United States
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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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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.
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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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Money and Conflicts of Interest
The largest oil supply disruption in history: what the Iran war did to the price of gas, diesel and everything shipped
Gasoline went from under $3 to $4.48 within ten weeks of the Iran war, diesel to $6.50, Brent peaked near $138, tanker hire rose from $65,000 to $1.6 million a day, and average gas prices under Trump now exceed Biden's.
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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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Foreign Policy
Russian oil sanctions, one year on: repeated waivers, a Hungary carve-out and a $22 billion sale that has not closed
Since sanctioning Rosneft and Lukoil in October 2025, the administration waived them three times during the Iran war, gave Hungary a one-year exemption now up for renewal, and Lukoil's $22 billion foreign portfolio is still unsold.
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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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Money and Conflicts of Interest
What the Trumps are worth, according to Forbes: estimates with dates attached
Forbes puts Donald Trump at $7 billion (September 2026 list) and $6.6 billion in its live tracker on October 26, 2026; Eric at $400 million and Don Jr. at $300 million (December 2025); Barron at $150 million (September 2025).
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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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Foreign Policy
Red carpet in Anchorage, Kremlin talking points in the peace plan: how Russia's terms became the US position
Trump hosted Putin on US soil in August 2025 with no deal and no ceasefire; by November a 28-point US plan asked Ukraine to give up Donetsk, cap its army and forgo NATO, and leaked calls showed the US envoy coaching the Kremlin.
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Foreign Policy
Tariffs on allies for defending Denmark: how the Greenland crisis and the trade war broke Europe's trust in America
In January 2026 Trump put a 10 percent tariff on eight allies for backing Denmark over Greenland until markets fell; by spring 76 percent of Germans called the US untrustworthy and a Pew median of 85 percent of Europeans disapproved.
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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
Troops on American streets: the Guard deployments the courts found illegal, from Los Angeles to Chicago
Trump federalized thousands of Guard troops and sent Marines into Los Angeles, then Portland, Chicago, Memphis and Washington; a judge found Posse Comitatus violations, the Supreme Court said he likely lacked authority, and he retreated.
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Money and Conflicts of Interest
The Qatari 747: a gift to the government, a cost to the public
The Pentagon accepted a Qatari Boeing 747 in May 2025; Trump began flying on it July 1, 2026. The Air Force says conversion costs under $400 million (estimate); the library plan is now uncertain.
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Foreign Policy
The Oval Office blow-up, then the switch-off: how the US cut weapons and intelligence to Ukraine for a week
After the February 28, 2025 Oval Office clash, the Trump administration paused weapons deliveries and intelligence sharing with Ukraine; both resumed on March 11 only after Kyiv accepted a US ceasefire proposal and a minerals deal.
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Money and Conflicts of Interest
Musk's government business: Project Meridian, the $5.9 billion launch award, AI ceilings, and the favors that cost nothing
In 2025-2026 Musk's companies won a $5.92 billion anticipated-value launch contract and a $200 million AI ceiling alongside competitors, DOJ dropped a SpaceX hiring case, and Musk joined a Pentagon warfare study.
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Government and Oversight
DOGE's receipts and DOGE's data: what the audits and court filings actually show
DOGE's savings claims carried documented errors ($8 billion listed for an $8 million contract), a 2026 GAO audit found most savings unverifiable, and a January 2026 court filing described unauthorized SSA data handling.
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Foreign Policy
'We don't have to be there for NATO': the Munich speech, the 'PATHETIC' chat, and 5,000 troops pulled from Germany
Vance told Europe its main threat was itself, Hegseth called allies 'PATHETIC' free-loaders, Trump said the US 'doesn't have to be there for NATO,' and the Pentagon ordered 5,000 troops out of Germany over a dispute about the Iran war.
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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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Money and Conflicts of Interest
Trump's crypto money: $1.4 billion reported income, a UAE stake, and a lawsuit that is only a filing
Trump's 2025 disclosure reported over $1.4 billion in crypto income; Reuters estimates about $2.3 billion in family gains; a $500 million UAE-linked stake drew a CFIUS request and, in October 2026, an unproven lawsuit.
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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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Elections and Democracy
Musk and the 2024 vote: the $1 million giveaway settlement, Grok's false ballot deadlines, and what the St. Clair texts do and do not show
Musk and America PAC agreed on October 15, 2026 to settle two class actions over the 2024 $1 million voter giveaways on undisclosed terms; in 2024 Grok spread false ballot-deadline information for about ten days.
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Rights, Speech and Courts
X Corp. v. Center for Countering Digital Hate: dismissed in 2024 as a case 'about punishing the defendants for their speech,' argued on appeal September 30, 2026, decision pending
A judge dismissed X's suit against a hate-speech research group in March 2024 as a case about punishing speech; the Ninth Circuit heard X's appeal on September 30, 2026 and has not ruled.
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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
'Where's my favorite dictator?': a sourced catalog of Trump's affection for strongmen
From 'we fell in love' with Kim Jong Un to 'genius' for Putin, 'my favorite dictator' for el-Sisi, campaigning for Orbán, a state dinner for Xi and shutting down a Khashoggi question for MBS, the record spans both terms.
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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.
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Defense and Security
Everyone said this would happen: 50 years of warnings that Iran would close Hormuz and that bombs alone could not end its program
The Shah said Iran could close Hormuz in 1972; Iran threatened it in 1983, 1984, 2011, 2018 and 2025; a 2012 bipartisan study said strikes buy four years at most and invite retaliation at the strait. By September 2026 the US was losing.