United States Congress
Includes committee and staff reports cited in stories; partisan staff estimates are labeled as such.
Profile text here is limited to what the cited stories establish; this is not a biography.
Stories 17
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Taxes and Public Finance
Trump's $10 billion IRS lawsuit, the audit-immunity deal, and the judge who called it a sham
Trump sued the IRS in January 2026 and settled in May for an apology, a since-rescinded $1.776 billion fund and audit protection; a judge found the suit collusive in July, and the 11th Circuit refused to pause her order on September 29.
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Defense and Security
Seizing a head of state without telling Congress: Operation Absolute Resolve, 75 dead, and a $4.7 billion bill
On January 3, 2026, 200 US special operators and 150 aircraft seized Nicolás Maduro in Caracas; about 75 people died, Congress was told afterward, a secret memo said no law bound the president, and Trump said the US would 'run' Venezuela.
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Taxes and Public Finance
The 2026 deficit: $1.99 trillion in Treasury's year-end books, and what CBO says the 2025 tax law adds
Treasury's final fiscal 2026 statement shows a $1,992 billion deficit, about $160 billion above fiscal 2024 as first reported; CBO estimates the 2025 tax law adds $4.1 trillion to deficits over ten years with interest.
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Defense and Security
More than 200 killed at sea without a trial: the boat strikes, the 'armed conflict' memo and the second strike on survivors
Since September 2025 the US military has destroyed more than 60 small boats in the Caribbean and Pacific, killing over 210 people labeled 'unlawful combatants' without public evidence; survivors of the first strike were killed by a second.
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Health and Safety
Coverage losses and premium increases: what CBO projected, what KFF has observed, and where the '12 million' comes from
CBO projects 10 million more uninsured by 2034 from the 2025 law, over 14 million with expired enhanced credits; observed 2026 data show marketplace enrollment down 2.6 million and insurer premiums up 26 percent.
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Health and Safety
SNAP rolls fell by 5.5 million people in a year, USDA data show, and the cost shift to states has only begun
USDA data show SNAP participation fell from 41.6 million in July 2025 to 36.1 million in July 2026, a 13 percent drop that CBPP estimates includes about 2 million children; state cost-sharing phases in from October 2026.
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Government and Oversight
The $489 million warning: what the USAID watchdog said was at risk, what was actually lost, and who was in charge
USAID's inspector general warned in February 2025 that $489 million in food aid was at risk and was fired the next day; most warehoused food later shipped, $2.9 million spoiled in Djibouti, 500 tons destroyed in Dubai.
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Defense and Security
Trump's sons bet on defense tech while their father's Pentagon spends: what the records show
A Washington Post analysis found companies backed by Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump won at least $3.2 billion in direct federal business and $3.1 billion in options after they invested; officials and firms deny favoritism.
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Elections and Democracy
Musk's political money: at least $288 million in 2024, and a new wave for the 2026 midterms
FEC-based tallies put Musk's 2024 election spending at $259 million (Reuters, Dec 2024) and at least $288 million (Washington Post, Jan 2025); separate 2026 midterm tallies range from $366 million to more than $445 million.
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Foreign Policy
Starlink and Ukraine: the 2022 shutdown report, the October 2026 slowdown, and who had the switch
Reuters reported Musk ordered Starlink cut over parts of Ukraine in 2022 (SpaceX disputes it); in October 2026 Ukraine's Starlink and Starshield links were throttled for over a week until service returned October 24.
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Government and Oversight
Musk and the SEC: the 2018 'funding secured' penalties, the 2026 Twitter-disclosure settlement, and a $2.37 billion partisan estimate
Musk and Tesla each paid $20 million to settle the 2018 'funding secured' case; in 2026 a Musk trust paid $1.5 million to settle the SEC's Twitter-disclosure suit, approved despite the judge's 'significant misgivings'.
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Foreign Policy
Helsinki to St Petersburg: the documented record of Trump siding with Putin
From taking Putin's word over US intelligence in Helsinki in 2018, to calling the 2022 invasion 'genius,' to nine envoy meetings and a diesel deal in 2026, the record of Trump's deference to Putin is long, public and bipartisan-documented.