Russia Releases Stephen Hubbard After Trump Envoy Visit | JQJO

Stephen Hubbard, a seventy‑four‑year‑old American teacher, was freed from a Russian prison after a visit by U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff to St. Petersburg. Hubbard had been detained for more than four years on accusations of fighting as a mercenary in Ukraine. President Donald Trump had urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to secure Hubbard’s release. Witkoff thanked Putin for the decision, and Hubbard was released at Pulkovo airport. The release follows a broader effort to free Americans wrongfully detained in Russia.

Liberal Justice Elena Kagan on Tuesday sharply criticized the Supreme Court’s conservative majority, saying it undermined democracy in a series of rulings. She cited the 2019 decision that barred federal courts from limiting extreme partisan gerrymandering and recent rulings that gutted the Voting Rights Act, allowing Republican states to eliminate majority Black districts. Kagan also condemned the Court’s striking down of campaign finance restrictions, most recently in June. She warned that these decisions have driven voters toward political extremes and increased polarization. Kagan’s remarks were delivered at Catholic University’s law school in Washington, D.C.

The Department of Justice has requested California segregate ballots for roughly twenty‑thousand voters it says are likely noncitizens. Los Angeles County officials say the list is unreliable, noting that about thirty‑nine percent of sampled registrations list a U.S. birthplace, indicating citizenship. The state argues that complying would be unfeasible close to the election and could violate federal and state election laws. The lawsuit, filed by the federal government, seeks to compel California to investigate the list before votes are counted.

French authorities extended curfews and increased police presence after rioters torched buildings and looted thousands of businesses this weekend. President Emmanuel Macron blamed radical far‑left groups and criminals for the violence and vowed to punish rioters while listening to protest demands. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced a massive police deployment ahead of demonstrations scheduled for October twenty‑four. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez admitted authorities underestimated the unrest and lost control in some cities during Saturday’s protests. Over two thousand five hundred people were taken into police custody by Monday evening, including those who burned a historic town hall in Limoges. Overnight curfews were imposed around Paris’ Place de la République and Les Halles, with restrictions also introduced in Lyon and other cities. The government offered concessions, such as deploying more than three thousand substitute teachers to high schools most in need on October eighth.

Judge Ana Reyes withdrew her request that Justice Department attorneys sign a filing in the East Potomac Golf Links case after President Donald Trump called her a “crazed lunatic” on Truth Social. The reversal came after a nearly seven‑hour hearing in which Reyes had invoked Rule 11 to require DOJ attorneys to identify who signed the brief. Reyes said she would no longer require the identification, citing “better things to spend our time on.” The case centers on Trump’s plan to renovate the federally owned golf course, which the National Park Service recently removed about 430 trees from. The judge’s earlier temporary restraining order barred further tree removals, and the hearing prompted Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward to seek Reyes’ removal from the case. Both Woodward and Trump have requested the release of the court’s audio recordings of the proceedings.

At a Wichita rally, President Donald Trump played footage of violent protests in France, warning that similar unrest could occur in the United States if Democrats win the November midterms. Trump described the French demonstrations as a result of migrants, jihadists and communists, and linked them to liberal immigration policies. He echoed Marine Le Pen’s criticism of President Emmanuel Macron, suggesting that France’s instability was due to uncontrolled migration. Trump’s remarks were intended to rally Republican voters ahead of the midterm elections.

Two men from Sacramento and a woman from Vacaville are among 28 residents of California charged in a federal investigation that alleges illegal voting and fraudulent voter registration. The charges were announced by federal officials.

The Republican Party of Florida has filed a lawsuit seeking a temporary injunction to prevent television stations from airing a Democratic campaign ad that criticizes the Hope Florida scandal and a grand jury’s findings. The GOP threatens criminal prosecution for stations that run or report on the ad. Judge Lance E. Neff of the Florida First District Court of Appeal previously ordered the expungement of the grand jury report, citing overreach. The lawsuit comes amid the final stretch of the Nov. three election, as the scandal continues to affect Senate candidate Angie Nixon’s campaign.

A 16‑year‑old assailant opened fire in a special needs classroom at Silver Rail Elementary in Bend, killing three children and one teacher. Five students and four teachers were present when the shooting began. Two additional students and a special education staff member survived unharmed. The shooter was last enrolled in Bend‑La Pine schools in November two‑year‑ago. Police are investigating motives. School buildings in the district remain closed while authorities assess safety.