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Oct 18, 2026 - World

Conservative columnist Charlie Sykes skewered President Donald Trump on Sunday as the president's "treachery" abounds. Sykes, who authors "To The Contrary" on Substack, argued in a new essay that Trump's repeated attempts to appease Russian President Vladimir Putin amounted to the president's "October surprise," or one that could ultimately lead to his defeat during the midterm elections. Over the last week, Trump has agreed to buy millions of barrels of Russian diesel fuel and agreed to ease sanctions against Russia as a way of keeping the country "at the negotiating table" to end the war in Ukraine. "Donald Trump’s treachery was predictable and predicted. Even so, watching him throwing a financial lifeline to Putin as the monstrous mob boss murders Ukrainians is sick-making stuff," Sykes wrote. Sykes' new column arrived on the same day that Trump repeated claims that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was responsible for the global rise in diesel fuel costs because Ukraine continues to attack Russian oil infrastructure. Analysts have pointed out that Trump's alleged "energy ceasefire" between Ukraine and Russia has not yet worked, as both countries continue to attack each other. At the same time, Trump has tried to deflect blame for recent Russian attacks against Ukrainian civilians. Last week, reports indicated that a slowdown in Ukraine's Starshield systems, which help identify and defend against ballistic missile attacks, resulted from an order from Trump's White House. Sykes argued that the recent moves are "vindication" of the long-standing belief that Trump is working in Russia's favor. "Would it help if he had the grace to admit that the critics were right from the start? Maybe," Sykes wrote. "But vindication doesn’t mean we don’t feel like throwing up as we watch the United States shiv a brave democratic ally, while Ukrainians die."

Oct 18, 2026 - World

President Donald Trump's shocking rants about his turn toward Russia on Sunday sparked immediate backlash across the political spectrum. "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," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "Great progress is being made, and that includes current hostage negotiations! Signing that document at this time will do that, and I can sign it later, or any time that I want! Perhaps more importantly, Russia is doing very little, if anything, to help the Islamic Republic of Iran, compared to what they could be doing, and I want to keep it that way, and will, unless stupid people get in the way."Trump's comments came after he repeatedly blamed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for rising diesel fuel prices because of his military's attacks against Russian oil refineries. Oil industry experts have said the rising prices are more closely tied to the ongoing war against Iran. The Truth Social post sparked immediate and furious outrage from analysts. Joseph Allen, a professor at Harvard University, described Trump's statement as "disgraceful.""A disgraceful message from Trump. He is not worthy of the position of president of the United States," Allen wrote on X. "He is a corrupt, small-minded fool, setting fire to American ideals that have served us and the world well for decades. He is burning it to the ground while enriching himself and his family."Edin Mujkic, a professor at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, said it was another example of how much of a "despicable human being" Trump is. "He is shifting focus from the disaster in the Strait of Hormuz and making Zelensky a sacrificial lamb to his base. A despicable human being who never took responsibility for anything in his life," Mujkic posted on X. Mike Nellis, a Democratic political strategist, posted on X that Trump's screed is a sign that he's worried about the backlash he's already received. "Trump is clearly freaking out as both parties have universally condemned his decision to remove Lindsey Graham’s sanctions against Russian oligarchs," Nellis wrote. "He’s now trying to argue it’s about some secret plan he has to end the war in Ukraine. You have to be a special kind of stupid to believe this guy’s lies at this point."

Oct 18, 2026 - World

President Donald Trump defended his latest turn toward Russia in a lengthy Truth Social screed Sunday as outrage over the president's recent moves continues to escalate. Last week, Trump announced that the U.S. would buy millions of barrels of diesel fuel from Russia in an effort to lower gas prices ahead of the midterms. That's despite Russia's weakened oil infrastructure that has been battered by repeated Ukrainian drone attacks. At the same time, the president announced he would lift sanctions on Russia that were included in a bill to honor the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC). Both moves have sparked outrage among Democrats and Republicans alike. Trump defended those moves Sunday by saying he "[doesn't] want to do anything that will drive, foolishly, Russia away from the bargaining table.""Great progress is being made, and that includes current hostage negotiations!" Trump wrote. "Signing that document at this time will do that, and I can sign it later, or any time that I want! Perhaps more importantly, Russia is doing very little, if anything, to help the Islamic Republic of Iran, compared to what they could be doing, and I want to keep it that way, and will, unless stupid people get in the way." "Lastly, Zelenskyy is using Diesel Refineries in Russia as a target, knowing that these attacks are seriously hurting the world diesel markets, including those in the United States. Farmers, ranchers, and businesses of all kinds are suffering greatly from this, but Russia is, nevertheless, sending, at a low price, millions of barrels of diesel to the World," Trump added. "Zelenskyy doesn’t care, and frankly, with all of the money that Europe is famously giving him, and that Crooked Joe Biden gave him in the past, he doesn’t want to end this war, and probably never did. He could have made a better deal two years ago than he can now. His country is in shambles, a large portion of his land is lost, his oceans and seas are gone, and his male population is low, wounded, and/or dead. I WANT THIS WAR END (sic)!"

Oct 18, 2026 - World

A former ambassador to Ukraine sounded the alarm Sunday as President Donald Trump continues to send "kisses" to one of the U.S.'s chief adversaries. Last week, Trump announced that the U.S. was planning to buy millions of barrels of Russian diesel fuel in an effort to lower gas prices ahead of the midterms. Trump backed up that move this week by lifting sanctions against Russia that were included in the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026, a law passed in honor of the late Republican Senator from South Carolina who took a hard-line approach to dealing with Russia. Both moves caused a plethora of outrage from Republicans and Democrats alike, although no legislative action has been taken to rein in Trump. John Herbst, senior director at the Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center and a former ambassador to Ukraine, said on "CNN Newsroom" with host Fredricka Whitfield that Trump's moves are a "very bad look" for the president and the U.S. as a whole. "They haven't handed him victory, but they've given him several gifts over the past week, [or] week and a half, while Putin has done everything he can, not just to conquer Ukraine, but to counter the United States in the Middle East," Herbst said. "So, while Putin is warring against us, we are sending him kisses, and that's a very bad look."Herbst also took issue with reports that White House officials ordered a slowdown of Ukraine's Starshield system, the military equivalent of the Starlink internet service provided by SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. Trump denied knowing who gave the order, which raised speculation that he himself gave it. The former ambassador described the Starshield service as "one very good element of support that Trump has provided and actually precedes Trump." "In his term, he's provided almost the entire time," Herbst added. "Cutting that off is very serious. It makes it much harder for Ukraine to stop the strikes that are killing civilians, going after Ukrainian energy and water infrastructure. So that's the most important thing."

Oct 18, 2026 - World

President Donald Trump formally endorsed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for reelection on Sunday. The move angered critics on the left and some of Trump’s own “America First” supporters.Trump posted the endorsement on Truth Social as a letter “To the Great People of Israel.” He called Netanyahu “a great warrior Prime Minister, and an even greater partner for peace in the fight against the Islamic Republic of Iran.”“If Israel has the wrong leader, meaning anyone other than Bibi, America will have to do the job itself, and I have no inclination to do so,” Trump wrote. “Please consider this letter my full and complete endorsement of Benjamin Netanyahu in his next race for reelection as Prime Minister of Israel. Bibi Netanyahu will never let you down!”Axios reporter Barak Ravid was among the first to flag the post. Netanyahu answered with a video saying that only he and Trump would destroy Iran’s nuclear program.Danny Citrinowicz, a senior fellow at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies and a nonresident fellow at the Atlantic Council, said the wording worried him.“I may be reading too much into this statement, and I certainly hope I am wrong,” he wrote. “But it is hard not to interpret it as suggesting that Netanyahu promised Trump another joint military operation against Iran in exchange for his political support.”“Israel cannot afford another war with Iran driven by political calculations rather than a genuine national security necessity,” he added.Kenneth Roth, former executive director of Human Rights Watch, pointed to the International Criminal Court arrest warrant issued for Netanyahu in 2024 over the war in Gaza.“Netanyahu has committed genocide, yet Trump endorses him,” Roth wrote. “I suppose that’s not worse than aiding and abetting the genocide, which Trump also did.”Some of the sharpest criticism came from the right. Conservative commentator Breck Worsham, who posts as ThePatrioticBlonde, called the endorsement a “slobber filled love letter of idolatry.”“Trump just once again endorsed Netanyahu, KNOWING how much the American people hate him, KNOWING how much the American people detest Israel,” she wrote. “He just continues to give the middle finger to the country he was elected to represent.”Rich Baris, director of the right-leaning Big Data Poll, noted that the endorsement came hours after a report said Trump wouldn’t weigh in on Israel’s election.“Welp, that was wrong. He did,” Baris wrote.The endorsement comes more than six months into Trump’s war with Iran, which polls show is deeply unpopular with American voters.