Joe Biden to meet families of Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan over release efforts

• Americans are being detained in Russia on separate charges
• Efforts to free duo have so far been unsuccessful

Joe Biden plans to meet at the White House on Friday with family members of WNBA star Brittney Griner and Michigan corporate security executive Paul Whelan, both of whom remain jailed in Russia, senior administration officials told the Associated Press.

The separate meetings are to be the first in-person encounter between Biden and the families and are taking place amid sustained but so far unsuccessful efforts by the administration to secure the Americans' release. The administration said in July that it had made a substantial proposal" to get them home, but despite plans for the White House meetings, there is no sign that a breakthrough is imminent.