Monday, October 12, 2026 · Morning Edition

Today

By StaffNews Desk

Good morning. With November's midterms bearing down, Donald Trump has turned to Russian diesel to ease a supply crunch — a move analysts say is unlikely to make a dent on prices. The deal exposes [how tightly fuel costs are bound to Republican fortunes this year; Trump has largely dismissed the focus on higher gas prices, yet the deal suggests he knows what's at stake](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/10/12/trumps-diesel-deal-with-russia-shows-how-tied-prices-are-republican-success-this-year). Days before claiming an energy ceasefire, he had announced the diesel deal and blamed Ukraine for high US fuel prices, and the plan has drawn criticism from both Republican and Democratic lawmakers weeks before the vote. Even so, Dutch Defense Minister Dilan Yesilgoz-Zegerius urged Europe and its allies to keep Russia sanctions in place.

The administration's war on migrants grinds on. In Oregon, ICE [stands accused of tear-gassing protesters who had blocked in their vehicles, amid mounting attention to immigration enforcement in the state](https://www.newsweek.com/ice-accused-of-tear-gassing-protesters-who-blocked-in-their-vehicles-12554340). In Ann Arbor, registered nurse Chloe Freeman [is being prosecuted by the Trump administration for helping an injured immigrant worker escape Border Patrol agents, and University of Michigan students have rallied to her defense](https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2026/10/12/vkkd-o12.html).

Follow the money and the rot is plain. [Susie Wiles' daughter's firm and two Trump strategists are being paid to help pro-Putin Serb nationalists or their would-be business partners](https://www.ms.now/white-house/trump-world-serb-nationalists-bosnia-business-ties) — Trump world profiting from far-right allies who deny genocide. A federal judge has had to [order the administration to cancel TV ads bought with millions in taxpayer money to promote Trump's political message](https://abcnews.com/Politics/wireStory/judge-orders-trump-administration-cancel-taxpayer-funded-promotional-137183951), while Trump and Rubio weigh firing ambassador Kimberly Guilfoyle after reports of improper conduct that a top Senate Republican called "very troubling". Talk of impeachment has crept into the midterm reckoning as the anticipated Blue Wave looms, and Speaker Mike Johnson insists he intends to stay on as GOP leader, joking he could start a lawn business if the party loses the House.

In Richland Parish, Louisiana, [Meta is building its largest data center to date, with over 7,500 workers expected on site at the project's peak as residents launch businesses on the influx](https://www.businessinsider.com/meta-ai-data-center-construction-louisiana-local-business-growth-economy-2026-10). And Russell Brand's rape and sexual assault trial begins Monday; he has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges.