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Verified facts, not vibes.

What Trump, his family's money and Musk's government dealings actually cost the rest of us, from court records, agency data and verified reporting. Read it, share it, then make a plan to vote.

I'm a voterWhat it costs meMemes

35 sourced stories · 294 checked sources · 18 fact checks · 653 memes

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• VoteNov 3Check, find your polling place, make a plan, send it to one friend. Two minutes.
• What it costs$4.48A gallon of regular gas, May 5, 2026. Eight kitchen-table numbers, each with its source.
• Fact checks18Things he keeps saying, checked against the record. None hold up.
• Jukebox▶Protest rock, country, folk and hip-hop that keeps playing while you browse.

• $4.48a gallon of regular gas, May 5, 2026Gas was under $3 a gallon in January. Ten weeks into the Iran war it reached $4.48.Source: AAA national averages, reported by the AP and CNN
• $6.50a gallon of diesel, Oct. 20, 2026Diesel was about 70 percent above its February price, and diesel is priced into every delivered good.Source: J.P. Morgan, October 2026 analysis
• $1,000+a year more for the same marketplace health planKeeping the same marketplace plan in 2026 cost 114 percent more after the enhanced tax credits expired.Source: KFF analysis of 2026 rate filings and enrollment data
• 2.6 millionfewer people paying for marketplace coverage in 2026Marketplace enrollment fell from 21.8 million to 19.2 million; CBO projects 10 million more uninsured by 2034.Source: KFF compilation of federal enrollment data; CBO estimate for Public Law 119-21

• He said

  He won the 2020 election; it was "rigged" and "stolen."

  False

  Biden won 306 to 232 in the Electoral College and by about 7 million votes.

• He said

  Gas is "$1.99 in many states" and "below $2.30 a gallon in most states."

  False

  In January 2026 no state averaged under $2; the national average was $2.78 and the cheapest state (Oklahoma) was $2.34.

• He said

  Gas prices will "drop like a rock" as soon as the Iran war ends, "lower than they were before."

  Unsupported, contradicted by events

  Energy experts told FactCheck.org it could take many months after a settlement for prices to return to pre-war levels.

• Foreign Policy

  He signed the Russia sanctions law in September and waived it in October, after a phone call with Putin about diesel

  On October 9, 2026 Trump agreed with Putin by phone to let Russian diesel back into world markets; a week later he waived the core of the Lindsey Graham sanctions act he had signed 28 days earlier, as Russia offered nothing in return.

  Reporting October 9, 2026 – October 17, 2026 8 sources
  
• Foreign Policy

  Ukraine knocked out Russia's biggest data centers. Trump's answer was to attack Zelensky, buy Putin's diesel and float joint US-Russia data centers

  Oct. 8-18, 2026: Ukrainian drones hit five Russian data centers, crippling Yandex, Sberbank and VK. Trump called the strikes a disgrace, said Ukraine needs a new president, and Putin's envoy pitched joint US-Russia data centers.

  Reporting October 8, 2026 – October 22, 2026 8 sources
• Foreign Policy

  Give up the Donbas or face 'a very bad thing': the 2026 pressure campaign on Kyiv while Moscow gives up nothing

  Through 2026 the administration pressed Ukraine to quit the Donbas it still holds while easing pressure on Moscow; Putin kept bombing Kyiv, and 61 percent of Ukrainians and 76 percent of Americans reject the trade.

  Reporting September 5, 2026 – October 24, 2026 9 sources
• Money and Conflicts of Interest

  Trump's oil stocks, the Iran war and $7 billion of well-timed bets: what is known and what is not

  JEC Democratic staff estimate Trump's oil stocks gained $4.6 million to $15.5 million in 2026; Reuters traced about $7 billion in oil bets placed before his Iran announcements; the CFTC confirmed an open probe on October 22, 2026.

  Estimate March 23, 2026 – October 25, 2026 7 sources
• Defense and Security

  Operation Epic Fury: a war of choice launched days before a deal, still unfinished eight months and $43.6 billion later

  The US and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, 2026, two days after Oman said a deal was near; eight months on Hormuz is contested, 21 US troops are dead, the bill is $43.6 billion, Iran's uranium is unaccounted for and no deal exists.

  Reporting February 28, 2026 – October 23, 2026 12 sources
• Defense and Security

  What the Iran war has cost so far, and what the Pentagon is asking for next: $45 billion, $87 billion, $1.5 trillion

  The Pentagon reported $45.1 billion in Iran war costs through early September 2026 (CBO: $38 billion through August 1); an $87.6 billion supplemental is pending and the 2027 request seeks $1.5 trillion for defense.

  Primary record February 28, 2026 – October 26, 2026 10 sources
• Government and Oversight

  A war Congress never authorized: three House votes, one Senate vote reversed overnight after Trump called a senator a 'lunatic'

  Congress holds the war power. The Iran war began with no vote, a notice that ignored the War Powers Resolution and no briefing for six weeks; the House voted three times to end it and the Senate once, until Republicans flipped.

  Primary record February 28, 2026 – September 16, 2026 9 sources

• ▶

  Streets of Minneapolis

  Bruce Springsteen · Rock

  Play rock in the jukebox

• ▶

  Bad News

  Zach Bryan · Country

  Play country in the jukebox

• ▶

  State of the Union (STFU)

  Public Enemy feat. DJ Premier · Hip hop

  Play hip hop in the jukebox

• ▶

  Letters from an American

  Heather Cox Richardson, historian

  A nightly letter putting the day's news in historical context; the most-read political newsletter in the country.

• ▶

  Thinking about...

  Timothy Snyder, historian of fascism

  Author of On Tyranny. His 20 lessons, read by John Lithgow, are the fastest primer on how democracies die.

• ▶

  Anne Applebaum at The Atlantic

  Anne Applebaum, Pulitzer winner

  Autocracy, Inc. explains how strongmen help each other get rich and stay in power.

Open the full gallery Download zip 1/5 Download zip 2/5 Download zip 3/5 Download zip 4/5 Download zip 5/5

• 34Trump & familyNet worth, crypto, the Qatari jet, the sons' defense bets, taxes.
• 9Elon MuskPolitical cash, DOGE, Starlink and Ukraine, the SEC, Pentagon deals.
• 35United StatesDeficits, health coverage, food aid, elections, courts.
• 23GlobalThe Gulf, Europe, satellites, tariffs and sanctions.
• 12Military & warThe Iran war, the Maduro raid, boat strikes, troops on US streets, no vote in Congress.
• 12Ukraine & PutinAid cut off, Starlink pulled, Putin's wish list, NATO abandoned, dictators embraced.
• 18Fact checksThe biggest public claims, checked against the record.
• ♫Protest music & voicesThreat Level Orange, Willie Nelson and more. Plus the writers and videos worth your time.

• Money and Conflicts of Interest 17
• Taxes and Public Finance 5
• Health and Safety 3
• Government and Oversight 31
• Defense and Security 20
• Foreign Policy 21
• Elections and Democracy 4
• Rights, Speech and Courts 7
• Environment and Science 1
• Technology and Space 5

• Rule 1

  Every story is labeled

  Primary record, reporting, estimate, conditional calculation, attributed opinion or disputed account. You always know what kind of evidence you are looking at.

• Rule 2

  Every sentence has a source

  Numbered citations with locators and the date we opened them. 294 sources and counting.

• Rule 3

  Mistakes get fixed in the open

  Corrections are noted on the story and logged publicly. Send one in if you spot something.