Russia freed WNBA star Brittney Griner on Thursday in a dramatic prisoner exchange, as the U.S. released notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout but failed to win freedom for another American, Paul Whelan, who has been jailed for nearly four years.

The swap, at a time of heightened tensions over Ukraine, achieved a top goal for President Joe Biden but carried a heavy price.

“She’s safe, she’s on a plane, she’s on her way home,” Biden said from the White House, where he was accompanied by Griner’s wife, Cherelle, and administration officials.

The deal, the second such exchange in eight months with Russia, procured the release of the most prominent American detained abroad. Griner is a two-time Olympic gold medalist whose monthslong imprisonment on drug charges brought unprecedented attention to the population of wrongful detainees.

Biden’s authorization to release a Russian felon once nicknamed “the Merchant of Death” underscored the escalating pressure that his administration faced to get Griner home, particularly after the recent resolution of her criminal case and her subsequent transfer to a penal colony.

Hundreds of journalists and other employees at The New York Times began a 24-hour walkout Thursday, the first strike of its kind at the newspaper in more than 40 years.

Newsroom employees and other members of The NewsGuild of New York say they are fed up with bargaining that has dragged on since their last contract expired in March 2021. The union announced last week that more than 1,100 employees would stage a 24-hour work stoppage starting at 12:01 a.m. Thursday unless the two sides reach a contract deal.

The NewsGuild tweeted Thursday morning that workers, “are now officially on work stoppage, the first of this scale at the company in 4 decades. It’s never an easy decision to refuse to do work you love, but our members are willing to do what it takes to win a better newsroom for all.”

Negotiations took place Tuesday and some of Wednesday, but the sides remained far apart on issues including wage increases and remote-work policies.

Sen. Chuck Schumer was unanimously elected Thursday for another term as Senate Democratic leader, helming a bolstered 51-seat majority for a new era of divided government in Congress.

Senate Democrats met behind closed doors at the Capitol to choose their leadership team for the new Congress that begins in January. The session was quick and upbeat, with no challengers. Unlike the contested Republican elections, the Democratic leaders were selected by acclamation. Applause was heard in the halls.

“We had a great unified meeting, where we were both very glad about what we were able to accomplish in the last Congress and setting aspirations — strong aspirations — that we will accomplish as much in the next two years,” Schumer said afterward, flanked by the dozen-member team.

As Senate majority leader, Schumer has proven to be a surprisingly steady, if frenzied, force in one of the more consequential sessions of Congress. But with Republicans taking control of the House and confronting President Joe Biden in the new year, it will be a fresh challenge for Schumer in divided Washington.

The Brooklyn-born Schumer took the top position in the weeks after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, and has led his party through the COVID-19 crisis and unexpected legislative achievements, many of them bipartisan. A former campaign chief, he steered the party to the majority and expanded it to 51 seats with Sen. Raphael Warnock’s special election win Tuesday in Georgia.

House Republicans have nominated GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy as the new House speaker, but he is struggling to amass the 218 votes that will be needed when he goes before the full House for the speaker’s vote in January.

Senate Republicans already chose their team, putting Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell on track to become the longest serving party leader in the chamber.

McConnell beat back a rare challenge from Florida GOP Sen. Rick Scott, the party’s campaign chief, who failed to win back the Senate majority for the Republicans.

Biden will face a divided Congress in the new year, which opens an era of potentially sharp partisan tensions and oversight investigations, but also creates the possibility for bipartisanship.