these citizens to go back.”

In Michigan, immigrants with TPS have contributed $349 million to the state’s economy, a sign that they are deeply embedded in the community, according to Sauvé.  

“Many TPS holders have been in our communities for a very long time,” Sauvé said. “They’ve really spent decades building their lives here in Michigan. We welcomed them here, only to see that completely ripped away with the stroke of a pen.”

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The Michigan Immigrant Rights Center encourages Haitian and Syrian immigrants with TPS, as well as any immigrants in the U.S. with a TPS designation, to seek out a qualified legal service provider and review the “Know Your Rights” Materials on the MIRC’s website



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Sherrone Moore’s former assistant sues University of Michigan over alleged FOIA violations

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Sherrone Moore’s former assistant sues University of Michigan over alleged FOIA violations


A former University of Michigan assistant whose relationship with ex-coach Sherrone Moore was under investigation is accusing university officials of refusing to provide records related to the probe.

Paige Shiver filed the lawsuit on Wednesday in Washtenaw Circuit Court, claiming that U of M “arbitrarily and capriciously” violated the Michigan Freedom of Information Act by repeatedly denying her requests. Shiver and her legal team are seeking a court order requiring the university to disclose the records.

The lawsuit also alleges that throughout Shiver’s four-year employment with U of M, she was “discriminated against and subjected to a hostile work environment on the basis of her sex, in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and Michigan law including Elliot-Larsen Civil Rights Act.”

“The lawsuit filed today demands transparency and accountability from the University of Michigan, President Grasso and the Board of Regents,” said Shiver’s attorney, Andrew M. Stroth. 

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On Wednesday, CBS News Detroit reached out to U of M, which says it has no comment.

The investigation led to Moore’s firing in December 2025. At the time, it was determined that he was in an inappropriate relationship with a staffer, who was later identified as Shiver. 

Moore was arrested hours later after authorities said he went to Shiver’s home and threatened to harm himself. He was charged with third-degree felony home invasion, as well as misdemeanor counts of stalking and of breaking and entering. Moore was sentenced to 18 months’ probation after pleading no contest to the two misdemeanor charges.

According to the lawsuit, Shiver filed a FOIA request in February 2026 for audio, video and transcripts of interviews of herself, her father, Jeff Shiver, and Moore. The lawsuit alleges that the university denied her request, citing the ongoing investigation.

The lawsuit alleges that Shiver submitted a similar request months later, in June, but was told by the university that it was “overly broad and vague” and “does not describe a ‘public record sufficiently to enable the public body to find the public record.’”

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The lawsuit claims that requests were submitted in March and May, respectively, for all emails sent to the law firm Jenner & Block (UMconcerns@jenner.com) and for recordings of Shiver’s meetings by the university through Jenner & Block. However, those requests were denied because the university cited that it had no responsive records, according to the lawsuit.

The law firm was hired by U of M to investigate Moore and Shiver’s relationship. The university later expanded the investigation to include the athletic department.

The lawsuit also claims that Shiver requested copies of emails between Moore and athletic director Warde Manuel that contained the words “affair,” “discipline,” “pregnancy,” “baby” and “abortion.” The university denied the request, citing the communication between U of M employees as “exempt information,” according to the lawsuit.

However, Shiver’s legal team argued that the university has not shown evidence that the emails are exempt.

“This public university paid Jenner & Block $12 million to investigate the Sherrone Moore scandal and the abuse, Title IX and Title VII violations within the athletic department and Schembechler Hall, yet now refuses to release the investigation’s findings. It was important for our client to file this initial FOIA lawsuit to ensure the truth and facts come out,” Stroth said.

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Shiver appeared on ABC News’ “Good Morning America” in April to discuss her relationship with Moore. In the interview, she said she became pregnant by Moore and sought an abortion after medical complications were discovered about the pregnancy.


Note: The video above previously aired on April 14, 2026.



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