President Trump signed an executive order on Friday that waived sweeping new sanctions against Russia and buyers of Russian energy that would have taken effect on Sunday.

The Details: The sanctions were included as part of the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, which passed the Senate in July and the House in September with bipartisan support. The sanctions would have included 500% tariffs on Russian goods, 100% tariffs on most countries that bought Russian crude oil or natural gas, and the prohibition of US citizens investing in Russia's energy sector, among other things.

Doubled Down: Trump wrote on Sunday, "My decision on Russia is a very simple one. I am in the process of negotiating Peace in the war between Russia and Ukraine, and don't want to do anything that will drive, foolishly, Russia away from the bargaining table." He added that he wants to maintain a status quo where Russia "is doing very little, if anything" to help Iran "compared to what they could be doing" and that Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries have hurt American businesses.

Previously: Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) passed away in July, and his sister has since replaced him. The sanctions package passed the Senate in July just after his funeral. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy attended both his funeral and the Senate vote.

More Recently: As diesel prices have surged worldwide, earlier this month, President Trump struck a diesel deal with Russia, which media outlets across the spectrum framed mostly negatively. Trump also called for Ukraine to "get a new president." Last week, Ukraine reported losing access to its Starlink internet service, and media outlets have framed differently whether SpaceX CEO Elon Musk or the Trump administration was more to blame.

Media Framing: Outlets across the spectrum noted that Trump's order drew bipartisan pushback. Outlets from the left generally framed the decision more critically than those on the right. For instance, The New York Post (Right bias) wrote in its headline and lead that Trump "cited" the "national interests of the United States" in the order, whereas NBC News (Lean Left) framed Trump as "arguing" in favor of such. Some outlets, like Fox Business (Lean Right) and BBC News (Center), noted in headlines that Trump wasn't waiving all of the Russia sanctions, while most other outlets didn't include this distinction.

Perspectives: The Wall Street Journal's Editorial Board (Lean Right) described the waiver as "assistance" to Putin, of whom Trump is now the "best friend in the world after, perhaps China's Xi Jinping." UnHerd (Center) contributor Jennifer Kavanagh argued that despite the ongoing "narrative" that Trump goes back and forth between favoring Ukraine and Russia, his "decision-making on Ukraine is far more consistent than this framing implies." She added, "What has always mattered most for Trump is what is best for him and his political future. Right now, that's anything that will push gas prices down to help his party avoid big losses in the midterms… Trump is on no one's side but his own."

Written by the AllSides staff (of humans). Learn more. Support our mission. Suggest an improvement to this summary.

Scenes of unrest and devastation have emerged from France, where, after weeks of protests, riots have swept across many of the country's major cities.

Leading Up: Protests began nearly a month ago when students protested in support of striking teachers and for better overall conditions and resource allocation at their schools. The unrest spread across the country in the following weeks and turned into riots over the weekend – with hundreds of thousands reportedly involved. The unrest drew increased worldwide media attention on October 6 when President Trump wrote on Truth Social, "What's happening in France is nothing less than out of control mass migration. This isn't about schools, this is about Islam wanting to take over a once great Country!"

Latest Developments: French police have reportedly arrested over 1,800 so far this weekend. Rioters have looted businesses, attacked police, and burned down buildings. Notably, a 143-year-old town hall in the city of Limoges was burned and collapsed. Vice President JD Vance shared the footage and wrote, "Western liberals imported the third world into France and other countries in the name of diversity and compassion. They ignored fundamental questions of assimilation and compatibility. They were told it would lead to this, and they didn't listen… And I hope Americans are paying attention. This is the future congressional Democrats seek for your country." Videos of the unrest have circulated widely on social media platforms like X.

For Context: As of Sunday, the unrest has reportedly spilled over into neighboring countries Spain, Italy, and Portugal. The riots come as polls have found President Emmanuel Macron's disapproval rating has risen to over 80%. Macron said on Saturday, "We will all stand united against the sowers of chaos, who seek only to bring down our institutions and prevent those who peacefully express their demands from doing so."

Blame Game: Several media outlets across the spectrum have framed a root cause of the prolonged protesting and now rioting as French citizens' dissatisfaction with schooling and the cost of living. ZeroHedge (Lean Right) wrote, "Corporate media continues to run the narrative that 'demonstrators' are merely kids demanding greater education funding, higher teacher salaries, and protection of pensions and public services from budget cuts. This is the far left, which wants nothing more than to burn down the West." Right-wing leader Marine Le Pen blamed both Macron's policies and the "far-left." Left-wing leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon criticized police for escalating violence and targeting union leaders. French commentator Arnaud Bertrand (Not rated) said, "Pretty funny to see everyone blame this (rightly condemned, to be clear) on whatever their political bogeyman is: I've just seen people say that this is because of, take your pick, 'communism,' 'Islamism,' 'third worldism,' 'Russia,' and 'China.' As if France needed any outside help to riot..." He went on to argue that France is in a fiscal, societal, and political crisis.

Written by the AllSides staff (of humans). Learn more. Support our mission. Suggest an improvement to this summary.