Russia said Friday it was pursuing a prisoner swap with the US to return imprisoned arms dealer Viktor Bout, dubbed the “Merchant of Death,” in an exchange that would likely include Brittney Griner.
“I would like to hope that the prospect (of swapping Bout) not only remains, but is being strengthened, and that the moment will come when the prospect will turn into a concrete agreement,” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told Russian state news agency Interfax.
“The Americans are showing some external activity, we are working professionally through a special channel designed for this,” Ryabkov added. “So far, we have not reached a common denominator, but it’s undisputed that Viktor Bout is among those who are being discussed, and we certainly count on a positive result.”
Russia signaled Friday that it was very interested in securing the release of convicted arms trafficker Viktor Bout as part of a prisoner swap with the US. Reuters
The distinctly upbeat remarks from Ryabkov contrast with previous statements from Moscow, which slammed Washington for trying to engage in “megaphone diplomacy” after Secretary of State Antony Blinken publicly discussed the proposed prisoner swap.
The possible exchange includes Griner, who has been sentenced to nine years in prison for bringing cannabis vape cartridges into Russia, and retired US Marine Paul Whelan, who is serving a 16-year sentence in a penal colony after being convicted of espionage charges that he denies.
Variously dubbed the “Merchant of Death” and the “sanctions buster” for his ability to get around arms embargoes, Bout was one of the world’s most wanted men prior to his 2008 arrest on multiple charges related to arms trafficking.
For almost two decades, Bout was one of the world’s most notorious arms dealers, selling weaponry to rogue states, rebel groups and murderous warlords in Africa, Asia and South America.
Any agreement with Russia would likely include Brittney Griner, who is serving a nine-year sentence in a penal colony on a drug conviction. POOL/AFP via Getty ImagesUS officials have proposed swapping Bout for Griner and American Paul Whelan (above), who has been sentenced to 16 years in prison on espionage charges. AP
But in 2008, Bout was snared in an elaborate US sting in Thailand.
Bout was caught on camera agreeing to sell undercover US agents posing as representatives of Colombia’s leftist FARC guerrillas up to $20 million worth of weapons, including 100 surface-to-air missiles, which they would use to shoot down US military helicopters. Shortly afterward, he was arrested by Thai police.
Bout was tried on the charges related to FARC, which he denied, and in 2012 was convicted and sentenced by a court in Manhattan to 25 years in prison, the minimum sentence possible.
Ever since, Russia has been eager to get him back, claiming that he is an “entrepreneur” who was unjustly incarcerated.
To show the state’s support for his plight, the upper chamber of the Russian parliament on Tuesday opened an exhibition of Bout’s prison artwork featuring a portrait of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin and a painting of a kitten.
Bout, dubbed the “Merchant of Death,” is serving a 25-year sentence in a US prison for trying to sell missiles to undercover agents in Thailand. REUTERS
Grigory Karasin, head of the upper chamber’s international relations committee, vowed that “Russian diplomats will do everything so that he returns to his homeland as soon as possible. This is not an easy task, but we will continue our efforts.”
President Biden said last week that he hopes Russian President Vladimir Putin will be more willing to negotiate the release of Griner now that the midterm elections were over.
He spoke hours after Griner’s lawyers revealed that the 32-year-old WNBA star had been transferred to one of Russia’s notoriously harsh penal colonies in the Mordovia region to serve her sentence following a court’s rejection of her appeal.
Publisher Square Enix [5,036 articles]” href=”https://www.gematsu.com/companies/square-enix”>Square Enix and developer Acquire [278 articles]” href=”https://www.gematsu.com/companies/gungho-online-entertainment/acquire”>Acquire have released new information and screenshots for Octopath Traveler II [4 articles]” href=”https://www.gematsu.com/games/octopath-traveler-ii”>Octopath Traveler II introducing the tales of Osvald the Scholar and Partitio the Merchant, and water travel.
Get the details below.
■ Concept
About
This game is a brand-new entry in the Octopath Traveler [22 articles]” href=”https://www.gematsu.com/games/octopath-traveler”>Octopath Traveler series, the first installment of which was initially released in 2018 and sold over three million copies worldwide.
It takes the series’ HD-2D [19 articles]” href=”https://www.gematsu.com/series/hd-2d”>HD-2D graphics, a fusion of retro pixel art and 3D CG, to even greater heights. In the world of Solistia, eight new travelers venture forth into an exciting new era.
Where will you go? What will you do? Whose tale will you bring to life? Every path is yours to take. Embark on an Adventure [547 articles]” href=”https://www.gematsu.com/genres/adventure”>adventure all your own.
New World, New Tales [1 article]” href=”https://www.gematsu.com/companies/new-tales”>New Tales
The story takes place in Solistia, a land comprising an eastern and western continent divided by the sea.
It is a bustling era, wherein large vessels navigate busy sea routes and the power of steam gives birth to new technologies.
Some people thrill to glamorous stars of the stage and industry, while others are brought to tears by war, plague, and poverty.
In this faraway realm, eight travelers hailing from different regions venture forth for their own reasons. Step into their shoes and explore the land as you see fit.
■ Partitio Yellowil, the Merchant (voiced by Jas Patrick in English, Kazuya Nakai in Japanese)
Your name is Partitio Yellowil, and you are a merchant. Your tale begins in the vast wastes of the Wildlands.
After witnessing the rise and fall of the pioneer town you call home, you set your gaze upon the horizon.
“I’ll be back once I eliminate that devil called poverty from the world!”
With dreams of bringing prosperity to all, you embark on a journey with only the scent of commerce to guide you…
■ Characters in Partitio’s Tale
Papp (voiced by Keith Silverstein in English, Mitsuki Nakamura in Japanese)
Partitio’s father, and the man who taught him all he knows about commerce. He came to this barren land 16 years ago and helped build Oresrush from the ground up.
Roque (voiced by Richard Tatum in English, Takaya Hashi in Japanese)
Papp’s business partner. He and Papp purchased a promising plot of land, anticipating it would be rich in silver. It has since bloomed into the town of Oresrush. Partitio admires him for being a pioneer in business.
Ori (voiced by Jeannie Tirado in English, Fairouz Ai in Japanese)
A scrivener for the Delsta Times who travels the world looking for the latest scoop. Partitio’s Action [731 articles]” href=”https://www.gematsu.com/genres/action”>actions have caught her eye, and she seemingly appears out of thin air to get all the juicy details.
■ Partitio’s Adventure Begins in The Wildlands
Northwest Solistia is a barren wasteland—a blasted expanse of volcanic rock that resists even the loneliest blade of grass. The few brave souls who eke out their existence here have long suffered the sulfuric whims of Fiatsuro and its unstable neighbors. But life always finds a way. Among the rock and stone dwell the golt, an unusually large breed of goat who subsist on a meager fare of local weed. The cheese produced from their milk is especially scrumptious, and has become a local specialty. The volcanic soil conceals a wealth of valuable minerals. Many small mining towns have sprung up here, including the southern town of Oresrush, established by silver merchants Papp and Roque.
—A vast and barren land.
—Silver mine.
—Oresrush.
■ Partitio’s Path Actions
Purchase
Obtain items from people. You must have enough money to purchase their belongings.
—The more valuable the item, the higher the price. Put your business prowess to the test.
Hire
Bring people along on your journey. You must have enough money to hire someone.
—Hired helpers can be summoned during battle to provide aid.
—Different people provide different benefits. Use your funds wisely to hire a variety of helpers.
■ Partitio’s Talent: Business Partners
Depending on who you have hired, you might receive benefits in business and battle.
You could be granted a discount when shopping, receive more leaves when selling items, pay less when using certain skills in battle, and more.
—Some partners can negotiate a discount when purchasing. Others give you a chance to get items for free…
—Merchants can use Hired Help to summon mercenaries into battle. Your partner may be able to lower the mercenary’s cost.
■ Partitio’s Latent Power: Hoot and Holler
When his latent power gauge is full, Partitio can fully and instantly replenish a party member’s BP to turn the tide of battle.
—Partitio’s latent power can replenish all BP in an instant, whether at the onset of battle or immediately after exhausting all points.
—Use BP however you see fit. The merchant ability Donate BP also allows you to grant BP to allies.
■ Osvald V. Vanstein, the Scholar (voiced by Alejandro Saab in English, Jouji Nakata in Japanese)
Your name is Osvald V. Vanstein, and you are a scholar. Your tale begins in the snowswept reaches of the Winterlands.
You have been sentenced to life in prison for murdering your wife and daughter, and have since spent 1,879 days locked within a frigid cell.
“Harvey—the man who took everything from me— shall die by my hand. I swear it.”
Not even the bitter cold can extinguish the raging fire in your breast. And so you set out to exact your revenge…
■ Characters in Osvald’s Tale
Harvey (voiced by Craig Lee Thomas in English, Takehito Koyasu in Japanese)
A scholar of magic who is on par with Osvald. He continues his research into the seventh source of magic, which differs from the six known elements of fire, ice, lightning, wind, light, and darkness.
Emerald (voiced by Andy Barnett in English, Eiji Takeuchi in Japanese)
A fellow prisoner of Osvald’s on Frigit Isle. He leverages his knowledge as an informant to help Osvald escape.
Lady Clarissa (voiced by Leigha Horton in English, Yoko Soumi in Japanese)
Osvald’s research assistant. She believes that Osvald is innocent and watches over his study in his absence.
■ Osval’s Adventure Begins in The Winterlands
Northern Solistia is a frozen place of snow and ice. Its capital is Stormhail, a mountainous city that houses the Sacred Guard. Established roughly 380 years ago, the Sacred Guard was the brainchild of Archbishop Kinchler. After the cold snap that assailed the eastern continent in the previous century, the order established its headquarters here. To this day, this holy organization’s mission remains unchanged: to uphold law and order across the continent. Travel towards the coast, and you will find the fishing town of Cape Cold. Great hauls of salmon, trout, mackerel, squid, and more are brought in almost daily. In addition, many who dwell here work in agriculture or textiles, and lately, a hardy species of cold-resistant barley has caused quite a stir.
—A land of snow and ice.
—Frigit Isle, an icy prison.
—Stormhail.
■ Osvald’s Path Actions
Scrutinize
Glean information from people (with a given probability). Fail, and your reputation in town will suffer.
—You won’t be able to use Path Actions if your reputation suffers. Raise Osvald’s level to increase his chances of success.
Mug
Obtain items from people. You must best them in battle to get the spoils you seek.
—Mug someone to commence the battle. Emerge victorious, and you can take all their belongings.
■ Osvald’s Talent: Study Foe
Osvald can gain insight into one of a foe’s weak points at the start of battle.
—Osvald will automatically use Study Foe when the battle begins. Knowing an enemy’s weakness is invaluable when strategizing.
—Utilize scholarly spells to exploit enemy weaknesses and break foes.
■ Osvald’s Latent Power: Concentrate Spells
When his latent power gauge is full, Osvald can focus spells that usually target all foes onto a single target with increased potency. Boosting can further enhance this magical might.
—Many of Osvald’s magic skills target all foes. His latent power allows you to deal heavy damage to bosses and other powerful enemies.
■ Travel on the Water
In this installment, you can board canoes to explore towns and caverns like never before. Traverse both land and sea to venture to every corner of the realm.
—You can board a canoe to explore towns, dungeons, and more. What treasures await on the realm’s isolated isles?
—Enjoy the nautical journey, but beware of enemies lurking beneath the water’s surface.
■ A Vessel All Your Own
Advance through the story, and you can obtain your own nautical vessel. Use it to journey between continents, or chart your own course out to sea and disembark on unexplored islands. The world is yours to explore.
—You can choose your vessel’s color and sail emblem.
—There are places only your vessel can reach, like mysterious islands and sunken ships.
■ Crossed Paths: Osvald and Partitio
This installment includes Crossed Paths, which are stories involving two travelers.
Osvald and Partitio come across a man who has collapsed on the street. He turns out to be an old friend of Osvald’s and an Astronomer. Intrigued by his story, the two eventually find themselves embroiled in his troubles…
Former President Donald Trump suggested that the proposed prisoner swap between Russia and the United States that would return jailed WNBA star Brittney Griner in exchange for a Russian arms dealer “doesn’t seem like a very good trade.”
“She knew you don’t go in there loaded up with drugs, and she admitted it,” Trump told the Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show. “I assume she admitted it without too much force because it is what it is, and it certainly doesn’t seem like a very good trade, does it? He’s absolutely one of the worst in the world, and he’s gonna be given his freedom because a potentially spoiled person goes into Russia loaded up with drugs.”
Trump was referring to reports that the United States is attempting to secure the release of Griner, and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, in exchange for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout who is known as the “Merchant of Death” due to his weapons sales that fueled deadly conflicts around the world.
“She went in there loaded up with drugs into a hostile territory where they’re very vigilant about drugs,” Trump added. “They don’t like drugs. And she got caught. And now we’re supposed to get her out — and she makes, you know, a lot of money, I guess. We’re supposed to get her out for an absolute killer and one of the biggest arms dealers in the world. Killed many Americans. Killed many people.”
BRITTNEY GRINER REVEALS TRANSLATION ISSUE DURING HER FEBRUARY ARREST
American basketball star Brittney Griner returned Wednesday to a Russian courtroom for her drawn-out trial on drug charges that could bring her 10 years in prison of convicted. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, Pool)
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said earlier this week that while the Kremlin and U.S. officials have engaged in talks, “there has been no concrete result yet.”
“We proceed from the assumption that interests of both parties should be taken into account during the negotiations,” she said.
Griner, a WNBA champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist was arrested in Russia in February after customs officers found “vapes” containing hashish oil in her luggage at an airport near Moscow.
MARC FOGEL: FAMILY OF AMERICAN MAN DETAINED IN RUSSIA BEGS BIDEN, BLINKEN TO ADD HIM TO BRITNEY GRINER DEAL
WNBA star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner holds up a photo of players from the recent all star game wearing her number, sitting in a cage at a court room prior to a hearing in the Khimki district court, just outside Moscow, Russia, Friday, July 15, 2022. (AP Photo/Dmitry Serebryakov)
Griner, who faces a potential 10-year prison sentence, pleaded guilty earlier this month in a move her legal team says was made to “take full responsibility for her actions.”
Former Trump Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also suggested earlier this week that the proposed prisoner swap is not a good idea.
GREG GUTFELD: IS TRADING THE ‘MERCHANT OF DEATH’ FOR WNBA STAR BRITTNEY GRINER THE MOST UNEQUAL DEAL?
“He’s a bad guy. He is a guy who wanted to kill Americans. It presents a real risk to the United States. There’s a real reason the Russians want to get him home. To offer a trade like this is a dangerous precedent,” Pompeo told “America’s Newsroom.”
“This is not a good trade, not the right path forward, and it’ll likely lead to more,” Pompeo added.
Russian officials have long pushed for the release of Bout, who is currently serving a 25-year sentence in U.S. prison after being convicted in 2011 of conspiracy to kill Americans, conspiracy to deliver anti-aircraft missiles, and aiding a terrorist organization.
Alleged Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout (R) walks past temporary cells ahead of a hearing at the Criminal Court in Bangkok on August 20, 2010. (Christophe Archambault/AFP via Getty Images)
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He was nabbed in 2008 in a sting operation at a luxury hotel in Bangkok, Thailand, where he met with Drug Enforcement Administration informants who were posing as officials with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, which has been classified by U.S. officials as a narco-terrorist group.
Prosecutors said that Bout was prepared to provide the group with $20 million worth of “a breathtaking arsenal of weapons — including hundreds of surface-to-air missiles, machine guns and sniper rifles — 10 million rounds of ammunition and five tons of plastic explosives.”
Fox News’ Joshua Q. Nelson contributed to this report.
Andrew Mark Miller is a writer at Fox News. Find him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and email tips to AndrewMark.Miller@Fox.com.
WASHINGTON — She is an American professional basketball star, accused of carrying hashish oil in her luggage.
He is a notorious Russian arms dealer known as the “Merchant of Death,” serving a 25-year federal prison sentence for conspiring to sell weapons to people who said they planned to kill Americans.
And the Kremlin appears interested in linking their fates, in a potential deal with the Biden administration that would free both.
The vast disparity between the cases of Brittney Griner and Viktor Bout highlights the extreme difficulty President Biden would face if he sought a prisoner exchange to free Ms. Griner, the detained W.N.B.A. player, from detention in Moscow. The Biden administration, reluctant to create an incentive for the arrest or abduction of Americans abroad, would be hard-pressed to justify the release of a villainous figure like Mr. Bout.
At the same time, Mr. Biden is under pressure to free Ms. Griner, who was arrested at a Moscow-area airport in February and whom the State Department classified in May as “wrongfully detained.” That reflects concern that the Kremlin considers her leverage in the tense confrontation between the United States and Russia over Ukraine. Last week, dozens of groups representing people of color, women and L.G.B.T.Q. Americans sent a letter urging Mr. Biden to “make a deal to get Brittney back home to America immediately and safely.”
Ms. Griner’s trial started on Friday.
Mr. Bout, 55, a former Soviet military officer who made a fortune in global arms trafficking before he was caught in a federal sting operation, could be the price for any deal. Russian officials have pressed Mr. Bout’s case for years, and in recent weeks Russian media outlets have directly linked his case to Ms. Griner’s. Some, including the state-owned Tass news service, have even claimed that talks with Washington for a possible exchange are already underway, something that U.S. officials will not confirm.
Mr. Bout’s New York-based lawyer, Steve Zissou, said in an interview that Russian officials are pressing to free Mr. Bout, who was convicted in 2011 of offering to sell weapons, including antiaircraft missiles, to federal agents posing as members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC. Mr. Zissou said that he met with Anatoly I. Antonov, Russia’s ambassador to the United States, in June in Washington and that Mr. Antonov told him the release of Mr. Bout was a very high priority for the Russian government.
“It has been communicated to the American side very clearly that they’re going to have to get real on Viktor Bout if they expect any further prisoner exchanges,” Mr. Zissou said. “My sense of this is that no American is going home unless Viktor Bout is sent home with them.”
U.S. officials have declined to substantiate that notion and won’t discuss any potential deal to free Ms. Griner. The State Department as a matter of practice dismisses questions about prisoner exchanges around the world, warning that they set a dangerous precedent.
“Using wrongful detention as a bargaining chip represents a threat to the safety of everyone traveling, working and living abroad,” the department’s spokesman, Ned Price, recently said.
Better Understand the Russia-Ukraine War
Mr. Biden did agree to a prisoner exchange in April, in which Russia released Trevor Reed, a former U.S. Marine from Texas who had been held since 2019 on charges of assaulting two police officers. The United States in return freed Konstantin Yaroshenko, a pilot sentenced in 2011 to 20 years in prison for drug smuggling. But White House officials stressed that Mr. Reed’s failing health made his case exceptional.
Many people have expressed support for Ms. Griner, a star athlete and basketball icon. Less obvious is the Russian government’s solidarity with an organized crime titan linked to terrorists and war criminals. In December, a government building in Moscow exhibited two dozen of Mr. Bout’s pencil sketches and other artwork produced from his cell in a federal penitentiary building near Marion, Ill.
By the time of his arrest in 2008, Mr. Bout (pronounced “boot”) was so known that an arms-trafficking character played by Nicolas Cage in the 2005 film “Lord of War” was based on his life.
Born in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, he attended a Russian military college and served as a Soviet air force officer.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Mr. Bout began making money ferrying cargo between continents. U.S. officials say he soon became one of the world’s top arms dealers, transporting weapons from the former Soviet military in Ilyushin transport planes, with a particularly lucrative business in war-torn African countries like Liberia and Sierra Leone. Mr. Bout denies that he knowingly trafficked arms.
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the United States and European nations were sure that Mr. Bout’s weapons shipments were not only fueling death and misery but also violating United Nations arms embargoes. They were particularly alarmed by intelligence suggesting he may have done business with the Afghan Taliban and even Al Qaeda, charges he denies.
Eventually, the United States lured Mr. Bout into a trap. In 2008, a pair of Drug Enforcement Administration agents posing as members of Colombia’s leftist FARC rebel group arranged a meeting in Bangkok with Mr. Bout to buy weapons including 30,000 AK-47 rifles, plastic explosives and surface-to-air missiles for use against Colombia’s government and the American military personnel supporting its campaign against the FARC.
“Viktor Bout was ready to sell a weapons arsenal that would be the envy of some small countries,” Preet Bharara, then the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, said after his conviction. “He aimed to sell those weapons to terrorists for the purpose of killing Americans.”
The FARC’s official status at the time as a foreign terrorist organization meant that Mr. Bout drew a mandatory federal minimum sentence of 25 years.
One former U.S. official familiar with Mr. Bout’s situation said the Russian government’s interest in his freedom appeared to be personal and that he has ties to powerful people close to President Vladimir V. Putin.
Another former American official pointed to a somewhat more principled reason: Mr. Bout was arrested in Thailand and extradited from there to New York. Russian officials have complained about what they call the growing “practice used by the U.S. of actually hunting down our citizens abroad and arresting them in other nations,” as Grigory Lukyantsev, the Russian Foreign Ministry’s commissioner for human rights, said in August, according to the Russian news outlet RT.
The first former U.S. official said it was highly unlikely that, given the magnitude of his crimes, Mr. Bout would be freed in any deal for Ms. Griner — even if, as some have speculated, the trade were to include Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine imprisoned in Moscow since December 2018 on espionage charges. The former official said Russia had sought Mr. Bout’s release in even higher-profile cases in the past and had been firmly rejected.
Both former officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss their knowledge of Mr. Bout’s case publicly.
Danielle Gilbert, an assistant professor of military and strategic studies at the U.S. Air Force Academy who specializes in hostage diplomacy, agreed that releasing Mr. Bout would be a difficult political proposition. But she did not rule out the idea. “It wouldn’t surprise me if they’re at least considering the possibility,” she said, noting that she does not speak for the U.S. government.
Mr. Bout has at least one advocate for his release in the United States: Shira A. Scheindlin, the judge who presided over his case. In an interview, Ms. Scheindlin said that swapping Mr. Bout for Ms. Griner would be inappropriate, given the scale of his offense in relation to her alleged violation.
But she said a deal that also included Mr. Whelan might even the scales. Mr. Bout has already served 11 years in prison, she noted, saying that “he was not a terrorist, in my opinion. He was a businessman.” Although she was required to impose his mandatory 25-year sentence, she added: “I thought it was too high at the time.”
“So, having served as long as he has, I think the United States’ interest in punishing him has been satisfied,” she said, “and it would not be a bad equation to send him back if we get back these people who are important to us.”
Even if the United States were open to such a deal, Mr. Zissou said it would not be imminent. He said he believed that Russia — which insists Ms. Griner faces legitimate charges and is not a political pawn — was determined to complete her trial before negotiating her release. “And that is likely to take a few months,” he said.
The Outlaws makes no bones about the fact that its leads fit into easily recognizable types. Indeed, it has one character — Rani (Rihanne Barreto), the self-described “studious Asian good girl” — just come out and say so in the first episode. “You’ve got your right-wing blowhard, your left-wing militant, celubutante, shifty old-timer and whatever the hell he is,” she explains to Christian (Gamba Cole), whom she playfully dubs the “bad boy.”
The aim of Stephen Merchant and Elgin James’ comedy-thriller series is to dig beyond these types, finding common ground among vastly different characters and building bridges between them that transcend the usual divisions of class or politics or social status. And while its results on that front are mixed at best, a likable cast and genial sense of humor nevertheless make for a generally pleasant time.
The Outlaws
The Bottom Line
Clearly flawed, but likable enough that you might not mind.
Airdate: Friday, April 1 (Amazon Prime Video) Cast: Rhianne Barreto, Gamba Cole, Stephen Merchant, Christopher Walken, Eleanor Tomlinson, Darren Boyd, Clare Perkins, Jessica Gunning Creators: Stephen Merchant, Elgin James
Initially, its central gang of strangers are tossed together by semi-random circumstance. Each has recently found themselves in legal trouble for one unrelated matter or another, and each has consequently been assigned community service — 100+ hours cleaning up a derelict building under the watchful eye of Diane (Jessica Gunning, giving off a vibe that’s somewhere between Melissa McCarthy and Dwight Schrute). But a series of events involving a handgun and a duffel bag stuffed with cash significantly up the stakes, binding the outlaws together more closely than they ever could’ve imagined at the start.
It’s an appealing premise for a series, especially if you’re a sucker for shows about misfits forming unlikely friendships. (Up to and including Misfits, to which The Outlaws bears a superficial but obvious resemblance.) The series is at its most enjoyable when its relationships are at their most endearing, like when the characters are dancing on the job to Sam Cooke’s “Chain Gang” or scheming to get one over on Diane like they’re in some much less glamorous version of Ocean’s 11.
But even with six hourlong episodes to fill, the series seems able to dig only so far into its seven core characters, to say nothing of the family, friends and coworkers surrounding each one. Its attempts to flesh out familiar tropes too often rely on still more familiar tropes. Obviously, the influencer (Eleanor Tomlinson’s effervescent hotheaded Lady Gabby) craves attention because she wasn’t loved enough by her rich dad (Richard E. Grant). Of course the aging con artist (Christopher Walken’s appealingly Christopher Walken-y Frank) is trying to repair a relationship with the daughter (Dolly Wells) he’s disappointed too many times before.
Some never stop feeling like stereotypes at all. Clare Perkins brings sensitivity and self-awareness to her role as acid-tongued activist Myrna — and yet the character, as written, feels like little more than a strawman. She’s a Daily Mail reader’s idea of the kind of too-woke social justice warrior who’ll decry others as “race traitors” or “puppets of capitalism” for daring to like Michael Bolton or work part-time at Ikea, respectively.
Predictably, Myrna is most frequently paired in scenes with a self-admitted Daily Mail fan, cranky conservative John (Darren Boyd), so that other characters can crow that they’re “just two angry peas in a pod.” Their dynamic feels like one rooted not in mutual interest or feeling between the characters, but in Merchant and Elgin’s desire to make some facile point about how both sides of the political spectrum can be unreasonable and unyielding. The show’s other stabs at cultural commentary don’t run much deeper.
If the narrative of The Outlaws can feel too tidy — to the point of making Bristol, a city of over 400,000 people, seem as insular as a small town — its tone tends toward messiness. Perhaps there’s simply no way to jam together a potentially deadly criminal threat and a lighthearted subplot about a teenager’s house party into a single episode without some emotional whiplash. But it doesn’t make the experience of trying to go from one to the other feel any more organic.
Still, when The Outlaws works, it works. Rani and Christian’s flirtation treads a very well-worn young-romance path, complete with disapproving parents, nighttime sneak-outs and a speech about how a sheltered girl like her just can’t understand his real-world problems. But when they’re swaying to Khalid or posing in a party photo booth, Barreto and Cole beam at each other with such sweet, pure affection that it makes those plot points feel fresh again.
Likewise, it’s hardly a shock to learn that Gabby feels desperately lonely despite her 1.2 million followers (Jesus, she sweetly notes, only had 12), or that she has a habit of filling the loneliness with champagne and cocaine. But it’s touching nonetheless to see her develop an unexpected friendship with Greg (Merchant), an incompetent lawyer who has no friends — probably because he’s prone to introducing himself with groanworthy lines like “I’m six foot seven inches tall, and no, it’s not in proportion. If it was in proportion, I’d be eight foot three.”
In relationships like those, or in the ensemble’s gradual evolution from a mutually suspicious cohort of strangers to a coherent group of friends, The Outlaws feels like more than the sum of its parts. The characters may not feel as fully considered as they should be, and the points the series is trying to make with them too pat; one hopes that the already-announced season two will do a better job of actually subverting the well-established stereotypes it lays out.
But the series is nothing if not a plea to be forgiving of flaws — and the affection it shows for its characters, as well as the affection the characters eventually start showing each other, is just winning enough to make you want to comply.
The Miami group is expected to remove the Trump name from the ornate building located a short walk from the White House and is partnering with Hilton Worldwide Holdings to brand it a Waldorf Astoria, according to the person familiar. The deal is subject to approval by the General Services Administration (GSA), which will conduct a 60-day review, because the federal government owns the property.
The CGI Merchant Group declined to comment to CNN. CNN has reached out to the Trump Organization for comment.
Former President Donald Trump’s company had been in advanced talks with CGI Merchant Group this fall to sell the lease of the hotel, CNN previously reported.
Last month, the House Oversight Committee released documents showing the DC property, which attracted conservative lobbyists throughout the Trump presidency, lost $70 million while he was in office. (The former President had publicly claimed the hotel was making more than tens of millions of dollars.) The company has been trying to sell the property since 2019 but paused last year when the pandemic all but shuttered the hospitality industry.
The GSA, which manages federal buildings and land, awarded the lease for the Old Post Office building in 2012. Trump opened the hotel in 2016, when he was the Republican nominee for president.
Since then, the House Oversight Committee had been investigating conflicts of interest regarding GSA’s management of the Trump hotel lease.
When he took office, Trump resigned from his companies but transferred his assets to a trust run by his sons, allowing him to still benefit financially from the DC hotel and his other businesses.
In 2019, the inspector general of the GSA said the agency “ignored the Constitution” when deciding to maintain the lease of the building to the hotel after Trump was elected to the White House.
The documents released by the Oversight Committee showed the hotel received millions from foreign governments in payments and loan deferral, which Trump did not disclose, raising questions about potential conflicts of interest during his presidency.
The disclosure marked the first time that congressional investigators had reviewed and released details of the former President’s financial information, though the Trump Organization had challenged the committee’s understanding of accounting and denied any wrongdoing.
Bombay High court granted bail to Aryan Khan, Arbaaz Merchant and Munmun Dhamecha on October 28 after they were arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in a cruise drug bust case.
No sooner did the court grant bail to Aryan and Arbaaz, their friends took to their social media handles to share their pictures as they celebrated their victory. Ananya Panday’s cousin Ahaan shared some unseen throwback pictures of the duo.
Check out the pictures here:
In the pictures, we can see three stages of Aryan and Arbaaz’s friendship, right from their childhood days to school days to the more recent ones. While in one picture, Aryan is seen dressed in a school uniform with a bag on his back, in another, Arbaaz was seated in the passenger seat of the car with Ahaan. The last one appears to be a recent one featuring Ahaan and Arbaaz posing for the camera.
Ahaan is often seen hanging out and partying with Aryan, Suhana, Ananya and other star kids.
Aryan, along with Arbaaz and Munmun, was arrested on October 3 by the NCB after they busted an alleged rave party in a Goa-bound luxury cruise. After initial few days in the NCB custody, Aryan was sent to Arthur Road Jail.
Ever since his arrest, fans of Shah Rukh Khan have been gathering outside his residence Mannat in solidarity. Celebrities like Hrithik Roshan, Hansal Mehta, Sanjay Gupta and others openly supported the superstar during this phase.
