Evening Wire: American Returned From Russian Prison & Macron Fumbles Riot Response | 10.21.26

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Macron suggested that this Saturday's protests would take place in the middle of significantly more law enforcement and security personnel. Critics hammered the French government over the riots that saw hundreds of stores in Paris looted. Macron responded today that those comments are, quote, "as unacceptable as they were stupid from many people, including foreign leaders." Macron appeared to take a shot at President Trump who pointed out France's civil unrest was caused in part by Islamic immigrants. Meanwhile, prosecutions of those accused of crimes related to the riots began on Tuesday, with many receiving far lighter sentences than France's Justice Minister promised. Special courts have been set up to fast track the trials, many of which have ended with suspended sentences or community service. Judges had the option of imposing multi-year sentences but opted for little to no jail time in many cases. Italian officials are accusing Russia of fueling violent unrest across Europe, alleging Moscow spread misinformation to encourage protests that escalated into looting arson and clashes with police over the weekend. The violence hit cities, including Milan and Paris, prompting Italy to send soldiers to Milan after demonstrators clashed with riot police. The available report does not provide specific evidence linking Russian operations to the violence or detail what misinformation was spread. Meanwhile, Italy's Prime Minister George Melloni has issued new measures to safeguard citizens. 74-year-old retired school teacher Steven Hubbard walked out of a Russian prison today, set free after four years in custody. President Trump set on truth social that he persuaded Russian President Vladimir Putin to set Hubbard free for nothing in exchange. Trump called the release a "unprecedented situation for Russia." Hubbard, a Michigan native, will be flown to Texas for treatment in a military hospital. Yesterday, Trump hinted at Hubbard's release in the Oval Office. "Nobody else can do. I hate to say it." So what's what happens? We have been focused on Hubbard and we don't give six billion dollars like Biden. We don't give the number one in history, the number one arms dealer ever in history and get a basketball player back and give six billion on top of it. The deals we made were done by stupid people. I've been talking to President Putin about Mr. Hubbard. I've been talking to him at length. I've asked him to release him or see what happens. The release comes as Russia has agreed, at least in principle, to return to trilateral talks with the U.S. and Ukraine. Daily wire contributor Tim Pierce has more. President Putin's Foreign Affairs advisor said the day that Moscow would return to trilateral talks for peace. The day before he had met with U.S. Special Envoy Steve Whitkoff in Norway and received a proposal that spelled out Ukraine's terms. Security guarantees, recovery funds, and other items. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky says he would be open to freezing the lines of combat to end the war. Here he was on Fox News. Right now, we have to freeze. And I think this is real way to end this war. We call it this bar or stop killing sliders and Trump called it freeze and stop. And of course, this is minimum what we need from Russia today. Then, of course, we will go to President and to Europeans and we'll ask security guarantees. The most important is peace and also security peace. SpaceX and Tesla are exploring what would be a monumental merger. Associate producer and stockholder, Garrett Fan Team, has more. The proposed merger between SpaceX and Tesla would combine his rocket car and artificial intelligence businesses into one massive company. Moscow serves a CEO of both set on Tuesday's SpaceX earnings call that each board has formed a special committee of independent directors to consider a deal on the call must said he would stay out of negotiations as a conflicted party. But said it was a quote, good idea. The merger would grant Musk far more control over Tesla, where he controls only about 20% of shareholder votes compared with his more than 80% of SpaceX. At current market values, the combined company could be worth upwards of $3.5 trillion. And just due to the announcement of intent, SpaceX shares jumped more than 9%. And as a Tesla shareholder myself with 0.067% of a share, I can honestly say I was elated to see my total return jump by almost $1 today. I should probably consider buying more. 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So find the fall pieces you'll reach for most at Quince. Download the Quince app for app exclusive offers or go to quince.com/wire. Get free shipping on your order and 365 day returns, now available in Canada and the UK too. That's q-u-i-n-c-e.com/wire. President Trump offered some advice to builders of data centers this morning, urging them to pay dividends to communities. In a truth social post, Trump wrote, "I have watched the process closely and data centers that were highly unpopular in a certain area have become extremely popular when a financial deal is struck." Recent polling suggests that around two-thirds of Americans oppose new data center construction, especially in the vicinity of existing communities. Around 57% also have a generally negative view of AI. President Trump has walked a fine line on the issue, urging tech companies to compete with China, while also seeking to appease the public. In response to public backlash against data centers, more and more developers and politicians have begun pushing the idea of public investment. A fake polling firm has admitted that it fabricated election numbers that were cited by major media outlets, raising more questions about the reliability of political polls less than two weeks before the midterms. Associate producer Brooke Morgato has a story. Wedgewood Polls said its project was designed to expose weaknesses in the polling industry, claiming its fabricated results were treated as legitimate data by outlets, including the New York Times, MSNow and major polling aggregators. The fallet has reignited controversy over Michigan's Democratic Senate primary, where state Senator Mallory McMarrow says bogus polling showed her support collapsing, dried up donations, and pressured her to leave the race in July. Democrat Abdual Sayed ultimately won the primary over Representative Haley Stevens, though polls predicted a wider margin. Wedgewood is the latest in a string of fake polls exposing how fabricated numbers can enter the political conversation without independent verification. Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has claimed responsibility for the attack ad featuring Amy Acton's estranged mother, reporter Jacob Wheeler has more. Ramaswamy's campaign after revealing their ownership of the ad doubled down, putting up four million to push the ad on TV, radio, and social media. In case you missed it, the ad features Acton's estranged mother calling her daughter a liar and urging voters not to trust her, sources close to Ramaswamy's campaign told Axios, the ad tested well with persuadable voters, leading to the multi-million dollar statewide blitz that began Tuesday night. When asked about the ad, Ramaswamy stated, "What I do know is that Amy Acton has been repeatedly and serially dishonest during this campaign and for much of her record and public service, and I do think that record deserves to be scrutinized." A change.org petition is demanding that Netflix find a new director for upcoming Narnia films. Writer-director Greta Gerwig's upcoming rendition of the magician's nephew first drew criticism months ago when it was revealed that Meryl Streep would be voicing Aslan the Lion. The recent release of the film's trailer further worried fans who pointed out numerous departures from the source material in what many consider a perversion of C.S. Lewis work. The online petition, started by the moderator of a Narnia-focused Facebook group, has gained thousands of signatures now, but Gerwig is currently signed on to write and direct at least one more Narnia film for Netflix. And the Supreme Court will decide whether a 158-year-old federal ban on home distilling is constitutional, potentially opening the door for Americans to make their own whiskey and other spirits at home. The law enacted in 1868 to combat tax fraud makes home distilling punishable by up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. The justices agreed to hear the case after federal appeals courts issued conflicting rulings on whether Congress has the authority to impose the ban. One plaintiff's attorney argued that even George Washington practiced home distilling, calling the ban an absurd criminalization of an age-old American pastime. All right, those are your drive home. Updates to learn more about these stories go to dailywire.com, and in case you missed it earlier today, we covered some major stories, including President Trump unveiling a new fraud whistleblower program that offers big payouts, a Democrat senator being slapped with an ethics complaint over a threat to Trump staffers, and college sports seeing a massive increase in international players. Thanks for tuning in. We'll be back tomorrow morning with another full edition of Morningwire. Menopause is inevitable. Spending years trying to find relief from the symptoms shouldn't be. Things can bring disrupted sleep, hot flashes, brain fog, weight changes, and a lower libido, and women often spend years trying to find relief. Alloy makes it easier to get specialized care without leaving home, complete a quick online intake, and you'll be matched with a menopause specialized physician who can create a personalized treatment plan based on your symptoms and needs. 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