U.S. officials called for the release of WNBA star Brittany Griner as her trial began in a Russian court Friday. Russia has been accused of wrongfully detaining the All-Star center for political purposes since her arrest in February, just one week before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. And there are plenty of questions surrounding the U.S. effort to secure Griner’s return. We’ll look at some of those concerns. Plus, the story behind the annual celebration of a memeworthy contract in baseball. And we’ll send you off into the holiday with a game of Half Full/Half Empty!

Here’s everything we talked about on the show today:

We’re off for the Fourth of July on Monday. Join us Tuesday for our deep dive into capitalism and the environment. In the meantime, keep sending your inflation- and non-inflation-related questions to [email protected] and (508) 827-6278 or (508) U-B-SMART.